Friday, August 18, 2006

LABOR POWER IS SUPPRESSED



THE 14 CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM
PART 10
LABOR POWER IS SUPPRESSED
BY ABRAHAM, ENLIGHTENMENT, AND KAREN

Deprived of the trade unions, collective bargaining, and the right to strike, the German workers in the Third Reich became an industrial serf, bound to his master, the employer, much as medieval peasants had been bound to the lord of the manner. The so called Labor Front, which in theory replaced the old trade unions, did not represent the workers. According to the law of October 24, 1934, which created it, was 'the organization of creative Germans of brain and fist." It took on not only wage and salary earners, but also the employers and members of the professions. It was really a vast propaganda organization, and as some workers said, a gigantic fraud. Its aim, as state in law, was not to protect the workers, but to 'create a true social and productive community of all Germans. Its task is to see that every individual should be able to…perform the maximum of work.'"

From
THE RISE AND THE FALL OF THE THIRD REICH: A HISTORY OF NAZI GERMANY,
page 263
By William L. Shirer
Published in 1960 by Simon and Schuster



Don't you just love it when right wing class warriors condemn the idea of class warfare? We seem to have forgotten that the axis powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan) had no trouble with labor unions because they cracked down on them: often brutally. That's only logical because labor unions, by their very nature, are a nongovernmental source of democratic _expression, promoting everything from fair wages and safer working conditions, to freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble. Granted, right wingers typically condemn labor unions because of alleged low production and higher prices; but the dirty little secret behind the right wing class warfare is the unholy marriage of the Republican Party to Corporate America which funds Republican political campaigns. In both, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, big business played a political game of footsie with Mussolini and Adolf Hitler; and while the corporations paid a heavy price in the form of constant state harassment, German and Italian business leaders didn't complain too loudly when profit margins went through the roof. True, it was done at the expense of the workers' rights, but who said that corporations are democratic institutions? They are not. By their very nature, they are at best feudal, and at the worst, fascist, which means that the only thing that matters to Corporate America is the bottom line. If corporations believe that a mild form of fascism, such as we seem to be heading towards today, will create larger profit margins, then corporations will continue to make political contributions to the would be fascist no matter how repressive and brutal those politicians may become.

But that raises a rather important question. What's at stake. Well, off hand, we would suggest the following:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; nor abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances."


We shall repeat the relevant words here: "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" and "THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO PEACEABLY ASSEMBLE."

Contrary to the wishes of corporations, the American people really do have rights, and since the Constitution hasn't been rewritten so as to ban freedom of association, the American people have the right to form unions; although you would never know it, judging by the manner in which workers are bullied, spied on, and harassed whenever they attempt to form a union. Indeed, if you want to see fascism in action, just how a corporation behaves when its workers decide to unionize. The minute a corporation gets wind of a union the Powers That Be call in specialized lawyers and psychologists (union busters) who conduct psychological warfare against the workers. Supervisors are transformed into the corporate equivalent of Gestapo officers, reporting, often on a daily basis, to union busting consultants, snitching on the behaviors and reactions of the worker. During the course of the unionizing campaign each worker may be interviewed (some might say harassed) as often as 20 to 25 times. Backing the corporations are organizations such as the National Association of Manufacturers and a plethora of right wing think tanks such as the Free Enterprise Institute and others.

Another tactic is the dissolution of existing unions. Some large companies may deliberately provoke their unions into launching costly strikes which unusually end up hurting both sides. Or the corporation may exploit a legal loophole and engage in "double breasting." Translated into modern English the corporation splits in two: one part unionized the other operating with nonunion workers. Or the employer may encourage employees to circulate petitions which would decertify the union. On the legal front, corporations are constantly seeking ways to undermine First amendment Rights to peaceful assembly through legislation that would impose even greater restrictions on peaceful picketing.

As if anything could be worse than the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.

*The Taft-Hartley Act undermined workers rights by giving states the right to enact Orwellian named "right to work" laws. In essence, workers can supposedly still enjoy the benefits that come from union membership, minus the dues, without actually joining the union. But this only gives more power to the corporation by diluting the number of unionized workers, weakening the union's collective bargaining power.

*Supervisors and independent contractors are not counted as employees, excluding them from the pool of workers while transforming supervisors into union busters for the corporation.

*The closed shop is banned. Closed shops essentially require a potential employee to join the union before he or she is eligible for employment with the unionized employer.

*Employees are allowed to petition for a union certification election. This may sound fair on the surface, it gives employees a huge advantage in that it allows them to control the timing of the vote, and often forcing that vote to take place before the union is ready to hold one.

*Taft Hartley diminishes the organizing and bargaining power of labor unions by banning secondary boycotts.

*Taft-Hartley also gives corporations the right to campaign against the workers' First Amendment Rights. That is, it nullifies the principles of employee neutrality and allows management to campaign against the formation of a union, when in fact the only debate is the one that should be going on between the workers without outside interference.

*Election hearings concerning disputed matters must be held before a vote is taken to recognize the union. This too sounds harmless enough, but the delay usually benefits the corporation, since it gives high paid lawyers and psychologists an opportunity to harass and coerce workers.

This is quite a change from the 1939 Wagner (National Labor Relations) Act which outlawed company unions, forbade management from interfering in the formation of unions, and, which established the National Labor Relations Board to hear complaints and, if necessary, issue cease and desist orders which could be enforced in federal courts. Of course, the Wagner Act was a product of the New Deal (which Bush and his cronies seem so determined to completely dismantle) and Franklin D. Roosevelt. But then again, Franklin Roosevelt was actually dedicated to fighting fascism.

And that's more than we can say for some presidents

Saturday, August 12, 2006

THE GOP COLOR GUIDE TO FEAR-MONGERING SECURITY

With all the talk about terrorist attacks and alert systems, I think it's time to revise the present color coded alert system in favor of something that's a little more informative and utilitarian.   As the system works right now, we are always under a yellow, orange, or red alert, which, in addition to being a genuinely horrible combination of colors, does very little to tell us about who or what we are supposed to be afraid of.  I don't know about you, but I think that if someones wants to either alert or frighten us into supporting the Republican Party that someone should at least have the integrity to choose a color code that will inform and enlighten the American people.  I don't want to sound pushy, but I have a modest example here.   It's called the GOP Color Guide to Fear-Mongering "Security," and it works like this.

A PURPLE ALERT would inform you that a disgustingly upbeat purple dinosaur is spreading an anti-American, anti-Republican message of sharing, love, and compassion.

A BLUE ALERT might indicate that liberal democrats are trying to vote.  If such an alert were to be sounded, Red State Governors and election officials would rig the black box voting machines to guarantee additional, fraudulent GOP victories .

A GREEN ALERT would warn corporate polluters about pending inspections in local facilities, giving CEOs and Boards of Directors enough time to raise and distribute illegal funds to pay off state, county, and local inspectors.   In a similar vein, a GREEN ALERT would also be sounded on those occasions when a liberal Congressman or Senator proposes legislation which would provide federal funding for the exploration of alternative energy sources.

A YELLOW ALERT would inform us that all is normal:  The Republicans, most of which never served a single day in the defense of their country, are still afraid of everything from truth, honesty, and decency, to freedom, peace, and critical thinking.


AN ORANGE ALERT would indicate that George W. Bush has again become confused and is threatening to bomb Los Angeles because he can't figure out which side of the toilet paper to use first.

A RED ALERT would mean that Laura (Pickles) Bush  needs to buy more spot remover and lemon juice to wash the blood from her sociopathic husband's hands.

A PINK ALERT
would be sounded if a gay couple were to move into a homophobic neighborhood, giving the local Republicans and Fundamentalists an opportunity to don their white sheets and white, pointed dunce caps.

A BROWN ALERT would inform White, gated communities that someone of Hispanic, Mid Eastern, or Indian descent is trying to purchase a house in the neighborhood.   Proceed as for Pink Alert. 

A BLACK ALERT gives Republican officials ample time to close polling places in minority districts which might tend to vote Democratic.

The ever popular WHITE ONLY ALERT is usually reserved for the televised portion of the GOP presidential convention, essentially giving the GOP Spin masters an opportunity to get their token minorities in place for prime time viewing.

GOLD ALERTS would be issued prior to April 15, when covetous corporations, which have already benefited from very generous tax cuts, decide to move their corporate headquarters to avoid taxation altogether.

The patriotic RED, WHITE, AND, BLUE ALERT would serve a number of useful purposes.  First and foremost, it would be dragged out when ever our megalomaniacal Decider wants to add a new failed state to the declining American Empire (read, whenever he wants to start a new war for profit).   Conversely, it might also be used whenever the GOP wants to protect the American flag by defecating on the American Constitution.

The seasonal RED AND GREEN ALERT would usher in the time of year when devout, Republican "Christians" bastardize the holiest time of the year by waging a cultural war over the terms "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays."

THE FUCHSIA ALERT might be employed when Rick Santorum equates gay marriage with child molesting and bestiality.  While cute, this alternative might not be used too frequently because Senator Santorum is usually too busy kissing and cuddling the dead, 20-week-old fetus that he and his wife are keeping on the mantel in a jar of pure grain alcohol.

In my humble opinion, the GOP Color Guide to Fear-Mongering "Security" is far more informative and farm more informative than the present system of color coded alerts which are only designed to promote fear and paranoia and to keep the American people in line as they goosestep into hell itself after their power hungry, manipulative GOP leaders.




Wednesday, August 09, 2006

GOOD GRIEF, IS HE BIPOLAR TOO?!?!?!

Iraq is devolving into an even bloodier, sectarian civil war than it has ever been; our puppet select in Iraq has openly condemned George W. Bush, death squad brutality, and the American occupation in general; Israel and Hezbollah are engaged ion a theo political totentanz, which is tearing apart the nation of Lebanon; Condy Rice gives the impression that the current turmoil in the Middle east is actually on the job training; and with everything going wrong at the same time, our dysfunctional Demander and Thief decides to take yet another joy trip to Crawford, Texas at a time when some kind of presidential leadership is clearly needed.
-------Sweet Jesus, how much vacation time does this lazy bum need? By his own admission he works out a few hours every day; he takes a nap in the afternoon he doesn't read the newspapers nor important, lengthy documents, meaning world events are distilled intro brief, over-simplified briefings, which means that he isn't devoting a great deal of the time to the job for which he is being paid; he goes to bed early:So why in the hell does this good for nothing slacker need more vacation time when every day in Washington is in and of itself a miniature vacation?
-------Every time this president is confronted with a heavy duty dose of reality, whenever he is brought face to face with a disastrous situation, he reacts in one of two ways. He either lashes out and goes on the offensive (in which case we almost invariably witness a childish proclivity for adolescent sarcasm and name calling. Or he withdraws from reality as he did in that classroom on September 11, 2001. On other occasions he withdraws Washington DC altogether and heads down to his artificial womb in Crawford, Texas where he can safely issolate himself from the horrors--many of his own creation--in the real world.
-------Isn't it amazing? Not only does George W. Bush hold a simplistic, unrealistic, black and white view of the world, he also reveals a similar dichotomy in the way that he reacts to the unpleasantness of every day life. He either lashes out at the people around him, or he withdraws from reality. We knew George W. Bush was a sociopath who had no real feelings for anyone except himself; and we always suspected that he suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Dry Drunk Syndrome, but suppose--just suppose--that we had the Attention Deficit part wrong? Suppose, just for a moment that George W. Bush doesn't suffer from a horrendous learning disability, but that he is actually psychotic and suffers from a more serious condition such as Bipolar Affective Disorder. The man has been a walking text book of mental disorders, that much is for certain, and the idea of a sociopath suffering from a psychotic disorder is highly disturbing, but it isn't without precedence. Adolf Hitler, after all, was a cunning, blood thirsty sociopath who maintained a firm grip on reality until he became drunk on power and descended into his own delusions of grandeur. So maybe we should be asking ourselves the following question:
-------Is the cruelty and sadism of President George W. Bush accented by the madness of King George W. Bush?
-------How many times have we seen this man in a state of hypomania but failed to recognize his behavior for what it was? One little thing goes right and he soars to the heights of cloud nine. He sees a tiny glimmer of light on a dark, stormy horizon, and he thinks all is right with the world. The initial invasion of Iraq goes as according to planned, and Bush swaggers on the deck of the Abraham Lincoln as if he were a hunky model of beefcake on a proverbial runway, posing beneath that God awful sign that read "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!". Saddam Hussein is captured and "W" thumps his chest like the big, hairy ape from Skull Island, oblivious to the fact that Hussein's capture was utterly irrelevant to the budding insurgency which "W" denied was even taking place. Zarqawi is killed and our maniacal decider throws a press conference at which he clowns like the proverbial dancing drunk with a lampshade on his head, taking potshots at a visually impaired reporter, to whom he later apologizes. On other occasion he devolves into an amateur comic and gives an irresponsible performance in which he searches the oval office for the nonexistent weapons of destruction while American solders are dying in Iraq for his mistakes.
-------And that's the problem with Bush. One little event is enough to trigger his upward mood swing. A tiny little something goes right, and suddenly we have turned another corner. Somebody dares to ask him a serious question and he acts in a disproportionately angry manner. Suddenly everything is all sunshine and pretty colors, no matter what the reality based community is trying to tell him. And if you try to correct him, that will set him off too. George, after all lives in a faith-basd La-La Land where little things like facts and truth have no real meaning. The guy just doesn't know when to quit, because in his delusional thought pattern, he really can't do anything wrong.
-------Let's face it: From the patent's point of view, hypomania can actually be an enjoyable state of mind. Imagine being never wrong in the face of insurmountable evidence against your delusional world view. Imagine believing and knowing in your heart of hearts that you can never be wrong--even when you're more full of shit than a plugged toilet. And don't forget all the energy and good feelings that come from looking down at the rest of the mere human beings from Seventh Heaven. And you thought it was a coincidence that this President cracks jokes about how he believes he has been selected by God for some great purpose, and how his job would be easier if he were a dictator. Could it be that W isn't joking when he says things like that? Could it be that the bio-electrical connections in his pea sized brain are firing so erratically that he really does believe that he's a little bit more than human?
-------Okay. That probably isn't fair, because there have definitely been times when it has looked as if W. has been given a little too much Lithium. You know the times: when he's tongue tied and can't finish a sentence? When he looks tired, and his eyes look empty because the handlers had to get him off the ceiling with whatever anti psychotics they've been feeding him. Granted, the side effects of prescribed medication can be a real bitch, but do we really want a president who thinks that he's more than human running anything even remotely connected to our foreign and domestic policy? I guess what I'm trying to say is that if it comes to a choice between letting "W" act like Charles Manson on uppers, and turning him into a Texan retake of the title role in I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, I would almost certainly prefer the over-medicated zombie. It's safer for Bush; it's safer for the people around him; and God knows it's a lot safer for the country in general.
------Of course that leaves Dick Cheney in charge, but I think we all know that Dick Cheney has been operating the blue-eyed puppet from day one. But the purpose of this post was to discuss the fact that George W. Bush would make a splendid poster boy for the American Psychiatric Association. The sociopathy and outright sadism of Dick Cheney and Carl Rove are topics that are better discussed in separate posts.
-------But in the meantime "W" is heading off to Crawford to clear out more brush. Maybe Cindy Sheehan will be kind enough to leave Camp Case from time to time and remind our dysfunctional leader that it's time to take his meds.


-------(For additional Information about the many disorders of George W. Bush please check out a book titled BUSH ON THE COUCH by Justin A. Frank.)

Friday, August 04, 2006

BUSH ALTERNATIVE TIME LINE


BUSH ALTERNATIVE TIME LINE
Revised Version for 2006-2010
By Brandon and Daniel

October  2006--Republicans retain majorities in both houses of Congress in November 2006 elections

 Early January 2007--Inspired by voice of Jesus, Bush proposes the establishment of a Christian Republic.  Demands Constitutional Amendment declaring Christianity the one and only official faith of the United States. 
 
 Late January 2007--Following allegations that Israeli-Lebanese War was planned in Washington as a means to distract from the failed U.S. invasion of Iraq, Bush issues presidential decree proclaiming himself the official Media Tsar of the United States, essentially demanding the right to control output of all media, both print and electronic.   Bush also demands the right to place roadblocks on the information highway, including the censorship of all "unfriendly blogs or other sites which to do not recognize the American President as being "more than a mere human being." 

February 2007- Fueled by increasingly violent fantasies about the Rapture and the End Times, Bush calls a secret cabinet meeting demanding that all attempts to promulgate war be labeled as either "diplomatic efforts" or "attempts at peace making."   During course of conversation, Bush announces, that he is the spiritual and moral equivalent of Jesus and demands that all followers wear his mark either on their foreheads or in the palms of their right hands. 
 
March 2007--Congress appropriates funds for the construction of  a larger than life size statue of Anne Coulter.   Finished product has Coulter riding the back of a large, red beast.   
 
April 2007-Senator Rick Santorum proposes legislation that would mandate the cuddling and kissing of dead fetuses, ages 20 weeks and younger. 

May 2007--Radicalized House of Representatives proposes Constitutional Amendment that would declare the United States a "Christian Republic." 

June 2007 --Senate introduces and passes the above Amendment.

Early September 2007--Following failed attempt to starve out minorities and low income residents in Hurricane ravaged New Orleans, Bush Regime diverts public attention to terrorism and social issues.   Government-planned and executed terrorist attack on Mall of America is used as an excuse to heighten sense of fear and paranoia for the upcoming 2008 elections, although secret papers will eventually reveal that the intention had been to cancel the elections in the first place.
 
Mid-September 2007-- Eye brows are raised when Supreme Court Justice Roberts makes an off the cuff remark about a "final solution to the gay and lesbian problem."
 
Late September 2007--Alberto Gonzalez proposes the Christian Protection Act.  See below. 

October 2007--Congress introduces and  passes the  above Christian Protection Act which forbids nonchristians to teach in public and private schools. Act also bans gays and unwed mothers from serving in the same capacity while imposing heavy fines and penalties on those who advocate Separation of Church and State.

November 2007--Bush Administration uses executive powers to ban the teaching of Darwinism in public schools. Ban imposes heavy fines on those who fail to endorse Creationism as scientific fact.. Secretary Rumsfeld threatens use of military tribunals against any individual or group of individuals which "fails to promote the Judeo-Christian interpretation of Creation."

December 2007--Congress declares homosexuality to be a crime against nature. Provides funding for the investigation and persecution of known and suspected gays and lesbians..

February 2008-- Despite previous praise for the nation of Israel, Judaism  is declared a crime against the  American State.  Mel Gibson appointed as head of the new Christian Purity Protection Department which opnely promotes the vandalization of Jewish shops and cemetaries.

March 2008--Islamic terrorist attacks on Houston, Atlanta, and Miami. In following weeks more than 50,000 Muslims are beaten and killed in the streets while law enforcement officers, under secret orders from Alberto Gonzalez, either watch or take part in the actual beatings, Jerry Falwell  and Pat Robertson proclaim the pogrom to be the "work of God in our world today.".  After learning that a majority of the terrorists were Saudi nationals, Bush orders bombing of Helsinki, Finland, noting "I never liked the sound of the word Hell-sink-eeee." 
 
April 2008--Despite average summer temperatures of 99 degrees and repeated droughts, Senator James Imhoff, in an attempt to distract from his recently revealed affair with Senator Rick Santorum, announces that those who believe in Global Warming are "in league with the Devil."   Senate passes the Scientific Protection Act which declares all forms of scientific research not approved by the Executive branch to be forms of witchcraft.  

May 2008--Congress limits the right to hold state, local, or federal office to those individuals who can prove that they are either baptized or rebaptzied Christians. Bush, via presidential decree, claims the right to decide what comprises a legitimate Christian sect.

June 2008-- Queer Eye for the Straight Guy stars are hunted and burned. Their makeover victims burned at the stake in Salem, Massachusetts.  In a twist on the old Medieval custom, Wican practitioners are set on fire to ignite the kindling, thus inventing the term "wags." 

Mid July 2008--In an effort to fuel the flames of war, Secretary Donald Rumsfeld orders terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, with attacks concentrated on sites considered holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
 
Late July 2008--Following failed peace negotiations, which are later reveled as staged events, Israel, acting on secret orders of the United States, Rumsfeld launches preemptive attacks on Iran and Syria.   In retaliation, Iran sends 200,000 suicide brigades into Iraq, killing 40,000 American soldiers and 450,000 Sunnis and infidels.   Beginning of World War III celebrated by the Christian Right.   George W. Bush declares that it is the duty of "every true believer to kill a heathen for Christ."    Administration enraged when Russia and China step in to assist client states of Iran and Syria.   Bush declares draft for all young men ages 14 to 53.  During address to nation, Bush states that "no type of weaponry will be considered off limits."   European allies refuse to intervene, reminding American Fuhrer of recent attacks on Finland.
 
Early August 2008--With Mid East embroiled in generalized war, gas prices soar to $8.50 a gallon.   Price will eventually reach $200 a gallon before war global conflagration is over.  

 Mid August 2008--Congress passes the Anti-Blasphemy Act which criminalizes speech against the King James Bible, Christian symbols, or Christianity in general. Fines range from public humiliation to public torture. Flogging, stretching, and the strapado are reintroduced as viable interrogation techniques.  Evidence derived from such practices are acceptable in all American courts.  No such penalties are imposed on actions which desecrate Catholic Bibles or Catholic property. 
 
September 2008--Bush cancels 2008 elections.  Declares himself the Decider Divine.   Congress later declares martial law, establishing Bush as "Decider for Life."
 
October 2008-- Halloween declared a form of blasphemy,   NSAs (Neighborhood Security Associations) are established for the immediate  execution of any child or adult who attempts to "celebrate the open and obvious worship of Satan."

November 2008--Heresy declared a capitol offense. More than 150,000 heretics are executed via hanging, burning, or flogging within the next four months. Several states pass their own versions of the former Puritan Blue Laws.  Subsequent laws demand the video recording of all torture and execution, many copies of which are later discovered in George W. Bush's bedroom between a private collection of adult magazines and kiddy porn. 
 
Early December 2008--Christmas Protection Act passed in both houses of Congress at behest of the Divine Select.   Imposes strict guidelines for sizes of Christmas trees, mandates the display of nativity scenes, and bans all images of and references to Santa, noting that Santa is an anagram of Satan.  Steep financial fines imposed for first offense; public flogging for the second; execution via slow torture for the third.  Said Senator Pat Roberts, "If these sons of bitches don't get the love, joy and peace of Christmas then we'll kick their f---ing asses!" 

Mid December 2008--To cash in on the prevailing wave of intolerance, major TV networks create reality-based programs which feature the live torture and alleged confessions of so called "witches." The most successful of these programs, Sinclair's "To Burn Or Not To Burn," eradicates more than 150 accused "witches" "sorcerers" during the first season alone. 
 
Late December 2008--Borrowing from the playbook of the late Ayatollah Koehemni, Pat Robertson places a bounty of the head of J. K. Rowlings, claiming Harry Potter is a threat to the moral frabric of America. 

January 2009--Tensions between Ultra Fundamentalist Protestants and Far Right Catholics begin to boil over when Bush declares that "God does not hear the prayers of a Papist." Catholics stage protests which are brutally repressed by the Justice Department''s Christian Intimidation Society.  
 
February 2009--Mid Eastern war boils over as Australia, and South American nations contribute troops to protect Israel.   Presidential promises of American involvement are revealed as meaningless, when  Bush offers a token force of 25,000 troops,   rumors begin to circulate that the United States is experiencing a Protestant-Catholic Schism in which the only thing the two sides can agree upon is the execution of gays and non-Christians. 
.
March 2009--After months of bitter unrest Bush declares himself to be the Second Coming of Christ. Bush then declares America to be a Protestant Theocracy, noting "democracy in our time was a terrible failure which saved no souls and did little to promote the conservative compassion of Christ."  Declaration does not mention increasing levels of violence between Catholics and Protestants. 

April 2009--Official beginning of the "Great Evangelical Schism." Civil War between Conservative Protestant South and Reactionary Catholics devolves quickly into a blood soaked grab for power between the various Christian sects. After the tragic death of Vice president Cheney, who suffere a massive coronary while shooting anti-war protesters infront of the Lincol Monument,  Paul Gonzalez is promoted to office of Vice President. New Attorney General, Franklin Graham  promptly declares Holy Crusade against all Non Protestants and Non Fundamentalists.

March 2009--Civil War, the Great Evangelical Schism officially erupts.  During the course of the conflict, both sides manage to execute nine million witches, heretics, and homosexuals.

April 2009--Great Evangelical Schism turns nuclear as Donald Rumsfeld orders the use of WMDs. More than 27 million killed in nuclear strikes. 50 million additional lives claimed by plague and famine. Situation complicated by use of biological and chemical weapons against civilian populations.  Divine Select  Bush celebrates the deaths as proof that he will lead triumphant Christians to Heaven.

May 2009- In an attempt to stop the "escalating degeneration of Western Civilization," The Bush Regime substitutes the Book of Leviticus for the United States Constitution.

Early June 2009 --America descends into chaos despite forces of theocracy and tyranny
 
Mid June 2009--Finally disgusted by massive warfare and side effects of war, Mid Eastern Jews, Christians, and Muslims agree to long overdue peace talks.   Vice President Gonzalez condemns increasingly promising negotiations as a "slap in the face to those who get their sexual satisfaction from of blood, death, and destruction."   Gonzalez later denies rumors that he is sexually stimulated by the idea of mass murder. 
 
Late June--2009-- War-weary Mid Easterners agree to prolonged cease fire.   Peace negotiations proceed at an accelerated rate.   European Union, in conjunction with other industrialized nations looks upon use of WMDs within the United States, including biological and nuclear weapons, as "an increasing threat to world peace and environmental security ." 
 
July 2009--Disturbed by increasing ecological damage and growing instability stemming from Great Evangelical Schism, the European Union with assistance from Russia, China and South America, invades war torn American Republic.   Former Vice President Gonzalez found trying to escape in his late mother's favorite dress.   Upon capture, Gonzalez quips, "I'm harmless-- I wouldn't even hurt that little fly!"     Bush, Graham,  Rumsfeld, and other accused war criminals are subsequently put on trial for crimes against humanity and the environment. During cross examination at his trial, Bush, in a delusional, paranoid state,  whips out his ice cold phallus and openly admits that he is the Antichrist, Claiming that Vice President Gonzalez is the False Prophet and that Anne Coulter is the Whore of Babylon.

August 2009--Remaining territory of American Republic is temporarily partitioned by England, France, Germany, Russia, and Brazil. Provisional capitol moved to Chicago, Illinois..

September 2009 --Christian Fundamentalism and the Republican Party are banned in the same way Nazism was banned in Germany after World War II. Schools and society in general are officially Derepubicanized.  During second series of war crime trials, religious leaders Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Jams Dobson, and Ralph Reed are found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to hard labor in San Francisco. 

October 2009--Following public executions of convicted war criminals, reparations proceed at an accelerated rate. Environmental cleanup initiated in major American Urban Centers. International Corporations like Haliburton and Bechtel forced to pay costs of war.
 
November 2009--Leaders of the various factions in the Great Schism are tried in the Hague.  Most are found guilty, with the exception of Pat Robertson, who is found "not guilty by reason of congenital imbecility."
 
December 2009--American Society De-fundamentalized in the same manner as Nazi Germany was denazified after World War II.   Under guidance of European Democracies, last bastions of theo-fascism are rooted out, tried, and sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years to life.   Jerry Falwell cheats the executioner by hanging himself with a bed sheet.   James Dobson foils the court by taking a lethal dose of conscience.
 
Janurary 2010--Free elections held in the newly restore American Republic.   Historians consider these the first free elections since the year 2000. 
 
Febrruary 2010--Begining of the American Reconstruction, no cleansed of the theo-fascist cancer.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

PET ADDICTS AND THE PRO-STRIFE RIGHT

The anti-choice movement is beginning to remind me of those little old ladies who "adopt"  43 cats, 25 dogs, 17 hamsters, and eight ferrets, and who then wonder why the neighbors and humane society are taking legal action against them.   The cute little puppies and kitties look real sweet when they're real young, but when they grow up to be dogs and cats, suddenly they aren't so cute and the warm-hearted grandma who took them in suddenly realizes that they're more than she was bargaining for. 
 
Her "good intentions" begin with a single, sad-faced kitty or puppy dog, so "grandma" decides to adopt a stray.  And the stray is so cute, and so lovable, that she eventually decides that she wants another puppy dog to keep the first one company.  So, one day she finds another little stray and takes that poor little fellow home too.   Then she finds a couple of adorable little kitties and decides they need a home.   What harm can a few kittens cats do?
 
But then, without realizing it, she has transforms her house into an over-crowded zoo.  The critters are hungry because grandma doesn't have enough time, money, or energy to keep them well fed.   Their coats are a tangled mat of fleas, their skin breaks out in open wounds because she doesn't have the time to properly groom and bathe them.   But grandma still can't resist bringing home new critters because she gets such a thrill out of those big, expressive puppy dog and kitty cat eyes.   And through it all, her house is turning into an over-glorified litter box while the cuddly little animals are growing into irritating adult creatures, which no longer provide the same psychological rush as they did when she "saved" them.   And to make the situation even worse, grandma is actually offended when the authorities arrive to save the few animals that can still be saved, and she really doesn't understand why the house can no longer be lived in by rational human beings.   Of course the irony in all of this is the fact that grandma really didn't do this for the animals.   She was adopting and torturing these poor creatures to fulfill some deep longing in her own psyche, the animals providing the roll of her innocent victims.
 
I think the same mindset is at work with the pro-suffering Christian right.   They love the idea of a cute little baby.   They'll do anything to make sure that a brainless and heartless lump of two or four cells will eventually develop into a cute and cuddly, blue eyed little bundle of joy.   And that's where their affection ends.   Once junior is born and needs actual feeding, changing, and bathing, the affection begins to wane.  In other words, human life is sacred from the moment of conception until it leaves the birth canal.   After that, you're on your own, Sweet Pea! 
 
Isn't it a hoot?!   The same people who are so determined to save the fetus* are the same people who want to cut social spending for mothers and children.   Now in a way I can understand the reasoning here.   After all, if sperm and ova don't have enough sense to mate in the womb of a wealthy female, they really shouldn't demand minor inconveniences such as formulas, diapers, baths, and an occasional changing.   Indeed, I see no reason why a six-month-old can't get his or her ass out of the crib, slap on a hardhat, and go to work..   Personal responsibility you know.   That IS the basic thought process at work here, isn't it?
 
Like the proverbial grandma, who ends up with a menagerie of mammalian life forms which she neither has the time nor energy to care for, these pro-strife fanatics also cause a fair share of misery themselves.   Not to mention hypocrisy.   Consider the following scenario.  
 
Betty Lou gets  raped on a date.   Instead of obtaining a safe, legal abortion, she is forced to carry the fruit of that crime.   Once junior--we'll call him Rex--has been born, Mommy doesn't have the resources to raise him properly.  She needs financial help, but the Republican dominated federal government, and the equally Republican-dominated state government under which she suffers, is telling her that she has to get a job, She can't have welfare or food stamps for her little bundle of joy because the Republicans have been too busy cutting social programs for the weakest members of our society.
 
So she leaves little Rex with a series of sexually abusive boy friends, gets a job as a waitress, or a checkout girl, or a prostitute, virtually guaranteeing that little Rex will grow up to be the human tyrant.   In fact, we might say that he is in the process of becoming the juvenile delinquent counterpart of a  Tyrannosaurus Rex.  He starts acting out at an early age, he becomes a professional criminal by the age of 13, and commits murder at the age of 16, when he holds up a local convenience store, where he shoots down six innocent people in the process of an armed robbery.   (Of course you also have to realize that the gun laws in little Rexie's state are rather lax, because the right wing pro-strifers believe that the only  Constitutional Amendment that matters at all is the Second Amendment.)  Horrified by the result of their pro-strife policies, the same pro-strife fanatics who prevented an abortion sixteen years earlier, now want to try little Rex as an adult and send him to the gas chamber.  
 
Do I detect a note of hypocrisy in the pro-strife stand?  Jesus Shit Christ, what am I saying--a note of hypocrisy?   It's a fucking Wagnerian opera!  The same people who think that a lump of cells is the same thing as a human being, are the same people who think adult life is the moral equivalent of toilet paper.   And they have the nerve, the ignorant audacity to say that liberalism represents a culture of death?   Jesus God, these people revel in death.   They delight in it!   Hell, they probably use human blood instead of skin conditioner, mixing it with their favorite bath oil and then bathing in it while they sip a glass of AB negative from the local blood bank. 
 
Unlike the Roman Catholic Church ** which at least has the decency to promote social responsibility from the moment of conception to the moment of death, the right wing vampires who have hijacked both, the Republican Party and  a significant slice of American Christianity, have taken the attitude that the adult is a disposable commodity, easily replaced by barefoot and pregnant women who, in Christian Right "thought" are little more than servants and breeders for their male chauvinistic oinkers..  (Just for the record, we DO know that's the real motivating force behind the "pro strife movement, don't we?   It isn't that these people think human life is scared--their utterly abominable actions prove otherwise.  No.  The real motivation is the subjugation of women.   They know in their heart of hearts that the quickest way to control the people who you consider inferior and want to dominate is by controlling their personal behavior, and what could be more intense and more personal than our sex lives?   Again, saving the unborn, the sanctity of human life has virtually nothing to do with the pro-strife movement.
 
And we don't even have to use the death penalty to prove that axiom. 
 
During the last few days many of us have been shocked and horrified to hear spokespersons from the inhumane right telling us that the best way to handle the current crisis in the Mid East is to let the fire burn itself out.   We've been told that the deaths of innocent Lebanese children and civilians aren't as important as the lives of Israelis and Westerners.   Oh, they use terms such as "unfortunate" or "too bad"  or "tragic," but every time they offer their phony remorse over the deaths of the post born, they almost invariably add a qualifying "but" followed by a lame excuse, which completely negates the supposed remorse with which they started their meaningless rhetoric. 
 
The pro-strifers, like our proverbial grandma who loves kittens and puppies and who can't or won't take care of them when they grow up, truly believe that a cuddly little baby or even an "innocent" little fetus is just fine and dandy--until junior leaves the womb and requires actual care, time, and attention.   After that they drag out terms like "personal responsibility."   Of course the idea that "personal responsibility is just a thinly veiled synonym for social Darwinism is something that they understand very well but will never admit to the American people. 
 
I guess you might say that there's an irony here.   The same people who use the term "personal responsibility" are actually the most irresponsible of the lot.   Like our proverbial grandma they have obsessed over the idea of "saving" innocent life" when, in fact, they are creating a system of back-biting Social Darwinism which is neither responsible for nor saving anything except outright misery and destruction.
 
 
* For those who are interested in the proper care and treatment of a dead fetus, we would recommend that you consult the one and thankfully only Senator Rick Santorum.   this is the enlightened individual who took his wife, his children  and a dead twenty-week-old fetus to his in-laws' house where the entire family kissed and cuddled the dead fetus for hours on end.   I kid you not my friends.   Senator Santorum quite literally made his children kiss and cuddle a dead, twenty-month old fetus.   It appears as if Mister Santiorum must be returned to private life so that he can be charged with child abuse and necrophilia
 
 
 
**  I am not endorsing the Catholic Church in any way shape or form.   The Vatican has a splendid, if disingenuous, propaganda machine, they don't need this gay American to help them in their ongoing war against American civil rights.