The Courage of No Convictions

Would be rapist hospitalized
after 71 year-old victim
attacks him with frying pan.

It appears more and more clearly that Democrats are those with the courage of no convictions. The House passed the ridiculous tax bill giving billions to the richest people in America. They did this because they wanted to give at least something in the way of tax breaks to the middle class. This has been described as “the battle over tax cuts,” but it was no such thing. You don’t have a battle when one side surrenders before the first blow is struck. This is just another stupid example of the end justifying the means, in this case giving up billions for a temporary goal worth much less. If they really wanted to help the middle class they should have told the Republicans to “go to hell,” and make them stand up and try to justify their greed to the American public. Then there might have been the possibility of a real change in the tax code. This is what happens when there is no sense of “community” and everything is privatized and run on a strictly “for profit” basis. Those who make their money on the backs and labor of others, or by raping natural resources, should at least have an obligation to at least share more equitably with those who “brung them.” It is difficult to imagine there could even be this much greed in the world, but there it is for all to see.

Why is it we hear nothing, virtually nothing at all, about the pipeline that is presumably going to be built across Afghanistan? I see articles frequently now asking “what is our goal in Afghanistan?” “Why are we still in Afghanistan?” The answer, now that Karzai has signed the pipeline agreement, that has to pass through Taliban controlled territory, would seem to be pretty obvious. This is the same thing that happened in Iraq. After years of murder, arson, and rape, the Oil companies finally got their agreements for Iraqi oil and it is clear we are going to stay there to protect them. Now that the pipeline plans are finalized in Afghanistan we will stay there to protect that also, there will be no end to the occupations until some possible day in the future when oil is either no longer there or no longer required (or when we finally go bankrupt trying to maintain our “empire”).

I see that Governor Richardson of New Mexico is thinking of granting some kind of pardon to Billy the Kid. Apparently some official in the past offered the Kid a pardon if he would help them convict someone else, but then reneged on the deal. Now I don’t really know if this is true, nor do I care if Billy the Kid gets a pardon or not, but I do wonder if the Governor of New Mexico and others have too much time on their hands these days. Maybe they could take some lessons from Arizona, there’s a lot going on there.

Who says there is no bipartisanship in the U.S. these days? Everyone I have spoken with in the past few days, progressive or not, agrees things are going to get worse instead of better. Now that’s bipartisanship!

LKBIQ:
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.
H. L. Mencken

TILT:
There are 150 different breeds of dogs registered with the American Kennel Club, but no one seems to know how many different breeds actually exist.