NO Gambling Allowed
The purported evils of the lottery appear to be perceptible most clearly to people least heavily burdened by economic uncertainty. To these outraged guardians of WASP morality, the greatest sin is to wriggle free from dependence on the "work ethic" (i.e. "the only way y'all are gonna eat is if y'all keep accepting the low wages I'm paying you.").
The righteous are amusingly myopic in their quest to reserve sin for their own exclusive use. Observe their disgust and concern over the prospect of low-income folks irresponsibly trying to get rich quick buying lottery tickets, while the moneyed class responsibly blows millions on the NASDAQ casino.
Further enraging the comfortably pious is the fact that the proposed state lottery will use it's profits to aid "at risk" students. To the conservative church-going upper class, this sounds suspiciously like welfare, or still another way for the poor to circumvent God's grand economic plan.
Gambling can only be sinful if one assumes that money is doled out by the creator in accordance with heavenly labor standards that reward certain types of work (e.g. shuffling paper or swapping stock) more generously than other types of work (e.g. physical labor) and forbid the accumulation of the creator's money in ways that bypass these parameters of cash/labor flow. This requires one to accept a concept of religion that marries the spiritual with the material in a manner calculated to assuage the consciences of the rich as they wallow in luxuries plucked from the pockets (and labor) of the lower class.
If we refuse to provide a more just society, let us at least provide a mechanism (the lottery) that offers hope to the less fortunate and help for their children's education.
Junior Goes to War
911 -- Nineteen religious fanatics killed 3,000 people. The whole country watched transfixed as the media replayed the same horrifying images over and over and over. Unlike most tragedies that occur daily, the country became intensely involved in the sadness that enveloped the families destroyed by the four hijacked planes. Nineteen young Muslims killed 3,000 innocent people. The nineteen radicals committed suicide. Dead. Gone. This could have been the end of the story. But under the flag-waving hype of the newest Bush president, the country continues to seek closure. Revenge. The Bible can kill as well as the Koran any day of the week. During the Cold War, the United States seemed rather calm in the face of an enemy with enough deliverable ICBMs to incinerate the planet. But when nineteen Arabs crash four planes into buildings, our traditional courage under fire inexplicably turns to mush. The rabid young Bush and the religious zealot, Ashcroft, demand that we suspend Civil Liberties in the face of a nebulous threat from several thousand religious radicals scattered around the globe. Bush the younger is now using 911 as a pretext to expand the threat to include Iraqi Dictator, Sadaam Hussein. Hussein runs a secular state and has never embraced Muslim extremists. But Sadaam survived Bush the Older's war, and now Junior is eager to prove he can succeed where papa failed. Hussein does posess an unknown quantity of chemical and biological weapons. At this point, Iraq can attack Americans wandering around in the Middle Eastern desert, but only splash it's missiles in the Atlantic Ocean thousands of miles from US shores. But Bush the younger is determined to have a war, somewhere. He calls it pre-emptive. Until this ex-alcoholic/druggie assumed office, the country felt itself bound by traditional moral codes of conduct when it came to waging war. Essentially, only uncivilized, rogue countries started a war without benefit of imminent threat or outright attack. We had also seemed to arrive at a consensus that wars should only be fought with international sanction and cooperation. The young Bush and the war-crazed Chaney, are reflective of a simpler, more violent era. Old West analogies are accepted here because they seem to apply perfectly. The Republican administration reeks of Texas politics and it's fascination with the simple, direct approach to conflict. Kill 'em all. String 'em up. Don't talk, don't analyze, don't negotiate, --- 12 paces and pull the trigger. Nineteen insane zealots should not be allowed to turn this proud country into a fascist war machine. The smug young Bush, who partied his way through his first forty years as a young, rich dilettante, should not be allowed to become a cowboy dictator. His psychotic need to top his father cannot transcend the needs and historical imperatives of an entire country. Think hard America. And then demand that the big lie being spun in Washington be fully revealed and completely rejected.
19August2002
NC State Legislature refuses (again) to authorize a referendum on on a state lottery to benefit education
DEMOCRATS FOR WAR
Throw away those "liberal" labels Dianne Feinstein (Cal)
Joe Lieberman (Conn)
Joe Biden (Del)
Evan Bayh (Ind)
Tom Harkin (Iowa)
John Kerry (Mass)
Hillary Clinton (NY)
Charles Schumer (NY)
John Edwards (NC)
Jay Rockefeller (WVa).
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Democrats up for election
and still voting NO to WAR
Paul Wellstone (Minn) Dick Durbin (Ill)
Jack Reed (RI) Carl Levin (Mich)
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Political parties are groups of people who collectively act much like anyone else you might see strolling the grounds of mental hospitals, proud to be temporarily free of those irritating restraining devices. The Democrats are currently undergoing strong feelings of paranoia as they cope with unprecedented rejection amidst the party's favorite environment: economic chaos. Traditionally, voters who don't have butlers and tax lawyers, look to the Democratic party to help them when the economy teeters under the weight of upper class (or "white collar") greed. During most of the 20th century, Democrats rallied around remedies classified as progressive or equated with social justice. These programs and/or taxes were reported on by media that considered itself to be objective or bipartisan. But during the reign of King Reagan and his Hollywood ad men, the political language was changed (or sabotaged). Entering the lexicon was "class warfare" and the "liberal media". Standard proposals like raising the minimum wage or calling for progressive tax rates were now considered unfair assaults on the upper class. Political parties generate strength through the power of their philosophy or by the comfort of simply holding on to political power. Somewhere between George McGovern and Al Gore, the Democrats dumped most of their ideology in favor of strategy. Winning is better than losing. Politics is the allocation of power. For most of the 20th Century Democrats fought to take money from the rich and reallocate it to the poor. In the 21st Century, you will not find many Democrats willing to say the word "rich". The body politic, now largely ignorant or apathetic, can still discern broad truths. Well, not really truth, but shared beliefs. Republicans are tough. Republicans hate government. Democrats are soft intellectuals interested in building a huge beauracracy to help minorities. So who you gonna call. So who are the Democrats gonna blame. How about Bill Clinton and the DLC. Politicians make two types of appeals: pragmatic or moral. The Republicans have now cornered the market on pragmatic appeals ("are you really better off") and moral issues (pro-LIFE, pro-GOD). The Democrats have been reduced to trough politics. Nobody gets hurt. Just move some budget money around. The fear of offending has reduced the Dems to a party with less courage than the average cereal company. This is the mantra of the centrist DLC. The path to power marked by a complete lack of principal. The scary, really scary, thing for people committed to traditional Democratic principles is that the party may be reacting to reality. We may now have a country with no interest in pursuing economic justice. A country that enjoys international conquest. A country that basks in the glow of majoritarian rule, outcasts and beggars be damned. In short, a country with no soul, a country in need of a moral, idealistic political party that no longer exists. COMING SOON to this space : The Democratic Reform Party (2004).
Civilization moves at a slow pace. But move it does. Incest, infanticide, slavery, dictatorship, starvation, racism and sexism were once the almost universal norm among all human societies. These conditions/attitudes are becoming more rare every year. But in America there is massive resistance to one last bastion of (mostly) male savagery: the right to personally own a gun. A gun manufactured to efficiently kill whatever it hits. Not stun or tranquilize or neutralize but to KILL. Even the bravest of politicians who dare to suggest that society control and regulate these death delivery devices, are always careful, VERY careful, to exempt the "sportsman" who only hunts animals. What are we protecting? In the second before the trigger is pulled and the defenseless rabbit or deer is viewed in the sights of the rifle --- what is the magical thing, the mysterious emotion we must protect in the name of "sportsmen". As the hunter pulls the trigger is the feeling one we want to preserve. Are we losing a primitive emotion we will regret losing if hunters can no longer track down and slaughter animals for sport? Of course not. Most of civilized society has learned to live without the bloodthirsty rush of killing. It's time to collect as many of these hunting rifles as possible and destroy them. Personal ownership of guns must become another relic of man's violent, savage past.
A Time to Kill (guns).
Iraq is NOT Vietnam. Hopefully, the Democratic candidates will make this their bedtime mantra. George Bush lied his way into Iraq. George Bush bungled the post-combat phase in Iraq. Incompetent is a gentle way to describe this “policy”. The War will cost billions and billions of dollars (Carl Sagan voice-over, please). Bush’s big business cronies stand to get even richer after taking their no-bid contracts to the bank. But (hold your hats) – we are the good guys here. This was not about propping up a dictatorship. The majority of Iraqi people prefer US to Sadaam. A good ending is (still) possible. Democrats must cheer on the process, while asking probing questions about why Bush chose the route he did. We could have just crossed the street, instead we decided to drive 100 miles around town first.
It's autumn in the year 2003 (not 1969) -- please listen closely Mister Dean.
The counter-punching of our two party system produces political discourse that has the ability to madly dance around the truth. The Bush administration has presented a wonderful target for attack with its record of distortion and lies as it pushed the case for the War on Iraq. But Democrats were wary of being cornered into simply being against the war. In the political lexicon of modern American politics, “anti-war” is soft, left-of-center, out-of-the-mainstream and essentially political suicide. Instead, Democrats saw the need for matching the perceived softness of being against the war, with a clever counter weight. If Bush was too war-like in bombing Iraq, he was also too dovish in dealing with the “real enemy”—Osama Bin Laden. No peaceniks here. Billions wasted in Iraq? So what. Democrats will waste even more by making this country safe from terrorists. Every container searched, every plant protected, no fear allowed. No nervous nellies on this side of of the aisle, Sir. Why not protect us from crime by providing every American citizen with a personal security guard? The War on Iraq was premature. There was no imminent threat. Bush lied. The War on Terror is another War on Drugs. Incalculable cost. Unattainable goal. Politics running madly from the truth.
Race from Reality: 2004
28March04
Proposed John Kerry Ad :
(Kerry voice-over with war scenes from Iraq in background)
“The War in Iraq MUST be won. Losing or pulling out is NOT an option. But the American voters have a choice to make. Do we reward an administration that lied about the reasons for this war, incompetently prepared for the war, alienated nations that could have helped us fight and pay for the war and had absolutely no plan for putting Iraq back together again after the initial combat phase ended? Democracy should be about accountability. The Bush Administration does not deserve four more years in office. We must end the sweetheart contracts and corruption. The wasting of taxpayer dollars has to STOP. We need new leadership and new energy to bring peace and security to Iraq. The World is thankful that Saddam Hussein has been removed from power. Now it’s time to complete the job. Please give me your vote on November 7 and I will bring common sense, competency and morality back to our foreign policy.”
1May04
The John Kerry short speech that would appease his religion, his heart and millions of ex-democrats:
“Abortion is a tragedy in this country every time it is performed. I believe that the child in the womb is a potential human being that should be carried to a healthy birth. I believe it is immoral to have an abortion unless the mother’s life is at risk. These beliefs are not shared by many women in this country. These beliefs are not shared by many religious congregations in this country. Scientists still quarrel over the exact moment that the fetus becomes a human being. In our marvelous democracy we cannot impose religious values upon those who do not believe them. The government must remain neutral on this moral dilemma. I urge people who share my beliefs to work to change people’s minds on this issue. I urge people opposed to abortion to support my social programs to remove poverty as a reason to have an abortion. We must work as individuals to make this country one that values every life from conception to natural death, but we cannot remove the barriers separating church and state. On personal moral issues, we must allow people to exercise one of God’s great gifts to mankind – free will.”
This speech will never be given because it would outrage millions in the democratic base who believe that no judgment can ever be made on personal conduct (even if it were only remarked upon in a speech). The speech should however, satisfy the Catholic Bishops. The difference from Kerry's official position is mostly one of tone. (Along with some policies that do in fact violate absolute neutrality). Like most Democrats, Kerry speaks of abortion as if it were a visit to the Dentist's office.
4July04
How much damage can one frat boy do? Well if you’re G.W. Bush the sky is the limit. After wrecking the EPA, turning our foreign policy into something resembling Risk, and transforming Medicare into a complicated scheme to inflate drug company profits, the man who only acts like a drunk now, is effectively tearing up the first amendment. Freedom of speech is our most cherished right, but it's survival is dependent on the notion that truth eventually surfaces in an open and free discussion of the issues. The Republicans are seriously challenging that ideal. The Bush campaign (by proxy) is turning John Kerry into a war-time coward by it’s astounding package of lies wrapped within the so-called Swift Boat Veterans TV ads. The chicken hawks are circling for the kill.
15Aug04
Kerry with a bullet -- Great pop songs (and politicians) are created by the marriage of lyrics and music, although sometimes (as in the case of Ronald Reagan) instrumentals can rack up huge sales. The 2004 Presidential Debate season began with the incredible thrashing of the man who could be Fudd by the guy in the JFK skin. It was hard to hear the words as Kerry played Bush like a bass guitar. Fortunately, Bush was easier to thump than the guitar Kerry used in his failed garage band in 1963. GW looked like a Manchurian Candidate, carefully programmed to resemble a crazed city council nominee in the dusty brain-empty burg of Crawford, Texas. The younger Bushie appeared startled that Kerry had not been briefed to throw out some softballs. He seemed dazed by the spectacle of a white man spitting in the face of oil money. Historians, if they still exist in 10 years or so, will proclaim this the most inept performance in the history of televised Presidential debates. One has to feel happy for the legacy of Gerald Ford, who can now relinquish his hold on this dubious achievement. Poland continues to play a role in U.S. politics. (This was not a flying sentence fragment. It is intended to force the reader to pay even closer attention).
2OCT04
Election years always result in the slapping of a label on any candidate that moves. There are currently only two available labels in any campaign -- Liberal and Conservative. But while the name game has proceeded in familiar fashion over the years, the political reality has shifted dramatically, while the labels remain stuck in a relentless loop. The latter half of the 20th century saw the liberal/left retreat gradually to the middle, while the conservative/right hardened and moved even further right. John Kerry’s Democratic party is actually a centrist party. American politics has no left left. A truly liberal or left wing party would back the following positions:
National Health Care (or Single Payer)
Abolishment of Capital Punishment
Support of a Living Wage ($10.00 or higher minimum wage)
Progressive taxation with much higher rates on wealth and business
Free pre-school
Free College Tuition
Foreign Policy based on the Rule of Law
Publicly financed elections
Abolishment of the Patriot Act
The list goes on and on. Democrat Dennis Kucinich (Rep-Ohio) attempted to run as a true liberal and was ridiculed in the “liberal” media for his efforts. The policy positions listed above are currently supported by a small minority of voters. Conservative George Bush and Moderate John Kerry are locked in a tight race for the presidency. There is no liberal candidate in 2004. Imagine the impact on this race if the media referred to “Moderate John Kerry” and “Conservative George Bush”. These labels are accurate and would give Kerry a 4 – 5 point bounce and a landslide win if he were always referred to as a moderate (which he is) rather than a liberal (which he surely is not).
12OCT04
11Nov04
One Man One (or more) Votes -- The last refuge of the losers in any election is to scream "we wuz robbed". Normally, such claims can be dismissed as paranoia or simple stupidity. The glue (trust) that holds a democracy together could also be the grease that skids the democracy to quasi-dictatorship. The same caution that forced the Warren Commission to guarantee the absence of a conspiracy will prevent the major media outlets from seriously considering the possibility that the Florida vote was rigged. It is difficult to justify the positives of installing a Kerry Administration versus the incredible upheaval a serious investigation into the Florida voting might cause. Can you say armed insurrection? This web site provides the raw data that seems to indicate that some very serious splaining is needed to be done by someone. Did Bush know the fix was in? Of course not. Similarly, did Bush know there were no WMDs? Of course not. Did people with power and money and access to the Bushes know what was going on? Well what do you think. So pore over these numbers and be amazed as they just don't add up. And now take this anger and keep it stored somewhere, because a huge majority of the country will not believe it or even tolerate talking about the topic.. It will not do any good to protest or write letters or call your congressman. It's too late. Democracies can not tolerate a rigged election of this magnitude. We must do our best Richard Nixon, and wait patiently (again).
Looks like the right place but the wrong time -- The Republican Right Wing (which is about the only wing on this bird) is flying towards bitter disappointment as the Confirmation Hearings of John Roberts reveal a justice whose loyalties and philosophy are grounded solely in the law. The Republican narrative of our country’s descent towards Hell includes the chilling dismantling of a near-perfect system of justice by a 50 year reign of liberal activist Judges. And for 50 years the aggrieved Republican patriots have been decrying this satanic ritual of judicial activism. The gates of Heaven will surely be closed to those who dare to either question the Bible’s literal word or attempt to change the sacred original intent of the Constitution. And now, so the Holy Right avers, the stage is set to return to the golden age of white man’s rule, as George Bush fills two vacancies on the Supreme Court. The Bush brain (GW and/or K Rove) thinks carefully, “no more judicial activists, no more judicial activists”. The mantra has a hole. The mantra has a hole. IF John Roberts were on the bench in 1973, he would have surely voted NO on Roe v Wade. But in 2005, since Roberts is NOT a judicial activist, he would (with some hesitation) vote to uphold Roe v Wade. The Holy Right needed a fallen angel to take the sword to precedent, but instead chose a defender of the Faith (the rule of law/reason), and now the rest of us can watch gleefully as the Faithful pick at the carcass of the burning Bush. Soon now we will see the stirrings of a third party movement that will splinter the Republicans and return power to the secular deviants resident in the Democratic Party. Someone tell Howard Dean he can drop that remedial Bible course.
14Sept05
