Here we go again... a doofus who no-one thought would win against an intellectual superior who actually knows how to run our country. Don't forget to vote. Remember what happened last time. I had a discussion with a romney supporter and they are intractable. We need to vote. Dont' let another Florida or right wing supreme court give our country away to the oligarchs.

More here:

First: the etch-a-sketch candidate

Next: The Stench

Then: 27 Myths in 38 Minutes

When Manufacturing Died in New England

I remember it well. In the mid-nineties I was teaching computer skills at a mid-sized training center with three schools and a strong alliance with the Vocational Rehabilitation bureau. At one school I had 30 seats mostly filled with Voc Rehab clients whose jobs had been off shored, most of them laid off from the local shoe factory where they had made upwards of $15 to $20 an hour doing piecework with a minimal base wage. Most of these folks had worked in the mill all their lives - like their parents before them, made a decent living wage and lived the middle class life promised by the American Dream. Then came NAFTA and Ross Perot's giant sucking sound of medium skill, high paying manufacturing jobs being off shored en-mass by people like Fucking Mitt Romney. After my class they would be competing for minimum wage, entry level jobs with some paying a little more for those lucky enough to have some technical skills. Broke My Heart.

Plants like this one in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts that employed thousands of workers and support staff are now empty.

 

 Plants like this one in Hongqingting Shoe Factory, Wenzhou China are now packed and very busy.

What happened here? The Oligarchs made a decision that the middle class was not as important as accumulating more wealth than they or their heirs would ever be able to spend. So they spent millions of dollars lobbying for NAFTA and the ability of owners to establish factories overseas for a fraction of the cost, none of the environmental penalties, tax breaks, and near-slave wages. Once that had been achieved and they had exponentially increased their revenue, power became the cocaine of choice for the ultra-rich and the accumulation of power to buy the American political process was the next "I have more than you" cocktail party line and to prove it they bought the American political process, lobbied to pass even more destructive legislation (for the middle class) and moved all manufacturing jobs overseas that they possibly could. The least money paid and the most profit earned became the bragging rights of the ultras. The American people were turned into chattel - expendable like just another piece of machinery, thrown into the wall of financial fire like Pickett's Charge without consciousness or morality. Only money and power are important to the Oligarchs. Even the known fascist Henry Ford wanted his employees to make enough money to be able to buy the products they made. No More.They no longer care about the American worker. They have moved their sights to overseas, expanding markets whose workers take raw materials usually exported from "developed" countries like the U.S. then they actually "build things" that add value then sell them back to people who have the money to buy their products - i.e. the local people who are making money working in manufacturing or the rich Oligarchs in the US. American buying power has stagnated since the 70's, the ordinary American no longer has a chance to earn a living wage without a college degree, (and even that is no guarantee) and our economy shows no signs of recovering. We no longer have the economic muscle to exert any power over foreign markets and curtail currency manipulation so the emerging markets are having their way with us. But you already know all this.

For the one millionth time - we need to make things here at home with our own raw materials, add value, pay workers, tariff the shit out of anything imported and bring back manufacturing so the many, many people in this country without a college degree can make a living wage.

OK Doc - I'm done... BP still within acceptable range.

Atlanta - September 11th, 2001

That's where I was when the shit hit the fan. Thousands of miles from home, working a booth at a trade show. I was with a customer demonstrating how my software would help him manage his network when a couple of the folks who were working the booth with me starting gasping and staring at their computer screens. That's how it started. As the events of the day progressed, the convention center was shut down around 2:00 and we were told to go back to the hotel to await further instructions. My fellow engineer, Rich, and I had had no lunch and were ready to find something to eat. As we left the hotel the first thing we noticed was that the city looked like a ghost town, no cars, no people and most of the stores and restaurants closed down. We finally found a mid-sized pizza house that was still open and were seated in a booth. It was about half full of patrons. Our waiter, visibly shaken and high on something more than booze and weed, came to the table to take our order. The busboy brought some water and we waited patiently for our lunch, understanding that this was a difficult time for everyone and top level service was not expected. About 45 minutes later, we had still not seen our lunches and I snagged the waiter as he floated by. I asked him how much longer it would be before our lunch would be ready. He paused for a minute, checked his backlog of orders and apologetically told us he had forgotten to place our order. Without malice, I stood and asked him where his order entry station was and had him walk me to it. Then I had him show me how to put our orders into the system. After that I had him walk me to the kitchen where I checked with the chef to make sure our order had arrived. It had. Ten minutes later, the owner of the restaurant came to our table with our pizzas, (delicious brick oven) and beverages. He apologized profusely and told us it was on the house. We told him that we understood that this was a difficult time for everybody but he would have none of it and we ate for free that day.

After lunch, as we exited the restaurant which was located on Peach Street - the main street in Atlanta - I was struck by the surrealistic silence in what should have been a noisy, busy city. Still no cars and few pedestrians. We walked back to our hotel without speaking, each lost in our own thoughts about what had just happened in New York and speculating on what was going to happen next.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Kwanza and Everybody Else

Wow. I just realized that I haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving. Have to admit that the shorter days and the colder weather tend to drain my limited resources. Now that the days are getting longer and the "Holidays" are almost over I am looking forward to having more energy to funnel toward continuing the fight against corporate governance, political malfeasance, and not forgetting to have a little fun. Geeze, I didn't even have a post for Zappadan this year.

Anyway - here is my favorite Christmas Story, "A Wish for Wings that Work" by Berkley Breathed. In the 80's Bloom County was a staple of my daily comics page, bringing the Reagan years into a budding progressive's perspective - poking the bear from time to time. Then I saw this Charlie Brown style cartoon special which I think only aired once, not because it wasn't good, it was GREAT but it was too subtle for the general public and offended many with the adult nature of the art, dialogue and characters. Please take a few minutes and check it out and you'll see why it only aired once. I think the "cross-dressing cockroaches in crisis" line may have done the trick. Or it could have been Truffles the Pig who thinks he's a rinoceros accusing Bill the Cat of snorting "Little Friskies". Those are not lines that you will hear in many Christmas specials and there are many more excellent lines in there. One has to watch for the cool little effects like a guy in a picture yawning and listen for the subtle ironies that Breathed is so good at pointing out. Spoiler Alert: Opus the Penguin does indeed save Christmas. So sit back with the favorite beverage of your choice, maybe something leafy as well and enjoy. Seriously, this is very well done.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If only....




And don't forget Arlo..

Please Make This Happen

Fox News is the most rabidly dishonest of the corporate media. It's about time someone did something.

From Politicususa:
Anonymous Vows to Shut Down Fox News

By Anomaly100

"Remember Remember the Fifth of November"

Working Class Hero or Zero?

I was skeptical of the Occupy Wall Street movement, concerned that it might only be a flash in the pan kind of spastic unorganized protest that shorts out in a week or so. But then it expanded to other cities, started to get some press/media attention - negative at first - then some in the press actually started to get a few things right. As soon as there was a WHIFF of legitimacy to the movement, the corporate conservatives mobilized to try to control the message through their massive corporate media machine. They have been flinging anti-hippie poo at the wall from all angles and so far the best they can get to stick is the 53%-ers - like this guy who really should be the poster boy for OWS:

As per KOS in response to this poor sucker's letter: [excerpt]

I understand your pride in what you’ve accomplished, but I want to ask you something.

Do you really want the bar set this high? Do you really want to live in a society where just getting by requires a person to hold down two jobs and work 60 to 70 hours a week? Is that your idea of the American Dream?

Do you really want to spend the rest of your life working two jobs and 60 to 70 hours a week? Do you think you can? Because, let me tell you, kid, that’s not going to be as easy when you’re 50 as it was when you were 20.

And what happens if you get sick? You say you don’t have health insurance, but since you’re a veteran I assume you have some government-provided health care through the VA system. I know my father, a Vietnam-era veteran of the Air Force, still gets most of his medical needs met through the VA, but I don’t know what your situation is. But even if you have access to health care, it doesn’t mean disease or injury might not interfere with your ability to put in those 60- to 70-hour work weeks.

Do you plan to get married, have kids? Do you think your wife is going to be happy with you working those long hours year after year without a vacation? Is it going to be fair to her? Is it going to be fair to your kids? Is it going to be fair to you?

[snip]

And is this really your idea of what life should be like in the greatest country on Earth?

Well it sure as hell isn't mine, or over 200 million Americans who haven't been brainwashed to the point where they are working themselves to death and think they found a pony. Dumb Fucks all. Social engineering at the corporate and media level - very effective.

Here's to you the dumbfuck 53% - keep up the good work! Nose to the grindstone, those corporate yachts aren't going to buy themselves you know...

Amanda Palmer playing cover of John Lennon's Working Class Hero song on Liberty Plaza at Occupy Wall Street.

7 Lies

1. Tax cuts for the rich trickle down to everyone else.
2. Higher taxes on the rich would hurt the economy and slow job growth.
3. Shrinking government generates more jobs.
4. Cutting the budget deficit now is more important than boosting the economy.
5. Medicare and Medicaid are the major drivers of budget deficits.
6. Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.
7. It’s unfair that lower-income Americans don’t pay income tax.

Watch the Video and see Bob Reich shoot these lies down in flames, one by one in delicious slow-mo, Sam Peckinpah style. It is truly a thing of beauty.

Now, can we remember Bob's lessons when the Foxnewsican in the room starts to spout failed conservative dogma drilled into his/her lizard brain by corporate media?

The answer is a resounding YES! Practice... it'll get you to Carnegie Hall!

Go Buy Some of This and Support CounterCulture

Is Ben & Jerry's 'Schweddy Balls' R-rated ice cream?

L.A. Times

"That's the assertion a group of mothers called One Million Moms is making after the ice cream company released a new seasonal flavor called "Schweddy Balls" earlier this month."

"The vulgar new flavor has turned something as innocent as ice cream into something repulsive," the group writes in a statement. "Not exactly what you want a child asking for in the supermarket."

"Fans of "Saturday Night Live" will recognize the phrase "Schweddy Balls" from a late '90s skit starring Alec Baldwin, Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon that parodied a monotonous public radio show out of the Midwest. The skit is rife with unsubtle double entendre and innuendo."

Here's the skit (sorry for the commercial):

So - fellow culture warriors, get out there and buy some Schweddy Balls and give some to your Fox News watching friends. To the most obnoxious, you may ask - "Would you like to lick my Schweddy Balls?". Endless opportunity for bridging the gap...

____________________________________________________________________________

Update:

Years ago I taught my then young children about words, how words derive their meanings and the culture that tells us if it is right or wrong. How some words were considered "BAD" and anyone who said them was going to get in trouble if they said them in the wrong place or at the wrong time. Then, I taught them that words are only sound vibrations carried through the air to alight on someones eardrum and the only reason we recognize that sound as words is because that is what we are taught as language. I also taught them that the "BAD" words are only made so by people who make those decisions.

On that day, and subsequent days that I chose to reinforce this lesson, I would choose a word to be the "BAD" word of the day. I remember the first one like it was yesterday - "marshmallow". I told my then pre-teen kids that anyone who said the word "marshmallow" was saying a bad word and could face consequences.

The lesson took and they realized that words are only vibrations in the air given meaning by culture and censorship. Later they learned to respect that some words are really hateful and not to be used but I wanted them to not be afraid first, then learn about how some words can convey hate. That stands true today. I am proud of my good citizens.

Goin' Fishin'

It has been a long summer. Usually summers go by in a heartbeat and next thing you know the lawn furniture has a dusting of snow because I didn't put it away in time. This year was a little different and I sure could use some R & R.

My buds and I are going fishing one last time for this season in a beautiful place, almost Eden-like, on Moosehead Lake. We travel to the wilds of North-Central Maine, then get on a dirt road for 8 miles then turn off onto a lesser dirt road, sometimes washed out, for another 3 miles - dodging moose, deer and rabbits along the way. We arrive in the middle of a Game Preserve where there are cabins for rent. The animals who live around the site have lost their total fear of humans and will tentatively stop by your cabin to see if you are an OK person and have apples, carrots, nuts or other goodies to pass around. They are not tame, still wild but not hunted for over 100 years. On any given day you will see deer, geese, ducks, raccoons, moose, squirrels, chipmunks and more within walking distance of camp and sometimes right on the front porch.

The fishing is outstanding with Salmon, Lake Trout and Brookies in abundance. I have been going there for over 25 years. I learned of this place from my fishing mentors, "Old Timers" who taught me how fish with lead line, tie flies, sew on a smelt, dip my lure in sardine juice before trolling and so very much more. To me this is more like heaven than any evangelical could ever imagine.

Here is a short slideshow vid of the greendaykids and the greendaymom at Tomhegan way back when - with a Taj Mahal accompaniment - probably 2002, but some pics may be earlier.

I had to take the family on off weeks because the "old timers" and their sons and sons of sons wouldn't think about allowing women and kids into camp. We are just too nasty and crazy when we get together. Fact.

I have recently turned my conservative friends on to this haven and tried to pass on the respect for the area and skills that were taught to me. Sometimes a challenge, more often they are overwhelmed by the beauty and the experience.

Labor Day Weekend - Not Just for Barbecues

As Union Membership Has Declined, Income Inequality Has Skyrocketed In The United States as Middle Class Income Shrinks

From Think Progress

"Across the country, right-wing legislators continue their attack on labor unions,claiming that they are saving their states money. Yet in waging these anti-labor campaigns, these politicians are ignoring one very simple fact: unions were a major force in building and sustaining the great American middle class, and as they declined, so has the middle class. As CAP’s Karla Waters and David Madland showed in a report they first published this past January, as union membership has steadily declined since 1967, so too has the middle class’s share of national income, as the super-rich have taken a larger share of national income than any time since the 1920s".

Here's Tom Morello

We need strong labor in this country. People need to make more money to drive the economy. This is a fact of American life that seems to escape FoxNewsicans and most politicians. Unfortunately, Multi-national corporations don't need us anymore with their expanding markets in China and in developing countries overseas. Are we to be discarded like a used bic lighter or will we fight for a living wage, for organized labor and the restoration of the middle class?

It is an uphill battle with the combined power of the corporate Media spewing anti-labor lies 24/7 powered by billionaires who see workers as just another commodity to be purchased at the least cost like another piece of equipment. How many dollars until the revolution?

Saw This POS on a Bumper Today

I had taken my son back to college this morning, moved most of his crap.. er, useful stuff to the dorm, said my tearful goodbye, (I miss him very much when he is not here), and was on my way home when I saw this bumper sticker in 4 lanes of traffic, intown, headed for the highway. He was in front of me and we stopped at the next light. This gave me a chance to really read the sticker. He had another one as well, "Annoy a Liberal, Take Personal Responsibility".

Any of you that know the Greendayman well, will know that when the emotional bathtub is full it can't help but runneth over when the spigot of right-wing bullshit spews.

When the light turned green, I sidled up beside him, rolled down the window and hollered, "Do you mean the Reagan that raised taxes 11 times while he was in office? Or the Reagan that granted Amnesty to 3 Million illegal immigrants? I waited for a response, got the dull stare of the conservative zombie then I laughed. He looked at me like I was from another planet... but I get that a lot.

We have to fight right-wing bullshit wherever it resides whether on network news or on an 'effin bumper sticker. They never see it coming and don't know how to handle it when someone stands up to them.