TOOLS

My first impressions of the  government came from watching John F. Kennedy on T.V.. It is how I felt ; the inspired , religious quality  at the heart of that memory that stays with me.It would be decades before it would occur to me that it was more important to think about politics than to be inspired by it.Government is supposed to be a tool employed by civilized society to construct and maintain an ordered  method of co-existence for it's citizens.

 There have been organizing principles in existence for thousands of years that actually work to improve the quality of peoples' lives.The U.S. constitution has co-opted , or invented some of the best of these ideas.The fact that we should hate the tool of  government for being wielded without expertise is blaming the hammer for the poorly built house.It is lack of interest that allows the electorate to distract us from their fundamental responsibility :to provide services ,protect  the country , and produce factual evidence for the decisions made on our behalf. Wholesale acquiescence to the dis-functionality of government is simply an indication of our level of apathy and intellectual laziness .

The expression of the philosophical differences that define the current climate has become so strident   that it detracts from the  ability to examine serious problems rationally. A good idea is a good idea.When we assign labels  to institutions and ideas we only invite  ourselves to stop thinking.

• Public Education is Socialism
• Free Enterprise is Wage Slavery

 The principles of hard work and reward that  work so well in business  can be applied to government .That doesn't mean we should turn our public schools over to for profit management  companies that have been tapping the tax dollar cash cow   while screaming about socialism.[See Dianne Ravitch blog -former adv. to bush 1 on charter Ed.] In Ohio , for example, 83 out of 84 of the worst performing schools were charters.This noble experiment is a failure.

The intractable nature of the teachers union is no secret either. An attorney friend and former school board member involved in negotiations with the N.E.A. quoted the local union negotiator as having said , " I'll start worrying about kids when they start voting for union office holders ".This incident occurred some 15 years ago when anti-union rhetoric was still somewhat muted.Incidents like this have helped create the myth that there is no longer any need for union representation anywhere.A large  number of baby boomers   were raised by parents that had real , living wages as a result of the negotiating leverage of unions.They built a healthy economy and educated record numbers of  their children.These things appear to be slipping away in the current low wage ,service sector economy.Without candid dialog between entrepreneurs and workers we may be poised to experience the violent civil unrest seen in other countries with widening economic disparity.   

.The rise of private military contractors is also troubling.These  mercenary armies handle an alarming share of tasks that our military used to handle. This raises the specter  of a domestic, warlord class; more mobile , well equipped , and less accountable than the conventional military . 

 Growing up  watching King , Kennedy , Bob Dylan, and even the Beatles  helped  create a sense of optimism for many of us, but sooner or later we all find our own reasons to get out of bed every morning.We shouldn't have to be told when to get angry or when to  be inspired by the political class .We are the adults in the room.The practical application of principle should have a place in governing.That means the acceptance of people that deeply disagree.We are  being played by many of the current electorate.They use our beliefs to create whatever divisions it takes to get through the next election .If they are the tools of a functioning democracy than we need to make sure we have the right tools for the job.

Happy New Year From Buster, and Oliver.

LANSING , MI. POLICE UP YOUR VAGINAS.- THE TWAT S.W.A.T. TEAM IS IN TOWN

 The G.O.P.[ Gynocops  On Patrol] never seem to tire of performing political pelvic exams on the reproductive rights of women .The mostly white, mostly male, republicans in Michigan have just rammed there pulsating poles of political muscle through the legislative body.Armed with a petition signed by a meager three percent of voters their "rape insurance" law will now forcibly enter the legal bloodstream.

 G.O.P. representative Bodingus Yooperowski was quoted as saying " If I take  too much Medicaid -covered Viagra and rape somebody,  I still might wanna keep the baby. I have a god given right to do just
that. This law prevents some  crazy girl full of hormones  from making a choice that effects my baby .We will continue to make it hard for these women. "

The legislative anomaly that allowed for the passage of this violation of womans' rights is something no one saw coming .Not unlike the rapist. Michigan woman now need to purchase additional insurance riders to have an abortion  in the event of rape or incest.

The Michigan state legislature is controlled by some very excitable boys .If we can't find a way to cock-block there legislative lust we are all gonna get hosed.

WELCOME TO WHITEHOOD-PACKIN' AND CUL DE SACCIN'

Well-armed white folks will eventually tire of waiting for targets of color to wander onto  porches and into their crosshairs.We've seen what happens when guns proliferate in poverty stricken enclaves.People of the same class and color begin settling trivial arguments with lead.When single, shotgun soccer moms and pistol-packin' parents start showing up to sporting events , armed to the teeth , there's bound to be mayhem.Watching our kids play games pisses most of us off. If anything can bring on a fit of murderous rage it's watching your sons soccer team get beat by girls .I've seen it happen .It was my grand daughters team and she made a boy cry. I digress , but felonious assault was not out of the question. That was a couple of years ago and suburban semi-automatichondria had not yet hit it's stride
.
While it is true that more blacks are killed at the hands of blacks than at the hands of whites and that a high percentage of gun violence occurs in population dense areas , the ownership of guns in rural and suburban communities is steadily increasing. In articles by both Mother Jones and M.Live state police officials from Georgia and Michigan estimate that half the people on the road today are armed  There are already ample examples of handgun use in road rage incidents.One especially grisly case in Alabaster ,Georgia involves  two bright,  middle class women .One is on her way to pick up her daughter from her special needs school.The other on her way home from work.After a quick lane change and typical back and forth insults they both took the same freeway exit.After stopping at a light one driver got out of the car, and approached the other on foot.She leaned down ,peered into the driver side window and was shot in the face by the driver.She died at the scene,never having picked up her disabled daughter from school .These  incidents may not be statistically relevant but the mindless,  split-second , ruthlessness of it resonates.

Statistics do demonstrate that suburban and rural Americans are the undisputed virtuosos of non-military,  mass shootings.Over eighty percent of the incidents that qualify as mass shootings in the last three decades have been committed in rural and suburban areas.The ten thousand pound Howitzer in the room is brutally obvious.We have been manipulated to think we can protect ourselves with guns.Even police rarely discharge their weapons over the course of an entire career in a profession that serially places them in contact with the very criminals we are told we need to arm ourselves against.As for the delusion that  that we need to protect ourselves from our own military.One well trained,well provisioned ,squad of regulars could erase a legion of weekend warrior hypocrites.If the feds decide to wage war against their own people an AR15 won't help.In the event of a  Zombie apocalypse maybe.

There are over three hundred million firearms in the U.S. today The firearm business in America generates almost twelve billion dollars a year.That is a mighty investment in fear, paranoia, and the serial murder of animals. The  N.R.A. and A.L.E.C.  [American Legal Exchange Counsel] say we need more armed citizens at all times in all places to prevent mass shootings.  In  sharp contrast to that tired argument not a single mass murderer in the last three decades has been stopped by an armed civilian.It is hard to believe that , in the end,  it's all about the money .There are religious elements oddly aligned with gun lobbyists.There are also psychotic super patriots who may truly believe Charlton Heston was Moses and" he loved him some gun."

We have a right to live in a society with competent police protection that  citizens vigilantly evaluate.It is our duty to make the institution perform.As imperfect as it may be, it is better than mini-vans and bungalows filled with anti -depressant addled vigilantes with guns at their bedsides and in their glove compartments waiting to go Diehard on the neighbors tattooed son.The P. A. C. s that lobby on behalf of the gun manufacturers have to be dragged into the sunlight.The success of their state by state passage of laws like Stand Your Ground is breathtaking, partly because most of this occurred without notice.There are petitions in circulation advocating the repeal of this vague and dangerous law in many states .Google it and you will find a wealth of resources and research .Careful though,common sense tells us  to be cautious when dealing with bees,right wingers,religious fanatics, and people with guns.We might not understand them ,but there are consequences to pissing them off.  

     

FAREWELL TO PODUNK-lyrics to a Hot Dog Gravy song

  Podunk acts just like sounds
a place where ignorance knows no bounds
they say they love Jesus and it might be true
but they ain't afraid to hate a nigger or two
they ain't afraid to hate a nigger or two

 Podunk be not nice to me
they nailed my pecker to a hickory tree
 now it hurt some but I don't care
I'm double-pecker Buster and I carry
a spare
I'm double pecker Buster and i carry
a spare

Podunkarama rabbit-foot-home brewed beer
red bull, whiskey, and the smell of fear
cant get a real job, least not around here
start a red-neck meth lab ,poach a few deer
potato chip salesman, and a night cashier
potato chip,gasoline,night cashier

got a job at a Bistro cookin on the line
 brew Obama hater beer
serve Obama hater wine
Bama hater tequila well its tastes real fine
someday soon I'm gonna lose my mind
bide my time and find a like mind


make Obama hater pizza don't mind if I do
looks just like Bama when I take a poo
keep a picture of him by the side of my bed
throw it in the toilet and I pee on his head
wake up drunk and I pee on his head

Dirty Hippy walkin in
step Father walkin out
all the other cooks know what I'm talkin about
gonna miss you all, let there be no doubt
gonna miss the burgers and the saurkraut
Danish Viniagrette Bleu and the saurkraut

gun-toter Lynn, Chelseas one, two, three,
Mike, and Mandy, and Titty Mcgee{Jodie]
got the best lookin people in the land of the free
its's hard to come by good company
hard to come by good company

I'll keep the pimp hand strong cause
you never can tell
if the nuthouse gig
makes me crazy as hell
come ridin back on one of Scotties steeds
to turn you into Democrats and teach you how to read
turn you all into Democrats and teach you how to read.

N.R.A. PRAYER BREAKFAST-FACSISTS FOR CHRIST

"  Our ammunition ,dear lord,is made in the image and likeness of thee.Your head a holy hollow point with a depleted Uranium crown of thorns.May it smite our enemies sweet Jesus that they might feel the suffering you endured for our sins .Let us pray.'
 " Our firearms the womb of your holy mother Mary giving birth to not just one Jesus but sixty rounds of powder powered sons of god per second that tricksters and non believers ,however fleet of foot ,may not escape your righteous Wrath.In Jesus name we pray"
 "Gather unto us oh lord thine infinite abundance that we may offer generous retainers to the cleverest scribes and lawyers in the land.May they provide bale and bounty to holy warriors standing their ground and delivering justice unto Satans' black children .In Jesus name we pray.Amen."

 Jesus is reported to have shown up at the breakfast, having mistaken it for an actual gathering of the faithful. After hearing the opening prayer, he was unable to stop throwing up his biscuits and gravy.He was mistaken for a hippy and quickly ascended into heaven mostly unnoticed by those in attendance.

 Examining the itinerary for the National Rifle Association convention the Prayer Breakfast struck me as somehow out of place.Chalk it up to the last vestiges of my Catholic school boy naivete.A little more reading and I discovered the youngest N. R. A. gun -toter at the convention was a 3 year old.The power and reach of this organization is as troubling as the culture of paranoia they promote.Make no mistake though, the primary function of the N.R.A. is the increase of the sale of guns and ammunition.For every demand for  gun control legislation there is a measurable increase in the sale of guns.The publicity that surrounds  gun related mass murder is actually good for business.The mere mention of legislation is reason for the doomsday hoarders to run to Cabella's or a gun show for a fix.
  I am ashamed to admit that I did not know that MI. even has a Stand Your Ground law until the news of the Dearborn Heights shooting broke .It  still seems possible to effect change in these laws at a state and local level though national legislation seems out of the question.Although the N.R.A.is funding and fighting these  local battles with big money and political muscle,   sane arguments can still  be made between neighbors that resent the influence imposed by powerful outside interests.Local action to repeal Stand Your Ground should be possible given the attention that recent, apparently racially motivated, shootings have have received.
  As for the evangelical component of the N.R.A..They are the equivalent of an American Taliban.Well armed ,volatile,and useful.There role is to render the advancement of any gun control legislation untouchable by virtue of their godliness. The fanaticism of well armed evangelical christian inspires fear; pure and simple.  The N.R.A. have also hi-jacked and employed  patriotism to the same end.
  Whatever the N.R.A.aims at it hits.Jim Morrison wrote "They got the guns ,but,we got the numbers".Yeah ,but they got the guns Jim. That should scare the shit out of the rest of us.facebook

OLIVER

  Oliver is my dog and he decides who lives and who dies.He is a Democrat.You say this is impossible to know but you didn't see the way he looked at me when he overheard me tell Sam [ our twenty three year old ] that I voted for George Bush senior the first time Clinton ran for president..It filled me with dread, and an adhesive, ever present,sense of menace.Surely that fear was worse than the fear of death itself.He's an Australian Shepard so you know he's intelligent, authentic, and intellectually highly evolved.
  He's not mean!I yelled at him one time when I was sick and he was just so sad.The thing about Oliver is this ; he has a very keen sense of justice.American justice ,like only a dog can have.Poor people are nice and when he sees someone who is underprivileged,under-represented,underfed,even underwear-less he cocks his head,pushes out his tongue, and smiles his most disarming doggy smile just for them.
  His sense of moral outrage is due ,no doubt, to abuse he suffered as a baby dog.After arranging his adoption we rushed to his puppy bed but  arrived too late. "The Man" had hurt him,cut him,cut off his puppy tail before we could intervene.You see he knows  what it means to suffer at the hands of "the Man".To be stripped of an essential part of yourself and to bear that mark of Cain til the day you die.Straight up pain dog.
   He is the the only one awake when I get home from my chef job.I bring us wood-fired peanut butter pizza and we watch c-span.He doesn't hate Sen. Cornyn. He yawns at this reptile telling lies and plotting to take even more from the weakest among us.A haircut that masquerades as a human being."A haircut,very clever Ollie" I say.
    Oliver dreams of vengeance.Vengeance for all the disenfranchised animals of this world.Delivered light on its feet with a cool, deadly quickness.In winter,in broad,icy daylight..
   "Who's a good boy, who's a good boy.It's beddy bye time".Your day will come Oliver.When you're just a little bigger-a little stronger. Yeeaas it weeaal ".

  Happy Birthday Ollie

FLU SHOT

  My first flu shot was yesterday.It is  a mandatory requirement for a  position I accepted with a corporate food service contractor.T.B. test ,finger-printing,and criminal background check; all a part of the package.The flu has been,as advertised, delivered in the form of a shot.Now I know what Heroine addicted epileptics feel like when they go cold turkey while riding a roller coaster.I want my mommy.She is 93 and did not get sick from her flu shot.I'm not entirely sure that I am writing this.Is it cold in here?Shut up you stupid dog! Rachel Maddow is kind of hot.........some trick or treators just came to my door. I was shaking like a zombie and throwing up.They said " awesome".

JUSTIN AMASH - THE JUSTIFUCATOR-

PLANS FOR A GRAPHIC NOVEL lampooning a rabid Tea Party darling - JUSTIFUCATORED

A WEALTH OF POLITICAL Douchebaggery in my own west Michigan back yard - JUSTIFUCATORED

AN ATTEMPT AT legitimate research - JUSTIFUCATORED

As the  practitioner in chief of the art of pornolitical scrotage [political commentary using body parts and sexual double- entendre as metaphor] my attempts at actual research for this piece have only served to strengthen my commitment to nonsense, and general laziness. I will forthwith resume the practice of  observing the actions of public figures and thereby assuming to know what motivates them.  It's probably good enough most of the time.

First, the desiccated, fruits of my research.
The Justificator girds his congressional loins by re-reading writings by the founding fathers of The Austrian School of Economics.His office walls are decorated with pictures of these bespectacled ,stern looking, Germanic, genii. Free trade ,the absence of regulation in capital markets,and government non-interference in lending, are  the primary ideas they espouse. The current followers also object to the Fed controlling interest rates as a hedge to inflation, and any government regulation of free markets. The subject matter and language are both complex, and painfully dry. A small dose of it is enough to send most of us running for the single malt and the remote. Americans spend most of their time in the intellectual wading pool. It is,therefore, tempting to be impressed by the discipline that it takes to digest complex, subtle, subjects that are not the least bit entertaining.

Not so fast!
Could it be that the J.A.'s real reason for claiming to be inspired by "Austrian Economists" is to increase the nerdic density of his personal narrative? Yeah we're supposed to think "Wow he must be sooooo smart if he can even be in the same room with that horseshit". JUSTUFICATORED?

I don't know. After watching a 45 min. interview on some Libertarian talk show it's easy to believe he is actually that dull. His voting record is posted on Facebook. It is not strictly dogmatic. He voted against spending increases for the Defense Dpt. He also voted 'present' on some anti-abortion legislation. It is difficult to imagine him as "a most egregious asshole." (the term used by the G.O.P.steering committee chair when he was removed from committee assignments last year). At any rate he probably won't be around long. His primary challenger, Brian Ellis, is backed by  wealthy, influential, G.O.P. members tired of his T.P.antics. Ellis has  already amassed a superior campaign war chest .Back to business as usual.
 
P.S.
Amash is drier than over-cooked Metwurst on stale Rubeshlager. That's me demonstrating my nerdic density by showing off my knowledge of rare German sausage and cocktail rye.

AMASH - TOO MANY TRIPS THROUGH THE TEA KETTLE?

Tea Party affiliate Justin Amash has emerged from several trips through the acrid, boiling waters of the government shutdown fight with his Tea Bag wrinkled, pale, and somewhat impotent [politically speaking]. A recent West Michigan poll shows his supporters retreating and there appears to be a primary challenge on the horizon. I was treated to a telephone poll last night asking several questions about social issues;the shutdown, who I thought to be more responsible, and my opinion of Rep. Amash. I thought I detected a hint of fear in the computer-generated voice on the line. I'm sure it was wishful thinking.
 The proposed primary challenger may or may not be more conservative than Amash. It is too soon to tell. It is not yet clear whether his opponent will have any affiliation with the dangerous, neo-confederates of The Tea Party. Those guys may just be looking for a brand new bag.

You can lead a Tea Bag to hot water but............................well,were not exactly sure what happens after that.

TINKLETOWN U.S.A. LANSING MI.-ERECTION OF A URINOCRACY

    A river of urine will soon be winding its way into the state capital.It will be comprised of samples from presumably drug addled welfare cheats who will be obliged to undergo mandatory drug tests before receiving any form of government assistance.
   Our story begins on Mackinac Island at a tax-payer funded junket for G.O.P.state house and senate members.The state house speaker receives a package along with room service from an anonymous blogger.It contains the classic novella from the mid-sixties Yellow River by I.P.Daily."I didn't really think of it at first as social commentary,but I guess it's what you call inspiration.You know there's a yellow river in China and that's where all the bad drugs were invented so it made me think we gotta bring up this whole urine situation."
  Upon returning to Lansing legislation was quickly cobbled together that calls for mandatory drug testing of individuals seeking any form of government assistance.It is expected to become law this year.
  The speaker further remarked;"We must relieve ourselves of this great stream of public assistance.Welfare was never meant to be a Golden Parachute for poor people."

Neo-Confederate Tea Party Re-enactment

  The recent attempt to shut down the government has revealed itself to be a re-enactment of Picket's Charge.The Tea Party playing the roll of Picket's' army and the Kolk Brothers the part of General Lee.Forty two times they attacked the National Health Care Act {the fortified middle of the democrat lines]and forty two times they were repelled.The Tea Party re-enactors received the same disastrous result for all their efforts.Defeat,senseless waste, and perhaps irreparable damage to The Cause.Oh well ,nobody got killed this time.At least not yet, but I swear I smell smoke

Tea Party House -Broken

The extreme right of the G.O.P. house has at long last located the litter box and the little door to the back yard.President Obama has promised to relinquish his spray bottle and rolled up copy of The Washington Post some time in March 2014.
 
BREAKING  NEWS

A pediatric infirmary outside of Evansville caring for infants born to undocumented workers was allegedly occupied by dejected G.O.P. Southern caucus  members early this morning.When confronted by staff the apparent leader of the group reportedly remarked," Don't worry nurse we are the U.S.Congress, we'll need napkins, boiling water,and some hot sauce."They have reportedly eaten several of the babies ,although the exact number is not known.

The following joint statement was released by the group:

"This was a tragedy that could have been prevented by the President at any time.If he will not act to repeal this disastrous law then we have no choice but to engage in acts of civil disobedience to prevent its implementation on the ground. Nobody wanted this. It has left a bad taste in everyones's mouth."

Kudos To Princeton

                                             Kudos To Princeton-It's Cruz U

Congratulations to  faculties  of Princeton and Harvard law for enabling Sen. Ted Cruz to bring his governing philosophy full circle. From cradle to cradle.

Are the following courses available for audit? :

      
1) Advanced red-faced baby nihilism 

2) Ability to believe your own horse shit despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.101

3) WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT AND WE HATE THE US [a positive motivational force in modern politics]

     
To The Law Professors:

           
1) Civil disobedience as practiced by aficionados of late Senators Jesse Helms and Strom Thurmond or "BLACKS CAN COOK THE CORNBREAD LONG AS WE WRITE THE RECIPE."

             
We, the wide eyed ignorant masses. marvel at the genius it must have taken to produce this red-faced- baby- nihilist-in- perpetual-anti- government- tantrum-mode.

          
Senator Cruz is about to take a full on, gravy leg, dump on the floor of the senate and he ain’t wearin’ a diaper. Even his brother republicans won't clean it up this time.

Cruz spoke for 21 hours and 19 minutes on the senate floor Monday and Tuesday. This was purely a narcissistic exercise aimed at raising his bona fides with the more rabid members of the Tea Party base. He may have succeeded in that respect, but, he has raised the profile of the heretofore somewhat private G.O.P. civil war to the level of a public spectacle. As offensive as it was to see even part of this display I found his reading of Dr. Suess particularly painful. A direct, deeply personal assault on my youthful lower class literary sensibilities. This was a deliberate, symbolic, violation of inner children everywhere.

    

I humbly offer the following homage to the late Dr . It is an offering to the gods of common decency; may they lift the curse, so recklessly cast upon his good works by this poisonous purveyor of deceit.

Speaking of phonies, and speaking of fakes and speaking of bunk and the mess that it makes. Speaking of bigots, and tyrants and rakes and the time that they waste and the toll that it takes. Well I don’t like to brag but I’m telling you Liz that last night I witnessed the best that there is.

The T.V. was on the lights were all out on the screen there was something worth worrying about. A man without reason. A man without clout, but lusting for power there could be no doubt. He railed and he ranted he held his end up. He barely drank coffee,two thirds of a cup. In the end it meant nothing but face time for Cruz and a night without sleep not so much as a snooze. Does Tea stand for taxes or Texas or Ted ?You should ask yourself when you get into bed with anyone  touting such radical views and keep one eye open for Sen.Cruz.

Sunday 9\29

That is the kind of stuff that rattles around in my head during the 45 minute commute to my restaurant job. I supervise low wage workers in a Brew-Pub Bistro. They work jobs that require skill, and as much expertise as we can offer with the brief training period that constant labor cost pressure allows. They are motivated, dedicated, and surprisingly interested in the overall success of the enterprise. I have just recently begun making a genuine effort to reconcile the lives many of us live with the laws and law-makers that in part, shape our lives. It is painful to pay attention but increasingly important that working people watch carefully. It is becoming easier to identify the most destructive actors in this latest looming catastrophe. In an effort to avoid alienating friends co-workers and family many of us have taken the default position that all elected officials are equally at fault for the impending government shutdown. If you pay careful attention to the Republican - tea party faction it becomes clear that they are wealthy, educated, cunning and wholly responsible. They needn't worry in the event of a loss of government services and have little regard for electoral consequences. The gerrymandering process has virtually guaranteed their re-election and they have no need for a majority when it is clear that by refusing to recognize laws passed by a majority they are able to block passage of any meaningful law for years at a time. These neo-anarchists should not be described as "inept publish officials." They are Republicans, wealthy, well educated, and don't give a fuck how much college loans cost cause they can afford it, REPUBLICANS. 

It is frightening to watch Cruz - a junior senator from Texas manipulate the House of Reps. The elected majority and the majority of Republicans seem powerless to hamstring this mad dog. What is even more troubling is the number of poor working people who are tweaked by the anti–gov, anti-black, anti-intelligence message delivered by this group. They are continually stacking the deck in favor of wealth while peddling apocalyptic stories of a government that wants to take away guns. The Tea Party is a platform for thinly disguised racism, and concentration of wealth cloaked in a protest movement. Convince enough people that ignorance and shortsightedness are noble traits and they will be subservient to those who scream the loudest.