Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Another Aspect Of Our Current Inequality Of Outcomes

This video certainly speaks for itself:

Our Public Defender System Is Really Messed Up

The Impact Of What Trump Is Doing Just Gets Worse And Worse

This man is single handedly working to dismantle a fundamental relationship between our national security institutions and the office of the Presidency, and how that relationship is supposed to work. And whether you agree with all of the priorities, or methods, of those institutions, you cannot dismiss the importance of the relationship itself.

If a worthy holder of that office had real concerns about how those institutions worked he would meet with them, find out more about what they do, and how they do it, and then see if the concerns he had had actual merit, and what might be done about it. And he would do this behind the scenes to prevent the kind of wholesale dismissal that Trump has currently propagated. A dismissal that serves only those who seek to thwart our best interests.

Trump however, as a self centered sociopath, doesn't care about anything but his own inflated sense of omnipotence. That would be bad enough to question his fitness for the Presidency, but he has gone even farther. He has made common cause with one of those very same foreign actors who don't have our bests interests in mind at all. He has made them out to be admirable, and worthy of our friendship even as they seek to undermine us. And there can be no doubt that he has received tangible gain from this behavior from that foreign power.

If this had been a Democratic President, say four years ago, and the same evidence were at hand, the Republicans, and far right in general, would all be foaming at the mouth to have that person's head on a pike, let alone simply seek to declare him unfit for office. And at this point I have great difficulty deciding which is worse, that the Republicans now turn a blind eye to the whole affair, or that the Democrats seem to be simply sitting on their hands, dumbly waiting for someone to tell them what to do.

One is left absolutely disheartened that so much of our leadership class is either clueless, spineless, or completely duplicitous to what is now going on. History is not going to look kindly at any of the players here; assuming there's anyone left to write an objective history. And if you are not questioning yourself as to how much you have worked to make your ire known to those who represent you in Washington DC then you made yourself an accomplice.

Trump Feud Over Russia Intel Raises Deeper Concerns, Experts Say

by BENJY SARLIN

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

A Final Word On The Book Freedom By Daniel Swarez

This second book in the two book series (that started with Daemon) was just as well writen, and maybe even a good deal more exciting. I have to say that these two books are not only enjoyable as very well done works of fiction, but are also encouraging as they state quite clearly that our corporate driven, disconnected from each other, as well as the land beneath us that now stretched far too thin to support us all, world is a new type of economic slavery. A slavery that creates its own neo feudalism.

Via wage dependency (that they manipulate via the threat of joblessness), and debt that seldom ever ends, we own less and less of what really matters, and therefore wield less and less meaningful control of our individual lives, as well as what matters to maintaining communities where everybody matters, having a real chance of contributing, and being recognized for that contribution.

One need only refer to one of several bits of dialogue to see this expressed (Page 96 -- The character Jenna Fossen):

My generation has no intention of living as serfs on a corporate manor, Dad. When people became more reliant on multinational corporations than on their own communities, they surrendered whatever say they had in their government. Corporations are growing stronger while democratic government becomes increasingly helpless.”

“Listen, whatever you’re going through—(Jenna's Father -- My addition: J.V.)”

“Just look at corn and soybeans, subsidized with taxpayer money—creating a market that wouldn’t otherwise make sense. Why? So agribusiness firms have cheap inputs to make processed food. The taxpayers are basically subsidizing corporations to make crap, when we could have grown real food on our own. But, of course, they’ve made growing food illegal now. . . .”

He started to walk away. “I want you to leave with me.”

“Dad, there was a reason you didn’t want me or Dennis to go into farming. You wanted us to go to college and get away from here. Do you remember why? Do you remember what you said to me?”

He stopped. He didn’t face her, but nodded. “I said that there’s no future in farming.”

“Food is the very heart of freedom. Don’t you realize that? If people don’t grow the food, we both know who will: biotech companies like Halperin Organix (controlling seed that has to be processed in factories before it can be turned into consumer "food" -- My addition: J.V.). How can people be free if they can’t feed themselves without getting sued for patent violations"

I really do hope that all of you take the time to read these two books. You won't be disappointed.

Everyone In the Intelligence Community Believes That the Russians Sponsored...

...The attacks that made up the over all meddling in our election. And a majority of that community goes further to say that the purpose was specifically to influence a Trump win. That is the bottom line in this latest report from nbcnews.com.

Then we have Trump himself not only going out of his way to praise Putin during the campaign (denigrating a sitting president in the process), he makes it clear he is going to cut the legs out from under NATO, following up with the decision to make a pro Russian oil executive (Rex Tillerson) his Secretary of State. If that is not a clear exchange of consideration (as they say in Tort Law concerning contracts) for services rendered, what the hell is?

Even if it was just a case of the Russians wanting to sow chaos into our political affairs how can a true patriot of this nation do the exact opposite of what should at least be well deserved criticism, if not the more logical call for specific, meaningful penalties against them (even if they are only more economic sanctions)?

That Trump has gone out of his way to congratulate so much of everything Russian in the face of what any other nation would call an act of war is just unconscionable for someone who's supposedly going to swear to defend and protect the constitution and our nation. How can there be any doubt then that he is simply not fit to serve? Why aren't all members of Congress stepping up to do what they swore to do? If they do nothing they are as shamefully responsible for this travesty as Trump himself. And if all of you reading this don't make demands of your delegation to kick Trump out you are simply aiding and abetting.

Why the CIA Thinks Russia Wanted Trump to Win

by KEN DILANIAN and PETE WILLIAMS

See also:

RED STATES

Why Angry White America Fell For Putin

27 diggs Vanity Fair Politics

For nearly a century, the Russians have been trying to weasel their way into the American political scene, but their point of entry has always been on the left. When they finally found an open door, it was on the other side.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Here's A Good Question For You

And more of us should be asking this question.

Is There a Russian Coup Underway in America?

GQ
11,025 views

1 hour ago

Good News On The Energy Front

The Brookings Institute has released a study that shows clearly that states can decrease carbon emissions and still grow their economies; a thing that is referred to as "Decoupling." This is something most on the Right Wing have said would be impossible over the years as the carbon problem become known.

This is certainly good news, but it still has an aspect we should be very watchful of. Most of the states indicated in this study did their decoupling by turning to natural gas and nuclear power; possibly suggesting that a less polluting fuel, but one that still puts carbon out their, or power that from the atom, which has waste we still don't know what to do with, not to mention geophysical safety concerns.

Let us also not forget that significant amounts of natural gas have been obtained by the process of fracking; a process that not only threatens groundwater, but now seems quite related to increased earthquake activity.

The problem I see here is that there may be a great temptation to jump on the band wagon of gas and nuclear which, by the way, still represent Big Money's stake in power generation; and then push much more renewable sources to the wayside. And that would be a huge mistake. Not even if they try to tell us that renewables will never have the power densities needed to power a global economy, which is patently not true (as I have tried to show repeatedly with Tornado Turbines at sea producing liquid hydrogen). As such we all need to be very vigilant on how we discern what is touted as "good news" on the energy front.

How natural gas and nuclear have made the US greener – times two

By Ben Rosen, Staff DECEMBER 8, 2016

More Evidence That He is Not Fit For That Office

The Nation's intelligence community provides evidence of Russian tampering in our elections. Not only does he then propose a business man friend of the Russians as Secretary of State, but he also publicly denounces a part of the government a president must be able to count on. He doesn't bother to work behind the scenes to establish a better understanding of the why's and how's of a national security finding, something a reasonable person would do if they had doubts of the voracity of a conclusion. No, he simply discredits the whole apparatus out of hand on a TV network mostly noted for its propagandizing of all things newsworthy.

Could there be any better reason for that same intelligence community to react in horror over such behavior? And all because what they reported might possibly make him look bad?

Congress as a whole better start asking itself what's going to happen when they, after due diligence, pique his displeasure. Is all of the rest of government to be discredited publicly only because he might be made to look bad?

It's time to stand up all of you Representatives and Congress people. Stand up and declare this man unfit for office. Do so now before this idiot does any more damage to this nation.