The Mid Terms and Healthcare

The man in the photo above, is a real life American idiot. They aren’t uncommon. They are like a plague. And that plague came out to vote yesterday.

So America has decided that the eight years in which the Republicans absolutely raped the World, didn’t happen. The mid-terms have seen a major shift to the Right in American politics since 2008. Which amazes me. The Democrats got pretty destroyed. It is likely that the Republicans are going to assume that their new found control of the House means they have the mandate to push through legislation surrounding budget cuts, tax breaks for the wealthy, and an attempt to roll back Healthcare reform (they don’t seem to care that 35,000,000 people are now insured; only that it might hurt the profits of major insurance companies). Of course, mandate doesn’t bother them considering they have spent the past two years making life as difficult as possible for a Party who were elected to attempt to clean up the mess the previous White House left.

Obama has been weak. Very weak. The rhetoric of change didn’t exactly pan out that way. He isn’t all that different from the last lot. His failure to close Guantanamo, is refusal to back same sex marriage, his continued wars in the Middle East, and his utter failure to do anything significant with the banking sector has been his undoing. He isn’t Socialist, he isn’t really all that Left. He’s firmly in the centre. He just has an opposition who seem to think anything Right of Reagan = Stalin.

One attack point throughout the past two years has been the Healthcare bill. Now, according to a Harvard study in 2009, there were found to be more than 44,000 deaths associated with those who have no health insurance. By 2019, it is reckoned that a further 30,000,000 people will now be insured thanks to the Healthcare Bill. 62% of all 2007 bankruptcies were due to the inability to pay medical costs. The wonders of Capitalism. All this talk of death panels and the evils of the UK’s National Health Service sparked Tea Party arseholes to go out in the street and demand NO SOCIALISM! The problem is, that the UK’s National Health Service, according to the World Health Organisation, is 20 places in the World Rankings, higher than the U.S. The UK also has a far better child mortality rate, we pay less, and our life expectancy is better. So whilst those in the Tea Party continue to be nothing more than an uneducated mouthpiece of the insurance industry, we in the UK will continue to enjoy our evil Socialist healthcare, whilst living longer. The Government did not take over healthcare in the US. The US remains the only apparently civilised country that does not provide universal healthcare. Those of us who live in Countries that do have a universal healthcare system, would never elect a party to government if they ever spoke of privatising it. The NHS is a National treasure.

Healthcare is essential. It should be a right. Not a luxury. To be told by an insurer that you are not eligible because you have a pre-existing condition is grotesque. I cannot imagine the American public would be too keen on the idea of having to pay for fire insurance. When their house is burning down and the fire engine turns up, having to check your papers are in order and your payments have been kept up to date before they rescue your screaming child.

It makes me wonder, how do very wealthy businessmen in the insurance industry, who really couldn’t give a damn about the health of their customers, manage to coerce a mass of ordinary people who might benefit from the Healthcare reforms, to fight their corner?

It isn’t a new phenomena. The rich have always managed to make the poorer folks fight for them. This is how wars work. Invoke a sense of Nationalism. Refer to them as ‘fighting for our freedom’. Emotive language always does the trick. Make them believe there is a common enemy. Communists, Muslims, Gay people, Atheists etc. You can trace it back to the days of the Founding Fathers. Hamilton described the public (those who were less wealthy and of less importance than he) as a “great beast”. The idea of an electoral college was installed because people like Madison did not believe the public could be trusted. But somehow, they managed to get widespread support; based entirely on being anti-British.

The Civil War days were not much different. The wealthy managed to make the poor white folk believe that if slavery were abandoned, the jobs market would be flooded and the black folk would take all their jobs. The irony was, that the black folk already had the jobs, because they were slaves, and so weren’t paid anything. The real issue was that the rich white folk would rather keep paying the black slaves nothing, and the white folk as little as possible. Both the black and white poor folk, were being massively abused, and yet the poor white folk fought for the benefit of the rich white folk. It made no sense. But they were heavily manipulated into doing so.

A similar thing happened with healthcare. This notion of “big socialist government” was thrown around constantly. The Bush Administration spent eight years focusing on making the spread of false fear an art, and it seems to have continued. Glenn Beck on Fox News within the space of about a week managed to refer to Obama as a Socialist, a Muslim, a Terrorist, a Fascist, a Marxist, and Foreign. Probably Gay as well at some point.

This, coupled with the fact that major Health insurers (the modern day slave owners) ensured fear was rampant meant that an easily manipulated population believed they were on the verge of becoming the USSA. The second largest Health insurance provider in America is UnitedHealth Group. In 2009 they issued a letter subtly urging its staff to attend rallies against the healthcare bill and lobby local representatives.

Reps. Michele Bachmann and John Kline, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, all Republicans, referred in 2009, to a group called Lewin, as ‘independent and non-Partisan’ when they used Lewin (who specialise in economic analysis of Healthcare in the US) research to support their opposition to the Healthcare Bill. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House Republican whip referred to Lewin Group as “the nonpartisan Lewin Group” when backing up his arguments against the Healthcare Bill. Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee referred to Lewin Group as an “independent research firm” and Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah said that Lewin Group is “well known as one of the most nonpartisan groups in the country”. The problem is, Lewin is owned by UnitedHealth Group. The research spouted by Republicans, actually comes from a Company who spent time and money circling an email to its employees encouraging them to attend rallies and events against Health Reform. In what universe would you have to be living on to suggest that they are “non-partisan”.

Chuck Grassley, the most senior idiot Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, stated of Ted Kennedy:

“I don’t know for sure, But I’ve heard several senators say that Ted Kennedy with a brain tumour, being 77 years old as opposed to being 37 years old, if he were in England, would not be treated for his disease, because end of life – when you get to be 77, your life is considered less valuable under those systems.”

The phrase “I don’t know for sure” saves him from utter embarrassment when he is shown to be completely lying. I say this, because my grandma is 84 and currently in hospital, very ill. My dad came home today and said the nurses and the doctor, are amazing. The nurses are around her all the time, and keep mentioning her kids and her grandkids to try to keep her mind as active and alert as possible. The most senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is propagating a rumour that the NHS does not treat the elderly. It is bullshit and he shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it. It is just another tactic to fight the reforms. Obama must be banging his head on his desk wondering why he ever applied to be the President of a country full of lunatics.

We need to be clear; Republicans do not care about making sure people are healthy and fit. Republicans are just trying to protect the obscene profits of the insurance industry.

It isn’t just Republicans though, that are ultimately the bitches of the insurance industry. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Senator Ben Nelson, raised more than $2 million from insurance and health care interests in his three campaigns for federal office. He has received $1,195,299 from insurance interests, $399,345 from health professionals, $258,483 from the pharmaceutical industry, and $195,138 from hospital and nursing home interests. UnitedHealth, spoke of earlier, donated $25,000 to Nelson. It is no surprise then, that Nelson voted against the Health Care legislation.

The race to be the next California Insurance Commissioner is also interesting. The Republican nominee, Michael Villines says he does not take contributions from insurance companies. According to filings with the Secretary of State, a PAC spent $280,000 running ads and a campaign entirely against the Democrat, Dave Jones. The contributions may not have gone to Villines personally, but they are being used to get him elected, mainly because he his massively against healthcare reform. Villines also managed to transfer $50,000 worth of contributions from the insurance industry, from his 2014 Senate campaign fund, to his Insurance Commissioner fund.

Data according to the OECD shows that in comparison to Australia, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Norway and Sweden, the USA ranks bottom when it comes to life expectancy, infant mortality, Per capita expenditure on health, Healthcare costs as a percent of GDP, % of government revenue spent on health, and also quite amusingly; % of health costs paid by government. Perhaps there is a bit of a link there. Perhaps government run healthcare isn’t as evil as the American Right like to suggest.

The Republicans have said they will argue that the healthcare bill is unconstitutional and try to repeal it. Apparently going to war on the base of a lie is perfectly acceptable and constitutional. Apparently having a worse child mortality rate than Singapore is perfectly acceptable and constitutional. Apparently idolising Reagan; a man who illegally sold arms to both Iran and Iraq, whilst using drugs cartels to transport weapons to right winged terrorists in Latin America, is perfectly acceptable and constitutional, but trying to help the millions of Americans who are denied healthcare by the cancer of society; health insurers, is evil and socialist and unconstitutional.

America has just elected a House of Representatives whose majority are a party almost entirely in the pocket of insurance companies, and who light the fuse that started the entire financial crises in the first place. America never fails to amaze me.

I support the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’.

“bringing back the atmosphere of interfaith tolerance and respect that we have longed for since Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in harmony and prosperity eight hundred years ago.”

- Cordoba Initiative Mission Statement.

America has an odd obsession with freedom. It usually involves freedom for White Christian Americans but no one else. It usually involves labeling any one who isn’t in tune to their massively hypocritical version of freedom, as freedom-haters. This week has been no difference.

You would have thought that with their obsession with free market enterprise and freedom, they would have welcomed the news that a Private firm have bought a plot of land two blocks from the World Trade Centre and plan to build on it. But no, the slightly vacant, miserable excuses for human beings; the American Right Wing is spending its time protesting against the building and suggesting that it pisses on the memory of those who died on 9/11, and that ground zero is a sacred site. They apparently have no problem with the strip bar that exists a stones throw away…… but then most Republican Americans spend their time in places like that, so it’s no surprise. And anyway, Masjid Manhattan, a Mosque in New York, is right next to the site, and has been since the 1970s. But then Fox News hasn’t built up hype around Masjid, so it’s nauseatingly stupid viewers have no reason to protest.

The ignorance is astounding. Their are countless facebook groups dedicated to being against building of what they call the “Ground Zero Mosque”. NO! They state quite viciously. Muslims are all evil radicals intent on killing Americans and raping their children. The Mosque would be their headquarters, at Ground Zero!!!! The only problem is……….. it isn’t a Mosque, and it isn’t at Ground Zero.

It is two blocks away from Ground Zero. I am curring in Australia, two blocks away from the nearest super market. I wouldn’t claim to currently be in the supermarket. It is therefore reasonable to say that the Ground Zero Mosque is not at Ground Zero. So, that leaves the word ‘Mosque’.

It is called the Cordoba Center. It will include a Theatre, a Performing Arts centre, a Basket Ball court, Bookstore, Child care, Prayer space, Restaurant, culinary school and fitness centre. It is already being used as a place of prayer for Muslims, and has been for quite some time. There is nothing that honours the victims of religious intolerance more, than a center dedicated to building relations, and showing that there does not have to be such separation, anger and fear. A symbol of the coming together of Islam and the West, and particularly Islam and America is a stage in contemporary times that we REALLY need to get to, and this Centre is an attempt to provide that link. We should be celebrating it. We should be celebrating that we are trying to move away from the past decade. We no longer want people like Palin and Bush and Cheney making sure fear is the order of the day. Innocent, decent Muslims are no different to innocent, decent Americans.

And yet a large number of Americans believe this to be an insult to them.

It defies logic.
America has sent thousands of troops to their deaths in wars built on the idea that oil revenue is worth far more than human life. They have seen a decade pass in which they were the most hated Nation on the planet, for the entire reign of George Bush. And they have the fucking nerve to suggest that it is a Mosque that pisses on the memory of 9/11 victims? No. Bush and the entire Republican faithful pissed on their memory years ago. One continuous piss, that continues to this day.

Over 300 Muslims died on 9/11. Not only that, but whilst the overweight American Right Wing sits basking in a sea of its own inherent racism, complaining and protesting against anything that isn’t White, Christian, and American; many more Muslims put their lives on the line fighting for America every single day. Mohammad Khaled, during 2006 endured heavy gone fire, fighting for a Country that now considers him insensitive if he wishes to practice his faith anywhere near the location of 9/11, committed by the very same terrorists he has vowed to fight against. Khaled left the U.S Armed Forces in 2006, because he was left stranded in Iraq whilst trying to protect three children from persistent gunfire. There are many more just like him. If I were Khaled, I would find it ridiculously difficult not to spit in the faces of every Right Winged American who puts me into the same category as a bunch of terrorists. Khaled, and others like him are better than that. They are better than Right Winged America. They deserve our respect above the Fox News brigade.

There can be no logical argument against the building. It is ludicrous to even try. It will always end up being a torrent of putrid racist anti-Islamic conjecture based on no logic or fact, and when you start to reason in that way, your argument becomes intensely invalid. The Economist magazine, a magazine I usually wouldn’t pay any attention to because we differ on our economic opinions, quite rightly said:

“Every single argument put forward for blocking this project leans in some way on the misconceived notion that all Muslims, and Islam itself, share the responsibility for, or are tainted by, the atrocities of 9/11.”

It is being built by the Cordoba Initiative. The initiative was set up, purely to help build stronger relations between the West and Islam. God knows, there needs to be some sort of relation healing between the West and Islam after Bush’s reign. However, it only works to help American’s innate fear of anything that isn’t American, grow larger. First it was the Communists. Anyone slightly Left of Reagan is accused of trying to bring Communism to America. And now it is Islam. Anyone who isn’t Christian is apparently attempting to ‘Islamify’ America. Which is ludicrous. When a Catholic Church is built, there is never any suggestion that there exists a Catholic conspiracy to pass all lawmaking of America to the Papacy in Rome. That is because it is ludicrous. But America always needs an enemy to fear, even if that enemy simply doesn’t exist. Today it is Islam. Tomorrow, it could be sweet old ladies.

There must be a distinction between law-abiding individuals who happen to have a personal belief in Islam, and the fundamental nature of Islam itself. Those who follow the fundamental doctrine of Islam, have failed to evolve with time, and have instead become what Christopher Hitchens so rightfully calls it ‘Islamofascist’. It is true, that these people are dangerous and that Islam has a lot of growing up to do. But individual Muslims, are not at fault.

Obama remains weak, and eerily silent. He is clearly worried about upsetting the anti-Islam right winged morons who inhabit his Country, given that this week a poll revealed that 18% of Americans believe Obama is a secret Muslim. Why aren’t Progressives everywhere standing up to these people. Islam is not the blame for the friction between themselves and the West. Fear across America is to blame. It is supplemented by Fox News and its associates in the Republican Party, because without fear and without someone to hate and invent bullshit about, the American Right Wing including Fox and the Republican Party, are nothing. A remnant of a past in which humanity is constantly fearing the ‘other’. An ‘other’ that simply doesn’t exist.

Abe Foxman, of the Anti-Defamation League quite pathetically and hypocritically (you’ll see why in a second) fanned the flames of bigotry with this:

“Ultimately this is not a question of rights, but a question of what is right. In our judgement, building an Islamic centre in the shadow of the World Trade centre will cause some victims more pain – unnecessarily – and that is not right?. If you want to heal us, don’t do it in our cemetery.”

Normally I’d respect his view, despite how pathetic it is. However I can’t bring myself to do that, given that Abe Foxman recently seemed more than happy about the proposal to build a ‘Museum of Tolerance’ by an Israeli group in Islamic Mamillah Cemetery in Jerusalem. Oh the hypocrisy.

Supporters of the project include families of those who died in the 9/11 attacks. Donna O’Connor, whose pregnant daughter died on 9/11 said:

“This building will serve as an emblem for the rest of the world that Americans … recognize that the evil acts of a few must never damn the innocent.”

Very wise lady.

Terry Rockefeller whose sister died on 9/11 said:

“This doesn’t insult her at all. This celebrates the city she loved living in. It is what makes America what we are.

Sue Rosenblum whose sister died on 9/11 said:

“What are we teaching if we say you can’t build here? That it’s OK to hate? This is a country based on freedom of religion.”

Daisy Khan, who is working on the project quite rightly said:

“The presence of … mosques like the one planned near Ground Zero, which will be an educational center as well as a place of prayer, is one good way of transcending … ignorance.”

She is correct. The only way to defeat the ignorance of people like the American Right Wing, and Islamic Extremists, is to join the moderates on both sides together. Projects like this, acts to knock down the barriers that the Bush Administration thrived on, and what Sarah Palin continues to need in order to survive politically because without fear and hate the American Right Wing really is nothing.

Cordoba is run by Feisal Abdul Rauf, who spent weeks after 9/11 reaching out to the West and condemning all extremists. He is known for spending his life trying to build bridges between Islamic World and America. He has written countless books, and appealed to the U.S Government to fight Islamic terrorism by changing its foreign policy. He is a good person. The Centre, two blocks away from the site of the World Trade Centre has absolutely nothing to do with extremism or terrorism. The Centre is going to include a restaurant Americans seem unable to distinguish between Islam and terrorism. Yet, they seem perfectly able to distinguish between Christianity and Terrorism.

Army Of God, Christian Patriot Movement and Christian Identity are all terrorist Christian organisations operating around America. I presume I can count on the support of Sarah Palin, and the Fox News worshiping lunatics who are protesting against this Islamic Centre in New York, whenever Christians wish to build a Christian Church, or school, or centre, anywhere near the spot in which an abortion clinic was targeted by Christian terrorists?
1984 – Abortion Clinic in Pensacola, on Christmas Day bombed by Christian fundamentalists who called the attack a gift to Jesus on his birthday.
1993 – Shelley Shannon convicted of shooting Dr George Tiller, and later convicted of bombings and arson against Abortion Clinics. Three more people shot dead by Christian Fundamentalists. Dr David Gunn and Dr George Patterson shot dead by Christian Fundamentalists.
1994 – Two receptionists at Clinics in Massachusetts killed by Christian Fundamentalist. Five others wounded in attack.
1997 – Dr Gandell of New York is badly injured by glass when his home in New York is fired upon by Christian Fundamentalists.
1998 – Bomb in clinic in Alabama kills Security guard Robert Sanderson and blasts one eye out of a nurse named Emily Lyons…… by Christian Fundamentalists. Three people badly injured when acid was poured into the entrance of a Clinic in Miami. Dr. Barnett Slepian shot to death at his home, by Christian Fundamentalist.
2000 – Clinic in New Hampshire set on fire, causes $20,000 worth of damage. Thankfully no one injured.
2001 – Planned Parenthood Clinic in South Dakota set fire to by Christian Fundamentalist. The Clinic also received a letter with white powder in it, with the message “You have been exposed to anthrax. … We are going to kill all of you.”
2005 – Molotov Cocktail thrown at Clinic, everyone managed to escape unharmed. Christian Fundamentalists to blame.
2006 – David McMenemy drives his car into Edgerton Women’s Care Center, which he wrongly believed was performing abortions; he then takes hostages and douses the lobby in gasoline, setting it on fire.
2007 – A huge bomb is placed in a clinic in Austen, Texas. A Bomb disposal team manage to secure it, and no one is injured. Christian Fundamentalist to blame.
Since 1977, Christian Terrorism has claimed seven lives, 17 attempted murders, three kidnappings, 152 assaults, 305 completed or attempted bombings and arsons, 375 invasions, 482 stalking incidents, 380 death threats, 618 bomb threats, 100 acid attacks, and 1,254 acts of vandalism, according to the National Abortion Federation. Where is the outrage? Why aren’t Americans worried about this? Because they’re fickle, hypocritcal, fear mongering imbeciles. That’s why.

Given that Republicans voted down a bill that would provide funding to help 9/11 first responders who now suffer from respiratory health problems and cancer because they are, well, I don’t know why they did it. I presume it’s because they are scum; it is highly rich of them to now pretend they care about 9/11 victims. The entitlement was designed to help those who now have severe health issues because they were quick to respond to help during 9/11. The Republicans say it will kill jobs because it is being paid for by closing a tax loophole for the rich. So, to sum up, being able to avoid tax is far more important than helping those who now suffer from cancer. Why do these people have any say over the way the most powerful country in the World is run? It is so dangerously unnerving.

Perhaps they should honour Ground Zero in real American fashion. Erect a statue of Rupert Murdoch, under a big McDonalds M and then a Temple dedicated to the worship of Ronald Reagan, whilst sacrificing a Latin American person in his honour. The land of the free.

The Sinking Republican Ship

You have to feel slightly sorry for Republicans recently. They’re like a collective version of Elliot Roosevelt. Useless. Unable to admit just how useless they have been, and still are. A terrible role model for their youthful counterparts. Unable to accept responsibility for anything. And seemingly attempting to commit suicide. Looking on at their much more loveable brother with jealousy and rage. Whilst that much more loveable brother, the Democrats act as the pragmatic force behind the reinvention of America. Or, Theodore Roosevelt, if you will.

Surely someone in the Republican Party must be thinking to themselves “Please Cheney, just let it go. The damage is done!“. If they aren’t crossing their fingers that Bush doesn’t turn up with an equally insignificant opinion aired across the media, then they should be.

Whilst the GOP attempts to deal with the fact that Republican of 29 years Senator Arlen Specter has lost complete faith in a Party slipping further to the Right every day, choosing instead to move to the Democrat benches, Democrats look set to start work on complete (Oh MY GOD SOCIALISM ARGH!) healthcare reform after their $3.4tn Budget passed through the House beautifully by 233 to 193, marking Obama’s 100th day in spectacular fashion.
Specter’s move means the Democrat Senate Majority is taken to 59. When Minnesota’s Supreme Court finally votes in favour of Democratic Senator Al Franken, that takes the Democrats in the Senate up to a lovely round 60. And if that lovely round 60 is reached (which it will be), that means the Democratic controlled Senate becomes filibuster-free. Which is fantastic.

Specter leaving the GOP is two fold in the damage it’s likely to cause. Firstly, it makes the GOP look weak, disunited, out of touch and relatively pointless. Secondly, it seems to have sparked off a fight between Republicans themselves. Utah Senator Orrin Hatch blamed Chris Chocola (who ran a campaign based on the slogan “Fuck the environment” – or words to that affect, when he voted to allow oil companies to drill in the protected Arctic National Wildlife Reserve)and the rest of the rather comically named “Club for Growth” for imposing strict right wing rules over the party. Chocola himself, a big fan of President Bush, which suggests that “Club for Growth” must be an ironic term. The equivilant to calling a tall man “shorty”. “The Club For Growth” themselves blamed Specter for ruining the GOP and then leaving. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham blamed Michael Steele and the RNC for pushing moderates out the way. And Michael Steele himself, decided to take on the role of a new WWE superstar named “The Black Republican” (again, another ironic name) and said …
“If Sen. Specter survives in the fall — get ready to go to the mat, baby, because we’re coming after you and taking you out“
I’m not joking, he actually did say that, to CNN. Look.
So obviously, this was also a chance for that perfectly round headed orange ignorant idiot Rush Limbaugh to have his say. Limbaugh on his radio show, is quoted as saying:
“Well, Specter, take McCain with you. And his daughter. Take McCain and his daughter with you if you’re gonna…”
Good idea! Take all the moderates to the Democrats. Meghan McCain is far too intelligent to be a Republican anyway. Take the few popular Republicans, and hand them to the Democrats. For once I agree with the fat prick. If that were to happen, the Republicans wouldn’t see Government for a very long time. You’d essentially have a popularly elected Democrat Dictatorship for decades. It’s perfect. Perhaps Rush could go live in the soon to be New Republic of Texabillies. Republicans in this new Republican are free to be as “Conservative” as they please. They can be as racist, homophobic, small government, guns to every man, woman, child and pet as they could possibly imagine.
It amuses me greatly, that the GOP has now taken to discrediting Specter by releasing a video, that shows how Specter was close to George Bush. It’s almost poetic that the only way the Republicans can discredit an ex-Republican, is by aligning him with a failed Republican President. You really couldn’t make this shit up.

Not only that but Republicans are finding themselves in a tough position when it comes to Democrat plans for new regulations placed on Wall Street. On the one hand, they could follow their out of date principles, keep yelling Socialism, and decide to ignore the problems that 25 years of Reaganomics has created deciding instead to obstruct any form of recovery. Or, they could put aside their wasted ideology, tell Glenn Beck that if he’s trying to be the Right Wing’s version of John Stewart… it’s never going to happen, and accept the need for regulatory rules as soon as humanly possible. That would of course risk hurting the feelings of apparent Republican Leader Rush Limbaugh, and be forced to apologise from the heart at a later date. So it’s a tough situation for Republicans.

We all knew torture is wrong, but we needed something to confirm our belief. Enter Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. It’s like meeting someone who thinks they might be gay, and then pushing them over the edge. Did Cheney and Rove really think anyone would take their side in this? The moment he showed his murderous little face, we all squirmed. Obviously there are those like Beck, Hannity, and Limbaugh “Conservatives” who think the way to defeat terrorism, is by being a terrorist, but in the real World there is no way a human being with any moral compass would ever consider using the phrase “You know, I think Karl Rove and Dick Cheney are right.”

The only way to cope, is to have an insignificant “Tea Party” (nothing strikes fear into the enemy more than words “Tea Party“) to complain how Obama is both, paradoxically, a Socialist (3% tax increase on the rich, bringing it still beneath that of the first six years of Reagan……… Barack Stalin, obviously!) and a Fascist by announcing the biggest middle class tax cut in history. Or, just continue to fight amongst themselves until they push everyone other than the actual Right Wing Extremists (Rush, Hannity, O’Reilly, Beck) out of the GOP for good. Either way, it’s so incredibly entertaining, i’m just as happy as ever. Whilst the majority of Americans significantly approve of President Obama’s running of domestic policy, foreign policy, economic policy and now with the outbreak of Swine flu, 66% approve of how the Administration is dealing with the outbreak – you have to come to the conclusion that in a Nation finally embracing Liberal principles, the GOP moving further to the Right and edging out moderates is going to be the ultimate death of the Party. (I literally had a smile on my face as I typed that, weird).

The GOP Ship is sinking more and more every day. It’s crew are now fighting each other and appear to have decided that only the most extreme Republicans, the most racist, anti-environment, homophobic, fox news worshipping crew members are good enough. Fine by me. It means those ignorant shits go down with the ship.

At the start of this entry, I mentioned feeling sorry for Republicans. I take it back. Bask in the entertainment of a dying breed of ignorance, is what I meant to say.

Republican Jamie Day II

Oh very funny Liberals.
That’s all you Liberals are isn’t it? Joke after joke. Never serious! Well was Jesus funny? NO! Is it funny that Cheney’s daughter is a lesbian? NO! Was it funny when George Bush was hit with a shoe? NO! Is Glen Beck funny? NO! I don’t need to be funny. We Republicans don’t need humour. Humour is for Socialists.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the passage in the Book of ultimate Truth:
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.“
Quite clearly the perverts who made the above photo are baby killing homosexuals. Because either you support the God inspired work of President Bush and the Republican Party, or you’re a Liberal, and Liberal means homogay in the Republican Language. (If there were actually a Republican Language, we’d spread it around the World, just like we’ve spread McDonalds Democracy!!).
Is it a coincidence that the homogay San Francisco is the homeland of Nancy Pelosi? I don’t think so! Much like it’s quite clear that it isn’t a coincidence that Abomber isn’t white….. neither are terrorists. The Liberal Agenda is being exposed!!! They want to control the media, control the minds of innocent Christian children into believing that Gays are anything but disgusting, and control the idea that George Bush was a terrorist, rather than a Christian hero. WE SEE THROUGH THE BULLSHIT LIBERALS! America is waking up to the idea that we’re the true party of Christ (he hates muslims, we hate muslims, he hates gays, we hate gays, he performed miracles, we got George Bush election… twice!… see a pattern?), we’re the true party of freedom….if you’re white, heterosexual, a Republican, a Christian, and hate abortion…. you’re entitled to as much freedom as you could possibly want! We’re an open book, filled with blank pages for you to fill up with whatever you want (as long as it’s not hippy gay muslim evolutionist jewish lies) freedom! Open your eyes! Abomber’s approval ratings accoring to Gallup have gone down from 63%, to a measly, pathetic 62%…… you’re days are well and truly numbered, Liberals.

The above picture, made by homogay jewish muslimists is just another attempt to divert attention away from the real Issue. Barack Isane Abomber has pledged to cut the taxes of anyone earning less than $250,000 a year. So that means that ordinary families keep a larger chunk of their hard earned money, whilst Abomber continues to waste money on those scumbags who don’t have a job and homofaggays. Well we showed him!!! We struck back against wasteful spending, by using the money he saved us, to buy one million tea bags. That will show Washington that we’re serious about cutting wasteful spending!

What about those people earning above $250,000. They’re people too! How the fuck do you think they’re going to be able to afford another Yacht now? The Yacht they have at the moment is going out of date. It doesn’t even have a built in heater in the on board swimming pool. And now they can’t afford a yacht WITH a built in heater? It’s like the Third World has came to America!! Barack Obama? Barack Stalin more like.

As for the above picture of George Bush; the Liberals are clearly trying to suggest that he’s the terrorist we should all be aware of. Oh really Liberals? Well I’ve got news for you! George Bush has been a truly courageous leader, fiscally responsible, a uniter or people, and warrior of Christ! Those people in Iraq weren’t even Christian. Do you think they deserved to live? He tried to convert them! He gave them the chance to find Jesus, and they just threw a shoe in his face! WELL YOU WORSHIP THE WRONG GOD MUSLIMISTS! Why do they worship Alliyah anyway? Her songs aren’t even that good.

Abomber seems to be apologising for America’s actions over the past eight glorious years. Why? We don’t need a President to be “tolerant”. Were the muslimists tolerant when they refused to accept Jesus as their lord and saviour? NO! Were the homogays tolerant when they refused to accept that they’re disgusting? NO! Were countries filled with natural resources tolerant when The United States of Awesome freed them and made it cheaper for them to live, by blowing the hell out of some of their family members? NO! Were the Darwinists (Satan worshippers) tolerant when we beat them with logic and intelligence by showing them the Bible? NO! Were Liberals tolerant when you voted for a black man (AKA criminal) even though Sarah Palin has much better eyesight and can see Russia from Alaska? NO! Were the panzy Lefties tolerant when we rightfully supported Pinochet? NO! At least George Bush gave the military something to do! Liberals would be happy to see the military not in the middle of a war zone. Soldiers without jobs… what does that remind me of….. oh yes…. the STUDENT HIPPY UNEMPLOYED SOCIALISTS!! Why don’t you Darwin lovers do us all a favour and evolve into a hard working Republican!!

Checkmate Liberals!

The hypocrisy of Freedom

It’s become wildly hypocritical; It’s largely based on out dated tradition; It’s horribly fickle; and it has no coherence or general moral standing. I’m speaking of course, about the Republican idea of “Freedom“. Freedom appears to only apply when it suits Republican America. Republican Freedom is a skewed, manipulated form of the ideals of American Freedom in general. For example, and i’ve spoke about this one before; The Freedom to own a gun whether you’re merely a law abiding huntsman, or whether you’re a 21 year old with an enraged grudge against class mates and teachers; you’re protected by a 2nd Amendment that clearly didn’t expect to be the subject of debate. Although i’m certain Jefferson and Franklin didn’t propose that anyone should be allowed to keep an arsenal of sub machine guns; that the words “well regulated” in the 2nd Amendment shouldn’t be ignored. If I were President, i’d make bullets ten times more expensive than they are now, tax them massively. But what do I know.

Freedom is etched into the American way of thinking. Since the very beginning, the fight that America has undertook has been one dedicated to freeing it’s people from tyranny. “We hold these truths to be self evident; that all men are created equal” cries the Declaration of Independence. There is no mistaking that Thomas Jefferson composed a beautifully written document when he drafted the Declaration. Of course, it hasn’t troubled America that the term “all men are created equal” written at a time when even Jefferson had over 150 slaves of which many received regular beatings may have been slightly ironic. And so the hypocrisy of American Freedom was born. Frederick Douglas speaking in 1852 managed to reconcile America Freedom and the abolition of Slavery quite beautifully. “That which is inhuman cannot be divine.“

In 2009, Republicans appear to take that general level of “Freedom Hypocrisy” to a new level. Freedom today, appears to apply only to economic freedom, for those who already have a significant amount of money. Bloggers like Free America appear to be under the impression that Obama and Pelosi are systematically working to purposely destroy America with their pesky much needed Liberal policies, despite the fact that over the past eight years America has been involved in an unjust illegal war leading to the deaths of over 1,000,000 innocent people; displacement of a further 4.5 million and 5 million orphaned children. Hurricane Katrina striking New Orleans saw the end of the lives of over 1,800 people whilst 80% of the City was flooded, which lead to further deaths of many people who merely couldn’t get to food or shelter because the Republican Government’s response was pathetic at best and ignorantly genocidal at worst. Then of course, you have the worst economic crises in ….well…. ever. When Clinton left the White House, he left a budget surplus of over $230bn. Eight years later, eight years of Republican Government, and America is in the mist of an economic crises. Of course, Republicans like to suggest that Clinton’s surplus was inherited from the Reagan tax cuts. Fine. But then, surely they must admit that Obama therefore inherited a miserable legacy that it will take more than two months to correct. I swear, Obama was in the White House less than a day before Republicans started blaming him.

Anyway, back to “freedom”. Whilst the word itself connotes the ultimate in human existence, it isn’t quite as black and white in Republican America. It suits Republican America to ascribe Freedom to economics. To pay as little in the way of taxation as possible. Whilst a child may inherit a few million dollars, another may be unlucky enough to be one of the 35 million Americans who inherit nothing but the dilapidated and forgotten poverty stricken lifestyles encouraged by poor educational standards and lack of health care, that the Republican Americans are quick to suggest is some sort of perfect system choosing to ignore that “all men are created equally” when it suits them. To this day, at 23 years old, i’m struggling to understand how a system that allows the poverty line for children under 18 to increase from 12.1 million, to 12.9 million between 2001 and 2003; yet at the same time allows those earning over $1,000,000 see their taxes drop with the Bush Tax Cuts, as the mark of a great economic system…. it quite clearly isn’t. I repeat Douglas’ sentiment “That which is inhuman cannot be divine.” Ignoring the plight of those in poverty or dismissing them as “lazy“, whilst simultaneously choosing to ignore the problem of Climate Change despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary – purely because it might affect their “freedom” to exploit resources for business opportunity, is not real “freedom“.

Freedom to claim that universal healthcare, is some evil socialist manifestation that never works, whilst ignoring that you have universal policing and universal fire protection – just adds to the hypocrisy of “freedom” that Republican America only clings to when it threatens them, regardless of the fact that it may actually help other people. A legacy of “self before others” left by Thatcher and Reagan. Forgive me for not buying into it.

I’m not too sure why Republicans chose to draw the line on personal freedom, at the right for Homosexuals to get married. All of a sudden Republicans have decided that Gay people are sexually immoral devils, promiscuous by nature, AIDs ridden, unable to keep a relationship going, and a danger to children. As if that only exists in the homosexual community. They chose often to quote Leviticus 18:22; “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” As proof that God hates gays and so gays shouldn’t marry. They fail however to acknowledge that if we’re to take the Old Testament into consideration when debating such issues, we must conclude that Leviticus 11:8 with regard to pig skin, stating: “Their flesh you shall not eat, and their dead bodies you shall not touch; they are unclean for you” should mean that anyone who plays American Football, is doomed to hell, a long with gay people. But of course not, because in true Republican fashion, Leviticus 11:8 doesn’t appeal to them because it threatens their life style, and so they pick and chose which areas of the Bible appeal to their prejudices already.

Of course, whilst talking Christianity, it isn’t difficult to come to the conclusion that if God truly did support the Republicans, as ex Senator Norm Coleman suggested, when he told Mike Gallagher; “God wants me to serve“, then you can bet that Jesus would have charged a fortune for all those free EVIL SOCIALIST miracles he supposedly performed.

When you come to the conclusion that Republicans only appear to support ideas like “Freedom” and Religious belief when it suits their prejudices, you have to take a look at the “Pro-life” lobby. “Pro Life” only seems to appeal to Republicans when someone is set to have an abortion. When the Country is destroying a Nation and killing over 1,000,000 of it’s citizens, Republicans don’t seem all that concerned. When stem cell research could lead to the scientists providing mankind with a better understanding of complex cell division, which in turn could lead to life saving treatments and cures…. real pro-life investments….. Republicans tend to oppose it. Minority Leader John Boehner even went so far as to suggest that embryonic stem cells are American lives too, rather than cells. He suggested that Obama lifting the ban on federal funding for Stem Cell research, he had “rolled back important protections for innocent life”. It’s nice to see that Boehner has such deep concern over cells, yet doesn’t seem too fussed about the loss of American military lives, when he stated in 2007 that dead U.S Troops was a “small price” to pay to win the war in Iraq.

The concept of freedom is interestingly two toned, when you contrast the U.S obsession with the word, and how the U.S works across the World, especially with Nations that it disagrees with philosophically.
According to a speech made by Dan Griswold, to Rice University in Houston, in 2005…. “If the goal of U.S. policy toward Cuba is to help its people achieve freedom and a better life, the economic embargo has completely failed. Its economic effect is to make the people of Cuba worse off by depriving them of lower-cost food and other goods that could be bought from the United States. It means less independence for Cuban workers and entrepreneurs, who could be earning dollars from American tourists and fueling private-sector growth. Meanwhile, Castro and his ruling elite enjoy a comfortable, insulated lifestyle by extracting any meager surplus produced by their captive subjects.“
The underlying fact is that whilst America seeks “freedom” (in this case, freedom means the right of American businesses to take over the resources and land of as much of the foreign World as possible) across the World based on it’s own flawed values, it will attempt to achieve it by any means necessary, which explains the disastrous war in Iraq and the inhumane embargo against Cuba. As shown in my last blog, America’s economic dominance may not continue for that much longer, given that Iran have already ceased trading oil in U.S dollars with Russia looking likely to follow.

Economic “freedom” in the guise of pure Capitalism, is not to be considered in the same area as Freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, freedom to assemble peacefully. Those are the inalienable rights built into the Declaration of Independence, not the idea that over 12 million children below the poverty line who will never benefit from the resources available to the 5% of top earners who own more than 50% of the entire Wealth of the Nation, as being true “freedom”.

American Freedom, whilst a lovely idea, is horribly flawed, ignorant, racist, inhumane, discriminatory, religiously bias, hypocritical, manipulative, and has been twisted into the skewed mess that Republican America holds so dear today. The idea that “all men are created equal” is a sentiment long lost. If you’re gay, want an abortion, demand action on climate change, or support stem cell research……. freedom doesn’t seem to extend as far as you. Sorry.

British “Democracy”

Democracy is an ideal. It’s never been tried in it’s purest form. America, the birthplace of modern democracy gets to exercise it’s democratic rights by choosing a President every four years, out of a pool of….. two candidates.

Over here in the UK, we have an unelected head of state, who just so happens to be the biggest benefit claimant on the planet, who we have to bow to whenever she walks past. So much for the power of Democracy.

It would seem today that our Democracy is slowly eroding. The sea of the New Labour (who I voted for in 2005) is pounding the foundations of Democracy every second of every day. It shouldn’t strike me as inconceivable though given that no one actually voted for Gordon Brown to be Prime Minister. It’s not like Labour value democracy and freedom right this minute.

Last month, the Information Tribunal decided that the record taken of Cabinet meetings running up to the decision to go to War with Iraq, should be made public. The subject of the meetings was whether the War was legal under international law.

The Tribunal said “The decision to commit the nation’s armed forces to the invasion of another country is momentous in its own right” … and they’re right. The decision to go to War is of such huge importance. Almost six years later, we should, as voters, in a ‘healthy’ democracy, be given the information that lead to so many of our men dying for such a failure of a war. We know that Blair made the decision himself, we know that he was seen as the UKs answer to a President. We know that MPs, those who represent us, the people, were just left in the dark. We know the war was illegal, so let’s cut the bullshit and release the papers. These people need to be held to account.

But no.

Today in the Commons, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, vetoed the decision of the Tribunal, and said that the papers would now not be released. He claims the papers would do “serious damage to the government“….. Unfortunately Mr Straw, that’s not how Democracy works. You cannot cover up that which may hurt you.

The Tories said the decision was “right” because… “the release of the minutes would make ministers more reluctant to discuss controversial subjects in future, impeding good government.”
The Tories of course have to say the decision was right. Because they know, as we all know, that they will be the next Government of the United Kingdom, and by calling for information of what is said at Cabinet meetings to be made public, they immediately give the opposition a reason to demand any little bit of Cabinet information the Tories in power might have, regarding absolutely anything. So yes, the Tories are playing politics with this.

Jack Straw told the Commons that releasing the documents would negatively affect the workings of Cabinet Government. Which, in the language of reality, means that Cabinet Government works best when it’s free to lie, cover up, and keep secret anything that they may have said and done which the public would look at with disgust. What Jack Straw essentially said was that secrecy and the ability to lie without being questioned is more important to uphold than law, justice, Democracy and accountability.

Shadow Justice Secretary, Dominic Grieve was right when he questioned today, how it make Jack Straw look in the public eye “…for someone so closely involved in the key decisions to go to war, now to be personally blocking the release of that information”. The answer to that questioning lies in the heckles from MPs in the Commons when Straw announced the veto, of “Disgraceful“. That’s how it looks.

With regard to Straw claiming to be acting in the interest of the workings of Cabinet Government (the workings of which, have been slowly eroded since Thatcher), the Liberal Democrat Spokesman David Howarth is quoted today as saying quite rightfully “This decision has more to do with preventing embarrassment than with protecting the system of government.” It is indeed, a scandal of epic proportions.

It creates an us VS them mentality. Jack Staw told the Commons that releasing the minutes was “Not in the public interest“. It sets a dangerous precedent when one man can tell an entire Nation that we as voters aren’t allowed to decide for ourselves what is and isn’t in our interest to know. And forgive me if i’m wrong, but when a person’s son or daughter or brother or sister or husband or wife is killed in a War built on secrecy and deception, it’s well within their “interest” to know why they lost someone they loved. Straw has absolutely no right to say otherwise.

For all the good Labour have done for those of us who were left behind under the previous Tory government, their legacy is one of lies, covering their own back, deception, keeping the public at arms length, terrible policies, a fallen economy and scandal. It’s a shame. And now to cover up just how damaging they have been, they ignore the entire Nation when we demand to know why our soldiers have died and are continuing to die. What if I were arrested, asked by the police for my address, and I were to say “It’s not in your interest to know my address, it would damage the working of my family and how they view me as a person“. I’d be laughed at. Jack Straw lied. He now looks as if he’s covering something up. Like a day time chat show guest who refuses to take a lie detector test because he has “no reason to“, we know he’s lying. And this is deeply embarrassing for the Government.

Tony Wright, Chairman of the Public Administration Select Committee rightly asked in the Commons “Won’t this confirm people’s beliefs… there is something in the minutes which needs to be hidden?” It sure as hell confirms that I, along with millions of us who have supported the Labour Party in the past, will stay well away from voting for them at the next election. Every week, there exists another reason to despise these people ruling over us.

As we speak, we in the UK appear to be Nationalising banks whilst we Privatise the Post Office, even though Labour in their manifesto pledged to keep the Post Office in public hands. It’s like Labour are playing Democracy in reverse, the last past the post wins system. They appear to want to see how few votes a once strong Party can now suck in.

I support Democracy. It’s just a shame it’s never been tried.

Those pesky Democrats

First of all, Michael Steele, new chairman of the RNC, token black Republican, who Fox News described as a “new beginning” for the GOP.
Let’s see about that. Although Steele does not support a Federal Marriage Amendment to ban gay marriage, he does not agree that gays should be allowed to marry. In 2006, he compared stem cell research to the holocaust. He is also a strong Christian. So, very much the same as old Republicans. Maybe…

However….. and here’s the shocking part, I quite like him. The GOP is blatantly using him to combat the idea that there is still racial prejudice amongst their elite. Much like they used Palin to counter the Democrats with Clinton. But that doesn’t mean that Steele himself is useless (like Palin). Steele seems sensible, refusing to mix radical religious beliefs with politics, like so many Republicans. He seems refreshing. A real challenge to the Democrat support base. I like his energy policy, I like that he tried to get the Bush administration to call an immediate halt on the Federal Gas Tax. I like that despite his opposition he rates the issue of banning gays getting marriage as not very important. I like that he’s in favour of diplomacy over clenched fist tactics. I like the guy. And I can’t say that about too many Republicans or Conservatives.

“We must represent a transformative movement that speaks with empathy and compassion…” – Michael Steele.

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Tom Daschle has stepped down as nominee for Obama’s secretary of Health, whilst Nancy Killefer was to oversee budget and spending reform. Both, it seems, have a problem paying taxes. Obama made huge mistakes with these appointees. They clearly were not properly vetted. It feeds the Republican bitterness they still hold after losing the election.

That said, since when have Right Wing America become the guardians of all morality? A couple of nominees not paying their taxes is nothing in comparison to the cover ups and lies fed by the Bush administration.
Such as Dr. W. David Hager: appointed to the FDA by Bush, later found to be anally raping his wife, and when questioned about it, said “I missed“. Or Nicholas Morency who not only put a $1.5million bounty on the heads of pro-abortionists, but also admitted to molesting children. Or Elizabeth Dole, manipulating the Religious beliefs of an entire State, by referring to her opponent as “Godless“, just to win an election. Or Dick Cheney the Vice President, who used the War in Iraq to gain lovely new oil profitable contracts for his old company, Haliburton. Which of course, was a few years after Cheney was sued for fraudulent activities with regard to over valuing stock of Haliburton.
Why did these Republican bloggers and writers not stand so strong and filled with eternal rage against all of this? Or when Bush lied about Weapons of Mass destruction? They seem to have become more enraged by Clinton getting a blow job, and Daschle not paying taxes, than they have about thousands of innocent lives lost in the vain hope of acquiring more oil. It’s a horribly critical time in GOP history. They are literally swarming WordPress, finding every little detail to attack Obama on. From turning up the thermostat in the White House (as if he was supposed to let his kids freeze to death just to appease disgruntled Republicans), to not wearing a jacket in the Oval Office, because it “...insults the office of The President…” …. because apparently, taking your jacket off is far more of an insult to the office of POTUS, than it is to sit in front of a camera and take your Country to war on the basis of a lie.
Obama cannot take a shit without Right Winged bloggers finding a problem with it. It’s a bit rich of them to shout CORRUPTION! When their own party has been rife with it for years. It’s as if they’ve been asleep for the past eight years.

Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary is quoted as saying of Obama and Daschle … “They both recognised that you can’t set an example of responsibility but accept a different standard of who serves.” Which echoes the views of all of us. They are showing that they will acknowledge when they have messed up. Which is a good thing. Governments screw up. The difference is, this one seems to be able to admit it with dignity and move on.

Both Daschle and Obama screwed up. Obama admitted he has screwed up. He apologised and moved on. Something the Bush administration found impossible to do. Something our own English Prime Minister, finds impossible to do. Obama and Daschle acted with dignity, following a scandal without dignity. And that’s something new in American politics. Daschle is quoted as saying he would not be able to work “with the full faith of Congress and the American people”, and he’s right. It’s just a pity the previous administration and their supporters who now pick up on every movement Obama makes, didn’t have the same feeling of dignity.

Republicans, You had your chance, you fucked up majorly. Accept it. You do not run America any more. Your concept of “bipartisanship” seems to be that Obama steps to one side, and let’s you have another eight years in power. Fox News may as well just have a few hours of O’Reilly and Cavuoto stamping their feet and throwing a tantrum, like the selfish moronic little children that they are.
Bitterness is a wonderful thing.

Two political rants in one.

Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. – US Federal Bureau of Investigation

“Have I Got News For You” this week showed the clip of George W Bush having that now infamous shoe threw at him in Iraq last week. The BBC Audience cheered and clapped in admiration for the man who did it. It goes to show the deep tide of hatred toward the most powerful terrorist in the World.

Rightwingbob.com, a dreadfully ignorant Republican blogger writes “if, as is being suggested in the media, this shoeless journalist is being “hailed a hero in the Arab world,” then it just highlights some serious problems in that culture.”
- I wonder, could right wing Bob be so seriously out of touch with not only the Arab World, but the rest of the Civilised World. Should the Journalist have shook Bush’s hand? Bowed to him? “Thank you oh great one, our children are dying in a shower of American bombs and my wife is in ten different pieces across our destroyed house…. but hey, we’re a Democracy now, so it’s all worth it!” Get a fucking grip.

It worried me when it happened, that i’d be the only one who thought “good!! If only it’d have hit him” given that all the Conservative papers (The Mail in particular) called it “inconsiderate”. The Mail went on to explain that the Journalist who threw the shoe had an opportunity to ask important questions about what we used to call American Foreign Policy and what has become known, throughout the Republican reign of terror as “American Imperialism” and that he blew it, in a mindless act of violence. I’m sorry, but when editor of the Mail’s family have been needlessly blown to pieces, invaded, destroyed, for no real reason, i’d like to see him face the Terrorist who did it and ask him an important Political question. It’s pathetic. If the past eight years has taught me anything, it’s that the word “Terrorist” is disasterously intriguing. If in it’s most definable terms, it means “one who causes terror”, then I struggle to find a reason why the Bush administration are not the most horrific terrorists to ever grace the Planet. “Terrorist” seems to apply only to those who want revenge for Western aggression. Bush, ingeniously refers to these people as “those who hate our freedoms”….. They don’t hate our freedoms. They couldn’t care lesss if I start up my own business or not. They hate being abused. They hate being seen as an American resource. I think humanity, particularly Western Humanity, for all it’s benefits, has lost touch with human decency, and become way too interested in the material side of life.

Anyone who causes needless deaths on a grand scale, be them Muslim Extremists, or American imperialists, are terrorists. Let’s quit pretending otherwise. A 2006 Washington Post study, estimated that 655,000 innocent Iraqi civilians had died since the War began in 2003. You have to start asking yourself, as a human being, have too many people died? Can anything be worth such a high number of deaths? How do you justify so many deaths? How many will need to die before the Bush Administration is investigated for crimes against humanity? Is it ok that over half a million innocent Iraqi civilians have died, because we’re Western, and somehow above those laws that come down on anyone who isn’t? By their own standards, by the FBIs standards, by anyone who has a heart’s standards, the Bush Administration are the most dangerous group of Terrorists on the planet. There comes a time when people living in civilised societies have to be thinking that no one else needs to die.

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Something somewhere within the system has gone terribly wrong when TV adverts exclaim with vengeance “Benefit thieves, we’re closing in on you”, and yet the World’s top financiers can get away with the most despicable display of greed imaginable leading to one huge global financial mess. Of course, it’s just another wondrous product of the Thatcher/Regan “What’s in it for me?” years. A Conservative legacy of greed that considers single mums who “cheat” the benefit system in order to help feed their children – criminals, and considers those earning upwards of £1million, who also swindle the system in order to be able to afford a new yaht – “successful”. Morally, there is something drastically wrong with a system like that. It masks itself manipulatively under the phrase “rewarding hard work”.

This whole business with Madoff for example, I cannot imagine that Santander and other such groups who invested with Madoff, didn’t know what was happening. It stinks of corporate greed across the board. Not just Madoff. The Securities and Exchange Commission, the US Financial Regulatory body were warned about this, ten years ago. They seem to have ignored it.
It is being referred to as “the world’s biggest pyramid scheme”. I cannot imagine that Santander, HSBC, Nomura RBOS and all the other huge financial centres who invested with Madoff didn’t know what was going on. It seems they were benefitting, so it was ok. The moment there’s a bit of trouble, they all seem to plead ignorance. I do not believe they are the innocent victims in this.

As you can tell, i’m becoming increasingly alarmed with the state of the Western World. With the ideal that the free markets work magic, that greed is human nature (it isn’t by the way), and that Bush may very well live the rest of his life, in a tranquill surrounding, with his family, whilst the 655,000+ deaths he ordered, continue to pain the families of the victims.
It comforts me, albeit in the worst possible way, to know that i’m not like these money hungry, fear mongering “people” to know that if I had the power, he’d be in Guantanamo right now. The one thing that a Right Winged, War loving, profit masturbating, selfish Government can be thanked for, is that they provoke so much hatred, so much anger, that groups of Humanitarians, Liberals, and Free Thinkers pop up across the planet, in protest, to show the decent side of Humanity. We get blessed with the Bob Dylan’s and the John Lennon’s inspiring a generation to say “enough is enough”. Is 655,000 deaths and the entire Capitalist economic system who’s innocent workers trying to pay off their mortgage and feed their kids, worth it though?

No.
One death wouldn’t be worth it.

Let’s all have sex!

To be a Libertine is to be seen as blemish on an unforgiving morally absolute society. Debauchery isn’t wise, if your aim in life is to be accepted. You forever find yourself having to explain your sinful ways to others, whilst their damning eyes, condemn every last word that leaves your devilish mouth.

The sexually promiscuous generation are aching to break the chains of bigoted religious morals.

It seems lately that sexual promiscuity is the norm. But widely condemned. Even by those who fuck everything that moves. A libertine is not engulfed by the need to please an all powerful master that may or may not exist. A Libertine knows no social boundary, and does not care when contemporaries scorn at their very existence. A Libertine, by definition is free. The only restriction on their freedom is their ever more fickle conscience.

I have a fickle conscience.

A fickle conscience is the very essence of the self confessed Libertine. Ami Perrin, argued in the middle of the 16th Century that the current state of Geneva and it’s religious policy of making everyone within the Calvinist realm, succumb to it’s terms, uniformaly and without complaint, was misleading and an attack on freedom. That people should break away and as long as they weren’t hurting anyone, should live as they wish. In this, Perrin can be described as a Libertine.

Today, Libertines have very little to fear except the wrath of the God-loving few, who insist that pre-marital sex is morally wrong, let alone sleeping with a different person each night of the week.

I differ from these God-loving few. If for example, I were to tell a Christian my sexual conquest record, they would frown disapprovingly, and possibly even try to rescue me. It seems they would have us believe that God hates those who like to have sex, but he just loves those who despise homosexuals and preach segregation. Surely that in itself, that attack on freedom, freedom that doesn’t hurt anyone else, is morally wrong? Not beautiful licentious debauchery?

You often hear “oh, all these teenagers having sex with random people, it’s just not right”…. why isn’t it? There’s no one harmed in it, so what’s the issue? What isn’t right, is all these teenagers stabbing each other to death, or stealing, or threatening innocent people, what isn’t right is their utter destruction of the English language. A few teenagers getting laid every Friday night is way down my list of “what’s wrong”.

Sex, for me, is merely a hobby. There to be enjoyed whenever and with whoever I want. My fickle conscience provides me with one extra road block. It tells me that we’re all humans, regardless of our religious belief, our sexuality, and our skin colour, and so there must be no malice in the wonderful World of promiscuity. And so my conclusion, is that as long as both people are consenting, and both people treat each other with respect, then what is the problem? It’s not hurting anyone. It’s enjoying yourself. It has absolutely nothing to do with a God, or his followers, who I chose to sleep with. I certainly don’t feel guilty about my sex life. Nor do I regret any of them, even turning Laura into a lesbian.
Sex is my opiate. I use it to relax. Some people drink, some people smoke, some people read works of fiction like the Bible, I have sex. Sex is my drug. It’s a get away from the World, a place where I can forget any problems I may have. In this, sex is like meditation for me. My salacious eyes are a part of my very essence.

Why does God hate me for who I am? Why do I have to suppress who I am, to please him? Fuck him. I’m me. I quite like me. I don’t want to change.

I often hear people say “the best contraception, is not having sex”…. oh how very witty of you. Geniuses. It’s like saying “The best way to cook a steak, is to cook a steak”. Don’t blame sexual promiscuity of a raise of teenage pregnancies. Blame ignorance. Blame parents too ashamed to talk to their kids.

I’m spoken for. I have a beautiful girlfriend. We’ve been together over two and a half years. And in that time, I can honestly say, my sexual antics have been limited to me and her. I have never cheated. This is where the fickle conscience comes back into play. If I were to cheat, it would have a negative affect, it would upset my lovely girlfriend, and so the balance is tipped in the wrong direction, someone has been hurt by my actions, and so it ceases to be the act of a Libertine, and becomes the act of a cunt. (No pun intended).

If it helps a marriage, for it to be open, then I’m all for it. If that’s what works for a particular marriage, then why should it be considered unnatural? Why should any sexual act be considered unnatural if both adults are consenting? Surely, if both want and enjoy it, then it’s at the top of the “What is natural” scale. If two men want to have sex, if they both enjoy sex with each other, then why is that unnatural? if two women want to have sex, then it’s fine (and even more so, if they film it and send it to my email address). No one has to right to tell anyone else what is and isn’t natural for them. Surely it’s disastrously unnatural if you’re gay, but have to pretend to be straight in order to appease the hate filled bigots in society?

The natural vs unnatural debate can turn back around and really knock the “no sex before marriage!” posse for ten. I’d suggest, quite controversially maybe, that human beings are not supposed to have just one sexual partner. By sewing together the emotional bond of love, with sex, it suddenly means we’re supposed to save ourselves for that one special person. When actually, the two needn’t be entwined at all. Humanity, like the animal World, is sexually promiscuous. We don’t want to just stick with one partner, if it were deemed socially acceptable, we’d all be fucking each other like sex starved inmates at an all male prison. We just fear the wrath of society.

I lost my virginity when I was 15. I don’t regret it. The sex itself was shit. But it opened up a new World for me. Like with anything, the only way you improve is with a huge amount of practice, and when I split with my ex, I got that huge amount of practice, and I certainly enjoyed every last second of it. It would be wrong to say “Oh I wish I hadn’t, my innocence….lost forever.” Sexually, I have no regrets. In fact, I loved it.

Where’s the Christian American pro-life attitude when it comes to guns? Weapons designed, to end life? Or when it comes to bombing the life out of other nations? Where’s the pro-life attitude when it comes to ending World wide poverty? Get your fucking priorities sorted.

To sum up, sexual liberation is the act of breaking free from the chains placed on us by Religion and Society. And as long as it causes no harm to yourself, the other person/people involved, or anyone indirectly affected by the intercourse, then no one has the right to claim it to be unnatural or immoral, because it isn’t. Even if you want to sleep with another person, every night of the week, and don’t even know their names. Who cares? Why is that a problem? Who’s it harming? Questions like this, can never be answered thoroughly and without social or religious bias by those who condemn promiscuity.

Now i’ve got that formality out of the way, does anyone want a shag?