DAnneMarc: Thanks for those links. I watched that 12 minute video on that first link. I had only caught the last 5 minutes of it before on TV. I guess it is possibly a touchy subject for some and they still think that the UFO subject is kooky. But, if it were real, then nothing could beat it...including TPP.
Yes, our government has been covering up a lot on this subject (they've been caught in their lies and have changed their stories repeatedly) and they have also had a disinformation program to make people believe this subject is kooky. That's the way they operate...creating misinformation... engineering the kook factor... to make people too embarrassed to talk about it.
I certainly don't know what is real about this subject but my very strong feeling is that this subject has been manipulated by government and/or extra-government entities for a number of reasons...partly because of what Greer said about valid alternative energy and partly because they don't want to radically change the way we understand the universe...too scarey for some...and it would challenge their dominant paradigm..eg: religious beliefs, beliefs that we are powerful enough to determine our own present and future.
To know that a very far advanced life form may have the ability to annihilate us, should they chose, or that our leaders are actually selling us out to these extraterrestrials in exchange for advanced technology is most likely just too much of a shocker for the majority of human beings to take.
But many people would not be convinced even though over 500 first hand witnesses working in sensitive Top Secret government positions have laid their reputations on the line as well as risked retribution from the government in breaking their silence.
It's been a couple of years, or more, since I watched the testimony of some of these people. I guess I'm going to have to get back into looking at what has transpired since.
Palindromedary ~ That's brilliant! Tapping into zero point, unlimited free energy and propulsion technology. What better way to let the air out of the International Corporatocracy balloon?
Palindromedary ~ That sure is good news. I hope our representatives have the good sense to flush this nonsense down the toilet. It would renew my faith... somewhat in government.
By the way, I've skimmed this blog rather quickly this morning because I don't really have a lot of time. I could have sworn I saw a post with you referring to Dr. Steven Greer on Abbey Martin's show? I didn't catch it; however, I'm somewhat familiar with Dr. Greer's work in the "Disclosure Project." Did I miss anything interesting?
"The New York Times reports that it’s not likely the bill will be passed. One hundred fifty-one Democrats have signed a letter indicating their opposition, and Tea Party Republicans are unlikely to vote for it, given their inability to grant President Obama anything resembling a victory.
Yet if Congress does abdicate its right to oversight, there are fears that the TPP will never be subject to proper scrutiny. This could rubberstamp a free-trade agreement that has the potential to seriously curtail Internet freedom and hurt the nascent digital economy."
Quote Aliceinwonderland:Loren, could you clarify exactly what you mean by "fanatical Democratic support" for public disarmament?
Aliceinwonderland ~ I might imagine that what Loren is talking about is that gun registration is just the first step in a much broader public disarmament agenda. Please correct me if I'm wrong, Loren. However, that is the way I interpret it; and, considering the underlying fact that mental health was never seriously addressed concerning all these public shootings and gun control was the first and only official response, I must say that I completely agree with Loren.
I thought that was pretty lame...all the ruckus over a "scandal" over a traffic jam..."bridge-gate?" I don't know...maybe I would have had to be there! Yes, it sounds more like a "wag the dog" distraction from TPP....not that I know anything about distractions. ;-}
Loren, could you clarify exactly what you mean by "fanatical Democratic support" for public disarmament? I'm not refuting you, necessarily; I'm just a tad confused. That's hardly how I would characterize pleas I've heard for firearm registration. You've made a strong case for the necessity of firearms, living out in the wild country amongst bears and mountain lions. I just don't understand how licensing & registration would jeopardize that... unless I'm missing something. - AIW
What will it take for a peaceful movement? Where's the outrage? Carefully scripted, then eliminated. See post # 4. Without control of ubiquitous media we can’t educate the masses or bring enough pressure to Capital Hill to force legislators’ hands. 2 million people marched against Monsanto a few months ago, do you think someone you’d run into in the supermarket would even know that? If MLK were active today, we wouldn’t even know who he was...unless we took it upon ourselves to know. Media that people could not escape covered the civil rights movement, otherwise legislators could have...and would have ignored it. Unless every social/environmental/economic justice organization unites to get ubiquitous media back in the hands of the people, so that the people can hold public servants accountable, the people can not organize accept into isolated groups that dissolve into invisibility due to lack of accurate coverage, if any at all.
No doubt some positive changes did occur, but nothing that would truly undo the crash of '08, threaten the status quo, could not easily be undone or possibly turn out to be a boon for big pharma and the insurance industry or the big banks. TPP would destroy our sovereignty as a nation which, if you go by the dictionary, would be High Treason. We would be the United States of America in name only, and once our whole government is dismantled by these plutocrats, of which Obama is one, we will be known as the United States of the American Republic of China. Romney made a killing on the auto bail out. (See Amy Goodman's piece) Most of the jobs "saved" bailing out Detroit went to Mexico and China and now Detroit's in bankruptcy. Time will tell..and speaking as a member of the LGBT community, I think the only reason our rights expanded while other minorities were screwed (stop and frisk, huge increase in deportations) was because the richest demographic in the country consists of white male same-sex couples.
On Paul Jay's The Real News Network are two new videos, Part 1 and Part 2, interviewing both Chris Hedges and William Binney on NSA Policy (part 1 was featured on Democracy Now):
Neither Cantwell nor Murray have been effectively confronted because they are meticulously protected by Ruling Class media and Democrat Party functionaries.
I know this because I worked as a volunteer publicist on the campaign of Hong Tran for the Democrat senatorial nomination in 2006. Though she was not only ignored by mass media but continually sabotaged by the Democrat Party apparatus, she did manage to get 5 percent of the primary vote.
However, based on Councilwoman Sawant's example, that sort of methodical disempowerment of alternative candidates may no longer work.
As to the longshore and transport unions, they are trying desperaterly to protect their jobs in a viciously anti-union economy in a state in which the Democrats render lip service to unionism but are in fact as anti-union as the Republicans.
Part of the problem is that deliberately agitated envy of unionized workers has combined with fanatical Democrat support for forcible civilian disarmament to turn much of the state's Working Class electorate into avowed enemies of unionism who now reliably therefore vote Republican.
In rural Washington, where unions are an issue of much less importance, you often hear it said, "Neither party gives a damn about working people any more, so might as well vote Republican -- at least they'll let us keep our guns." This is a genuine survival issue in a land of bears, cougars and outlaws, where emergency response times can run as long as an hour.
There's also the fact the term "anti-union progressive" probably originated in Washington state, where it describes a substantial portion of the Democrat electorate, particularly those employed in the (lavishly salaried) computer industry. Note for example what was done to the Boeing machinists -- especially how the blue-collar union-busting (which is what it was) was led by white-collar Democrats.
Wal-Mart slaves and fast-food slaves hardly factor into the equation at all. Because they depend on food stamps and other social services to survive, they are forced to support the Democrats, who are less hostile to these programs than the Republicans. But mostly they don't bother to vote because they know it's pointless -- they're fucked no matter which party wins.
Also, Murray and Cantwell carefully schedule their public appearences so they are effectively closed to anyone working the hours typical of minimum-wage employment.
The bitter truth about Washington state for lower income people is it is amongst the harshest states in the union -- the most regressive taxes and worst mass transit combined with disproportionately high living costs. Most lower income people therefore live in constant terror of losing their jobs. Thus are they subjugated to silence...the very silence Councilwoman Sawant seems to be (finally) breaking.
Indeed until Councilwoman Sawant's stunning victory, from the malevolent perspective of the Ruling Class, Washington state was perfectly governed: no taxes for the One Percent, diminishing social services for the rest of us, and -- just like in Medieval Europe -- most of the former public-access lands closed to everybody but definitively wealthy equestrians.
Fast track to a flat world! I just received several chain emails with the non-sensical anger against the liberal ACLU tearing apart the Christian society founded by Jeffeson. It is my policy to respond with a thoughtful and cordial message reminding the sender how their and my jobs are being outsourced - and all the symbols of Christmas trees and nativity scenes in public parks isn't going to change one thing.
We live in a time of mass hypnosis. our lives are filled with mass market messages with interludes of what we are told is the news we need to know. It's all rigged, partially by chance, partially by market surveys and mass marketing psychologists with subjects wearing heart rate monitors while testmark commercials and products. Riding at the helm of the machine are highly aggressive CEO's with their MBA hound dogs riding shot gun.
The same crowd has been convinced to despise unions and aside from a few tea party sponsored crazies, don't get involved. They shop at Walmart supporting doing away with the minimum wage and like the days of a John Wayne western believe everyone should fend for themselves.
Thom reminds me that despair is not an option. It's hard. To keep the faith.
The business henchmen are committed to increase short term profits even if means destroying the social framework. Common people of Greece, France, and others have swarmed to the street in protest. Americans, however, stew in the mass media contrivances. Complain, take their Zoloft and stomache antacid, and wonder off each day to their low paying job with lop or or none benefits - and send emails complaining about the liberal media.
What will it take to wake up? How much pain will it take to create a peaceful movement? Is America capable of a peaceful wake up call?
chuckle8:In 2008, then Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.), an original co-sponsor of the Act, proclaimed:
We will pass the Employee Free Choice Act. It's not a matter of if—it's a matter of when. We may have to wait for the next President to sign it, but we will get this thing done.
Soon after "the next President" was elected, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, including a Senate super-majority, and were unable to overcome bipartisan opposition to the bill. Labor leaders subsequently pushed a number of compromise efforts and alternative approaches -- none of which ultimately gained any traction. The Huffington Post's Sam Stein pointed out today on Twitter that Trumka's 2012 boast echoes similar predictions from cycles past -- most recently before the 2010 elections. But not only did all of the AFL-CIO's 2008-2010 political activity not succeed in passing EFCA in the 110th Congress, it helped elect the 111th -- in a wave election which created a significant Republican opposition in the House. Anything can happen in elections, but if 60 Senate seats and a House majority was not enough to pass EFCA in the 110th Congress, it is not very likely that the bill's prospects will fare much better in the 113th -- or even 114th.
So whatever happened to EFCA? The revised bill got stalled and sidetracked in 2009 due to the uncertainty of having enough yes votes in the Senate to bring the bill to a vote and the White House’s primary focus on passing Health Insurance Reform first. Now with Immigration Reform and the Fiscal Cliff- Sequestering on the front burners and Employee Free Choice Act on the backburner, it’s uncertain how long it will take a revised bill to be passed by the current 113th Congress.
And the Health Insurance Reform, the ACA, was really just a givaway to HealthScare Insurance..a way to have the government force everyone to pay premiums...albeit..subsidized ones in many cases..while having the taxpayers pick up the bill for the subsidies. It was a way to derail single payer which is what everyone really wanted.
-----------------------
Audio recording secret call to defeat employee free choice act by bank of america!
Number 10 needs a little work. Yes, Obama put in the consumer protection bureau only to have Richard Cordray come out a few months ago and tell the public that they hadn't better expect much should they bother to take the time to contact his office. In other words, that bureau has had its teeth ripped out. And I can't help but wonder who did that? Our illustrious president?Typical Right-wing baloney: Agencies in name only giving the illusion that everything is functional when, if you bother to look behind the curtain, you will find that NOTHING is functional these days except that there is a massive robbery going on right under our comatose noses.
I didn't vote for him for a second term; I went Green. I'm refusing to support ANY Corporate Demo-rats. And my conscience doesn't bother me a bit.
I can't help but wonder when this country is going to stop the self-delusion and get out and fight these slime balls off. I read a really good Chris Hedges article last week and he warns if we don't get out in the streets, we are going down the tubes for sure. I agree with him. I don't know what is wrong with Americans that they are just standing by and letting all of this happen. What in heaven's name are they thinking???
NSA capabilities in a 2008 catelog: "DropoutJeep is a software implant for the Apple iPhone that uses modular mission applications to provide specific SIGINT functionality. This functionality includes the ability to remotely push/pull files from the device. SMS retrieval, contact list retrieval, voicemail, geolocation, hot mic, camera capture, cell tower location, et cetera. Command, control, and data exfiltration can occur over SMS messaging" - okay, slowly - "or a GPRS data connection. All communications with the implant will be covert and encrypted." Don't we wish our own communications with an iPhone were."
This story also from that grc.com link above:
A woman assistant had gotten one of those fake FBI warnings that said that they found child porn on her computer and that if she didn't send them money she would be arrested. Along with photos of real child porn that they claim they found on her computer was a photo of her sitting at her computer. This, of course, is a very insidious scam that certainly doesn't come from the FBI. And the photos, except for her sitting in front of her computer, was not really on her computer except when the scammers sent them. The scary thing is that what they did was activate her web cam taking her photo and using that as a way to forge authenticity of their claims. There are other similar scams as well...some say they are from other law enforcement agencies like the NSA or Federal US Courts and others. Just put a post-it over the web cam hole. It won't keep them from sending these scams but at least they won't get your photo. Definitely, never send money to these scammers!
It has been discovered that a number of brands of home modem/routers (access points) have a back door on port 32764. Here's one way to check to see if you are affected:
Enter this into your browser URL box to have 'Security Now' probe for that port: (note: if you are hesitant to do this...than good for you...but you can check this out by searching on 'Security Now' and grc (gibson research
corporation). The reference to doing this is on the latest transcript of the show #437...go down to page 19 of 35)*
If the ShieldsUP web page that displays saying "Probing Your Port 32764" doesn't have a status of "Stealth" then it indicates that your router has this vulnerability. If it doesn't say "Stealth", you can go to your firewall and write a "rule" to block that port. Mine said "Stealth". "Stealth is good!"
to see a list of routers that have been found to have this "back door". It is mostly Netgear, Linksys, Cisco and a couple of Belkins and a couple of other lesser known routers.
Fabian, I agree. There's a lot of truth to what you are saying. I am enormously disillusioned with the Democratic Party as I have been for many years. You needn't convince me of the Democrats' share of the blame; ditto the middle class itself, for embracing what ultimately became the means to its own demise. Still, I stand by every word in post #2. Thom's topic of the day is about the so-called Republicon "plan" to "help" the poor. Those teabrains haven't exactly been passive onlookers through this whole charade. They've orchestrated more than their share, with the Blue Dogs as enablers, while much of the middle class either applauded or looked the other way. And now it's come back to bite 'em in the butt.
On another note, I'm disturbed by how the word "liberal" gets used these days. The neo-con media has twisted the meaning of that word beyond recognition; hence our adoption of "progressive" in place of "liberal". Nowadays people often use "liberal" in reference to a toxic sort of psuedo-liberalism which more closely resembles a corporatist world view or ideology. And that bothers me. The dictionary's definition of a liberal is someone who is "open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values", more closely aligned with my understanding of the term. I really resent the word games conservatives play, to manipulate and confuse the public. - Aliceinwonderland
Anyone who frets that workers don't have much power should consider those who were pushed out of the job market entirely. In the US, they no longer even have the most basic human rights (per the UN's Universal Declaration) to food and shelter. American workers actually have the power to change our trade policies, employment laws, etc. They have the power to shut the country down by Monday, going on strike, if that's what it takes to make Congress listen. They just don't feel like it.
It is Congress that determines legislation, not the president. I think that what the president is doing at the moment is something that he successfully did before -- He'll indicate that a certain policy is going to be passed, even though he does not say he supports it, and waits for the public backlash. There's a very good reason for this. Remember, back when he first ran for office, he repeatedly stated that there would be little he could achieve unless We the People got to our feet and demanded it. We have an unusually oppositional Congress (to the degree of shooting down their own bills merely because the president said, "Sounds OK to me.") Congress only blocks President Obama's proposals. The only thing that will make Congress reconsider is public pressure (by whatever means necessary) to reconsider. Through all the years that middle classers have been whining, they have actually had the power and means to organize, march on DC if necessary, to force their representatives to actually represent them. The middle class has the power to shut down the country by Monday, if they felt like it. If they do nothing, then nothing is all they'll get.
I'm not sure what the fuss is all about. This is merely the continuation of the agenda implemented back in the 1980s, expanded by Clinton. Nothing has changed. The austerity agenda, supported by the middle class, is now reaching the middle class. Predictable, inevitable, and there's nothing we can do about it.
Mark we do have publicly funded election campaigns but they are talking about getting rid of it. It works on how many votes you have in the last elections but Our system is very complicated. We also have tax breaks for private donations. We also have more than two parties. Believe it or not we have a separation party as some in French speaking Quebecers want to separate from Canada. The Canadian government has to give them election money as they are an official party. It is insane. Most Canadians are nothing like me they don't pay much attention to politics here. Corporations can't donate like they do there it really doesn't come into play Here. Some have been caught donating X amount per employee in there name which is not allowed.
I don't want anyone carrying guns at home. It thinks it's nuts. I have to say the guy with the gun wasn't drinking he was just at the bar. I don't know if it's allowed. What I like though is that each state has different rules. At least if you don't like it you can more to a place that is governed the way you like it.
Since Clinton's presidency, "global" and "trade" have become two of the dirtiest words in my vocabulary.
I wish, with all my heart, that more Americans could adopt the mind set that we vote with our money. I dream of a day when most (if not all) businesses in this country are worker-owned cooperatives; when privately-owned businesses with absentee owners are but a relic of the past; when a majority of us elect to spend our money at these cooperatives, buying American-made products as much as possible. People do themselves and their fellow citizens no favors buying all this imported crap without knowing or caring who made it, or where it comes from.
Before NAFTA, I took American-made products so for granted. I would have thought it jingoistic and silly to insist on stuff made here. Oh, how my perspective has changed! Enormously. - Aliceinwonderland
We gotta get the word out! If this passes we're done for!
When FTAA was first being considered it also was secret. Then somebody, I think it was Lori Wallach, got a copy of the text and put it on the Internet and they backed off on it.
DAnneMarc: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixiwsUZtU6c
DAnneMarc: Thanks for those links. I watched that 12 minute video on that first link. I had only caught the last 5 minutes of it before on TV. I guess it is possibly a touchy subject for some and they still think that the UFO subject is kooky. But, if it were real, then nothing could beat it...including TPP.
Yes, our government has been covering up a lot on this subject (they've been caught in their lies and have changed their stories repeatedly) and they have also had a disinformation program to make people believe this subject is kooky. That's the way they operate...creating misinformation... engineering the kook factor... to make people too embarrassed to talk about it.
I certainly don't know what is real about this subject but my very strong feeling is that this subject has been manipulated by government and/or extra-government entities for a number of reasons...partly because of what Greer said about valid alternative energy and partly because they don't want to radically change the way we understand the universe...too scarey for some...and it would challenge their dominant paradigm..eg: religious beliefs, beliefs that we are powerful enough to determine our own present and future.
To know that a very far advanced life form may have the ability to annihilate us, should they chose, or that our leaders are actually selling us out to these extraterrestrials in exchange for advanced technology is most likely just too much of a shocker for the majority of human beings to take.
But many people would not be convinced even though over 500 first hand witnesses working in sensitive Top Secret government positions have laid their reputations on the line as well as risked retribution from the government in breaking their silence.
It's been a couple of years, or more, since I watched the testimony of some of these people. I guess I'm going to have to get back into looking at what has transpired since.
Palindromedary ~ That's brilliant! Tapping into zero point, unlimited free energy and propulsion technology. What better way to let the air out of the International Corporatocracy balloon?
Palindromedary ~ Found it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwwtxHEI0Wc
So it's the energy and propulsion technology behind the secrecy. Very interesting! Thanks for that heads up.
http://www.disclosureproject.org/
Palindromedary ~ That sure is good news. I hope our representatives have the good sense to flush this nonsense down the toilet. It would renew my faith... somewhat in government.
By the way, I've skimmed this blog rather quickly this morning because I don't really have a lot of time. I could have sworn I saw a post with you referring to Dr. Steven Greer on Abbey Martin's show? I didn't catch it; however, I'm somewhat familiar with Dr. Greer's work in the "Disclosure Project." Did I miss anything interesting?
"The New York Times reports that it’s not likely the bill will be passed. One hundred fifty-one Democrats have signed a letter indicating their opposition, and Tea Party Republicans are unlikely to vote for it, given their inability to grant President Obama anything resembling a victory.
Yet if Congress does abdicate its right to oversight, there are fears that the TPP will never be subject to proper scrutiny. This could rubberstamp a free-trade agreement that has the potential to seriously curtail Internet freedom and hurt the nascent digital economy."
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/01/10/tpp_negotiations_bill...
Aliceinwonderland ~ I might imagine that what Loren is talking about is that gun registration is just the first step in a much broader public disarmament agenda. Please correct me if I'm wrong, Loren. However, that is the way I interpret it; and, considering the underlying fact that mental health was never seriously addressed concerning all these public shootings and gun control was the first and only official response, I must say that I completely agree with Loren.
I thought that was pretty lame...all the ruckus over a "scandal" over a traffic jam..."bridge-gate?" I don't know...maybe I would have had to be there! Yes, it sounds more like a "wag the dog" distraction from TPP....not that I know anything about distractions. ;-}
Loren, could you clarify exactly what you mean by "fanatical Democratic support" for public disarmament? I'm not refuting you, necessarily; I'm just a tad confused. That's hardly how I would characterize pleas I've heard for firearm registration. You've made a strong case for the necessity of firearms, living out in the wild country amongst bears and mountain lions. I just don't understand how licensing & registration would jeopardize that... unless I'm missing something. - AIW
rich...
What will it take for a peaceful movement? Where's the outrage? Carefully scripted, then eliminated. See post # 4. Without control of ubiquitous media we can’t educate the masses or bring enough pressure to Capital Hill to force legislators’ hands. 2 million people marched against Monsanto a few months ago, do you think someone you’d run into in the supermarket would even know that? If MLK were active today, we wouldn’t even know who he was...unless we took it upon ourselves to know. Media that people could not escape covered the civil rights movement, otherwise legislators could have...and would have ignored it. Unless every social/environmental/economic justice organization unites to get ubiquitous media back in the hands of the people, so that the people can hold public servants accountable, the people can not organize accept into isolated groups that dissolve into invisibility due to lack of accurate coverage, if any at all.
Chuckle8,
No doubt some positive changes did occur, but nothing that would truly undo the crash of '08, threaten the status quo, could not easily be undone or possibly turn out to be a boon for big pharma and the insurance industry or the big banks. TPP would destroy our sovereignty as a nation which, if you go by the dictionary, would be High Treason. We would be the United States of America in name only, and once our whole government is dismantled by these plutocrats, of which Obama is one, we will be known as the United States of the American Republic of China. Romney made a killing on the auto bail out. (See Amy Goodman's piece) Most of the jobs "saved" bailing out Detroit went to Mexico and China and now Detroit's in bankruptcy. Time will tell..and speaking as a member of the LGBT community, I think the only reason our rights expanded while other minorities were screwed (stop and frisk, huge increase in deportations) was because the richest demographic in the country consists of white male same-sex couples.
On Paul Jay's The Real News Network are two new videos, Part 1 and Part 2, interviewing both Chris Hedges and William Binney on NSA Policy (part 1 was featured on Democracy Now):
part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlGBlzX3bJk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUrm...
part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js4bRqTAAkU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUrm...
Neither Cantwell nor Murray have been effectively confronted because they are meticulously protected by Ruling Class media and Democrat Party functionaries.
I know this because I worked as a volunteer publicist on the campaign of Hong Tran for the Democrat senatorial nomination in 2006. Though she was not only ignored by mass media but continually sabotaged by the Democrat Party apparatus, she did manage to get 5 percent of the primary vote.
However, based on Councilwoman Sawant's example, that sort of methodical disempowerment of alternative candidates may no longer work.
As to the longshore and transport unions, they are trying desperaterly to protect their jobs in a viciously anti-union economy in a state in which the Democrats render lip service to unionism but are in fact as anti-union as the Republicans.
Part of the problem is that deliberately agitated envy of unionized workers has combined with fanatical Democrat support for forcible civilian disarmament to turn much of the state's Working Class electorate into avowed enemies of unionism who now reliably therefore vote Republican.
In rural Washington, where unions are an issue of much less importance, you often hear it said, "Neither party gives a damn about working people any more, so might as well vote Republican -- at least they'll let us keep our guns." This is a genuine survival issue in a land of bears, cougars and outlaws, where emergency response times can run as long as an hour.
There's also the fact the term "anti-union progressive" probably originated in Washington state, where it describes a substantial portion of the Democrat electorate, particularly those employed in the (lavishly salaried) computer industry. Note for example what was done to the Boeing machinists -- especially how the blue-collar union-busting (which is what it was) was led by white-collar Democrats.
Wal-Mart slaves and fast-food slaves hardly factor into the equation at all. Because they depend on food stamps and other social services to survive, they are forced to support the Democrats, who are less hostile to these programs than the Republicans. But mostly they don't bother to vote because they know it's pointless -- they're fucked no matter which party wins.
Also, Murray and Cantwell carefully schedule their public appearences so they are effectively closed to anyone working the hours typical of minimum-wage employment.
The bitter truth about Washington state for lower income people is it is amongst the harshest states in the union -- the most regressive taxes and worst mass transit combined with disproportionately high living costs. Most lower income people therefore live in constant terror of losing their jobs. Thus are they subjugated to silence...the very silence Councilwoman Sawant seems to be (finally) breaking.
Indeed until Councilwoman Sawant's stunning victory, from the malevolent perspective of the Ruling Class, Washington state was perfectly governed: no taxes for the One Percent, diminishing social services for the rest of us, and -- just like in Medieval Europe -- most of the former public-access lands closed to everybody but definitively wealthy equestrians.
Fast track to a flat world! I just received several chain emails with the non-sensical anger against the liberal ACLU tearing apart the Christian society founded by Jeffeson. It is my policy to respond with a thoughtful and cordial message reminding the sender how their and my jobs are being outsourced - and all the symbols of Christmas trees and nativity scenes in public parks isn't going to change one thing.
We live in a time of mass hypnosis. our lives are filled with mass market messages with interludes of what we are told is the news we need to know. It's all rigged, partially by chance, partially by market surveys and mass marketing psychologists with subjects wearing heart rate monitors while testmark commercials and products. Riding at the helm of the machine are highly aggressive CEO's with their MBA hound dogs riding shot gun.
The same crowd has been convinced to despise unions and aside from a few tea party sponsored crazies, don't get involved. They shop at Walmart supporting doing away with the minimum wage and like the days of a John Wayne western believe everyone should fend for themselves.
Thom reminds me that despair is not an option. It's hard. To keep the faith.
The business henchmen are committed to increase short term profits even if means destroying the social framework. Common people of Greece, France, and others have swarmed to the street in protest. Americans, however, stew in the mass media contrivances. Complain, take their Zoloft and stomache antacid, and wonder off each day to their low paying job with lop or or none benefits - and send emails complaining about the liberal media.
What will it take to wake up? How much pain will it take to create a peaceful movement? Is America capable of a peaceful wake up call?
maybe then we will take action ....
chuckle8:In 2008, then Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.), an original co-sponsor of the Act, proclaimed:
We will pass the Employee Free Choice Act. It's not a matter of if—it's a matter of when. We may have to wait for the next President to sign it, but we will get this thing done.
Soon after "the next President" was elected, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, including a Senate super-majority, and were unable to overcome bipartisan opposition to the bill. Labor leaders subsequently pushed a number of compromise efforts and alternative approaches -- none of which ultimately gained any traction. The Huffington Post's Sam Stein pointed out today on Twitter that Trumka's 2012 boast echoes similar predictions from cycles past -- most recently before the 2010 elections. But not only did all of the AFL-CIO's 2008-2010 political activity not succeed in passing EFCA in the 110th Congress, it helped elect the 111th -- in a wave election which created a significant Republican opposition in the House. Anything can happen in elections, but if 60 Senate seats and a House majority was not enough to pass EFCA in the 110th Congress, it is not very likely that the bill's prospects will fare much better in the 113th -- or even 114th.
http://www.laborrelationstoday.com/articles/efca/
So whatever happened to EFCA? The revised bill got stalled and sidetracked in 2009 due to the uncertainty of having enough yes votes in the Senate to bring the bill to a vote and the White House’s primary focus on passing Health Insurance Reform first. Now with Immigration Reform and the Fiscal Cliff- Sequestering on the front burners and Employee Free Choice Act on the backburner, it’s uncertain how long it will take a revised bill to be passed by the current 113th Congress.
http://www.cupe2544.ca/employee-free-choice-act-2/
And the Health Insurance Reform, the ACA, was really just a givaway to HealthScare Insurance..a way to have the government force everyone to pay premiums...albeit..subsidized ones in many cases..while having the taxpayers pick up the bill for the subsidies. It was a way to derail single payer which is what everyone really wanted.
-----------------------
Audio recording secret call to defeat employee free choice act by bank of america!
by toxic · November 9, 2013
http://theshimmynetwork.org/2013/11/09/audio-recording-secret-call-defea...
Number 10 needs a little work. Yes, Obama put in the consumer protection bureau only to have Richard Cordray come out a few months ago and tell the public that they hadn't better expect much should they bother to take the time to contact his office. In other words, that bureau has had its teeth ripped out. And I can't help but wonder who did that? Our illustrious president?Typical Right-wing baloney: Agencies in name only giving the illusion that everything is functional when, if you bother to look behind the curtain, you will find that NOTHING is functional these days except that there is a massive robbery going on right under our comatose noses.
I didn't vote for him for a second term; I went Green. I'm refusing to support ANY Corporate Demo-rats. And my conscience doesn't bother me a bit.
I can't help but wonder when this country is going to stop the self-delusion and get out and fight these slime balls off. I read a really good Chris Hedges article last week and he warns if we don't get out in the streets, we are going down the tubes for sure. I agree with him. I don't know what is wrong with Americans that they are just standing by and letting all of this happen. What in heaven's name are they thinking???
The NSA paid RSA $10 million to get them to accept an encryption standard that is so weak it is tantamount to a back door.
Stephen Colbert urged to cancel speech for NSA-linked privacy firm RSA
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/10/stephen-colbert-nsa-linked-...
NSA capabilities in a 2008 catelog: "DropoutJeep is a software implant for the Apple iPhone that uses modular mission applications to provide specific SIGINT functionality. This functionality includes the ability to remotely push/pull files from the device. SMS retrieval, contact list retrieval, voicemail, geolocation, hot mic, camera capture, cell tower location, et cetera. Command, control, and data exfiltration can occur over SMS messaging" - okay, slowly - "or a GPRS data connection. All communications with the implant will be covert and encrypted." Don't we wish our own communications with an iPhone were."
https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-437.pdf
This story also from that grc.com link above:
A woman assistant had gotten one of those fake FBI warnings that said that they found child porn on her computer and that if she didn't send them money she would be arrested. Along with photos of real child porn that they claim they found on her computer was a photo of her sitting at her computer. This, of course, is a very insidious scam that certainly doesn't come from the FBI. And the photos, except for her sitting in front of her computer, was not really on her computer except when the scammers sent them. The scary thing is that what they did was activate her web cam taking her photo and using that as a way to forge authenticity of their claims. There are other similar scams as well...some say they are from other law enforcement agencies like the NSA or Federal US Courts and others. Just put a post-it over the web cam hole. It won't keep them from sending these scams but at least they won't get your photo. Definitely, never send money to these scammers!
It has been discovered that a number of brands of home modem/routers (access points) have a back door on port 32764. Here's one way to check to see if you are affected:
Enter this into your browser URL box to have 'Security Now' probe for that port: (note: if you are hesitant to do this...than good for you...but you can check this out by searching on 'Security Now' and grc (gibson research
corporation). The reference to doing this is on the latest transcript of the show #437...go down to page 19 of 35)*
www.GRC.com/x/portprobe=32764
If the ShieldsUP web page that displays saying "Probing Your Port 32764" doesn't have a status of "Stealth" then it indicates that your router has this vulnerability. If it doesn't say "Stealth", you can go to your firewall and write a "rule" to block that port. Mine said "Stealth". "Stealth is good!"
You can also go to this web site: https://github.com/elvanderb/TCP-32764
to see a list of routers that have been found to have this "back door". It is mostly Netgear, Linksys, Cisco and a couple of Belkins and a couple of other lesser known routers.
* https://www.grc.com/sn/sn-437.pdf (page 19 of 35)
Fabian, I agree. There's a lot of truth to what you are saying. I am enormously disillusioned with the Democratic Party as I have been for many years. You needn't convince me of the Democrats' share of the blame; ditto the middle class itself, for embracing what ultimately became the means to its own demise. Still, I stand by every word in post #2. Thom's topic of the day is about the so-called Republicon "plan" to "help" the poor. Those teabrains haven't exactly been passive onlookers through this whole charade. They've orchestrated more than their share, with the Blue Dogs as enablers, while much of the middle class either applauded or looked the other way. And now it's come back to bite 'em in the butt.
On another note, I'm disturbed by how the word "liberal" gets used these days. The neo-con media has twisted the meaning of that word beyond recognition; hence our adoption of "progressive" in place of "liberal". Nowadays people often use "liberal" in reference to a toxic sort of psuedo-liberalism which more closely resembles a corporatist world view or ideology. And that bothers me. The dictionary's definition of a liberal is someone who is "open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values", more closely aligned with my understanding of the term. I really resent the word games conservatives play, to manipulate and confuse the public. - Aliceinwonderland
Anyone who frets that workers don't have much power should consider those who were pushed out of the job market entirely. In the US, they no longer even have the most basic human rights (per the UN's Universal Declaration) to food and shelter. American workers actually have the power to change our trade policies, employment laws, etc. They have the power to shut the country down by Monday, going on strike, if that's what it takes to make Congress listen. They just don't feel like it.
It is Congress that determines legislation, not the president. I think that what the president is doing at the moment is something that he successfully did before -- He'll indicate that a certain policy is going to be passed, even though he does not say he supports it, and waits for the public backlash. There's a very good reason for this. Remember, back when he first ran for office, he repeatedly stated that there would be little he could achieve unless We the People got to our feet and demanded it. We have an unusually oppositional Congress (to the degree of shooting down their own bills merely because the president said, "Sounds OK to me.") Congress only blocks President Obama's proposals. The only thing that will make Congress reconsider is public pressure (by whatever means necessary) to reconsider. Through all the years that middle classers have been whining, they have actually had the power and means to organize, march on DC if necessary, to force their representatives to actually represent them. The middle class has the power to shut down the country by Monday, if they felt like it. If they do nothing, then nothing is all they'll get.
I'm not sure what the fuss is all about. This is merely the continuation of the agenda implemented back in the 1980s, expanded by Clinton. Nothing has changed. The austerity agenda, supported by the middle class, is now reaching the middle class. Predictable, inevitable, and there's nothing we can do about it.
Mark we do have publicly funded election campaigns but they are talking about getting rid of it. It works on how many votes you have in the last elections but Our system is very complicated. We also have tax breaks for private donations. We also have more than two parties. Believe it or not we have a separation party as some in French speaking Quebecers want to separate from Canada. The Canadian government has to give them election money as they are an official party. It is insane. Most Canadians are nothing like me they don't pay much attention to politics here. Corporations can't donate like they do there it really doesn't come into play Here. Some have been caught donating X amount per employee in there name which is not allowed.
I don't want anyone carrying guns at home. It thinks it's nuts. I have to say the guy with the gun wasn't drinking he was just at the bar. I don't know if it's allowed. What I like though is that each state has different rules. At least if you don't like it you can more to a place that is governed the way you like it.
There is good reason to get a knot in your stomach when pols use the word, "reform."
Since Clinton's presidency, "global" and "trade" have become two of the dirtiest words in my vocabulary.
I wish, with all my heart, that more Americans could adopt the mind set that we vote with our money. I dream of a day when most (if not all) businesses in this country are worker-owned cooperatives; when privately-owned businesses with absentee owners are but a relic of the past; when a majority of us elect to spend our money at these cooperatives, buying American-made products as much as possible. People do themselves and their fellow citizens no favors buying all this imported crap without knowing or caring who made it, or where it comes from.
Before NAFTA, I took American-made products so for granted. I would have thought it jingoistic and silly to insist on stuff made here. Oh, how my perspective has changed! Enormously. - Aliceinwonderland
We gotta get the word out! If this passes we're done for!
When FTAA was first being considered it also was secret. Then somebody, I think it was Lori Wallach, got a copy of the text and put it on the Internet and they backed off on it.
We need more leaks from Snowden.