It's a Wonderful Lie

Prediction

2010-02-14T04:37:00.002-07:00

The next time the Republicans have a majority, they will dump the filibuster. They have set a precedent that has destroyed the Senate as an institution. Were the Democrats to use the "nuclear option" now, to take back its law-making ability as given by the Amercian public -- the mainstream media would howl in horror.

The Republicans, however, will likely elicit nothing more than a sigh or outright support from the corporate fourth estate.

Sarah Palin ...

2010-02-11T02:58:00.001-07:00

... has to be the dumbest politician alive today.

Wingnuttia still stupid

2009-12-26T23:36:00.002-07:00

Just now, heard Jay Lawrence (right-wing tool on KTAR radio) saying racial profiling is justified, because he knew when he heard of the latest attempted airplane bombing the suspect would be a Middle-Eastern male.

Forgetting that a personal anecdote is pathetic "evidence" that we should overturn civil rights for an entire group of people; does anyone else out there really believe this asshole knew the bomber would be from Nigeria?

I Heart Keith Olbermann

2009-08-08T01:55:00.001-07:00

Best Post on Gates' Arrest Yet

2009-07-26T02:34:00.002-07:00

The footnote:

"* And by the way, if anyone wants to see some real incoherence on this subject, consult the right wingers who are defending the policeman today, but who also believe that anyone has the right to shoot first and ask questions later if they "feel" threatened in their own home. By their lights, Gates should have been arrested for behaving "tumultuously" but would have been within his rights to shoot Sgt Crowley. This is why conservatives have no standing to discuss anything more complicated than Sarah Palin's wardrobe."

Must Read

2009-07-05T23:47:00.001-07:00

If you don't Wall Street is destroying America, read about just one firm here.

Here's a taste:

And here's the real punch line. After playing an intimate role in four historic bubble catastrophes, after helping $5 trillion in wealth disappear from the NASDAQ, after pawning off thousands of toxic mortgages on pensioners and cities, after helping to drive the price of gas up to $4 a gallon and to push 100 million people around the world into hunger, after securing tens of billions of taxpayer dollars through a series of bailouts overseen by its former CEO, what did Goldman Sachs give back to the people of the United States in 2008?

Fourteen million dollars.

That is what the firm paid in taxes in 2008, an effective tax rate of exactly one, read it, one percent. The bank paid out $10 billion in compensation and benefits that same year and made a profit of more than $2 billion - yet it paid the Treasury less than a third of what it forked over to CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who made $42.9 million last year.

How is this possible? According to Goldman's annual report, the low taxes are due in large part to changes in the bank's "geographic earnings mix." In other words, the bank moved its money around so that most of its earnings took place in foreign countries with low tax rates. Thanks to our completely hosed corporate tax system, companies like Goldman can ship their revenues offshore and defer taxes on those revenues indefinitely, even while they claim deductions upfront on that same untaxed income. This is why any corporation with an at least occasionally sober accountant can usually find a way to zero out its taxes. A GAO report, in fact, found that between 1998 and 2005, roughly two-thirds of all corporations operating in the U.S. paid no taxes at all.

Cures Everything

2009-03-01T19:36:00.003-07:00

Obama's Budget = Class Warfare?

2009-02-28T14:48:00.002-07:00

Warren Buffett, who knows a thing or two about wealth, has noted that because of the way the tax code is structured, he effectively pays taxes at a lower rate than the secretaries who work for him, concluding: "There's class warfare, all right. But it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning."

Media Matters

Mayor Berman Keeps Interesting Company

2008-12-24T05:47:00.003-07:00

My cyber-stalker wingnut has temporarily stopped harassing me, and I imagine it is because defending Gilbert Mayor Steve "Hitman" Berman is a full-time job.

He recently sent a letter to a judge asking for leniency in a case involving a family friend. The crime? Killing a teenager in a drunk-driving accident.

One wonders what kind of dirt the defendant had on said mayor.

Berman apologizes for letter about convict

Berman initially released a statement to KNXV-TV (Channel 15) after news about the letter came out. In that statement, he wrote: "If I had to do it over again, I would have written the letter on a personal letterhead rather than town stationary."

He also added: "Before writing the letter, I checked public records and found no indication that Raymond had ever been cited previously for DUI."

But Kohan has a detailed criminal past.

Court records show that he has seven drug arrests, two other DUIs, grand theft and petty theft charges, disorderly conduct arrests, probation violation and was found driving with a suspended license.

It's not clear how Berman and Kohan know each other.

Kohan couldn't be reached, and Berman won't talk about their relationship.

But in the mayor's letter, he wrote that he has known Kohan and his family socially and professionally for a number of years.

401(K) Even Less Appealing

2008-12-24T04:58:00.002-07:00

The sale of the 401(K) as a retirement plan has been one of the biggest scams ever sold to American workers. While I also fully participate in my own company's offering (since pensions are no longer available, there is no choice), I understand the scam. Retirement is no longer a part of employment; we now shoulder the majority of the funding ourselves -- and we all have to be semi-pro financial planners to be able to get anywhere near the benefit our pensions used to provide.

The savings generated by this move is neatly transferred to the upper-management tiers, many of whom still have actual pensions.

But my company has used the current financial crisis as an excuse to change the company match from mandatory to discretionary -- meaning, non-existent. No match for you.

While the crisis is the excuse, you can bet this move will be permanent. I've seen this game before -- when Fortune 500 companies first began phasing out pensions, it was often sold as temporary or half measures. Pensions at first were cut in half and called "portable pensions"; sold to us as a great leap forward as we could "carry" these to other companies in the form of a cash payout when terminated. The catch: less than half the money the traditional model would pay out.

Portable pensions quickly phased out to no pension at all. While I was at Motorola, they could not kill their pension, as they were one of the only companies in the US that gave employees voting rights on changes to the pension.

One day, they presented us with a nice increase in the pension benefit. But there was a couple twists. New employees would be forced into the portable (aka 50% cut) pension model, while the rest of us could choose to go portable or stay in the traditional. Immediately, I was against this plan as it screwed new employees... unsurprisingly, many folks didn't care as long as we got the increase.

But the poison pill in the changes was this: we would have to give up our voting rights, and all future changes to the plan would enacted with no input from the employees. No vote, no veto power.

If ever one were to understand the mind of Republicans, this is a perfect example. You can guess, my fellow employees had no qualms about giving away their rights. Hell, many of my fellow employees were going to voluntary switch to the 50% cut in pension benefits. They ridiculed my tales of doom for our pension plan if this vote passed.

The "free market" will not allow them to dissolve our pension plan, they exclaimed. If they did that, we'd all leave for greener pastures; couldn't I see that?

Of course, all of our competitors were also dumping their pensions or never had one in the first place. And my co-workers said the "portable" pension would be great, as they would take the cash payout if they ever left and invest it wisely, and make more money than Motorola ever would have.

So the plan passed; as I recall, it wasn't even close.

And in less than 5 years, the pension plan was dissolved for us. The board of directors were given new "savings accounts" that equaled the "loss" of their pension plan. We were given a one-time contribution to our 401(K)s.

Studies a few years back have shown that 401(K) participants, unless they are upper managers with company provided financial planners, generally do not earn the same kind of return on their money as the old pension models used to. There are several typical problems with 401(K) participation.

The employee is not trained in investing. The employee is too busy to get the training and create an investment plan to optimize returns. The plan fees are more expensive than self-directed pensions, so less profit is gained over time. The choices tend to be too limited to diversify for knowledgeable investors; or too complicated for those who have never invested before.

So corporations have set out to fix these problems by: restricting choices and removing self-direction from the employees. Put more succinctly, they are putting the old pension model back in place, with one big exception: the employees will still shoulder most or all of the funding. So at the end of the day, the 401(K) has been yet another transfer of wealth from the middle-class to the top ranks.

People hate to hear this. I, too, bought into the hype when 401(K)s first started proliferating -- how we'd all be able to retire millionaires now. I should have known the "we", as always, was the top 5%.

Fuzzy Math

2008-12-22T20:59:00.002-07:00

Let me get this straight...

when the economy tanks, us working stiffs get to pitch in by losing our jobs in layoffs, losing benefits if we keep our jobs, and watch wages slide even further below what we made in the pre-Reagan era.

CEOs, on the other hand, get to pitch in by accepting the bonuses that are "earned" by our layoffs, loss of benefits, and wage stagnation.

Economy good? CEO pay explodes, workers stagnate. Economy bad? Same thing.

Nice kingdom we have.

Truer Words

2008-12-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

Never spoken.

"Republicans to Detroit: if only you could figure out a way to pay your executives and not your workers, we might help you.

Do I have that right?

--Molly I."

From Eschaton

New Link

2008-12-11T23:29:00.001-07:00

In honor of my right-wing hate stalker, I've linked "The Gilbert Report". I know nothing about the reporting, I just know Alicia hates it.

Required Reading

2008-12-11T22:16:00.003-07:00

Republicans, even now, are desperately re-writing the history of the Bush era. Turd Blossom, in particular, will bloviate from FauxNews about the wondrous 8 years we have just experienced.

People find it ridiculous to suggest, in 10 years or less, the corporate media will be broadcasting these messages in full -- that Bush was misunderstood, and his policies (and particularly the Iraq War) -- were by and large successful.

Impossible? Just look at the Reagan years. From Iran-Contra, to union-busting, to sky-rocketing deficits and the reversal of Carter's efforts to get us off foreign oil -- it, too, was a disaster. Granted, not the epic scale of Bush, but terrible for the US nonetheless. And the media woships Reagan like a dying, rich uncle.

So too will go the Bush administration. Which is why this Vanity Fair article is required reading. To give those of us living in the reality-based world the ammunition to set the record straight when Republicans blame minorities, the poor, Dems, and labor for the coming Bush Depression.

Auto Industry Loans

2008-12-09T00:30:00.002-07:00

Fascinating how, now that we are bailing out an industry that employs union members, we are demanding CEO pay cuts, real plans, viability, a share of the company...

funny that stuff wasn't important when we bailed out Wall Street brokers, lawyers, and other parasites.

Republicans despise the working man. Get that through your head, folks. Like the pyscho-cyber-stalker who attacks my dead child daily but claims to be Christian; Republicans say they love the rural rubes who vote for them -- but honestly, they wouldn't piss on their hair if it was on fire.

About Time

2008-12-06T22:43:00.002-07:00

Some of us working drones are fighting back:

"Workers who got three days' notice that their factory was shutting its doors have occupied the building and say they won't go home without assurances they'll get severance and vacation pay."

Unfortunately, I doubt this will evolve into a movement to bring back unions. The average American is incredibly ignorant about the history of the labor movement and how things like anti-child labor laws, overtime, and the minimum wage affect our economy. The middle class would not exist today without the sacrifices made by union members; and the dying middle class of today can be traced to Reagan and his war on unions, living wages, the middle class, and the worship of the corporate welfare.

Yahoo! News: Angry laid-off workers occupy factory in Chicago

Tinfoil Hat Included

2008-12-06T14:47:00.002-07:00

Right now, there are thousands of Hannity fans and Dittoheads praying for a terrorist attack on the US, in hopes to erase the disaster that was the Bush presidency. And in spite of the Bush failures to heed the warnings received both by the Clinton administration and his own people ("Bin Laden Determined to Attack in the US"); these same wingnuts will say Bush "protected us" and Obama is a pussy.

Despite our failure to capture Bin Laden, despite Clinton capturing the first WTC attackers and imprisoning them, despite the anthrax attacks, despite our Iraq Al-Quaeda recruitment program/war, etc.

These are lowly, disgusting "human" beings.

Fans of Steve Berman (aka Rightwing Fucktards)

2008-12-04T00:39:00.005-07:00

Writing a liberal blog in Arizona means getting hate mail. The state is as red as the ink on Bush's budgets. It's inevitable, and I can deal with that.

But sometimes the crazy is off the charts. Some follower of Dear Leader took time out from WingNuttia to google articles critical of Gilbert Mayor Steve "Where's my toupe?" Berman. A post of mine from 3 years ago came up in the search.

Rather than debate the "merits" of her case, she claimed to know me and called me a child molester. Harvard Debate Team member, she 'aint.

Been called worse by better; but here's where the state of the Republican party is today. Supposedly church-going "human" saying this about my son who died during delivery (get the kids out of the room, no soap can cleanse this mouth):

"What did you do to your son you sick bitch! You child predator! I hope you go to hell for your sins! We all know you raped your son to death bitch! You are the devil. God will punish you accordingly for what you did to that little baby boy. You sick fuck."

Luckily, my wife hates politics so she never reads this blog. It would crush me to have her read something from this vampire. But this is the kind of thing that, unfortunately, makes me realize that the RightWingers truly believe in nothing but their own hatred.

People like this chick are busy sending Obama death threats as we speak. They spit on the homeless and call themselves Christian. They clutch their purses when they see Latino- and African-Americans.

This is the response I got because I criticized a Republican mayor. Really?

Arizona is such a beautiful state... how did we raise such ugly people?

Why Employee Free Choice Matters

2008-12-04T00:35:00.001-07:00

Read it here.

But the real roots of the crisis do not lie on Wall Street. The cause of the crisis can be found in the long-term weakening of the real American economy in an era of globalization—in closed factories, outsourced high tech jobs and low wage jobs with no benefits, and in the unsustainable effort to maintain middle class living standards through borrowing. It is to be found in the reality of lives like that of Kimberly Somsel of Westland Michigan, a member of the AFL-CIO’s community affiliate Working America, an unemployed single mother of two battling breast cancer and facing foreclosure due to a ballooning "2 and 28" loan payment. She is selling the family car and her furniture just to get by. Five houses on her block are threatened with foreclosure.

Powerful voices in our country say that public resources should be there for Bear Stearns, but not for Kimberly Somsel, to keep the champagne flowing on Wall Street, but not to build a future for Michigan. But there is another way — a return to a high wage economy driven by productive investment in the United States. This way requires not that we retreat from the global economy, but that we insist that the globalized economy have real rules that work for working people. At the center of these rules must be labor market regulation, and in particular, regulation that empowers workers to speak for themselves by acting together. But rules are no enough. The United States must pursue a real national economic strategy in a globalized world economy.

Awful

2008-12-01T02:35:00.001-07:00

We lost our baby boy.

He was beautiful, and perfect, and early at 20 weeks. We love him, and he will be missed.

Sums It Up

2008-11-22T17:56:00.001-07:00

Jeremy Edelston,
Unemployed
"Inflation is bad. Deflation is bad. Is there a direction prices can move in that will leave the economy substantially less fucked?"

Consumer Prices Fall Record Amount

Obama Wins

2008-11-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Goosebumps. This is an amazing triumph of hope over hate.

Next Worst President Evah

2008-10-20T23:56:00.003-07:00

McCain has proven one thing to me.

Despite my utter disbelief that anyone could be worse than Bush, he has pulled it off. Even Bush did not stir up the race hatred, McCarthy-like attacks, and the general incompetence McCain and Palin have displayed.

If by some miracle the Repugs steal another election, this country will be known as the biggest clusterfuck in the galaxy.

I hear a lot of people say they don't think McCain is racist; even given his fondness for the word "gook" or his fight against MLK Day. Maybe they're right.

But the evil McCain has unleashed, particularly with his incredibly hateful running mate; will not be reigned back in. If Obama wins, McCain will probably pretend he didn't mean to do what he has done.

If McCain wins, I would expect he would actively try to tamp down his racist Klan-loving fans -- but they will have none of it. The old Reagan era is back in at least one way:

it's cool to hate Negroes in the Republican party again.

Admitting Barn Door is Open

2008-10-19T22:59:00.002-07:00

"We are seeing what anyone would characterize as a recession in some parts of the country," Edward Lazear, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, told CNN.

The Bush administration, and neocons in general, have had a very "loose" definition for a recession these last 8 years.

Who wants to bet in January '09, they will begin screaming at the top of their lungs about how bad the economy is; as if it just started under the new administration.

Given they blame our current mess on the only-2nd-year-in-power Dems; it is to be expected.

Worst President Evah

2008-10-09T22:29:00.003-07:00

U.S. intelligence analysts eavesdropped on personal calls between Americans overseas and their families back home and monitored the communications of workers with the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations, according to two military linguists involved in U.S. surveillance programs.

The accounts are the most detailed to date to challenge the assertions of President Bush, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden and other administration officials that the government's controversial overseas wiretapping activities have been carefully monitored to prevent abuse and invasion of U.S. citizens' privacy.

Describing the allegations as "extremely disturbing," Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the panel had launched an inquiry and requested records from the Bush administration.

The linguists said that recordings of intimate conversations between citizens and their loved ones were sometimes passed around, out of prurient interest, among analysts at an electronic surveillance facility at Ft. Gordon, Ga.

They also said they were encouraged to continue monitoring calls of aid workers and other personnel stationed in the Middle East even when it was clear the callers had no ties to terrorists or posed any threat to U.S. interests.

LA Times: US Tapped Intimate Calls ...

McCain Is the Only One Who Can Make US Health Insurance Even Worse

2008-10-07T00:17:00.002-07:00

Conservative Republicans still hate Medicare, and would kill it if they could — in fact, they tried to gut it during the Clinton years (that’s what the 1995 shutdown of the government was all about). But so far they haven’t been able to pull that off.

So John McCain wants to destroy the health insurance of non-elderly Americans instead.

Krugman: Health Care Destruction

Someone Tattoo This on Neocon Foreheads

2008-09-27T22:42:00.003-07:00

“The last six months have made it abundantly clear that voluntary regulation does not work,” he said in a statement. The program “was fundamentally flawed from the beginning, because investment banks could opt in or out of supervision voluntarily. The fact that investment bank holding companies could withdraw from this voluntary supervision at their discretion diminished the perceived mandate” of the program, and “weakened its effectiveness,” he added.

From none other than SEC chairman Chris Cox.

The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a longtime proponent of deregulation, acknowledged on Friday that failures in a voluntary supervision program for Wall Street’s largest investment banks had contributed to the global financial crisis, and he abruptly shut the program down.

SEC Concedes Oversight Flaws Fueled Collapse

Amazing

2008-09-21T14:52:00.002-07:00

Republican ads all over my TV say we need alternative energy.

When these bastards are re-elected, do you suppose even one will actually vote for an alternative energy bill?

Me neither.

Mavericky

2008-09-09T22:30:00.002-07:00

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.
The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.

Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post.

The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show.
WaPo: Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home

Palin

2008-09-07T17:56:00.001-07:00

One thing is sure; she wasn't ready for interviews on Day One.

Terrordome, Indeed

2008-09-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

http://thismodernworld.com/4452

Faux Worse Than Usual

2008-08-26T22:30:00.001-07:00

It seems to me that FauxNews viewers are getting such incredibly biased coverage that probably really are as clueless as they seem.

I'm John McCain, and I Approve This Message

2008-08-23T01:14:00.001-07:00

How Many Butlers Does That Buy?

2008-08-22T00:27:00.001-07:00

Nitpicker:

"'The McCains increased their budget for household employees from $184,000 in 2006 to $273,000 in 2007, according to John McCain’s tax returns.'

That's right. The McCains pay $270,000 per year for butlers and maids--that's $50,000 more than the median value of an American home."

Does GrandPa Know About This?

2008-07-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

From the Duh files, RAND says terrorism isn't a "war" and history has shown the military can not defeat terrorism.

Let's hope someone prints McSame a copy (as he still doesn't know how to work the 'Internets' yet.)

"The evidence since 1968 indicates that most groups have ceased to exist as a result of police and intelligence actions or of political accommodations, not military efforts."

RAND | Research Briefs | How Terrorist Groups End: Implications for Countering al Qa'ida

Last Thing on Shooter

2008-07-28T22:47:00.002-07:00

He had a ton of shells; he expected to use them all and die in a police shootout.

Imagine his utter shock and dismay when 2 church members rushed him and pinned him to the ground. Limbaugh had told him his entire life that these subhuman liberals were cowards and would lie down like dogs for him.

Hannity had told him for years that at the first sign of blood, like John Kerry, these fags would run or cower in fear.

How embarassing.

A couple of pro-civil rights pansies brought him down in seconds. A fag-lover sacrificed himself by taking a shotgun blast to the body to protect those behind him.

What I can't imagine is the cognitive dissonance going on in this bastard's head right now as he briefly realizes everything the corporate media and hate talk radio has told him was a lie. Maybe for a few seconds, he wondered to himself, "does that mean Father Dubya lied, too?"

It's too much to ask for, but maybe for a few seconds there; he was horrified and ashamed at what media-whoring millionaires had convinced him to do; how his broke and unemployed ass had fallen for the shit he'd been fed by the elites.

I'm sure that circuit was soon burned up; and he immediately went back to reassuring himself by sucking on the thumb of Weiner once again.

Mouth-Frothing Wingnuttia Peaking

2008-07-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

So some Right-Wing nutjob has gone off on another killing spree.

"Adkisson targeted the church, Still wrote in the document obtained by WBIR-TV, Channel 10, 'because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of media outlets.'"

That's some prime-time corporate media bullshit, there. "Aid of media outlets." What, exactly, liberal media was this nutjob consuming, anyway?

"Inside the house, officers found "Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder" by radio talk show host Michael Savage, "Let Freedom Ring" by talk show host Sean Hannity, and "The O'Reilly Factor," by television talk show host Bill O'Reilly."

Oh, that liberal media. Hoo boy, well, he did excercise his 2nd amendment rights -- the only right still recognized by mouth-frothing wingers. Maybe he's right about the "liberal teachings" of this cult.. er, church.

"The church's Web site states that it has worked for "desegregation, racial harmony, fair wages, women's rights and gay rights" since the 1950s. Current ministries involve emergency aid for the needy, school tutoring and support for the homeless, as well as a cafe that provides a gathering place for gay and lesbian high-schoolers."

Whoa! Sounds like this so-called church was a hotbed of evil.

Jeebus, people, here's what 24x7 right-wing hate radio does to the weak-minded. Honestly, about half the knuckle-draggers I work with are just 10 or 20 fewer IQ points from doing this same thing.

They have no idea why they hate --- (except for the gays. Homophobia is always based in a subconscious fear of "becoming" gay or knowing one is gay but self-loathing.) All they know is InSannity and Weiner and the boys tell them to hate, so they do.

I think this motherfucker is a scum-sucking dirtbag. The difference between righties and me, however, is I hope he gets a fair trial then gets the punishment called for by law. No torture, no lies about his family members or neighborhood. The facts are all we need.

By the way, keep on eye on how many media outlets call the guy what he clearly is: a terrorist. An old white guy? Nobody's going to call him that, I guarantee.

Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity on accused shooter's reading list : Church shooting : Knoxville News Sentinel:

Because 100 times is Not Enough

2008-07-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

Bill O'Reilly's Producer - CollegeHumor video: "A first ever look at the man behind the camera that set off Bill O'Reilly's Inside Edition tirade."

Nobody Could Have Known Gilbert Mayor is a Dick

2008-07-19T13:21:00.002-07:00

"Bitter disputes involving money, booze, pills, porn and death plots all play out in the series of allegations traded between Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman and his estranged wife in a police report released Friday."

Claims of pills, death plot part of Berman saga | eastvalleytribune.com

Berman is getting hammered these days by the local media for the salacious details in a "police report" filed by his wife. I put police report in quotes, because the report was written by the MCSO. That means it could just be another case of Dime Bag Sheriff Joe's political goon squad unquestioningly writing down everything any nut job says and sending it to the media. Joe's tactics aren't subtle; little men use simple tactics.

That said, I don't doubt Berman is the kind of hothead that would need to bully his wife. In fact, I have a close female friend he personally browbeat over a lost UPS package. Here's the old blog post:

Inside Scoop on Gilbert Mayor Steven Berman

So ol' Steve is a know quantity to me; he's an arrogant dick. The fact he may now be another victim of The Joke's personal swift boat squad gives me a tiny bit of hope that the Republican "leaders" in this county have yet another chance to see what happens when you let a deranged, media whore run a law enforcement agency. Sometimes it's not just the peons he goes after.

As for Berman personally; I have no sympathy for the jackass. He has a long record of shady deals and looking like a dick.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

From the "Duh" Files

2008-07-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

"The United States fails on most measures of health care quality, with Americans waiting longer to see doctors and more likely to die of preventable or treatable illnesses than people in other industrialized countries, a report released on Thursday said."

U.S. still flunks healthcare test, group says - Yahoo! News

Red State Welfare

2008-07-11T21:13:00.002-07:00

Just got some batshit crazy spam from a neocontin Zombie about how the 2000 election showed that blue states, with all their welfare queens [Rethug speak for nig*]; vote for Democrats and hard-working real, red Americans vote Republicans.

Unsurprisingly, it's bullshit as usual.

Democratic Economies

2008-07-05T09:20:00.002-07:00

Marketwatch.com recently posted an article about our failing economy and, shockingly, cut the eternal neocon spin you find in all corporate media economy stories. If the Washington press corps was half this honest, McSame would be 30 points down.

How's this gem?

"This is going to be felt much more today than it was in the 1970s, partly because of how companies interact with their employees. In the 1970s, companies were willing to pay their employees a few percentage points more to beat inflation. But today in the era of downsizing and outsourcing, this has not happened."

For years, the corporate media has operated under the cardinal rule that downsizing and outsourcing should always be put in the following context: US companies are forced to downsize and outsource to stay competitive. Whether it was blamed on lazy workers, unions, OSHA, environmentalists, or Bill Clinton; it must always be presented as necessary and fair and NEVER as a method of funneling money from the middle class to the wealthy.

Here we have an example, not explicitly of course, but implied that companies downsize due to greed. The implied meaning of the above is: a company that squeezes every last dime out its workers through downsizing and outsourcing sure as hell isn't going to give them a raise when their pay falls due to inflation. Why would they? Falling wages means bigger wealth transfer.

Now, this article also mentions the election and one statement might send up a red flag:

"To the average person on the street, the economy feels and looks better under a Democrat. For a company, it is slightly better off under a Republican."

The acknowledgement that a Democratic President results in a better economy should be common sense, but it is rarely acknowledged by the corporate media. It's not in their interest, the best monopolies and anti-consumer de-regulation comes from Republicans. So, to say the amoral, non-human "company" is better off with Republicans is true enough -- but it would normally bother me. The media already buys into the idea that a corporation has human rights, such as free speech; and that is a ridiculous notion despite flawed SCOTUS rulings supporting that abomination.

Despite any slight misgivings with that one sentence; the following facts posted in this article just blow me away. Not that they are true and exist; but that any corporate media entity would have the balls to print them. Some editor somewhere must have been asleep at the switch to let this get by him/her:

"Q: What effects do you expect the national elections will have on the economy?

A: I believe the differences between the candidates in this election are as great as the differences between conservative Ronald Reagan and liberal Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Historically, the economy performs better when a Democrat is in the White House than when a Republican is president.

Here are some examples, by my calculations, for full four-year periods from 1948 through 2004:

Unemployment has averaged 4.6% when a Democrat is in the oval office and 6.2% under a Republican administrator.
The stock market has risen 46% under a Democratic president and 32% with a Republican in the Oval Office.
The U.S. budget deficit has averaged $11 billion under a Democratic president, compared with $163 billion when the president was a Republican.
The trade deficit has averaged $83 billion when a Democrat was in the White House and $117 billion under a Republican president."

Economist offers outlook, describes why inflation hits harder now - MarketWatch

High Hanging Fruit

2008-07-02T20:20:00.001-07:00

"We can have the time-wasting debate as to whether or not we have reached peak oil, or if all the science on global warming is in, but the simple reality is that when it comes to the oil beneath our feet, all the easy stuff is gone. Each additional barrel of oil pumped out of the ground will cost us more than the last, economically and environmentally.

Continuing the stubborn practice of building our civilization on a dirty energy resource that will likely run out in this century is unsustainable. It's insane."

AZNetroots: Clean Energy Rant for the 6/8/08 VOA Show

Why Do Americans Hate Their Children?

2008-07-02T20:05:00.003-07:00

Remember a couple years ago, whenever anyone dared mention that all these 1-ton pickups and SUVs made us look ridiculous, and eventually Detroit was going to end up with its pants down like it did in the 70s...

...and said daring person would be lambasted? Not only for the stupidity of suggesting that oil supplies are not unlimited, but the un-American, hippy sonofabitch was fucking dangerous, because we buy SUVs to PROTECT OUR CHILDREN! Please, won't anyone look out for the children?!

Looking at the absolutely plummeting sales of trucks and SUVs, can we assume these rednecks suddenly care more about their wallets than their children's safety?

Or, perhaps, the "children" argument was and continues to be - absolutely fucking stupid.

Stupid Fucking Corporate Press Corps

2008-06-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

"It’s crucially important that we have a political debate in this country that’s at least sophisticated enough to be able to handle the following rather basic idea: Arguing that a person’s record of military service is not a qualification for the presidency does not constitute “attacking” their military credentials; nor can it be described as invoking their military service against them, or as denying their record of war heroism.

That’s not a very high bar for sophistication. But right now it’s one the press isn’t capable of clearing."

CJR: "Attacking" McCain's Military Record

Maverick Foregin Policy

2008-06-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

McCain says he'd end Iraq violence by telling both sides to "stop the bullshit." Genius!

"If it can work in Iraq, maybe we can send President McCain to the rest of the Middle East: 'Stop the Bullshit!' To Russia: 'Stop the Bullshit!' Heck, if it works in foreign policy, maybe we could use the same clever strategy to get universal health care: 'Stop the bullshit!' Fix the economy: 'Stop the bullshit!' Solve the energy crisis and stop global warming: 'Stop the bullshit!'"

the REAL McCAIN blog

So Bad, Other Countries Declare "Worst Preznit Evah"

2008-06-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

"Confidence among Japanese manufacturers fell the most in at least four years because of surging commodity costs and waning demand for the country's cars and electronics."

Bloomberg.com: Economy

Rock It O'Reilly Style

2008-06-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

Neocon Hate - Too Strong to Stop?

2008-06-21T15:25:00.003-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about Obama's chances in November. He's clearly a better speaker than McCain, smarter, more charismatic, and the camera loves him. These are the things that help a candidate more than anything else, for many American voters -- if they can be bothered to care at all.

Given this economy and the Iraq occupation, more Americans than ever are bothered. And McCain unfortunately has pledged fealty to the person most of them understand is the root of US failures in domestic and foreign policy. It should be a cakewalk.

But there's that nagging little fact Obama is black. The 28% Bush dead-enders wouldn't vote for a black man if he declared tax amnesty for every white man in America. I don't think they are proud of their racism; in fact, I imagine most of them expend a great deal of energy rationalizing why those policies and people they hate deserve it and, purely coincidently, happen to be non-white.

The rest, I have been reassuring myself, can be brought over to our side if for no other reason than they hate watching the country go down the shitter and they know another 4 years of neocon rule might be the tipping point from which we never recover. The crimes and corruption, the bleeding of the treasury, the loss of life, and the destruction of the middle class gives even the staunchest Bushies some pause.

But at the end of the day, will they really pull the lever for a Democrat? Or has the brainwashing of the Noise Machine so polluted their psyches that they could no more vote non-Republican than they could stick a knife in their own gut?

I've recently had an experience that, sadly, tells me that Obama has no chance with a great majority of them.

I read an online forum devoted to a modern muscle car. I don't own the car for various reasons; but I wanted to know the geeky, technical stuff folks were doing with the car and I enjoy reading about others who love the car and enjoy it.

Given the price tag, the car's owners have to be more wealthy than average or in debt. Given this car is a domestic brand, it rules out the pinky-lifting, elite Republicans that would normally make up an import/luxury demographic. Instead, these are mostly guys that work in industries less affected by outsourcing or still have union influence [not that they are in unions; but they enjoy the higher wages that result from unions] or own their own businesses [and therefore are pro-Republican and anti-worker, which the former group never understands.]

One of these forum members posted a rant on how she was writing a letter to the Supreme Court protesting the Boumediene v. Bush decision to restore the right of habeas corpus at Gitmo. The usual nonsense about activist judges, and we'll all be killed in our beds, and even a little non-sequitor about abortion thrown in.

Now, given this forum is 80% neocon, I ignore threads like this all the time. Once in awhile, when the talking points mantra is full-steam, I chime in. So this rant was passionate, but so ignorant of what the decision really meant I had to chime in.

The ferocity and ignorance of the replies really caught me by surprise; and this was just after I'd been subjected to over-the-top screaming for claiming that climate change isn't an Al Gore telemarketing scheme.

Here's what passes for critical thinking in the right-wing world:

"What's your religion?" "[Pictures of a soldier's funeral]" "Why should blood-thirsty terrorists have more rights than (us, Mexicans, we do in other countries, etc.)?" But more than any other: I (was, know people who were, am, support, wish I could be) in (Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Grenada) and therefore, I'm right."

No matter how many times I tried to get one person to argue why habeus corpus didn't apply in Gitmo: no one would touch it. Not even one person went for the easiest, and the Bushies only argument, that Gitmo isn't "American soil."

Instead, reply after reply that everyone in Gitmo is the worst of the worst of the Devil's Rejects; that US soldiers never raised a hand to anyone; that Gitmo is Club Med; that we'll all die in our beds thanks to me personally; and even a death threat.

Mouth-frothing, hysterical attacks. Now, this isn't anything new; and it's nothing you wouldn't find on any white supremacy website. But these guys were very, very careful to refrain from actually saying raghead or sand nigger -- only due to copious editing before posting, I'm sure.

It was so surreal; to be in a virtual room full of upper middle-class white guys and a couple gals; and not a single person who would argue their side. Not even a feeble attempt. Just chest-beating and flag-waving. And lots of "semper fi, motherfucker -- I'm a marine and I bust heads; and I never, ever exploit my service to silence dissent; NEVER -- UNDERSTAND YOU PATHETIC LOSER CIVILIAN?!!?"

Big deal, right? Same shit you hear on talk radio 24/7, right? But what disburbs me about it is, I sensed this real, deep-down belief in the propaganda. Unlike right-wing pundits, who shovel the shit but always leave a tiny bit off the table to try and save their souls from Hell, these guys were letting spittle fly and I think they genuinely believe that in order to save the village; we must burn it to the ground. Their forefathers worked too hard to build this country on freedom and rule of law to have it taken away by Hadjis --- so we better damn well revoke those freedoms and laws be damned!

Do you think these people really give a damn that Obama might changes politics as usual? Do you think they care that McSame wants 100 years of war? Well, yes, they do care -- because THEY want it, too. Iran? Sand/glass/hooray-we-win.

Granted, assuming everyone on the forum who says they've been to Iraq actually has been -- there's probably an incredible urge to salvage the legacy of their service. They went to Iraq, busted their asses, lost brothers and sisters; and all to occupy a country that never attacked us. Respect for the soldiers has been elevated to almost worship-like levels; and yet, it isn't enough. The Commander-in-Chief punked them, and through no fault of their own, the Iraq fiasco will always be remembered as a gigantic Bush fuck-up.

This leads them to prop him up, to "celebrate" the "victory", to give up everything in pursuit of "saving" this steaming shitpile. To some extent, these same motivations can be attributed to the media. They were complete fuckups on the war; and anytime they are criticized [see Charlie Gibson] they cry and froth they a good job and no one could have known, because no one in the administration told them what to write.

With all these forces: the military and families suffering cognitive dissonance, the whoring corporate media, the military fanboys and 101st fighting keyboardists, the top 10% drowing in war-profiteering; can the last remaining sliver of sane Republicans resist the tribal instinct to vote for their own?

I wonder. I really wonder.

"Big Dig" Contractors Sued

2008-06-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

One of the worst outcomes of the Reagan era and rise of conservatism has been historic levels of incestuous corporate/government relationships. This idea that the private sector works best when completely unregulated has always been a myth and the tragic consequences appear often.

And yet, the myth lives on.

"Federal prosecutors have charged the largest contractor in Boston's $15 billion 'Big Dig' road and tunnel construction project with lying about faulty work on a section where a ceiling panel killed a woman.

If convicted, Modern Continental faces criminal fines of up to $500,000 for each of 49 counts, or a total of $24.5 million. The counts range from making false statements to wire fraud and submitting phony time and materials slips."

Major "Big Dig" contractor faces federal charges - Yahoo! News

A Billion Here, A Billion There

2008-06-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Not only is the Iraq occupation draining the US treasury due to unprecedented privatizing of the military; those same contractors are stealing us blind. BushCo continues to encourage the practice.

"The Army official who managed the Pentagon’s largest contract in Iraq says he was ousted from his job when he refused to approve paying more than $1 billion in questionable charges to KBR, the Houston-based company that has provided food, housing and other services to American troops."

Army Overseer Tells of Ouster Over KBR Stir - NYTimes.com

Shocking

2008-06-15T23:44:00.000-07:00

"As the American economy slowed to a crawl and stockholders watched their money evaporate, CEO pay still chugged to yet more dizzying heights last year, an Associated Press analysis shows.

The AP review of compensation for the heads of companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index finds the median pay package added up to nearly $8.4 million. That's a comfortable gain of about $280,000 from 2006.

The 3 1/2 percent pay increase for CEOs came even as the landscape for both workers and shareholders darkened considerably and the economy was choked by a housing market in free fall, layoffs and soaring prices for fuel and food."

AP IMPACT: CEO pay chugs up in '07 despite economy - Yahoo! News

Voting Your Interest

2008-06-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

"What if a judge solicited cases from big corporations by offering them a business-friendly venue in which to pursue consumers who are behind on their bills? What if the judge tried to make this pitch more appealing by teaming up with the corporations' outside lawyers? And what if the same corporations helped pay the judge's salary?

It would, of course, amount to a conflict of interest and cast doubt on the fairness of proceedings before the judge.

Yet that's essentially how one of the country's largest private arbitration firms operates."

Here is an example of something that most people I know, right or left, agree is an outrage. Additionally, right or left, they would all agree something should be done to shutdown these criminally fixed arbitration hearings; replacing them with fair hearings by actual impartial judges.

That's where the sanity ends, however. The 30% dead-ender Bushies are waiting for Limbaugh to tell them why Democrats are to blame (okay, Biden is one reason) but the rest of them wouldn't vote for a Dem to fix the problem because the queers might marry.

Banks vs. Consumers (Guess Who Wins)

Spoiling Their Fun

2008-06-11T16:31:00.003-07:00

You know how you get those spam emails from your Right-Winger buddies filled with all kinds of ridiculous claims defaming liberals/Democrats/patriots? Ever notice if you take the time to debunk one by replying with facts and links, they don't want to talk to talk about it?

Right Wing Utopia

2008-06-09T21:42:00.003-07:00

Here's what's not said in this article: today's America is exactly where Republican policies led it; and where Republican leadership want it.

The money men behind such hits as Dubya, Darth, and McSame get wood when reading the following:

"Whether triggered by increased productivity, mergers or by the lure of lower labor costs overseas, the social contract between employers and employees is not what it used to be. This has made workers more quiescent, when it comes to asking for enough of a raise to keep up with inflation.
Thus in lieu of wage inflation, we have wage deflation.

The multi-million dollar CEO you work for salivates at your "quiescence" (aka bending over without question.) Some will take the next quote to heart, suggesting that even the most evil of Republicans at some point favor the worker for the following reason:

And given that consumers account for over two-thirds of economic activity, this does not bode well for the economic outlook."

Pshaw. The gap between rich and poor is now sufficiently large that a cratering economy will have zero effect on the Republican elite. Sure, they will piss and moan that the avalanche of money currently being transferred from the poor and middle class slows down; but their children's children will still be living off the riches grabbed during Dubya's reign.

And your kids? They'll have one of two choices. Dog food, or revolution.

If only this were the 70s - Marketwatch.com

Unanimous

2008-06-07T21:28:00.002-07:00

Amazing how all my right-winger friends now agree Bush is the Worst President Ever.

Shocking

2008-04-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

"The tax audit rates of the largest companies are less than half what they were 20 years ago while more small and mid-size businesses are coming under scrutiny, according to an organization that monitors the Internal Revenue Service."

Fewer large corporations audited by IRS - Yahoo! News

Nutty Republicans

2008-04-13T23:21:00.002-07:00

I have a white supremacist in my neighborhood which I'll blog about soon; however...

I stopped by a local eating establishment lately, and on the way in I picked up our only local muckraking paper the Phoenix New Times.

The proprietor took my order, looked down at the paper, and said "Soooo, what's the propaganda rag have to say this week?" with a raised eyebrow.

I grinned, looked around at the 5 TV sets blaring FauxNews and said, "You seem to be the expert on propaganda around here.. you tell me."

He lost his half-grin, looked like he thought better of what he was going to say, and walked away.

Hell, I thought we were having some friendly banter. I forget how sensitive these right-wingers are.

Worst Track Ever

2008-04-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

"Four out of five Americans believe things are 'on the wrong track' in the United States, the gloomiest outlook in about 20 years, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released on Thursday."

This should surprise no one; however, I find the number of Republicans who cling to the failed ideas of their party to be astonishing.

Most of the right-wingers I know refuse to link Bush's foreign policy with the Iraq disaster, the broken economy with Bush's tax cuts, or any other predictable disaster bestowed upon us by Worst Ever.

Furthermore, they can't wait to see McCain elected for a third Bush term. Absolutely stunning. I was shocked when the country, legimately or not, allowed Bush another 4 years to do damage to the US. I will not be shocked, but bitterly disappointed at the stupidity if McCain was able to do the same.

81 percent of Americans think country on "wrong track" - Yahoo! News

Bush Depression?

2008-03-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

"Yes, our five-year war was totally financed by borrowing. But unfortunately, 'deficit spending gives the illusion that the laws of economics can be repealed. They cannot. Americans will have to pay for the war at some point -- and when they do, they will be paying not the Bush markdown but the full price'"

Startling honesty from a corporate media source. Editors today appear to be letting their writers run free; do you suppose they want some credibility when the crash comes?

Aside from the Social Security hysteria (the problem is Medicare, not SS); this piece lays out many of the reasons the Bush economic policies and former Republican rule have set us up for a huge mess in the coming years.

Ten reasons your taxes are going up no matter what - MarketWatch

The Roberts' Court

2008-03-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

"The family of a Missouri woman must reimburse Wal-Mart for nearly a half-million dollars in medical expenses now that the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review her case."

The story is heartbreaking: a woman who stocked shelves at Wal-Mart was in a car accident where a semi destroyed her mini-van and left her with severe brain injuries. Luckily, she had been paying for health care insurance and her expenses were covered.

That is, until the family sued and won a judgement against the trucking company to obtain funds for her lifelong care. Winning that money gave Wal-Mart the right to sue her for every dollar they paid in health care.

That's right: if you sue and win $1 in damages for your long-term care, your employer can sue you for every dollar they ever paid out to you in health care benefits.

The Roberts' Court refused to hear their appeal. It is obvious to me why they would refuse. The Court is so tilted to the right, I'll be shocked if an employee-friendly decision comes out of this court in the next 20 years. The Court knows this, and if this was a case where Wal-Mart was suing a drug-using black or Hispanic woman; they'd probably hear it. But given the woman's son just died in Iraq, the father was just treated for prostate cancer, and Wal-Mart is asking for more money they received in the settlement -- there's no way the Court wants to get involved in the PR shit-storm that should rightly emanate from this travesty of justice.

Little do they know, were this case heard and decided, most of the public wouldn't even notice; and FauxNews would heartlessly smear the family to mute those voices that did give a damn.

STLtoday - Brain-damaged ex-worker must pay $470,000 to Wal-Mart

Close Mouthed

2008-03-21T13:56:00.002-07:00

Anyone else noticing their Right Wing buddies don't have any fun talking about politics anymore?

God Love The Onion

2008-02-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

No One Could Have Predicted American Unease with the Economy

2008-02-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

"Except for the late 1990s, pay has been stagnant for more than a generation, barely keeping pace with inflation. In 1973, the median male worker earned $16.88 an hour, adjusted for inflation. In 2007, he earned $16.85.

For many families, the stagnation has been moderated by the addition of a second paycheck as more women went to work, and their pay rose over the same period.

But the largest gains went to workers at the top of the pay scale. Now, economic worries are rising fastest in households with smaller paychecks, and that chasm is widening."

Economic woes reveal a long-felt unease - Yahoo! News

Crap

2008-01-31T01:04:00.000-07:00

My guy's out. Guess I can tune out until the general.

"'It is time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path,' said Edwards, who campaigned as the champion of low- and middle-income families."

Giuliani, Edwards quit White House race - Yahoo! News

Subprime Meltdown Nothing to Worry About

2008-01-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

BoBo Says:

"The lesson of the Ecology Narrative is that, in most cases, the market corrects itself. Maybe this year banks will change their pay structure so there’s not so much emphasis on short-term results. Maybe companies will change their boards to improve scrutiny over complex new instruments."

Maybe Limbaugh will fly, and Dubya will teach physics.

Two Cheers for Wall St. - New York Times

US falls below UK; Mexico Next if Republicans Win Presidency

2008-01-08T01:51:00.000-07:00

"God Save, the Chimp

Huzzah!

The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century, figures suggest...

Mr Cooper said: 'The UK has been catching up steadily with living standards in the US since 2001, so it is a well-established trend rather than simply the result of currency fluctuations.'

We're in a Dickens of a Pickle, what what.

-Attaturk"

Via Eschaton:

Republican Health Care

2008-01-08T00:53:00.000-07:00

"France, Japan and Australia rated best and the United States worst in new rankings focusing on preventable deaths due to treatable conditions in 19 leading industrialized nations, researchers said on Tuesday."

Bush has the fix for this. More tax cuts.

France best, U.S. worst in preventable death ranking - Yahoo! News

Your Miserable Media

2008-01-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

This is what's left of our corporate media. Tee-heeing over Clinton crying, "like a girl" left out but obviously the message intended.

What a stinking pile of crap our media has become. Edwards is my nominee; Hillary and Obama both lean too far right for me, but would anyone who reads our papers or watches our cable have any idea at all where they all stand on any issue?

Fuck no. About all you'll ever is the easy, stupid, lowest sound bites our "news" readers can manage: Huck is a Jesus-freak, Romney's in a cult, Edwards is pretty, and Clinton cries.

A below-average college freshman has more insight.

"A teary-eyed Hillary Clinton pushed for support on Monday as polls showed her poised for a huge New Hampshire loss to Democratic rival Barack Obama, but the former front-runner vowed to carry on with her presidential quest even if she loses."

An emotional Clinton vows to fight on - Yahoo! News

RIAA Regrets Fucking Itself

2008-01-04T02:49:00.000-07:00

"Sales of physical and digital albums tumbled to 500.5 million units, as the music industry was pillaged by piracy and competition from other forms of entertainment like videogames, industry experts said."

"Pillaged by piracy"? Christ, if they think piracy is their biggest problem the industry will completely dissolve before this decade is out. You can chart the rise of the corporation and monopolization of the labels inversely to music sales. That same chart works if you substitute the consolidation of the media for the label monopoly.

Does anybody listen to FM radio anymore? What little time Clear Channel allows for anything other than commercials, they fill with shitty music. The iPod may be another example of Apple's dead-on designs; but it's explosive growth had to be helped by people like me; people who have eschewed commercial radio, because there's a limit to the amount of crap I can hear in a lifetime.

Album sales plunge in '07 as digital growth slows - Yahoo! News

Unfettered Capitalism

2007-10-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

Gap vows action after child labor report: Yahoo! News

Welcome to Free Trade Utopia.

"Clothing retailer Gap Inc. said Sunday that it will convene all of its Indian suppliers to 'forcefully reiterate' its prohibition on child labor after a British newspaper found children as young as 10 making Gap clothes at a sweatshop in New Delhi.

The Observer newspaper quoted the children as saying they had been sold to the sweatshop by their families in Indian states such as Bihar and West Bengal and would not be allowed to leave until they had repaid that fee.

Some, working as long as 16 hours a day to hand-sew clothing, said they were not being paid because their employer said they were still trainees."

Duh

2007-09-26T00:28:00.000-07:00

Towns Rethink Laws Against Illegal Immigrants :New York Times

"Within months, hundreds, if not thousands, of recent immigrants from Brazil and other Latin American countries had fled. The noise, crowding and traffic that had accompanied their arrival over the past decade abated. The law had worked. Perhaps, some said, too well. With the departure of so many people, the local economy suffered. Hair salons, restaurants and corner shops that catered to the immigrants saw business plummet; several closed. Once-boarded-up storefronts downtown were boarded up again."

Dead or Alive

2007-09-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

"At the rate the Bush Administration is going, we’ll have to hope Bin Laden gets so cocky he signs up for the White House tour just to do it and knocks over a stanchion while waiting for a view of the East Room. Maybe, maybe we might nab the bastard then."

Why the Term “Bedwetter” Became Popular :Unqualified Offerings:

Myth of Union "Power"

2007-09-03T00:35:00.001-07:00

Labor poised for a comeback?

The simple answer is no, thanks to corporate power; which is why the following will never pass.

"The Employee Free Choice Act 'will provide strong, enforceable protections for workers and impose tough penalties for employers,' Stern said. 'The legislation is needed to ensure that workers who choose to unite on the job are able to do so without fear of retribution or harassment from their employers.'"

As long as 50% of the population is Republican, unions will never regain power. Reagan was a failure at most things, but he did succeed in destroying unions -- and that is a large, contributing factor to the steady decline of the middle class and their real wages ever since.

A co-worker of mine told me her fears after our CEO announced our company would never hire another U.S. worker if he could possibly help it. Not only our jobs, but the culture of the company is in danger with this policy. She mentioned health care, slow-down in wages, and loss of benefits our company has experienced in recent years.

Frankly, I was shocked as these are things the typical brain-washed Arizona Republi-tard has no concept of. Could she actually be a Democrat?

"You know who I blame for all this? The unions. All this has happened because unions have too much power."

Jesus H. Fucking Christ.

Can you believe the idiocy in this statement? Can you imagine the kind of constant lies this woman has integrated into her world-view to say such a thing. The power of unions. Power? The "power" of unions was lost in the 70s for every industry but the government and sports.

Unions brought us 40-hour work weeks, vacations, pensions, cheap health insurance, and good wages. All of you who have such things at your workplace, please raise your hand. Hmm... not too many hands out there.

In my industry, there are no unions and never have been that I'm aware of. The majority of the companies in the industry never had pensions; but for those that did have them, they no longer apply for new employees. Nobody has a 40-hour work week, not even hourly employees. At least the hourly folks get overtime, but that has been threatened more than once -- including the last threat by the Cheney administration.

Health insurance costs are sky-rocketing, and as most of us know, "fully insured" means a health-care crisis will bleed you more slowly into bankruptcy than it would the uninsured. Vacations across my industry continue to degrade: how much, when you can take them, and "use it or lose it" policies.

All of this, every one, has happened long after the death of union-power. And a simple investigation into how it happened shows the lack of unions encourages such behavior. For someone to blame unions for the state of things shows either willful ignorance or a weak mind influenced by RightWingNuttia.

Rarest of Gems: Cheney Truth

2007-08-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

This Modern World: Dick Cheney eloquently explains why invading Iraq would be a truly horrible idea

Master's Bidding

2007-08-12T02:58:00.000-07:00

What company was it that illegally wiretapped its customers and is looking for amnesty? Oh yeah...

AT&T: sorry for cutting anti-Bush lyrics in Webcast

"AT&T apologized Thursday for the 'mistake' of cutting lines of lyrics sung by rock band Pearl Jam that criticized President Bush during a Webcast concert last weekend."

Corruption Tubes

2007-07-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

FBI searches home of Alaska Sen. Stevens - Yahoo! News

"The FBI and IRS have searched the home of Republican Sen. Ted Stevens in a ski resort in Alaska as part of an investigation into his links with an oil-services company, officials said on Monday."

Dawn of the Brain Dead

2007-07-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Blumenthal exposes these cowardly bastards.

"Along with videographer Thomas Shomaker, I captured a vivid portrait of the hypocritical mentality of the next generation of Republican leaders. See for yourself."

Max Blumenthal: Generation Chickenhawk: the Unauthorized College Republican Convention Tour - Politics on The Huffington Post

Worst Administration Ever

2007-07-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

"U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded al-Qaeda has rebuilt its operating capability to a level not seen since just before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, The Associated Press has learned."
U.S. Intel Warns al-Qaeda Rebuilt - TIME

If FauxNews was anything other than a wart on the ass of the Repugnant Party, they would be broadcasting this headline for a week -- bigger than the biggest White Woman Missing story.

The failed Cheney administration has spectacularly failed in the one mission it claims it has never wavered from. The war on al-Qaeda has been the supposed impetus for spying on Americans, torturing civilians, suspending habeas corpus, running up massive federal debt, enriching Halliburton, cutting veterans benefits, and remaining in a bloody Iraq occupation.

But FauxNews will, as they always do, will beg RightWingNuttia to once again pee their pants and concentrate more power within the Boy King White House. If we don't capitulate to further lust for power by Darth Cheney and Chimpy, al-Qaeda will hit us again.

Nevermind that entails trusting the same Republicants that continue to strengthen the evildoers by running the Iraqi Global Terrorists Recruitment Campaign.

But that's FauxNews; what else would you expect? The miserably depressing story will be how CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, etc.; will also challenge no one and blindly repeat Chimpy's message that now is the time soak your pants in urine due to the undeniably powerful terrorists which threaten us.

Abu Gonzo Lied About FBI Violations

2007-07-10T01:50:00.000-07:00

Gonzales was told of FBI violations: Reuters:

"U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales assured Congress in 2005 that the FBI had not abused powers granted under an anti-terrorism law despite having received reports of potential violations, The Washington Post reported in Tuesday editions.

Internal FBI documents indicate that in the three months before he sought to renew the USA Patriot Act, Gonzales received at least half dozen reports of legal or procedural violations, including one six days before his Senate testimony, the Post said."

Conservative Reality

2007-06-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

Ferchrissakes, it's basic math.

You can't bitch about what a disaster Bush has been running this country into the deepest sea of red -- and continue to bray about lowering taxes.

If your checkbook is empty and you skip work, you are a dumbass. Republicans continue to believe their followers are complete morons and can't do the math. "Yeah, Bush sucks driving up the deficit to historic levels. (hic) Goddammit why can't we eliminate the top tax bracket completely?! (hic) That's the only way we'll ever get out of this mess."

Reagan's tax cuts exploded the deficit and the revenue fairy did not magically increase revenues tenfold as the Rightwingnuttia mythology goes. Bush has done the same thing. The next Republican president will cut taxes on the rich even further, with the complete support of Republican fucktards near and far; and once again the deficit will skyrocket.

Terrorist Plot Hyped

2007-06-06T23:36:00.000-07:00

I'm shocked.

Credibility of JFK terror case questioned - Newsday.com

"When U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf described the alleged terror plot to blow up Kennedy Airport as 'one of the most chilling plots imaginable,' which might have caused 'unthinkable' devastation, one law enforcement official said he cringed.

The plot, he knew, was never operational. The public had never been at risk. And the notion of blowing up the airport, let alone the borough of Queens, by exploding a fuel tank was in all likelihood a technical impossibility.

And now, with a portrait emerging of alleged mastermind Russell Defreitas as hapless and episodically homeless, and of co-conspirator Abdel Nur as a drug addict, Mauskopf's initial characterizations seem more questionable -- some go so far as to say hyped."

Must Be an Election Coming Up

2007-06-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

Used to be the Cheney administration would just move the terrorist alert traffic signal up and down when they wanted to scare the public. Now we get the terrorist of the month.

Here's two snippets; you tell me which one will be all over the media and repeated by the Bushies:

Quote A: "In a recorded conversation one suspect predicted there would be few survivors and that the attacks would result in the destruction of 'the whole of Kennedy.' ...

In one recorded conversation, a suspect compared the plot to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, saying, 'Even the twin towers can't touch it.' He added, 'This can destroy the economy of America for some time.'"

Quote B: "Spokesman Roy Haase declined to comment on security measures but said speculation the plotters hoped to destroy large parts of the pipeline were unrealistic, since any damage would be confined to the area where fuel leaked and the pipeline was almost entirely underground.

'There's no oxygen in the pipeline. It's completely full of liquid and you need oxygen for ignition,' Haase said."

And here's a bonus quote that FauxNews won't lead with; it shouldn't matter, but RightWingNuttia pees in fear much more readily when Teh Qaeda is menioned:

There was no connection to al Qaeda, officials said, but some suspects were linked to an Islamist extremist group in Trinidad.

Four charged in plot to blow up JFK airport - Yahoo! News:

The Real Free Market Forces

2007-05-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Daily Kos - USDA to free market: Go Cheney yourself.

"You're not gonna believe this one. Oh wait, of course you will:

'The Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease.'

You read that right. The Bush 'administration' will fight to keep meatpackers from testing their animals for mad cow disease."

Permanent Underclass

2007-05-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

"Why [Do] Tech Employers Hate Congress' New Immigration Reform Bill?"

Because they love hiring engineers, doctors, and lawyers for $30K a year. This has been another edition of easy answers to easy questions.

Why Tech Employers Hate Congress' New Immigration Reform Bill - Yahoo! News

"The other big complaint is over more restrictions. Under current law, only companies that have more than 15% of their workforce on H-1B visas--called 'H-1B dependent' companies--are held to certain tougher rules. This bill would apply them to all H-1B employers.

Those rules include H-1B employers attesting that no U.S. worker was displaced from a particular job six months before or after an H-1B worker was hired for that role."

Impeach Gonzales

2007-05-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

Name? Magoo, James Magoo

2007-05-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

Jeebus, yet another argument against privatization. We overpaid for opinions this stupid.

This Modern World: Remember the scary Canadian spy-coins?

"Remember the scary Canadian spy-coins?

With the tiny secret radio transmitters inside? The ones that completely freaked out a bunch of US Army contractors earlier this year?

Um… mystery solved."

Another Sleepy Cell?

2007-05-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

These initial announcements have always turned out to be far more dramatic than the facts. Remember the Miami "cell" that was going to blow up the Sears Towers? The jihadists that couldn't afford boots or bus tickets to Chicago?

I'm thinking the FBI has learned a lesson or two, considering so far it sounds like a pizza boy and his buddies are religious nuts who fantasize about taking a military base in the name of God, but never got beyond the paintball stage.

This incident in particular doesn't sound ominous, but I do worry it's a sign of the future. That future being we have created an atmosphere of persecution and hate towards Muslims that will begin to create blowback.

So on one side, you'll eventually have the unstable McVeigh types plotting criminal acts, and on the other side righteous nuts working at the strip mall will want to be the next "hero" exposing terrorist plots.

Seems to me if the FBI went after Montana militiamen with the same vigor as brown people, half the members would be locked up. I've personally heard a dozen such people talk about blowing up the feds or fighting the U.S. military with their .30-.06 in hand.

Honestly, change Serdar Tatar to Ricky Bobby -- and Allah to Gawd -- are you Repugs still pissing in fear?

"It doesn't matter to me whether I get locked up, arrested or get taken away," another defendant, Ricky Bobby, was alleged to have said. "Or I die, it doesn't matter. I'm doing it in the name of Gawd."

They are equivalent in my book.

6 men charged in plot to attack Fort Dix - Yahoo! News

"The men trained by playing paintball in the woods in New Jersey and taking target practice at a firing range in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, where they had rented a house, authorities said."

Censoring Veterans

2007-05-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

"The U.S. Army is tightening restrictions on soldiers' blogs and other Web site postings to ensure sensitive information about military operations does not make it onto public forums."

Sounds logical, I suppose. Don't want someone venting about a just completed battle and inadvertently give away their position, Geraldo-style.

Still, it smells funny, because if anyone is looking to protect soldiers' safety it's the soldiers themselves.

"Soldiers in war zones are already subject to restrictions on blogging and public posts. But the Army's new regulation could affect service members who have returned from war zones and started blogs about their combat experiences."

Whoop -- there it is. Our patriot generals love to talk about how they fight for our freedoms; but they sure don't want their soldiers who have left the battlefield entirely to have freedom of speech.

Army clamping down on soldiers' blogs - Yahoo! News

Make Daddy Proud

2007-05-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

Now where would al-Maliki learn how to setup a shadow ministry whose sole purpose is to subvert the Iraqi constitution? I just can't imagine...

Shadowy Iraq office accused of sectarian agenda - CNN.com

"Iraq's prime minister has created an entity within his government that U.S. and Iraqi military officials say is being used as a smokescreen to hide an extreme Shiite agenda that is worsening the country's sectarian divide.

The Office of the Commander in Chief has the power to overrule other government ministries, according to U.S. military and intelligence sources.

Those sources say the 24-member office is abusing its power, increasingly overriding decisions made by the Iraqi Ministries of Defense and Interior and potentially undermining the entire U.S. effort in Iraq."

Dumbest Statement of the Day

2007-04-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Honestly, this is the dumbest fucking thing I've heard this year (and this is a world with Dubya still in it):

"Giuliani said terrorists 'hate us and not because of anything bad we have done; it has nothing to do with Israel and Palestine. They hate us for the freedoms we have and the freedoms we want to share with the world.'"

Giuliani warns of 'new 9/11' if Dems win - Politico.com

Daily Snort

2007-04-24T00:31:00.000-07:00

Even CEO Can't Figure Out How RadioShack Still In Business | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

"FORT WORTH, TX—Despite having been on the job for nine months, RadioShack CEO Julian Day said Monday that he still has 'no idea' how the home electronics store manages to stay open."

Home Grown Banana Republican

2007-04-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

Anyone shocked?

AZNetroots: Renzi Offers Field To Mining Companies; Grand Jury is Active

"North America's largest copper lode is believed to be buried more than a mile beneath Apache Leap, the stark red cliffs that loom above this storied Old West town about an hour east of Phoenix. Resolution Copper Co., a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, wants to mine it. But first it needs Congress to approve a federal land exchange, under which Resolution would swap 5,000 acres of private land for 3,000 acres of public land near its planned mine.

In exchange for supporting the bill, the local congressman, Rick Renzi, a Republican, insisted on something in return: He wanted Resolution to buy, as part of the land swap, a 480-acre alfalfa field near his hometown of Sierra Vista, according to documents and people involved in the deal."

If We Only Had a Media

2007-04-18T23:42:00.000-07:00

Weekly World News is a stupid tabloid. In college, I knew fans of the paper who would say they found it to be harmless, stupid fun.

Drudge Report is a stupid tabloid website. Most wingers seem to have no idea how stupid it is to look for "news" there, given it is no more credible than the WWN rag. But that's RightWingNuttia... even The Daily Show, fake media, has more facts in a given episode than FauxNews during an average day.

But how is it, that the AP, NYT, etc., also pretend that reports from Drudge are credible and report them as if they are facts.

Two Americas Indeed

2007-04-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

Daily Kos: Economic Inequality

Check out this MissLaura post, but don't follow the link titled "What CEOs and corporations are getting in comparison to what workers are getting" unless you have a strong stomach.

What Atrios Said

2007-04-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

Stolen Entirely from Eschaton

"Memo to the Media

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are not the only black people in America, and more than that they do not have the ability to force themselves onto your news shows. There's a pattern here:

1) Bigot eruption somewhere
2) Lots of people condemn it
3) Al Sharpton goes on every teevee program
4) The media people turn around and use Sharpton's past as a distraction/excuse for the current bigot eruption

If Al Sharpton is an imperfect spokesperson for an issue, and you keep putting him on the teevee to be the spokesperson for that issue, then the obvious conclusion is that this is a deliberate strategy."

Military Outsourcing

2007-04-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here's yet another argument against privatization of crucial government functions. On the other hand, it makes the extremely wealthy even more so; so Thuglicans love it.

Four Hired Guns in an Armored Truck, Bullets Flying, and a Pickup and a Taxi Brought to a Halt. Who Did the Shooting and Why? - washingtonpost.com

"On the afternoon of July 8, 2006, four private security guards rolled out of Baghdad's Green Zone in an armored SUV. The team leader, Jacob C. Washbourne, rode in the front passenger seat. He seemed in a good mood. His vacation started the next day.

'I want to kill somebody today,' Washbourne said, according to the three other men in the vehicle, who later recalled it as an offhand remark. Before the day was over, however, the guards had been involved in three shooting incidents. In one, Washbourne allegedly fired into the windshield of a taxi for amusement, according to interviews and statements from the three other guards."

AAR: Bunch of Morons?

2007-04-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

So Seder's show is getting whacked on Air America. We've been screwed in Phoenix for a long time re: this show. Ever since our AAR affiliate was replaced by NovaM whom chose to carry only Seder's rebroadcast at night.

Between NovaM carrying unlistenable shows like John Loftus and AAR continually losing talent, the time is right for some great liberal radio shows to bloom.

Unfortunately, that would require the radio monopolies to be ran by something other than right-wing fat cats.

"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that this week will be the last week of the Sam Seder Show on Air America. As you know, Air America recently came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the new management wants to go in a different direction with the 9-Noon (est) time slot. However, as much as I would like to spend more time with Alberto Gonzales’ family, he will be doing so shortly, freeing me up to do a Sunday afternoon show on Air America Radio. The show is tentatively known as Seder on Sundays and I am excited to get it started."

The Majority Report: Announcing my new Sunday Show

Miller: Still Sucking After All These Years

2007-03-31T02:12:00.000-07:00

This blog was "inspired" (perhaps 'was born of fiery rage in opposition to' is a better way to state it) by the increasingly incoherent ramblings of Dennis Miller during his spectacular transition from a slightly left satirist who made people laugh, to Bush worshipping ideologue. Honestly, Bush doesn't get better tongue action from anybody else... well, that's an exaggeration. Fredo and Turdblossom obviously serve at the Pleasure of the President.

I saw Miller was on The Daily Show this week, and this just in; Miller is still not funny. He's getting a radio talk show. What a fucking surprise. The one thing we don't have enough of is soulless whores long past their primes who have nothing to offer but bitter hatred for The Gay, brown people, and the poor.

Miller doesn't even try to stray into politics anymore. His 6 minute vomit spewed gems like Pelosi blinks a lot and Reid isn't Elvis. Hey, thanks Dennis! That's the kind of unique insight that the drooling Dittoheads out there crave.

(And Dennis, don't worry about the loss of talent thing. O'Lielly's radio program has been a complete bust, but he still draws a paycheck because the 1% elite steal more in no-bid contracts after one day than he makes in a year, and they are more than happy to fund such garbage. Sleep tight!)

Gates: We Need Another Friedman

2007-03-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

"As the fourth anniversary of the war approached with another violent day in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday it was too early to evaluate whether the latest U.S. strategy was working but 'so far, so good.'"

Gates: "so far, so good" on new U.S. Iraq strategy - Yahoo! News