ALLEN GINSBERG:  “Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.”

JIM MORRISON:  “Whoever controls the media controls the mind.”

Big Money proactively gain offices and influence policy for profit, and Mainstream Media proactively gins up Politics and divides the Citizenry for profit.  THERE, the cat is outta the bag.  ** meow **

Carry on barking about getting money outta politics.

Look at “before and after” photos of Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton or Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann or Nancy Pelosi or Hillary Clinton.

Though extremely cynical and righteously angry, I nevertheless have a bedrock optimism steeped in Faith:

Faith that THIS life, “here and now”, as we know it, is NOT the whole shebang.

Faith that choices and comportment in THIS life impact my FUTURE-future.

Faith that, for my festival of vices and transgressions, I’m getting BETTER at this living thing. Not to suggest that I am not part o’ the ol’ Problem.  On the contrary, I have been literally guilty as sin.  But I haven’t “just” SEEN, I am LIVING the error of my ways.  I am RESISTING evil and temptation NOW, boy.  Yes indeedy, big picture, I am fighting the Good Fight.

And not to suggest my mind is entirely free, because it ISN’T.  I often often often, heart-achingly often, dwell on Sorrows seemingly against my will and certainly against my contentment.  But I AM a Free Thinker, and I choose to have Faith that in the vastness of cyberspace, there assembles, ever so slowly, a Readership.

I address them…or him or her.  I mean, there MUST be one.  If only by accident.

Political posts will hopefully still follow, adding to and archiving my body of work, but I liken it to the lobby restaurant remaining open while the hotel is under renovation.

I’m gonna get someone who knows what they’re doing to MAKEOVER my internet presence.  Big fan of Specialization of Labor, right here.

WANTED:  Partner.  Principals with principles only.

The flip side of 'fantastically expensive' is: ELITE FEW ARE MAKING LOTS OF MONEY.  Where some SPEND extravagantly, others enjoy WINDFALLS.

Not only are the debates trite and argumentative, the are DIVISIVE.  As ever, Mainstream Media is RIGHT THERE to goose passions . . . ergo ratings . . . ergo PROFITS.

Point me to CHANGE.

And speaking of change, Barack Obama vowed early in the 2008 presidential race that he would confine himself to PUBLIC FINANCING if his opponent would.  John McCain and/or the Republican party didn't take him up on the offer until they realized that Barack Obama is FUNDRAISER EXTRAORDINAIRE, at which point Obama went back on his word.

Obama can STILL out-fundraise Republicans.  Mr. Change COULD put a stop to OBSCENE CAMPAIGN SPENDING.  I mean, "normally" it's lots of fun and excitement, but it doesn't play well juxtaposed with AUSTERITY MEASURES.

The following is chronological, but not comprehensive.  If I ever manage to quit smoking, I don't know WHAT I shall do during commercials.]

* * * *

Moderator:  David Gregory

FIRST question: Blah, blah about Romney’s lead versus assertions that he is NOT best bet to beat Obama, then…

“Why shouldn’t Mitt Romney win?”

The question – first to Gingrich, then to Santorum – INVITED criticism of Romney.  By rules of debate, if one candidate insults/attacks/criticizes another, the Other gets a chance to rebut. Depending on your passions, the question itself either CAUSED or ALLOWED the first several minutes of the debate to serve as a showcase for Mitt Romney.

My reflexive interpretation is that TPTB have indeed designated Romney…BUT…I have been around the block a few times.  I know that people, places, things & Life are sometimes not what they appear to be.  I know that Politics and Politicians are SELDOM what they appear to be.

* * * *

I alluded to an ANNOYANCE COMPONENT with Santorum.  Check this out.  Gingrich, by invitation, attacks Romney.  Romney gets to rebut and, by my ears, Romney DID acquit himself.  Santorum’s turn to attack, on the same ROMNEY-BASED question, produced THIS bratty bit of illogic:

IF YOU DID SUCH A GOOD JOB AS GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS, WHY DIDN’T YOU RUN FOR A SECOND TERM? He actually suggested that Romney DESERTED the State.

I was literally writing SPOKEN LIKE A LIFETIME POLITICIAN when Romney called him out on same.  

Romney IS smart & quick.  So is Gingrich.  Romney is UNFLAPPABLE.  Gingrich is HOT-HEADED, WITH THIN SKIN…double trouble.

* * * *

After Romney schooled Santorum on the difference between SERVICE and making a CAREER out of politics, Gingrich DARED to tell Romney to “DROP THE PIOUSNESS.”

Zipper Problem Newt Gingrich has been parading piousness himself, which I find contemptible.  How DID the Adulterer, Schemer & Hypocrite get in so good with the (former Nazi) Pope?

Mormonism DOES feature commitment to Service.  Moreover, where some Rich Kids are raised to be Trust Fund Brats, others are raised to DO MORE, WITH MORE.

* * * *

Ron Paul rightly calls out superficiality of discussion, and then…wait for it, you know he’ll stick his foot in it…FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO DAYS, he elevates Spending over Character for importance.

He simply does not GET or refuses to ADMIT that all the other ills he cites trace to PEOPLE BEHAVING BADLY, ONCE THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.

Free Markets do NOT make Bad Guys shape up and fly right.  These are IF YOU GIVE ‘EM AN INCH, THEY’LL TAKE A MILE people.

I would not be confident in Ron Paul’s ability to get the  better of Bad Guys even IF he admitted their treachery.  His pollyanna insistence that Free Markets fix everything tells me that Swashbucklers WILL swashbuckle on his watch.  

IN MY EXPERIENCE, some of the hardcore Libertarians fueling Ron Paul’s bid chiefly want to be freer to make more money.  They are the ones who fiercely OPPOSE Intellectual Property rights, by the by.  Oh yes, they believe that they (as entrepreneurs) should be “free” to reproduce & peddle YOUR original work, cheaper, with no compensation to YOU.  Niiice.  For THEM.

* * * *

Rick Perry recited a list of what Americans want in a president…someone who THIS, someone who THAT, someone who THE OTHER.  His points were solid…like, SOMEONE WHO IS NOT FROM WASHINGTON, but canned and forgettable.

I absolutely cannot believe that HE believes that AMERICANS believe that HE is the embodiment of their White House Wish List. 

* * * *

Lemme just say that  ’LEMME JUST SAY…’   and    ’GOING BACK TO A PREVIOUS QUESTION…’  are to Debates as    ’AND THAT’S NOT ALL…’  and    ’WAIT, THERE’S MORE…’  are to TV ads pimping produc’s via 800 numbers.   

* * * *

They debated Saturday at 9 p.m. Eastern, then again EARLY Sunday morning. Jon Huntsman looked TIRED.  I mean, NOTICEABLY more tired than other candidates.  Maybe scratch that TRAVELIN’ MAN thing.

He cites TRUST repetitively (like Herman Cain, with Nine Nine Nine) but the thing is, he’s RIGHT.  I’ve been saying that since 2008: A CONFIDENCE CRISIS, NOT A CREDIT CRISIS.

 Apropos of nothing, Huntsman also shares with Herman Cain dodgy taste in TIES.

Huntsman ia the adult in the room about Tax Reform, including elimination of our festival of discriminatory advantages.  ”NO SACRED COWS,” he says and I agree.

Back in August, Huntsman tweeted: “To be clear, I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming.”

The odds of TWO (rich) Mormons being in one presidential race seem to me to be SLIM and NONE.  Then there was that Second Coming Supporter in Iowa. Then there’s UTAH.  

In the spirit of INUNDATION, does running TWO Mormons actually diffuse whatever ruckus ONE might incite?  I think it HAS.  I’m also thinking Mormon Mucky Mucks (stereotypically, very successful financially) must surely have a PREFERRED candidate, between two Mormons.

Does Huntsman serve to fracture Anti Romney votes (and to keep reminding us that China looms BIG in our future) while Romney gains and gains in his plodding way?   Is Romney doing the SACRIFICE POP FLY thing, taking all the ANTI heat so Huntman can have late surge for a “surprise” win?

The richest Mormons in America have NO PLAN?  C’mon.

They both have enough money to stay in the race beyond South Carolina, irrespective of performance.  Jon Huntsman speaks LONG PANTS about a lot of stuff that we don’t like to even ADMIT, much less discuss.  Romney certainly CAN speak Long Pants, but he is trapped defending his record.  Or he is roping dopes. 

It is BEYOND boring to hear them list their Plus’s over and over.  No single one of them has all the answers.  Each has made some VALID points, along with invalid claims.  Do they work together to hammer out the best platform by which to persuade American Voters onto a new path?  Have they rallied resources to marshall one, sustained, full-court press to “make Obama a one-term president?  Noooo.

Instead, they talk about how they WILL be able to work with Democrats. LOL.

* * * *

Moderator Gregory asked Candidates, beginning with Huntman, to name three areas/programs in which Americans will FEEL THE PAIN.

One of Huntsman’s three was THE RYAN PLAN…hardly specific. That’s like saying THE WHOLE ECONOMY IS GONNA HURT.  Which it will.  His second was NO SACRED COWS.  Commendable, but not specific.

His third pain center was VERY specific, and I can’t say as I’ve ever heard a Republican say it: MEANS TESTING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE. As in . . . yes, we KNOW you paid XYZ dollars in, but you don’t NEED those dollars…and other people DO.

Maybe THAT’S his role, eh?  Bearer of Bad News.

‘Cuz DAMN, if Santorum didn’t echo the call for Means Testing.  He said he’d refer Food Stamps, Medicaid & Housing back to the states as Block Grants. Apparently that will wash his hands of the matters, for he gave no clues as to CUTS.

(In a conservative, smaller-government Administration, why would States still be forking money over to Feds, to be receiving it BACK in block grants…AFTER gobs of Taxpayer money is DISAPPEARED into bureaucracies on both ends?)

Grandpa Gingrich turned the table on the question, challenging the premise that People should feel ANY pain, that BUREAUCRACIES should be made to feel the pain. Um, er, ah:

1.)  Bureaucracies are comprised of people.  If you axe agencies, you axe employees. SPENDING CUTS IMPLY PINK SLIPS.
2.)  Sparing people the consequences of their choices is NOT conservative.  On the contrary.
3.)  Sparing people the consequences of their choices encourages repetition of errors. CONSEQUENCES ARE TEACHERS.

Rick Perry got a chuckle for REMEMBERING his three: people will feel the pain in the Departments of Commerce, Energy & Education.  No one remembered, or no one wanted to remind HIM that he previously said he’d jettison FIVE departments.

* * * *

Gingrich says “IT’S THE AMERICAN WAY” to desire a one-term president.

I couldn’t disagree more.

* * * *

Moderator Gregory asked them what I believe is a super important question: Everyone TALKS about being a Uniter, how will you DO it?

Romney points out he was a Republican Governor of a Democratic state.  

(As was Gary Johnson, in New Mexico.) 

Confronted with his dismal record of actually getting anything THROUGH Congress (or of preventing anything from passing, truth be told), Ron Paul sea “that shows how out of touch Congress is.”

Yes, well.  For the broadcloth of Americans, at a practical level, it doesn’t matter who’s FAULT it is if the job doesn’t get done.  

QUALITY OF AMERICAN LIFE IS DETERIORATING.  Rich People talk and talk and debate and analyze and talk some more about how to remedy that…LATER.

Santorum didn’t say how he’d be a Uniter.  Instead, he said the problem isn’t what Ron Paul HASN’T been able to accomplish, but what he COULD accomplish on Day One.  I don’t believe I’ve ever encountered anyone who is so scared of Iran.

Unless it’s Michele Bachmann.

Huntsman says it comes down to, you guessed it, TRUST.

No one much mentions the flip side of TRUST, which is DISHONESTY.  I’ll grant that Gingrich has several times said the first step to revamping Medicare is STOP PAYING THE CROOKS. But that implicates Doctors, Lawyers & Beneficiaries.  NOT ONE OF ‘EM calls for prosecution of White Collar Crime in, say, BANKING.  Not one of ‘em calls for riding CORRUPT OFFICIALS out on rails.

Perry will unify thru a Balanced Budget Amendment (?!) and by making Congress part-time.  Yes, I feel certain Congress will unify with the president over THAT.

* * * *

Jon Huntsman said he’d DISRUPT THE OIL MONOPOLY.  I’m trying to think how many times I’ve heard a Republican say that, and I’m thinking it’s ZERO. I agree with him, but then I am OFTEN Bearer of Bad News…and I am NOT running for office.

By contrast, listen to Gingrich, Perry & Paul preach deregulation. ABSOLUTELY we must reduce and streamline regulations.  We need sensible, realistic regulations, and we need Honest Regulators.  But DE-REGULATION?  Are people out of their COTTON-PICKING MINDS?  If we have learned NOTHING, we have learned that Profits override people, principles, EVERYTHING.

PLUS, I dunno about Paul & Santorum, but Gingrich & Perry are definitely pimping DRILL BABY, DRILL.  Oil.  Same old, same old. BUSINESS AS USUAL.

Energy Independence is VITAL.  Keeping the lion’s share of our eggs in the oil basket is STOOPID, or diabolical.

* * * *

Ron Paul said subsidies are bad economic and moral policy.  I totally agree. It’s not as apparent in typed text as it was in audio, how automatically Economy precedes Ethics in Ron Pauls speech (presumably reflecting order of thought).  

Unless he is wicked-good Controlled Opposition, it seems he is a bona fide Good Guy, but of the Pink Cloud variety.  

From so long among his FANS, I can actually HEAR the turbo-charged typing: WOULDN’T I RATHER HAVE A GOOD GUY IN THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A CHANGE?  Indeed, I would.  

Per Gallup Poll:  ”Thomas S. Monson, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was listed among America’s top ten most admired men for 2011.”   Doesn’t mean he should be president. 

Los Angeles is the second most populous city in America, after New York.  Los Angeles has returned Henry Waxman to Congress more times than than a Texas district (with more space and ONE-FIFTH the people) has returned Ron Paul to Congress.  Doesn’t mean Henry Waxman should be President.  CHARLIE RANGEL has been reelected more times than Henry Waxman.

Ron Paul says, simplistically, DEREGULATE ENERGY.  Supply and Demand will bring the prices down, dontcha know.  Sound monetary policy will take care of everything else.  

In his worldview, it WOULD.  Because he does not incorporate the existence of Bad Guys into his theories.

Denial is not a river in Egypt, eh?

* * * *

Mitt Romney’s seeming cognitive disconnect was INSTANT FODDER for the pundit mill, but it makes sense to me that someone can be NON-DISCRIMINATORY but also be OPPOSED to Gay Marriage. 

Beliefs R Beliefs — what’re ya gonna DO?  Some people BELIEVE that Marriage is a sacred institution between one man and one woman and that’s that.  There are ENOUGH people who believe that way now, and there have BEEN enough people who have believed that way throughout history, that it cannot be entirely baseless.  

What is Gays’ problem with Civil Unions, that’s what I don’t get. WAAAAA! WAAAAA! Allow us to be DIFFERENT and GAY, free of the closet!  Celebrate diversity!  No, wait!  We changed our minds! We are NOT different!  We are the same!  Different, but the same. We want it all.

Whichever…”Gay” Marriage or Civil Union…it does not measure up as an Issue that should have commanded so much legislative attention during such harrowing times.  Why d’ya reckon it DID?

* * * *

Rick Perry reliably trotted out Right to Work.  I hate to break it to CHEAPSKATES who don’t want to pay livable wages for conscientious full-time Labor, but the flip side of the RIGH TO WORK coin is the RIGHT TO HAVE A JOB.

If people are not paid livable wages for full-time labor, you have an “Assistance” State from the get-go.  The bureaucracy and administration of the welfare, PLUS the welfare, is costlier than the livable wages would have been.  Not for Employers, though, for TAXPAYERS.

Rick Perry says he’d reevaluate every regulation according to one criteria only: DO THEY CREATE OR KILL JOBS?

Really?  First, regulations DO create jobs . . . Regulators, Lawyers, Compliance Specialists, more Lawyers.  If they create more jobs in the Regulation & Compliance Sector than they cost in other sectors, shall we keep them?

Shall we get rid of ALL the safety regulations?  On balance, do MORE helmet sales outweigh LESS medical treatment?  Crunch those numbers.

* * * *

Romney, distinguishing between Public & Private unions, would tie former to latter such that former cannot EXCEED latter.  Werks few me.

***

Santorum never tires of reciting his resume, and I always forget it.

Gingrich not only pimps oil, he pimps SUPPLY SIDE ECONOMICS. Yikes.

In a question about cross-state pollution, Romney acknowledges validity of regulation.  I think everyone but Lawmakers, Lawyers & Regulators knows A.) there are too MANY regulations; B.) they are unnecessarily complicated (see also: billable hours for attorneys); C.) there is too much paperwork and filing protocol.

Romney says natural gas is a big opportunity.  BIG fan of natural gas, right here.

Gingrich, who wants to MAKE BUREAUCRACIES PAY, proposes an “Environmental Solutions Office.”  Y’know, INSTEAD of the Environmental Protection Agency.  HIS alphabet agency will be different and better.  He uses the term INCENTIVIZE for the second time in two debates.

Incentivize, thy other name is Social Engineering.

MOREOVER, as soon as you have incentives, you have PICKERS & CHOOSERS of recipients of incentives.

* * * *

Rick Perry: “We have a president that’s a socialist.”
Rick Perry: “I’m a Tenth Amendment guy.”

I, too, favor returning power to the States . . . or States YANKING it back, either way.

Doesn’t mean another Texas Oil Governor should be Top Dog in America.

* * * *

Rick Santorum on voting to pass Medicare Part D (prescription drug plan): “Only one really bad thing, and that’s that we didn’t fund it.”

Ron Paul extols the right to Life, the right to Liberty, and the right to KEEP THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR.  

Pursuit of happiness is so 15 minutes ago.

* * * *

Asked about his VISION FOR HIS TENURE, Huntsman said he would try to fulfill founding documents, UNIFY, and attack the TRUST DEFICT as aggressively as the economic deficit.

It was a beauty pageant-y kinda question so, hey, GOOD ANSWER!

* * * *

If we can live with a nuclear North Korea, why not with a nuclear Iran? Santorum says it’s because “Iran is a theocracy.”

Natural Born Martyrs.

* * * *

Insofar as Gingrich has previously complained about PAC ads (Political Action Committees) but is not doing the same to Romney, is he consistent?

“SURE,” says Gingrich.   HIS attack ads are “fact-based.”

Like HIS alphabet agency will be sensible and efficient.

Newt Gingrich and duct tape, that’s all you need.

* * * *

Mitt and Newt go toe to toe and tit for tat.

Gripping gripping television, you had to be there.

* * * *

Asked how they would use the Bully Pulpit, Santorum said he would use it for FAMILIES.  Which warms the heart of this Single person, as you might imagine.  He proactively dismissed IT TAKES A VILLAGE, insisting IT TAKES A FAMILY.

The Help:  ”You is smaaart.  You is kiiind.  You is imPORtant.

Marriage/family is a choice.  Choices have costs.  I do NOT believe Families are entitled to greater assistance or protection than Single People.

Ron Paul says of the Bully Pulpit that he’d “keep doing what he’s doing right now…preaching the gospel of Liberty.”  That’s how I see it, too.

* * * *

[It is 36 hours after the debate, and I am just finishing "talking" about it.  I take BACK that Jon Huntsman looked noticeably more tired than the others.  He looked NORMAL, all things considered.

I don't know how they DO it.   An ENTOURAGE has gotta help.]

Paraphrasing Blaise Pascal, I am writing you a long post because I lack the time to make it short.  I am also NOT taking the time to carefully craft sentences or wrestle them into an organized composition.  More like, TRANSCRIBING NOTES.

Why BOTHER, y'know?  Making no money is one thing.  Being steamrolled over is another thing.  But being steamrolled over WHILE making no money SUCKS. Welcome to The Resistance.

Do you see our presidential debates over there, or do you see only clips of THE GOOD, & THE BAD & THE UGLY?

In any case, here are my takeaways, along with the grammatical and syntactical errors that are SPACE SAVERS in the Twitterverse . . .]

Santorum evaded question about his preposterous assertion that America does not need an Executive/Manager by reiterating that America needs a Leader.  Hmmm.  HITLER was a leader, need I say more?

Yes, I do.  One has only to look to Wall Street to know that some Management is GOOD/strong/effective/visionary/responsible, some is BAD/strong/effective/visionary/reckless, some is AVERAGE/mediocre/uninspired/undistinguished.

MANAGEMENT MATTERS.  Management matters a lot.

Santorum does an irritating ME! MY TURN! OVER HERE! thing that reminds me of the self-appointed Smarty Pants who waved their hands to be chosen to give answers.  Those kids were NEVER as smart as they thought and ALWAYS less well-liked than they wanted to be.  Perchance, are you familiar with the term TUCKER?  

I like Santorum less and less, AND he signed the outrageous Personhood Pledge, which would confer all the “rights & protections” of Law from the moment of conception.  Even Mississippi ILLITERATES didn’t pass that crapola.  

For me, it is a deal-breaker.

*  *  *

Mitt Romney + Jon Huntsman = Mutual Admiration Society.  

OVER. THE. TOP., how polite and complimentary they were to each other. My SOMETHING’S COOKING antennae are up.

I am reminded of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, when an elderly gentleman & Romney supporter staying in the same hotel beamed and gushed about the Second Coming.  You don’t buy into it and I don’t buy into it, but the truth is that Christians and Mormons both think THEIR faith is supreme.

Rick Perry was “in before me”, speaking the words faster than I could write them: Ron Paul challenging Rick Santorum on earmarks is HYPOCRITICAL. Classic Pot calling the Kettle black stuff.

WORSE, when Ron Paul was asked about his attack(s) on Santorum, Paul trivialized Character/Corruption by saying, “BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS SPENDING…blah, blah”

I beg to differ, completely.  Character & Corruption are not only more important than spending, deficit character and surplus corruption are directly related TO spending.  

(Unless he is terrific Controlled Opposition) Ron Paul doesn’t GET or doesn’t wanna BELIEVE that there are icky people who behave badly.

* * * *

If Moderators would have lists of accomplishments & facts, Politicians who are NOTORIOUS for dissembling, equivocating, embellishing, evading, exaggerating, fabricating and lying would not be able to do so much SPINNING IN CIRCLES.

You are surely acquainted with the term CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD.

All the dirt they’re slinging will come back to bite SOMEONE in the ass in the General Election.  They are ADDING ammo to Obama’s arsenal.

* * * *

Rick Perry is not even smart enough to capitalize on the question of why someone who has actually SERVED in Military makes a better Commander-in-Chief. 

By contrast, REFORMED WHORE Newt Gingrich pandered right TO New Hampshire, proposing to build coupla Veterans facilities IN New Hampshire.

I always concede Newt Gingrich’s intelligence.  Thing is, smart without Character is a helluva lot worse than Stupid without Character. 

Newt Gingrich sez he’s MATURED . . . code for I’VE OUTGROWN ADULTERY.  Maybe so, but look no further than his vast girth, reminiscent of Ted Kennedy, to know that there is NOTHING disciplined about Gingrich and that he most certainly has NOT changed the habit of INDULGING HIMSELF.

His moral outrage would be LAUGHABLE, if any of this were funny.

* * * *

Ron Paul’s dismissal of the bigoted Newsletters falls under my NICE TRY umbrella.  Abdicating oversight while allowing people to trade on his name keeps the COMPETENT MANAGEMENT issue alive.

He segued nicely to the truth that our legal system and incarceration rates broadcast racism.  But between you me and the lamppost, I don’t think he gives one flying fuck about race-based injustice.  I think it’s “just” an argument that supports what he DOES care about.

(Unless he is terrific Controlled Opposition) Ron Paul is a such a good man, he cannot CONCEIVE of evil in others.  Not in Iranians. Not in Supporters who fly Confederate flags.  And some DO.

* * * *

Although neither Mitt Romney nor Jon Huntsman (the temperate Mormons) signed the MAD AS A HATTER Personhood Pledge, I only learned last night that every person on that stage would REVERSE Roe vs. Wade.

This reinforces the argument that Major Players WANT Obama to sit there and finish his peas.  THE BUCK STSOPS HERE: Scapegoat in Chief.  Not to say Obama hasn’t made beau coups errors, ‘cuz he HAS, but he INHERITED buncha crap, too.  If Republicans forfeit the election by nominating someone likely to lose the General, it speaks volumes about the Recovery timeline.

Reproductive “Rights” (which could only be concocted by PATRIARCHS & SEXISTS) imply reciprocating Reproductive Responsibilities.  This line of thinking logically extrapolates to collecting DNA of all men, and issuing LICENSES to fornicate.

FUCK: FORNICATING UNDER CONSENT of KING. 

* * * *

You cannot IMAGINE how much time they spent on Gay Marriage. got red herrings?  Fuggeddabout Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, did you see how ODDLY Jordan Van der Sloot was behaving in court?

* * * *

Within a rant about CHRISTIANITY BASHING but otherwise outta left field, Newt Gingrich cited the importance of Adoptive Services.  It ain’t pretty but it’s true: BABIES ARE AN EMERGING MARKET.

Rick Perry also cited “this Administration’s WAR ON RELIGION”.

Get those dervishes whirling, eh?

* * * *

Only Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul and Gary Johnson are unambiguous about GETTING OUT OF AFGHANISTAN.

But I’m getting an uneasy feeling about Huntsman . . . and the Council on Foreign Relations.  

It’s his turn to SURGE, but I like him better at Vice President than President, or Secretary of State.

Ron Paul Die Hards are fiercely opposed to anything less than the Presidency, which strikes me as damn ironic case of both COLLECTIVISM and PERSONALITIES OVER PRINCIPLES.  If another Republican “takes” the White House, seems to me Ron Paul is the obvious replacement for Geithner at Treasury or Bernanke at The Fed.  Monetary Policy is his strong suit, NOT Management…as discussed ad nauseam in the context of the infamous Newsletters.

* * * *

Newt Gingrich, who sez Ron Paul has a habit of saying things that are inaccurate and false, also said that “Iran began decaying 24 hours after our departure.

D’ya reckon he wants to SEND TROOPS BACK TO IRAQ…like Rick Perry does?

I say White Collars reverted to decadence 24 hours after we passed TARP, how d’ya like THEM apples?

* * * *

I don’t buy Ron Paul’s LET EVERYONE BE. & EVERYONE WILL LET US BE simplicity, but I don’t buy Santorum’s HYSTERIA about Radical Islam.

Santorum’s claim that Iranians LOVE US is surely not born out by MY experience. He says they admire us ‘cuz we STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH.  Good one.  The degree of Denial (best case) or Dishonesty (worst case) is incredible.

Rick Santorum also sez that AMERICA DOES NOT HAVE CLASSES.

‘Scuse me…for a second, I thought he said America does not have Classes.

(The next morning, Rick Santorum will say that POVERTY IS NOT A DISABILITY.  

Can we agree that Poverty is a HANDICAP.  Or have we contorted our way into calling Poor People LUCKY for having an inside track on heaven?)

* * * *

Mitt Romney confirmed but then glossed over that INFRASTRUCTURE is a proper venue for Government spending, instead waxing on about the superiority of free markets over socialism.  ’Cuz…y’know…we’ve never heard THAT before.  Did John Edwards ever ONCE speak without mentioning Mill Towns?

U.S. infrastructure is in EMBARRASSING disrepair, but also DANGEROUS disrepair.  Recall New Orleans levees.  Infrastructure is Jobs Creation AND it is shovel-ready AND it is necessary.  Whatcha call a no-brainer.

* * * *

Huntsman repeatedly calls for elimination of all Loopholes, Deductions, Corporate Welfare.  Romney waxed about ANTI SOCIALISM when the question was put to him, but he did NOT echo Huntsman’s call to close what amount to MEANS-BASED TAX ADVANTAGES.

Gingrich would abolish the “Death Tax.”  In other words, he would allow Robber Barons to keep every last dime. Some Christian.  

Me, I say EXTRAORDINARY TAXES ON EXTRAORDINARY ESTATES.  While I agree with Winston Churchill that there are is no good tax, I also hold that taxes fall among NECESSARY EVILS.  Who could it POSSIBLY be easier/righter/fairer to tax than unfathomably rich DEAD people?

By what rationale does a stroke of luck at birth “entitle” Trust Fund Brats to begin the game of Life with hundreds of millions or even BILLIONS of dollars?

* * * *

Romney has several times cited CHINA’S unfair practices, INCLUDING predatory pricing and currency manipulation.  

got Predatory Lending and a contrived interest rate?

* * * *

It seems like American Rank & File should decide which outcome Big Money most DOESN’T want, and do THAT.

I know it SEEMS like The Establishment most marginalizes Ron Paul, but perhaps they doth protest too much.

The only candidate they totally blackballed is Gary Johnson…who bailed on the Grand Old Party and will seek the Libertarian nomination which, importantly, has ballot access in all 50 states.

* * * *

[THE MORNING AFTER follows anon.  Cheers.]

How many resolutions trashed
E’re even one of twelve months passed?

Doing the same, expecting different
How much Life is thusly misspent?

Mayans and Madness, center stage
To bob and weave in this New Age

Whichever year that this form ends
Believers will wanna make amends

As well, before their souls depart
Of love & joy, they’d take more part

“Non-Believers”, although differently
Would spend their last time carefully

Year after year, in state of emergency
Defense Industry,  illusion of Security

Uber safe, the official and well-heeled
Masses are marbles on roulette wheel

Stab you in the back, then bill you for it
Sell out Countrymen for fun and profit

When Kingpins monetize Uncertainty
Rational Pawns embrace C’EST LA VIE

Recovery Wisdom warns expectations
Are disappointments waiting to happen

Open and flexible, say enlightened They
Decidedly NOT in a Craigslist kinda way

As long as my arm, lists of Do’s & Deeds
If allowed by taskmasters Time & Money

Longer, by far, lists of I DON’T CARE
If I move on without doing that chore.

Brief is life and tremendous the planet
Said I to me and the posse in my head

Different They made travel undignified
Dignified must discover freedom inside

Freedom of thought, final frontier battle
Until Siri or Watson mind-read and tattle

 Toss some wrenches in Bad Guys’ spokes
Help as I can when my path crosses folks’

Fret not paperwork,  bullies or age
Select fuller life over later grave.

Time flies whether or not you’re having fun, that’s been my experience.  It follows that new years arrive, happy or not.

I lately heard a science-y segment on the radio, in which Brainiacs posited that Time really IS going faster.  They said TIME BENDERS will fare better, people who can separate from the clocks and calendars that set inflexible limits.  Otherwise, like cartoon characters, people will be hustling faster and faster to fall further and further behind.

Today I learned that Samoans voted to SKIP A DAY, thereby jumping the international dateline.  Hey!  Maybe WE can vote to skip 2012, jump right over the Mayan innuendo that the world ends on 12/21 of this year.

Traders and Arbitragers and their ilk oughtta be able to finagle plenty of unfair advantage from being a year ahead.  Money Men having unfair advantage IS a national priority, is it not?

Meanwhile back at the Rationalization Ponderosa, because the ol’ quitting smoking resolution went up in smoke before noon, I have voted to CHANGE my New Year’s Day.  Chinese and Jews have THEIR own New Year’s Days.  Surely I am equally free?  Moreover, THEIR New Years aren’t married to the same date year after year.

MY new year will fall on The Epiphany this year . . . unless I need to push it to Independence Day.

Come on in, the bullshit is warm!

Ready or not, here I come!

Thirty years ago this very night, I opened a blank book and began to write.

Let me first express genuine gratitude and awe at Noble Soldiers.  Who DOES that, y’know?  Lay down their life for another?

Let me secondly give politically correct nod to SUPPORT THE TROOPS before adding that I don’t care if it’s Troops or Israel or, literally, my own flesh and blood, I don’t not support ANYONE on no-matter-what basis.

That IS the Bailout Paradigm, riiiight?  No matter what it costs me, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, I gotchyer back?

What happened to Tough Love?

Blind, unthinking support of Troops would extend to support of, or lenience with, SPORT KILLER Calvin Gibbs.  ”Life sentence with possibility of parole in ten years.”  Does that sound about right, for Superior Officer who not only killed innocent Afghanis in cold blood, commemorating his kills with skull tattoos up his leg, but who also CORRUPTED Young ‘Uns under his command to do likewise?

In the same way that “his hand always on my thigh” escalates to SODOMY IN CAMPUS SHOWERS when people turn blind eyes to capital-W Wrong, loitering at war…year after bloody year after bloody year…breeds perversion.

But make no mistake, I DO support Noble Soldiers.  I support Troops being paid BETTER than Private Contractor security forces.  I support Troops NOT being “put in harm’s way”, which is to say USED, to enjoin OUR conceptual and (mainly) commercial interests on OTHERS.   I support Veterans receiving finest medical care available, WITHOUT BUREAUCRATIC HASSLE, for lifetimes.

In 2007, Military Money Matters graded THIRTY Veterans’ Charities, from A+ to F.  Read it and weep.

USO . . . C+

Veterans of Foreign Wars . . . C-

Blinded Veterans Association . . . D

Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation . . . F

More recently, Charity Navigator rated FIFTY-ONE Veterans’ Charities.  I call attention to the bottom of its list and the end of the alphabet, where Wounded Warrior Project receives three out of four possible stars.

Wounded Warrior’s radio tag line reiterates that they NEVER LEAVE A FALLEN WARRIOR BEHIND.

As I see it, the EXISTENCE of these many charities is testimony to a different reality.  America DOES leave Warriors behind.

I am a Spade Caller from way back.  Where there is charity, there may or may NOT be love but there is ALWAYS the danger of abuse.

Howzabout THIS, for Change?  The entire NATION, all of which does NOT fight, should ALL support the Troops during AND AFTER the war, rather than non-fighters paying lip service to support DURING war and then a hodge-podge of administration-heavy Non Profits carving up the Veteran population, and the fundraising, afterward.

Nuthin’ for nuthin’, ALL the 501(c)3′s should be audited.  Lotteries, too.

It helps me not give in to Despair to imagine there are actually a few Readers out there in the world who are acquainted with my idiosyncratic Numerology.

11.11.11 is a powerful alignment.

THEY will not change, probably.  They COULD.  They MIGHT.  But, historically speaking, they PROBABLY will not.  Absent Fear or Force, it is entirely up to THEM whether they change.  They have all the Money=Power.

COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN has gotten short shrift in the Serenity Prayer for as long as I have been on the Recovery Circuit.  With so many 20-Something and 30-Something Talking Heads, I figger DECADES of experience surely makes ME an Expert Of Sorts.

Grant me the Wisdom to know and the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, yeah yeah, sure sure, of course.

THAT WHICH IS TOO EVERYTHING TO BE NAMED, more than ever in this dark hour, grant me courage and strength to commemorate this date with a constructive change in ME.

Part Two:  Tea Party VS. Occupy Wall Street

Part Three:  Young & Able VS. Old & Infirm

Larus Occidentalis: adult and juvenile tug-o-war over ground squirrel

TWO-PARTY STRANGLEHOLD.  Along with the world-famous Broken System, it’s the talk of the town.  In fact, TWO-PARTY STRANGLEHOLD is the talk of the town THE SAME WAY the Broken System is talk of the town.

ALL talk . . . no DO.

The two-party stranglehold ABIDES, same as The System abides.  Democrats may and do fight like siblings among THEMSELVES.  Republicans may and do fight like siblings among THEMSELVES.  Democrats and Republicans may and DO fight each OTHER like Hatfields and McCoys.

But Republicans and Democrats do NOT fight the two-party stranglehold.  On the contrary, they are overtly and covertly and fiercely UNITED in protecting their best interests.

Not so, Protesters.

Protests, for starters, are not INTENDED to abide.  They are intended to ACCOMPLISH something.  People With Power DO something or they QUIT doing something, which is to say they MEET DEMANDS, and the Protest ceases with its cause.  Or People With Power REFUSE to meet demands and quash the Protest.

Or People With Power EFFECTIVELY refuse to meet demands by condemning demands and Protesters alike to the lifecycle of Novelty News, and the Protest runs out of steam like a Plaintiff against Deep Pockets.

Or People With Power don’t HAVE TO meet demands, because Protesters squabble and the Protest implode.

People With Power HAVE power because they’re BETTER at this game than Protesters are.  People With Power are SKILLED sowers of discord and fanners of flames.  DISAGREEMENT is to The System as OIL is to The Automobile.

In the Balkanization of Protest, the renowned Generation Gap is inflamed into the GENERATION GRIPE: Young & Able VERSUS Old & Infirm.

A point of uber-contention between people with LOTS of life experience and people with LITTLE life experience is Social Security.

I ask, WHO is opposed to a secure society?  People who are compelled to pay for OTHERS’ security when they themselves are INSECURE, that’s who.  And the Skinflints & Heartless who don’t care about anyone, but we don’t care about them right back.

Besides, complaining about Government is part of the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST schtick that resonates so well with the Young & Able.  Most people are NEVER satisfied, that should be clear.  TAXES TO CARRY THE DEAD WEIGHT OF THE DISABLED is as good as any other ax for Skinflints & Hard Hearts to grind.

It is the ever-INCREASING weight of Non Producers and the ever-increasing obviousness of #Waste, #Incompetence and #Corruption that have sent even compassionate and generous people to the mattresses.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

In a new #AARP commercial, a strident-sounding Spokesman for a group of serious-looking Seniors warns Congress they WILL be voting in November.  Whereas Young ‘Uns might have any number of things come up , those Seniors absolutely WILL go to the polls.  BANKABLE votes.  Of course, what ELSE do many of them have to do?  Look at the calendar of a handful of Octogenarians to verify that DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS are the mainstay.

COME BACK IN THREE WEEKS joins conversational standbys like HOW ARE YOU and HAVE A NICE DAY.  People are living longer; more and more treatments are devised, and healthcare is ALREADY unaffordable.

Young ‘Uns don’t want to be saddled with all that expense…and never a more rational thought was entertained.  Commoners can’t afford their OWN healthcare, much less that of a Senior population that is, even as I type, exploding with retiring Baby Boomers.

Able-Bodied of a certain TYPE have always resented and WILL always resent paying for the DIS-abled.  That’s THAT…people are unfailingly human.  But in ordinary times, even Skinflints and Hard Hearts begrudgingly pony up for Disability, same as childless folk pony up for Education and people who don’t smoke or barbeque or have a fireplace or set off fireworks or leave Christmas lights plugged in SUCK UP higher insurance premiums that are DIRECTLY traceable to mishaps and mischief of Smokers and Partiers and Fire Starters of assorted intent.

Again, complaining about Government is part of the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST schtick that resonates so well with the Young & Able-Bodied.  The decisive majority of people is NEVER satisfied, that should be clear.  TAXES TO CARRY THE DEAD WEIGHT OF THE DISABLED is as good as any other ax for Skinflints & Hard Hearts to grind.  Environmentalists will ALWAYS hate that personnel-carrier-sized vehicles somehow connote Success.

I invite MISERS and HARD HEARTS to revisit the #Hardright meme of the notorious Sixties: AMERICA: LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT.  If the false dichotomy FITS, goose-step to it.  Americans have validated and RE-validated the concept of SOCIAL SECURITY.  Americans have demonstrated and RE-demonstrated compassion and generosity toward the genuinely Needy.

If you don’t like that, find yerself a JUNGLE and have at it.  We will stand advised that Trespassers will be shot, and that Survivors will be shot again.

The flip side of TOUGH TITTY TO HARD HEARTS is TOUGH TITTY TO BLEEDING HEARTS.  Genuine needs are few.  It’s a real piece o’ work who thinks the GENUINE Needy should be left to fend for themselves, but LOTSA people resent Receivers when caring for them further reduces quality of life and further increases the fresh, raw vulnerability of Givers.

FIRST DO NO HARM is paralleled by FIRST PICK LOW-HANGING FRUIT.  Rigorous elimination of FRAUD & INEFFICIENCY precedes any reduction of “Entitlements”.

Speaking of “Entitlements,” can we agree that paying OUT here-ya-go freebie #Welfare is NOT the same thing as paying BACK good-faith (also compulsory) contributions?  Can we agree that CUTTING EXPENSES is not the same thing as BREAKING PROMISES?

Yeah yeah, I’ve heard #HardrightRepublicans tout a “transition period” to ween people from reliance on Safety Net, allowing Young & Able to “opt out” in the meantime.

REALITY CHECK:  Stipulated Government is a Murphy’s Law proposition.  That said, lemme guess, non-Officials NEVER screw up?  It couldn’t happen that a generation of Opt Out’s ALSO gets led astray and “finds itself” up shit creek without a paddle in ITS most vulnerable years?

Yeah yeah, I’ve heard SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST folk declare they will NOT prevail upon Government/Society even IF they are faced with ruination (which they WON’T be, ‘cuz they are Uber Clever).

Really?  Bear in mind, we’re talking about the FUTURE.  What happens when it isn’t “just” The Rugged Individualist facing financial ruin, but his KID facing certain death?  ‘Cuz I am here to remind Wishful Thinkers that literally not one in a million will save/invest enough to pay for, say, Childhood Leukemia out of pocket.

Young & Able are NOTORIOUS for imagining INVINCIBILITY.  They also crowd the statistics of those who leave this temporal existence WRAPPED AROUND TELEPHONE POLES.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST Tough Guys are like the STEP OVER DISABLED Hard Hearts — too few to worry about, so long as ya don’t poke ‘em with hot sticks.  They’re too busy ruggedly and individually hewing existences outta whatever is at hand, and they have too much contempt for City Slickers, to meddle in politics . . . SO LONG AS YA DON’T POKE ‘EM WITH HOT STICKS.

#SocialSecurity and #Medicare are good things  Poor Planning, Mismanagement, Bad Faith, Fraud, PEOPLE PLEASING AND VOTE BUYING are bad.  If we’re gonna throw out babies with bathwater, VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENTS.

Dismantling programs before retiring incompetent Officials AND BANNING CORRUPT OFFICIALS from Public Service is like closing schools before retiring crappy Teachers and firing corrupt Administrators.

There is #Altruism and there is #Opportunism, and ALWAYS the twain shall meet.  LOOK AROUND to see the demoralization and distrust that breed like rabbits once Law Abiders can see that Lawmakers are above the Law.

The GENERATION GRIPE also manifests starkly as Booze & Pills VERSUS Marijuana.

Mind, since the rules for getting PAID are quite different ‘twixt REAL Journalists and #CitizenJournalists, it stands to Reason that rules of protocol will vary somewhat.  Even so, I can’t NOT internalize recent criticism by #JillAbramson of the New York Times, about needlessly over-long stories.

#StephenKing, in his book on writing, entitled succinctly On Writing:  “Kill your darlings.” 

Suffice it to say:

• Americans are SPENDING fortunes to capriciously criminalize #Marijuana, and Americans are FOREGOING fortunes by capriciously criminalizing #Marijuana.
• Anyone who has actually been high and actually been drunk AND IS NOT INVESTED IN BIG BOOZE, BIG PILLS, BIG LEGAL OR BIG INCARCERATION will attest that Alcohol is MUCH more “cunning, baffling and powerful” than #Marijuana.
• #HEMP is an Emerging Market, and “we” are missing the boat because Profiteers & Prudes are hell-bent on criminalizing #Marijuana while promoting, celebrating and otherwise CAPITALIZING on #Alcohol & #Pharmaceuticals.

In arguing for the logical, righteous, prudent and inevitable decriminalization of comparatively harmless #Marijuana, I more often say SCREW JUSTICE, FOCUS ON ECONOMICS.

But as it pertains to the Young & Able VERSUS Old & Infirm division. within the Ruled ‘n Abused VERSUS Ruled ‘n Abused division, in the DIVIDE & CONQUER part of the BALKANIZATION OF PROTEST, I say put the truly startling economics on the back burner and take a gander at the SHEER HYPOCRISY.

Oldsters who wouldn’t live to next WEEK without cocktails of pharmaceuticals practically SPIT the term “Drug Addicts” while pinning them with blame for a cornucopia of ills.  I’d say THE POT CALLS THE KETTLE BLACK, ‘cept that’d be called RAAAAYCIST by goose-stepping Label Hurlers.

“The very height of irony” is hackneyed.  MANIFESTLY UNJUST manifestly does not move a critical mass.

Focus instead on the NAKED EMPEROR HYPOCRISY of people who wash down a wildly expensive, indeed unsustainable, #PrescriptionDrugPlan with copious amounts of Serial Killer #JohnBarleycorn.

CHRISTIANS & JEWS versus NON BELIEVERS & ALL OTHER FAITHS being yet another don’t-look-over-HERE-look-over-THERE-divide-and-conquer false dichotomy, I shall perversely conclude on #ArabProverbs:

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Keep your friends close — hold your enemies closer.

Examine what is said, not who speaks.

A fool may be known by six things: anger without cause, speech without profit, change without progress, inquiry without object, putting trust in a stranger, and MISTAKING FOES FOR FRIENDS.

Amen.

آمين

copyright 2011 Implausible Endeavors LLC