Army of Wasps

I always wished i lived a wasp lifestyle. Not because I want to own a yatch or drink at lunch (though it would be nice) but because family was a lot tighter. And its tightness led to power.

In a discussion over a David Brooks article, I sent the above lines to my father. it was odd in a way because our family, comparitivly, has been fairly fractured.But family, regardless of bloodline, has always been a tremendous source of power by virtue of their indispensiblity. Which is not to say they're valuable, just unshakeable.

I'm about to finish up Kennedy & Nixion which, if you're into this sort of thing, is phenominal in its informational overload. But for all the money the Kennedy's had, and for all of their political connections, what served them best, longest was that there were 3 or 4 guys who always looked out for the best interests of the family. In a world where few can rely on much, having an expansive family drive toward the same mission might make you more successful than much else.

I think I respect the frugality of the WASP, too, because of the long term vision it held. If you read the Brooks article, he notes that company owners hadned businesses down to their blood. It lead to long term thinking. So too did the tightness of the wallet. Ensuring the financial independance of your own children, but instilling them with the hardened, Yankee-hillside discipline and social resolve meant they could drive like an arrow at intended goals with an alarming success rate.

I use to end journal entries with some form of closing position that today I feel gave it an overdramatic gravity I'm too aware of to use anymore. For my own dignity, and maybe another offspring of an old brahman dream i'm still waiting to realize.

Recession Fury

Let me be a bit selfish here. The economy is screwing me because I can't change jobs.

"But you're still getting an income?!?!?!"

Thats dandy but I'm also trapped in a hell hole. The only thing left to do is to try and get fired for the income and the stress reduction. Upper management could care less. HR thinks asking how you are in the hallway as you pass constitutes a "reiew of staff morale," and I'm still getting paid piss money wasting away in non-profit land.

The pay's the worst part, not because its low, but because the sit-on-their-ass failures that outrank me have their head int he clouds. Its a slap in the face. I'm forced to either clean up their overpaid messes for nothing, or quit and live on the streets.

Our's likes to think their overly progressive. On the cutting edge and the forefront of american small business. Its the most old school oligarchy save for its female rather than male networks, but trust me. In this regard there exists no disparity between the genders.

Why is it so hard to do something? Because we all want to pretend we're experts. Who gives a fuck about the GDP and the inflation rates and the...just fucking make things. Its not hard to make things people need. Not new. Not flashy. Not innovative.

For example, heres a list of things I need:
Car
House
Clothes
Food
Bicycle
Shoes
Jacket

No one can make this shit? And by the way, you can't cut costs and reap reward if you just built a train that went places. I wouldn't even need the car! I just don't get it America. Make jobs. I know people want them. I know people want to run them.

I don't care about much, just send in the choppers and the relief aid and airlift me out of this nightmare of a wrong decision that my life has become.

Thanks,
Brow

Contemporary politics is lacking an instinct

I've you've ever heard someone say politics is boring, they're refering to policy.

If they say its too loud, mean, or rough, thats politics.

Today I feel like a Roman, reimagining a Greece that was everything I wanted it to be. Despite my political leanings, I've never been soemone to be partisan. I love Nixon. I think if theres any figure in American politics we can go to, well-like and constantly come back with great things to discuss and debate, he's the man we should look to.

Today everythings grade school insults and whisper campaigns. The arguments aren't logical to the adults in the room. Obama was a secret Muslim? McCain would die in office? Its not the ruthlessness of it all that upsets me, I encourage that. What bothers me is the lack of effort, the unrealisticness of it all. Today's political strategy is energize the marginalized fringe of your base. And hope what? That they purify the party so people ask to be included?

Theres no back room deals or run up to the convention any more. 2008 was the best election cycle we've seen in quite sometime. Upsets all over the map. McCain delared DoA until people actually voted. Huckabee coming out of no where in Iowa. Obama takes Iowa, loses NH, picks up SC, loses super tuesday, comes back with 11 strait victories on a sleeping Clinton.

The bloodbath was phenominal. And now we're dead in the water. Glen Beck has a succesful show. And he's just rambling.

Yes.

He's just rambling. I can't tell if the SNL parody's are a direct lift.

I want a superstar. I want to be impressed again. Some one call up the ghost of FDR, and get me megaphone. I need to get to Washington soon. I used to want to go because I loved the city and the sport. Now I think it just needs me.

CNN - Wake Up

from The New York Times


I don't know if CNN is asleep at the wheel or what but in a NYT's article about Lou Dobb's abrupt departure Jonathan Klein, president of CNN, said the following...

“Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere.” This comes directly after an offer the NYT's is reporting as "Mr. Dobbs could vent his opinions on radio and anchor an objective newscast on television, or he could leave CNN."

My bone to pick here isn't with the supposed objectivity of CNN, but what they consider objective. Its as if their following the Larry King model for the entire network; don't cover stories or hold people accountable, but just ask questions and say nothing to avoid being accused of partisanship.

My big issue with CNN on the whole is that its nothing more than fluff stories we're used to from local news on a National level, and a constant citing of opinions from Facebook, Twitter, and e-mails. I love Jack Cafferty, but he can't be the game plan for an entire 24 hour news network.

I think Lou Dobbs is a moron. It was formulaic journalism at its best; immigration issues + angry journalist = ratings. He was an oppertunistic hack and the worst kind but he was at least an opinion on a network where Wolf Blitzer is the most aggressive journalist, and where Anderson Cooper is ritualistically lampooned by the Daily Show for ignoring issues to cut away to stories about dogs. Whether you like the leftist comedy news or not, you have to agree that stories of that nature are best suited for the late night talk show circuit and shouldn't be on Cable News before midnight.

Why CNN continues to go to the well of social media is beyond me. The only rational, albeit bad, idea I can come up with is that when all the fabricated or inflated talk was written the epitath of "dinosaur media," CNN must have come to the idea that drafting off social media would save it...

As President Reagan used to say - work the difference. For those counting, the difference will never be the internet. Every idiot with a keyboard (indlucing myself) has an opinion and an outlet. I don't want to watch CNN to see whats on the internet, thats why I have an internet subscription.

The reason I watch Hardball as my source of news is because I learn things, and Matthews is someone who, with the backing of history and policy, doesn't allow people to get away with bullshit. So why is this such a foreign concept to the top office at CNN? Even Bill O'Reilly at Fox is an example of what CNN should be looking for. In short, theres nothing wrong with an opinion. In fact, CNN showcases them all the time from guys like Crazyhair13 and SnoopDogFanboi, but why not have someone on air, with a spine and a brain who can challenge people.

Because at the end of the day, the news shouldn't be about sharing gossip, it ought to be about clearing the air so people can form their own opinions. Watching MSNBC I've become more of a conservative than I have if I'd ahve watched Fox. I needed something to bounce my opinions off of, and when you have someone who's willing to go to the mat to get to the root of an issue, you can only benefit.

Now if only there was a "like" button for cable news shows...

Healthcare Again

As I read another article on how, in the developed world, America finishes last again. I'm sure this is called America hating but you need to work to make something the best, not just sit on your ass and say you're great. I've worked with too many people who operated that way, its just not me.

So I had to wonder why the republicans would sit by and not attempt to fix anything. 9 months after screaming "no" the republicans finally cook up a bill that covers less people and costs more. Why they thought, in 9 months they could build something as good as a bill 60 years in the making I don't know, but thats neither here nor there.

I think the reason this bill was opposed so heavily is because in 1994, the destruction of such a bill lead to a 12 year dominance for Republicans. Except John Boehner is no Newt Gingrich, and theres nothing close to the "Contract with America" on the table - that every republican can run on. Actually, the Republican party now is not only ununified, its in open rebellion.

I think Cantor probably went behind clsoed doors and did the historical math and realiezed 1 and 1 isn't 3, the republican party isn't going to duplicate its success in '94 with the exact opposite stratagy. And looking at where it was, what it does, and where its going the conservatieves, not the republicans, are winning the party.

For one thing Republicans are generally unparalleled on discipline. They don't get off message, they have a sort of hive-mind that allows small gaffes and missteps to be exploited to a maximum capacity. This, obviously, it right out the window in 2009. For one reason or another, this leftist mentality of party purity like we experienced in the 60's has come, in full force to the republican party. We've also seen a tremendous amount of "front group" use by the neo-cons who are simultaneously ousted from power but who remain the loudest voices in the public eye. Something Ellesworth Tooey would have been proud of (or pissed about because of plagerism).

Secondly, the republican party has, very appropriatly, had a long memory on many things. Not least of which is the 40th president of the U.S. But today their forgetting his 11th commandment, his revolution that lead to the '94 victory, and the unity that Gingrich brought to the table with universal position on policy through his contract with America.

Healthcare, it was said by Roger Ailes (i think), cannot be allowed to pass because it will forever hand the democrats votes from the impoversed. He's kinda right. It would forever give them the votes of a generation, but with a National Policy on healthcare, the impoversed would at least have the same economic oppertunities and thusly few would remain impoversed for long.

As a conservative who wants Healthcare, I had to go down to the crossroads and figure out why I was so passionate about it in my gut, even if it didn't make sense with regard to liberties. But ultimatly it makes the world a more hands off place, one in which everyone can afford the same oppertunities because the cost of ailments born or aquired are no longer a hunderence.

And ultimatly thats the point I'm going for. I don't care where people start or finish economically - I'm a man born fighting and can only respect those ruthless enough to take what they want. I believe thats only valid if the oppertunity to fight is there. If you can't afford your bills because you bought a $30,000 car then thats your problem.

If you can't afford your bills because you have cancer and in the end it costs $30,000 then thats unamerican. Keep fighting the good fight friends. We'll have the power soon enough.

Heavyweight Fight

I'm not much for how people "feel." Thats what Compassionate Conservatism has never appealed to me. Its also why religion has no place in politics. Jesus makes everyone too touchy feely. If you don't like something, bitch about it at your pancake breakfast.

I incorrectly called Prop 1 in Maine, but Maine has incorrectly chossen a side of history. Like Alabama before it, hopping on the supressive side of liberty never fares well for a national reputation and as a New Englander, this is gravely disappointing.

Its not disappointing because gay people want to love each other. Its not disappointing because as a society we're saying thats wrong. As I say, I don't really care much for how people feel emotionally. Its disappointing because equal protection under the law (the 14th amendment...of the U.S. Constitution) is being spit on.

No state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Either you're an American, and you get the rights, or you don't get the rights. Its fair to say that in many cases - there is no equal protection under the law.

Let's be direct about this - the 14th doesn't allow gay marriage. If you want to deny marriage to homosexual couples feel free, but you then must deny rights to all marriage couples. That is after all equal.

So why aren't the pro-equality forces playing hardball? Why aren't we calling out the Maine folks for being as hateful as segregationalist southerns 50 years back? Why aren't we making the claim that they have garner themselves and this nation with a black mark?

As MLK once said "all we say to America is be true to what ya said on paper. If I lived in China, or even Russia or any totalitarian country maybe I could understand...[denial of right] (the rights denied in each situation are different)...because they haven't committed themselves to that over there. but somewhere I read about the Freedom of Assembly, somewhere I read about the Freedom of Speech, somewhere I read about the Freedom of Press, somewhere I read that the "greatness of America is the right to protest the right."

Some of those are directly appopriate (obviously) but the spirit of his message is exactly on point. If the Constitution means something, then this will not stand. Maine has decided today that the American Constitution doesn't work for them, and they've denied it. I hope the pro-equality forces will keep in mind the next portion of that final speech as they carry on..."And just as I say we aren't gunna let any Dogs or Firehoses turn us around, we aren't gunna let any In-junction turn us around."

The man gave that speech with a fever and stomach pains. The things he spoke out against were vicious and vulgar. Our fight is cleaner, but our want should be no less. The civility of this nation has come along way. We can't give up on its founding documents now just because no ones being picked off in the street. Pro-equality forces had better start sharpening their elbows and learn a thing or two about hardball because if you play clean in politics you're just waiting for someone to come do your work for you.

Follow Up:

And this is exactly what I'm talking about. As taken from the website of the National Organization for Marriage.

"Language to avoid at all costs: "Ban same-sex marriage." Our base loves this wording. So do supporters of SSM. They know it causes us to lose about ten percentage points in polls. Don’t use it. Say we’re against “redefining marriage” or in favor or “marriage as the union of husband and wife” NEVER “banning same-sex marriage.”"

Click the link, read the "talking points." They know they can't call what they are asking for by its true function because they loose votes.

a rapidly expanding universe

I'm not sure where I'm going in many aspects of my life, and therefore its almost impossible for me to know if I'm in the right place currently, doing the right things, or moving at the right speed.

I'd like to believe I fight as hard and, for better or worse, fairly ruthlessly in all aspects of whatever it is I'm doing, but I've got quite some time on my hands when I ride the bus home at night, staring out the windows to avoid eye contact with the disgruntled white-collars and out into that day-light savings time darkness that still seems too early to me.

I'm running down a few paths right now. School this spring (1 econ class but whatever), i'm still taking the MTEL's, and I'd really like to get a few certs in some tech crap that sounds nice on resumes. Another political season has come to a close (my candidate lost so I'm 1 and 1 now) but the big run up to 2010 is all but here. Time to go scout that field again.

I guess I'm writing to say I'm lost and by this paragraph I assumed I'd find something out but I didn't. I'm half thinking it might be a good idea to just roll the dice, start from scratch and call it a life. Too much of what I'm doing now is because I believe I'm on track to all the success I've always wanted.

I don't want to take up this pie-in-the-sky ideology as if I was cast in American Beauty, but maybe i'd be happier being myself again. Maybe I'm still pretending I'm not home whenever the idea of loneliness comes knocking.

I don't generally quote Billy Joel, but I think I need to forget about life for awhile.