Will Get Fooled Again

How I wish that the Obama being described by his enemies was the man now occupying the White House. We are truly getting the worst of two worlds: Tepid half-hearted measures that are designed not to give offense to anyone, elicit a violent reaction from the irrational Right regardless. Obama staked all on his health care plan and then fumbled the opportunity miserably. The man is on record having declared, on more then one occasion, that he believes that a single-payer plan with a public option was the ultimate goal. Of course, candidates break the promises made on the campaign trail all the time. But, this was to be the new president's signature piece of legislation. The administration effectively put everything else on a back-burner and girded itself for a battle royal.

Well, they got the battle alright, but where is the accomplishment to justify the expenditure of all that political capital? Democrats on the campaign trail this Fall are hard-pressed to point to any tangible signs of accomplishment, and instead are distancing themselves from their own party leaders. At least several Democratic lawmakers running for reelection have decided that it might be more politically popular to run against Nancy Pelosi, then against their actual opponents.

Voters have notoriously short memories and two years already feels like a lifetime ago. And while George W Bush is certainly not being asked to campaign for Republican candidates, a certain nostalgia is beginning to develop for the good old days when we had a white man in the White House. And, let us face the uncomfortable truth, Democratic candidates aren't exactly rolling out the welcome wagon for the president. Out of our last three presidents, it appears that the only one with any real popularity among voters is the guy who got impeached...

The Anderson Papers

The investigative reporter Jack Anderson is largely forgotten today. Yet, the role he played in Richard Nixon's eventual downfall stretched all the way back to Nixon's days as vice-president, and continued right up to the Watergate scandal. Anderson isn't remembered for Watergate, however, because he only had a minor role in the political scandal that launched two Washington Post reporters to stardom. But, in his heyday, Jack Anderson was without peer, and a new book titled Poisoning the Press: Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington's Scandal Culture by author Mark Feldstein brings Anderson back to life in vivid detail.

Jack Anderson passed away in 2005 after struggling with Parkinson's disease for some 20 years. His New York Times Obituary provides a broad and useful look at his life and career. One of the biggest surprises that I got from the book was the fact that a young Brit Hume worked for Jack Anderson from 1970-1972, during which time Anderson broke some of his biggest stories. Brit Hume's most recent employer is Fox News, and that certainly points to quite a radical departure from his journalistic roots. Granted, we are talking about a time frame covering decades. But still, the fact that one of Fox News' most prominent personalities once worked for a man who resided at the very top of Richard Nixon's famous "enemy's list" strikes me as fascinating.

Prison-Industrial Complex

It certainly doesn't surprise me to learn that corporations essentially drafted the Arizona immigration law that has generated so much controversy. Because if you are in the business of building and operating for-profit prisons, it stands to follow that you are going to need prisoners to fill those jail cells. Enter Arizona State Senate Bill 1070, which requires Arizona police to lock up anybody that they stop, if said person cannot provide proof that they entered the country legally.

This came to light largely because of investigative reporting done by none other then NPR. If those letters sound awfully familiar, it is probably because National Public Radio has been getting hammered by the Right in the wake of the Juan William's firing. Of course, the Right's hatred of NPR goes back much further then two weeks. There have been calls to cut off the funding for public radio and television for decades now. To understand why that is the case, you need look no further then this report.

Rachel Maddow is as good at what she does as anyone in the business. Here she is getting right to the heart of the matter...

What luck for the rulers that men do not think

Chris Hedges, who is an American journalist, author, and war correspondent, does a remarkable job of pinpointing exactly how the country ended up at this juncture. In his essay, Hedges reveals a truth that many on the left will find profoundly unsettling, but will be unable to effectively counter. In effect, what Hedges is saying is that the collapse of liberalism is to blame for the extreme candidates, and violent rhetoric, that currently infect our political system. Or, to be more precise, liberals allowed themselves to be Co-Opted by the corporate state and, in the process, betrayed the tens of millions of working-class and middle-class voters who made up their constituency.

Now, many of those same voters are angry at what they correctly view as their abandonment by the leaders, and the party, that once championed their cause. Decades of outsourcing, union-busting, and deregulation have combined to shred the social contract that kept the peace between labor and capital. The right is poised to capitalize on this situation in a big way, despite the fact that their policies are even more unfair to those disenfranchised by the current system. The result of this is not pretty.

Liberals seem weak and ineffectual, while the right offers up simplistic remedies peddled by demagogues who at least seem to understand, and share, the sense of betrayal and anger felt by so many. Both major parties have colluded to create this disastrous state of affairs, and the day of reckoning is coming. The situation that now exists practically cries out for a strong leader who will sweep aside all the useless politicians, along with our democratic institutions. I predict resistance will be scant. In fact, the leader will most likely be elected in a democratic election. Possibly the last one we'll see for a long time.

Thrilla from Wasilla

Levi Johnston made an appearance on Bill Maher's show and it is worth watching. Towards the end of the six minutes that Johnston was on, Maher pointed out something very interesting. In an article for Vanity Fair, Levi Johnston said that Sarah Palin quit her job as governor of Alaska for the money. Meaning that she could make a boatload more money giving speeches, working for Fox News, and writing books. Well, it would appear that Levi's insight was "on the money". To the tune of some 12 million dollars, which is what Palin has raked in since then. And does she really deserve to be addressed as "Governor Palin"? She served less then 20 months of her first term before walking away from the job. Calling her"Governor" gives Palin an air of gravitas that is completely unsupported by the facts. She is a shallow mean-spirited person who wears her ignorance like a badge of honor. As the panelist on the show remarked "He (Levi) has more courage then most of the Republican Party". Meaning that he is not afraid to speak the truth about this woman...

Organized Crime: The Banksters

Watching this video reminded me of a book that I read some 5 years ago. Predatory Bender: A Story of Subprime Finance perfectly exposed the workings of the global financial system by focusing on one of it's ugliest, and most profitable, manifestations...

High Tide

The man whose San Francisco non-profit organization, The Tides Foundation, was targeted by a gunmen this past July is convinced that Glenn Beck's repeated on-air denunciations of the organization led to the aborted assault.

Byron Williams, whose mug shot is shown on the left, got into his pickup truck armed with three firearms and plenty of ammunition to, in his words, "start a revolution by killing people at the Tides Foundation and the ACLU.

He never got there thanks to the interventions of CA Highway Patrol officers who spotted him speeding and weaving in and out of traffic. In the ensuing gun battle, Williams and two officers suffered gun shot wounds.

Drummond Pike, CEO of Tides, has released the text of a letter that he sent to the companies that advertise on Beck's show asking them to pull all of their ads.

You would think that the following companies, good corporate citizens that they are, would move quickly to divorce themselves from any association with someone whose reckless and irresponsible use of language inspired Byron Williams to set out on his murderous mission.

Rupert Murdoch may not have a heart or a soul, but he sure knows how to count: Let's hope that common sense prevails and they all pull their advertising dollars from this man's hate-filled program:

P Morgan Chase, Geico, Zurich Financial, Chrysler, Direct Holdings Americas (Time-Life), GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Lilly Corporate Center, BP and The Hartford Financial Services Group.

The Most Dangerous Man In America

According to news reports, Byron Williams consumed something like 18-20 beers before stealing 3 firearms from his mother and setting off on his mission. He got in his pickup truck along with the guns and plenty of ammunition to, in his words, "start a revolution by traveling to San Francisco and killing people of importance at the Tides Foundation and the ACLU." The unemployed Williams, 45, was on parole for a 2002 robbery. He didn't reach his destination because his erratic driving attracted the attention of the California Highway Patrol, and he was pulled over. A gun battle ensued that saw two police officers wounded, and Williams himself receiving 5 bullet wounds. The body armor that he had donned before leaving the house likely saved his life.

By his own account, Byron Williams watched Glenn Beck's show on Fox News. It seems beyond a reasonable doubt that if not for Beck, Williams would never have heard of an organization called The Tides Foundation. While I suppose it is possible that he might have decided to launch his revolution anyway, I suspect that he would have settled for something less grandiose. Like knocking off a liquor store. Glenn Beck filled his head with a toxic stew of nonsense day after day and the result was mayhem. Beck doesn't happen to like what The Tides Foundation stands for, and felt free to attack it repeatedly employing language that seemed designed to provoke a reaction. A violent reaction.

Of course, Beck will throw up his hands and express astonishment that someone actually took him seriously. After all, Beck is nothing, but a "rodeo clown". His words. However there is nothing even remotely entertaining, much less enlightening, about what Glenn Beck does. He is a hate-filled demagogue who will surely inspire more Byron Williams before he is done.

"Ersten rein und Letzten raus!"

In the spring of 1985, as part of a trip to West Germany, US President Ronald Reagan paid a brief visit to a German military cemetery to lay a wreath. The cemetery, which is located near the city of Bitburg, contains the remains of German WWII soldiers, including members of the Waffen SS. The visit was surrounded by much controversy, and became a major public relations debacle for the administration. The whole thing was immortalized in song by The Ramones, who famously named their song "Bonzo goes to Bitburg", in homage to Reagan's role in the movie "Bedtime for Bonzo".

I bring this history up now because of some recent revelations about the man running as the Republican nominee for the seat in Ohio's 9th congressional district. The politician, Rich Iott, participates in historical military reenactments. Which would not seem to present much of a problem, except for the fact that Mr. Iott belonged to an organization called Wiking. Now, the fact that he has left the organization, doesn't list it on his resume, and the Wiking web site has taken down his name and photographs of him in uniform, definitely point to a certain awareness on Mr. Iott's part that this could be a major headache for a politician.

How big a headache is not yet clear, but suffice to say Mr. Iott will have his work cut out for him explaining this away. House minority whip Eric Cantor, who is the GOP's sole Jewish house member, moved quickly to distance himself from Iott. Past history would dictate that Iott will not be able to survive revelations of this nature. But, this is no ordinary election year and I wouldn't count him out just yet. Much more interesting then the fate of a Ohio congressional candidate is the fact that an organization like Wiking exists at all in this country.

In Germany, Austria, and perhaps France as well, wearing an SS uniform would get you arrested. There are quite strict laws pertaining to the symbols of the Third Reich and violations are treated seriously. Obviously, similar laws do not exist in the United States. However, there was a time when someone wearing a Nazi uniform in this country would be subject to scorn and abuse. They would need the protection of police and the interventions of the ACLU in order to assemble publicly. American Nazis were a fringe element given about the same amount of respect accorded the KKK.

What has changed? Well, for starters, Wiking is careful to draw a distinction between the Nazi Party, and the combat units that made up the German Army. In fact, the Waffen SS division that they glorify was largely made up of non-German volunteers from countries that Germany had conquered. They signed up to go and fight the Bolshevik threat from the east. Wiking stresses the fact that the division never fought against the Americans, only the Soviets. Given the fact that we engaged in a half-century long "Twilight Struggle" against the Soviet Union, such a distinction becomes quite useful.

Suffice to say, I doubt very many angry protesters are going to throw eggs and tomatoes at men armed with automatic weapons, even if they are firing blanks. Holocaust survivors are dying off at the same rate as are WWII combat veterans. Memories are fading and the constant name-calling on the part of pundits and politicians has effectively diluted whatever meaning words like "Nazi" and "Hitler" once had. If there is to be a resurgence of Nazi ideology, it will be here in America, not in Europe.