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<itemid>85083</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-03 00:13:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-03 04:37:02</logtime>
<subject>Mythic Journies and The Fourth Republic</subject>
<event>
I've learned about the conflict of tomorrow, and it is fascinating. I'm not entirely sure what it means, but I don't find it a cosmic coincidence.<br /><br />Let me take a step back and explain. <a href="http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/11/07/fourth_republic/">The Fourth Republic</a> in American Terms was first mentioned as a Salon article mentioning the turning of an Era, or a massive change of the land scape. The Salon article is generally pro Obama, but the term has been <a href="http://the4threpublic.blogspot.com/2009/05/ron-paul-on-secession-video-how.html">coopted</a> by the new younger generation of Libertarians wanting to start a new era of violence or succession in America. My attention was caught earlier when a friend joined a group on Facebook. They're complaining about how the recent Homeland Security report said that all conservatives are terrorists.<br /><br />It didn't say that. It said that radical right groups are targeting the military because they have useful skills for violence. And yet the Secretary had to apologize because somehow the idea that crazy people would find people with military skills useful was somehow harmful to veterans.<br /><br />Right.<br /><br />But the point behind the original Salon article is a good one. Obama's victory was substantial. Repulicans want to pretend Obama is another Carter presidency, but there's just no reason to indicate that this is so. They've lost, and they've lost badly. People just don't trust the Republicans any more and the Republican party is dangerously close to fracture. More importantly, the Ron Paul groups and the Libertarians are chomping at the bit to define a new philosophy not dominated by Evangelical Corporatists who preach that Jesus Died for Lower Taxes.<br /><br />The message is dead. Long live the Message.<br /><br />Of course, they're still trying to figure out what that is, but that brings me to the next thing we learned about this evening.<br /><br />Let me take another farther back. Back when I used to hang around with the guys at <a href="http://www.holistic-design.com/">Holistic Design </a>I had the privelege of helping them brainstorm a 'spin off' of one of their main games called Sathranet that never quite materialized. They announced it, but never got around to making it. They still might, but that's not the reason I bring it up. Without violating the NDA, let me just say that one of the major things we talked about were memes. You've heard about me talk about those before, but they're basically 'thought viruses' or the lowest component of idea that travel from person to person.<br /><br />Well recently some of the guys from Holistic invited me to the presentation of a new <a href="http://www.imaginalcellsinc.com/Video/MJTrailerwindow.htm">movie being put out about Mythic Journies</a> from some documentary film makers. The movement has its roots in Joseph Campell with his 'hero of a thousand faces' and study of myth, but the most fascinating thing I found out about all this was a new thing they're calling "Applied Mythology." <br /><br />Let me use this analogy: If memes are the jungle, then applied mythology is agriculture. The other creative blip that appeared in my head were all those science fiction stories that have advanced science fiction civilizations that tell of humanities technology and how it has advanced beyond its societal ability to handle it. It was like the weather, everyone was talking about it, but no one was really doing anything (productive) about it.<br /><br />Now we can.<br /><br />The boiled down premise of Applied Mythology is that we're all part of a story and that we need mythology to put context in our lifes. Our lives have to have meaning and we have to define that meaning. But we can use past experience and evolutionarily selected meme/myths to replicate elements that are most useful. Its pretty powerful stuff. Right now it seems that they're going from the cloudy stuff of the conferences to the slightly more applied stuff of the film. With time and guidance, it could become a real social movement, so long as it doesn't end up becoming a religion of its own. And based on what I've seen so far, it has promising beginnings.<br /><br />There is a saying in the military that the problem with the military is that everyone is always fighting the last war. Well, the Republicans are in route. All indications are that they will stay that way for another three election cycles. The 2010 election in particular looks bad for Republicans, and all leading contenders for 2012 would get crused in the 2009 political environment. Obama shows no signs of being politically naive enough to allow himself to be so easily boxed in as have some of his predecesors. <br /><br />But movements come in cycles. Already there is some slight indication that the pure idea originally formed by Obama's election are getting lost in the thickets of compromise. Theres nothing wrong with that. That's practical politics and practical governance.<br /><br />But what would be wiser, better and smarter would be for the cycle to be broken, and instead of a new resurgeant conversative movement to rise in 6-8 years after the current movement of Change has swayed and weakened, but to use Applied Mythology to create a new story, to learn the most powerful ideas assuaged by the burgoneing Ron Paul movement (and if one truly believes that all cultures have valuable lessons then what better place to learn them than from your 'enemy'?) and to revitalize the Change movement four years from now instead of having the cycle continue?<br /><br />For breaking cycles is what I most love to do, and this is one way I see to do it.<br /><br />
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<entry>
<itemid>85281</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-04 10:28:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-04 14:30:51</logtime>
<subject>Dear Senator Specter</subject>
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<p>I wrote the letter below in response to <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/4/727577/-Specter-against-key-part-of-health-care-reform-plan">this article </a>about how Spectre wants more Republican Health Care plans.<br /><br /><em>Dear Senator,</em></p><p><em>I praised you when you switched to the Democratic party. I even supported you when you supported the President's budget. If you stand in the way of meaningful health care reform, I will do everything in my power (limited though that might be) to fund your opponent, even if that is a Republican.</em></p><p><em>I care more about Health Care Reform than any other issue, and anything resembling our current plan is complete and utter crap. I doubt that the money you will receive from corporate sponsors can compare to the amount donated to your opponent by millions of small donors who want MEANINGFUL health care reform.</em></p><p><em>Sincerely,</em></p><p><em>Thomas C. Ricks</em><br /><br />I am seriously pissed. I've given this loser money two times. If he doesn't 'flip' again, I will donate at least three times that to whoever is running against them, even if I'm homeless and have to take a trip to the blood bank to do it!<br /> </p>
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<itemid>85624</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-07 10:15:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-07 14:17:30</logtime>
<subject>Must see TV</subject>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QDv4sYwjO0&feature=player_embedded">This is fascinating.</a><br /><br /><br />I know exactly one reasonable libertarian. One. And I know a lot. Let me clarify, I know lots of really COOL libertarians who are excellent friends. But I know only one I can discuss politics with wherein I don't get a headache or they get one.<br /><br />I admire and agree with the principals established by the Libertarians, and they're better than Republicans because they BELIEVE in something, but the truth is, the solutions espoused by many of them simply will not work.<br /><br />
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<entry>
<itemid>85856</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-08 09:45:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-08 13:46:12</logtime>
<subject>What is it about Republican States?</subject>
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<a href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/19400415/detail.html">Texas Forces Rape Victims to Pay for their Own Kits</a><br /><br />This is what happens when you get government on the cheap.<br />
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<itemid>86120</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-08 10:56:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-08 14:56:54</logtime>
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The Special Republican Party of Special Specialiness
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRWi1yzf43U&feature=player_embedded">Republicans make Scary Music Now.</a><br /><br />Smart bad. Dumb good.<br /><br />Repubmicans arm smartz.<br />
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<entry>
<itemid>86500</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-11 07:53:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-11 11:56:49</logtime>
<subject>Utter Unimaginable Gall</subject>
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Ladies and gentlemen, there is hypocrisy, outrageous hypocrisy and then Republican hypocrisy.<br /><br />But sometimes there are people who go even beyond that....<br /><br />Guess who said this?<br /><br />After accusing the person that he was criticizing of 'attacking democracy' he said the following:<br /><br /><p>"Rallies are violently dispersed. Opposition leaders are wounded, shot at with <span id="lw_1242041737_13" class="yshortcuts">rubber bullets</span>. There is blood in the streets. There are ... mutinies in the armed forces," he said, according to a text of his comments posted on the XXXXX government's Web site. "Against this background it has been decided to hold military exercises."</p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090511/ap_on_re_eu/eu_georgia_protests;_ylt=AjMw9hyFuWa9qS36MHrkNgNvaA8F">Give up?</a><br /><br />Let's just say....<br /><br />When you think of democracy, you don't think of this guy.<br /><br /><br /><br />
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<itemid>86724</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-11 11:35:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-11 15:37:22</logtime>
<subject>I am not the only one who has noticed this pattern</subject>
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The following comment came from the feedback from <a href="http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/mike-huckabees-flawed-logic-on-gops.html">this</a> article on five thirty eight.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07190991324856256513" rel="nofollow"><strong><font color="#cc0000">Statler N Waldorf</font></strong></a> "Well, lets think about this for a moment here.<br /><br /><b>Glibness/superficial charm</b> With a heavy emphasis on bumper sticker slogans such as 'stay the course' and 'these colors don't run' in lieu of an actual strategy or anything remotely resembling a plan, we can say that modern social conservatism is excessively glib.<br /><br /><b>Grandiose sense of self-worth</b> Sarah Palin's inability to see herself in the same light that she is cast in by the majority of Americans, Mike Huckabee's claims to understand the will and therefore the mind of God, and Limbaugh's insistence that he is on a par with the President all point to a bloated sense of self-worth.<br /><br /><b>Pathological lying</b> There are Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Saddam Husein is in league with Al Quaeda. We will be greeted as liberators. The fundamentals of our economy are sound. Yeah, pretty much.<br /><br /><b>Cunning/manipulative</b> When faced with the horror of 9/11, social conservatives saw this situation not as a tragedy or an opportunity to help heal the mental disturbance caused by these events, but as an opportunity to grab more power. Which is why FOX replayed footage of the planes flying into the twin towers almost non-stop for months after it happened while the administration rammed the PATRIOT Act through Congress and hired lawyers to justify torture and illegal wiretpas on the phones of the average American, all the while shouting down opponents as unpatriotic and sympathetic to the enemy.<br /><br /><b>Lack of remorse or guilt</b> Never apologize, never explain became the catch phrase of the 2000's. That, and "I'm sorry that you feel that way"<br /><br /><b>Emotionally shallow</b> Bill O'reilly's use of anger to intimidate guests on his show.<br /><br /><b>Callous/lack of empathy</b> Like using a machine to sign the letters sent to the parents of dead soldiers ala Rumsfeld. Rep. John W Perry of Louisiana, the author of HB 60 which would make it more difficult for GLBT people to adopt kids stated publicly that he feels no empathy whatever for the kids who would be left without parents. The multitude of social conservatives seriously debating in favor of torture. Proposition 8 in California.<br /><br /><b>Failure to accept responsibility for own actions</b>. Blaming Obama for the economic meltdown that started under Bush. The inability to state that the War in Iraq was a mistake or even wrong. Keeping Guantanamo Bay open, right up until you left office.<br /><br />Those are all Factor 1 traits under the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-IV" rel="nofollow"><strong><font color="#cc0000">DSM-IV</font></strong></a>'s listing for a diagnosis of dissociative personality disorder, commonly referred to as psychopathy. One needs at least three of those traits to be accurate to qualify, as well as at least three from the Factor 2 traits, listed here below.<br /><br /><b>Poor behavioral control</b> "Fuck you, Mr Leahy", shooting your best friend in the face, Ari Fleischer saying Americans needed to watch what they say, Ann Coulter's numerous compulsive yelling matches. The O'Reilly Factor. <br /><br /><b>Lack of realistic, long-term goals</b> Can anyone even tell me what victory would <i>be</i> in Iraq? What exactly constitutes winning? <br /><br /><b>Impulsivity</b> such as invading Iraq and ignoring Al Quadea in Tora Bora. Sean Hannity volunteering to be waterboarded and then backing off once he realizes what he has just offered to do. <br /><br /><b>Early behavior problems</b> Cocaine and booze, anyone?<br /><br />So you see, it is more than reasonable to assert that the current vision of social conservatism promoted by the mainstream Republican Party, as embodied by George Bush, Mike Huckabee and Rush Limbaugh, is psychopathic. <br /><br />Speaking in purely definitional terms here, modern social conservatives have the same traits as serial killers. Were we to assess the GOP platform as it currently exists, it would qualify as a legitimate mental disorder for which it would have to be confined to an institution for the protection of the public at large.<br /><br />The GOP is crazy, literally insane. I think this is becoming more obvious to Americans with every passing day. they are losing votes because they frankly scare the shit out of the average Joe."<br />
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<entry>
<itemid>86800</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-12 11:06:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-12 15:08:12</logtime>
<subject>I've said it before</subject>
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And I'll say it again.<br /><br />We need a federal office who's job it is to prosecute prosecutors who maliciously twist the law for stupid or vicious purposes, like charging someone who uploaded nude pictures of themselves at work <a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/05/court-upholds-hacking-conviction-of-man-for-uploading-porn-pics-from-work-computer/">with HACKING</a>.<br /><br />Not obscenity.<br /><br />Not any number of other things that you can think of, no, 'using the computer beyond the terms of access.'<br /><br />Criminal prosecution.<br /><br />Right.<br /><br />I want Republicans in charge of my life...don't you?<br />
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<entry>
<itemid>87103</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-12 14:57:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-12 18:58:41</logtime>
<subject>Bill-O seeks to justify torture</subject>
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<p><em>"May 11: Countdown’s Keith Olbermann systematically destroys a series of spurious claims by Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly that the Bush administration’s torture policies had some historically justifiable British parallel.</em></p><p> <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30691108#30691108">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30691108#30691108</a>"<br /><br /> </p><br />
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<entry>
<itemid>87349</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-13 14:17:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-13 18:19:16</logtime>
<subject>I have a theory</subject>
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Republicans and libertarians feel the same bemused contempt about my ranting them as I feel of older trekkers <a href="http://kadath.livejournal.com/831430.html">disliking the current star trek </a>movie.<br /><br />But then again, I didn't think they were really listening anyway. That won't stop me from calling them stupid any more than it will keep older trekkers from saying, "That's not *MY* jim kirk...."
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<itemid>87757</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-13 16:33:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-13 20:35:21</logtime>
<subject>I'm going to have to snail mail on this one</subject>
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Because I've already emailed all my congressmen about the American Express nonsense I had to deal with earlier.<br /><br />But it appears that on top of everything else, <a href="http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_130/editorial/34843-1.html">Eric Cantor has started a Republican rebranding site </a>and called it 'bipartisian' so they can use house funds to pay for it.<br /><br />.........If it is so Bipartisian...where are the Democrats?<br />
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<entry>
<itemid>87981</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-18 11:46:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-18 15:47:12</logtime>
<subject>Do you support stem cell research?</subject>
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<div>(from my blog, taken from Mom's blog, taken from Neil Gaimon's blog but my comments)</div><div> </div><div>If you do, or if you want major diseases such as <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1242661705_0" style="cursor: hand; border-bottom: #0066cc 1px dashed">narcolepsy</span>, MS, or the like to be ended, then I suggest you post here:<br /><br /><a href="http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1242661705_1">http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm</span></a><br /><br />Because for the moment, crazy right wing groups are writing congress and the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1242661705_2">NIH</span> trying to make it look like the main population is opposed to this.</div><br />
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<entry>
<itemid>88124</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-20 09:58:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-20 14:09:27</logtime>
<subject>California Democrapacy</subject>
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Look. Anyone reading this blog can tell I've obviously begun to lean left over the last few years, both because Republicans are ass holes and corporations are assholes a lot of the time. Unregulated capitalism simply doesn't work, and while most governments are a balance between socialism and capitalism economically speaking, I think we need to tweak things VERY CAREFULLY a little toward the socialist side.<br /><br />And anyone reading this knows that I am an ARDENT supporter of Democracy and Democratic regimes. Pretend democracies like Thailand, where the court can declare a party unconstitional, just don't cut the muster with me. I think India will do better than China in the long run because they are a democracy.<br /><br />But having said that, a democracy is only as effective as the citizens it represents. If everyone in the democracy wants to be morons and elect George W. Bush, TWICE (well...OK, once but at the least in both cases either side with objective observers would not it was at least damn close, like 49%), then they deserve what they get. Fortunately, nationally anyway, we get smart after we repeat the dumb cycle and then elect someone who actually things education and intelligence is cool. (Even if they're starting to break campaign promises like every other politician who ever lived).<br /><br />But California? California doesn't seem to HAVE a smart end to the dumb cycle.<br /><br />Look, I'm not a fan of Mr. Governator any more, not after staying Republican in the final years of George W. Stupid, but I can admire some of his goals, and his attempt at budget reform are admirable.<br /><br />This is the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090520/ap_on_re_us/us_california_special_election">third time </a>he has attempted budget reform, and the third time he has failed miserably.<br /><br />Look California, if you can put the pot down long enough to reactivate a few brain cells, let me teach you a basic lesson of economics. You have to repay your debts some time. Yeah yeah yeah, the federal government is doing it to, but see, they have 200 years of credit rating and a history of ALWAYS paying bonds back no matter what, so even though its stupid in the long run, we have to go into debt to keep from going farther into debt in the long run. Plus, we as a nation don't have your referendum problem.<br /><br />You cannot have a referrendum (which most of you have REPEATEDLY voted for) which says that you can't raise taxes without 2/3rds consent, without also being able to pass referendum's which tie funding to specific programs. See the problem here California? 51% of you can spend money, but it takes 66% of you to raise it. Now, the sociopaths in your ranks want to cut schools and 'entitlement' programs, but you can't see to have the guts to elect them and watch children starve to death, so instead you're stuck in this brain dead limbo where you're slowly driving off a cliff.<br /><br />Until VERY VERY recently, it didn't take 60 votes in the senate to fix things or raise new taxes as needed in the federal government and they SURE as heck don't have a national referendum adding new spending projects all of the time. You need to choose one path or the other or your state is going to end up even more broken than it already is.<br /><br />Quit ruining democracy for the rest of us. Sober up and get off the weed long enough to choose a side and go that way.<br />
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<entry>
<itemid>88355</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-21 13:12:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-21 17:40:27</logtime>
<subject>Analyzing the Crazy Talk</subject>
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A lot of hot air is coming from the Right right now, particularly Glenn Beck and a lot of state legislators. They talk about things like blood in the streets, armed revolution or succession. So i'm going to conduct a brief analysis of the realistic possibilities of Terrorism, Revolution (specifically a coup de etat) and succession.<br /><br /><lj-cut><br />1) Domestic Terrorism - Let's start with the most realistic possibility; Domestic terrorists. This is both realistic, because it has happened, and probable, because the environment is being primed for it. This has happened before, this will happen again. A recent book by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ringo">John Ringo </a>called <a href="http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/review_the_last_centurion_by_john_ringo/">The Last Centurion</a>, spells out a disgruntled 'abandoned' US soldier who slowly fights his way back to the US and takes his vengeance against the government that betrayed him. This to me sounds like a libertarian version of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_turner_diaries">Turner Diaries</a>, except for the fact that it describes the libertarian anarchist "utopia" afterwards, without giving a step by step process of how to get there like the former does. Nevertheless, Libertians are speaking more and more like the concept of hyperinflation and an economic collapse are a good thing.<br /><br />If the Turner Diaries could spur people to action, there is no reason to believe that The Last Centurion won't. And if it doesn't, Glen Beck certainly will. Glen Beck, being a conservative mormon, has a vested interested in seeing certain prophesies involving the collapse of society come to pass. In such a collapse, the LDS church will be extremely well prepared, both with stores and a vast organization to clean up the mess. <br /><br />Having said that, becuase they're libertarians, they are extreme individualists, which means at the early stages any way, they aren't very organized. Look at the Libertarian party in general. As such, most of the lunatic fringe who would actually start bombing stuff aren't going to be very effective at what they do, and because they have no faith in government (except perhaps the overwhelming power of the military) they will not have any true concept of how effective FBI and other law enforcement techniques can be.<br /><br />Sooner or later, particularly if Obama wins in 2012, and the Democrats do well in 2010 (or achieve the magic 60 number in the senate) then the odds of something happening go up astronomically. The longer the Democrats win without national Republican wins, the more likely this is.<br /><br />The more disturbing, but less likely scenario in this case is a domestic terrorist organization ala Al Queda. There is no reason to believe such an organization exists, and it would probably have to use the internet to initiate things. The good news is that the FBI has an eye on this, and such an organization is unlikely to form without being inflitrated from the beginning by federal agents. As multiple reports have shown, our infrastructure is still terribly vulnerable in this country, so such a group could do quite a bit of damage.<br /><br />But the good news is that even liberal Americans don't put up with this kind of crap. You don't blow stuff up in America without all hands turning against you in a very extreme (possibly violent) way. Thus, any group would loose sympathy so fast it would make their non violent brethren's head spin. If libertarians do it, watch the numbers of legitimate libertarian party plummet. If Republicans do it, watch the Republican party split. Indeed, even if some total fringe philosphy does it, watch membership in the Republican party plummet. Also kiss goodbye the Republican dominance on the national security issue.<br /><br />2) Sucession/Civil War - Alright, lets look historically at what causes one section of a nation to break off from another. Generally speaking, it seems to only occur when the local leadership initiates it. That is to say, you don't usually have a small group of whack jobs (like the Taliban) take over the state government and then declare their own independent nation. In Pakistan, they tried this and the result isn't really so much a civil war so much as a crushing of the Taliban insurrection.<br /><br />Conversely, in the US civil war, the State governments actually left. Their motivations were a combination of economic (they felt that their lands/livelihoods would be ruined because their slaves would be taken away) and philosophical (they felt that the North had no right to tell them not to have slaves). But they also felt they had a realisitc chance of winning by succession. IE, while they might have been jerks, the Confederates were not STUPID. <br /><br />Thus the primary difference between 1860 and now is that the comparison of Federal to State power is so extreme that the second civil war (if it was done like the first) would last about 5 days, not 5 years. So while the crazy jerks on the right might TALK about Recession, the state leaders who actually hold power and have a vested economic interest in their local lands (ie the threat of having them bombed to rubble) are unlikely to initiate ACTUAL succession unless they have a chance of victory, and on the surface, that possibility is simply not there. <br /><br />In other words, they are spouting, as usual, hot air.<br /><br />The only exception to this would be if they initiated a conspiracy to try and win military backing from the actual military to back them up. This would be almost like a coup de etat, but they would only concentrate on the areas succeeding.<br /><br />Well lets look at that, shall we? First, there are a lot of officers in the military that might consider being sympathetic to their cause. We know this because a) It happened before in the first civil war, b) Right wing evangelicals have begun heavily infiltrating the Air Force officer core in Colorado springs c) There are a number of military posters on the internet who think George W. Bush was a good president. HOWEVER, the one time that an actual coup de etat was planned in this country it was done during the 1930'rs when a bunch of Republican businessmen approached a prominent and popular general to lead a revolt against Roosevelt. Rather than accept the offer, he turned in the businessmen and stopped it flat. While there might be a portion of officers in the military willing to back seccession, there are more that are extremely loyal to the constitution. And they're smart too, so they're just as likely to turn in would be traitors before such a conspiracy can build.<br /><br />The bad news, is that the FBI really isn't on the watch for this kind of thing, so it would be entirely dependent on a military officer approached for such a conspiracy to have more loyalty to the nation than the Republican/Libertarian cause. Fortuntately, by my observation, the odds of this occuring are extremely high since our military is filled with some of the most honorable and courages individuals one might imagine. There is a reason that the FBI isn't looking out for this, and that's because the odds of it happening are slim.<br /><br />3) Revolution/Coup de Etat - Well, I just talked about the logistical problems of initiating a conspiracy. That is not to say that it can't happen, but that the odds are high.<br /><br />Now the exception to this might be a "Jericho" scenario in which a small conpsiracy tries to turn the US upside down (ie the much anticipated/beloved Libertarian apocalypse) and then proceeds to try and pick up the peices. This is both frightening because it is likely to be tried and comforting because it is likely to fail. That is to say, it is much easier for a well funded conspiracy to achieve (our civilization is a lot more fragile than you imagine) and therefore much more tempting to a cabal of shadows. Having said that, anyone stupid enough to try that, almost assuredly underestimates the will and resourcefulness of the US population. They will not accept a tryanical government, and they certainly won't accept one that takes power in dubious circumstances. In fact, the very people that they might count on the most for support (Republican or Libertian armed individuals) are also the most likely to stand up against them to prevent them from taking power.<br /><br />In short, while there is some plausibility to their words, there is not much chance of it succeeding. At least at the moment.</lj-cut>
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<entry>
<itemid>88697</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-22 18:09:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-22 22:10:25</logtime>
<subject>
Six Seconds of Torture convinces Conservative Waterboarding is torture
</subject>
<event>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUkj9pjx3H0&feature=player_embedded">Alas, it is not Hannity.</a><br />
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<entry>
<itemid>89024</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-25 09:59:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-25 14:09:54</logtime>
<subject>I had a very interesting dream last night...</subject>
<event>
Which contained a lot of things, one of which was that while self confidence is good, arrogance accomplishes little.<br /><br />Having said that, there were other lead ins on a larger macro scale to this.<br /><br />If you spend 40 years outsourcing and selling your country to someone else....<br /><br />When you have to pay the piper you can't afford to talk <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090525/ap_on_re_as/as_china_pelosi">about things that really matter</a>. <br /><br />Nancy Pelosi, ardent defender of human rights said absolutely nothing about them when she visited China. Why not? Two reasons...(arguably three)<br /><br />1) Because we're indebted paupers now who can only maintain our standard of living if we borrow from China.<br /><br />2) Because Nancy Pelosi got in front of national television and said the CIA lied to her last week. But she offered no proof. Even if she was telling the truth (and hey, its possible), her complete inaction during the Bush years makes her have little credibility. <br /><br />3) Because there would be no point because China wouldn't care.<br /><br />On a personal level, I can change myself. Granted, change isn't easy, but as I said multiple times yesterday, you either care about the truth when it is revealed to you and act on it, or you don't. You control your own behavior and very little else in this universe. In fact, to the extent that there are spiritual truths and miracles, one must argue that failure to act on what is shown you might give the universe pause at revealing more.<br /><br />After all, if you don't use what you're given, what's the point of giving more?<br /><br />On the macro scale, California routinely votes for new things to spend money on, but routinely votes down ways to pay for it. And as a nation we've pretty much been doing the same thing for a long time. We elect stupid people like George W. Bush and then get smart and then elect people like Obama...but he's only there for 8 years.<br /><br />And Obama had to, quite frankly, use emotional trickery just like George W. Bush, to get elected with some people. Obama is intelligent, well read, and the man we need at this hour. He has made, and will make mistakes, but he is principled and doing what he feels is best to help the nation and regular people, not corporations. But he still has to put on the show for our stupid media by timing out events like revealing the white house dog.<br /><br />Will this nation recognize the truth about what we've been doing to ourselves for the last 40 years?<br /><br />Probably not. Not for quite a while anyway.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
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<itemid>89267</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-26 12:08:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-26 16:10:00</logtime>
<subject>
Remaking Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Joss Whedon
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<event>
<a href="http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41180">The worst idea in the long sad history of bad ideas</a>.<br /><br />Well, OK, the Republican party is worse, but when it comes to anything regarding movies? I can't think of any.<br /><br />So let me get this straight...the Sonny Crappo Digital Millenium Ripoff Act is supposed to protect artists so a corporation can keep something from public domain for 175+ years...<br /><br />But current IP law allows a bunch of idiots to completely trash the work of the original creator while they're still alive?<br /><br />Yeah.<br /><br />That serves the public.
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<entry>
<itemid>89381</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-29 17:07:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-29 21:08:17</logtime>
<subject>NBC is now complicit in the death of millions</subject>
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By agreeing to air <a href="http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/05/26/opponents_step_up_criticism_of_obama_health_plan">this trash put out by conservative </a>rephuklycan psychopaths, NBC has now become willingly complicit in the death of millions of uninsured americans who die or suffer each year from companies whose profit model is based on the suffering of others.<br /><br />
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<entry>
<itemid>89702</itemid>
<eventtime>2009-05-31 16:20:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2009-05-31 20:21:44</logtime>
<subject>And so it begins</subject>
<event>
The <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/31/737263/-Kansas-Doctor,-Abortion-Provider,-Assassinated-in-Church">right wing terrorist cells have already begun their work</a>. They were quite busy under Clinton.<br /><br />Now we have a Black man as president, and their demographic base is shrinking.<br /><br />A rat is never more dangerous than when it is cornered.<br /><br />
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