Can we create a police state? Yes we can

Can we create a police state?  Yes we can.

The audacity of totalitarianism - the United States is now officially a fascist totalitarian state with the passing, and presumptive signing, of the National Defense Authorization Act, which defines in Articles 1031 and 1032  that the executive branch can label anyone an enemy combatant, including US citizens in the US, and imprison them indefinitely with no right to habeas corpus, no right to counsel, and no right to trial.

So, out the door goes at least 800 years of legal prior precedence (so much for stare decisis), as the Great Writ of Habeas Corpus precedes the Magna Carta (1215) which states “...no free man shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in any way destroyed except by the lawful judgment of their peers or by the law of the land.”

One can argue that this was the seminal issue with the nobles' revolt and establishment of the Magna Carta.  And with one deft (well, two if you count the nifty predecessor PATRIOT act) stroke of a pen, Obama will attempt to eradicate 800 years of civil liberty, citing the endless and undeclared war on terror as the reason.  I'd say we should push for a constitutional amendment to rectify this, but it strikes me we already have one which is being blatantly ignored.  (The Fourth Amendment for those of you counting)

This is a patently unconstitutional law, and should be vigorously assailed at every turn.  It'd be a great time to join the ACLU if you don't already belong.

Media Matters or why you shouldn't necessarily believe what you see / hear / read in the media

Much of what we base our opinions on is based on what we read or see in the media.  The topics that are covered, the content and tone of the discourse we're exposed to, all this shapes and influences the perception we have of the world around us, where we perceive there to be good, and where we perceive there to be evil or bad.


The media can be either a great source of diversity of thought and transparency of society, business and government, or they can be shamelessly propaganda.


Our open and free society is based on several tenets, one of which is a diverse and active free press.  A free press is one of the fundamental pillars of a democratic society, and our founders we prescient enough to mandate it in the Bill of Rights in the First Amendment.

John Mayer got it right when he sang:

"And when you trust your television 
What you get is what you got 
Cause when they own the information, oh 
They can bend it all they want"

A diverse and locally based free press leads to diversity of opinion, diversity of views presented.  If this diversity is narrowed or abridged, then we will have less of what makes us free.


Over the past 30 years, even as the venues for the media have increased with the advent of the internet, we have seen an unprecedented consolidation of the channels of information that keep us informed, and keep us free.  The chart below shows concentration of media over an 11 year period from 1993 to 2004, increasing from 50 companies owning 90% of the news and information outlets in the US in 1993, to just 5 in 2004.

Media Reform Information Center

Just what these five mega corporation own is outlined in the chart below - an astounding concentration of power in a few companies. 

Media Literacy, Section 001, Fall 2011, at the University of Minnesota

Links to the media holding of each of these companies can be found here: Media Ownership


With less diversity, and the consolidation of news desks from local offices to regional and then national news desks represents has led to less reporting on local issues, and hence less transparency in government and governmental agencies on a state and local level, as well as to a consolidation of media point of view to a very few individuals.  Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but this means that the leadership of these five companies control what the majority of Americans see of the world - the very information they use to form their world views and determine how they interact with each other and society.


Think about the level of discourse you've personally experienced on TV, or the Radio and how this has changed in your lifetime.  I remember the statesmanly Walter Cronkite, the humorous and irreverent Andy Rooney, the insightful yet acerbic William F. Buckley.  Where have these men and their ilk gone?  They no longer exist, having been replaced by charlatans like Rush Limbaugh and sensationalists like Ann Coulter.  Increasingly, young Americans are relying on comedians for their information from Jon Stewart who professes to NOT be a journalist.


Increasingly what is called news contains shameless product placements and corporate press releases, unedited and unchallenged by increasingly complacent news desks.  With no budgets and pressure from corporate to conform with policies and mandates, even the most committed journalist will be beaten into submittal within a few years, or leave the field with no place to go to.


So when you see the latest images on TV with the corporate narrative behind it, remember that you're being fed what the corporations want you to hear.   And they've increasingly gotten unashamedly blatant about twisting or down right misrepresenting the facts - going as far as to fabricate what they present as truth.


Don't settle for this and complacently act on the drivel you're being fed.  Seek out other sources of information.  Read the Canadian or Australian newspapers every now and then.  Try Russia Times for a laugh and a challenging set of perspectives.  Yes, watch the Daily Show for Jon Stewarts humorous and often cutting view on reality.  And armed with multiple perspectives, then decide on your own narrative.  Because you're being fed shite from the mainstream media which, in its arrogance, doesn't even care what you think because they've realized you don't matter.

A Modest Proposal for the 21st Century

Recently there's been a series of articles going around the internet about a couple that lost their home in Tennessee because they didn't pay a $75 annual fee (the firefighters came to the fire, not to put it out, but to make sure it didn't spread to nearby homes that had paid the fee), and more recently about counties in Georgia that are considering using prisoners to augment their fire fighting departments to save money and make vital services more affordable. (On a separate note, where else but the south would they even consider this - I'm looking for the chain gangs of my youth to return in road maintenance projects soon - I sort of dug the striped duds the prisoners wore.)  Of course, ever the realists (unlike administrators who apparently are the dreamers in this situation), The fire fighters complain that having prisoners would break the community trust as homeowners would worry that the combined group would steal from them.  


Which leads me to propose my own Modest Proposal for the 21st of my own (Jonathan Swift watch out!  Newt Gingrich watch out!)


There's any easy fix to both problems, and to addressing scofflaws in society in general.  Eliminate personal bankruptcy completely, and reinstitute debtors' prisons - if you can't pay your credit cards, you go to a debtor institution where you're afforded an opportunity to work off your debt.  The prison would act as a job referral agency, matching scofflaws with value added work in the community, potentially including firefighters.  After paying a modest charge for lodging, security, meals, and administration (say $80 or $90,000 a year), anything the debtor earns above this would be applied to first the accumulating interest on their debt, and then to their debt.  Eventually they would be debt free, and have learned some real market valued skill sets they can apply in the geriatric ward upon their release.


This is a really exciting concept, we could return the concept of legal inter generational debt obligation (as a child of a scofflaw it is your responsibility to pay of the debt as well), and afford the children of debtors the opportunity to learn real, viable, job skills.  None of these namby-pamby liberal arts learnings like music or fine arts (who hires these folks anyways - it's just a poor decision and we should protect them from making it) - no, the children could learn to be janitors like Newt Gingrich is proposing (he's so my hero for this fine, well thought out suggestion, except I worry as a modest proposal it might outshine mine).


The economic benefits of this are astounding.  


First - Debtors have a chance to pay off their debts, rather than living with the crushing reality of never being able to pay for all the stuff they bought with the credit cards they never should have had.


Second - Industry has an opportunity to hire skilled, low cost labor to become competitive with overseas slave societies like China or India. 


Third - the youth of our country could learn real, salable job skills through on the job training.


Fourth - Banks could sell the past due debt to these Debtor prisons, and the individual be incarcerated with I believe only an administrative procedure - no more expensive bankruptcy filings clogging our court systems and draining pubic funds unnecessarily.


I could go on, but you get the point.  The concept is brilliant, timely and resolves many of our deeper societal issues by reinstating accountability for your actions into the equation.


You must admit this is a great idea, - this Modest Proposal for the 21st Century.  Join me in writing your Congressman (chose the one most funded by the prison industry, they'll listen because they know which side of the toast is buttered) to demand a return to debtors prisons as a way to solve our competitive issues and address the lack of moral values that have evolved over the past 40 years.

Gingrich is a total Tool

So Newt on OWS: "“Let me take that for a brief moment to describe Occupy Wall Street. All of the Occupy movement starts with the premise that we all owe them everything."

Gingrich Being a Tool

Herein methinks he doesn't have a frickin' clue.

The OWS movement is about revisiting rules that have been calcified over 40 years that direct 95% of any improvement in productivity to 1% of the nation.  That create tax laws that ensure this perpetuates itself.  That value Capital over Labor, losing any sort of a balanced perspective, and that have sold our legislative and judicial systems to the highest bidder, depriving the 99% of any sort of real Democracy.  They're protesting the sham of a political process where, two parties bought and paid for by the corporations owned by the 1% (OK, by the top 5% in this case) create no real change, only useless gridlock which isn't even entertaining anymore.

The fact is, if you look at it, if you aren't part of this group, the odds of you ever being a part of the group, or even improving your measly lot in life are pretty slim for most Americans.

So Newt, why don't you get a job that doesn't involve leveraging your political position with corrupt companies to make a couple million a year?  Something real and tangible that adds value to the US.  You once were apparently a good history professor - why don't you try teaching history again.  And stop displaying your ignorance and total tool status in debates on nationwide TV.

11.11.11

On today, Veterans day 2011, 10 years into the Global War on Terrorism -


My fellow veterans: I salute you. Thank you for your service to our great country. I'm proud to have served and I know you are too. 

(stolen shamelessly from Monique Hayden Gary with whom I served not once, but twice, on two continents)


I saw a chart the other day that something like 0.45% of the American population has served/are serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars / occupations. This is down from something like 15% for WWII and 4% for Vietnam.

This is why the government and society can pay lip service to admiring our citizens in uniform, yet in actuality do nothing to support them. (Note the funding and state of the VA, burying remains of fallen servicemen in a garbage dump at Dover AFB etc.)

As a decision maker in the political or economic systems, you might know someone who knows someone in the service, but the odds that you or an immediate family member have or are serving are miniscule. And that's what's wrong with the military-industrial complex we've built - there are no longer personal consequences for the decision makers for employing our sword, or trying oil or resheath it.


So on Veterans Day 2011 remember, respect, support.  And please think about the system we've created that encourages us to put our brave citizen soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors in harm's way, and support them after they've served or given their all.

In God We Trust

A response to Congress  reaffirming this week as the national motto the phrase "In God We Trust" and encouraging its pronouncement on public buildings and continued printing on the coin of the realm. 


See the LA Times for an article on this matter.


Who's god?  Or gods for that sake?  Yaweh?  Allah?  "God"?  Ganesh is a favorite of mine - let's make Ganesh our god we trust in to provide, direct and favor us above all other nations on earth.  


For 175 years (give or take until 1956 that is during the hysteria of the Cold War and under the influence of such great American leaders as McCarthy) we realized that religion is divisive and plays no place in a modern, post - theocratic government.  This is why the Pilgrims and many colonists came to this nation in the first place - to get away from state religions.  This is what the Enlightenment was all about, and arguably why European nations have ruled the world for over 400 hears.  Let me hear the words - "Separation of Church and State".


While living a just, moral and contributory life is an integral part to being a human being and a member of society, there's no place for Congress, or your city council for that matter, to legislate morality.  Legislate actions, behaviors.  Outcomes.  But morality?  Please.


Your religion is your business.  No one else's.  And plays no role in the development and management of a well run secular society.


Now if you'd like to like in a Theocracy, where religion is major part of the governing of a people, then I'd suggest you move to Iran or Taliban controlled areas of Afghanistan.  Just watch out for those who might take issue with your god, or your interpretation of what he, she or it is telling you to do.  

Why don't they just get a job?

This is a typical comment from most my conservative friends - and they do somewhat have a point.

Most everyone I've known more than 20 years have made their way in life through hard work, many by serving in the military as I did.  They worked McJobs, they were baristas.  So their point of view is that, if they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and made something of themselves, why can't all these OWSers?


Good question, but sort of missed the point in my estimation.  The world is full of individuals who've been successful despite the obstacles thrown in front of them.  Many haven't succeeded. Why should we knowingly create an economic and political system that favors the few to the detriment of the many?  I think this is the issue on the table here, not why can't a group of protestors get employed.  It's about the systemic destruction of opportunity for anyone but the already privileged, and whether that's the world We the People want to make ours, or if there is truly a better one out there.

When Citibank begins marketing financial products to the "Plutonomy" (clever taking a concept, changing the suffix and making it a trade-markable item) you know we're in trouble.  They don't even care about keeping the topic quite anymore.  (See this article on Plutonomy to get started on the details: Times Colonist)

What's really amazing to me is how the upper middle class (lets say the top 20%) have bought into this line of argument.  Coming from a world of relative privilege compared to the bottom 80%, yet a stone to the sun compared to the 1%, they've adopted the liturgy of the wealthy in some misguided belief that they too will get there.  They've been to the best schools (their parents' money can buy), networked into powerful business relationships, and are set to make their $250,000 or so a year, and somehow this has convinced them that they've succeeded on their own merits.  In reality, they've neither succeeded (A hedge fund manager can make $250,000 a day guys), nor competed on their own merits (they were favored from birth.)

If this group (which I'll agree I too belong to in comparison to the bottom 60% - I'd say I've moved from somewhere around the 60th percentile where my parents were to somewhere in the 3rd to 5th percentile today) can't see the disparity we've created in opportunity, and the wasted potential this represents for all of us Americans, then we're in trouble.  For as the Terror taught la France, so too shall OWS teach America - when the vast teeming masses that make up the bulk of this country see no future, no potential, no ability to improve their lives for themselves or their children, then things can and will get ugly.