PUMA For Life

Latvia is the new Iceland: Government collapse saves cows

Another one bites the dust, meaning another small country follows Iceland into economic turmoil and the resignation of their government. Aljazeera reports that Prime Minister Ivan Godmanis resigned on Friday; President Valdis Zatlers called for meetings to form a new government.

Latvia is a tiny Baltic state that has been a European success story until recently.  After achieving the fastest economic growth in the EU in 2006, it was badly hit by the global recession starting in 2008.  In December of 2009, it had to take out a 9.43 billion dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Part of the deal with the loan was cutting public spending and imposing austerity measures on the very unhappy citizens. So, while Iceland was holding protests outside of the Parliament building with pots and pans and rock bands, in Latvia we saw a different type of protest. 

We had little old ladies with umbrellas:

Then we had something a wee bit, uh, unusual. Foreign Policy reports that Latvian farmers, protesting falling incomes, forced the resignation of the Agriculture Secretary by delivering a coffin of cow heads to the ministry. Yep, I bet this bloody-well got his attention!  

PIcture of cow heads here

Now that the government has fallen, I hope there will be fewer sacrificial cows in Latvia.  Otherwise, we might have to take up a collection to send all Latvian cows to India, where they are considered sacred.

Meanwhile, back in Iceland, blogger Dori Sig reports that protests continue. 

The Central Bank CEO, David Oddson, refuses to resign.  Apparently the CEO’s have transferred huge sums of money to banks in the Caymen Islands and other Caribbean tax havens.   Another bank sold some of the large, luxury automobiles that it owned to “friends” at a 70% discount.

 Below is a video of the most recent Iceland protest.  Mmmm, I see a lot of Puma orange in that crowd. Go Pumas!! We’ve gone international.

 

As goes Maine so goes the Nation: Collins and Snowe go Oink Oink

Republican Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe are two of the three GOP senators abandoning their party, and principles, to buy into the pork sandwich being proffered by President Oblah Oblah and his Democratic Party cohorts. (The third, Arlen Specter, is one of those good, very old boys, senate clique buddy buddies white man types, like Kennedy and Leahy, all of whom are fine examples of why we need term limits for Senators).

Three little piggies go to market:  oink oink oink

I mean this is disturbing.  These two women represent a state that used to be comprised of hardworking, honest citizens, who didn’t expect a handout every time they had to blow their noses.  Now we see their representatives, most notably Collins, willing to sacrifice the well-being of the entire country so that her state can rake in a few million dollars, most of which has nothing to do with creating jobs. 

 

Collins actually expects us to be exhilarated that she was able to cut 110 billion dollars from what looks like a trillion dollar stimulus bill; like, according to her, that was the only pork?  Hey, what about the billions going to Acorn?  Could it be any clearer that this is political payback for stealing the election for Oblah Oblah?

 

Here’s a sample of what kind of pork Maine stands to gain per the local newspaper, The Portland Press Herald:

·         The bill contains $4.2 billion for upgrading electrical transmission capacity, an issue that is important to Maine , and $7 billion in rural broadband infrastructure funding.

·         Because of the efforts of U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the bill includes an $87 billion increase in federal matching funds for Medicaid. That would be a huge help for a poor state like Maine and bring $490 million in additional Medicaid relief to the state.

·         The bill also includes $13.9 billion for Pell Grants, to help low-income students pay for college. It also contains $13 billion in additional funding for special education. The special education funding would make it much easier for local school districts to deal with cutbacks in state education aid.

 

I mean, folks, I can see where the pork is, but where’s the jobs?  I guess upgrading electrical transmission capacity and funding rural broadband infrastructure funding might create a few jobs, but then again, maybe it won’t.  And increasing Medicaid federal matching funds and Pell Grants might be worthwhile projects, but where’s the jobs?

 

It is very clear when you look at what Maine stands to gain why these women are supporting this disaster in the making. They sold out. Pure and simple.  One thing for sure; Oblah Oblah knows how to buy a vote and he got a two-fer on this one.  Throw in a little Medicaid here, and a little education funding there, and lo and behold, he gets the twoGOP votes he needs.  (I do not even want to look at what Specter got as a payback…don’t want to go there at all).

 

Is this the change we hoped for?  Hell know! This is exactly what got us into this situation in the first place.  The Dems and GOP keep playing the same game; funding the same programs (weatherization? You’ve got to be kidding. This goes back to the 1970’s); trading off a bit of this and a bit of that; and well, I mean, this is insanity.  Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

 

It seems to me Gov. Sarah Palin is one of the few responsible people in government today; clearly the two senators from Maine do not fit this description.  Palin is very aware of the dangers of accepting federal dollars for programs that eventually the state has to pick-up, once the federal dollars are gone.  This is how states like California end up going bankrupt every other year. Palin is actually getting grief because she is not asking for enough money from the feds; excuse me, she’s trying to keep Alaska honest and secure financially for future generations.  And that’s a problem?

 

In the meantime, Collins, Snowe, and Specter play politics-as-usual and go oink oink oink all the way home.

 

 

 

Protests in Iceland: Is USA Next?

Protesters clanging on pots and pans, throwing eggs, starting bonfires…this is the scene around the Parliament building in Reykjavik , Iceland over the past week.  This steamy scene has nothing to do with the geothermal energy that keeps the natives warm; it has everything to do with the corruption and ultimate bankruptcy of the Iceland government.

 

What are the people in Iceland so upset about?  First, the government has taken over the banks, but the CEO’s are still in charge.  Second, there is so much corruption; the people in government are giving all of the jobs to their friends and family members. Third, the people can no longer trust their press because reporters have been silenced and told they cannot report certain stories. Fourth, they have had free health care, which they pay for through their taxes.  Now, the government wants to make them pay for it (and, I assume, continue to pay taxes). Fifth, and maybe this should be first, the country is bankrupt.

 

Does this sound familiar, folks?  First, our government has bailed out, which means now owns, the banking system, but the corrupt CEO’s are still in charge.  Second, you now have to be a member of the elite and have a relative in the Senate or House to even be considered worthy of the job. Third, the press is dead. No more free press. Fourth, we now have private health care for those who can afford it; there is some talk of universal health care.  In either case, we pay taxes through the nose and don’t get anything in return.  Fifth, the USA is basically bankrupt.

 

The protests in Iceland began over a month ago with weekly speeches.  They have gradually increased in size and in ferocity.  I think the clanging pots and pans are a brilliant tactic.  They make a lot of noise, but they are not weapons.  The people are standing outside the Parliament clanging with the intention of disrupting the government.  (This is something we could do: every time the SCOTUS is scheduled to review another eligibility case, we could show up armed with pots and pans, and let them know we are watching).

 

The people are demanding a new election and the ousting of the Central Bank CEO.  There are two political parties in Iceland , the Independence Party and the Social Democratic Alliance, SDA. Apparently the SDA party met last night and voted to hold elections as soon as possible.

 

All of this reminds me of something I heard on Rush Limbaugh the other day.  Yeah, I still occasionally listen. Although I do not adhere 100% to his views, I find he does have some very astute insights into what is going on in our country.  I got into the habit of listening to him during the campaign because of his bashing of the Usurper, which was quite funny and a good counter to the mainstream media (which I do not read or listen to at all except for an occasional glance at Fox and/or a live streaming event of Hillary Clinton).

 

Anyway, what I heard him say the other day is this:  after the Usurper and the Democrats throw all this money at all of our “problems” and nothing is any better, i.e. socialism has failed, the only route left is fascism.  This is where Rush and I agree.  I have been predicting from day one that the Usurper is a fascist and we will end up in a totalitarian state within a couple of years. Wake Up People!! Park those SUVs, stop all of that meaningless chatter on your cell phone, turn off the tube. Wake Up People!

 

It looks right now like this is a world-wide phenomenon…fascism on the rise.  The people of Iceland are on the cutting-edge of the change that is coming our way.  I urge everyone to pay attention and see how it applies to our own country.  Pots and pans and eggs as WMD’s: do you think they will declare us terrorists for showing up at the Capital armed with stainless steel and aluminum?  Only time will tell.

 

For up-to-the minute news on what’s happening in Iceland , this blogger is doing a terrific job:

http://iceland-dori.blogspot.com/

 

White Guilt Emancipation Proclamation: You are Free, You are Free, God Almighty You are Free!

Today is the day that all White Americans are officially freed from white guilt.  Actually, the black Americans, who happen to be Republicans, announced the new White Guilt Emancipation Proclamation on Election Day, November 4, 2008.  But, I think it is most fitting for it to be official on inauguration day.

 White Guilt Emancipation Declaration

“We, black American citizens of the United States of America and of the National Black Republican Association, do hereby declare that our fellow white American citizens are now, henceforth and forever more free of White Guilt.

This freedom from White Guilt was duly earned by the election of Barack Hussein Obama, a black man, to be our president by a majority of white Americans based solely on the color of his skin.

 

Freedom is not free, and we trust that the price paid for this freedom from White Guilt is worth the sacrifice, since Obama is a socialist who does not share the values of average Americans and will use the office of the presidency to turn America into a failed socialist nation.

 

Granted this November 4, 2008 - the day Barack Hussein Obama was elected as the first black president and the first socialist president of the United States of America .”

I happen to be one of those white Americans who has never had white guilt.  My grandparents came to this country as immigrants in the early 1900’s.  They rode over in the belly of a freighter and their two oldest children died along the route.  They were peasants, didn’t speak a word of English, and even let the officials on Ellis Island change their names, and that includes their first names.  My grandmother’s real first name was Johanna, but probably because she couldn’t spell it or pronounce it in English, it got translated into Jennie.  I never heard a word of complaint about any of this.

My grandfather died of some form of lung disease caused from working in a limestone mine, so my father had to drop out of high school at the age of 16, go to work, and support his mother and two younger siblings.  He was a lifelong factory worker and proud member of the United Rubber Workers of America.

My mother’s story is more tragic and I won’t go into it here.  Suffice it to say, she was born in America , grew up in an Eastern European country as an orphan, and returned to this country as a young adult.  She worked as a nanny and in a match factory, before marrying my father and becoming a wife, mother, and housekeeper extraordinaire.

We attended public schools and since there was only one high school in town, we all attended it, no matter what the color of our skins.  I’m not saying it was all perfect or that my parents weren’t occasionally guilty of making disparaging remarks about people of color, but then they also made disparaging remarks about Serbians and Polish people. We were never taught hate.

So, I have no reason to have white guilt.  My family started at the bottom and made their own way in this country.  None of us ever qualified for Affirmative Action or preferential treatment in any way. 

But, for all of those people who for whatever reason felt they had a reason to be guilty, you are hereby declared free: Lord Almighty, You are Free. 

Now can we all get on with our lives and hope that black Americans realize that we are all sick and tired of hearing about the white man’s racism, because they are starting to sound like racists to me.  You know how they say you become what you focus on?  Well, blacks have been focusing so long on the white man for being a corrupt racist that they have become just like their supposed enemy.  Now, we not only have white corrupt racists, we have black corrupt racists. 

I sure am longing for a bunch of honest, normal, hardworking people, something like my parents and grandparents.  They didn’t have time to be racists. They were too busy living their own lives.  May they rest in peace.

For more information on the Black Republican emancipation proclamation see:

http://www.nationalblackrepublicans.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=pages.DYK-White%20Guilt%20Emancipation%20Declaration&tp_preview=true

Patriarchy Determined to Keep Control by Clubbing Matriarchy into Submission: Every Hitler Needs a Scapegoat

Every day there is some new McCarthy-ite tactic hell bent on destroying Sarah Palin or any other woman who dares to think they have the credentials and know-how to lead this country.

 

Let’s see, the other day it was CNN that decided that Sarah Palin is a disgrace because one, the Republican Party spent money on clothing for her and, two, some insane, alcoholic state trooper who should never be allowed behind the wheel of an automobile let alone a state trooper vehicle decided he was unfairly treated.  According to CNN, this puts Palin on the same level as sex maniacs, bribe takers, and pay-for-play, rotten-to-the-core governors. 

 

Then, there are the recent attacks on the Team Sarah website designed to give the impression that Team Sarah is racist and radical and to thus destroy not only the reputation of Team Sarah but also, by innuendo, Sarah Palin.  Innuendo is another common McCarthy-ite tactic.

 

The smears made by this same cadre of hormone driven fascists against Hillary Clinton are legion; the fact that Obama’s main speech writer thinks it’s funny to feel up a replica of a US Senator and presidential candidate while drunk, and his boss, the usurper President-elect, thinks it’s funny also, is only the most recent disgusting display of the patriarchy.  It’s hard to forget that middle finger Obama gave to Hillary during the campaign that his worshippers thought was so funny.

 

Let’s face it; men are impulsive.  They don’t think about consequences.  A friend of mine told me that every year several men die at the Grand Canyon because they jump up and down on the rim and fall off into oblivion.  The exhilaration of the moment overcomes any thought of the consequences of the behavior…so they die.

 

Women think about consequences.  You aren’t going to find too many women stupid enough to think a quick thrill of jumping off the Grand Canyon is worth dieing for. 

 

With a woman in the White House, we would have someone who thinks about the long term results of their actions.  Sure, dropping a nuclear bomb on an anthill will take care of the ant problem, but if it also blows off your own front porch and makes your home radioactive, you have another problem…no place to live and your neighbors aren’t too happy either.  In fact, the mushroom cloud created by the nuclear bomb has floated over their homes and they have to move, too.  That’s been my observation on how men do things.  It’s called overkill.

 

This is a video of what a man thinks it takes to kill an ant:

 

 

Women much prefer to start with the least obtrusive and work their way up. For the ant problem, a woman would start with a little red pepper sprinkled around and stomping on stray ants, followed by an insecticide. She would resolve the problem without destroying her own home. She would never think to impose her solution on her neighbors.

 Russell Means, chief facilitator of the Lakotah Nation, thinks that without a return to matriarchal thinking our country is doomed. He states that the Patriarch teaches his three R’s: reading, riting and rithmetic, while the Matriarch teaches the three L’s; look, listen, learn. Means says Mother Earth is groaning under the weight of all of those impulsive, male hormones and that without the return to matriarchal thinking, we are doomed. Unfortunately, we are going through a period of extreme misogyny and sexism initiated and fostered by the usurper soon-to-be President. While the National Organization for Women can’t wait to speak up about racism or gay-bashing, it is startlingly silent when it comes to women. In the upcoming fascist state, there will be a scapegoat. Every Hitler needs one.

 Unfortunately for 51% of the population, it looks like it’s going to be them. So while NOW and NARAL and Emily’s list are busily looking the other way, their sisters are nonchalantly being murdered, hung in effigy, slandered, raped, and plundered. I guess they won’t notice, just like the “good Germans” didn’t notice, until the knock came to their door and they were marched off into oblivion. I found this 1973 video of John Lennon and Yoko Ono on the Dick Cavett Show singing one of their new songs, Woman is the “N” of the World. A lot of white men got upset about this song. Interestingly, Congressman Ron Dellum, who was chairman of the black caucus at that time, agreed.

For further information on the Team Sarah attacks see:

http://www.teamsarah.org/profiles/blogs/the-recent-framing-attempt

 

For more from Russell Means on the Patriarchy/Matriarchy situation see:

http://www.republicoflakotah.com/?p=644

 

Cheers to Buddha’s Enlightenment: or, Why are so many Spiritual Seekers Obama Supporters?

What Would Buddha Think?

 

Today, I visited a local Zen Buddhist Temple to celebrate Buddha’s enlightenment.   It is generally accepted in the Buddhist traditions that Buddha became enlightened while sitting under a Bodhi tree on December 8.  This temple celebrated the momentous event a day early, since it was a weekend.  Although I do not consider myself a Buddhist, I honor the tradition and have attended many Buddhist meditations and retreats. 

 

I drove up the narrow, steep dirt drive to the temple and parking spaces.  I was not surprised to find that the majority of cars already there had Obama/Biden bumper stickers on them. (I had removed my Hillary and McCain/Palin bumper stickers on November 5 out of a fear that my car would be vandalized.  I live in an Obama town).

 

I have been involved in a variety of spiritual activities ranging from Buddhist meditations to Christian breaking of bread and drinking of wine ceremonies to weekly Hindu kirtan.  I recently spent five days on retreat at a Trappist monastery.  I consider myself an interfaith Christian on the path of Bahkti yoga. 

 

But since I became involved in this past year’s presidential campaign, first as a Hillary supporter, then a McCain/Palin supporter, and always a Puma warrior, I have slowly separated myself from the organized spiritual activities and friends that had become a part of my life.  I now practice my spirituality at home.

 

It started with the emails from the leader of the Christian bread and wine ceremony.  He was swooning over Obama.  I couldn’t believe it; I mean this is a 60-something year old man, not a college kid.  According to him, Obama and other leaders like him were birthing a new world, a better world, one in which his grandchildren would be happy, blissful, and at one with the universe.  When I wrote back that I was supporting Hillary, I received a venomous response; what we now know as HDR-Hillary Derangement Syndrome.  When I told him that his remarks were sexist, he sent me a typical Maureen Dowd spite-filled, HDR article.  He didn’t think Maureen Dowd was sexist.

 

After a few more email exchanges, he finally concluded that I was a lost cause and removed me from his email list.  Thank you God!!

 

St. Barack Obama

He gives birth to a new world

 

After that, I saw members of an alternative church doing voter registration for Obama.  And, friends from my kirtan group were standing on street corners holding Vote Obama signs. 

 

I ran into one devotee of Gangaji’s, (a contemporary teacher of higher consciousness), at a street festival.  She was sprouting an Obama button.  I had a Hillary button on my straw hat.  She very cautiously looked at my hat and then looked at me and said, “So you’re supporting Hillary?” 

 

I responded positively and asked her why she was supporting Obama.  She said, “Because I’m old and he’s young, and I want someone young.”  Brilliant!

 

I could go on and on with examples, from the 54% of the Catholics who voted against their church teachings on life, to the astrologers, who could only see positive markers for Obama; mixed for Hillary (couldn’t be sure, she  might win); to downright evil indicators for Sarah Palin. One thing I saw very clearly, whatever these astrologers may be seeing, it is completely tainted by their own personal opinion.

 

I have a friend in another state who has been going through similar experiences.  When I asked her why she thought so many spiritual seekers were supporting Obama, she said, “Just say the word peace, and that’s it.”

 

I think it’s delusion and projection.  Disappointing to find in people who I hoped had their sights on greater things but, none-the-less, reality. Spiritual seekers, along with a majority of Americans, have moved from 9/11-induced mass psychosis to eight-years–of-George-Bush-initiated mass hysteria.  Reminds me of what I know about Nazi Germany.

 

It’s been an awakening for me.  I think I’ve been a bit idealistic when it comes to spiritual seekers.  I know spiritual studies attract a wide-range of personalities with diverse reasons for focusing on spirit. And, I have never been one to worship self-proclaimed gurus or self-anointed masters.  But, still, I guess I assumed that at least those in leadership positions had some insight or intuition about what really is going on. Boy, was I wrong.

 

I realized a few years ago that I have the ability to see through a person’s persona and into the core of who they are.  I have often jokingly said, don’t bother lying to me, I’ll know.  And I innately do.  It makes life difficult at times because so many people today are making a go out of life with lies; a totally false presentation of who they are.  So, if I can not even look at someone, or listen to them talk, I know that means a serious fraud is present.

 

And that is where I find myself with Obama. I, for one, have never been able to look at Obama; I have never listened to a single speech.   I have tried once or twice, but he’s just so dark, and I’m not referring to skin color.  I thought Bush was bad; I never watched or listened to him either.  But, now, I actually find Bush more tolerable than Obama.  He’s softened in some way. That's scary stuff.

 

What would Buddha think?

What would Krishna chant?

What would Allah say?

What would Jesus do?

 

On the day of Buddha's enlightenment, Monday, December 8, 2008, what will the Supreme Court of the United State decide?

Presidential Wannabees Shove Obama Down Our Throats

 

Ok, Obama has now selected most of his cabinet and it is clear that his administration is going to be Hillary’s administration without Madame President running the ship of state. 

So, why not just let Hillary get elected?

 

Because the old white man Presidential wannabees just couldn’t stomach the thought of a woman getting something they could not have. Who could they be? Kennedy, Kerry, Richardson , Gore, Dean. They all had aspirations to be POTUS; none succeeded. 

So they conveniently found a young AA guy (being even partly AA definitely gave him the winning edge) to shove down our throats.  I hope you find this just as disgusting and revolting as I do. 

 

Isn’t it about time we had term limits on the Senate and House?  I am sick and tired of these guys year after year. Pretty soon they think they run the country; heck, they think they are the country.  I mean, we are living in an oligarchy.  I heard Teddy K wanted sweet Caroline, who has never been anything but a debutante rich housewife, appointed to fill Hill’s seat if she accepts SOS.  I guess being a woman is ok if your last name is Kennedy (and, my dears, from the right class).  I used to respect this guy, but after his performance this past year, I would like to see a replacement.  And, old horse face is getting pretty tiring too. What the heck is wrong with the people of Massachusetts ? 

 

So, it is all so clear.  No hopey changey.  No passing the torch to a new generation, as Teddy so wonderfully proclaimed upon his endorsement of Obama.  It was all just a tactic to keep a testosterone laced finger on the nuclear bomb button.  And to keep us uppity women in our place. 

 

That is really sick.