Month: July 2018

Democratic Socialism…

by MyBaconPress

OcasioCortez

I like that more women are running for public office.  I like that more young people are running.  I like this woman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  I wish I could vote for her but, for now, she’s a New York asset.  I think – okay, I hope – that she represents a new wave of politician in the US.  Here’s the thing: she’s openly Democratic Socialist – I like that, too – and that scares the heck out of a certain segment of our society.

Of course, the terrified segment doesn’t understand they’ve been living the “hell” of Democratic Socialism all their lives.  They never even thought about it until Fox “News” told them it was bad – without ever telling them what it is.  Now that same segment is out arguing against public Fire Departments because they don’t understand the history of Fire Departments in this once-great nation.

I read a column in the Guardian called, ‘Socialism is no longer a dirty word in the US – and that’s scary for some‘.  It starts with this passage: “Here’s a fun game to play with a right-leaning American: say the word “socialism” and count the number of seconds it takes for them to scream “VENEZUELA” in response.”  It’s true, too.  Either that or you get references to Marx, Engels, Stalin, and/or Lenin – all Communists.  The terrified crowd never mention Finland or Sweden where people are happier, healthier, and better educated.  NONE of them talk about the US…

When FDR introduced the New Deal, he seemed to know that Americans wouldn’t accept ‘Socialism’ so he just gave it a name Americans could accept – but it was Democratic Socialism and it helped to make America great in the first place.  The self-serving rich declared war on the New Deal almost immediately.  As they’ve seen their class war successes pile up (Since Reagan) the vast majority of Americans have seen their own quality of life decline…

The basic concept of Democratic Socialism is this: you make so-called “Capitalists” compete in a Capitalist environment and on a level playing field.  That is to say, society takes away the ability of the shallow thinkers to squeeze people in areas where they have no legitimate ability to say no.  Is that confusing?  Here’s an example.  If you get cancer, should treatment destroy your life and that of your family by wiping out your finances?  So-called “Free Market” Capitalism says yes.  Democratic Socialism says no.

One can find examples of private industry squeezing everywhere they look.  There are so many, I don’t have space to write all of them here – and this is the (socialist-built) internet!  A huge swath of these self-described business geniuses couldn’t make a dime if they didn’t control some aspect of life people need.  (A fundamental aspect of Capitalism is that the consumer MUST enjoy the ability to say no or it’s not Capitalism – it’s extortion.)

Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez gives me hope.  I became depressed when I realized we’re NEVER going to educate the faith-based ‘Movement Conservatives.’  They prefer their faith and don’t WANT to be educated.  But I’ll tell you this: Ocasia-Cortez reminds me there are intelligent, fact-based people still around in this once-great nation so we’re not lost yet.  Hope springs eternal, I guess…

Opinions…

by MyBaconPress

Look, I get it.  Everyone has a right to their own opinion.  But I learned from Francis Bacon (no, not directly) that the sheer number of opinions that exist stand as testament to the number of opinions that must be wrong.  Is that not true of the faith-based “Movement Conservatives”?

TrumpShootsUncleSam2

This cartoon recently traveled around the internet.  It has one major flaw: our National Embarrassment is a coward and would NEVER shoot someone himself.  But I think it’s brilliant in many ways.  It hearkens back to a campaign speech now-President Crumple made in which he said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any supporters.  It demonstrates his loyalty to Putin and Russia and his contempt for Uncle Sam and the United States.  His acolytes simply ignore what they see and stick with their preferred narrative.

I occasionally excuse their behavior with the idea that they’re being deceived by people who are VERY good at deceiving but the truth is, after awhile, one must acknowledge they’ve CHOSEN to be deceived.  They prefer it.  So, how much longer do thinking people have to pretend that Movement Conservatives have anything of value to add to the national conversation?

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And while we’re on the topic (and when are we not?) have you seen that the so-called POTUS is now talking tough to Iran?  (From a safe distance, of course.)  IN ALL CAPS, no less.  Iran is upset, rightfully in my opinion, that Trump welched on the Iran agreement.  They recognize that Trump is unstable.  They expressed their displeasure at his fecklessness.  He responds with threats.  His negotiating tactic – ‘Never honor an agreement’ – is becoming tiring to the rest of the world…

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I think it’s hilarious that China has retaliated to Trump’s stupid (wait…isn’t that redundant?) tariffs by attacking his supporters in the heartland.  I suspect the Chinese are thinking that when the Trumpsters begin to suffer the results of Trump’s stupid policy they’ll re-think their support.  They won’t.  They’ll just blame Obama…

Oh and speaking of deferring blame, would Movement Conservatives please come up with something more entertaining than Hillary’s emails?  I know, you can’t defend so you have to misdirect but could you please find something to point to other than the deleted messages?  They’re gone.  (That’s the ‘deleted’ part, see?)  There’s nothing anybody can do about it.  Hell, I’d agree that they probably contained nefarious or otherwise harmful information.  It hurt her more than helped her that they went missing.  But they’re gone.  Find a new talking point.  That one has run it’s course…

Out With the Old…

by MyBaconPress

There’s an old saying.  It has a lot of variants but it goes something like this: If you’re not a liberal when you’re young, you have no heart.  If you’re not a conservative when you’re old, you have no head.  People who DO become conservative like to use this line as a way to suggest they find some deeper understanding as they age and naturally become conservative.

My personal feeling is that the phrase simply describes a phenomenon of aging.  Another way to say it is this: when you’re young, healthy, and vibrant – when your body and brain are working at their optimum – you think well.  Therefore, you tend to be liberal.  After years of abuse by the world, alcohol, injuries and just plain age – when your body and brain are no longer functioning well – you think poorly or, perhaps, just “less effectively.”  THAT’S when you become more conservative.

I think that has been happening to Diane Feinstein over the years.  Now, don’t get me wrong, here.  I’m not suggesting Feinstein is some kind of rabid tea-bagger hoping for the end of America but she certainly seems to have moved right with age at a time when an increasing number of Americans are tiring of the “incremental baby-steps” approach.  People are looking for more progressive representatives.

Apparently, the California Democrats agree.  They’ve endorsed Kevin de Leon in his bid for the US Senate despite the elder Statesperson’s request that they remain neutral.  Feinstein’s camp suggested such an endorsement might lead to inter-party squabbles.  It might.  Perhaps, since the California Democrats have endorsed their preferred candidate, she might consider stepping aside with grace and supporting the new wave.

Ha ha, just kidding.  Of COURSE she’s going to run.  Hell, she’s still the odds-on favorite to win.  I don’t have any major heartburn with that.  She’s been (mostly) good for California for years.  But she’s 85.  She’s held her seat since 1992.  That’s 26 years!  She’s the oldest sitting Senator.  Perhaps it’s time for new blood; a new vision…

Handlers and Assets…

by MyBaconPress

I’ve been listening to Chuck Schumer and other Democrats call on our National Embarrassment to cancel his one-on-one with Putin.  The position is that because there’s so much evidence – like the 12 Russians just indicted for conspiracy – linking the Russians to attempted disruptions of the last “election” it’s probably not a good idea to have a private, one-on-one meeting.

That’s the correct position, of course, but only in a world where right and wrong matter.  We no longer live in that world so, right or wrong, the meeting proceeds.  Besides, do you actually think a spy enjoys the authority to tell their handler whether or not they’ll answer a call?  I don’t think so.  Putin calls, Trump responds.  That’s the way it works.

I’ll tell you this: Trump will be lucky if Putin doesn’t make Trump blow him before they trade information and the next assignment…you know, just to show who’s boss…

Retrospect…

by MyBaconPress

I heard a talking head on KGO radio going over the list, in detail, of all the various and sundry ways the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh is going to harm various groups in this once-great nation.  Besides riling up all the people who stand to suffer now, I’m not sure what his point was.  But I found myself thinking about the DNC.  I continue to wish they had just done the job the corporate charter says they exist to do: facilitate fair and honest primaries.

I have high confidence President Sanders would NOT be doing the damage this group is doing…

Refusing to Learn…

by MyBaconPress

It should not be surprising that Trump’s stupid trade war seems to be harming Americans more than anyone else.  If actions speak louder than words – and they do – Trump seems to be anti-American.  The Chinese (among other nations) have decided to respond to Trump stupidity by attacking Trump supporters in this trade war.  The retaliation the Chinese imposed is aimed directly at “heartland farmers” for example – they’ve cancelled nearly their entire order of soy beans from the US.  This has caused many on the left to declare that perhaps NOW the Trumpsters will see what’s happening.

Don’t hold your breath…

These are not fact-based people.  They’re fully faith-based and they will not allow the interruption of their faith by a few obnoxious facts.  Fox “News” will find some way to blame Democrats and the Trump loyalists will just accept it – the same way any religious fundamentalist accepts what their minister says.  (“God WANTS me to touch you here…”)

Sure, it’s grabbing an anvil for use as a life preserver, but they’ll cling to their faith all the way to the bottom…

The Newest Religion…

by MyBaconPress

Truth?  I’m not much on religion.  But I’d take any one of the “Big 3” Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) over this newest entry known as “Movement Conservatism” any day.  At least the Big 3 are acting like they’d like to make the world a better place.  Movement Conservatism is quite blatant about their desire to damage people, places, and things.  It’s the ‘Crush, Kill, Destroy’ part of their dogma.

If you didn’t recognize Movement Conservatism as a religion, you can be forgiven.  It arrived masquerading as a political movement but the more one interacts with a Movement Conservative, the more one sees the parallels to more mainstream religions and, after awhile, the similarities are simply too abundant to ignore.

Consider: the first and most important aspect of any religion is faith, right?  Archie Bunker best sums up faith when he says, “Faith is believing in something you’d have to be crazy to believe in!”  Basically, it comes down to accepting positions despite available evidence rather than in keeping with it.  I don’t advise accepting things on faith if you have a choice but religious thinkers live that way on a day to day basis – and then wonder why things don’t work the way they’re “supposed” to…

But faith, alone, isn’t the only aspect of religion.  Religions promote sacred texts.  A few of the favorites of Movement Conservatism include ‘Atlas Shrugged’, written, ironically enough, by Ayn Rand – an atheist.  There’s also ‘Democracy in America’ by Alexis de Tocqueville, ‘The Conscience of a Conservative’ by Barry Goldwater and ‘The Turner Diaries’ by William Luther Pierce…

Religions thrive on myths and other sacred stories, as well.  We’ve all heard them.  One of the favorite myths of Movement Conservatives involves their patron saint, Ronald Reagan who once said, “…tear down this wall” and, in the myth, the wall was gone the next day – a miracle!  (Okay, so it took years after that speech before the wall came down and, yes, every President from Kennedy to Reagan gave some version of the same speech but only Reagan gets the “win.”  See the entry on ‘Faith.’)  There are others, of course.  “Tax cuts for the rich benefit everyone” and one of the newest, “They’re sending criminals.”  The stories are intended to reinforce the teachings.  They’re supposed to make the faith-based aspects seem real…

Religions use symbols.  Christians have crosses.  Jews have the Star of David.  Movement Conservatives have Pepe the Frog, the Confederate Flag, and various forms of the Swastika.  Symbols are important to religions.  They give the acolytes something tangible to look at to remind them who they are…

There are supporting social structures to Movement Conservatism, too.  These can best be seen in the rallies that take place from time to time, hosted by their current leader, Donald Trump but the daily gatherings at Fox “News” serve to keep the acolytes believing…(and contributing)…

Religions are supposed to offer ethical and moral directives to their followers that teach them how to behave and Movement Conservatism is no different.  They offer teachings like, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will come to believe it”, “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps”, and “Knock the crap out him, would you?”  This is probably my biggest issue with Movement Conservatism; it intentionally seeks the worst of humanity rather than trying to support the best.  As an example, Christianity teaches that among the worst qualities of humanity are pride, greed, envy, gluttony, and wrath.  But those are the very attributes Movement Conservatism embraces and promotes…

“Wait,” you might wonder, “what about their God?  It can’t be a religion without a God to worship, can it?”  Well, no, it can’t but they’ve got that, too.  Movement Conservatives worship the great Prophet Profit.  There can be no greater God and all things must be done in His holy name…

Religions are often born of other religions.  Christ was a Jew, for example.  In the same way Jews left Judaism to become Christians, Christians have now, in turn, left Christianity to become Movement Conservatives.  It’s often a slow-moving thing.  Early Christians continued to count themselves Jews for a long time but after awhile, it became clear that the beliefs of Christianity had so deviated from Judaism, they needed to be their own group.  The same is happening to Christians today.  The Movement Conservatives sprang from Christianity but the differences have already separated the goats from the sheep – if you take my meaning.  (If you don’t, check Matthew 25:31 in the Christian Bible.)

Many Movement Conservatives still count themselves Christians – but they aren’t.  Not anymore.  When one embraces Movement Conservatism, one rejects Christianity.  The teachings are at odds – diametrically opposed as a matter of fact.  You can be one or the other…but you can’t be both.

I’ll tell you this: the next time you find yourself in a discussion with someone who seems perfectly reasonable but WILL NOT accept factual information no matter what you say, what source you cite, what proof you offer, realize you’ve fallen into a religious, NOT a political, debate.