Grassroots Democrats and Progressives Arise ! (NoW)

A short Two Years after the election of Barack Obama, all those first-time Voters, ( and many traditional Democrats ), have either lost their enthusiasm for politics, or, sadly, many are "drinking the Kool Aid" of the Tea-Party nutjobs, and of those Very Same Republicans who got US in this mess in the first place.

Now, let me state that I voted for John McCain. Not because I approved of his flaky choice of a VP Candidate, but because he is a fellow Naval Aviator, and because he has been a Hero of mine since the day he arrived back on American soil. On that Momentous day, just released POW McCain refused to debark on crutches or a wheelchair, instead, he stumbled down that ramp from the aircraft, fell to his knees, and kissed the ground of the Nation he had suffered so much for. Senator McCain is also the Only Republican that I have consistently agreed with over the years.

That said, I knew that Obama was going to carry Indiana, a feat that no Democrat had accomplished since LBJ won the Election of 1964. Personally, I was rooting for Hillary to be the Dem's Candidate, and I really resented the way she was treated by the Party Leadership, especially the Rules Committee that gave 1/2 her Michigan Votes to Obama, who hadn't even run in that Huge Union State.

Back to Today: We are in danger of losing control of Congress, which will render Obama a "Lame Duck" President for the second half of his Term. This will also pretty much ensure that he won't get any further legislation passed, and will end up another "One Term Wonder", like Jimmy Carter.

These two events will almost assure that we get another conservative Republican as our Next President, in which case, all of us that are mere Millionaires and below, will pretty much become a disenfranchised under-class, and Big Oil, Big Health Care, and Big Wall Street will finish their destruction of the Our economy, and finish the sale of America's future to the Chinese, and / or the Arab Oil Countries.
The reason they call these huge Corporations "Multi-Nationals", is because they know no loyalty but to profit, and to the advancement of their own interests and fortunes. When America becomes unlivable, and falls into revolt and chaos, these folks will still have their homes on Islands they own, or anywhere in Europe, or South America, where they can live just fine with their billions on Yen, Reals, Pesos, or whatever replaces the Dollar as the International Currency !

Sound Alarmist to You ??
Well,.. If I had told you on the day President Clinton left office (with Trillions of Dollars of economic surplus), that The Bush Family's idiot son George would steal the election from Al Gore, give All that surplus money to the super-rich, and then would ignore all warnings and briefings about Usama Bin Laden, and concentrate all our intelligence gathering toward finding a reason to invade Iraq, would you have believed me ?
Well, I might not have believed those predictions myself, but, you had better believe Me this time, because I don't want to be right about this forecast, especially after it has come to pass !

So, What can we do ? Get out and Vote ! "Vote Early, and Vote Often", as the old saying goes ! LoL

If you worked for Obama's Election, if you talked to neighbors, friends and family about the importance of that Election, then you had better do Twice as much right now, because keeping the Republicans out of office Now, is just as important as putting this Administration in place in 2008. Maybe it's more important ?

100 Years in The Making !

Finally, after 46 years,( since the Medicare Program was created ), We, The People have a National Health Care Program !
I could sure have used this back when I was raising my son, and had to either lie about my income, work a second job "under the Table", or remain 'under-employed' so I would have Medicaid for my boy's Health Care.
In reality, congress has been striving to provide a national health care plan since Teddy Roosevelt's Administration. Yes, Ol' Rough-Ridin' Teddy, The man who gave us our National Parks System, also foresaw the need for more Doctors and Hospitals, and a way for America's working people to have the same quality and availability of Health Care that the privileged Class of people he came from enjoyed !

As a life-long Democrat, I will be the first to admit that LBJ's "Great Society" programs gave entitlement to welfare to millions of people who became trapped in the rules and regulations of that flawed program, and that it created 5 or 6 generations of a Welfare-addicted underclass of criminals and teen-aged "baby machines".

That program had many flaws, and they weren't really corrected until the Clinton Administration's reforms, which created "WorkFare", and pretty much ended Welfare as we knew it.
This set of programs will have it's flaws too, and the may be numerous, and costly, but they will be fixed quickly, and at Least they have made a start on reform !

What do you all Think ?

Hi Blog-o-philes !

How about the New Fall TV Lineup ?

Way, Way Back in the early days of TV, when all the hoopla had worn off about what a boon it would be for Education and Culture, a wise man named Newton Minnow said that, " Television is a Vast Wasteland". I agreed with him so much, that during my time stateside while I was in the Navy, I seldom watched any TV. Oh, there was the occasional Big Football game, like the Rose Bowl, that I would watch with my male relatives, and I would try to watch the NCAA Basketball Play-offs if I were home. I guess my wife must have shared my aversion to "The Tube", because she didn't bitch much when I didn't want one in our first house.

All that changed when one of my classes at Foothill Community College assigned us to watch "All in The Family", AKA "Archie Bunker".
This was "cutting-edge TV", where every social and generational conflict from Race to The War, through Drugs and Free Love were viewed from the bigoted eyes of Archie, and where his prejudices were opposed by All the other characters, from his black neighbors, "The Jeffersons", to his Son-in-law Rob Riener, (AKA Meathead).

So, I relented and started watching Archie & Company, and then found a few other programs that were worth the time. Then, PBS started the "Nature" series, and that became a 'must see' show every week. From there, I watched all those excellent mini-series in the seventies. From "The Kent Family Chronicles", through "Rich Man -Poor Man", and including "Dallas" and the Barringtons ?? (The one with Efrem Zimbalist JR, and Joan Collins ??).

O.K., Now you've got the whole picture of how I became addicted to "The Idiot Box", So, Now I want to talk and ask some questions about this season's new shows that I've seen.
As a long-time NCIS junkie, I of course welcomed the spin-off, NCIS LA, and I've always thought LL Cool J was a pretty good actor for a rapper ! Maybe no Will Smith, but a good believable actor, who I also like to see on the talk shows.
Another new one that I really like is "The Good Wife". The 'back-story' is good, and she's a great character. Her job as a Lawyer, and her Kid's and her interactions with her incarcerated Husband, and his prosecutor the State's Attorney, make for some good drama, as does her performance as a defense attorney for a variety of defendants.
The Hospital Soap, "Three Rivers" has all kinds of potential too, as does the Chevy Chase show, "Community College", and I've watched a few episodes of "Parks & Recreation" which I realize isn't new, but I didn't watch it last year.
Another show I really like, (which also isn't new), is "The Mentalist" , Simon Baker's character is a hoot, and his wacky methods, and his con-artist past are great plot lines that just don't get stale.
What are Your Favorites of the New Season, and Your "Never Miss" shows from recent years ??

Hybrid Books From Publishers Like Simon and Schuster Add Video and Web Features to Reading - NYTimes.com

This seems to be the future of Books ! As someone who is interested in Video blogging as well as writing, I find this trend both exciting and challenging. Check out this article, and leave me a comment on your opinion and ideas for this innovative idea ?
Hybrid Books From Publishers Like Simon and Schuster Add Video and Web Features to Reading - NYTimes.com

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The Health-Scare Debate !

The effort to insure health care for millions of uninsured Americans has provided the News and Humor Business with an overdose of material. The same proposed legislation has also put PR and Lobbying firms back in business. The list of so-called "Astroturf" organizations has grown to impossible length, with Big Pharmaceuticals and Big Insurance Companies trying hard to out-bullshit each other in their efforts to derail Health Care Reform.

My favorite of these rumors, lies, and complete fallacies being pushed by the paid-protesters, is the idea that health care rationing will lead to "Death Panels", which will decide if older people are worth the time and resources to save their miserable lives. Here is Bill Mahr's take on the Death Panels !

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/16/bill-maher-explores-what_n_260617.html

Let me know what You think about this whole mess?

Friday Fill-In's Agianz #137

#137

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!

And...here we go!

1. When will __Q roadtrip to Indiana ___?

2. _Extreme Loggers____ was the last good book I read or movie I saw or tv show I watched.

3. Everything has its beauty but __anuses don't ever look good___.

4. _A massive Cheeseburger____ is what I had for dinner.

5. I'd like your digits_____.

6. _UpInYa____ is where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading_, tomorrow my plans include celibacy_ and Sunday, I want to Cook-Out_!

Posted by Janet at 9:05 PM 106 comments Links to this post

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