Category Archives: Politics

Drugs, economics, News, Politics

Obama Pitches Health Reform Near D.C.

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President Obama on Wednesday highlighted a host of “consumer protections” he said will be a part of health care legislation, casting the government’s overhaul as a bid to provide financial security and peace of mind to the majority of people who already have health insurance.

“The reforms we seek will bring stability and security that you don’t have today,” he told a mostly supportive audience at Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C. Later he went to Bristol, Va., to make the same pitch.

And what exactly ARE the proposed reforms? According to this “USA Today” piece…

• Prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions or dropping those who become seriously ill.
• Require insurance companies to fully cover regular checkups and preventive tests such as mammograms.
• Guarantee that insurance companies renew policies as long as premiums are paid in full.
• Cut costs to “help get our exploding deficits under control.”
• Cost less than the Iraq war.

Never mind that these are great ideas to prevent misconduct from private, for-profit health insurers. OMG OBAMA’S A SOCIALIST WHO HATES CAPITALISM AND WANTS 2 RULE DA WORLD[/Glen, Chris, Ron Paul, Chomsky, and all the other “cool” guys] But then again…

• Guarantee that insurance companies renew policies as long as premiums are paid in full.

Edmund Haislmaier of the Heritage Foundation, a think tank, said Congress already passed legislation with that requirement. “That problem got fixed about 15 years ago,” he said.

I’ll give the Nobama – sorry to digress, but how can you possibly say that with a straight face? Sorry. I’ll give the Nobama camp this: the guy can be pretty damn redundant.

Culture Jamming, Politics

Peltier Update!!!

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“The parole hearing was held today. In spite of scorching temps and humidity, there were several hundred people who attended and waited for several hours until attorney Eric Seitz came out and addressed the crowd. He said the FBI did not have anything new to say but that he was able to present some additional evidence on Leonard’s behalf to the board. Leonard spoke with the board and answered questions for 1-1/2 hours. The hearing officer said he would look over his documentation and make a recommendation within 24-48 hours, at which the parole board has up to 3 weeks to make a final determination. Leonard has expressed his thanks for all of the efforts made on his behalf today. Eric Seitz said he feels “optimistic.”“- from Billie Fidlin, Chair of LPDOC and from my facebook updates

Chris

News, Politics, Soccer

Palin Steps Down As Alaska Governor

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By Ben Tan — July 27, 2009

Sarah Palin resigned as Alaska governor yesterday, in front of thousands of cheering supporters.

Palin pledged to continue fighting for independence from Washington and for Americans’ personal freedoms “as that grizzly guards her cubs.”

The attendees vowed to keep Palin’s feisty, down-home political legacy alive.  The hand-over to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell at a family-style picnic marked an unexpected end to a brief but notable governorship.  The 45-year-old hockey mom shook the Republican Party and propelled Alaska’s frontier-style, moose-meat-picnic politics into the national spotlight.

She famously described herself as a “pit bull with lipstick” last year, when she accepted the Republican vice presidential nomination.

“Let’s not start believing that government is the answer,” said Palin before a crowd of about 5,000 at Pioneer Park.

“It can’t help make you healthy or wealthy or wise. What can? It is the wisdom of the people. . . . It is God’s grace, helping those who help themselves.”

Palin, Alaska’s first female governor, stood at the podium in a conservative black pantsuit, joined by husband Todd and two of their daughters, Piper and Willow.

Palin chastised those who question why she stepped down 18 months before her term ends, showing no sadness or second thoughts.

“It should be so obvious to you,” she said.

“It is because I love Alaska this much, sir, that I feel that it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical politics-as-usual lame-duck session in one’s last year in office. . . . I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right. And I have never felt that you need a title to do that.”

She took an opportunity to criticize the media, which she claims distorted her statements and fueled controversies surrounding her.

“You represent what could and should be a respected and honest profession,” she said, “that could and should be a cornerstone of our democracy.”

“Democracy depends on you, and that is why our troops are willing to die for you. So how about in honor of the American soldier you quit making things up?

These moments of the speech drew the loudest applause.

“Our new governor has a very nice family too,” she added, “so leave his kids alone.”

economics, News, Politics

Bernanke Holds Town Hall-Style Forum

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By Ben Tan — July 27, 2009

Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, participated in a town hall-style forum in Kansas City, Mo. yesterday.  The forum was organized and moderated by Jim Lehrer of “The NewsHour” on PBS.  It is the latest stop in a publicity campaign with a message: the central bank is here to help, and is not as mysterious or menacing as people may think.  Bernanke took questions from local residents and disputed charges that the Fed was conspiring with big banks or stifling free-market capitalism.  

A small-business owner asked Bernanke why the Fed helped rescue big banks while “short-changing” small companies.

Bernanke replied that he had decided to “hold my nose” because he feared the entire financial system would collapse.

“I’m as disgusted by it as you are,” said Bernanke before an audience of 190.

“Nothing made me more angry than having to intervene, particularly in a few cases where companies took wild bets.”

The forum resembled that of a political candidate, and indeed Bernanke’s four-year term expires in January.  Bernanke has put himself in the public spotlight to an extent far beyond that of his predecessors, departing from the bank’s tradition as an aloof, secretive temple of economic policy.  The bank has already become more open in the decade before Bernanke took charge, and his predecessor Alan Greenspan achieved fame during his long tenure.  But Fed officials still distanced themselves from partisan politics and day-to-day business life.  

Bernanke, on the other hand, has given a television interview to “60 Minutes” on CBS, including a tour of his hometown, Dillon, S.C.  He held essentially a televised news conference and has written newspaper commentaries to explain the Fed’s efforts to fight the financial crisis.  Last week Bernanke published a lengthy commentary in “The Wall Street Journal” and testified before three separate Congressional committees.

Books, Culture Jamming, Drugs, Entertainment, Food, Music, Politics

Book Review: DO iT!

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Book: DO iT! Scenarios of the Revolution
Author: Jerry Rubin
Year: 1970

This is easily the greatest and most inspiring manifesto ever written. Even before you begin this delicious work of incendiary material, just gazing at the back cover clues you in that your in for one hell of a ride! It reads in giant letters: “DANGER! This book will become a Molotov Cocktail in your very hands.” To the left of this summary is a photo of author Jerry Rubin being escorted out of the halls of Congress by the “pigs,” while dressed up like an American Revolutionary soldier: bare chested (with lots of hair!), covered in war paint, reeking of stench from weeks of not bathing, a head full of acid, and well armed ( a toy gun! albeit very real looking!).
As we open up the subversive memoir we are commanded to “READ THIS BOOK STONED,” a theme that is prevalent throughout the book.
Next, we experience one of the finest introductions by Eldridge Cleaver, the Minister of Information of the Black Panther Party For Self-Defense. Cleaver explains how “if everybody carried out Jerry’s program- there would be immediate peace in the world. Amerika, in particular would cease to bleed.” So, what exactly was Jerry’s programs? Well, his program is very simple: Go out in the streets and be a revolutionary, your own legislator. He shouts, “All you have to do to be a yippie is be a yippie.” Transform your ideas into actions. Fuck Ideologies. Fuck Rules. Fuck Religion. Fuck Everything…in the streets and bring some dope and dynamite with you! Destroy the Schools. Burn the Prisons down. Kill Your Parents. Drop out of society. Burn Money. Actions speak louder than words, so cut out long boring speeches on what your goals or demands are. Instead, use Yippie (Youth International Party) tactics to highlight your agenda. The Yippies nominated an actual pig named Pigasus as their presidential candidate, illustrating the point that all the other candidates were equally filthy pigs. And after all, don’t most politicians like to roll around in their own shit anyway?! If all of this sounds irrational to you, then it should. Our menacing Yippie informs us, “Yippies know we’re sane and everyone else is crazy, so we call ourselves “the crazies.” Jerry Rubin was indeed “crazy,” he was a dedicated revolutionary and a relentless outlaw in the true sense of the word. You know you often hear badass musicians, actors, or comedians like Bill Hicks, referred to as “outlaws.” But, they weren’t constantly in trouble with the law. Jerry, on the other hand was. In fact, at the time of this book’s publication, he and seven other defendants (Abbie Hoffman, Dave Dellinger, Bobby Seale, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, Lee Weiner, and John Froines) were on trial for conspiracy to incite a riot while crossing state lines at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Grade: A 9.5/10- One of the most subversive books I’ve ever read!

Chris

Politics

Sunday Morning Sermon

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Greetings, fellow “Kids” and other readers.

For those who don’t know me, I’ve been blogging on various topics…news, politics, humor, music, stuff like that…for many years now. And I’m 19, so I’ve spent a good fraction of my life rambling like this. I’ve been taking a break from blogging after some personal trauma/drama, but this morning I finally got the inspiration to hop on the old soapbox.

I was talking to one of my best friends, the captain of this here website, Glen Maganzini. As we often do, we talked about the Catholic church we both grew up in, St. Florence in Wakefield, MA. Funny thing is, while he still goes there regularly, as I did for most of my life, I stopped about a year ago because one morning the preacher said some things about moral relativism…sympathizing with the moral standards of other religions or beliefs…that I highly disagreed with.  Namely, that moral relativism is wrong, and that the Catholic system is the only proper way to think in moral and political matters.

To me, this idea emphasized the worst aspect of any religion: the divisive nature.  After all, according to the dictionary, “Catholic” means “universal”.  What’s wrong with this picture?

Ironically enough I still consider myself a Catholic despite not having gone to a Mass since the fall.  I still love what my religion is at heart, a well-intentioned set of beliefs that encourages all the people of the world to love each other, to treat other people the way you’d want to be treated.  But would any Catholic priest want…let’s say a Hindu, just because that’s arguably the one of the five major religions least compatible with Catholicism…would any Catholic priest want a devout Hindu to point his or her finger at the priest and tell him that his lifestyle, his beliefs, everything he stands for is immoral?

I absolutely support moral relativism because it promotes an understanding of all the different beliefs out there.  It promotes empathy, but not necessarily sympathy.  I had a great Social Studies teacher who is a devout Catholic, but never got preachy about his beliefs in a public school.  And he stressed the importance of understanding other people’s beliefs and cultures, though not necessarily subscribing to all these ideologies.  By nature, political and religious beliefs are divisive, but understanding, logic, science, practicality…those are universal, objective values.  And as much as I love my politics and my religion, I have my limits, and I know that these subjective beliefs can…and must…coexist with the truly universal ideas.

Ben Tan

Politics

Quotes of the Day

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“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” – Fannie Lou Hamer

“God bless you all. I am an innocent man.” – Edward Earl Johnson

“What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?” – Frederick Douglass

“I view the Framers as teachers, not wardens.” – Randy Barnett

“Speaking as a person who is supposed to be dead, I believe the death penalty should be abolished, period. Because you can’t be sure.” – Kirk Bloodsworth

“Life is full of close calls, but the question of O.J Simpson’s guilt was not one of them.” – George Will

Books, Culture Jamming, Drugs, Entertainment, Music, Politics

New Left

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Throughout this year I have embarked on a journey of self-education through reading inflammatory recipes for revolution and amongst the incendiary material on my bookshelf, works concerning the New Left appear the most prominently. The New Left, unlike the Old Left of the 1930s and 1940s, focused on social activism and American culture. Elvis Presley and the Lone Ranger were just as important as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. Their main aims were ending the War in Viet FUCKINGnam, ending racism at home, and protesting the conformist, capitalist, greedy, Amerikkkan lifestyle, amongst other initiatives, As I mentioned, I’ve read several books this year on this subject that I highly recommend to anyone and everyone. These include:

From Yale to Jail By: David Dellinger
Steal This Book By: Abbie Hoffman
The Black Panthers Speak By: Various Panthers
Kingdom of Fear By: Hunter S. Thompson
Flashbacks By: Timothy Leary
Soon to Be A Major Motion Picture By: Abbie Hoffman
Fugitive Days By: Bill Ayers
Do iT! Scenarios of the Revolution By: Jerry Rubin

It’s been fantastic learning about these turbulent times through such diverse, charismatic, and first hand accounts. It’s really funny seeing how certain figures are portrayed differently in various works. For example, acid guru, Timothy Leary paints Yippies Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin as pessimistic, Anti-American agitators that advocate violent revolution. Leary says some nice things about the boys, but he tends to omit their personal charm and dedication to social change. On the contrary, through the Yippies’ eyes, the sky is the limit, nope scratch that, after they levitated the Pentagon they could fly with it to the moon! You’ll have to do some reading to understand what the hell I’m talking about right now haha. All of these characters appear in just about all of these books at least once. And the aforementioned protests at the Pentagon, the 1968 (Un)Democratic National Convention and ensuing Chicago Conspiracy Trial are events that are discussed in depth in all of these works. I have also read about Tim Leary’s prison break through his perspective as well as his rescuers’, The Weathermen. Here are some other key New Left figures I haven’t mentioned:

Tom Hayden
Noam Chomsky
Howard Zinn
David Horowitz
John Lennon
Allen Ginsburg
Angela Davis
Mario Savio
Rennie Davis
That is by no means a complete list.

Chris DeCarlo