Welcome to Pottersville 2 (Blogging Against Fascism!): Jesus Still Thinks You're a Jerk! ("On This Day A Frank Is Born")

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"We Americans are the ultimate innocents. We are forever desperate to believe that this time the government is telling us the truth." - Sydney Schanberg

Home of the "Smugly Rational".

"The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft, / And gathering swallows twitter in the skies." - John Keats

"It is not necessary that you leave the house. Remain at your table and listen ... The world will present itself to you for its unmasking." - Franz Kafka

"“We of the craft are all crazy,” wrote Lord Byron about himself and his fellow poets. “Some are affected by gaiety, others by melancholy, but all are more or less touched.”"

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein

"In my lifetime we've gone from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. If this is evolution, I believe within twelve years we'll be voting for plants." - Lewis Black

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." – George Orwell

Senator Frank Church in 1975 chaired the Senate Hearings on the FBI’s Cointelpro operation, which spied upon and attempted to infiltrate, disrupt and discredit the peace movement. . . "if a dictator ever took over, (the NSA) could enable to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back. . . . That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn’t matter. There would be no place to hide. . . . I don’t want to see this country ever go across the bridge. I know the capacity that is there to make tyranny total in America, and we must see to it that this agency and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law and under proper supervision, so that we never cross over that abyss. That is the abyss from which there is no return."

Ukraine Disinformation Battle: Little Green Men, Hamsters and the Fog of War

________________
There has always been a gap in how media on both sides of the former Iron Curtain have reported world events, and it’s growing as the crisis in Ukraine escalates. It has become increasingly difficult to obtain reliable information from any side — west, east, or further east — about what is going on in Eastern Ukraine. While powerful propaganda machines fill the public space with smoke and mirrors, one of the few facts that can be positively established in Eastern Ukraine is that the body count is steadily growing: a testament of just how easy it is for self-interested foreign powers to start, either intentionally or recklessly, a civil war in the heart of Europe. Continuing coverage is available at this link and this link.

Paul Krugman:

Paul Craig Roberts:

_________________
US Media _________________
"Anyone who depends on print, TV, or right-wing talk radio media is totally misinformed. The Bush administration has achieved a de facto Ministry of Propaganda."

"The uniformity of the US media has become much more complete since the days of the cold war. During the 1990s, the US government permitted an unconscionable concentration of print and broadcast media that terminated the independence of the media.

Today the US media is owned by 5 giant companies in which pro-Zionist Jews have disproportionate influence. More importantly, the values of the conglomerates reside in the broadcast licenses, which are granted by the government, and the corporations are run by corporate executives — not by journalists — whose eyes are on advertising revenues and the avoidance of controversy that might produce boycotts or upset advertisers and subscribers.

Americans who rely on the totally corrupt corporate media have no idea what is happening anywhere on earth, much less at home."
_________________
War On Terror _________________
Roberts asked "Is the War on Terror a Hoax", and claims it has "killed, maimed, dislocated, and made widows and orphans of millions of Muslims in six countries". Roberts called the attacks "naked aggression" on civilian populations and infrastructure which constitute war crimes. _________________
Republican Party _________________
Roberts is seriously dismayed by what he considers the Republican Party's disregard for the U.S. Constitution. He has even voiced his regret that he ever worked for it, avowing that, had he known what it would become, he would never have contributed to the Reagan Revolution. _________________
American Democracy and Oligarchy _________________
Roberts has been increasingly critical of what he deems as the lessening of democracy in the U.S.; instead accusing it of being run by oligarchs by stating:

"The west prides itself that it is the standard for the world, that it is a democracy. But nowhere do you see democratic outcomes: not in Greece, not in Ireland, not in the UK, not here, the outcomes are always to punish the innocent and reward the guilty.

And that's what the Greeks are in the streets protesting. We see this all over the west. There is no democracy, there are oligarchies, some of these smaller European countries are not even run by their own governments, they are run by Wall Street... There is probably more democracy in China than there is in the west.

Revolution is the only answer... We are confronted with a curious situation. Throughout the west we think we have democracy, we hold ourselves up high, we demonize China, we talk about the mafia state of Russia, we talk about the Arabs and so on, but where is the democracy here?" _________________
Farewell Speech _________________
"Truth Has Fallen and Taken Liberty With It,"

Roberts effectively announced his journalistic retirement. The article, published at Counterpunch.org, begins:

"There was a time when the pen was mightier than the sword. That was a time when people believed in truth and regarded truth as an independent power and not as an auxiliary for government, class, race, ideological, personal, or financial interest."

It proceeds to a bitter chronicle of the demise of American intellectual integrity, particularly that of financial journalists and economists. These have been thoroughly corrupted by monetary inducements to misrepresent and ignore what has been, in effect, the systematic dismantling of the nation's productive life, in the name of globalization.

He holds the members of his own journalistic profession largely responsible for abetting relentless outsourcing of American industry, thereby gutting the American middle class and effectively dooming the nation's future.

He describes his own ostracism from mainstream media access, the consequence of his relentless and unflinching criticism of the demolition process over the past decade. His column ends, "The militarism of the U.S. and Israeli states, and Wall Street and corporate greed, will now run their course. As the pen is censored and its might extinguished, I am signing off." _________________

Liberal?

"If by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a “Liberal,” then I’m proud to say I’m a “Liberal."

John F. Kennedy, 1960
________________
Citizen's United

"[T]his Court now concludes that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption. That speakers may have influence over or access to elected officials does not mean that those officials are corrupt. And the appearance of influence or access will not cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy."

– Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
_______________

Monday, December 21, 2009

Jesus Still Thinks You're a Jerk! ("On This Day A Frank Is Born")

Happy Birthday, Frank!

I couldn't think of a better tribute (although Fried Green Al-Qaedas did), so here goes (use your favorite famous names as substitutions - notice how the words haven't needed to be changed since the Raygun years). Remember the gifts that Frank gave us decades ago that we need today . . . everyday. Going out to our Rethug and Democrap friends! Enjoy!

A hat tip goes out to our friend USAitia at Urantian Sojourn for this further tribute.

And a special one to Mark at Fried Green Al-Qaedas for the Zappadan Roundup!

Suzan _____________________

8 comments:

mark hoback said...: Thanks Suzan, and a Merry Zappadan to you!; December 21, 2009 at 1:25 PM
Lisa G. said...: I'm not much of a Zappa fan, but that was damned funny!; December 21, 2009 at 6:32 PM
Cirze said...: You are very welcome, Mark.

And Happy Zappadan to you too.

Lisa, I know how you feel.

It took me a while to appreciate "Yellow Snow," and yet, just listening to Frank opened my eyes in ways indescribable.

And it was soooo long ago.

One of my exes is a BIG Frank fan who turned me on to him in the early 80's.

I celebrate Zappadan fondly - and he had the BEST sense of humor ever.

Love ya,

S; December 21, 2009 at 7:07 PM
Reamus said...: Frank is/was nuts, but you gotta love'em, no?

Thanks for the links, Susan.; December 21, 2009 at 8:23 PM
Oso said...: Went to see them one time,Civic Auditorium I think it was. Zappa was taking tickets at the door and he noticed one of my partners had a bottle of cheap wine in his pocket. He said "You guys must be from East LA".

In addition to being a great musician Frank Zappa was a good judge of character.; December 22, 2009 at 2:30 AM
Cirze said...: You're welcome, Reamus, and you gotta admit that although "nuts," he was deeper and subtler than all the "straight" (non-nut) musicians. I believe that many of them said they'd be Frank if they had the balls.

And OSO, I agree, he was the ultimate judge of character(s) (IMHO).

Thanks for commenting.

Love you!

S; December 22, 2009 at 8:29 AM
Lisa G. said...: Oso is my favorest (yeah, I made it us...kill me later) commentator. He and I are of the same old blood.; December 23, 2009 at 3:21 AM
Cirze said...: And you know how I love your old blood, Lisa!

Merry Merry (if you can stand it).

S

So, this is Christmas . . . and what have (we) done?
______________________; December 23, 2009 at 11:12 AM

Peace

"A man of peace is not a pacifist; a man of peace is simply a pool of silence. He pulsates a new kind of energy into the world, he sings a new song. He lives in a totally new way his very way of live is that of grace, that of prayer, that of compassion. Whomsoever he touches, he creates more love-energy. The man of peace is creative. He is not against war, because to be against anything is to be at war. He is not against war; he simply understands why war exists. And out of that understanding he becomes peaceful. Only when there are many people who are pools of peace, silence, understanding, will the war disappear."
Osho

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Monday, December 21, 2009

Jesus Still Thinks You're a Jerk! ("On This Day A Frank Is Born")

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