Wow, even in the Bible Belt. If these had hit New Orleans, or LA, you know what the Evangelicals would claim: God’s retribution for moral failings. Too bad some are compelled to put a religious spin on such events, without a shred of evidence or logic to support it. It only feeds the anti-science myth-machine.  And speaking of science, there IS ample evidence that humans are accelerating climate change, and these sorts of storms, as all reputable climate scientists will tell you, are to be expected in increasing frequency, and intensity as a result.
]]> http://firstboomer.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/on-natural-disasters-and-god/feed/ 0 firstboomer http://firstboomer.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/some-perspective-on-the-label-socialist/ http://firstboomer.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/some-perspective-on-the-label-socialist/#comments Tue, 21 Sep 2010 04:55:55 +0000 firstboomer http://firstboomer.wordpress.com/?p=230 ]]> Obama is frequently accused by the likes of Newt Gingrich, along with the sitting Republican leadership and their congressional voting block, and of course all of the FOX political commentators (Glenn Beck, Karl Rove, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and the rest) of being a “Socialist,” “Leftist,” or worse.  A little research into prior REPUBLICAN administrations is instructive to understand how warped that accusation is, especially coming from these Republicans.

For Example, here’s a little history of accomplishments and challenges of The Nixon Administration–

Nixon accelerated the Viet Nam war, bringing many thousands more U.S. casualties, then presided over a peace agreement that was doomed to fail

Opened “Red China” (our sworn enemy) at the expense of our ally, Nationalist China (aka Taiwan), which observers credit with creating the impetus for the Soviet Union to engage in “Détente” with the U.S.

Signed the Salt I and ABM Treaties with the Soviets (our arch military and philosophical enemy)

Implemented wage and price controls to try to curb inflation in 1971 and in 1973 (temporary, generally ineffective, and the most intrusive Federal intervention in the private economy since WW II)

Signed into law sweeping environmental reforms, including
the Clean Air Act, creation of the EPA, creation of OSHA and
establishment of the Consumer Products Safety Commission (all adding “burdensome costs” on, and mandating Federal intervention in, private businesses)

Implemented the first significant federal affirmative action
program, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, and endorsed
the Equal Rights Amendment

Signed Social Security Amendments Act of 1972, which created
the Supplemental Security Income Program, a Federal Welfare
Program still in existence today

During term, direct payments for citizen benefits increased
from 6.3 to 8.9% of GDP. Food aid and public assistance rose,
Defense spending decreased

Took the U.S. dollar entirely off the gold standard

Moved adroitly to desegregate Southern public schools, viewed
by many as the greatest school de-segregator in American history

Approved the development of the Space Shuttle Program,and
approved a 5-year coop program between NASA and U.S.S.R.

Dramatically increased spending on Federal employee salaries
even while the stock market severely declined in ’73 – ’74

Called for comprehensive health insurance, seeking to mandate
employers to purchase health insurance for their employees
as well as a federal health plan that any American could join
by paying on a sliding scale based on income.

Vice President Agnew resigned amid charges of bribery, tax evasion, etc.

Yom Kippur war response led to Arab Oil Embargo

Nixon ran as the Centrist Republican against the “Left wing” anti-war candidacy of George McGovern.  Incidentally, Nixon was a Quaker, a religion that holds pacifism as a core doctrine (not a confidence-inspiring background for the Commander-in-Chief; but Nixon did serve in the Military during WWII even though he could have gotten a deferment based on being a Quaker).  Being a Quaker was apparently not viewed negatively by the populace (interesting when viewing today’s religion-driven controversies).

…And the Right Wing today has the balls to call Obama a “Socialist” and/or “Radical Leftist”!

Is it not interesting that Nixon is remembered for one thing: Watergate?

Hurumph….

#1– The word, “Like”: Really listen to the stream of un-punctuated phrases passing for complete sentences emanating from most young people these days (and many older ones who should know better). What you’ll hear is machine gun repetition of “Like” every three to six words. They don’t even know they are saying it. It is lamentable to put it mildly how far English education (and education in general) has fallen in this country. Teachers and parents bear responsibility for not nipping this lame speech pattern in the bud early. What passes for conversation amounts to inarticulate streams-of-consciousness ramblings. It is sad. Any young person who does not fall into this category immediately stands out as being better educated, more articulate, and more likely to be hired.

#2–the word, “Amazing”: Just listen. Everything, positive or negative, is “Amazing,” with very few things actually qualifying for that level of astoundment.

#3–closely related to that is the word, “Awesome”: It means “inspiring awe.” Really? It is time for to expand the lexicon of adjectives.

#4–”Whatever” as in, “What-ev-errr”: That Valley Girl holdover is still around.

Gr-r-r-r

George Will, twenty five years ago, wrote an opinion piece in Time Magazine entitled “The Rise of the Indignation Industry.” It was about the talking heads whose job it has become to be outraged and spread outrage at anything that they, or their compatriots, disagree with, which today has effectively boiled down to this, “If Obama, that non-American-born-Muslim-Communist-Socialist-Heathen is for it, then all good patriotic Americans should be against it.” And, with that as their marching orders, they will concoct anything, no matter how far from the truth for dissemination over the internet.   Sarah Palin, who is not qualified for anything beyond vice president of the local PTA, can lie through her teeth and get full support from the Fox news crowd.  This is damaging to the country, and to our spirit, and it is these spreaders-of-lies who are the real un-Americans.  If they want a debate, fine.  But let’s talk based on facts, not on fabrications.

What follows is a “politically conservative” piece that has been circulating on the Internet.  It was forwarded to me in early August 2009.  Below it, you will find my response.

“Subject: TODAY’S LESSON: SIMPLIFIED AND TRUE

History 101
For those that don’t know about history, here is a condensed version:

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:

1. Liberals, and
2. Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That’s how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q’s and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided. Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn’t fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, members of the military, airline pilots and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.

Here ends today’s lesson in world history:

It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it.

A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers and to more liberals just to tick them off.

And there you have it.  Let your next action reveal your true self.”

Response to: “TODAY’S LESSON: SIMPLIFIED AND TRUE”  What a bunch of BULL…

What should actually be “noted” is that it was LIBERALS, not conservatives, who started and finished the Revolutionary War. The conservatives supported the King. Read your history. I have no idea where that backwards notion about who the liberals were and who the conservatives were in 1776 came from, whoever authored that quaint little Hannity-like piece. It is, however, typical of the twisted logic of the far right.

In addition to fighting for our independence, it was the LIBERALS who pushed to eradicate slavery. If the Conservatives had had their way, we’d be the only country in the world that bought and sold human beings as property.

It was the LIBERALS who stood up to Gov. Maddox and his ilk in the South, and I’d challenge anyone to offer a convincing argument that we’d be better off as a country had that not happened.

It was the LIBERALS who, in fact, challenged the basis for the Vietnam War (which I blindly supported at the time–see below). In hindsight, nobody I know, conservative or otherwise, thinks now that it was a good idea to sacrifice 58,000 American Lives for a back-water of no strategic value to this country, all in the name of fighting Communism. The Soviets enjoyed bleeding us dry, laughing all those years. They supplied the arms, we threw our best youth into the meat grinder. Robert McNamara admitted it was a huge mistake, one that
haunted him all the remaining days of his life.

It was the LIBERALS who correctly, as it turns out, questioned the logic for going into Iraq. That little conflict worked out well, didn’t it? Just the way the Conservatives said it would…with us being greeted as liberators, and the whole thing over in 6 months, at no net cost to this country.

Those are just three major examples. Remember…liberals typically question authority and the status quo.

It’s been over 40 years since my 21st birthday, and finally, this one-time dyed-in-the-wool conservative, member of Young Americans for Freedom and the Young Republicans, campaigner for Barry Goldwater before I could vote…who voted for Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush senior (twice), Robert Dole, and “W,” twice, finally realized that most of what the conservatives champion no longer comports with my beliefs. That said, I look at each issue I’m interested in, try to find out as much as I can about it, and then decide which “side” I’m on. In the last 4 years, it has become exceeding obvious that the neo-cons in office did their best to trash the economy (not intentionally, but that is of little comfort), fight the wrong war, and whistle past the graveyard when it came to major social issues.

Oh, and by the way…the “American Beer,” BUD, is now a “foreign beer,” owned ironically, by Europeans, who are, in fact, more enlightened than the bible-thumping, creationist-believing, America-love-it-or-leave-it crowd.

Lastly…

I love the phrase in that piece, Conservatives…”provide for their women.” Hilarious. What troglodyte wrote this? In a considerable number of the families I personally know, the “little woman” provides at least half the income.

Second, the notion that it was the “conservatives” who left Europe and founded this country is exactly the opposite of what happened. The conservatives in Europe at the time were the persecutors (mostly religious-based…nothing ever changes, does it?), and it was the free thinkers, the non-conformists (i.e., liberals) who left, or were thrown out. For what it is worth, however, the Puritans, who no one would tag as liberal in anything, fortunately, were not in the majority, and our Founding Fathers, who were at best deists, wisely did not establish this nation under any religion. It was THAT sort of revolutionary thinking, (liberal thinking) that set this country apart. No country in the history of the world had established a central government without a state-sponsored, state endorsed, religion. That’s what CONSERVATIVES would have done, and to this day try to insist it is otherwise, or should be. Scary.

The Sean Hannitys, Rush Limbaughs, Newt Gingriches, and deliver us…Glenn Becks, of the world should read their history. It is these men who are inspiring and leading the storm troopers of today. As to Bill O’Reilly, he used to be fairly “neutral,” but since the election he has towed the Fox party line like the good trooper he is.

…and that’s all I have to say ’bout that.

Oh, by the way, if Barry Goldwater were alive today, he would be appalled at what happened to this country under 8 years of “W” and his master, the Emperor.