Republicans Fighting All Americans

Republicans have a message for America; Their Government will not help you.

Across the Nation from school boards, in the Governor's Mansions to Congress, Republicans are tiresly working to ensure Working Class people have No Friend in Government.

And it's not just their "principled" stand against the Affordable Care Act, wherein Republican Congressmen have refused to help their constituents with taking advantage of the Law.

From mandating Transvaginal Ultrasound Wand Raping of Women against their consent, to taking away the Voting Franchise from University Students and African-Americans, to undercutting Unions, to dismantling Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment and the ACA, while voting to eliminate the Clean Air and Water Act and any other regulation which stops Corporations from despoiling the Air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we live upon all the while accepting gratis and kickbacks from the Plutocratic 1%,  Republicans and Pro-Business Democrats are using the Power of Government for Oppression and Domination.

This is, of course, nothing new. The Government was not set up for the People but for a small cadre of elites. Many of the Founding Fathers loathed the idea of Democracy, equating it with anarchy and mob rule, and even those disposed to empower the common man, crafted a system which excluded the majority of Americans from the political process and its' benefits. The 20th Century saw a change as the Federal Government set up protections and came to the aid of the Working Class.

This was seen as a major revocation of trust by the Plutocracy, which, traditionally need not have worried about whom was elected because the Politician was known to be in the pocket of Rich.

Republican State Representatives, Governors, Congressmen and Senators are proudly proclaiming they are working against the Democratic Republic and for the interests, welfare and benefits of the Very Few.

America, this is Fascism. This is the Modern GOP; This is the Conservative Right today; Guard Dogs and Handmaidens to the Plutocracy.

And it's designs and goals are easy to understand. The 1% want an American Populace ready to accept whatever the 1% deem them worthy of. They want you so fearful of losing your job, that you're willing to accept pay cuts, elimination of benefits, longer work days for no overtime.

Because once you're fearful and once Republicans have convinced you they won't help then the American people will know they have nowhere to turn and no one fighting for them, you'll be complainant to the Plutocratic Owners of America and you'll help the 1% grind down the Middle and Working Class to abject Poverty and subservient Penury.

Heroes of the Second Amendment to Arms! Gun Rights under siege in Illinois!

You have nothing to lose other than your shackles of Government Tyranny...

Even though a Dastardly Veto attempt by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was defeated resoundingly by the Illinois Legislature Gunowners are still not able to "legally" Conceal Carry in Illinois.

Concealed Carry Permits have a 6 month backlog followed by a 90 day waiting period imposed by the Illinois State Police. So, permits for Concealed Carry will be in effect in Jan 2014 at the earliest.

And now Governor Quinn has signed into law more restrictions on Gun Owners in clear violation of the Holy Second Amendment.

Beginning Jan 1, 2014, private gun sales must undergo Federal Background Checks. Additionally, Gun Owners must notify Police of a Theft of their Firearm within 72 hours of it occurring. That sounds like a regulation!!! What part of Shall Not Be Infringed doesn't Governor Quinn understand?!?!?

I can already read the furious supporters of Unrestricted Gun Violence screeching, 'These laws are only going to be followed by law-abiding Gun Owners. Criminals won't do either!' Of course, that's true... So what's the point of having laws? Thieves and Burglars still steal despite laws against it.

Gun Owners often derisively claim Chicago has the most restrictive gun laws and the most gun murders. Of course, they ignore the facts surrounding the actual guns used in commission. The vast majority of which (59%) come from outside Illinois.

One of the unintended consequences of the Gun Manufacturers decision to flood America with over 300 Million Firearms are the totally irresponsible storage and handling by Gun Owners.

Gun Owners leave loaded firearms willy-nilly, often found and discharged by children. Hotheaded responsible gun owners wave them about or display them in a similar manner to chimps and other apes do a genital display. And firearms are one of the top three items stolen from homes.

Another Second Amendment Hero in Florida murders 6 people with his guns before SWAT takes him out and the disgusting yahoo commenters howl the original story didn't include the murderers race because that's whats most important.

A Hero of the Second Amendment took his Rights into his Own Hands when his 1st and 4th Amendment Rights were violated and murdered a dastardly City Bureaucrat and two others bystanders for trying to trample his Gun Rights.

A Gun Hero in Virginia will be forever remembered for his sacrifice. After being unjustly yelled at my ruffians while exercising his rights to speed freely through a school zone he brandished his weapon but was wounded when replacing it in his pants by shooting his balls off.

The preponderance of evidence clearly shows More Guns has not equaled More Safety. Story after story of hotheaded gun owners pulling their pieces in situations not warranted so the sobriquet An Armed Society is a Polite Society is a monstrous piece of propaganda.

***Sigh***

I could type this post everyday. But, what's the point? No one reading this is going to change their views on guns and 4 year olds are still shooting themselves in the head because of the disgusting availability of firearms in this Nation.

Evidence doesn't work. Satire doesn't work. Outrage doesn't work. The Unrestricted Gun Violence Lobby has won this day. Hopefully, the members of the next American generation will learn from our mistakes and change the  future into one where children aren't held hostage to the murderous whims of Gun Makers, the NRA and madmen.

It's Okay unethical Congressman Peter Roskam You're a Republican

Republican Congressman Peter Roskam is under investigation for an Eight-Day $750,000+ Dollars* trip paid for by agents of the Taiwanese Government taken in 2011. Ostensibly, Roskam and his wife were there to visit his daughter.

Jesse Jackson Jr. just received a 30 month prison sentence.  Now, to be fair, there are differences between Peter Roskam and Jesse Jackson Jr.

See, Jesse is a Democrat and he's black, while Roskam is a Republican and white. 

Additionally, Roskam votes the Republican Party line of stealing from the Poor to give to the Rich, eliminating the Post Office and Federal Unions, destroying regulations which restrain the criminal behavior of Banks, and fervently supports the efforts of BP to befoul Lake Michigan with massive amounts of heavy metals and petrochemicals so don't expect right-wingers, Faux Morons and duped Conservatives to demand Roskam's removal from office and imprisonment. 

But, being unethical is nothing new for Peter Roskam.

In 2005, Roskam, ran afoul of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for failing to report his fundraising expenditures ($103,880) for the third quarter of 2005. Roskam's Campaign claimed it was an accounting error.

Roskam also received thousands of dollars from Convicted Criminal Tom DeLay's money laundering schemes. As Tom DeLay faced his charges Roskam voiced his support for the Convicted Criminal,

"These old accusations that are two and three and four years old is a little bit tiresome. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt." 04/22/05

"Knowing what I know now about what Tom DeLay's been accused of, my attitude would be to support him."

So, it's no surprise that Roskam is accepting dirty tainted money the only questions are How Much? and From Whom?

 The House Ethics Committee is set to rule on or about 09/11/13.

*- In an effort to emmunlate Right-Wing Duplicity I used the Taiwanese New Dollar amount (which is currently trading at 30-to-1 with the U.S. Dollar).

Capitalism is just Feudalism with a new name

Well, the classic defense of capitalism as a system from much of its history has been, okay, it has this or that flaw. But it quote, unquote, "delivers the goods." The reality is that for at least 30 years now, that isn't true. For the majority of people, capitalism is not delivering the goods. It is delivering, arguably, the bads. - Richard Wolff, 08/09/13 during an interview by Bill Moyers

Wolff mentions during his great interview and with his Capitalism Hits the Fan roadshow is that Real Wages have remained stagnant for 30+ years. Of course, during this time costs (Healthcare, College, Homes) have all gone up and the productivity of the American Worker has increased while his pay has not. Americans have tried to combat this with dual incomes and with increased overtime. But, it's been a losing cause as we've seen more and more wealth accumulate with the Top 1% and even faster with the Top 0.01%, a group which owns more wealth and assets than the 150 million Americans.

Medieval Serfs worked less days than we do today. Of course, religion allowed them the extra days off but besides a 3-4 day work week (excepting for Harvest) the other days were the Serfs to hunt, fish and forage in the Commons and Forests to supplement his meager living.

Feudal Lords took better care to protect Serfs than Corporate Overlords do today. Nowadays, Wage Theft and Wage Slavery are the norm.

Restaurateur David Dadon and his son Barry, formerly co-owned the State Street Grill, engaged in a lengthy scheme of wage theft stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in alleged unpaid wages from their workers. Father and son have been arrested by U.S. Marshals and charged by the California Labor Department with a number of crimes, including grand theft of labor. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is consistently against any protections for employees.

The Republican push to get overtime transferred into Compensated Time (CT) is a Grand Scheme to Bilk the working class of Billions in Pay. Overtime gets you extra money but the Republicans and their Corporate Overlords deem you to be their wage slave. The scheme is instead of paying you a company will create a bank of "CT" at a 1.5 to 1 ratio which a worker can then use to get an extra paid day off.

As masters of Orwellian Doublespeak, Eric Cantor and his Teahaddist co-sponsor Martha Roby titled their Wage Theft Bill, the Working Families Flexibility Act.

If a public employee is fired or retires their CT Bank must be paid out. Private sector workers are overwhelmingly at will. When your boss says 'No you can't use your CT', you can't and when you tell your boss you'd like the pay instead he'll give the overtime shift to someone else willing to take the comp time. And when your Company decides to fire you or when it goes belly up because the Owners are stealing are that bank of Comp Time you've saved won't be paid out to you the Invisible Hand will just make them vanish into the Free Market.

But, back in the Middle Ages Serfs could, sometimes, turn to the Church for comfort or aid or as a last bastion of assistance. Today, people had been able to count on the blessed reforms of FDR and LBJ to provide a Social Safety Net. Which is why ALEC, the Koch Brothers and the US Chamber of Commerce have demanded the Republicans (and Pro-Business Democrats) obliterate it.

And in a fight to rob Americans of the Birthrights and reduce us to penury and Wage Slavery no tactic is too despicable or too reprehensible. Which is why Republican Congressman Markwayne Mullin, invoked Ronald Reagan's Spectre of Welfare Queens and Steak-Eatin Young Bucks,

So I’m in Crystal City and I’m buying my groceries…and I noticed everybody was giving that card. They had these huge baskets, and I realized it was the first of the month. But then I’m looking over, and there’s a couple beside me.This guy was built like a brick house. I mean he had muscles all over him. He was in a little tank top and pair of shorts and really nice Nike shoes. And she was standing there, and she was all in shape and she looked like she had just come from a fitness program. She was in the spandex, and you know, they were both physically fit. And they go up in front of me and they pay with that card. Fraud. Absolute 100% all it is is fraud…it’s all over the place. And there you go, to the fact that we shouldn’t be supporting those who won’t work.

This anecdotal Bullshit story by Mullin is designed to work the struggling duped right-wing voter into a frenzy in which they'll help destroy the Social Safety net, because the 1% love nothing more than for Americans to fasten the chains of bondage upon themselves.

And now if you do manage to overcome the obstacles Corporate Hegemony has created with their Republican Hitmen and get a good education the Reactionary Republicans will steal you back into poverty by raising payroll taxes and student loan rates. And by voting over and over and over and over and over and over 40 times to repeal the ACA so that more of your shrinking assets will go towards Healthcare coverage while at the same time helping shield Corporate profits from taxation and creating offshore havens for tax evasion by the 1%.

Facebook made more than $1,000,000,000 dollars in profits last year and didn't pay taxes on that profit. 30 Massive Corporations led by GE, Verizon, Boeing made a combined $205 billion in profits between 2008 and 2011 and 26 paid no federal corporate income tax.

No area is safe from the despicable Republican perpetual motion machine of enslavement to Corporate Hegemony. They declare Government doesn't work and then set about undermining, sabotaging, defunding and lying about Laws, Regulations, and Governmental entities.

Texas Governor Rick Perry screeches, 

"Somebody has to tell the E.P.A. that we don’t need you monkeying around and fiddling around and getting in our business with every kind of regulation you can dream up,” he said. “You’re doing nothing more than killing jobs. It’s a cemetery for jobs at the E.P.A."

Republicans in the House have unveiled their budget which drastically cuts funding for the EPA. Republicans who have sworn fealty to the Koch Brothers have also declared regardless of evidence they will never support Carbon Taxes.

Under President George W(orst Ever) Bush, the EPA was undermanned, restricted and defunded, so that Corporations were able to do whatever they wished like BP repeatedly dumping tons of heavy metals and poisionous hydrocarbons into Lake Michigan from their Whiting, Indiana plant and gross negligence in the Gulf of Mexico.

The gross violations by BP or Boeing or the Koch Brothers are on the macro scale on the micro scale AOL CEO Tim Armstrong used a video conference call to frighten and overawe his wage slave by summarily firing an employee named Abel.
We are living in a Reactionary Time when aided by Republican Lap Dogs Corporations are running rampant over workers. Everything is designed to make the Working Class fearful and accept their lot in life until your status as a working class wage slave is hereditary. Just like Medieval Serfdom.

Just like Koch Work, more Fascist Decrees from the Koch Brothers (would you like Fries with that Fascism?)

You don't understand... We mean you no harm... We seek peaceful co-existence... - Star Trek: The Next Generation, Conspiracy

The Koch Brothers have a plan for 100% employment in the United States: Slavery!

No, no, no! Don't get all excited. Charles Koch took time away from telling Scott Walker what to do and not paying Taxes in Kansas to explain how paying Poor people money for their work is actually harming them;

We want to do a better job of raising up the disadvantaged and the poorest in this country, rather than saying ‘Oh, we’re just fine now.’ We’re not saying that at all. What we’re saying is, we need to analyze all these additional policies, these subsidies, this cronyism, this avalanche of regulations, all these things that are creating a culture of dependency. And like permitting, to start a business, in many cities, to drive a taxicab, to become a hairdresser. Anything that people with limited capital can do to raise themselves up, they keep throwing obstacles in their way. And so we’ve got to clear those out. Or the minimum wage. Or anything that reduces the mobility of labor.

See, it would be better if Businesses could pay people less or perhaps in "Company Scrip" while workers live in Company Towns buying their goods and services from the Company Store. Then workers need not worry about transportation costs or housing expenses! 

The patterns of the Corporate Fascist Takeover are so readily prevalent that McDonald's felt entirely releasing a report on how Workers can survive under McFascism.

The McDonald's Budget would be laughable if it wasn't for the tragedy facing millions of Americans living in Wage Slavery. McDonald's allocates $0 for food and $20 for monthly healthcare. And to make matters more grotesque after the 35 hours at minimum wage flipping burgers and mopping out toilets, McDonald's had to add an additional $1000 in income (presumably at your other Mickey D's minimum wage job) to make the budget work. Oh and by the way, while logging 70-80 hours a week smelling like a Big Mac you can't spend anything on child care.

The historic function of fascism is to smash the working class, destroy its organizations and stifle liberties when the capitalists find themselves unable to govern and dominate with the help of democratic machinery. - Leon Trotsky

The Koch Brothers are fascists. McDonald's Corporate Board is fascist. Wall Street is fascist. Their goals are to completely neuter any Unions, organizations, groups, regulations or laws which could challenge their Plutocratic Machinations. There is a plethora of evil in that comment by Charles Koch. Eliminate regulations, conflating the social safety net with cronyism, the doublespeak of enhancing "mobility of labor". And a banal disregard for people in McDonald's Practical Money Skills For Life pdf.

Right now the Plutocracy need not worry about the Working Class, because the wholly owned Republican Party and so-called Pro-Business Democrats, are dutifully fulfilling their role as their Handmaidens and Guard Dogs of the Rich.

The Federal Government and increasingly State Governments respond increasingly to the wants and whims of the Rich and only the Rich.

Wall Street and The Kochs aren't merely content with destroying Unions but with setting up a self-sustaining system in which the only people who pay taxes are the Middle and Working Class to fund, at first a dwindling Social Safety Nets, Arts, the EPA, until their Handmaidens successfully eliminate those programs and eventually all the taxes paid by the 99% are funneled as Corporate Welfare into the coffers of the Captains of Finance, Industry and the Military.

Update:
I forgot to add Jane Mayer's reporting in the New Yorker showing how Charles and David Koch subvert the "Democratic Machinery" in regards to Climate Change. While their Think Tanks, Oil Conglomerate and Coal Mine Owners spew endless streams of propaganda to confuse and befuddle people, The Koch Brothers have signed pledges from their Handmaidens in DC to which they have promised to vote against legislation relating to climate change unless it is accompanied by an equivalent amount of tax cuts.

The People's House doing the Work of Plutocrats...

Over at Green Eagle blogspot is a story of Legerdermain by Goldman Sachs and the shuffling of Aluminum ingots which shows how the Captains of Finance aren't "Creating" Anything but using chicanery to "make money"

George Zimmerman Acquitted due to Victim Blackness

 Better a Hundred Guilty Men should go Free than an Innocent One should go to jail. Well, George Zimmerman's just become One of a Hundred.

Zimmerman is guilty but, he's been acquitted because his victim is of no consequence. The facts surrounding this Killing show beyond a "reasonable doubt" that George Zimmerman is Guilty Second Degree Murder. Which is why Right-Wingers have been screaming into the Internet for a year and a half to get Zimmerman off.

Thus, they made the smearing and slandering of Trayvon Martin their Cause Celebre.

Martin's background has no bearing on the incidents surrounding the night of his murder. Setting aside the fact he committed no crime on his final night on earth, his past marijuana use and minor incidents at school were unknown that night to his killer and thus can not have played a role in Zimmerman's decision to ensure this one wasn't going to get away.

Zimmerman hadn't witnessed anything other than a "suspicious" young black male was walking around the neighborhood. What made Martin suspicious? There's a reason Towns used to have Signs which read: Ni[clang], Don't Let the Sun Set on Your Black Ass in Town. Walking while Black is still a crime in most of America.

In Law Enforcement paralance, Zimmerman is a "White Hispanic" just as he was refered to. While, Race is a bullshit construct designed to seperate people, Law Enforcement in most States still adhere to the Black/White/Hispanic/Asian paradigm. And Hispanic is broken into Black and White subgroups. You need not believe me, simply ask any Illinois Police Officer. But, notice how ignorant Right-Wingers jumped upon the label as Proof Positive! the Liberal Media was trying to railroad poor innocent Georgie.

George Zimmerman is 250+ pounds of soft bubble gum. His former MMA instructor could see it, testyfing he was "just physically soft" and "non-athletic". His girlfriend who accused Zimmerman of Domestic Violence, knew he was soft. The Police from multiple contacts with Georgie, his 46 calls to 911, and his arrest for Battery to a Police Officer no doubt knew he was soft. And soft, wide-waisted, flabby assed wannabes like Zimmerman need that Gun to Prove their tough.

And man, once you have that Gun on your hip, it's weight just screeeeeeeeams for the need to be pulled to prove yourself.

Beyond the blathering of Zimmerman's Defense Attorneys, "Martin armed himself with a sidewalk" for instance, repeatedly badgered Martin's mother to admit Trayvon was responsible for his own death.

Trayvon Martin was under no legal obligation to stop for Zimmerman or to explain his presence in the area to him. None. Trayvon was entirely within his rights to be in that neighborhood.

And the whole incident would have been over when Zimmerman told the Sanford Dispatcher , "Shit he's Running," if Zimmerman had chosen not to follow a young man who had committed No Crime. Zimmerman had no legal authority to follow or confront Martin. But, Zimmerman wasn't going this "asshole get away".

Bruce Lee, when asked what the Best Martial Arts move was, allegedly said; To Run.

Martin did the right thing by running at first but, (and we'll never know the unbiased true sequence of events) he must have decided he'd run long enough from this "creepy-ass cracker".

If there's a Stand Your Ground case to have been made it would have been for Martin. But, despite being within his rights Trayvon made what proved to be a fatal mistake. The entire defense of Zimmerman was based on portraying Trayvon, a young black man out at night in a hoodie as suspicious and complicit in his death. And they're right.

Zimmerman told the Sanford Dispatcher, "This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about."

Of course, Zimmerman thought Trayvon Martin was "up to no good" and "on drugs". As he told Dispatch he's black. And this is America. Young Black Males are a priori assumed to be Guilty of something.

Zimmerman hadn't seen him commit a Burglary. Zimmerman hadn't looked at Martin's pupils and couldn't have gotten a whiff of anything while seated in his car with it raining outside to claim Martin was on drugs, other than knowing he was black. But when Martin ran as he knew he was one of those assholes who always got away and Zimmerman the Self-Appointed Watch Captain wasn't going to let this one get away.

Zimmerman admitted on the 911 call that he was following Martin. The Sanford Dispatcher is a Sworn Law Enforcement Officer, so yes she had the legal power to order Zimmerman not to follow Martin. Too bad she phrased her instruction to him as, "We don't need you to do that."

It's one reason my contacts with a possible perp always include Stop Police. Don't Move.

But, that doesn't matter now. Zimmerman's been acquitted, Martin's still dead, and Gun Violence rules the Land.

Stand with Rand! Stand with Rand! Stand with Rand! Dixieland!

Advance the flag of Dixie! Hurrah! Hurrah!

In Dixie's land we take our stand, and live or die for Dixie! - The Campaign Song of Rand Paul

So, as Rand Paul's intimate connection with Jack "The Southern Avenger" Hunter, an unabashed White Power Neo-Confederacy Racist, stays in the News Cycle. Rand is trying to figure out how to minimize the damage.

So, Rand hit upon the awesome explanation while being interviewed by Howard Fineman. The Confederate Flag is like Smoking Pot once! And "I've got a lot of people working for me"! And "can't people have a Youth and Stuff"! And "Wet- T-Shirt Contests"!

Now, if Paul meant the Confederate Flag was only fit for Burning then I agree with his Pot analogy but, we all know everything Rand Paul says is geared to ensure the Rand the Grifter keeps on Grifting.

You see Rand Paul is not interested in governing or creating a more perfect Union but in lining his pockets with money fleeced from duped and ignorant rubes. As such his "principled" Stand Against DroneZ or his much bally-hooed sojourn to Howard University to whitesplain the merits of the Republican Party and his nonsense explanations about the Southern Avenger are nothing more than gimmicks to keep the money flowing to his pockets.

It's just rotten luck for Rand Paul, just like his father, that these Neo-Confederate, white supremacists, StormFront affiliated racists keep finding their way into their inner circles? Jeez, staunch State's Rights Proponents just can't seem to catch a break!

Scott Walker, The Kochs and Wisconsin are the Vanguard of Fascism

Leading the Way towards Fascist America is Scott Walker the personal valet for the Koch Take Over of the Nation.

At the moment that the "normal" police and military resources of the bourgeois dictatorship, together with their parliamentary screens, no longer suffice to hold society in a state of equilibrium - the turn of the fascist regime arrives. - Leon Trotsky 27 Jan 1932.

Up in Northern Wisconsin, a mining company named Gogebic Taconite was approved by the Republican Wisconsin Legislature to engage in a massive mining operation which will devastate and befoul Lake Superior and the surrounding pristine Northwoods environment. Protests have been staged, so Gogenic Taconite hired Bulletproof Security to stalk the area in pseudo-military vehicles carrying semi-automatic rifles and wearing fully decked out camo uniforms.

Duped Conservatives and apologists for Corporate Malfesance defended the Walker and the Parliamentary Screens when they passed legislation which allowed Plutocrats to buy up Wisconsin's public utilities and public resources for whatever price the Plutocrats wanted as long as the Wisconsin Republican got a nice little kickback.

While everyone is focused on slimy Scott Walker's Independence Day Rape Wand Signature, and rightly so, the Corporate Overlords are ensuring they get to extract money, power, and resources from Wisconsin at rock bottom prices.

The Rich are interested in maximizing their profits, the Great Lakes be damned. Another Wisconsin/Michigan based company Lake Michigan Carferry uses the last coal-fired ship on the lake, the S.S. Badger which as it travels from its home port of Ludington, MI, to Manitowoc, WI, it dumps 509 tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan each year – a quantity greater than the total waste dumped annually by the 125 other largest ships operating on the Great Lakes.

“The S.S. Badger, the filthiest ship on the Great Lakes, has been given two more years to dump hundreds of tons of dangerous coal ash into Lake Michigan.  The millions of people who live, work and play in and around this beautiful Lake should be outraged that this filthy ship will continue to operate,” said Senator Dick Durbin.

But, Senator Durbin the Rich run the US Government. So the flithy owner of the S.S. Badger, Robert Manglitz, used his connections and legalese to bypass and ignore laws. Manglitz got the S.S. Badger originally a barge whose keel was laid in 1953 and was later refitted to transport cars, declared a "historical site" in both Michigan and Wisconsin.

Manglitz has called Coal Ash "Harmless Sand" though I doubt he's ever relaxed on a sunny beach made out of it.

Destroying the Teachers' Union was a step, eliminating Public Service Employees Collective Bargaining powers was a step, selling off public resources to whichever company gives the Corporate Owned Politicians was another step, allowing Companies which rape and despoil the environment, to field paramilitary squads threatening to gun down protesters while defending Corporate Crimes is another step.

The Koch Brothers like to style themselves Libertarians, but you can know them by their true name Fascists. Like their Plutocratic brethern on Wall Street, the Kochs have set up multiple avenues of attack to deter and confuse the American People from identifying their true enemy the Koch Brothers themselves and the Capitalist Bourgeoisie.

Through the fascist agency, capitalism sets in motion the masses of crazed petty bourgeoisie and bands of declassed and demoralized lumpenproletariat - all countless human beings whom finance capital itself has brought to desperation and frenzy. - Leon Trotsky, What is Fascism?

Wall Street, the Rich Plutocrats and the Banking and Finance Industry brought the economy to ruin through their legerdermain, degenerate gambling and rampant criminal theft and then turned around and blamed the Poor and Unions.

Then they unleashed their hordes of duped and battered conservative drones to blame other middle and working class peoples for the devastation wrought by the Banksters.

Exactly, as Trotsky wrote 80 years ago, The fascists find their human material mainly in the petty bourgeoisie.The latter has been entirely ruined by big capital. There is no way out for it in the present social order, but it knows of no other. Its dissatisfaction, indignation, and despair are diverted by the fascists away from big capital and against the workers.

Am I wrong about Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald?

Is the goal the elimination of the Military-Industrial-Surveillance State? Or is it something else?

Having attended the Socialism 2013 Conference (June 27-30 at the Crowne Plaza in Rosemont, Illinois) I was able to hear Glenn Greenwald, the Special Guest Speaker on the Friday Night closing Forum. Greenwald received near unamious support and acclaim from the crowd. I reserved my applause and declined to give him a standing ovation.

Of course, Greenwald's appearance was done via Skype as he is persona non grata in the States these days. But, he is also unwelcome by many liberals and Left Bloggers.

But, Jeremy Scahill was fervent in his praise and adulation towards Glenn Greenwald. In one of the sessions, Richard Seymour spoke of Greenwald's "Libertarian Marxism".

I'm conflicted about Greenwald. I aboslutely agree with him on the Subserveince of the Media. Greenwald related several ancedotal stories of David Gregory and the New York Times Editor-in-
Chief proudly proclaiming the Pentagon or some Governmental Spokesperson giving their official stamp of approval to the Reporting being done on them. The Modern Media are no longer journalists in any sense of the word, but are Stenographers for those in Power.

But, 3 days after speaking to group of Out-Right Marxists Glenn appeared on Fox & Friends and was approvingly interviewed by Eric Bolling, about the Obama Administrations intimidation of "whistleblowers".

"We were certainly safe between 2000 and 2008. I don't remember any terrorist attacks on American soil during that period of time." - Eric Bolling 

So this doesn't necessarily bolster Greenwald's credibility or my impression of the man's motives.

I think Greenwald's analysis of Snowden is for the most part correct. Edward Snowden isn't some egocentric fame-seeker (Glenn used the term Fame Whore) or doing this for monetary reward. But, his revelations aren't exactly ground breaking news if one were say aware of the 1992 movie Sneakers or had been paying attention during the George W. Bush Regime.

And that is what's troubling about Glenn's reporting and Snowden's revelations; Why did it take so long?

All of a sudden after 7 years of being a Sysadmin Spook Snowden chooses to become whistleblower? 13 years after the Patriot Act was signed Greenwald's worried about US Spying Operations?

Snowden and Greenwald were in contact before Snowden got his job with Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH). Snowden explicitly stated he went to work for the NSA-affiliated BAH in order to use their structure to access classified intel collected in part by the NSA and other organizations. His application to BAH isn't like the one page sheet you turn into McDonald's. So when did he hatch his plan to get a job with the contractor knowing their classified doc handling and SCIF security was not up to the same levels as the CIA and NSA. And would Snowden have done the same if Mitt Romney were now President?

Now, the interesting aspect of the NSA/Prism/Greenwald is it's shattering affect of the Left/Right paradigm. Which is always good because the It's Okay if Your a ____, is tedious and shows a lack of fiber for doing what is correct.

One of the recent allegations to be leveled at Snowden is according to Ars Technica, Snowden was a regular commentator since at least 2006, under the handle The True HOOHA.

His alleged online beliefs were firmly in support of spying, 'Those people should be shot in the balls' and against Leakers, 'They’re like wikileaks. You don’t put that shit in the NEWSPAPER.' The True HOOHA also was a firm believer in pushing young IT adept and Server Savvy people into working for the computer/intelligence side of the MIC, "Thank God for wars."

Why did those beliefs change? I don't automatically conclude that Snowden is lying or is simply Hating Obama and I believe a reasoned change of mind and re-evaluation of ones' beliefs is possible. And Snowden is correct (and I envy him for this) that, "Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American." But, is that what is going on here with Snowden and with, by extension, Greenwald?

So, what am I to make of Greenwald's tacit acceptance of the Bush Era Surveillance and Warmongering and his bositeroius ardent hatred of Surveillance and Warmongering now?

And what exactly does everyone want President Obama to have done and do about the NSA? Should he have unillaterally decalred the Executive would not be enforcing the Patriot Act ala DOMA? Should he be pressuring Congress to curtail the budget for the CIA and NSA and elimination of the Drone seciton of the DoD? Should the US not spy on anyone? Is this really about Privacy?

If Gun Loons are actually interested in the Liberty of the Second Amendment

Why don't they challenge Fireworks Laws and Ordinances across the country?

Today is the 4th of July. Every June, July and August resident complaints about fireworks skyrocket in my town. Now why is that?

Besides Municipal Ordinances, Illinois still has a multiple laws and regulations in reference to Fireworks; 425 ILCS 30, the Fireworks Regulation Act of Illinois.

Why don't the Lovers of Liberty move to strike down Laws infringing upon fireworks makers and users?

The reason they don't is because most Second Amendment Screamers are witting or unwitting tools for Gun Manufacturers and the Merchants of Death. Fireworks don't make enough $$$ to get the Gun Lobby motivated to file challenges under the False Flag of Defending Rights and Liberty.

By July 9th Illinois has been ordered to have a Concealed Carry Law adopted due to the 2010 case McDonald v. Chicago. In that 5-4 ruling, SCOTUS exercised an INCREDIBLE OVERREACH of BIG GOVERNMENT from UNELECTED JUDGES LEGISLATING from the BENCH, by holding that the Second Amendment was incorporated under the Fourteenth Amendment thus local, county and state governments have no rights in reference to Guns.

Of course, the word "Gun" appears nowhere in the Second Amendment. And besides the Stare Decisis of "Well Regulated" there is no clear definition of what "Arms shall not be infringed".

Small explosives have long been weapons and components of a military's hardware. By the time the Founders wrote the Bill of Rights, there was already an established tradition of individual soldiers armed with explosives, Grenadiers, as opposed to Fusiliers.

So, it's not cut and dried that Arms refers to Guns. But, what's clear is negligent discharges, unattended guns being used by children to kill children, and unlawful shootings of innocents are going up.

I'm not talking about murders but of these bizarre scenarios such as in an Oakland Wingstop where a Second Amendment Hero murdered two employees:

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the men in the orange vests came in to order food but ended up running to the freezer section in the back of the restaurant, possibly because they felt threatened by a third party.
At least one of the customers was armed, the sources said, and shot the two employees when they went to the freezer to see why the customers had gone there.

Student Debt Slavery No Bankers Left Behind

The federal Loan Rate for approximately 7 million Students doubled on Monday. Federal law has set the rate for new subsidized Stafford loans at 6.8 percent, up from 3.4 percent.

We are living in an Ultra-Reactionary Time when the Ruling Class doesn't just want to reassert the Dominance of Neo-Feudal Capitalism but crush the hopes of the Working Class and Middle Class.

So of course Congress didn't do anything about the Student Loan Rate. With a few exceptions Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders being the two loudest proponents, the Ultra- Reactionary Republican Party and the Pro-Business Democratic Party are enforcing the Neo-Liberal Economic Strategy in an attempt to grind the Middle Class out of existence and return the 99% to the Status of Wage Slavery; Cogs in the Gears of Industry and Massive Debt for a career in the Petty Bourgeoisie.

Of course, it shows the utter hyporcisy of the Free Marketers. The Stafford Loan rate isn't determined by "The Market" but by fiat from the Congress. So, it's just another way in which Capitalism is a rigged game, for the Banking Institutions get their federal loan rate set by the Federal Reserve. It's currently set at 0.75% for Big Predatory Banks.

Darrell Issa specifically directed Treasury Inspector General to ignore IRS targeting of Progressive Groups (More Lies from the Right-Wing Fart Bubble)

Republican Darrell Issa as the House Oversight Committee Chairman gave explicit instructions to the Inspector General in his IRS witch-hunt, "to narrowly focus on Tea Party organizations." The truth is the IRS investigated Liberal and Progressive Groups, while screening for words like "Occupy" or "Progressive".

However, recall Darrell Issa has previously stated, "this was a problem coordinated in all likelihood right out of Washington headquarters and we’re getting to proving it,” and "in fact the indication is they were directly being ordered from Washington."

So, Issa told the IG J. Russell George, a George W. Bush appointee, to manufacture evidence and after receiving testimonies from IRS officials, Issa selectively edited and released partial transcripts in a blatant attempt to create the impression that Conservative groups were specifically and singularly targeted by the IRS because of their political leanings.

So, we have Republicans telling a Republican appointee to craft a false report and then Republicans releasing out-of-context quotes. Once again we have Republican Bullshit and Right-Wing Lies designed to cause outrage in the Right-Wing Fart Bubble to be used towards Impeaching President Obama.

There are several crimes and multiple levels of deceit going on here. The immediate crime is that Darrell Issa explicitly ordered exculpatory evidence be ignored. Hiding or ignoring Exculpatory evidence is a serious offense.

If it be proved that a States Attorney's or Police Officer destroys or ignores evidence which may serve to exonerate a defendant he's going to jail. So Speaker John Boehner "Who's going to jail for this?"

Which of the Republicans who deliberately mislead the American People and released falsified evidence is going to jail?

But, beyond these crimes of House Republicans, in a mid-range tactical sense the IRS has been weakened in going after Tax Cheating Organizations which improperly use 501(c)(3) or (c)(4) designations to engage in Partisan Politics.

But, the long term strategic deceit is the Republicans shifting of the country's Tax Burden onto the Middle Class.

Republicans (and Pro-Business Democrats) are doing this for several reasons. By shifting the burden the Middle Class is slowly being ground into dust and eliminated. Currently, Middle Class voters are too unpredictable. But by grinding the Middle Class down to just above poverty and then blaming it on Illegal Immigrants and King Crab Eating Minorities Republicans seek to torture Americans into becoming conservative.

Darrell Issa and Republicans have no problem sticking the U.S. Taxpayer with a $2,000,000 yearly bill for their morning coffee.

But the overarching goal is to accelerate Income Inequality in this Country wherein there is no Middle Class anymore but only the Ultra-Wealthy, Ultra-Powerful 1% who rule this country as a Neo-Feudalist State of Corporate Lords and Wage Slaves.

Liberals take note of Wendy Davis, Leticia Van De Putte and the People's Fight last night in Texas

I will use every means at my disposal, fair and unfair... Louis Gossett Jr., An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)

Texas State Senator Wendy Davis stood and filibustered the Right-Wing attempt to outlaw abortion and shackle women under the power of the Patriarchy in Texas. For nearly 13 hours she alone stymied the plans of the Texas Teahadists led by Rick Perry, he who hath declared There is No Freedom From Religion in His State.

Texas Lt Gov Dewhurst as acting Senate President decided he had had enough of Davis' Filibuster, so he ruled that her speaking about Roe v.Wade or the 2011 Sonogram Conservative Rape Wand Law, was not germane to the Texas SB5 anti-abortion law.

The Texas Senate Democrats wisely introduced Parliamentary Procedure to combat this dictatorial move by Dewhurst, but as is Republicans wont they merely ignored Rules which they found inconvenient. 

Despite his ruling not conforming to Texas Senate Rules and despite the "infraction", as he called it, actually being germane, Dewhurst moved to call for a tabling of all motions and vote on the Punishment of Women / Restoration of the Patriarchy.

Texas State Senator Leticia Van De Putte repeatedly asked Lt Gov Dewhurst, "Did the President hear me or did the President hear me and refuse to recognize me?"

Dewhurst mansplained to Van De Putte the Chair did not recognize her, Van De Putte then struck, "At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over her male colleagues?” 

With that line the People in the Chamber and Rotunda erupted.

The Voice of the People would not be extinguished by Dewhurst's few pitiful gavel bangs and his impotent pleas. The People would not be reduced to brood mares for Texas.

Nonetheless, Dewhurst called for the Roll and declared the Ayes to be 19, the Nays to be 10 and the bill passed as he walked off. 

The Crowd began to shout Shame! Shame! Shame! but, little do they know that Republicans have no shame.

However, it appears despite the Undemocratic, immoral, underhanded tactics of the Texas Teahadist Republicans the final Roll Call came in at 12:03 am, past the midnight deadline for the Special Session.

There's mass confusion about this but make no mistake when it comes to Republican Bill Passing, they will stop at nothing; rules, laws, morals, to pass their Agenda. An Agenda designed to Punish Women, Punish the Poor, Punish Minorities and Create a Neo-Feudalist Utopia.

Update:
Whiny Punk Ass David Dewhurst declared around 4 this morning that the Bill had failed and then pouted, "An unruly mob, using Occupy Wall Street tactics, disrupted the Senate from protecting unborn babies.” Dewhurst mansplained that he would request Ayatollah Perry to call another Special Session so he and his fellow Right-Wing Rapists could ram through more slut shaming bills.

“We had terrorist in the Texas State Senate opposing SB 5,” Republican Bill Zedler tweeted last night.

Conservatives were right. The Housing Crisis and Economic Collapse was caused by the "Poors"

That would be Standard & Poors.

S&P along with other ratings agencies, like Moody's, were completely up for sale agreeing to grant any rating to any piece of toxic garbage that Wall Street and the Banksters wanted.

If the price was right they'd get a AAA rating. Turns out the Free Market isn't Free.

After receiving the imprimatur from the Ratings Agencies and coupled with their other legerdemain the Wall Street Thieves fed the country a load of Rat Shit Burgers whilst declaring Caveat Emptor! All the while knowing the toxic assets the Atlanta Teachers Union was investing its' entire Penison into was worthless.

Capitalism is a rigged Mug's Game. It's merely the renaming of old systems which people have found intolerable and no longer wish to ruled under.

Under what we call Capitalism, the costs of running a business have been Socialized while the profits have been Privatized. Corporations get society to cover the costs of doing business and in the case of the 2007 Republican Recession when Capitalism experiences a Super Nova Imploision of Greed and Theft, as it occasionally does, the Capitalists are completely bailed out by Government and Taxes.

George W. Bush's fateful decision to ignore the August 6th memo Bin Laden Determined to strike in the US had other far reaching effects besides his abject failure of 9/11.

Afterwards Bush moved the perponderance of the FBIs assets towards Terrorism and into crafting a Casus Beli for Invading Iraq and away from Wall Street's Crimes. Coupled with the deregulation and lack of enforcement for the previous 20 years, including the Gramm-Leach-Bilely Bill, allowed the Banksters to do what Thieves always do when no one's looking; Steal.

Office Max Inc. seeking more Corporate Tax Dodging Laws

Corporations love the fact that Conservatives and Liberals battle over abortion because it allows them to control the Government.

While people focus elsewhere Corporate Boards and CEOs lobby, cajole, pressure and bully local, State and the Federal Government to write into law any number of loop-holes and tax deferments to aid the Corporations in avoiding paying their fair share of taxes.

Corporations don't "succeed" these days by rewarding their workers or by efficiency or superior products but by legerdermain and lobbying.

Office Max Inc. mergered with Office Depot now the new company, with an estimated yearly revenue of $18 Billion is looking towards playing Illinois and Florida against one another to see which State will offer them the best tax avoidance loopholes.

Illinois State Senator Thomas Cullerton has offered up Illinois House Bill 3271 which would allow Office Max to claim at least $30 Million in tax credits over 10 years against withheld employee income taxes.

Thus, Workers Pay Taxes Corporations Don't.

There's been a lot of bullshit rhetoric by economists that U.S. Corporate Tax Rates are too high.

"The lower the tax rate, the less incentive there is for companies to engage in sophisticated gamesmanship to get around the rate," argues Victor Fleischer, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School.

The economists making the argument are Corporatists through and through. Claiming that is that since the Corporations are going to cheat, buy politicians and illegally influence laws well we should give into them and allow them their way.

These Corporatists claim the lower Corporate rate and tax free repatriation holiday may entice Company's to bring the money back to the U.S. Of course, this is just the Race-to-the-Bottom that Corporations love. Because creating lower rates will just create a new round of tax avoidance, of loop hole creation and the adoption of a lower tax rate cycle.

Ultimately what Corporations want is to have a Zero Tax Rate on Corporate Earnings while their Wage Slaves cover the costs of which benefit them.

Thomas Cullerton claims Illinois' strengths as a transportation hub with a well-educated workforce will entice Office Max/Office Depot into moving it's Corporate HQ to Illinois. But, how is that transportation network and educated workforce being maintained?

In Illinois, 15 bridges are in "critical" need of repair across the six collar county Chicago metropolitan area, and nearly 300 more are considered structurally deficient, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). This Daily Herald Story has Zero Comments despite the story's claim that, 317 of the 3,759 bridges in the six counties that IDOT lists as "structurally deficient," where one of the three main components of the bridge — the driving surface, horizontal supports and vertical supports — is rated as being in poor or worse condition by inspectors.

Additionally, as we've seen with the Chicago Public School System. The reason the Schools are underfunded is because of Corporate Tax Dodging which Office Max wishes for themselves has received in the past and which other Corporations in Illinois; such as Sears Holdings Corp., Navistar International Corp., Ford Motor Company and Motorola Mobility, have profited off of in the past.

Information like this are glossed over because the blinkered anti-taxers have a truncated view of taxes. You didn't build that was more accurate than most people want to give President Obama credit. 

But, hey actually delving into the matter of responsibility for the crumbling infrastructure and broken education system requires more thought than mindlessly blaming the Evil Government or Greedy Union Thugs.

And thus Corporations continue to sidestep their fair share.