May First Is Just Around the Corner

Some ask what April 29th means to me.

  Well here is what I might say. 

.  This is after dinner on April 27, 2012.  On this date in 2001 in the afternoon on a Friday I went to Rite Aid for my final prescription of Serax, which was available after weeks of waiting.  However I did not the following month of May use up those Serax capsules because I had deemed them as useless and had them here where I took then and even doubled up on them trying to establish whether they had any effect at all.  They at best had no effect and if anything got more hyper after taking them.  This was a consistent pattern for the rest of the bottle.  None of those pills had any effect at all even when I had been off alcohol more than a month.  It was April 29^th that I was coming home a little after three in the afternoon on a warm day when I heard the lawyers talking on Ken’s TV and I learned that the Rodney King verdict had just come down.  Later that evening they interrupted a special on Chapiquittic to cover the first LA riot fires.  But basically I'm "sitting out" talk of the LA Riots for this twenty year anniversary.

As far as I'm concerned April 29th is the day Adolph Hitler married Eva Braun in the bunker.  And the following night of April 30th in the bunker Joseph Geoples comitted suicide with a pistol and so did Adolph Hitler and his bride, Eva.  Mrs. Geobles fed her six children poisoned chocolates and they all were "euthanized".  There was talk of going to "Berchesgarten" which they never got to.  May first Hitler was dead and the world celebrated.  May first of this year next Tuesday I'll be celebrating because I'll finally be able to go to the ATM for my money, and all this LA riot comemoration will be a thing of the past. 

This will be the final posting under this Blog heading and was switched out with the following one in Rocca Rolla because that one was too long for this current group of posts..

Student Loan Interest Rates to Double

The big story, and one that the President has been out talking about, is the upcoming hike in interest rates to 6.8%, which would be in excess of three times the inflation rate.  I'd sure like to be getting that in my bank account.  Apparently John Boehner is criticizing the President for using Air Force I to fly around to places like Chapel Hill, to bolster his position.  Boehner also says that the President is using the student loan issue as an "excuse" not to talk about the Economy.  But as Ed Schultz pointed out today,  student loans ARE the economy.  Because of massive budget cutbacks in places like California, more student loans are necessary.  Some argue that keeping the rate at 3.4% is "unreasonable" because "The students have no right to an entitlement program".  The word "entitlement" takes on a strange meaning with the tea party.  Normal people see the word "entitlement" and think it means that because you pay into something you are entitled to GET something back.  But we hear the congress is going after these "entitlement" programs such as medicare, medic-aid, and women's health care issues- - as well as student lunches and other aid to the poor.  It's interesting that when the Republicans speak of "cutting the fat out of the federal budget, cutting services for the economicly disadvantaged is the first and sometimes ONLY place they look.  Some congressman named Blunt or whatever says that Obama's Health Care plan is to blame because Obama funded health care with student loan interest rate hikes.  But the democrats dismiss this complaint as a big lie, as does Ed Schultz.

The recall election of Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is still in the horizon - - though we've been waiting for it for nearly a year and a half.  Wisconsin state is dead last in job creation.  This is partially because of all the union busting and state employee firings.  People like Romney say "Government workers should not do better than private businesses".  The rejoinder there is that unions were largely busted in the rest of private business decades ago and government is the only place they have left to attack.  Now they are after the Postal Service.  According to Hartman and others- - the Postal Service was made to swallow a "poison pill" where they had completely unreasonable "monetary reserve" requirements for pension funds for the next 75 years, right now.  So opporating budgets are hence slashed.  And contrary to what people like Judy say, many small businesses rely heavily on the US Mail to stay in business and cut expenses, and without this valuable government services many small businesses would go under.  Of course more fuel efficient cars would help us all as well as better rapid transit, and fixing potholes in highways would improve mileage.  But the government has a big blind spot on the whole topic of bridges collapsing and the like.  You all that sidewalk that "swallowed" that teenage girl in China and she had to be rescued.  Let's cross our fingers about the Wisconsin recall election.

Yesterday the Supreme Court heard arguments on this Arizona cop - - racial profiling thing where if you're stopped and look like a minority you can be asked for proof of citizenship.  The Obama administration filed suit because they say that enforcement of federal immigration laws is the exclusive domain of the federal government.  For me personally it's a gray area.  I hardly see why law enforcement should be faulted if they take steps to insure that Federal Laws are enforced.  But apparently arguments in the Supreme Court did not go at all well for the government yesterday.  Justice Roberts apparently gave an opening speech ans said "Arguing the validity of racial profiling is off the table as far as today's arguments are concerned".  And Justice Scelia said that the government guy was in error because "You have a right to arrest a guy for robbing banks even if it's state rather than federal".  But as Stephanie Miller points out - - robbing banks is the exclusive domain of the federal government whereas bank robbery is the domain of either state or federal government.  The way they were talking about this case yesterday you'd have thought the five to four decision has already been handed down siding with the Arizona police.  Apparently even liberal justice Sotomayor sided with the Conservatives on this one.

You know- - I have a different definition, a more basic, "generic" one than most people think of when it comes to "Exestentialism".  I define the term as "confining our discussion only to what is Real and actually Exists- - rather than what there is NO Evidence of.  And also the study of how to tell one from the other.  Keep in mind an infinite ammount of Nothing is still Nothing.  So contrary to what Christians will tell you "Keeping Infinity in mind" won't cut it.  Infinity itself has its limits.  And Romney's speech Tuesday night in New Hampshire was the biggest bunch of "Nothing" you're likely to hear.  The heading of the speech was "A Better America Begins Tonight", made in New Hampshire, which was not one of the five primary states.  There was not one substantive remark made about anything in terms of a proposal or solution to anything the entire speech- - which lasted some twenty minutes or so.  As you know I had my own "mental mailaise" three weeks ago on a Wednesday, and I've had another bout of this same mental malaise the past couple days.  Two years ago I weighed eighteen pounds more than I do now.  I have lost most of my weight since late October or so when the anxiety index with family members was cranked up.  But I met with Dr. Messina yesterday and he restored my Resperidol medication back up to its old levels before the 50% cut at the beginning of 2011.  Ever since them my anxiety factor has been increased on a continuing basis.  I also looked at a medical web site exploring symptums of all sorts of diseases trying to account for my weight loss, particularly in the last six months.  It's really starting to trouble me and I'm running out of excuses for it.  Money for me continues tight and I'm still in my own personal recession as are the majority of residents who live here.  In terms of that whole Venus cycle thing- - - Stewart Sutcliffe has reminded me - - twice lately - - that my doom and gloom these past few weeks about the Economy is unwarrented because "The cycle should extend at least all of this year and maybe a month or two into the following year".  I've just been hearing that doom and gloom is just around the corner once more.  But Fed Chairman Ben Vernanke testified yesterday saying that no change in Fed monetary policy is warrented at this time and everything is on course and improvements in the economy will continue and gradually pick up acceleration.  That's reassuring to hear.  I think if we can nudge unemployment into the high "sevens" that it will be like grease on a lot of "squeaky wheels' out there, who when this happens will no longer listen to the tea party - - at all- - and will vote for the President.  They say that the President is now doing quite well in the projected "swing states".

To Be Brief - Romney Won All Five States

Mitt Romney won all five states, which would be New York, Conneticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.  Mitt Romney has yet to tell us just what his “vision of America” is.  All he says – his entire vocabulary seems to consist of – “Obama is all wrong for American and I can do better”.  An alternate rejoinder is “so give somebody else a chance”.   They one and all have this “Obama is a failure” mantra or else ‘Obama made the economy worse”.  Randy Rhodes would agree with me that these people cannot answer any direct question addressed to them without mention President Obama’s name in the first words of their response.  This verbal shollowness will quickly show up in any head to head debate, as one lady caller stated..  It was on the David Cruise show that this guy from F A I R was interviewed.  When asked about the new immigration statistics showing no net racial influx, he naturally said “It’s all Obama’s doing” but not in a positive way for aggressive enforcement.  Indeed he said “Obama wants all the illegals here so they will add to the Democratic voting bloc.  No, instead he said that it was the fact that the President ruined the US economy that all of these aliens are now leaving.  “Give me a break!”  These tea party stooges will say literally anything to prop up the party line.  Otherwise at this point it's the same old recycled news

MORE AMERICAN EXPRESSION & SAYINGS

“That’s for the birds”

“Wet Behind the Ears” 

“Pyric victory”

“He looked like something the cat dragged in” 

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
"Let sleeping dogs lie"

“Leave well enough alone” 

“Worm’s eye view of the world” (scandal newspapers) 

"What are you driving at?"

“If Life hands you lemons – make lemonade” 

“Don’t Dare look at him cross-eyed” 

“Off color remark” (off color humor) 

“Don’t upset the apple cart”

"Nothing ventured; nothing gained"

“Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade” 

“Loaded for bear” 

“Non compus Mentus” 

“The bloom is off the rose” 

“De-flowered” 

“Going for the juggler” 

“It’ll grow hair on your chest” 

“Scared shitless”

“He’s spineless” 

"He threw me a curve ball"

“Let’s table that for now” 

“He has cards he isn’t showing” 

“Cashing in his chips” 

“He went to his reward”
"Pushing up Daises"

“He did a double-take” 

“He Hit pay dirt on that one”
"The ball's in your court"
"He never follows through"
"- - so you decided to punt"
"His speech was a little off the mark"
"One taco short of a combo"
"A cup and saucer short of a place setting"
"He took the bait"
"Walk a mile in his shoes"
"I wouldn't say that if I were in your shoes"
"The pidgeons have flown the coup"
"Don't get your bowels in an uproar"
"Don't get your knickers in a twist"
"Pull yourself up by your boot straps"
"Tap dancing around the issue"
"All that glitters isn't gold"
"Close only counts in horse shoes"
"Nip it in the bud"
"That was a real load" (of bullshit)
"Milk it for all it's worth"
"Don't kill the goose that laid the golden eggs"
"Hungry as a bear"
"He has a screw loose"
"He's off his nut"
"Squirreling Away supplies"
"Raid the ice box"
"Gold digger"
"Don't rock the boat"
"He's obviously been smoking something"
"Pipe dream"
"Something out of left field"
"Straw man"
"The north end of a south-bound horse"
"He's full of it"
"Hog wash"
"Up the wazoo"
"Up the ying-yang"
"Right off the bat"
"Chomping at the bit"
"It purrs like a kitten" (car engines)
"The squeaky wheel gets the oil"
"Living in a gold fish bowl"
"Five fingered discount"
"He walks" (or "walked")
"Iron clad case"
"Line up all your ducks in a row"
"Live and let live"
"So heavenly minded your'e no earthly good"
"If you had a brain you'd be dangerous"
"A little knowledge is dangerous"
"He made me an offer I couldn't refuse"
"Sleeping with the fishes"
"Wearing concrete shoes"
"I'll tan his hide"
"Attitude adjustment"
"Texas justice"
"There's a sucker born every minute"
"One eyed trouser trawler"
"One fingered peace sign"
"His two cents worth"
F Y I
T M I
D O A
M O
You can tell a politician is lying - - whenever you see his lips move
"Honing his skills"
"No matter how you slice it"
"Dry as a bone"
"Tighter than a drum"
"Works like a charm"
"A slap on the wrist"
"The roof's about to fall in"
"Getting the bugs out"
"Bats in the belfrie"
"Crazy as a loon"
"Mad as a hatter"
"Crooked as a dog's hind leg"
"Loophole you could drive a mac truck through"
"Running interference"
"Stringing him along"
"Make your hair stand on end"
"Left to wither on the vine"
"Getting out all the dead wood"
"leeches"
"Chop shop"
"Hung out to dry"
"The temperature just dropped in here"
"Dine and dash"
"Back-door man"
"Blind-sided"
"Double crossed"
"If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck and - "
"Your ass is grass and I'm a lawnmower"
"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time"
"Talking past the close"  (Dr. Phil expression)
"How's that working out for you?"
Trot it around the block one more time"
"He's been around the block a few times"
"I wasn't born yesterday"
"Fresh off the boat" (blacks)
"Going against the grain"
"You're preaching to the choir"
"Do you have a point?"
A speaker who doesn't strike oil within ten minutes should stop boring"
"A rising tide lifts all boats"
"Flat-lining"
"Under-water mortgage"
"Cool as a cucumber"
"Cold as a witch's teat"
"The wheels are coming off the wagon"
"The reins of power"
"Left at the starting gate"
"Going out the gate"
"That cuts two ways"
"That's the way the cookie crumbles"
"No matter how you slice it"
"Half baked" (idea)
"Crocadile tears"
"The lady doth protest too much"
"Collateral damage" (often a euphamism)
"Jumping through hoops"
"The cockroaches come out at night"
"Hitting one out of the park"
"Clean as a whistle"
"He ain't whistling Dixie"
"I'm not doing this for my health"
"May the wind ever be at your back and may you be in heaven a long time before the Devil knows you're gone."
"Albitros around his neck"
"Rome wasn't built in a day"
"His ship came in"

“Don’t spill the beans” 

“He dropped the ball on that one”

The Thin Veneer of Racial Civility Today

Well we do have a thin veneer of politeness in society.  You don’t even dare give people an opening to vent racist sentaments.  Randy Rhodes had a caller who said ‘I’m a conservative but I don’t hate Obama” yet Randy was able to isolate all the areas where he had accepted whole these various false tea party proclamations.  That’s what you have to look out for.  They have their secret “inside information” they believe over actual news.  Gasoline prices are headed down and have been for two weeks.  Now according to David Cruise- - the net immigration from Mexico is almost reduced to zero because almost as many are leaving voluntarily as coming here due to our bad economy.  Also the Obama administration is deporting record numbers of aliens and the tea party won’t tell you that, either.  But David Cruise points out without this influx our population will “Age” like Europe’s has with their tough immigration policies, and as such it will make Social Security and Medicare even more “top heavy “ than they are now.  The average White is a lot older than the average minority age, that’s for sure.  This newfound racial stability will give us an opportunity now to perhaps re-think our immigration policies as far as giving people who are already here an opportunity to legitimize themselves.  If Mitt Romney continued to talk about building a border fence he can be reminded by Our side of the reality of the current situation.  Crime, of course is down, but you’d never know that fact, either. 

The Republicans say all the cuts in the Obama budget are cosmetic to non existant but when it’s pointed out that Obama cut 200 Billion in medi-care, saving that expense because he got rid of Medicare Advantage, which was stealing funds- - then the Republicans go “He’s going after your Medicare”.  You can’t win for losing with those people.  Of course Romney’s clear strength in the polls is White men.  But I would narrow that to “white men between 30 and their early fifties”.  Men who are thinking about the day they’ll retire have to be worried about things like health care the republicans want to eliminate, or else age discrimination.  Men under thirty and “generation Y” or whatever and are different in that they take a looser attitude tword things such as homosexuality and the classic “social issues”.  So that’s Romney’s base- - between 30 and 55.  For the most part they are people who have known only “businessmen” who succeeded as Republican Presidential candidates.  And also two constitutional status university graduates for the Democratic candidates.  So the question is “what happened to this middle year demographic to make it so right leaning?”  That’s the mystery of the century.  Marco Rubio is on the Vice Presidential “short list” and yet Marco praises George Bush as a good President.  When asked to say how Mitt Romney would differ from the Bush years, Rubio refused to answer the question.  These people will never answer a direct question.  Randy Rhodes put a caller in his place for not knowing that Aid to Families with Dependant Children both had a work requirement and a five year limit.  But the myth of the Black “Welfare Queen” lives on.  Don’t tell these people that caucasions get more federal aid than Black people.  They won’t ever believe that.  Even the ones who begin by saying “I don’t Hate Obama” in truth, they do.

They had that Sixty Minutes thing on Lehman Brothers going bankrupt.  The SEC has filed NO charges in the intervening four years.  I hope the tea party is making note of that, since they think people like Lehman are as ethically pure as the driven snow.  However the SEC was monoroting closely the financial activities of Lehman brothers and “had set up shop” right there in the building.  Apparently Lehman used the “Repo 105 dodge”.  They merely shipped fifty - - Billion dollars in debt off shore so the fifty billion in dept didn’t show up on the books.  One guy as long as November 30^th 2007 said that Lehman Brothers was in serious trouble.  Maybe the Obama Administration might want to press the SEC into prosecuting this case now.  The thing is, we need to learn all we can about HOW this happened - - and I mean the whole stock crash - - in order to diagnosis the problem, which not even the Obama administration cares to delve and this is cowardess on their part.  But an even more important question than HOW, is WHAT happened.  Like when there is some explosion in a plane 40,000 feet in the air- - in order to figure out just how Bad the damage Is, and what measures need to be taken.  There are people who continue to warn that Wall Street has done almost nothing to reform its ways, and the same disaster that occurred in 2008 could occur again in not that distant future.  Then there was a segment on Palistinian Christians, which have shrunk to a two percent minority in the city of Bethlehem, which they still have control over.  It pretty much kills the arguments of people like Chuck Smith anyhow that sometime very soon there is going to be a Christian spiritual resurgence in the Mideast, particularly in Jerusalem.  I think I fell asleep during the final segments on finding lots of emeralds somewhere- - - and the number of them affecting the price.

We did indeed have cheeseburgers for lunch and potato chips with an orange for desert.  We had a second half burger.  I went in the livingroom and waited for Dr. Levy with Arleen and Bruce and a couple of others.  Whats-her-name left and where were just those two remaining, and me, and I left to listen to Randy Rhodes when she came on.  I thought I heard Sarah make an announcement and came back down only to find that Dr. Levy was still not there, meaning I won’t be getting any cash today.  I got only my third whole cigarette of the day from Nancy Bell.  I went down the lobby and sat in that southeast alcove and looked down the hall.  Then I went out to the door to the “new” smoking area where I got the cigarette from Nancy.  Then it was more of Randy and then Days of our Lives where now they are saying Lexi will be dead from her “agreessive, inoperable tomer”, which I don’t believe for a minute.  She’s too established a star to be dumped.  As for EJ and Nicole picking up stakes and leaving Salam there is a little thing about E J being just elected as mayor of Salem.  And apparently Sammy gets E J’s kids and as Nicole puts it ‘You’ll have to be content to raise Raphael’s baby when it’s born”.  She knows how to make a deal you can’t refuse - - - NOT.  EJ is not going to leave his sister when she is “gravely ill” even though she looks in the pink of health.  The make-up artists are going to be kept busy if they are going to portray her “going down hill fast”.  Sammy is still dousing the fires of Austin’s insecurity with gasoline, and then she’s trying to turn Lucas against his mother.  And while we’re speaking of home wreckers, Lucas can’t can’t bee too happy about having to give up Autumn, “The girl of his dreams - - the woman he wanted to spend his life with”.  But for Samantha it’s all about her.  By the way Ian may be a snake, and I’ve never liked him, but right now he’s one of the few lucid people. 

Natural Evolution Is No Fool

Ever notice how people use metaphores?  People say that Art is Truth, or that Truth is Beauty, or whatever.  When we look at Natural Evolution we discuss something I personally Believe in - - - after a sort because even I haven't totally figured out the mechanics of it.  Psychologists will tell you it's not important to ask WHY things are the way they are or turned out the way they did.  The thing that you the patient need to accept is THAT things turned out the way they did and to deal with that Reality.  There is another expression, "The Devil is in the details".  There is another expression that kind of goes "Circumstances are irrivent to God" and another one that goes "Don't rely on any Experiances".  St. Paul in Thessolnians teaches to "Thank God IN our circumstances" but it does not say to thank God FOR our circumstances".  This is a King James translation error.  The point of saying all of this - - is that these sentaments voiced by "Learned Pastors" who've been to Seminary - - are all Marcionite in sympathies.  The only thing (maybe not the ONLY) I agree with Marcionism on is that the Human Will should not be Dictated to by circumstances.  People who expect God to "direct you" through Circumstances are not good Marcionites.  Because they teach that the God who controls this World, "The Lord of this World" is Satan.  So the expression "The Devil is in the details" takes on new relivence.  As such I am - if not a Satan worshipper - - I am a Satan respecter.  There are Two Words that are troubling to Christian in our post heading.  One of them is Evolution.  The other one is Nature.  Nature to a Marcionite is almost evil incarnate - - or at least Corruption Incarnate.  The whole thing comes from people trying to "tap into the power of God" either by reproducing him, or to try and be like him or whatever.  So therefore anything that as it were "Evolves" or eminates from God must necessarily be Corrupted in one form or another and the more "reproduction" that is done through the Generations - - it follows that the more Corrupt the end product will be.  Hence the world we see now under Marcionism is very Corrupt.  We cannot look to it as any guide post.  I myself am not a Marcionite but I admire their sense of Will and the fact that a True Marcionite WILL NOT be dictated to by ANY worldly force or person.  (Selah)

Now we come to evolution itself.  According to George Burnes in "Oh God" certain "mistakes" occured here and there, like the avocado pits being too big.  Man's jaw isn't big enough for his mouth.  Man matabolizes potassium the way his Ape ansesters did who ate potassium rich foods like leaves and bananas and consumed little sodium contained in salty things, for instance.  But we no longer have the diet of our Chimpanzee relatives and so we have a high sodium and low potassium problem.  We evolved to store body fat in times of plenty in preporation for the day when the Hunt will be bad and we won't find food.  Also man has that "lizzard brain" and when we get angry that lower brain takes over.  Evolution is a layered affair.  They say a really new embryo of a toad can't be distinguished from the embryo of a human baby.  They say that optimists survived better than pessimists and so this trait was "selected out" as a beneficial one.  Optimists are survivors.  They say that even our pets dream when they sleep.  Dreaming is a necessary part, apparently, of evolution.  Women evolved so that they are unable to bear children after a certain point because Nature in her wisdom knew that after a certain point pregnency for an older woman would be dangerous and there would be too many birth defects.  Also people note that there a lot of spontanious abortions of fetuses that weren't "viable" in the judgement of Nature.  But HATE itself is a coping mechanism.  I'm sure for someone in a POW camp, Hate must be the only thing that's keeling him alive.  This desire for Revenge against his Enemies is the one thing that gives him the strength to get up in the morning and face another day.  No doubt there are prisoners serving time, whose driving hope is the promise of revenge against the guy who ratted them out or whatever.  The Jews after the Holicaust had a saying "Never again".  There were certainly other emotions besides Hate - - but you take Hate away and the "reality" of the event becomes somehow less Real, and is in danger of being religated to the History books or something.  Sometimes a lie or a myth will have "staying power" more than the actual Truth does.  Certainly there are a lot of Lies in this political year I am amazed at their "traction power" while the Truth is some quirk oddity and the domain of small wattage Progressive Talk shows.  Don't ask me WHY that happens.  The reality we liberals have to face is THAT it happens.  And I don't have any answer for you.  Most pastors when asked why God allows thus and so to occur usually says "I have no answers".  The whole idea of somehow "Getting into God's mind and figuring him out" is as our President once aptly put it, "Way above my pay grade".  We know THAT certain things are problems.  How they got that way is less important than deciding "What to do about it" so to speak.  Fight or Flight or Stealth.

I guess this Chicago White Sox pitcher pitched a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners today even if the last checked swing was a questionable call to some.  Maybe the Umpire was a White Sox fan.  Anyhow it was only the 21st perfect major league in history - and so definitely one for the books.

Charles Colsen died today.  His life was more good than bad.  He only worked for Nixon a few years and was never even charged for his most significant crimes.  But while in Prison he had a conversion and found a new compassion for his fellow man and founded a prison ministry which continues to this day and no doubt a lot of people on the Inside have been Helped by it.  Colsen never chimed in with Tea Party rhetoric or endorsed any Republican candidate.  His job was to just follow his calling.

I guess they may be on the verge of finding the body of the original "milk carton boy".  This was a six year old boy who disappeared in 1979 and spawned the children on milk cartons campaign.  And now we have Megan's Law and other child protection measures.  They say that several decades ago only 62% of lost or missing children were found and brought back safe.  Today that figure is 97% if you can believe that.  This is an amazing turn-around.

There is a new posting on "Cosmic Tides".  I pushed the wrong button but I decided to leave it there because that Blog needed a more relivant header than our Americana thing.  I kind of also wanted a header with a photograph.  Two notable rock musiicians died in the past couple days.  The flute player in the song "Down Under" by Men at Work died.  And the lead singer and drummer of The Band died. It's my understand that The Band was an Andromeda D group, for you Cosmic people who want to know.  They say that a person's personality determines what breed of dog they will select.  I guess this only makes sense and is something people have long suspected.  Ted Nugent is now in trouble with the government for illegally killing a black bear on the Alaska endangered species list.  Ronald Reagan said that Mt St Helens was responsible for 80% of the pollution we were suffering from.  Tomorrow is Earth Day, of course.  This day was kind of resurrected in 1990 after falling into obscurity for nearly twenty years.  Since then people have been more Aware.  It bothers me that Al Gore has fallen from favor so markedly by the Media.  The media is Fickle is nothing else.  Clearly Al Gore was a pioneer and prophet in this area and deserves media treatment far better than he has been getting lately.

Obama vs Romney Pros and Cons

But first - - Neo Cons verses Neo Libs


New libs differ from traditional liberalism


An almost complete abandonment of gun control as an issue
A complete abandomnent is issues such as population control and mass busing and other "social engeneering"


They go for "tax fairness" rather than just "soaking the rich"


An abandonment almost entirely of any "Communist" leanings


A more critical attitude twords Human Rights violations in communist countries, such as China and North Korea


A much more amenable attitude tword are armed forces


No not favor "Activist" supreme court rulings


A tendancy to support property rights of city residents against all manner of incursion and corporate buy-outs.  "A man's home is his castle"


The New Cons differ from traditional conservatrives


They no longer "Rally around the President" in times of trouble


They have a disregard for the welfare of our troops


They alltogether lack a type of modesty and the tendancy to keep their personal morals to themselves.


They favor big government and intrusion, such as Governors dictating to local municipalities how to conduct their affairs


They have an almost total disregard for spending deficets


They tend to let petty issues raised by the media distract them and at times completely take over their interests.


They entirely lack the former "economic nationalism" they had
They no longer have any inclination to defend civil liberties of every American Citizen outlined in the constitution


They are for things like "The New World Order" and NAFTA and such


They no longer place the value on "Higher Education" they once did.


They have little regard for tradional church if they "get in their way" and are willing to take up with Atheists is "it suits them".


They now seem to regard ordenary work as beneathe them and do not appreciate the sacrifice of those in the lower ranks.


They have a new found fondness for "mob rule" a trait they used to condemn as belonging only to the left.


They exhibit a total lack of either moral focus or "vision" for the future - - or saying just what there 'program" is when they get in

THE TWO SIDES OF THE AISLE NOW


Obama in his favor has the following:


Multiple degrees from high status Universities
Head of the Harvard Law Review
Excellent grade point average
Both youth and on the job experiance four years
Highly successful foreign policy & accomplishments
Improved image for America around the world
Real work on improving the foreign trade balance
First real cuts in federal budget since Clinton
Sound monitary policy from Bush Fed Reserve Apt
Robust Stock Market Performance
Maintaining high national security
Health Care reform
Experiance serving people at local level
Equal pay for equal work
Turned around General Motors
Some finantial regulation reform
Well liked by American people
Keeping a "cool head" under most extreme criticism
Impacable personal morals
Children are well adjusted


Obama has the following Liabilities:


A tendancy to "Pie in the sky thinking"
A lack of macho assertion and leadership
Questionable family background
Weak position on Defense of Marriage act
Hillary beats him in any head on debate
A tendency to "compromise" with his principles
Disowns old friends when the going gets tough


Mitt Romney has the following strengths


Fairly good looking
Has a certain ammount of business experiance
Isn't as BAD on economics as Some of his opponets
Governor of Massachusetts
Man in good standing with his Church
Impecable moral Character


Romney has the following liabilities


Out of touch with every day problems of Americans
Close to Zero foreign policy experiance
Questionable family background (Mexico)
Comes off aloof and unpersonable
Not supported by people in his own party
Has made decisions resulting in massive job lay-offs
Tends to lie about economic statistics
Seems to be having others dictate his positions


Advantages to being an Atheist


Learning to seek answers only to Real problems
Knowing which questions to even ask in life
None of the "mind games" associated with Christians
Not ruled by phantoms and "emotional baggage from childhood" in many areas of life.
Tackeling new problems and situations with "a blank slate"
No need to be "co dependant" - with a made up person
A tendancy to be honist with ones self and openly confront ones own mistakes and shortcomings
Lack of bias in approaching scientific issues
Lack of bias when exploring historic issues
Doesn't get offended or indignent at honist questioning
Doesn't get Angry over issues that are irrelivent to anything

A Little Psychological Probing

This is too weird, this new blogger look.  They don't give you a lot of warning, do they?  Well it looks like all the same controls are along the top with their usual icons.  Well we'll see how the post does or does not look different once published.  I still hope it will paste.  When I pasted one thing I thought the whole rest of a paragraph disappeared so I had to paste it again.  The photograph I was thinking of using in this posting I reconsidered on at the last minute.  Now it's publish time

The lead story of the day is of course George Zimmerman being allowed to go free on bail of $150.0000 - - which for a first degree murder is pocket change as I say above and perhaps will splice in those remarks right here in the posting. Oh, they are going to put GPS in Zimmerman.  That’s good.  So Zimmerman won’t be released today.  That’s good.  No possession of firearms.  That’s good.  Also there is no consumption of alcohol and there is apparently some curfew involved..  Further information reveals that Zimmerman will be taken "out of state, for his own safety".  He was wearing a bullet proof vest in court today.  Everything out of his mouth was a lie.  Anyone someone keeps using the words "did not" rather than the more natural "didn't" lie spotters get skeptical.  The whole bloody scalp thing is obviously bogus.  We saw the photos of Zimmerman practically waltzing into the police station.  We know an ambulence was NOT called for him, or if it was the call was quickly cancled.  It must be pointed out that there have been a lot of "suspect cases" throughout the South.  This case is by NO means an isolated one, and that's the real Danger.  


  You know, it's going to be a strange thing when in the fall Presidential debates, Romney tries to sell these same extremist tea party doctrines that played so well in the right wing echo chamber of the Republican Primary debates.  Can the credibility of the Republican party as a whole be so piss poor that they indeed have to embrace every nut that falls from the tree?  Don’t they have any taste?  Don’t they have any Pride?  But also as I said earlier- - people in every day life here this stuff and repeat almost verbatim the tea party talking points like a mindless laundry list they are forced by the teacher to remember.  It’s all lies but still they do it because being a “good follower” is somehow really important to them.  If the republicans thought about it for so much as a nano second they would realize just as Randy says- - that reduction of other people’s salaries will in turn “alter the market” downward on how your Own labor is valued.  People who do the hiring aren’t stupid.  From a sheer greed aspect- - as we mentioned in our last posting - - this vanity mixed with greed that these people exhibit - - isn’t helping them find “happiness” or whatever it is they are expecting.  Their whole drive and motive seems to be Hatred of the Other, the poor, the 99%.  And they’ll make up and propagate any lie to justify their own actions.  And they’ll make sure FOX news, that right-wing echo chamber is there to propagate it.  So they come to Jesus at the Last Judgement and Jesus says to them “Really Mitt, couldn’t you be happy with one hundred million?  Why sell your soul for two hundred million?” or whatever the phrase is.  Is the accumulation of Money worth selling your very soul over?  You can’t possibly spend it yourself, and you’re far to vain to help anybody else with it.  But they repeat these tea party talking points and cling to them as if their very lives depended on it.  So why is it so important that George Zimmerman be declared innocent and walk free - - by these people.  What’s in it for them of some Mental Patient in Florida escapes the law.  Or that other Mental Patient in Detroit?  It doesn’t bother them that Ted Nugent is now their spokesman?

Now the whole question of upholding the nation of Israel is a puzzler.  They didn’t used to do that.  But now you must understand that they don’t love Israel for its own sake or they admire the trials and tribulations of the race, or even particularly admire Jewish culture or beliefs.  So why do they do it?  The way one person put it, he wanted to make Israel a 51^st state so that the US could go to War in the Mideast any time Israel was threatened.  But it goes deeper than that because this same guy said ‘Of course we would uphold State’s rights.  I think when they look at the nation of Israel on the map they see Alabama - - a southern state and the heart of the Confederacy.  They admire their determined military spirit even though they understand nothing about what actually motivates it.  So they fill in their own “blanks”.  They see the Jew as the White People, and the Palistinian as Blacks and make an identification that way - - even though the respective racial situations have absolutely in common.  It’s kind of like Gene Scott identifying with General George Patton.  I think if Patton were looking down he’d say “Gene, please do me a Favor - - Get Off of My Team!”  General Paton was a brave, innovative man who served his country well.  What did Gene Scott ever do except to puss on a cigar and sit in his big chair and raise money from TV donors for literally hours.  And of course the whole Evangelical point is well taken too.  The Jewish people are only “useful” to the Christians because they play a part in some Armageddon Scenario in the last day - - and serve as gun fodder for the Antichrist, who some say will be allied with Israel because they are too “spiritually ratrobate” not to recognize who he really is.  But how the hell to you even discuss all, this stuff to inform people in the course of an Election Campaign where you live and die by the 30 second TV spot?

In today’s soap opera installment the news is that Kate was taken on and hired as co CEO to Madison at Mad World.  If this is the worst Madison gets, she is getting off easy.  This Ian guy thinks he’s really ‘somebody” that can somehow go up against Stephano and win.  Nobody has been able in thirty years.  How many friends does Stephano even have now or ever?  He rattled around in that big old mansion.  He’s blown off Kate who worshipped and fawned all over him backing him up and encouraging him.  He’s blown off his son.  I guess the moral there is ‘No good deed goes unpunished”.  What should have been the proudest moment for any father - - having his won prove himself “worthy” in a great act- - - was just kissed off entirely.  So now what has Stephano gained?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Clearly he’s doing things in his own economic dis-interest.  He’s willing to cut off his nose to spite his face.  Maybe Randy Rhodes is right - - to a point.  Certain kinds of Hatred and resentment can be self destructive.  We now move to Mitt Romney.  He has it made and never has to worry about another thing economically in his entire life and it’s ditto for all those other rich fat cats like Grover Norquist and Rush Limbaugh.  So what is driving them - - pushing them - - - eating at them.  Where is all of this “resentment” coming from?  It would take a psychologist with higher credentials than I’ve got to answer these questions.  What we can only say is that Mitt Romney will drive the US economy into the toilet and he apparently doesn’t care- - just as long as the “tea party” is happy.  What DOES the tea party have over Romney?  What sort of HOLD fascinates him to stick with them and perhaps put his own campaign against Obama in jeopardy?  I don’t think there is any “reset” button on Romney.  The mental circuitry is all fried and the controls have melted.

There were only five consecutive postings in Cosmic Tides.  That bit of “Americana” which runs on so very long - -takes up the space of at least two ordinary postings itself, and in terms of scrolling length probably sets a record.  But we must remember that in terms of most people’s lives - -  they do have jobs and can afford cell phones and all these elaborate electronic gismos and I Pads and the like.  And people make predictions about the future where there will be no phone land lines, or movie theaters, or even CD’s (the record kind) and when remote control will be carried out by voice commands.  Just between you and me and the grand piano this is way too much electronic encoursion into our lives.  One could get the feeling that instead of us running the electronic devices, the electronic devices are running us.  They how have “idiot proof” everything - - and even some software programs I find “intrusive’ making decisions I’d prefer to make for myself, or even second guessing my sovereign decisions.  And now you have cars that drive themselves along the road and drivers aren’t even necessary, all because of advanced GPS circuitry- - and I still don’t even understand how- - or if it is even - - possible.  We have all this electronic leap into the future and yet our politics is fixated late in the nineteenth century.  You have tea party people appealing to the poor and ignorant among us - - setting themselves up as sort of a solution to “all our problems”.  The simple truth is that most of the 

That Was Your Big Mistake

You know - - I am disturbed about another story involving the Secret Service.  The Secret Service has officially closed the case on Ted Nugent.  This is shocking.  You know an ordinary Joe American citizen who made these threats might be under scrutiny for weeks, and probably put under survailance for an extended period of time.  Maybe Nugent wasn’t lying.  Maybe the Secret Service really ARE his friends.  In that case, the President should fire the whole staff and not just those who philandered around in Columbia.  The more I think about it, any of those Columbia guys should be expelled immediately on “morals charges” or conduct unbecoming a Secret Service agent, or however you want to label it.  Better safe than sorry.

Well the latest climate change report is out.  Apple orchids that blossomed a month ago in Wisconsin have caught a subsequent frost and died.  And farmers fear the same thing happening with crops planted too early.  Meanwhile it’s swarming season for bees, ants, and ticks.  This could be a problem for a lot of people down South, which is the most above normal right now.  The whole of the Southwest, South, and the majority of the Atlantic coast is slated to have a markedly above normal temperature, with only northwestern Montana and Idaho safe, being below average.  Of course a lack of snow increases fire danger everywhere.  It’s a statement that bears frequent repetition.  They say that British Petroleum “cleaned up” the Gulf of Mexico, but there is still evidence of vast damage say researchers.  Now there are new mutant forms of shrimp being born without eyes.  I guess that’s better than the three eyed fish they feature on the Simpson’s as entre fair.  And of course when Judy mentions how “They will never find alternative sources to petroleum products” I ought to have responded, “Then how come Oil Companies and the like seek to kill any research or development of any non petroleum energy source of invention?  Why is it important for them to buy up any fledgling companies that spring up and Kill them off?  It’s simple.  The oil companies DO see these alternative energy sources as a clear threat.  Of course petroleum is the single largest contributor to global warming.

I guess I’m wondering why these tea party Christians appear so gosh darned “devout” that till lately they wouldn’t even countenance a Mormon among them- - how come if they believe in that “old time religion” of a hundred years ago (which is an era they seem psychologically “fixated” in anyhow) that believed in the Rapture of snatching away of the faithful, why do they care WHAT the tax policy is or isn’t.  Jesus Christ told the parable of the farmer who tore down his barns to build bigger barns to store all his vast wealth.  And Jesus said to him “You fool.  This very night your soul will be required of you.  What will happen to your wealth then”.  They are hell bent on changing inheritance policies too, which if their children follow in their footsteps, they’ll go up in the rapture too.  These people are so completely emersed in “the wealth of the world” they seem to have no conception of what God expects of them.  They use the cross of Jesus Christ like a punch card Season Ticket pass to get past the turn-style gate, or at least that’s how they’d like to imagine the after-life.  (Selah)

Apparently under Canadian flight regulations- - - napping in the Pilot cockpit is perfectly acceptable procedure.  But napping isn’t permitted under U S FAA regulations.  Therefore pilots whose “biggest challenge” of often just “staying awake” from adverse work hours - - and sleeping in strange, public places- -  when they awake they are disoriented.  One pilot who had been napping saw the planet Venus and took drastic evasion maneuvers and rustled the feathers of the passengers something fierce.  That he would make such a rookie mistake is pretty bad in itself.  Now there are increasing cases where old people in their seventies get “confused” over which is the gas and which is the brake pedal on their cars, and hit the gas and crash into buildings often killing many people, and a judge lets them off or charges are never files.  They get on teenager’s cases all the time, but nobody ever thinks about the menace of old people.  I heard they were extending the retirement age of pilots from sixty to 65.  Maybe they should consider that one, too.  Flights are unpleasant enough these days without these worries.

As I understand it, Romney never served in the military and none of his five sons served in the military.  And the vast majority, perhaps a disproportionate percentage, of the tea party spokesmen starting with Rush Limbaugh and Dick Chaney, never served in the military.  Yet they will cut veterans benefits and they will put guests on their radio show who say “Body armor in battles is for wimps anyhow - - we don’t need it”.  Clearly the slogans of 1984 such as “War is Peace’ and “Ignorance is Strength” is coming to pass.  The very idea of the United States NOT being in some kind of major war- - seems to fill these people with revulsion.  In fact people like Judy almost regard “Peace” as a four letter word.  They are the military equivalents of what Anne Romney is to the everyday housewife.  They dine off of other people’s blood and sweat.

Now I was officially out of cigarettes and had a lone dollar to my name.  I got a cigarette from Glen.  He owed me at least three but only gave me one.  Gloria said that if I could find Phyllis Green that I could get a dollar owed to Gloria from her- - and then I’d pay Gloria back the dollar next Tuesday.  I’ll be at a Hamburger joint with Popeye and Olive Oil and Brutus and the whole crowd spending my money.  I roamed around the building upstairs and down and didn’t see Phyllis either then or at dinner, or afterward in her room, which I went to.  I went downstairs and sat for a while in a couch in the small living room with Steve and others.  We had turkey Alfredo for dinner with zucchini and wheat bread.  You can do these recipes in your sleep.  The Oriental lady apparently was not hungry at all and gave me virtually her entire plate, so I didn’t have to wait for seconds from Dora starting on the other side of the room.  We had chocolate chip cookies.  Then I went to the patio where Larry saw that I did have a single dollar bill and offered to pay me as it were eighty percent on the dollar, which was fine with me then because I figure it’s the best you can get.  Sometimes life is a judgement call.

Coping with a National Politics Gone Mad

Today is Thursday April 19, 2012 and apparently National Holicaust day or something.  I know in 1943 they had the Warsaw Uprising or something of the Jewish ghetto- - which was around the time of Passover which I think fell around April 20^th of that year.  Tomorrow is Adolph Hitler’s birthday.  I wonder how Pope Benedict XIV will be commemorating the day.  He used to be a member of Hitler Youth, you know.  Of course there is enough political madness lately to last a life time, and I scratch my head guessing how this period will be dealt with in future History books.  If we let Texas handle it - - I don’t want to think about it.  Who would have guessed one State would be calling the educational tune for an entire nation?  Who would have guessed that a political candidate would actually welcome, if not seek out, an endorsement from someone who basically is a Mad Man, Ted Nugent.  He was shall we say “highly dishonorable” in the method he chose to get out of the draft.  Is this a story he really wants to tell his children?  Of course they say that Ted only has sex with teenage girls between fifteen and seventeen, and when he’s through with them he just throws them out in the street and makes them hitchhike home or something.  Then there is the whole Mormon problem and just how is the Tea Party going to cope with that?  And apparently there’s some new Catholic Priest going on a rant that Obama is like Hitler and Mao and Stalin and all that.  Of course none of these nuts are ever criticized.  On the contrary they are embraced and honored.  Of course Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh actually run the Republican Party and lackies like John Boehner and Mitt Romney just follow their walking orders.  If today’s times were written in one of these Christian “horror novels” like from Ralph Wilkerson back in the ‘seventies or something- - people would say that he let his imagination go a little Too far…   To call any President of the United States such vile names and continually wish evil on him and how give a pass to someone who overtly threatens his life - - - I don’t know.  Ted Nugent says “Secret Service agents are my friends”.  If I were the President and believed that for one minute I’d of course fire the entire staff immediately.  And then there is Mitt Romney himself- - one of the most pathetic jokes of a candidate any political party has put up.  Not even the voters in his own party can really get behind him.  Basically today’s political climate is the Inmates running the Assylum.  We could just call this paragraph “All the Mad Men”.  Romney continues to flip flop.  First he says that if Detroit is helped by the Obama administration it’s a recipe for sure fire failure.  Then he says “Well business is recovering but it would have recovered faster under Mc Cain”.   But they said the same thing about Roosevelt and the New Deal.  Republicans are now saying “If a Republican had been in office then the Great Depression would have only lasted a year or so”.  Their memory is obviously quite short is they don’t realize that Herbert Hoover had nearly four years to deal with the Great Depression but didn’t- - and the numbers got increasingly grave throughout his term in office.  These Republicans have become complete strangers to the Truth.  I’m afraid to broach any issue with then no matter how obvious it is to me- - because they will rationalize the most right-wing “take” on ANY issue, even Zimmerman.  For instance in Ohio the unemployment rate was ten & a half percent and now it’s down to seven and a half percent.  In Michigan the unemployment was over eleven percent and it too has dropped to around seven & a half percent.  They say for tomorrow new unemployment claims are down.  Romney apparently visited one plant in Ohio that is closed now.  And he sais “Obama is to blame” and yet this plant closed down while George Bush was President.  We know that the Mormon Church “takes care of its own”, who have undergone economic hardship.  How does Mitt Romney square his own beliefs on this matter with that of his church?  You know- - this is an after thought but there is a Primary or two this upcoming Tuesday, but these elections are no longer relevant.

Let’s talk about Days of our Lives to start off today’s report with.  There are “object lessons” to learn somewhere.  Ian gave Madison the divorce she’d been seeking with apparently no strings attached.  He seems on the up and up with no funny stuff or retaliation against Brady Black or her company.   So is it really Love that’s prompting him?  Is he really that taken with Kate after one renewed encounter?  The minute Ian brought up the idea of Revenge against Stephano I would have sure perked up my ears.  I would have been disinclined to take seriously anything prior to that.  And of course Stephao would have taken the dress of her back of he could.  He not only liquidated her - - two corporations, or took them over,  he also took all her fancy clothes away.  To me he is behaving unreasonably, obviously.  A guy is gone for literally months without a word or phone call or e mail.  Only that a certain “box” she opened reveals that he’s been spying on Marlena, his “queen of the night” he’s been obsessed with in the past.  Honestly - - what is a woman to think.  She she regretted the sexual encounter virtually the minute after it occurred- - before she even got her clothes on.  She told him she never wanted to see her again.  A lesser man might have chosen NOT to see her again no matter how much she needed “a friend” at a time of monetary destitution.  But Ian wasn’t like that.  And then we have the Elvis mystery apparently solved.  “Darth Vader is your father”.  Well anyhow, Stephano is apparently NOT the father of Elvis, which to me is not even a plot option because Stephano is so utterly into micro-management of everything, my guess if that he had a DNA confirmation within days after conception occurred.  The idea that he would let thirty years pass and not even check something like that out (assuming he even had any reason to doubt, which itself is unlikely) he most certainly would have done DNA tests on Elvis and himself.  But now we have the “symptoms” of attempted election campaign sabotage, the sabotage of the John Black thing- - and now this thing with ousting Kate without his permission.  Also, if Elvis were seeking to make Samantha “dependant on him” this would severely undermine THAT effort, too.  Since Sammy is not in seventh heaven in some orgiastic ego stroking - - she needn’t give E J another thought.

I had Randy Rhodes on the next hour and was drowsing off a little.  David Cruise was on after three.  The whole issue of illegal aliens is one on which Cruise (or Cruz) is touting a pure liberal line.  He believes we should everything we can to legitimize illegal aliens right now.  We let them have a drivers license and a job and insist that they buy insurance just like any other California citizen.  Since the problem with illegals is that they get into accidents and either junk their car or - - steal another or something - - and the other guy is left holding a bag financially.  Illegals are getting a free ride in these cases and Chief Beck wants to remedy that.  Cruise points out that ten or twelve years is patently unrealistic in terms of waiting for the legal immigration stuff to take its course, and there are MORE important and pressing issues than whether someone cuts in ahead in line.  These illegals indeed are sold automobiles by Americans and American companies sell them insurance.  Assuming their employment is kosher (a dubious assumption) then they are employed legally.  The only thing that is NOT legal is a piece of paper stating that you’re an American citizen.  And I think Hartman and I agree that if an employer violates the law then HE rather than the employee should be penalized.

I guess they say that greed is people’s undoing.  Certainly this was true with Samson in the Bible.  He let his pride get in the way so many times you couldn’t count.  And God was willing to forbear with him for a long time, but not forever.  So it is that bulls make money in the market, bears make money in the market, but hogs never do.  People want to squeeze that last ounce of profit from that turnip.  So the mafia puts the pinch on someone and shakes them down.  But then they keep upping the stakes, and one day the prey decided to be proactive and becomes the hunter.  So now we have this bit with the secret service agents and the hookers and the whole scandal could have been avoided by a little tactical “paying off the problem to make it go away”.  But they thought they were special and didn’t have to play by the rules other johns had to opporate by.  They might feel that way if a pimp were to come knocking their door in the dead of night to work them over with some brass knuckles.  I really had not considered the vast potention for blackmail and foreign espionage in this whole story.  David Cruise thinks the agents should be fired outright, just as he himself would be were he to so blatently violate a morals clause in his own contract.  This whole business about retiring quietly - - really won’t wash.  But how many people “settle a dispute” this way.  So priests who molest little boys are quietly reassigned to another parish- - - and now he’s THEIR problem.   The Dr. Phil doctrine would dictate that “punishing your child is not always convienient - - but it’s what you need to do.  If you let it slide your child will take note of that and count on the fact that this is “something else that he can get away with”.

Now we have this hysterical rant from Mel Gibson at his Costa Rica home last December with a script writer.  Somebody obviously wanted to disgrace him now.  I think all these people on the right are slowly going Nuts anyhow.  It’s not that they just switch sides- - it’s an ongoing process of continually - - falling - - falling into increased political delusional thinking.  I just thank God they haven’t elected a President - - - yet.  Many would like to turn back the clock prior to late August of 2008 like everything that's happened with the Republicans from that point on was just a bad dream.  How many Americans just sit back and sigh in exasperation, "I wish the whole Tea Party thing would just - - - Go Away".