Ragnarök
By CRAIG DELLA PENNA on October 17, 2008 at 2:15 AM in Current Affairs
Ragnarök – the world tree, Yggdrasil uprooted, the road to Hel opened, the Bifrost bridge destroyed and Asgard forever rent asunder from us, Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent bound around the world – writhes free, Fenris breaks his mighty chains and Garm, the Helhound is loosed at last. Heimdall sounds his horn as the Aesir assemble – Odin, Thor, Tyr and Freyr come forth, the lesser gods fill in their ranks and the heroes from Valhalla at last fulfill their ancient oaths to fight the hordes of frost giants: Jotunn from Muspelhiem and Niflheim – the cities of Fire and Ice that mark the ends of the Ginnungagap – the Void.
The Aesir know it is the Last Battle and they know that they, too, will die. It is the end of the world, it is end of the gods, it is the end of all things…
Whew! If you want a real end-’o-times apocalypse scenario – don’t waste time with the Greeks or the Romans, don’t even bother with Yaweh or Revelations – go due North, the Norsemen have that story all sewn up.
Why talk about this now? Well, we’ve seen the financial folks running around these past few weeks saying ‘the sky is falling, the sky is falling’ till they’re hoarse. The international markets are jittery and the usual suspects (Russia and China) are twisting the knife as much as they can. The election is only two or three weeks away and it looks like it may be very, very close – again. You’d think that by this time the US electorate would be able to tell a con man when they see one…
So what else is new? Well, as they say, there’s good news and there’s bad news and then there’s the really ugly stuff:
The Good News
Even the Vikings weren’t completely despondent about the future, Ragnarok notwithstanding – there was a ‘morning after’. After the last battle, when all the elder gods are dead and the earth has sunk beneath the waves, it rises again, green and beautiful, self-stocked with amber waves of grain. Vioarr and Vali, Odin’s sons, appear (somehow), as do Mooi and Magni, the sons of Thor as well as Baldr and Hoor – all the younger gods are suddenly present to order the Sun and Moon upon their ways and bring order to the universe.
The general sense of good feeling is increased when it seems that none of the Jotunn has survived to make mischief, not even one of Loki’s sons. Worse luck in my opinion, it looks to be rather boring in the Norse ‘brave new world’. Oh, and there are some brand new humans, Lif and Lifhrasir, available to repopulate the earth.
All of the above is in aid of saying that, despite our fears, our anger and our rage. Things will likely muddle along for quite some time – certainly for our lifetimes and probably for our childrens’ as well. A colossus like the United States doesn’t fold like a cheap suit, it takes time to let the air out. Even spectacularly bad mangement like W’s (and likely Gumby’s as well) can only do so much damage.
“Don’t Panic!” as THGTTG*used to admonish. We’ll survive. Even if we, as a nation, elect another grinning idiot. BushCheneyPaulson represent a class of predatory ferals, they see only their own needs and desires and have no conception that they represent another or owe anything to someone other than themselves. BHO belongs to this group by deed as well as by avocation.
Nonetheless, his impact will be limited by factors already in play (see below) not to speak of his total lack of vision, jellyfish leadership potential and an interest level approaching that of a sponge. Vapid suitracks may con their way into power but their elemental stupidity prevents them from doing nearly as much damage as they could wish.
The Bad News
The bad news on the political front is that BHO could win – more incompetence at the helm, possibly a fascist coup, definitely democracy in serious jeopardy.
On the international front we have the usual crew of tinpot dictators: Chavez, Ahmadinejad, Putin as well as the military/fascist juntas in Burma, China and elsewhere. The end result of seven years of misrule by BushCo is that we have lost the respect of the world and what’s more, we have lost our claim to the moral high ground so the jackals think they are in the ascendent.
The bad news on the financial front is truly staggering – you think $700 Billion is a lot for the mortgage banker bailout (actually the true cost of this is more like $1.5 Trillion)? Here’s the part of the iceberg below the surface: the companies that insure those mortgage notes, like AIG, are on the hook for $62Trillion if this all goes south.
The big bad news is that, in this world, economics and politics are joined at the hip.
Ok, let’s take these in order:
BHO could win – let’s not forget that this is the country that elected Richard Nixon – twice; elected Ronald Reagan – twice; and George W. Bush – twice. With this extensive track record of electing grinning idiots, why wouldn’t we elect Barack Obama?
So, what does that mean for real Democrats (I don’t count Obamabots as Democrats)? In the best case scenario it means that we’ve lost the party and will have to form another – I’ve been advocating this for some time now.
In the worst case it may mean we have to form a resistance movement, if as I suspect, Obama will move to take the country in the direction of an authoritarian dicatatorship. If you think I’ve gone ‘Area 51′ on you, I refer you to the current power grab inherent in the so-called ‘bailout bill’ that just went through Congress: Paulson wanted no oversight, no questions and no redress, just total control of more money than anyone has ever had in the history of the world. See also, the Patriot Acts I & II, see The March to Iraq, subset: WMD, sub-subset, ref.: mushroom cloud. Yes, these are all Republican perfidies but listen to any of Elmer Gantry’s BHO’s speeches, see ‘The Triumph of the Swill’ production at Invesco Field, note adoring crowds, also note US flags in the trash.
No, I don’t think he’ll try to dissolve Congress or use the First Brigade Combat Team of the Third Division under NorthCom – now stationed in the territorial US for use in quelling ‘domestic disturbances’ – to stage a military coup d’etat (not enough troops yet to stage a successful operation on a country the size of the US). He won’t have to, the pitifull compliance of the Congress to GWB’s every whim has set the standard for the stature of future congressional representatives: on bended knee.
Oh, and by the way, I think we’ve already seen the ‘October Surprise’. I know it’s supposed to be the one that the Republicans use to swing the election their way but let’s look at the facts on the ground:
GWB and his cronies hate, and have always hated, John McCain and everything he stands for i.e., reform.
Why would they back a candidate who promises reform and transparency?
Cheney and company believe in a closed-door informational system, viciously attack anyone who has the termerity to question them in any way, believe in unlimited autocratic power for the executive and have no qualms about using propaganda, misdirection and outright lies in defense of their actual, hidden, agenda.
…remind you of anyone? Of course it does.
Add to this the fact that the big transnational money donors who usually back Republican conservatives surreptitiously moved to back a particular Democratic candidate starting early in 2007, guess who?
Notice also the peculiar silence from BushCo on all fronts… this is usually the case when things are going your way – no complaints.
If you look at it with your critical thinking cap on the puzzle pieces fall into order:
Our several wars are simmering along quite nicely:
Iraq is in wind-down status; we’ve paid off enough of the Sunni tribal leaders to avert them from starting a civil war and…
Our proxy war with Iran is taking up the slack: the Imams are keeping al-Sadr on a short leash in return for us muzzling the Israelis. I notice that there’s been a virtually complete lack of activity on either side of the latest ‘Intifada’ for more than a year now, interesting isn’t it? Even such activity as there was, got absolutely zero attention in the press – other fish to fry, perhaps?
We continue to run our brushfire wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan (guess who wants to ramp up the Afghan conflict?)
Essentially, the United States foreign policy agenda has already been set for the next four years, no matter who is in the Oval Office next year.
On the economic front the power of choice has, similarly, been taken away from the next president.
The current ‘financial meltdown’ is a completely fabricated crisis and it is a financial crisis, not an economic crisis. This doesn’t mean it can’t have real world consequences but it does mean that this crisis was set up and triggered for a particular purpose and at a selected time. This meltdown could easily have been triggered last year with the collapse of BearStearns but that would have had minimal political impact – too far away from the election for people to remember. But – create a crisis in late September when your chosen candidate is sinking in the polls (remember that BHO was looking like a loser at that point) and, voila! you revitalize the Democratic candidate’s campaign – the threat of domestic economic disaster being both a traditional Democratic election issue and revving up the anti-imcumbent party resentment to boot.
Look at the firestorm of panic promulgated by Hank Paulson and the US Treasury – Cheney’s financial storm troopers – the constant push to take drastic action, instantly, with neither reflection nor examination and without regard to efficacy or consequences.
Look at what is achieved by these concerted actions: an enormous injection of cash into companies selected to survive (selected by Paulson, no less) with the promise of as much more cash as they want, whenever they have another hissy fit.
Look in the dark corner of this mess, look right where they don’t want you to: what is being done to correct the problem? What is being done to make those bad loans whole? What is being done to turn the ARMs into reasonable fixed rate mortgages that the home ‘owners’ could actually afford to pay?
Answer: nothing
Oh, an actual fix has been suggested by, among others, one Hillary Rodham Clinton. Based on the old HOLC idea that FDR used to begin rebuilding the US economy in the ’30s. Go out and take in all that bad paper, guarantee it, make the payments affordable, turn it into good paper. This restores confidence to the financial markets because, mirable dictu, the loans are actually good loans now.
Yes, this has some cost but it’s far less than the $700 billion extortion we’ve just experienced, not to speak of the next round coming to your neighborhood soon (just need to get that pesky election out of the way).
Want to really jump start the financial markets? Go back over the last two years and make those 2 million foreclosed loans good as well, put those people back in their homes and paying their mortgages again.
Yes, of course it’s more complicated than just that, but that’s where you start.
You’d think this idea would spread like wildfire after all it’s already been shown to work, but instead we get: [crickets]
This is because the whole point of the exercise has been to continue the economic policies of BushCheneyPaulson into the foreseeable future – and it’s been wildly successful. The next president, whoever he is, will be absolutely hamstrung on economic policy. By the nature and extent of the financial choices that BushCheneyPaulson have made in the last year the course of economics for the next four years has been completely determined. The next president will be unable to get out from under the consequences of these decisions, he will have no choice but to follow the BushCheney economic plan as it plays out.
The Really Ugly Stuff
The really ugly stuff begins to make itself felt when you start extending your view.
In general I think we have “misunderestimated” GWB+Co. Looked at in the light of what’s good for the United States, they’ve been a catastrophe, easily the worst administration in our entire history, right enough… but looked at by their own lights they’ve not only accomplished everything they set out to do but they’ve actually managed to extend their administration’s policies over the next four, possibly eight, years (if Gumby is elected).
Add to that their other subversive activites: suborning the Justice Department by stocking, and topping, the department with incompetent, ideological political hacks, they’ve managed to destroy the credibility of the ‘brand’. No one for the next 20 years is going to look at the US Justice Department with anything other than thinly-veiled contempt. This isn’t good for us but it is good for people who despise democracy.
The discrediting of government agencies. BushCo, over the last 7⅝ years, has made a fetish of demoting, degrading and dismissing crowds of public servants and replacing them with incompetent, ideological political hacks (No, Johnny, it’s not just the Justice Dept, anymore). This is all part of the neocon political agenda which says that government is always bad, always wrong and always intruding on your property, er, privacy.
Note FEMA – revitalized under the demon Clinton and made into a useful government agency for helping citizens when natural disaster strikes. The gutting of FEMA began on day one of the GWB’s reign, with results for all the world to see. This kind of sabotage has been going on wholesale throughout the entire civil service… and through the federal judiciary as well. Competent judges are harrassed and hounded by well-funded, outside ‘interest groups’ to be replaced with cadres of ideologically correct know-nothings.
Oddly enough one of the great shibboleths of the foaming-at-the-mouth right wingnuts was the inclusion of emergency powers granted to FEMA in the event of, well, an emergency. These folks fairly blew the tops of their heads off ranting about posse comitatus and the rights of the individual under the Constitution, they sat with ‘locked and loaded’ street sweepers waiting for the black helicopters and FEAM assault teams to break down their doors.
Fast forward a few years: Patriot Acts I & II, the sequential gutting of FISA, ‘Gitmo’ and where are those stalwarts now? Apparently, the danger has passed… but wait: early this year in an utterly unnoticed action, FEMA powers to usurp Consitutional rights were transferred out from FEMA to… the White House. So now vast powers to suspend the Bill of Rights, commandeer transportation systems, declare martial law and control and censor all communications media are fully under the control of the Executive branch. No oversight by the Legislative branch, no resourse to the Judicial branch.
Next we have the dismantling of the Posse Comitatus Act:
Major Craig T. Trebilcock of the JAG wrote in October 2000:
“The Posse Comitatus Act has traditionally been viewed as a major barrier to the use of U.S. military forces in planning for homeland defense. In fact, many in uniform believe that the act precludes the use of U.S. military assets in domestic security operations in any but the most extraordinary situations. As is often the case, reality bears little resemblance to the myth for homeland defense planners. Through a gradual erosion of the act’s prohibitions over the past 20 years, posse comitatus today is more of a procedural formality than an actual impediment to the use of U.S. military forces in homeland defense.”
This is pre-911, folks.
After, it gets even worse:
“Public Law 109-364, or the “John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007″ (H.R.5122) (2), which was signed by the commander in chief on October 17th, 2006, in a private Oval Office ceremony, allows the President to declare a “public emergency” and station troops anywhere in America and take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to “suppress public disorder.”
A revision of the bill was enacted in 2008 purporting to somehwat limit the Executive’s powers but GWB’s signing statement averred that he had no intention of respecting those limitations.
Look, I could go on for pages about this stuff, in fact there’s probably a book in here somewhere (like the proverbial pony). The point is: we’re looking at a new future and it extends way past the horizon. I’ve written elsewhere about this but things have really changed, it’s no longer just about you and me and the folks on the block, it’s no longer about Demmican or Republicrat, it’s no longer even about America vs the world.
Like it or not, we are all citizens of the planet now and the new conflict will be on that global stage, it will also be an enveloping conflict: the Jihadis are a global phenomenon, so are the transnational corporations. Neither of these groups has any love whatsoever for democracy, truth, human rights or the rights of individuals.
The ecological balance of the planet is a global phenomenon, pollution transcends all boundaries, melamine in your milk gets from China to your baby formula faster than you can say “This tastes funny.” So does Avian flu…
At the same time that all this is going on, we are on the brink of profound change rooted in our understanding of technology. It will soon be possible to make the kinds of changes we’ll need to make to move us out of the mess we’ve made of things. But these changes will need to be coordinated and accessible on a global scale, that means we’ll have to cooperate on that kind of scale, which means we’ll have to change the way we interoperate – on a global scale.
Everyone has a stake in this, so all the stakeholders need to be recognized. In like wise, everyone has an ox to gore and that needs to be recognized as well.
How we handle this will define life on Earth for the next hundred years, at least.
A last word here to talk about my writing ’style’. Anyone who’s read my articles has noticed that I use a lot of historical and mythological references. I do this for several reasons: the historical references are obvious, Santayana was right: “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.” My observation is that very few of us study history at all – we always seem to be repeating our mistakes. It may be futile but I keep thinking that I must include the historical references so that the curious can follow up and get a better underpinning for their own critical thinking.
As to the mythological themes I sometimes use, I think that the pantheons of gods and demigods (both past and present) provide us with the opportunity to objectify our aspirations, our capabilities… and our fears. Jung (among others) understood this well, though I won’t go so far as to call upon the ‘collective unconscious’ for any insight.
And… they’re fun. By using them I can try to give readers, and myself, a little laugh now and then.
*”The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”by Douglas Adams
(Release: November 13)
on sale for only $16.95.
has a spatula.)
8% Off at $11.95, with a rare five-star ranking by 294 customers: 
And check out these: 
("This crazy redhead is on to something. Her pink Rambler story alone is worth the price of the book," writes 
- “Richard Sale’s reportage on Washington, the CIA, the American armed forces, and foreign intrigue has created a perfect background for this account of the steady growth of President Clinton as a master of the game of nations.”--W. Patrick Lang, former head of Middle East Operations, DIA
"Anne C. Heller's stunning biography of Ayn Rand" uses a "plethora of newly unearthed research and fresh insight."
Hey, sorry to interrupt off topic but, this is important and we need to get the word out and act on this!…….
http://donedems.com/2008/10/17/436/
This kind of behavior is the type we expect for ourselves should BHO get in & anyone even asks an inconvenient question our Dear Leader! This crap is truly getting out hand.
I am voting for Mac because he is the lesser of two evils. I will never forgive The Precious, the DNC/RBC and chicken shit delegates for what they did to the real winner of the nomination, Hillary.
So here I am reluctantly working with the GOP. I’m a PUMA with sharp claws! Wait until they get my bill for services.
Your link points to what the MSM (obviously in concert with The Precious and his evil troll minions) is doing to “Joe the Plumber.” This reminds me of something very important: PUMAs should be very upset with the GOP! They should never have rolled the dice letting The Precious get this far. The GOP in my view should have helped Hillary to defeat The Precious. They knew he was cheating. They knew he was playing the race card and having his surrogates threaten riots. They knew the possibility they could lose the GE against him. It is also possible the GOP did overt things to help The Precious. The GOP took the immoral lazy road on this one. They knew it would be easier for a Mac win against The Preccious. This “sudden” concern about ACORN is delayed concern.
A Hillary and Mac election would have been wonderful. The GOP and DNC criminals denied us all a fair election! They have ripped the heart out of our republic. I will never forgive either party. Wanted to get this off of my chest.
Back to defeating The Precious now! I’m a pragmatist.
Finally. Someone else agrees with my line of thinking about the GOP risking the country and allowing a lot of cr@p to hit a lot of innocent bystanders, just so they could help an unqualified person get in the position to be disqualified. This is absolutely the same in technique and morality to the O. tactic of knocking people off the ballot to get elected. Thank you, Galt.
Your welcome. We are logical people, obviously.
I knew the Democrats and Republicans were in cahoots when Pelosi whined that “impeachment was off the table”. And when Republicans had to concede that McCain won the primary but refused to use their big guns on Soertoro/Obama, I knew Bush III had been anointed. United the political parties stand, divided they fall to our political wrath.
It is going to take a lot more dedication from We the People than just showing up to vote every two or four years. And before their authority disappears, we should unite and push even the slightest illegal maneuvering through the courts. In spite of all the illegal activity from the Soertoro/Obama campaign there are only two court cases filed against him. Like Bush, he’s literally getting away with slaughtering our Constitution. If we can’t stop it now, who can? And when?
This post is made of high flying rhetoric that just causes confusion. Bury the past and don’t burden your mind with conspiracies.
The military is voting for McCain. You really think they want Bzero to destroy the US.
McCain/Palin08 and relax.
Rush Limbaugh encouraged 1000’s of his listeners to vote for Hillary in his Operation Chaos. Many did. I don’t think you can blame the RNC for what the DNC did…the DNC gave us Candidate Obama; not the RNC. I prefer to put the blame where it belongs.
The GOP controlled executive branch looked the other way as Obama farked with the caucuses. They did not pursue the fact Obama has not proven he is even eligible to hold the office. The stealing of delegates was unconscionable. Was it even investigated by the government? Nothing was done that should have been done. The fix was in and the GOP was part of it.
Oh please! If the GOP exec branch had said anything, done anything, it would have added fuel to the fire. George Bush’s name alone causes Democrats to froth at the mouth. And when has a sitting president injected his opinion in the other party’s primaries???? Obama is the result of some conniving DNC party members. Blaming the RNC is EXACTLY what Howard Dean & ilk would want you to do. Whatever you don’t like in this country, blame the Republicans! Simple formula.
They should look the other way as Obama stole the nomination? What happened to our right to vote and have it counted fairly?
It does make one wonder if the “powers” at the highest level of the GOP were behind Obama’s rise. They don’t trust McCain – he’s been their enemy for too long – but they know they can buy Obama. His extremely well-financed beginnings (given his junior senator status) gave him an advantage right out of the starting gate.
If Obama is the GOP gurus’ choice we’ll know when there is no “October Surprise”. I believe even Hillary knows that now, hence her comments recently.
Which comments? Link? Thanks.
Wake up, you’re dreaming. Hillary is not in the picture anymore!
I’m a spreadin’. It is a scandal that this man is being attacked but Obama’s background is still largley unknown.
OUTRAGEOUS they announce to the world that Joe owes taxes but skip over 17 outstanding tickets in the name of Barack Obama in Chicago.
Unfreakinbelievable.
Jackie…this is to make you and your fellow Gop’s giggle…
http://www.thepeoplescube.com/red/viewtopic.php?p=45166#45166
When private citizens have their tax records and divorce papers made public because they dared to ask a question about small businesses being affected by Obama’s tax plan—then, we are all in trouble. CNN was sickening last night (Anderson Cooper & gang) accusing Joe the Plumber in essence of being a fraud. (His real first name is Samuel — so he’s not really JOE!) Give me a break.
Anderson Pooper can kiss my ass!
ARE YOU KIDDIN? You interrupt the first post of this most AMAZINGLY ENLIGHTENED ARTICLE WITH a “sorry off topic”
JEzzzzzzzzz!
FANTASTIC ARTICLE and SOOO ON THE MONEY HONEY!
THESE are the facts.
The WHOLE THING STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN and I’m only 3/4 of the way through the rather large article. But I’m loving it so far!
Thanks
(I just don’t get enough time to read these days)
I just sent out protest e-mails to all of the addresses listed in the site about the media viciously trying to ruin Joe the Plumber’s life because he dared speak out on his opinion.
Also sent Dobbs and Hannity e-mails about how they should cover this unbelievable smear campaign.
Thanks for the link!
Let’s throw the bums out! That’ll show ‘em!
Or maybe not.
Does anybody know what is going on with the Berg law suite. There is no new information on the site. What is the judge waiting on. I wish he would update the site everyday to let everyone know what has been happening.
Nothing is happening. The judge is taking his time ruling on the many motions before him. We just have to wait.
What a bizarre, almost-paranoid article this was.
Almost?
Hmmmm…Vince74…Just because a person is a little paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get him….
chuckle….weather is going to be fine in this section of the mildly fascist state of Texas….Aaaaand I refuse to be an Eyeore despite the MSM wanting me to give up…
Forsan miseros meliora sequentur
For those in misery perhaps better things will follow…
Well, I think things are miserable, but I’m not willing to concede the next 100 years. My grand children deserve more than this gloom and doom. Yes we have to recognize we are in a global citizen world and technology is changing things quickly. But, I don’t think we have to give up America, freedoms and democracy. We as citizens of this great nation need to be thoughtful about the choices we make and pay attention to those trying to take from us the basic rights our constitution gave us. Protect the tenets of that document. Everything changes, but goodness, decency and ethical behavior do not. This candidacy of Obama is something to be prevented because too much is at stake. We may have to adjust our place in the world but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on America and all it inherently is. Fight for it guys. Don’t give up on what we have here. We can win.
Bizarre? Bizarre! I am pulling my hair.
Everything about Obama running for president is bizarre.
my mom keeps uttering he’s neither fish nor fowl
The most bizarre thing of all is watching a Democratic candidate for president do his thing with brilliant strategy, disciplined execution, tough counterpunching and a strong chin.
Obama has been called a Muslim, an Arab.
He has been called a socialist, a Marxist.
He has been called a “thug,” an “affirmative action candidate.”
He has been accused of coke-fueled gay sex trysts.
The right-wing knife fighters and their PUMA confederates have hit Barack Obama with the kitchen sink… and the toilet.
But have you seen the latest polls? Hotline/FD Tracking has Obama ahead of McCain nationally by 10 points!
America is truly good.
Oh please….his strategy has been the race card.
Which has been set up for decades to be a catch-22.
If you’ve had any honest friendships you’ve told them the truth about the race card. I know my friends have.
America is truly good….. and then something happen.
I feel like I’m living in a nightmare i can’t wake up from.
Vince, I agree. And hope this author quits while he/she is ahead! Whew, what nonsense!
According to the API the tape will be released very soon. Apparently they are in Norway.
We had plenty of false hope on many other issues. So like with everything you have to take this with a grain of salt.
http://africanpress.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/recordings-and-information-leading-to-recent-api-story-on-michelle-obamas-telephone-call-is-now-being-cleared-for-release/
This should be regarded as pure bunk and not spread unless there is verification. I fear it may be an Obama plant.
I agree. Even if the conversion comes out we need to make sure that it is really her.
Shiloh and Smith,
Sad thing when real journalists are in Norway! You have been desensitized by the American mass media.
Overzealous PUMAs and GOP need to chill out on this one and stop spreading the story. A report of a conversation is not proven by a report of a recording of a conversation. And correct, it would have to be acknowledged by Michell herself that it is her voice or voice print analyzed.
I read the WND report claiming the API was consulting lawyers about releasing the alleged recording. How would they get sued in Norway by an American? And even if they could get sued the cat would be out of the bag. The suit would be pointless.
Keep batting of that story with a point head stick until there is non-laughable real confirmation.
Keep batting off that story, that is.
UPDATE: LMAO at this:
It looks pretty obvious what they have been up to: put a story out there with no proof so they can accuse Americans who use it of racism. Here we go again, falsely accusing people for breathing of being racists. That makes the accuser the racist in my book.
Why would they release the story to begin with since we are all racists and would use it against Obama?
This is laughable shit. Well I guess its a global problem now of “news organizations” interfering with elections.
Yes, history is very important — and the Obamabutts have no sense of history, nor do they have basic comprehension skills.
Obama is really very ordinary — if you are familiar with history.
Narcissistic Authoritarian self absorbed types pop up all through history — recent and ancient.
Thanks for the article — global themes — sort of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
The republicans don’t want anything to happen to Obama because they know they can defeat him. However, if something would force him out of the race now Hillary would take his place and she could still defeat McCain.
If Bambi was OUT of the picture – I’d probably vote for Hillary. Not too late either as I have not mailed in my ballot. I could just tear it up and go to the polls for her in Nov.
She looked fantastic at that dinner last night. Really miss her!!
But I’m still voting out ANYONE of the early BAMBI supporter traitor DEMS (forever)
OT but I’m speechless and if you haven’t seen it you have to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE
The education system in America is a total failure. Forget about teaching radicalism(Ayers and Obama), back to the basics!
That’s ok, if we get Obama, we will have 57 states instead of 50. If Obama doesn’t know US History or US Geography, why should the people who will vote for him know anything?
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/10/free-speechrobe.html
another fine example of fascist intolerance amongst college students…
good lord…that explains alot! One person said a triangle has four sides and another said it didn’t have any!!
Stuff like that is really maddening.
lizzie..thank you for this post. no wonder brazille and axelrod were confident they could dupe america. the majority of our citizens are downright idiots. i’m also speechless and extremely embarrassed. i guess if bho gets in, we deserve it. very very sad.
Hmmmmm…..I find this disturbing…
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/10/felonious-junk.html
oh and ewwwwwwwwww loved this headline from that article!
Obama: The Oak Grown from Acorn
The radical group is front and center when it comes to voter fraud……
it’s deja vous all over again as I said the exact same thing when they voted in Bush for the 2nd time.
and KERRY (at that time) was NO WHERE near as scary as Barry and his associates and previous PALS!
The voters in general are IDIOTS!!!!
George Bush and Dick Cheney and company set the stage for Obama. They violated our constitution, engaged in torture, starting a war w Iraq and still have not found Osama Bin Laden who attacked us on 9/11. Trillions of dollars have been wasted and misused on no bid contracts w Cheney’s Haliburton along w many defense contractors. Bush sat in an elementary classroom w a bewildered look on his face when he was told about 9/11 then continued reading “My Pet Goat”. He then took off and hid somewhere as if his presence during the crisis would be needed anyway. When Hurricane Katrina was imminent, he again sat idly by while taking one of his many vacations in Texas. He left this disaaster in the hands of Michael Brown, suprise, suprise, someone else unqualified and incompetent. Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans didn’t even have the leadership to get his own townspeople evacuated! And so New Orleans got burried under water and many were stuck at a sports arena homeless and helpless. What did our federal government led by George Bush do? Wasted more money w FEMA trailers that didn’t get used and passing out relief checks wo any verification. Thus many of these “distressed” people got thousands they shouldn’t have. Call it a lack of integrity and morals or call it desperation, but it was stealing just the same.
Through all this not one word or attempt to impeach Bush. Why? I guess he didn’t commit the worst offense by wacking the donkey in the White House. Somehow that made everything else ok.
Bush has left a legacy not difficult to be beat by someone else. We have had our share of incompetent boobs in the White House. Have we always had a substantial part of our population who is this naive and stupid or has society been dumbed down? I guess when you scrape the bottom of the barrel, people don’t think of it as too much of a stretch to support someone who hangs around w terrorists and American hating ministers.
God Bless America and keep us safe.
Oh please. I know you and many others despise them (and that’s fine).. but do these lies have to keep getting spewed?
I’m glad they did. I work in one of the buildings that KSM (one of the three people that were tortured) targeted for destruction.
Iraq started the war. We finished it.
So what. Are you expecting the US Govt to have omniscience and omnipresence?
If Osama fled to a country that we weren’t militarily inside of, then I dont see how you can add this to your litany of Bush’s shame. After all, it wasn’t like he was being handed to us on a silver platter like with Clinton.
That shows everyone you have no understanding of how Presidential security works. Do you think he would spring up out of his chair, rip open his shirt to reveal the Yellow S on the blue cloth and dash out of the school… leaving Secret Service to run after him?
It was Secret Service that was demanding he stay away from DC… He overrode that and went to DC that afternoon.
More bullshit. The Federal Govt is not nor has it ever been the first responder to a hurricane.. besides it would be illegal for the Fed Govt to interfer with a State like that.
It was Nagin and Landrau (sp?) responsibility. That’s how our nation is structured. The States retain most of the sovereignty.. with the Fed govt heavily restricted as to what it can do domestically.
And in fact, Bush kept urging them to do more days before the Hurricane made landfall and even told them to request Federal Assistance.. yet they refused.
I have a hard time accepting that you really care about this. Because if you did care, you would be targeting your sanctimony at the appropriate target. Blaming the wrong party surely isn’t going to make anyone’s life better in the future.
No.. call it… the Government in action! The Federal Govt. It’s impossible for a gigantic gov like that to do everything competent and cost effectively.. that’s why conservatives are against Federalizing so many things.
And I bet you advocate for an even bigger and more intrusive Fed Govt.. you know. because it works so well.
It’s offensive you think your partisan hatred of Bush is justification for impeachment.
The partisan hatred in this country is shameful.
And yet Carter does just that.
Fuck you for insulting so many citizens.
I’m surprised you’re not right there with them.
You seem just as contemptuous of the country.. I guess if the right kind of radical was running you may have been all for it.
I see Vince has swallowed the Bushevik party line hook, line, and sinker and is flopping in the boat.
With emphasis on “flop”.
I think I take a middle ground on this – I think Bush has done some stupid stuff but I don’t know if I’d credit him and Cheney for every horrible thing that has happened in the past 8 years. In regards to Katrina, if anyone had noticed, the response to the hurricane during the Republican convention was 1000 times better – looks to me like things improved since Katrina. Maybe sometimes well-intentioned people just mess up and there’s no “conspiracy” behind it.
I don’t know who you are or if you are still here but FUCK YOU. I love this country. You are one of those radical Republicans that think everything George Bush did was just fine. STICK IT UP YOUR ASS YOU MORON.
About Federal response to hurricanes.
Prior to Bush. I know for a fact the commanders of one of the large southern Army bases would watch CNN to guage how large a hurricane was and where it would hit.
They would start loading trains with large equipment, mobile homes, furniture, clothes, pots and pans, and even toys for children. So they would already be loaded and ready to go when the order hit the base. If the order doesn’t hit the base…the trains didn’t move.
So yes, the military/feds did respond to hurricanes. This one base was responsible for many of the southern states.
However, this base is very active in the Iraq war now.
So a lot of the large equipment is in Iraq AND they may have never received the order to move this assistance.
Which is a probelm you have repeatedly heard with the various natural diasters thoroughout the states…lack of equipment to fight them.
throughout
You are 100 percent totally correct!!!
and the TROLLS know it
that’s why their heads are spinning as I type
roflmao!
esad trollies (kisskiss)
new website highlighting Obama’s words w actual record:
http://www.johnmccain.com/RhetoricvsRecord/
this is a great tribute to our country sung by some high school choirs….
http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm
God Bless our military who keeps us safe and free.
Breathtakingly Beautiful…God Bless our Country! My Granny often told me that we live in a dream that is real. She said we could change the dream & make it better. I learned, from her, to think outside the square box & climb the stairway of mind, intellect & spirit. Being a fine christian woman she always went to church on Sunday & afterwards, around her kitchen table, she would read fortunes for people. Being of welsh, irish, french & germanic blood she had the “old gift” of 2nd sight.
She told me I would carry the gift, like her, into the next generation. Through her, I know we are not alone, because “blood is thicker than water” and we do unite in mysterious ways-under the radar!? Like her, I learned to trust my instincts, my gut reactions, my head & heart, my mind, my intellect. I have never trusted Senator Barack *Steve* Obama because everytime I hear him speak I hear the overtones of his “LIES”!!
My husband & sons are confounded by this ability. Yes, I believe myself over this Chicago Cheater!
I do not believe he would ever salute Old Glory or feel the fluttering in his heart of this beautiful old Battle Hymn. My forefathers fought, as officers in the Revolutionary War, the War between the States(on both sides!), World War One & Two, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, etc. Yes! I am proud to be an American!
Joe the Plumber needs our help. What is NoQuarter going to do to help?
I agree. Nothing could make a bigger statement than millions of regular Joes and Joanns leaping to his defense. There should be a place to send him money. If it doesn’t exist maybe NQ should start it!
I’d send him 20 bucks on pay day.
Very interesting post. I like your writing style and mythic references.
Laura Ingraham really goes after Obama on Bill O’Reilly Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoSm1mGTzbM
What the hell is the matter with O’Reilly??? He “doesn’t have a problem with Obama, and he’s been honest about who he is?” He just lost all credibility.
O is a traitor. Personally i suspect BO bought him. He has been whistling a different tune about BO ever since that interview in September. Its disgusting. He has lost my viewership forever.
Mr. Della Penna,
You nailed it. Excellent.
ACORN and voter fraud in New Mexico. Ace has the Screaming Skull up on this one.
Fraudulent Votes Cast in New Mexico
Obama’s ACORN Must Be Shut Down Before Election, All Activities Investigated
(Albuquerque, NM) – Public records released in New Mexico today confirm that fraudulent voter registrations are in fact turning into fraudulent votes. ACORN, currently under investigation by the FBI, is now confirmed to be responsible for producing fraudulent voter registrations and illegal votes in New Mexico. An inspection of public records has revealed that illegal votes were cast in New Mexico’s 2008 primary election.
“This is a bombshell. We now have undeniable proof that a significant number of fraudulent voters were cast in Democrat primary races for the New Mexico state legislature as a result of ACORN’s voter registration fraud,” remarked State Representative Justine Fox Young (R-Albuquerque). “No longer can ACORN argue that their phony voter registration forms don’t translate into fraudulent votes. They do and today we can prove it.”
I think that it is a very interesting post as well.
And I believe that the writer is correct. I also believe that Obama is the greater of the two evils as he has no record of accomplishment in any position he has held. He has always aimed for the presidency and has tried to present himself as a 21st century Jack Kennedy. The difference is that JFK had years of experience in the House & Senate.
I hate to think of being in a holding pattern for 4 more years after losing ground for the last 8 years. Yet I do not expect that Obama will accomplish much to benefit us since he does not stick his neck out. He threw Forrest Claypool under the bus in the March, 2006 Cook County board president primary by not openly endorsing him against John Stroger, the African-American incumbent.
The American people can prevent Bobo’s election. The pro-BO MSM can rant and rave all they want, trying to make him sound inevitable. They can site all the manipulated polls they want, but if enough people vote for McCain, even the phony ballots cast for Bobo can’t get him a win. And don’t think it will be just four years of a gibbering idiot reading “My Pet Goat” or “Mommy Gets an Abortion” (not a real book–I hope!) Bobo’s handlers will pull hard on his strings to institute a far-left society, both financially and culturally, that the vast majority do not want. We’ll have Pelosi and Reid as his sidekicks. The stock market might well crash. All these Europeans who say they want Bobo will get a tremendous shock when they find out they have a buffoon as leader of the free world.(The Odingas and Kim Jong Il’s of the world will snicker with delight!) Instead of everyone joining hands to sing Kumbaya, racial tensions will increase, and the loony left will pull out all the stops to raze the society we’ve been building since our Revolution.
The bad news on the political front is that BHO could win – more incompetence at the helm, possibly a fascist coup, definitely democracy in serious jeopardy.
_______________________________________________-
Kerry, if I do remember, since I was a big activist for him in my blind days, had hundreds of thousands of new voters. As a matter of fact, there was probably alot more new register because the 2000 election was considered stolen by the Republicans. Going into the race, he was over 12 points ahead- and yes, he lost. Yes, today there are more blacks registered, but, the youth remain the same as in Kerry’s time. Now, you balance the new black registers and the ex-hillary supporters- and they kind of balance each other out. I believe your remark is incorrect about Obama possibily winning, if he isn’t atleast 8 points over Mccain going into the election- he lost the race, simple as that. The red state grassroots is very strong, the majority are the clinging to gun and religion folks and they overpower the liberals in every race except in the race of Bill Clinton- where the red states wanted a new face and voted for him too. This race has two factors- Socialist and Radical- something that real americans will not tolerated! Even some blue collar Democrats!
Sadly, I think there is a good chance Obama will win, and we need to be prepared for that emotionally and otherwise.
Brilliant article. You summarize what I’ve been unable to say when, as a lifelong democrat I tell people I’m voting for McCain because his own party hates him. That’s a positive endorsement to me and the only real source of hope in this election.
GWB and his cronies hate, and have always hated, John McCain and everything he stands for i.e., reform.
Cheney and company believe in a closed-door informational system, viciously attack anyone who has the termerity to question them in any way, believe in unlimited autocratic power for the executive and have no qualms about using propaganda, misdirection and outright lies in defense of their actual, hidden, agenda.
Notice also the peculiar silence from BushCo on all fronts… this is usually the case when things are going your way – no complaints.
I was saying the same thing about several moments in this race when the Administration did absolutely nothing to intervene. When Obama went to Iraq and there were reports that he violated the Logan Act by trying to interfere with Bush’s timeline–the Administration said absolutely NOTHING. If they had wanted to help McCain, they could have made a huge issue of that, including a Justice Dept. investigation. Instead, the silence has been deafening. It’s the same reason there was such a force against Clinton. She would have actually enacted the reforms she promised. They don’t want that. It’s been obvious from the start that a neophyte like Obama wouldn’t get anywhere without big money and power behind him. Who are they and want do they want? To help Joe the Plumber? I hardly think so.
Thank you, the Aesir cycle is one of my favorite cosmologies, and I say that instead of mythology because it can be so well analogized to the big bang-expansion-collapse and heat death model. In the moral story of Ragnarok, the heroism and nobility of the gods is that they never give up themselves or their principles, even though it means their own destruction to destroy their opponents. (Remember the Giants were there first–usually their side is the unsympathetic one, but one could play devil’s advocate and make them the aggrieved party.) The giants’ allies against the gods are the monstrous children of Loki/random evil–but Loki is a god, so the gods are undone by themselves. There is a lot to think about in this story. We are much smaller than the gods and O. is much smaller than Loki, but our struggles against a monster have their similarities.
Turns out there are many Joe the Plumbers out there.
Please Please Please read:
“Liberal Fascism” by Jonah Goldberg….all will become much clearer to all.
Many of you think that Bush was a conservative….he certainly was not and that’s why conservative hate him. The reality he is part of a 120-year toxic Fascist “Progressive” movement who’s goals are not to help the people but to acheive full control over them through mega industry (eg. the media, the Hi tech industries/information industries) and war.
Your eyeballs will pop out…….you will feel sick at how brainwashed we’ve all been for a century…even the GOP.
Unless you understand it……..there is no way to beat it. Our constitution has been ravaged by these fascists for a century….they infact disdain it and think it is a petty/silly/unsophisticated group of words.
No I’m not a paranoiac…..I come from the former Communist country and its obvious to me what coming down the tracks! I’m afraid as you should be…because once it comes, there’s no way back.
Good, thoughtful post. I like your analysis and references. There are so many unanswered questions this year.
Why were Kennedy, Leahy et al in the bag for Obama so early? Asking Hillary to drop out in February? Why is the DNC so determined that BO be elected? Why IS the big money behind him?
And I, too, wondered why this Financial mess had to become a crisis? Economists have been talking about this for more than 2 yrs — power grab? the Oct surprise to help Barky?
Americans like to elect smooth politicians and McCain isn’t one. I think he’d be a good President with honorable goals of straightening out the economy and bringing reform but he isn’t good at communicating his ideas. (Except he was very funny last night!)
I still think he might win but there are a lot of low information voters out there. I heard some on NPR in Missouri this morning. Even Rs who don’t trust Obama think they need a change from how the Rs screwed things up–not realizing how bad it would be to have the Dems in charge of both branches of govt.
Totally depressing.
Resistance means voting in McC, for starters…
this is written so you hold your breath…
if it is this bad, a small island looks good…
we do seem to be at the end of Western Civ.
2nd lawsuit challenges Obama’s citizenship
Man demands state verify birth records or remove senator from ballots
Note: It is incumbent on ALL Secretaries of State in all of the United States to BOTH accurately verify Voters AND candidates. Barack Hussein Obama has sealed his “Hawaiian” birth records and also records in Kenya.
Failure to verify and certify qualification for ALL candidates in a general election by any Secretary of State may be a cause of action (dereliction of duty) and criminal charges may be filed.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78111
Also:
The Video that could cost Obama the election
http://www.nextgenerationcorp.com/NextGenBlog/?p=68
The bad news on the political front is that BHO could win – more incompetence at the helm, possibly a fascist coup, definitely democracy in serious jeopardy.
Craig is taking that long lazy plunge into the twilight zone
Great essay Craig, thanks! I love the way you make use of mythological references. Several years ago this Danish-American determined that “Ragnarok” was an apt label for the current historical phase… so I especially appreciate your ability to articulate that in more detail.