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August 2011
About Bernard Weiner's Essay,
Whirlpool of Crazy: A Letter to European Friends.
Please go now to Google and look up the definition of "psychopath." Research
from 30 years to the present has the Rethuglican Party as a psychological
holding company of rich psychopaths and we the cowardly as their victims.
Recently, with the Democraps jumping on the screw-the-people attitude
bandwagon, we now have a clear divide between the haves and have-nots that
will continue to widen at our expense.
Anywhere else in the world, the People would have gone
down to DC to hang the lot of them - really!! hang them from good strong
trees!! We are the only country in the world where the leaders and an entire
political party can get away with this crap without being thrown out and
probably hung. They are sick because they are evil and we are sick because
we are cowards.
Joeplumber (8/2)
from Truthout.org
The "viable, united, effective left" in the U.S. became compromised due to a
massive change in the leadership of the left, as well as the pervasive
doctrine of political correctness which also helped to further compromise
the left, and enabled the rightward shift to move forward. Principled,
dedicated individuals who refused to sell-out were ousted in favor of
professional politicians who eagerly sought corporate backing for their
campaigns, and these compromises with the corporate oligarchy meant that the
left no longer represented the real interests of the American people, and
the people were essentially shut out.
The only reason why a viable, united, effective left was
even possible was due to the vast numbers of ordinary Americans who got
involved and took the lead. Now, with the GOP's blatantly naked attack
against unions, public service workers, and the beneficial social programs
which emerged from the New Deal and the Great Society moving into a more
dangerous and deadly stage, Americans are beginning to realize that they
must take personal responsibility to fight to protect their interests,
because the corporate-owned liberals on the left aren't going to fight for
them. The real test will be how long can this fledgling movement remain
cohesive enough to become an effective, national left which stands on the
principles which will make it a powerful political force.
SissiePooh (8/2)
from Truthout.org
Bernard: Thanks for the clear, concise look at the lunatics that comprise
our ruling parties -- great reading. On a more serious note, these lunatics
are achieving their goal of the Second Great Depression, and they don't
care. People like John "Bonehead" Boehner, and Eric "Slime starts here"
Cantor don't realize that they are disposable. Once the rich/corporations
get all the world into third-world status, the current right wing loonies
will be living in tents just like the rest of us.
nofooling (8/2)
from Truthout.org
Yeah! Listen to this bigoted, hate-filled loony:
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising
America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that
the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now
depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance
our Government's reckless fiscal policies. ... Increasing America's debt
weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the
buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad
choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America
has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve
better."
-- Senator Barack Hussein Obama, March 20, 2006.
John Skookum (8/2)
from Truthout.org
I am not sure how this quote is Bigoted, let alone looney. He is right. We
are shifting the debt on to the backs of future generations. Hell, the
Republican plan wants to shift all responsibility unto the backs of the poor
and middle class.
Let us stop calling the benefits I PAY FOR in the form of
taxes and deductions from my paycheck an "entitlement," as if its something
that has not been earned or paid for. And please, all of you right wingers,
let's stop with the abject name-calling and insults while not citing any
facts, or showing reason as to your argument. Now I know things like "facts"
and "reason" are typically called "liberal" but I would love to have it
explained how we are to reach rational reasons for action without it. Unless
the argument is rationality and reason are not needed? If that is the case,
instead of trying to have civilized discourse, we should instead figure out
how to drug you with anti-psychotic medication.
Andy (8/2)
from Truthout.org
I thought that (Weiner's essay) was a great letter. Lots
of articulate responses. Keep writing.
PhoenixAbove (8/2)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
About the most condensed and pithy state of politics today I've seen.
Populist_Prole (8/2)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
You must add most of the Democratic leadership, especially anyone shilling
for the DLC.
Maybe they look sane in comparison to the GOP and Tea
Party, but they are also certifiable. They have no grasp of reality for the
People, and couldn't care less whether grandmothers are impoverished,
children die of preventable diseases, or a whole generation of youth is
uneducated and unemployed. They are also part of the problem, because they
can't get their hands dirty fixing it.
Demeter (8/2)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
Just one question: How can Bernie Sanders challenge Obama for the Democratic
nomination when Bernie is an Independent and NOT a member of the Democratic
party? As an Independent, he could run against Obama in the general
election, but not primary him for the Democratic nomination.
Autumn Colors (8/2)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
Weiner responds:
Not insurmountable. Sanders, a former Democrat,
has enough time to change his party designation before primary time. Or
he could mount a run as an Independent in the general election.
Sharing this with my Facebook friends and elsewhere.
Raksha (8/2)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
June 20, 2011
About Bernard Weiner's Essay,
The
Water Is Wide: Building a Revolution.
I don't mean to be a conspiracy wacko, but it seems to me
that the many years of brainwashing to make our citizens docile, apathetic,
and lacking in rage and fight, through the TV, Video Games, and possible
additives to our food and water supply, is a real possibility why we are not
seeing hundreds of thousands of our citizens taking to the streets!
I know, I may be way off base on my theory here, but I have noticed that
people I know and have talked to who did not watch much TV growing up and
rarely watch it today; those who also didn't play video games much as a kid
and don't play them as adults, along with rarely drinking tap water -- these
are the ones who are angry at this government, who are ready to march and
have been preparing for hardship by storing food and supplies in case this
country's economy crashes even harder soon!
For us, this is a real stressful time and we are afraid that if we don't
take to the streets very soon in very large numbers, the longer we wait, the
more American lives will be lost and the harder it will be to take back
control of our country from the Corporations who have seized control of our
government from us slowly over the last 30 to 40 years! Now that we are
starting to completely wake up to what has taken place, time is already
running out for the people to have any real chance to regain control of our
country from these Multinationalist-Fascist Scumbags!
Jim O'Fallin (6/20)
from Truthout.org
Everyone I know wants higher taxes on the rich. If everyone you know agrees
as well, we just need to get together all at one time and tell our leaders
to do as we ask. It will be the easiest way to fix our country at least in
the short term. We have a duty to do so.
Eric Shook (6/20)
from Truthout.org
Bernard Weiner responds:
Sure, it's that simply and easy. One, two, three.
Just add water and The Revolution flowers into full reality. Why didn't
I think of that?
Unfortunately, for some reason, those who possess the bulk of power and
wealth don't want to give up any of it. It may take some pressure and
education and organizing and active, forceful opposition to create some
cracks in the current power System.)
The Republicans care nothing for the common people of the United States.
They are petty thieves. They steal a little here and there and before
everyone becomes aware, they have stolen the whole thing. The sad thing is
that a whole lot of their support comes from the people that this will hurt
the most.
They [the rightwing leaders] say that they are religious conservatives, but
there is nothing farther from the truth, may God have mercy on their lying
souls...
hawk1 (6/20)
from Truthout.org
Americans are not ready to see, a 200% tax on income over 250k a year, not
ready to see rich people receiving long prison sentences as a result of
enforcing laws already on the books, harsh crackdowns on traitor militias
which will be set up by the disloyal rich once their taxes go up. Americans
are not ready for rich people committing suicide, being suspect, being
OPENLY hated. Americans are not truly ready to hate the disloyal rich. Of
course, therefore the Democrats are not ready for that -- so the Democrats
therefore are not ready for victory. Once a real class war that destroys the
rich, is ON the table, you will see that victory will be easy.
OH (6/20)
from Truthout.org
Revolution? Reaction and fascism are much more likely. In this country it
appears that we are going to continue to hurtle in just the opposite
direction, toward increasing Fascism and a National Security State. It's
just a matter of time before sites like this are being shut down as dangers
to "National Security" and then the roundups will begin.
Bernie will among the first interned for the duration (forever) of the
"EMERGENCY" these thugs are just waiting in the wings to cook up. 9/11 was
just the beginning. It was no accident that the day after that event, the so
called "Patriot Act" arrived fully baked to the Hill, all 500 pages of it.
Why? It had been just sitting there waiting. These same fascist thugs are
still waiting to implement phase two of their take over. We're in a
transition right now from a once quasi-vibrant Democratic Republic to a an
Imperial Security State with a phony democratic facade. Soon that might be
tossed aside as well.
glynnkilara (6/20)
from SmirkingChimp.com
You might get more press if you did more organizing, especially in liberal
cities (what's your deal with not having a real organization in Denver? If
you can't make it here, you can't make it anywhere). Maybe run more
candidates at the local and state levels, instead of picking a celebrity
candidate du jour and running them for President.
You need to be aggressive and patient at the same time. It took the
Libertarian Party about 40 years of very aggressive organizing to become a
major party in just one state. Progressive they're not, organized they are.
Over 100 elected officials nationwide.
You can do the same, but nothing's going to happen unless and until you
become more active in larger cities.
JMadison (6/20)
from SmirkingChimp.com
I wish you would mention the Green Party. We are a radical alternative to
the single corporate party with two right wings that now dominates this
country.
ChomskyReader (6/20)
from SmirkingChimp.com
Yes, it's difficult to see the forest for the trees...
We the People are witnessing the inception of our Revolution, even as we
blog about it. Just this morning, I've watched a key manifesto from
Anonymous, and I've joined in the burgeoning number of activists who will be
in Freedom Plaza this October.
Global Satyagraha, now!
As ever, I remain,
Ms. Silence B. Damned
chervilant (6/20)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
Bernard Weiner is describing my despondency, unfortunately getting worse.
I have previously been optimistic, through "thick and thin," believing that
we can effect positive change.
I no longer feel that "we", the liberal/progressives, have any power to
effect change.
Greed and militarism, perhaps they are the same thing, run rampant in our
country and are becoming stronger by the day.
It is extremely disheartening and has left me feeling that I can only live
in a small circle, that of my family, neighbors, and friends. Anything
larger than that seems hopeless.
I don't like feeling this way. It's not my natural state, at least before
now. But I don't see anything significant in which I can hope.
SharonAnn (6/20)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
There is a problem with a revolution even if it comes and sets everything
right: Apathy.
Most people only pay attention to politics when things are severely out of
whack.
Once things are restored to tolerable, they lose interest.
But those who want to rig the system for their own gain have a
terminator-like focus and attention span. They'll put themselves back
together, then crush what we make and rebuild the same system as quickly as
they can get away with it.
That's not even my idea; it goes all the way back to Aristotle with the
cycles of governments from aristocracy to mass democracy to dictatorship.
yurbud (6/20)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
It's time the young people to take it to the streets but no violence. Like
Dr. King and many of the Catholics and Jews marched in DC. We need another
organizer like that who can unite the left for the working peoples'
interest. They just need a leader.
WHERE ARE YOU, LEADER? Organize. Hell, you can get people to Dance at the
Jefferson Memorial. You can get them anywhere for the right cause. We need a
good leader. Congress needs to hear from the people. Just like the people in
Wisconsin but we need to do on a national stage. Come on, folks. Jon Stewart
isn't going to do it. We waited for his show and were deeply disappointed.
But I am sure he would cover it.
America is better than what is showing now. If you don't stand up you may
have a President Palin. Think long and hard about that. She will not govern.
She is mean, hateful and always on the get-even road. She isn't happy 'til
she destroys her opponent.
southernyankeebelle (6/20)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
Organizing for civil rights is different than organizing against bankers.
Peaceful demonstrations that appeal to "conscience" will have absolutely
zero effect.
What we need is mass strikes and occupations that cut into the bottom line.
readmoreoften (6/20)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
Bernard Weiner: Wow!
Succinct, well-said, insightful. Lots of positive adjectives come to mind on
this one. Thank you.
Myrina (6/20)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
Dr. Weiner: Glad to see you are writing essays again
DemReadingDU (6/20)
from DemocraticUnderground.com
About Other Issues and Essays:
Dear Dr Partridge,
I just did a search for Partridge Publications a consumer publisher in the
UK I work with and I have come across your far more interesting website.
I have read my first article
Touch Football and Television
which has struck a chord with me as a father of three small children who
watch too much of the tube.
Thank you for making me think about an important issue. Sometimes I feel I
do too much with my children, ballet, cub scouts, swimming lessons, and
their ‘free play’ often exits of relaxation in front of the TV.
When we do leave them to play alone, the lack of our engagement helps them
as siblings or if friends are over, to resolve their disputes. The maxim of
Adler to ignore dethronement skills of the younger ones, runs in my head,
and usually works.
I need to balance their paid for activities with the free ones, a la touch
football it is these memories I have as a child where social interaction and
morals were learnt, as you say.
Thank you for your writing
I look forward to reading more.
Best regards,
Jeremy Blake
United Kingdom
June 5, 2011
About Ernest Partridge's Essay,
"The
Big Lie"
Mr. Partridge,
I just read your blog entry titled "The Big Lie" and I have to admit that it
is indeed an appropriate title.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnFJ8cHAlco demonstrates that yes, Mr. Gore
did take credit for creating the internet. While I will not support the
claims of others that Mr. Obama is not an American citizen, you did a good
job mixing actual lies with actual truths to paint everything as a lie.
Additionally, your claim that the Health Care Law as it sits is not a
socialist takeover of the healthcare system is a blatent falsehood. You seem
to believe that no one out in the big world knows what socialism really
looks like. I happen to be one of the educated people that do. I have
studied the former Soviet system for the better part of twenty years, and I
have even lived in several of the former Republics.
I have studied Soviet propaganda. You, sir, are a propagandist. My only
consolation in the event that people like yourself succeed in pulling the US
down into the pit of misery known as Socialism will be that you will
certainly go the way of Leon Trotsky. Who, by the way, as Lenin's chosen
successor was passed over by the Communist Party for Stalin and demonstrated
his despair by committing "suicide" in Mexico by repeatedly bashing his own
head in with a pickax.
History shows that very few revolutionaries enjoy the success of their
revolution for long. I wish you all the karmic justice you will have earned.
By the way, ask Dr. Mosqueda if he still feels the same about foreign
military adventurism now that President Obama is the one breaking the laws.
Or will your collective sophistry try to spin the death of people at the
hands of the US Military as NOT an act of war?
Respectfully,
Mr. DeCarlo
Ernest Partridge Replies:
“Legislative initiative” is not “invention.”
Amazingly, you cite the same interview that Gore and his defenders use
to prove that he did NOT claim to have “invented” the internet. In fact,
you yourself avoid the word “invented”, which is the key term in the
slander of Gore.
Gore’s claim that in Congress he “took the initiative in creating the
internet” just happens to be true. Even Newt Gingrich admitted as much
in a September, 2000 speech before the American Political Science
Association: “Gore is the person who, in the Congress, most
systematically worked to make sure that we got to an Internet.” And
David Maraniss, Gore’s biographer wrote: “Gore really was instrumental
in developing the Internet. He was the one congressman who understood
the whole thing in the ’70s.” (http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh120302.shtml
Skip down to “Where Does Spin Come From...”).
Gore’s initiative is not opinion, it is a recorded fact – recorded in
The Congressional Record.
From this plain fact, the GOP and a compliant media has spun the
slanderous charge that Gore somehow claimed to have “invented” the
internet. After eleven years of frantic searching, no one -- but no one!
-- has found a single citation of Gore claiming to have "invented" the
internet.
Next point: No one can make a “blatent falsehood” in a sentence
containing the word “socialist,” due to the fact that the word
“socialist” has become so notoriously ambiguous as to be essentially
meaningless. I too have visited the Soviet Union, and later Russia,
seven times, and I don’t recommend Soviet “socialism”. Neither do my
several Russian friends. That’s the far end of the meaning of
“socialism.” But at the other extreme, what? Public Schools? Public
libraries? National Parks? The Postal Service? The FDA regulation of
food and drugs? FDIC? The now-toothless SEC?
If all this is “socialism,” then some regulatory aspects of “Obamacare”
are arguably “socialist.” But only incurable right-wing ideologues would
call all these latter institutions “socialism.” In any case, Obamacare
does not abolish private insurance companies, nor does it abolish free
choice of doctors. And that word “takeover” is nothing but a gratuitous
slur.
So yes, using the accepted political science interpretation of
“socialism,” I would still maintain that calling Obama care a “socialist
takeover” is a lie.
The remainder of your post is pure diatribe, empty of content and
unworthy of you, and undeserving a reply.
Except, that is your closing. It happens that I agree with you: Obama is
in fact a lawbreaker, and I also condemn “the death of people at the
hand of the US military.” Thus does the Obama administration continue
the international war crimes initiated by the Bush/Cheney regime –
crimes unequivocally condemned at Nuremberg and by the Geneva
conventions.
Dear Mr. Partridge,
I enjoyed reading your article entitled "The Big Lie" on Truthout.org. At
the risk of sounding like a kook, I would add the 9/11 attacks to the top of
the list, and ask that you please visit the ae911truth.org website for an
expert analysis of the evidence by architectural and engineering
professionals.
The official NIST report on WTC7 states that this 47 story skyscraper (which
wasn't hit by a plane) collapsed at free fall acceleration for at least 2.5
seconds. This is an impossible feat without explosives removing all of the
supporting structure on cue as in a controlled demolition.
Although the corporate media failed to run
the story, a team of scientists actually found an exotic form of explosives
in the dust and published a a peer reviewed paper entitled “Active Thermitic
Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe". (April
2009 edition of Bentham Open Chemistry Journal).
Please examine the evidence and draw your own conclusions.
Sincerely,
Gary Geisler
Ernest Partridge replies:
I have, in fact, examined the evidence and have drawn a conclusion
contrary to yours, regarding the 9/11 attacks.
You will find it in my essay,
"The 9/11
Conspiracy: A Skeptic’s View." The essay provoked over 500
responses, more than replied to any of my other 250 internet essays.
I will admit, however, that WTC #4 is more problematic than any of the
other attacks: WTC 1 & 2 and the Pentagon. The official account (seismic
shock, debris from WTC 1 & 2, diesel oil fires from basement generators)
is plausible, but barely so. However, demolition experts testify that
the preparation and placement of explosives sufficient to bring down the
building simply could not be carried out undetected.
By the way, no demolished building falls at free-fall speed
(d=1/2gt2). The underlying structure forbids. That's just another
myth easily debunked.
It's so pathetic that a segment of society who dotes on their religion can
also ignore the Ninth Commandment (or the Eighth Commandment - pick your
Bible). Learning nine commandments is so much easier to deal with than ten.
It has something to do with, I think, being led around by the nose. People
pick the parts of the Bible they feel comfortable with and gravitate to a
church that is in accord with their choices. There's a reason that there are
over 32,500 denominations of Christianity with two to three being added
every WEEK: people like to be comfortable with their religion. So what's a
commandment or two being dropped along the way going to hurt?
EyesandEars
Alternet
I do agree that with Republicans, especially the ones in power positions,
the ends justify the means, and to get what you want by any means available
and necessary is just part of the process. With this philosophy, ethics,
honor and character are hindrances to the desired goal.
With the voting public, it's really not that different than it was in most
any time in the modern era, at least since the beginning of the last
century. Radio had its kooks back in the Depression days too, especially
with Father Joe Coughlin, a Catholic priest who was every bit as caustic and
hate filled as Rush Limbaugh today. And like Limbaugh's adoring minions,
Coughlin appealed to the rural lowly educated populace, especially in the
Great Plains and of course, Texas, where that right wing lunacy seems to
grow from the ground.
My dad and I discussed the mentality of Democrats and Republicans in his
day, and he said that the people in the small town in Iowa where he grew up
in were just like today - if they were more educated, motivated and
interested in their world around them, they were Democrats. The Republicans
were either rich mega-farmers, most of whom were also eager to dodge WWII
and Korea using their farm operations as an excuse not to go. The rest were
simpletons who couldn't read, and couldn't care less that they didn't. They
were also mean, gossips, and racist. Churches were a little different back
in the 1940's and 1950's, though. People still had respect for them because
churches were more community minded, were not politically involved, maybe
except for the Catholics, and attracted people from both parties.
I do think today's right wing is much more fearsome and dangerous, though.
Too many people are willing to live their lives in a carefully structured
ritualized world that makes independent thought unattractive and
frightening. There's safety and comfort in numbers, and the people who make
up the voting base for the GOP today are not leaders. It is inexplicable
how, in this modern day and age, people can absolutely refuse to accept hard
facts, such as evolution. They cannot understand that the cosmology Bible
writers gave us were what they were able to comprehend at the time. Thus,
you really could tell a GOP voter the earth is flat, and as long as you give
it Biblical precedent, they'll believe it.
This is actually fear and ignorance at work. People who can't accept death
as a normal occurance need mythology with its promise of eternal life and
threats of Hell to lure "unbelievers" dumb enough to fall for the ploy to
simply cope. They indoctrinate their kids from the cradle, try to mentally
control communities and government and will wage war against detractors,
such is the pathological crutch organized religion is.
Why they disdain the left is so obvious: any way of thinking outside their
comfort zone is an attack on their belief system. Organized religion has
made damn sure that freeing one's mind from its clutches will be a battle
most followers don't have the brains to do. Thus, the GOP latches onto the
religious community and the racist morons who make up the rest of the right
wing, because keeping them voting GOP is so simple: pro-life and racism, no
taxes for the rich, which I don't understand why working class Republicans
think is such a great idea, and phony patriotism is all it takes.
It's worth noting that other countries view the U.S. in a frightening
situation. One rock singer who I'll allow to remain anonymous from Europe
sees the States as splitting into a civil war, this time a religious
Christian right out to control all the country against those who wish for
free thinking, support the Constitution and want to keep church and state
separate. It won't be a fair fight, because the right has more money, the
voters love war, although they'll cheer lead while someone else not related
to them actually fights, like all true cowards do, and thus they'll have all
the weapons. Sometimes people on the outside can see the big picture more
easily than those of us too close to it.
pheet007
Alternet
The way you describe this coming civil war, I'm reminded of the Spanish
Civil War. Our current social predicament makes it all sound very familiar,
and thus it should to a European whose history had to deal with it much more
closely than did America's.
Neo Conned
Alternet
I have long seen parallels to the Spanish Civil War as well. Only our
religious fascists will not need the outside help of a Hitler or a
Mussolini. They have all they need from "enemies, domestic," to borrow from
a certain oath of office. Unamuno's address to the Spanish Fascists in 1936
was ominously true: “Vencerán, pero no convencerán. Vencerán porque
tienen la fuerza bruta. Pero no convencerán, porque para convencer hay que
persuadir. Y para persuadir, necesitan Ustedes algo que les falta: la razón”
("You will conquer, but you will not convince. You will conquer because you
possess brute force. But you will not convince, because in order to
convince, you must persuade. And in order to persuade, you need what you
lack: being right.")
DFW
Alternet
Any preacher that preaches plain, unvarnished Christianity will empty the
church and the doors will close. Christ would not back any form of war or
killing. Christ also preached poverty. His remark that all Christians should
pick up their cross (daily) and follow Him denounced all family values and
norms of society. Try pointing that out to a congregation once. Look at the
rage when the remark was made about what kind of SUV would Christ drive.
Obviously he was not carried about in a fine carriage or even on a decent
horse or camel. He intended all of us to live in the same way, without
gathering the goods of this world.
Jim Sadler
Alternet
There is a shameless lie that isn't mentioned in the article.
It's the republican vs. democrat paradigm. This propaganda is used by both
parties to shore up support from a public that would otherwise shun them
both. It's used to divide and conquer for the aristocracy that runs the
country through both parties. The ever-widening partisan divide makes the
public unable to agree on the simplest of issues facing them.
For example, the idea that only the GOP is the sole perpetrator of austerity
policies, even though the democrats support a Hooverist policy of austerity.
That democrats, although Obama has appointed a deficit commission full of
radical conservatives, oppose drastic cuts. The GOP propose insane cuts to
medicare, and the democrats under cover of the insane proposal, agree to
drastic cuts that the public, on both sides of the aisle, oppose.
Or that the GOP could (previous to 2010) beat the majority democrats at
everything they "proposed," forcing them to capitulate on their policies in
ways that actually reflect the policies their corporate paymasters. It's an
idea that's silly on its face, but that's been the explanation by dems for
their constant capitulation for years. People see them as weak and unable to
take a sand, while their corporate backers are pleased at the results.
Alternet is a purveyor of the republican vs. democrat paradigm. A more
honest assessment would find both parties corrupt, ridden with graft.
noinks
Alternet
The better question is what do we do? The GOP and their non-sense aside the
Democrats are not a viable 2nd option. The Dems & Repubs are basically the
same team, both corporate ruled. One is a little more interested in our
"well being" and the other is NOT at all. The political system is also
rigged from my understanding to where it is damn near impossible for a 3rd
party to emerge to challenge these two entities.
The thinking ration people of this country have not gotten angry enough YET.
Political and social movements need to be sprouting up. . . Real ones . . .
Not the Tea Party ... because they all remind me of chickens voting for
colonel Sanders .. *sigh* I don't want to see this great country destroyed.
We don't have money to match the corporations .. individually .. BUT we do
have 1 vote and we do have 1 voice and their are a lot of people here
Young People for Change
Alternet
If we don't support the Dems we may end up with a worse fate but if we
continue to support Dems we end up with something slightly less evil than
the GOP... slightly.
It doesn't help when Dems try to convince (or threaten) third partiers to
throw in the towel during a race, or the media refuses to host third party
debates, or people like Ed Shultz ridicule callers who say Obama is being
weak and we need a stronger, more progressive option and NOW!
The only thing I can think to do is build third parties ourselves by
supporting, voting, and educating. It will hurt for a while but how else are
we supposed to create the change we so desperately need? A major problem is
getting others on board.
While I appreciate our diversity and many levels of thinking, it's one thing
the GOP doesn't so much have to worry about. They say *the word* and their
constiuents go with it whereas the progressive base (in my opinion) is not
so easily persuaded in being told how or what to think.
The GOP is currently being consumed by the Teapers and while it scares me to
no end, it may not be a bad idea to do the same to the Dems - outnumber and
replace Republican Jr's (Dems) with real progressives.
What was it David Frum said? "The Republicans fear their base, and the
Democrats hate their base." I wouldn't say that's entirely true but when was
the last time Dems actually stood up for the people...all people, and
consistently without us having to pull teeth? It's time for a change.
interference
Alternet
Yes Republicans lie, but Democrats simultaneously refuse to balance their
lies with truth. Obama and Neo-Dems refuse to support public policies that
in other civilized nations are considered very middle-of-the-road (such as
national health coverage, honest regulation of financial markets, on and
on). By starting their side of the argument from right-of-center, Obama and
Neo-Democrats have very effectively narrowed the debate to between bad or
worse. Bad is the "new good". Until and unless we (the people) refute both
bad and worse (and publicly finance our elections), we are and shall remain
doomed.
patvic1405
Alternet
Republicans are the "People of the Lie" that bestselling author Scott Peck
wrote about in his book "The People of the Lie."
Republicans consistently score 30-40% on IQ tests than Democrats. Several
controlled studies proves beyond any doubt that those identifying as
republicans have much lower IQs than the rest of the population. If this
small fact were known, it might change politics in this country. Below a
certain IQ threshold, discernment or the ability to distinguish between
truth and falsehood, is completely lacking. This is why republicans embrace
and believe in lies. They simply do not have the intelligence to determine
if something is true or not.
In addition to being intellectually inferior, republicans have a much less
developed consciousness. They are disconnected from their core and
constantly seek outer affirmation for their existence. The disconnection
from Self causes republicans to be insecure and even paranoid. Hence why
republicans love guns and why they so easily embrace war. They look to
corporations and organizations to give them a sense of false security. They
are full of negative shadow energy that is entirely repressed in their
unconscious. With their egos being disconnected from Self, a republican's
consciousness is dim and they have almost no feeling center (heart) or the
feeling center is blocked. This causes republicans to lack compassion and
empathy, especially for the less fortunate, minorities, and the elderly and
oppressed.
Most people who identify as Democrats are not much more evolved than
republicans, yet are a bit further evolved than republicans. Whereas
narcissism dominates republicans and is the basis for republican thinking
and policies, Co-dependency is the collective disease that afflicts
Democrats and which causes Democrats to be dysfunctional. In co-dependency,
the heart can be too open and too full of a backlog of energy, unresolved
grief and etc. This causes Democrats to be weak at "saying No" and to be
unskilled at using hard nosed tactics to get things done. Democrats
represent an order of evolution that is generally higher and more evolved
than republicans....yet Democrats are only a few pegs higher than
republicans and have severe issues of their own to deal with and to correct.
All of politics has its basis and its origins in the human psyche.
Until one has a basic understanding of humanity and human psychology,
politics cannot really be understood for what it is...a dualistic game of
projection and counter projection.
magik13
Alternet
While I pretty much agree with what you write ........ before some one wigs
out over your claim that repugs are , across the board , less " intelligent
" than dems , please , cite the study that you are referring to ...... I
feel that there may be some truth to this but it would be nice to have the
facts .
steve
Alternet
One can verify the intelligence comparison fairly easily. For example, check
the rampant grammatical and spelling errors you see when a GOP fan stumbles
onto these posts. The ones I work with don't like to read anything except
the sports page, and are proud of their illiteracy.
They actually make fun of those of us they see carrying a book to read at
lunch time.
When they bother to comment on historical events, it's usually wrong,
especially after Christian revisionists get their dirty mitts on it. We've
all seen the signs Tea Party members sport at political rallies, with deep
messages like "Use Your Head, Moran" and "Thanks FOX News For Keeping Us
Infromed". My sister-in-law overheard some redneck GOP jerks in a restaurant
talking about how they hated literals. You can't make this stuff up. It's
natural to want to paint the opposition as stupid as possible, but the
Republicans do a great job of painting themselves without any help.
pheet007
Alternet
Actually there are some pretty good arguments for libertarianism. Instead of
assuming that someone is lying because you don't understand what their
saying, why not investigate further? They are arguing that government
doesn't create jobs b/c any "government job" is actually funded by the tax
payer. A good argument against this would be to present the fact that
economic growth requires stability, which government provides. Or you could
just throw your hands up in the air and scream about media bias(this
actually sounds like more fun than my idea).
Matt Scholand
Ernest Partridge Replies:
So, a government job is not really a "job" because it is publicly
funded?
Isn't a job a job, however it is funded?
Please explain.
Libertarians have a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea that a
world run by businessmen can end up just as controlling as any government
you can name. One inevitability of their ideal world is the reason
monopolies were deemed bad for society, among other things. The goal of no
limits makes your political "system" basically a game of musical chairs,
only with an expanding population competing for the fewer and fewer chairs
and dirty fighting allowed. Ridiculous.
Freedom is one of those words that is high abstraction, and Libertarians use
it a lot. It can be applied to all sorts of different things. I can't
imagine freedom from Libertarian intrusions, for example. It's bad enough
dealing with developers, advertisers, and all the trashy things that have
come from capitalism to society already without having to think of no
regulatory body. Just aesthetically speaking alone your businessmen have an
awful track record in the US. People should be embarrassed that you can
travel around this place and sooner or later you're going to come upon the
pure aesthetic delight of a giant neon cowboy hat glowing in the street
(even during off hours) for a fast food roast beef business, and that these
sorts of things dot our landscape in a world where our "primitive" ancestors
were putting together incredible works of architecture and beauty. Or that
there is packaging garbage all over the place, cars everywhere, etc.. Our
country looks like absolute ass because of your nouveau riche business
heroes, and they're trying their hardest to make the whole world look and
operate like that. Money can buy you things, places, people, etc, but it
does not necessarily buy you taste. America's entire history is represented
by the industrial revolution and it shows - both in our attitude and in our
incredibly vulgar rich people. Just look at Trump. All that money and power,
but he's pure white trash. As R. Crumb pointed out, he is a modern day
Trimalchio from Satyricon in the flesh.
The corporate aim of keeping the public incredibly stupid (better consumers
and dupes) is straight out of 1984 too. Shameless. Cancer or boundless
gluttony is not a good model for social systems. Social democracy - real
democracy, where we all vote on issues - seems to be the fairest way to go,
but not if your populace is full of people intentionally kept stupid. It
requires education and deep study of philosophy and civics and a full
societal reverence for these things and for each other to work. Businessmen
would *much* rather have you thinking of better abs, rich creamy chocolate,
and a sleeker car than thinking about truly bettering your fellow mankind.
What I want to know is how a Libertarian would feel about allowing their
world but also allowing the freedom - if that's what you claim as your
mantra - to have a worldwide union of workers, like the IWW suggests. That's
where we'd see how crazy they are about freedom.
Matthew G. Kline
Alternet
You could equally well say that private industry doesn't actually "create"
jobs, since any jobs are actually paid for by consumers. You would be
equally wrong, however.
EvelynU
Alternet
Didn`t someone smart once say something to the effect of, "Tell a lie often
and loud enough, and people will believe it ! The bigger the lie,-the better
!" ? Anyway, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, Iraq`s possesion of W.M.D.s, the
"Official" 9/11 Report and The Warren[Dulles] Commission Report certainly
proved him/her to be absolutely correct!
ghostofsmedly
Alternet
Yep, Hitler did say it along with a buddy of his but I believe that he took
his buddies quote and just shortened it.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually
come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the
State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military
consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to
use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy
of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the
State.”
“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one
fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself
to a few points and repeat them over and over”
“Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.”
Joesph Goebbels Reich Minister of Propaganda
“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will
believe it” Adolf Hitler
“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being
governed by those who are dumber.” Plato
“In politics stupidity is not a handicap.” Napoleon Bonaparte
linbegone
Alternet
This is simple.
You see how billions are duped into believing in non-existent sky deities,
and underground demons, along with imps, fairies and shadowy creatures that
occupy caves, cemeteries, cracks and dark places? You see how billions
believe that OTHER people have direct access to deities when those said
deities talk to them and give them information? You see how a billion
Catholics hang on every word of an ELECTED Pope, who supposedly has a direct
line to that sky deity?
Well, the GOP was mind-melded to religious whackjobs by Jerry Falwell in
1980. That occurred when Ronald Reagan accepted the Religious Right into
their midst as a bona fide voting bloc.
The mind meld is complete.
Politicans on the right and religious nutcases are now one in the same.
They believe in things rather than know things. They accept hypocrisy
because their religion is based on FUNDAMENTAL lies about the nature of
reality.
They can't help it.
DesertSun59
Alternet
as a liberal.. i could not agree more with the author's assertion of the
falsehood of repugnican positions...
but the author nevertheless falls into the "liberal elitist" trap of
claiming that the majority is being "duped" or "misinformed".. ie that we
know something that they dont...authours like this are saying "were better
than you".. while the right says "your better than them [kenyans/muslims/socialists
blah-blah-blah]"...little wonder which side undecided audience members are
choosing...
if liberals want ppl to listen.. then we must realize that the majority has
different genetics from us which in turn wire their brains
differently...they dont "think that the earth is flat because the koch bros
say so".. but rather they have a totally different understanding of "flat"
than we do...to them..we think that the earth is flat...
our task is to avoid elitist attitudes OT1H.. and learn how to structure our
arguments around the way most ppl think on the other...until then..the right
will continue to win more ppl over...
Annapurna1 22 hours ago
Alternet
Ernest - funny post. Keep drinking the Kool-aid and attacking the GOP you
moron. It is BOTH SIDES of the aisle that are full of it. Can you really
distinguish one's bad habits from the others? Every rep is nothing but a
special interest serving stooge. What we need is less R v. D rhetoric and
more verbiage to get us all on the same page and not fracturing us even
further apart. We need to be coming together to defeat the beast. Sure there
are enormous differences, one side steals for the riches and the other
steals to give to the poor for more votes. We must stop the stealing period
or this nation dies. If we don't find common ground as a nation to fight the
government NOW as We The People, we will lose. WTFU brother and go for the
common good and stop this BS us v. them rhetoric.
ShankyS
Alternet
I got into a conversation with an elderly lady at the post office today. In
the course of her conversation, she informed me that she bought her first
house with the GI Bill, and that her daughter graduated many years ago from
the community college where I teach. And in the same conversation, she
thanked her lucky stars for the Jarvis anti-tax movement in California, and
she wished for a privatized Post office, and she spoke of her admiration for
Ronald Reagan. No connection between the fact of how she benefited from
government services, and her wish to put an end to them through lower taxes
and privitization.
EvelynU
Alternet
In reference to most of the followers [those who have net worths down from
$100,000 to a minus net worth or +debt :) ] who follow the millionaire and
billionaire judas goats, side show Bobs and Wall Street grifters:
These followers from Main Street are beyond belief and intelligence doesn't
really come into play as a big factor. They are emotionally branded,
literally brainwashed, on autopilot to the political cliches and slogans.
They are the ultimate dream of an advertiser--emotionally connected to the
brand. It has nothing to do with rationality or intelligence and everything
to do with emotion.
BUT, if you think this is a Democrat or a Republican thing--you are very
mistaken This is a class war and the leadership of the Democratic Party, the
Obama/Clinton Corporate Centrist coalition are almost as bad as the Rand
Paul's and the multimillionaire jerk Ryan What's his face from Wisconsin or
Alan Simpson or John Bonehead cry-baby.
The rich millionaire/billionaire Republicans are so greedy that they want to
take the entire cake. The rich millionaire/billionaire Corporate Centrist
Democrats who control the Democratic Party will toss out crumbs, but these
crumbs always come with a big caveat. For example: No pre-existing
conditions and you kids can stay on your heath care (if you still have a
job; if you have a kid; if you can afford to pay their extra premium;if your
job even offers healthcare: if, if, if) BUT for these few crumbs, which
don't even apply to 1/3 of Americans the caveat is that we all must purchase
health care insurance by 2016 from the very Wall Street health care
insurance crooks who are currently gouging us. This is progress? not by my
standards!
We have 261 millionaires in Congress--almost half. Until they go we will
never have even a semblance of a Democracy. They care more about the health
of their stock portfolios than they care whether we have jobs or health
care. Is anyone so stupid as to think these people would put the well being
of the American people before their personal wealth?
I urge everyone to run for office or support your neighbor in running for
office. AND AS FOR WORKING WITHIN EITHER OF THE PARTIES--FORGET THAT TOO.
I'm voting Independent and Green Party. I've been a Democrat all my life but
I'm done with them too.
and by the way: If you own Wall Street stock, you are part of the problem.
It is a corrupt system, an evil casino. if the majority of us are going to
survive above the level of serfs, we are going to have to remember like the
people of Egypt did that we are after all the MAJORITY. We should turn our
backs on them and they have done to us.
Elizabeth Berry
Alternet
You are the definition of left wing lunatic.
NoBama
Smirking Chimp
Mr Partridge wrote an excellent article, I gave it a 10
Who the hell are you?
contrapuntist
Smirking Chimp
I agree with the article.
Note "Nobama" has been a member for 3 hours 45 minutes.
Apparently, the "intelligence" services have again hired a pack of
unemployable Ivy League red neck racist wannabees to act as trolls. Expect
more of these trolls on the more intelligent blogs.
The mouth breathers realized that they were way over classed and retreated
to the right wing lunatic fringe blogs.
My rankings of the news sources:
BBC 85% accurate, totally untrustworthy on any serious topic in Great
Britain, Ireland or Iceland.
CBC 80% accurate, totally untrustworthy on Canadian issues, Great Britain,
the United States, Australia or New Zealand.
Al Jazeera English 98% accurate, lies by omission about Saudi Arabia.
Never read Russia Today or listened to The Real Story.
The rest float between 2% and 5% accuracy. On average, commercial
advertisements are 7% accurate.
Sports reporting is about 95% accurate. People pay attention. Partisanship
produces incredibly tiny nit picking on everything. Reporters will fail to
report any nasty behavior of any athlete that they are a fan of. It always
comes out. Tiger Woods was not hiding what he did, the reporters did. When
it blew up, it really put the reporters on their toes, cause the fans knew
that they had been lied to by omission.
friendly
Smirking Chimp
Godzilla stomps on more than Japan.
"not in the history of mankind has the government ever created a job."
-Michael (brain of) Steele
Show me someone who has read a history book and I'll show you someone who
isn't a Republican.
Even if we were to believe Steele's proposition (never mind how. It no doubt
involves mental spasticty beyond birther and global warming denier
capacities) we are still faced with the fact that corporations have
destroyed hundreds of millions of more jobs than they created. They are a
veritable jobs Black Hole.
When we subtract the jobs destroyed by corporations from the jobs they
'created', we see the true picture of their role in the job generation
process. Picture something like bodies strewn across a battlefield and you
get the picture.
Corporations perceive jobs has the deadly enemy of the only thing that
matters to them: profit. Jobs are a cost that must be eliminated by any
means necessary. Often, they eliminate them from pure habit even when it is
not necessary. Sometimes they do it just for the pure fun of watching
(former) employees suffer.
But, whatever the reason or pretext, Corporate cuts jobs whenever possible;
not whenever necessary, whenever possible. The beauty of corporate monopoly
power is that they can cut service and production quality down to levels so
shitty that people would normally buy them only at gunpoint. I mean, we ALL
hate those f#$%ing phone mazes that Corporate forces us to go thru because
they have cut ten million phone operator jobs (and sent two of them to
India) and raised CEO pay with the loot, but we use them anyway because
Corporate has eliminated those who dare not comply.
When we cut corporate taxes we are injecting a job-destroying Godzilla with
steroids.
Smirking Chimp
Unfortunately, the end of empire is seldom pretty.
The end of the British empire, while mostly just sort of depressing in
Britain herself, resulted in decades of war in her former territories -
India/Pakistan, middle east, east Africa. The end of the Soviet empire
resulted in wars in the Balkans, in Chechnya, and the breaking away of
states that even pre-dated the Soviet era.
I shudder to think what may be in store for us.
RaleighNCDUer
Democratic Underground
Everything changes once the lying starts. The Russian people accepted the
fact that their official news source was propaganda and it became a joke.
The downfall followed. The old Soviet propagandists would blush at seeing
what's going on here.
The road to empire is paved with republics that failed because they
squandered their resources on foreign military adventures premised on lies.
Several years ago a president from Texas took office under unusual
circumstances. He then started a war predicated on lies. In 2001 a Texas
Governor seized the presidency under unusual circumstances and then started
a war predicated on lies.
You can't make up shit like this.
The Wizard
Democratic Underground
Right - It's the corporate billions that fund the Right Wing Propaganda
Machine including the teapotty.
That's what Paid Propaganda does for fascism.
Remember the building blocks of 20th century fascism:
Right Wing
Super Wealthy Funded
Corporation
Controlled
Media
Propaganda Pumping
w/ Scapegoating
&Union Busting
ShockediSay
Democratic Underground
Excellent post, you are spot on
The idea that government can't create jobs is an absolute lie, in the sense
it is not true. But its much closer to a delusion in that Conservatives
actually believe this crap
Which speaks to a much larger problem Conservatives have, and by extension
the rest of the Country
They base their entire world view on idiotic ideological writings and out
right works of Fiction.
The notion that Government Can't create jobs stems from arguments made at
the beginning of the 20th century against Communism. Precursor to Men like
hayek and Freedman, who stated that for Government to do anything, it must
first extract capital from the private sector, usually in the form of taxes.
And because Government is inherently more inefficient then private
enterprise, for every job Government could create, the private sector could
create more with the same amount of money.
So its not that Government can't create jobs, it can't create a NET more
jobs then the private sector could. (I doubt most Conservatives like Steel
even know where their idiotic views come from) but there it is.
And of course this is pure Bullchit. The simple reason, the world is a far
more complicated place
But these are the men who are running our country, and their Delusions need
to be addressed head on
Stoli65
Democratic Underground
NASA is the four letter answer to "gov't doesn't create jobs"
NASA's technological innovations not only created jobs but entire
industries. Computers, satellites, cell phones, etc. Really too many to
list.
divaqd
Democratic Underground
The greatest GOP LIE is the ole "trickle down" tax cut garbage. Ronnie
Raygun started this lunacy. Remember Raygun, who cut taxes and started
deficits that ran into the hundreds of billions, and that was 25 or more
years ago. The Smirking Chimp and war criminal Bush repeated this LIE, and
BINGO, two tax cuts the nation could not afford. The Chimp even borrowed
money from China for the illegal and immoral war in Iraq for the benefit of
Israel. Even David Stockman has admitted that the tax cut/increasing federal
revenue scam is a big LIE. Cutting taxes simply gives the government less
revenue. Yes, there is tremendous WASTE in government, but cutting taxes is
not the way to slay the federal monster (DHS and ole Gestapo Pistole's TSA).
The cleaning up of the huge and wasteful federal beaucracy is the job of
Congress, which, unfortunately, is full of IDIOTS.
William
Information Clearing House
Let's see here! If Barack Obama were born in the US he would have already
presented his birth certificate and not sealed his college records. The
Democratic governor of Hawaii said he woule release Obama's birth
certificate after he was elected but he couldn't find it. I wonder why?
Could it be that it doesn't exist? And how about his renunciation of US
citizenship when he was adopted by Lolo Soetoro, and Indonesian citizen?
Obama never re-applied for US citizenship. He is an illegal alien and he is
in the White House. Talk about lying! It's you Obamatrons who are lying!
Obama is a Black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs - accorindg to Cornel West,
a Black Princeton professor - and committing more crimes than George Bush
and you defend this mulatto? It is the Demopublicans who are lying. All of
them! Wake up, Not just the GOP wing of the Demopublican party. Wake up!
Break out of the false left-right paradigm!
John
Information Clearing House
let the author justify BY THE SCIENCE instead of by passionate denunciation
of the contrary opinion, that Anthropogenic Global Warming is real.
or the fact is that the opponents of this fad and fantasy have the most
solid science there is on the subject. Not only that but the climate has not
been warming since 1998
Does Mr Partridge so hate the republicans that he will demonise EVERYTHING
they say? then he himself is a demagogue and partisan.
I get my position on AGW from the science, not from my political
affiliation, because i am a life loing leftist but know as fact that the
medieval warm period was hotter than now and it was not caused by SUVs
roaring up and down the dirt roads of europe from 800 to 1300 AD
strefanash
Information Clearing House
Many of the examples Partridge presents as obviously false --- aren't.
Most had an element of truth in them or may have been true under some
circumstances but not others.
We in america have been taught since our first experience in government
schools to think of everything as a dichotomy.
There is one and only one correct answer to every question. True/False
Correct/Incorrect or a single choice of A,B,C or D.
Any sort of ambiguity or nuance is banished from this system.
Will this be on the test? No? Then I have no use for the information.
No wonder people can't think for themselves anymore.
ct
Information Clearing House
The big lie? Again another idiot without a clue. He talks of nothing but
government jobs. That is not creating jobs. It is the private sector that
needs the jobs. It is the private sector that keeps America and the
government going. It is the private sector that pays for those government
jobs. What fools these liberals are. And when they say government workers
pay taxes also , it is our money they are paying the taxes with. T This
article is just one big lie. hat is a double dip for us. We pay our taxes
and the government workers taxes also.
This article is just one big lie.
alfred
Information Clearing House
"millions accept uncritically the lies, myths and dogmas fed to them by the
mega-corporations that own our government"
I'm not so sure that they accept what they hear. Sometimes I wonder if those
who did poorly in school, so much resent those who did well in school, that
they will argue with whatever highly educated folks suggest. The West
emphasizes higher education as the ticket to success. Half the population
has not been achieved higher education. They resent that they were deprived
of success while others moved ahead. They resent that they don't understand
economics; history, philosophy, or the use of language. They grasp onto
simple concepts like "guns, gays, and god". They want very much for their
simple concepts to win against the high-fallutin' detailed, scientific
concepts put forth by college graduates. That's why they like Mr Oxycontin,
the beckster, and the little Hannity boy - none of which graduated from
college, but who simply preach simplistic nonsense. The left MUST reduce its
message to a third grade level and must show respect and appreciation for
truck drivers, waitersses, mechanics, construction workers, etc.
humanbeing
Information Clearing House
A good essay by Ernest Partridge. Nice to know I'm not alone. There is other
intelligent life out there.
cruxpuppy
Information Clearing House
And there are always those who believe that government largess, which is the
confiscation of wealth from the people either by taxation or devaluation,
will prosper the nation by utilizing wealth better than those who knew
enough, and labored sufficiently, to produce the wealth---even after decades
of records reveal governments confiscate 80 to 90 percent in overhead for
empire building and corruption so bureaucrats can live better than
producers.
Demorats are no different than Republicats. Is this the "change" in society
you were promised during the campaign??
joefrommo
Information Clearing House
I've never seen a bigger bunch of worthless mother fuckers in one place in
my entire life. If this world is dependent on people like you, then fuck it.
It's all over by the crying. If I could nuke this planet to death I would do
it. It would be a mercy killing.
nowayout
Information Clearing House
Ah yesss... 'Comrades'! Let us all IN-HEIL! to der big lies of der corp-rat
Amerikan media machine. This fascist/capitalist machine is one of the
reasons why there is NO tell-lie-vision in my home. It is why I have to grab
my mouse... and surf the web to Russia Today or the Tehran Times in Iran and
other foreign news sources to find out what's really happening in the world.
Wikileaks has also been a big help.
It seems there are no longer any trusted news sources in the United $tates
of Perpetual War Profiteering. Amerika has devolved into a third world
plutocratic oligarchy. Indeed! In response to the terrifying Fukushima
nuclear disaster now poisoning the planet, Ann Kuntliar, a hard-core
right-$winging propagandist for the Amerikan establishment media, claimed
that nuclear radiation is good for us. Not to worry she regurgitates to the
sheeple people in corn-syrup Amerika. Frankly... these media pundits people
are more than $ociopaths and liars... and corp-rat whores. They are insane!
RICHARD_R_ROEHL
Information Clearing House
People vote for the candidate with whom they identify. Clever, unethical
politicians understand this and speak to that idealistic entity. It all
looks like lies to realists, but the realm of the mind is not constrained by
reality. People can stomp their feet and hate it, or they can understand
that these folks are part of the electorate, and figure out a way to lead
them (for they LOVE to be led) to less socially damaging ideals
bko
Information Clearing House
April 1, 2011
About Ernest Partridge's Essay,
"Nuclear Power -- Now Now, Not Ever!"
Excellent paper. You focus on the main points and avoid details that the
nuclear industry uses to obscure the issue. In one such example of a 'red
herring', Kate Galbraith, who is presumably a 'green' activist, actually
blames the entertainment media for "spooking" the public about the dangers
of nuclear power, mentioning the Jane Fonda film in particular.
Galbraith
writes:
"Movies like “Godzilla” — whose main
character emerged from the site of atomic destruction — have fed fears
of radiation, Mr. Klein said. “The China Syndrome,” starring Jane Fonda,
about a TV reporter who stumbles upon malfeasance at a nuclear plant and
persuades a whistle-blower to speak out about the potential for a
meltdown that could “render an area the size of Pennsylvania permanently
uninhabitable,” opened in March 1979. Twelve days later, America’s worst
nuclear accident occurred at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, and the
public was spooked. "
My response might be: They were 'spooked'
for good reason. With the clever use of the word "spooked", Galbraith
implies that the fear is ungrounded and just a psychological aberration
and/or the result of good acting by Jane Fonda. Human factors, whether from
ignorance, simple malfeasance, or purposeful malefaction, are a continuing
unquantifiable factor, and Fonda and company should be applauded for making
the general public more aware of this.
A potentially relevant anecdote is my experience doing modeling of air
defense missiles at Hughes Aircraft Co. in 1960, as a new engineering
graduate, before returning to graduate school. I was asked to run a
simulation comparing the Hughes missile with its competitor, the Bendix
missile, when intercepting Russian bombers coming in over Canada. The result
indicated that the Bendix missile would shoot down more bombers. My
supervisor immediately told me to discard the results and run the simulation
again with the bombers coming in at a higher altitude, since our missies
were more efficient at the higher altitudes. The Hughes missiles came out on
top, and that was the result that was presumably submitted to the
government. It is possible that 8.0 and 9.0 level earthquakes were simulated
by GE and the construction firm, and the results tossed out. The 7.0 limit
may have been the highest that would pass the simulation test.
A Retired Professor of Engineering
(Name withheld by request)
Actually, I've heard living in proximity to one of those big wind farms--the
noise?--it can drive you nuts!
Similarly, much of the 'green' technology (parts manufacture and so forth)
is very VERY polluting. Devastatingly so, I've heard and read. I could give
you links, but I won't. Because you are so fucking stupid and not worth the
time it would take.
You phony intellectual righteous bastards (Partridge et. al.) are raping the
earth wildly too.
May your kind (and your phony kindness) burn in hell.
Mr. Wilson
The Smirking Chimp
Ernest Partridge Replies:
You've "heard?"
But have you actually tested your hypothesis?
I have frequently driven past the wind farms at Banning and Tehachapi
Pass in southern California and have barely heard a whisper from them,
if that.
Both facilities are remote from residential areas, so there is nobody
"living in proximity" to them.
Maybe I'd feel differently if there were a windmill in my back yard. Or
maybe not, if it significantly decreased my monthly bill to So Cal
Edison.
"I could give you links, but I won't"
Either post your links or go away. No one here's interested in arguing with
Pee Wee Herman.
PinkTiger
The Smirking Chimp
A challenge for the Greens here!
"Abstract – The conventional approach for radiation protection is based on
the ICRP’s linear, no threshold (LNT) model of radiation carcinogenesis,
which implies that ionizing radiation is always harmful, no matter how small
the dose. But a different approach can be derived from the observed health
effects of the serendipitous contamination of 1700 apartments in Taiwan with
cobalt-60 (T1/2 = 5.3 y). This experience indicates that chronic exposure of
the whole body to low-dose-rate radiation, even accumulated to a high annual
dose, may be beneficial to human health.
Approximately 10,000 people occupied these buildings and received an average
radiation dose of 0.4 Sv, unknowingly, during a 9-20 year period. They did
not suffer a higher incidence of cancer mortality, as the LNT theory would
predict. On the contrary, the incidence of cancer deaths in this population
was greatly reduced – to about 3 per cent of the incidence of spontaneous
cancer death in the general Taiwan public. In addition, the incidence of
congenital malformations was also reduced – to about 7 per cent of the
incidence in the general public.
These observations appear to be compatible with the radiation hormesis
model."
These doctors had probably no vested interest with nuclear industry. So feel
free to dispute this study with actual facts you Greens here!
jimmy73
The Smirking Chimp
Jimmy, it is helpful to become more cognizant of things you talk about,
before you express strong opinions. The study you refer to describes people
who were subjected ONLY to external radiation, in low doses and very low
intensity (most damaging to biological systems is the radiation of 3-10 MeV;
Cobalt-60, that caused exposure in the quoted study, radiates at below 1 MeV).
This is a COMPLETELY different situation from internal exposure. External
radiation (photons of gamma rays) is highly energetic, and as such unlikely
to affect living cells and tissues; most of these rays go through the body
without interaction with biological structures. You need a MASSIVE dose of
gamma rays to have a high chance of a damage being inflicted – and a lot of
this damage can be repaired by the body. In particular, isolated damage to
DNA can be repaired – after all, ionizing radiation is a fact of life since
the beginning of Earth. However, internal exposure to radioactive particles
is drastically different. Cesium or strontium atoms lodge in the body and
release beta particles, that strongly interact with neighboring tissues time
after time after time – and this repeated and prolonged insult is quite
different from an incidental passage of gamma rays during a dental X-ray or
like occasions. Sure, DNA damage can be repaired, and if not, most of the
affected cells will simply die, and if not, most of the cancerous cells will
be eliminated by the immune surveillance. But with sufficiently high
exposure, these internal radiation is bound to produce damage or disease.
Moreover, many radioactive compounds are concentrated in biological systems,
as they move upward in food chain, or are selectively absorbed – like
strontium, that behaves like calcium and goes into bones. Release of
radioactive particles is the worst consequence of nuclear accidents – and
with respect to Fukushima, the real problems have not even began. One can
hope that they will be able to entomb the whole mess, like they did in
Chernobyl, and that no earthquake will damage the “sarcophagus” during the
next couple of thousand years...
In short, it is quite possible and likely, that low doses of gamma rays may
have beneficial effects, by stimulating tissue repair and immune responses.
But internalized radioactive particles are bound to be harmful, no matter
what the concentration; and the harm would rapidly increase with increasing
concentration.
Vikipedia has a good article on biological effects of radiation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionizing_radiation).
polack in idaho
The Smirking Chimp
Thanks for an excellent article, Mr. Partridge.
At this writing, it has been confirmed that core damage has been sustained
in the reactors 1, 2 and 3 at the Fukushima site and that meltdowns have
subsequently occurred in one or more of these reactors. Further, is has also
been confirmed that it is very probable that the primary and/or secondary
containment vessels of one or more of these reactors have also received
damage, the degree of which remains to be determined.
As you have pointed out, the three most serious nuclear reactor incidents,
which have occurred to date, were due to mechanical failure, human error and
in Japan by natural catastrophe. It is patently clear that none of these
factors can be ruled out of any sphere of human endeavor. But they are
absolutely lethal in conjunction with nuclear reactors.
Accordingly, I support the premise that it is NOT possible to accurately and
reliably assess the safety of nuclear reactors. Further, I fully support
“that such an assessment is impossible, not simply because of a lack of
scientific knowledge and technological capacity, but more fundamentally,
because of the insurmountable inability to anticipate all possible
circumstances that might occur in the operation of the plant.”, as you have
succinctly put it.
It should be pointed out that the nuclear catastrophe currently unfolding in
Japan is taking place DESPITE the fact that the reactors 1, 2 and 3 at
Fukushima automatically shut down, as designed. Further I might propose that
despite the best of technology, if mankind insists on operating nuclear
reactors in known and exceedingly volatile earthquake zones, we are simply
too stupid to be entrusted with that technology.
Hence, I seriously wonder how many more “incidents” of this kind we will
have to endure before the above becomes clear. At some point, mankind
realized that the use of nuclear weapons was not an option as the MAD
(Mutually Assured Destruction) concept only assured the end of all life and
civilization on this planet. I wonder now, when the point will be reached,
when we realize that the blind use of nuclear reactors actually follows the
same road.
It’s just the longer one.
GreyRaven
The Smirking Chimp
"How long till?"
Never is how long as long as the owners don't have to ever suffer any of the
consequences. Sound familiar? Like the "other" meltdown on Wall st. none of
the perps go to jail or are fined, to the contrary they are all rewarded and
someone else is blamed and millions take the fall. These are increasingly
the "real" consequences of Plutocracy and it's bastard child Corporatism.
glynnkilara on March 29, 2011 - 9:19pm.
The Smirking Chimp
Well said, glynnkilara.
I’ve heard suggestions that the nuclear industry should pay in to a fund
that fully covers payment for all of the disasters it creates.
But, what good will it do us once the last blade of grass has died?
GreyRaven
The Smirking Chimp
How many have died?
Your comment is full of sanctimonious BS. How many have died there in
Fukushima? NONE. Also in areas near Chernobyl, apart from 90+ percent
curable thyroid cancer, there are no indications of number of cancers of any
type rising among exposed population.
But don't let the facts get in the way of a good story, right?
jimmy73
The Smirking Chimp
Ernest Partridge Replies:
A definitive 327 page study by three Russian scientists, Alexey Yablokov,
and Vassily and Alexey Nestorenko, says otherwise. Yablokov writes:
"The Chernobyl catastrophe has already killed several hundred thousand
human beings in a population of several hundred million that was
unfortunate enough to live in territories affected by the fallout."
(A. V. Yablokov, "Mortality After the Chernobyl Catastrophe," in
Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the
Environment. Published in Russia. English edition published by the New
York Academy of Sciences, 2009).
But never mind all that. The dogmas of the right transcend mere science,
and "reality has a liberal bias." (Stephen Colbert).
Ernest Partridge
Hi Jimmy,
Have you heard the news? Dude, this is just so cool and I hope I’m the first
one you hear it from. It’s all over the news, man. Even Reuters is covering
it!
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Greenpeace “Nuclear Advocate of the Year”
award, haven’t you? Well, they’ve just pulled another name out of the hat
and guess what, dude? Your name is on it! You won! And the really the best
part of it is you’ve won a four week trip, man! Four whole weeks!
This is just so cool! I couldn’t be happier for you!
And guess where you’ll be staying? I can hardly wait to tell you. You’re
going to visit the Ukraine! Isn’t that great? It’s supposed to be really
beautiful there in the Springtime.
You’ll be staying at a great resort. It’s located in a place with a funny
name that translates from Russian into English as “Ghost Town”. It’s located
just four kilometers north of a very famous site. Perhaps you’ll find a
chance to visit it as well.
Here’s a picture of the hotel where you’ll be living, there on the left.
I really envy you. Think of all the new people you’ll meet there! One of
them is this crazy chick who rides through the entire area on her
motorcycle, called Elena. Who knows, you might even meet her.
She’s taken a lot of really great pictures of the entire countryside near
where you’ll be staying, you lucky guy! I’m sure you’ll really like them.
Here’s the link: http://kiddofspeed.com/chapter2.html
Be sure to visit it and check them out before it’s time to catch your plane.
The only travel advice I can give you is one that Elena explains on her site
quite well: don’t leave the asphalt.
But if you do, that’s alright too. When your badge turns black, just throw
it away because there really isn’t any danger anyway, as you well know. Just
throw it away and open another one. Or better yet, collect a bunch of them
and take them home as souvenirs!
Jimmy73, I can’t tell you how pleased I am for you. And, imagine, a great
advocate like you gets chosen and you’re even posting here on Smirking
Chimp.
You be sure, now, to send us regular updates regarding your trip. There will
be plenty of kiosks with postcards, I’m sure.
And if you ever feel unwell, try travel gum. It really works!
GreyRaven
The Smirking Chimp
No big deal -- it's just a 90+ percent curable cancer.
Any disease, be it cancer or an infection or whatever, with a 10 percent
mortality rate is usually considered to be seriously dangerous. By way of
perspective, for many breast cancer types, a stage 1 diagnosis carries a
similar prognosis, yet you never hear of anyone implying any breast cancer
diagnosis as being anything less than seriously bad news for the unlucky
recipient.
I have no idea whether Jimmy73 has ever been the recipient of a cancer
diagnosis, but I'm pretty sure that if so, no matter what kind of cancer,
he'd not post glib stuff like this implying that the thyroid cancer cases
aren't really such a big deal because that cancer has a high (for cancer
that is) cure rate. Try selling that lemon to a thyroid cancer patient! Once
diagnosed, that little dark cloud follows one around for good, not just for
the usually cited 5 years.
KimIlBush
The Smirking Chimp
Nuclear power is subsidized by the TAXPAYER at every step in the fuel cycle,
from the mining of uranium to insurance in the event of an accident.
That point needs to be made over and over.
No wonder the industry keeps promoting it. Just another instance where the
profits are capitalized and the costs are socialized. What's not to like?
Bastards!!
From the OP..another way to state what I said above: If these plants are so
safe, why is the industry not willing to fully indemnify losses in event of
an accident? It would be interesting to hear an answer from the pro-nuke
folks, here.
If it's so safe then indemnify it.
truth2power
Democratic Underground
How many severe earthquakes did it take to arrange the continents into their
present configuration? There simply are no safe locations for nuclear power
plants.
Enthusiast
Democratic Underground
"However, the damage caused by a nuclear meltdown and radiation release
endures for millennia and can render huge areas permanently
uninhabitable, as they have in Ukraine and Belarus due to the Chernobyl
disaster, and as they likely will in Japan following the Fukushima
catastrophe."
This Japan situation is nothing like
Chernobyl where a reactor actually ruptured and EXPLODED, exposing the
graphite moderator of the reactor to air, causing it to ignite and spew
highly radioactive smoke over a wide area. So far, only some moderately
radioactive water has leaked from the spent fuel pools and affected the very
nearby area.
Why don't we wait and see how this all plays out before we broad-brush
condemn nuclear power altogether?
LAGC
Democratic Underground
Yes, we should wait until the ocean is completely contaminated before saying
a word.
TBF
Democratic Underground
The contamination is very localized.
Once they get the fresh-water pumps back online, the reactors will be
brought fully under control.
Of course, that doesn't fit into your "end of the world" narrative, does it?
LAGC
Democratic Underground
How about an abridged version, maybe an executive summary? If I wanted to
read a book I'd go to the library.
Jester Messiah
Democratic Underground
He's got a PhD - that's what they do.
TBF
Democratic Underground
You can invest your time, with a concise article by Ernest Partridge, or you
can spend your time, reading the lightly researched highly edited mush, of a
800 word newspaper article.
CRG
Democratic Underground
"Not Ever" ?
Perhaps it might be better to say not unless we have no other option and or
some breakthrough occurs in the future that actually makes nuclear power a
safe and friendly option.
cstanleytech
Democratic Underground
Ernest Partridge Replies:
Point taken.
So how about waiting until the nuclear nasties all simmer down to a
"safe level"?
Say, about a million years or so?
I'll accept that.
The Diablo Canyon facility along the central coast of California is another
Fukushima just waiting for the opportunity to happen and will devastate
california in the same manner that Fukushima is now devastating Japan. And a
devastated cal will seriously wreck the usa, as cal is probably its
strongest and most important economic region.
Has everyone seen this?
When the Fukushima Meltdown Hits
Groundwater
March 27, 2011
By Dr. Tom Burnett
(excerpts)
“Fukushima is going to dwarf Chernobyl. The Japanese government has had
a level 7 nuclear disaster going for almost a week but won’t admit it.
The disaster is occurring the opposite way than Chernobyl, which
exploded and stopped the reaction. At Fukushima, the reactions are
getting worse. I suspect three nuclear piles are in meltdown and we will
probably get some of it.
If reactor 3 is in meltdown, the concrete under the containment looks
like lava. But Fukushima is not far off the water table. When that
molten mass of self-sustaining nuclear material gets to the water table
it won’t simply cool down. It will explode – not a nuclear explosion,
but probably enough to involve the rest of the reactors and fuel rods at
the facility….”
(it gets worse, much worse)
US
nuclear plant violates safety rules
Published: 29 March, 2011, 20:10
“According to the New York Attorney
General, the nuclear power plant at Indian Point has sought over 100
exemptions from the fire safety code which may make it extremely
difficult to secure the nearly 40-year old facility in an emergency."
Hayate
Dissident Voice
“Using a nuclear reaction to create electricity is like using a chainsaw to
cut butter”. Author’s name forgotten, but probably from The Mother Earth
News in the ’80’s.
s2man
Permaculture Research Institute
Ernest Partridge replies: : I believe that the source is Amory Lovins.
An excellent article. I know little about the nuclear power debate but
having read articles by Monbiot and Mark Lynas (Guardian and ChinaDialogue
respectively), supporting the nuclear industry, I find your article
eminently more considered, well-researched and compelling.
Many thanks
Marianne Green
Permaculture Research Institute
I’m all for having a solar concentrator in the backyard, or efficiently
burning wood in a rocket mass stove. For our gridhead masters, the current
U-235 based plants have the dual use of breeding bomb material, so safety
and economy are not their primary concerns. Thorium looks like a nuclear
alternative worth investigating, http://youtu.be/5LeM-Dyuk6g is a 10 minute
distillation of hourse of Google video. “In conclusion, This gives us
options for inherently safe, proliferation resistant, economic nuclear power
that can last thousands if not millions of years. This really could be the
silver bullet that enables us to power our industrial society. And this also
offers real options for? solving the long term issues surrounding our
existing spent nuclear fuel and ultimately preventing the? formation of new
transuranic waste.” Bill Gates is promoting a U-238 “traveling wave” reactor
to use up depleted waste uranium. I wonder if Dr. Partridge has looked into
these alternative nuke designs.
J. Kent Hastings
Permaculture Research Institute