Leanderthal
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tom Toles Sermonette
Tom Toles, political cartoonist for WaPo, also writes well.
Pay special attention to the end of paragraph two.
It's so historically accurate, but so historically ignored.
Leanderthal
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Obama Criticism
As an enthusiastic supporter of Obama in 2008, I've become a disappointed supporter in 2011.
Maureen Dowd took him to task a few days ago, and Roger Cohen does so today. Both are clearly progressive/liberal in their political orientation.
Leanderthal
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friedman Just Seems to Get It
Here's Tom Friedman on "It Starts With Them", the accurate observation that good things happen when our Feds stay out of the way.
So why don't they? It's obvious. Intervening in foreign affairs makes billions of dollars for the neocons and their Pentagon enablers.
Leanderthal
So why don't they? It's obvious. Intervening in foreign affairs makes billions of dollars for the neocons and their Pentagon enablers.
Leanderthal
Mo, You Go Girl !
Oh, this is good, this is really good.
Maureen Dowd on Obama's need to come out of the closet.
Leanderthal
Maureen Dowd on Obama's need to come out of the closet.
Leanderthal
Whitewashing
I wonder how many government agents are worried about the success
of the FBI in finding Whitey Bulger.
Leanderthal
Saturday, June 25, 2011
The Voice of Experience
Charles Blow, in his NYTimes column today, shares his personal experience at being poor.
This is a rather poignant message, and one which should be read by the "pitiless" GOPhers, and the " pitiful" Dems.
Leanderthal
Tom Toles on Our Mindlessness
Known for his political cartoons, he also has a blog. This is his Friday rant. I recommend it.
Leanderthal
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Most Important Message of Our Times
Please read Thomas Friedman here. He published the most important message of our times in his column in the NY Times today.
His proposed solution is likely not workable. How about taking a lesson from the Australians who I think limit the length of political campaigns. Pols might like it since it would take away the enormous pressure to raise huge campaign funds, and they might just get something done with all the new time on their hands.
I know, I know, I'm also dreaming.
Leanderthal
His proposed solution is likely not workable. How about taking a lesson from the Australians who I think limit the length of political campaigns. Pols might like it since it would take away the enormous pressure to raise huge campaign funds, and they might just get something done with all the new time on their hands.
I know, I know, I'm also dreaming.
Leanderthal
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Obama Impersonater at a GOPher Convention
If you take the time to watch this video you might wonder as I do why the GOPhers escorted the guy off the stage.
What struck me is that the humor was much like what Obama himself might have used at events like those DC White House Correspondents Dinners. It think the guy's pretty funny and good. I suspect that the GOPhers didn't like his jokes on them.
For some unexplained reason, to me at least, the video hung up before anyone appeared to escort the guy off the stage which the TPM piece mentioned.
Leanderthal
What struck me is that the humor was much like what Obama himself might have used at events like those DC White House Correspondents Dinners. It think the guy's pretty funny and good. I suspect that the GOPhers didn't like his jokes on them.
For some unexplained reason, to me at least, the video hung up before anyone appeared to escort the guy off the stage which the TPM piece mentioned.
Leanderthal
Maybe Pols Should Be Celibate and Priests Should Be Married
This is good. This is really good.
Don't miss Maureen Dowd's roasting of her church's leadership over gay rights and priest pedophilia.
Leanderthal
Don't miss Maureen Dowd's roasting of her church's leadership over gay rights and priest pedophilia.
Leanderthal
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Executive Branch Power Consolidation
Dear Readers,
I can't recall which pundit wrote about this first during the last presidential campaign, but one thought struck me at the time and has stuck with me since. It seems that it was an accurate prediction of the inevitable fight for power in our nation's government, at this stage of our political history.
That thought was, with respect to the shift in political power from Congress to the Executive Branch, it probably really didn't much matter which party won the White House in 2008. The next occupant was not likely to object to the increased powers of the executive branch which had been strengthened by the political strong arm methods of the Cheney/Bush administration.
As a strong supporter of Obama during the 2008 campaign I have often taken myself back to that observation during his first term as president. If you read about and follow politics you don't need me to recite the examples, though I will cite just a few to support my position: waffling on Iraq draw down, surge in troops for Afghanistan, continuing the detentions in Gitmo, and continuing the agenda of the need for secrecy when he promised openness of government, and the attack on American citizens' right to privacy with renewal of the euphemistically hypocritical Patriot Act.
Here is a link to an article I read which aroused my ire and stirred my need once again to do my crying in the wilderness thing, in the hope that some of you are still listening to such voices as mine and others, and might even also be stirred to send these thoughts along to your own others.
As a retired CEO of an industrial company, a Work/Life Coach to Executives and now retired, I understand the temptation of the executive to retain as much power invested in his position as possible. The one with the power wins. That kind of power can work if the person in power understands that he/she can remain in power so long as those in his power don't abandon him.
The top executive of our Federal government has Congress and the Supreme Court to deal with, and which can be in competition with him or her for power. This is especially a problem when the three branches are beholden to different political parties. We are seeing that today.
So, it should be no surprise that our president should covet as much power invested in the executive branch as possible. The problem can be that it puts that person in a position of temptation to try to rule, not to govern.
Leanderthal
I can't recall which pundit wrote about this first during the last presidential campaign, but one thought struck me at the time and has stuck with me since. It seems that it was an accurate prediction of the inevitable fight for power in our nation's government, at this stage of our political history.
That thought was, with respect to the shift in political power from Congress to the Executive Branch, it probably really didn't much matter which party won the White House in 2008. The next occupant was not likely to object to the increased powers of the executive branch which had been strengthened by the political strong arm methods of the Cheney/Bush administration.
As a strong supporter of Obama during the 2008 campaign I have often taken myself back to that observation during his first term as president. If you read about and follow politics you don't need me to recite the examples, though I will cite just a few to support my position: waffling on Iraq draw down, surge in troops for Afghanistan, continuing the detentions in Gitmo, and continuing the agenda of the need for secrecy when he promised openness of government, and the attack on American citizens' right to privacy with renewal of the euphemistically hypocritical Patriot Act.
Here is a link to an article I read which aroused my ire and stirred my need once again to do my crying in the wilderness thing, in the hope that some of you are still listening to such voices as mine and others, and might even also be stirred to send these thoughts along to your own others.
As a retired CEO of an industrial company, a Work/Life Coach to Executives and now retired, I understand the temptation of the executive to retain as much power invested in his position as possible. The one with the power wins. That kind of power can work if the person in power understands that he/she can remain in power so long as those in his power don't abandon him.
The top executive of our Federal government has Congress and the Supreme Court to deal with, and which can be in competition with him or her for power. This is especially a problem when the three branches are beholden to different political parties. We are seeing that today.
So, it should be no surprise that our president should covet as much power invested in the executive branch as possible. The problem can be that it puts that person in a position of temptation to try to rule, not to govern.
Leanderthal
Monday, June 13, 2011
Redefining Stupidity, or Worse, Criminal Behavior
I have read far too many stories recently of corruption. lying and other examples of malfeasance on the part of our politicians. I crave a story about an honest, authentic, decent politician to begin turning things around.
Begin by doing what? It should be obvious. Begin holding Bush, Cheney, et al Cabal to account for all manner of malfeasance, the victims of which were and are still, all Americans; we who were mislead, no, really and actually lied to, by a cabal of bought off politicians, comprised of most members of Congress, Bush and Cheney, who rewarded their friends in Big Oil, and the Neocon/Pentagon/Military-Industrial Complex who will stop at nothing in their nefarious and monstrous assault on any level of decency and morality, and willing to do anything to advance their cause to make for themselves as many Billions of dollars possible, hang the cost to American citizens.
Well, the cost is counted up and tallied in a multi-layered, cross section of the American socio-economic every day lives of our people. It includes thousands of lives in our military, billions of dollars of our taxpayer's hard earned wages and salaries, billions of dollars borrowed from other countries, China specifically, whom our elected officials seem to want to aggravate militarily.
Hello?
Today we read and heard in the media that Obama once again is courting the Wall Street magnates, those he called "Fat Cats" not too long ago, hoping that they will once again reward him with their $Millions for his re-election campaign. The operative question of course is, what is he promising them in exchange?
What is the takeaway message from all of this ?(I really can't come up with just the right word or phrase which captures the extent of the obvious calumny at work here, which is against the efforts of most, and mostly decent, Americans).
I would really like to "hear" from my readers.
In truth, I would really like to hear from anyone who believes that what I have been preaching, as a Voice Crying in the Wilderness, needs to be heard.
Leanderthal
Begin by doing what? It should be obvious. Begin holding Bush, Cheney, et al Cabal to account for all manner of malfeasance, the victims of which were and are still, all Americans; we who were mislead, no, really and actually lied to, by a cabal of bought off politicians, comprised of most members of Congress, Bush and Cheney, who rewarded their friends in Big Oil, and the Neocon/Pentagon/Military-Industrial Complex who will stop at nothing in their nefarious and monstrous assault on any level of decency and morality, and willing to do anything to advance their cause to make for themselves as many Billions of dollars possible, hang the cost to American citizens.
Well, the cost is counted up and tallied in a multi-layered, cross section of the American socio-economic every day lives of our people. It includes thousands of lives in our military, billions of dollars of our taxpayer's hard earned wages and salaries, billions of dollars borrowed from other countries, China specifically, whom our elected officials seem to want to aggravate militarily.
Hello?
Today we read and heard in the media that Obama once again is courting the Wall Street magnates, those he called "Fat Cats" not too long ago, hoping that they will once again reward him with their $Millions for his re-election campaign. The operative question of course is, what is he promising them in exchange?
What is the takeaway message from all of this ?(I really can't come up with just the right word or phrase which captures the extent of the obvious calumny at work here, which is against the efforts of most, and mostly decent, Americans).
I would really like to "hear" from my readers.
In truth, I would really like to hear from anyone who believes that what I have been preaching, as a Voice Crying in the Wilderness, needs to be heard.
Leanderthal
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