UMSL Blog vs. Mainstream Media Editor

UMSL Blog vs. Mainstream Media Editor

David Sheets asked me to be his Facebook friend. I had no idea why until I started getting his feed. He works for the Post Dispatch and writes a blog called "The Game Guy". I have never read his blog, but his feed was interesting although a bit quirky. He always wrote in third person, for example, "David Sheets feels like a hammer and everything he sees looks like nails." No kidding. At first I thought he invited me because of the blog or mutual friends. I think he invites everyone he can to promote his blog and his feed, and the Cardinals, and the Post, and his important "associations".

His posts were mostly topical and amusing, when the weren't blatant pro sports and mainstream media shout outs, and I commented frequently. But I started, little by little, responding to posts about the Cardinals and the mainstream media with jabs, then thrusts, then direct attacks! Ya, that's how we roll.

Now he kicked me off his feed. Oh noes! It must have been this response to his post about the internet. I said, "the beauty of the internet is that it is allowing people to throw off the shackles of corporation owned mainstream media, who when not manufacturing opinion and consent, are distracting and dumbing down the masses." I don't think he liked that. Or maybe it was my response to his whine about extra inning cardinal games, "anything the Cardinals do whether it be swinging a bat, signing an autograph, spitting, grabbing their nuts, or breaking wind...it is for one thing, MONEY!" He didn't like that either.

Mission accomplished I say sans aircraft carrier. Because a modern day citizen journalist needs mainstream media friends like a pharmacist needs a snake oil salesman's business card...totally without use and a bit incriminating.

[ ... ]

Trusted!

Trusted!

Time Magazine's online poll suggests Jon Stewart is the most trusted "newsman" in America. That isn't saying much. The mainstream media is getting pounded by online new sources that aren't controlled by corporations or the overclass. More and more Americans simply won't eat shovelful after shovelful of partially hydrogenated frozen concentrated bullshit like they used to.

The players themselves are responsible for their less than genuine or cogent behavior. Katie Couric blew it with her "Katie's Journal" fiasco, so honest and so from the heart Ms. Couric. Charlie Gibson and his step son George Stephanopolous made debate history last summer with fifty two minutes of talking point inspired, conventional wisdom infused, metaphorical grabass that was called a debate. So much for objectivity and basic journalistic convention. Brian Williams' epic, nightly, ever confounding efforts to manufacture consent and opinion are so numerous we will just say this. Tool.

Jon Stewart says what he wants. I hate to use the word truth, because most Americans can't handle the truth, but his truth is so refreshing, so unusual, so needed, he makes the so called "pros" look like Elvis impersonators caught in their dressing rooms adjusting their wigs. I'll throw a little Elvis in for fun.."why can't you see what your doing to me, when I can't believe a word your sayin'."

PWNT!

[ ... ]

Fundemental Constants!

Fundemental Constants!

There are three fundamental constants that resonate from the founding of the Colonies to the present.

1. Working people have to fight for justice. No one gave freedom to the captives, or let women vote, or blessed workers with the right to organize. People had to die to get basic human rights.

2. Human life comes in second to business interests, especially minority and female life.

3. American politicians respond to direct pressure. If enough people make a racket they will respond. No matter how corrupt and hateful they are, their political survival comes before EVERYTHING!

[ ... ]

"Killing for Jesus" and getting away with it!

"Killing for Jesus" and getting away with it!

I was talking to my evangelical Republican online friends this morning. They are such a nice couple. She works for the State of California DMV and he is an military airline pilot. They are throwing a big party today because their eldest son, first born and sitting at the right hand of the father so to speak leaves for Marines this week. I cautiously asked him if he was concerned about the timing of the enlistment considering the escalation of Marine operations in Afghanistan. His reply was unexpected. He said last year more Marines died on motorcycles than in combat. I said that's reassuring. But it isn't to me.

I wanted to ask him if he thought Jesus would become a Marine, or who would Jesus call an airstrike on? I can hear it now...
"Bravo Six Leader this is the Almighty we have movement in sector Blue, repeat sector Blue can you confirm over?"
"Almighty this is Bravo Six Leader confirmed six no wait seven Tangos in sector Blue we will engage over."
"Copy that Bravo Six Leader, make them count over!"

It would seem to a non believer or an undereducated Christian that the phrase "that which you do to the least of my brothers that you do unto me" is pretty self explanatory and leaves little room for debate on how one should behave. Killing and rape and torture or even rude language are ruled out by the above statement.

It isn't that simple because many many many Bible verses are extremely violent. Here are some examples of what the Bible says are the words of a perfectly just, kind, loving and forgiving God.

Genesis 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Ten pages into the Bible and God drowns 99.999% of all living things, that's all the baby horsies and kitty cats and puppies not to mention women and children. Drowned. Now if you asked a thousand people the way they would NOT want to die, drowning and burning are the top picks.

Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

There is the burning part. But teh gays live in those cities we haz to nukes it! There is a pattern here.

Exodus 11:4 And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

Clearly the first born of the Pharoah, his servants, his pets and all the citizens of Egypt deserved to die because the Pharoah wouldn't play God's game. I should mention that there is no evidence Hebrew slaves ever lived in ancient Egypt, let alone helped build the Pyramids. None.

Numbers 31:1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

3So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them. 4Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” 5So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. 6Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

7They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. 8Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. 10They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. 11They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, 12and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.^a

13Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. 14Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

15“Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. 16“They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. 17Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, 18but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

I could go on and on but let me finish with some verses attributed to Jesus himself.

Luke 12:10, "And everyone that says a word against the Son of Man, that will be forgiven; But he that blasphemes against The Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Mark 3:29, "Whoever blasphemes against The Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of everlasting sin."

Matthew 12: 31-32 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come".

So violence is a tool to be used "righteously" and most sins, even violent sins can be forgiven...all except blasphemy. Given that premise, Hitler, a self proclaimed Catholic could get into heaven if he was resolute and contrite of heart before he died, but his victim Anne Frank, a Jew, could not. Peace and Justice? Hardly!

There are hundreds of verses in the Bible promoting violence, slavery, incest, and other heinous acts. It is easy to see how a young man raised with this kind of moral base could join the Marines, pick up a rifle and kill and kill again.

[ ... ]

Children of Men

Children of Men

I love movies! I have a top 200 list of my own. Cool Hand Luke was my favorite movie for many years but it was recently replaced by Children of Men. Some people don't like this movie and it seems to fall into the meme "you either love it or hate it". But that is bullshit. Bullshit. Children of Men is a mirror, if you don't like it you don't like what you see in the mirror. You don't want to accept the fact that you, yes you are killing our species. Many people who are Christians or Republican don't like this movie. I have an online friend who said "worst movie ever". He is both a Republican and a Christian. I wondered for some time why this movie is so repugnent to "those people" and I think I know why. The main premise of the movie is that humanity becomes infertile. That premise, in a roundabout way, denies the existance of God, a future and the supreme impotance of "me". Me. The most important and signifigant moment in history is "me". Without "me" there is nothing. "Me" has no future unless "me" reproduces so by taking that away "me" becomes unimportant, trivial, temporary, meaningless. This is why religion is so popular because it makes "me" immortal. How could something as important as "me" be finite? Children of Men tells us we can live on as a species if we are willing to sacrifice "me".

[ ... ]

A Violent and Unjust History

A Violent and Unjust History

The staff of UMSL Blog agree that our two favorite words are Peace and Justice. In this most excellent comic strip you see how the violence of the past promotes the injustice of the present.

I grew up in Fulton Missouri, in the particularly racist center of the state known as "Little Dixie". I was told by my schoolmates, after flirting with a young African American girl at a little league game, that if I kissed a black girl I would have to take a special medicine or I would turn black too. I asked my dad if this was true and he said, "no that's not true, but the truth is much worse." He then went into a now historic racial tirade on the "inferior n____r race" and how they are "different from us" and have an antithetical moral and ethical base. Sure, some of them are good, "as long as they stay away from white women and liquor they do fine", he told me with the same stone faced conviction he projected when he spoke of the beauty of nature, the value of hard work and the strength of America. By kissing the black girl, he went on, I was forfeiting the natural advantage I had by being born white and would become prone to the relaxed morality they espoused.

Time, education, experience and the natural goodness I learned from my mother kept those seeds of racism from taking root. Traveling to Central America, living in the West, learning Spanish and working in the food industry have made me become an avid fan of diversity. Not the clinical, sociological diversity that is part of poster board "political correctness", but the joy and wonder of talking and working and eating and playing with people who are different from me, but the same as me.

Peace is an end to violence, oppression and explotation, justice is the beginning of world of oppurtunity and hope for all. We can't have one without the other and we can't have either if we think in terms that exclude and label. Let all of us be the step ladder the African American in the comic strip needs and deserves!

[ ... ]

Thinking!

Thinking!

One of the main purposes of this blog is to expose the students of UMSL to information they may not be normally experience. The mainstream media and it's partner ship with the Pentagon have produced a story line in which Osama bin Laden recruited Saudi and Egyptian students to fly American airliners into the World Trade Center,the Pentagon and the White House.

We invaded Afghanistan on that premise. The FBI's Most wanted list does not accuse OBL of the attacks of 9/11. There is no proof, that has been publicized, which ties OBL to 9/11. There is no evidence, that has been publicized,which proves the 19 hijackers were even on the planes that hit the Twin Towers. Before the invasion, the Bush Administration told the Taliban, give us OBL and we won't invade. The Taliban said fine, show us proof of his complicity and he is yours. We didn't and we invaded instead.

Somehow OBL got away. Somehow.

I do not know what happened to the lead up to 9/11 or what happened after we invaded Afghanistan. I want to know. The 9/11 Commission could not and will not answer these questions. I think the Military Industrial Complex wants OBL at large, they want him to be a continuing and ever present threat to us. More later!

[ ... ]

Cheney II The Reckoning!

Cheney II The Reckoning!

Newt Gingrich, disgraced former Speaker of the House, leader of the so called Republican Revolution and "enemy of working people everywhere" says in an interview that we should send Special Ops Teams into Iran to sabotage their gas refinery. This is twentieth century, big country vs. little country, Empire of the Eagle geo-strategy being articulated by a possible candidate for President or more likely Vice President in 2012. This is another Cheney in the making watch and see. Here is another example of "Gingrichthink", The Contract for America. That article from Mother Jones shows his handiwork. It's alive!

[ ... ]

Robert Reich is a Good Man!

Robert Reich is a Good Man!

Robert Reich is a good man. I can't say it enough. He makes me feel like there is hope without being over optimistic or gushy. His cool and reasonable approach to economic and political questions is as reassuring as when your father says, "it's going to be alright." But Reich doesn't say it's going to be alright. He doesn't know what the economy is going to do. But he has some very good ideas and he is well worth reading!

Even though he was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration, he is not a "Clintonista!" During the campaign, when Bill Clinton was talking smack about Obama, Mr. Reich defended Obama and derided Clinton's attacks as "ill tempered and ill founded". Read his blog and get a new insight into what is really going on from a man who has the education, expertise and experience to explain it properly.

[ ... ]

GM, "clean diesel" and it's rebirth!

GM, "clean diesel" and it's rebirth!

Clean diesel technology has piqued my interest. Given the restructuring and so called "rebirth" of General Motors, I hope that clean diesel motors are in it's future. I would like to see an entirely new way of manufacturing and selling automobiles. We still have to have them even though I want MASSIVE investment in public transportation and we aren't ready for electric yet nationwide (the south west needs them yesterday!). In the mean time if Detroit is going to make fossil fuel vehicles, they need to be clean diesels, have limited models, and be cheap and small.

Clean diesel looks good. They are talking 70+mpg with fewer emissions than a Prius. That is a step in the right direction and GM needs to be all over this. Big time. The idea of building twenty GM models that change every year has got to go. They need to make an ultra small two seat commuter, a four seater hatchback, a minivan, and a small truck. Commercial vehicles are a different animal and will be dealt with in another post. These vehicles need to be made in America by Americans from recycled materials and be as green as possible. Top speed needs to be DRASTICALLY reduced so that the vehicles can be lighter and still be safe.

If GM wants to be the leader in 21st Century transportation technology they need to "reinvent the wheel" so to speak!

[ ... ]

Blue Dogs, the Enemy Within!

Blue Dogs, the Enemy Within!

The Blue Dog Coalition is an organization of so called "conservative" Democrats. They are focused on fiscal responsibility and accountability, or so they say. I think they are Republicans that couldn't win a primary as a Republican and run as Democrats. They gain all the benefits of being a Democrat but obstruct or derail the work of other Democrats. They can't support the current health care bill without "significant progress" which is code for making sure insurance companies can continue to deny coverage and over charge Americans. Considering the current bill, which I have not seen, has got to be watered down and loaded with earmarks as it is, their demands would further corrupt the process. This is helping me decide what to do once I graduate. I would love to make my life's work the systematic destruction of the political careers of the Blue Dogs.

[ ... ]

Show this to your mainstream "friends"!

Show this to your mainstream "friends"!

This is the effect of a non functioning democracy has on working people and their futures. A day by day year by year erosion of the ability for working Americans to get ahead. What is not shown on this graph are the spiking of defense spending, health care costs, energy costs, college tuition and the exporting of jobs.

I have never been a fan of the Democrats. They are part of this, a big part. So if anyone in mainstream politics tells you that your ideas are fringe or impossible, show them these charts. It is impossible for America to stay on this course. It is mandatory that people get involved and pressure our representatives to do what is best for us and not what is best for them.

[ ... ]

Not a Typical Post

Not a Typical Post

It used to be a joke. I would say "you, I don't hate" to people I really liked. And if I really liked something it was "adequate". Anyone I really hated I would never speak to unless absolutely necessary. Love and hate are active emotions requiring effort and a plan. Indifference is much more effective, much easier, much more final. So when someone I REALLY care about is indifferent to me it hurts. I don't care for many people. I feel left out and somehow in the wrong. I know I haven't directly hurt this person. My guess is that I simply don't fit into their current whirling social galaxy. I must be old hat, a fond yet forgotten thing of the past. I "hate" feeling this way. I start becoming indifferent and uncaring. The mind begins to search for ways to show this indifference which is contradictory-focused and calculated indifference. "I'll show them who is indifferent!" Sad isn't it.

[ ... ]

Sound Familiar?

Sound Familiar?

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political,economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent,for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State." Joseph Goebbels

We are still paying for lies that started in 1979. But the truth is like a weed, keep spraying it and it will keep coming back and it will become resistant to the spray!

Men and women all over this country are starting to wake up. Washington is feeling the heat and they are gathering reinforcements!
They are going to need them because we have just begun! I said this years ago, you will have to shut down the shopping malls and people have to lose their homes before they wake up to the fact that they are getting raped. I hate for Americans to suffer, but it is time.

[ ... ]

Someone has to do it!

Someone has to do it!

Someone has to convince working men and women that peace and justice are not good for America and Fox News is the main source of this meme. Palin, if not indicted by the Feds, will most certainly work for Fox. O'Reilly, Beck and Palin are leading the charge against working men and women all over the world. They want war, corporate dominance and hate. They promote hatred for working people by working people. When Mexicans come to our country it's because NAFTA destroyed their economy. Rich white guys pass a law that helps rich white guys at the expense of American and Mexican working men and women. Working class Americans have more in common with an illegal alien than we do with an American corporate executive or a politician. I remember in a Medieval History class I had the prof said a nobleman from England had more in common with a nobleman from Germany than he did with a serf from his own manor. Believe it.

[ ... ]

Peace and Justice!

Peace and Justice!

The road to peace and justice is guarded by a heavily armed and well funded triumvirate of media, government and business concerns. General Electric owns NBC and is a huge defense contractor. They own some congressmen outright and lease several others. Halliburton, defense contractor, oil company and political machine is another all purpose entity. Not often does one company make so much for so few at the expense of so many! "Hally" even had it's own full time lobbyist in the White House for 8 years, the irrepressible Dick Cheney.

All the issues that face this country and this planet are a direct result of the this three headed chimera putting forward it's agenda in complete disregard for the consequences. Our energy, population, health care, climate, economic and defense policies are not formulated to ensure and promote peace or justice. To the "big guys", peace is a feel good word that comes with "stability", although neither are attained. Justice is a word that is only used in conjunction with prisons or courts and is conditional based on an individuals economic status.

[ ... ]