Why Voting Republican Is A Victory For Neo-Conservatism's Perpetual Warfare Abroad & Extremism At Home.

Let me start by saying that voting for a full Republican-controlled Congress is a disaster (potentially a nuclear one) waiting to happen. I don't mean to scare anyone with that kind of language, but it's the solid truth.

I want to begin by going back to the days of the GW Bush Administration and the extremism it launched in the aftermath of 09/11/2001, and look to that time period's strong entry into what would become the biggest bout of American nationalism/patriotism and militarism at home and abroad. If you were born before the year 1997, you'd remember the chaos of that ghastly Tuesday morning in September 2001, and the messages President +George Bush and Congressional leaders gave later on that same day. Needless to say, everyone was scared and infuriated by the attack, and there was a quickly and strongly growing desire for revenge. Revenge for the attack on our civilization, values, beliefs, etc., and a desire to take out the people responsible for the loss of many civilian lives. This desire for revenge fed into the Neo-Conservatives' narration for the need of permanent warfare and the need to take out the "Axis of Evil" that threatened everyone living in civilization. At first this meant the Taliban and its Al-Qaeda allies in Afghanistan, but soon evolved into Iraq, Iran and North Korea, the Neocons' 3 top targets. I think we can see where this evolution went, especially going into the Fall of 2002 and Spring of 2003, The Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom).

Of course many wonder: "But +Jgsf1987, how does this tie back to the Republicans today?" A very observant question that requires a more illustrious answer. Many of the same Republicans in Congress today, folks like +Senator Lindsey Graham and +Senator Richard Burr, voted overwhelmingly in favor of the War in Iraq and for its supplemental funding outside of the national budget. In addition, many of these same figures, were egging the conversation onward that the Neocons presented that we need to be on a permanent war setting and be prepared to invade any country that even slightly disagreed with us. This meant provoking other nations unnecessarily, those with which we had peaceful, but slightly tense relations with. These were nations like Russia under the leadership of +Vladimir Putin, China under +Jiāng Zémín, and North Korea under +Kim Jong Il.

Today, many of these same figures are calling for a return of troops to Iraq, as well as the placement of troops into Syria and also Iran. That's in addition to permanently extending the tax-breaks of the Bush Administration for the very wealthiest Americans and American corporations, which are bankrupting us. Another aspect to bear in mind is that these same folks running the Republican Party are seeking to destroy the system of Civil Rights and the safety net propping up the very poorest among us. Doing this is going to put even more strain on the economy, and will only pull it downward. Also, look to whom they pay greater credence to: Big Oil, which includes the Koch Brothers. Think of it this way, you want to be able to have decent medical care, clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, clean food to eat, etc.? Don't vote for the +GOP, as they want to get rid of any and all safety regulations that are meant to keep us alive.

Why The Koch Brothers & Their Friends On The Far-Right Are So Keen On Purchasing America's Sovereignty

Think of the Robber Barons of times old, and you'll be able to understand what we're up against with the Koch Brothers throwing their weight around. Just like during the Gilded Age when wealthy corporate tycoons tried to purchase government influence, the same is happening right now.

Here's another way of explaining it: think of all the arguments made by the Republicans in favor of increased wealth concentration and how it will trickle down to us somewhere down the line. This is the same specious argument they've been making whenever their conservative wing assumes power. The last time anyone remembers the promise of Reganomics, it was that we would see everyone prosper with a lighter money supply. Yeah, 3 decades later, we're still digging ourselves out of a hole due in part to this economic theorum.

Well, combine the explanation for the calls of returning to supply-side economics, with the fact that many of these same wealthy individuals, feel it's their duty to fight the so-called "culture wars", as a means of denying people their rights, or to unleash an unconscienable target for people's pent up rage. This is sickening, and should not be who we are as a people. In any event, this is exactly what the Koch Brothers are looking to do, in addition to some of their friends. Think of the Walton Family of +Walmart as another example of right-wing extremism.

Much of the racism that we're seeing currently (the worst since the 1960s, but nowhere near the severity of the 1870s-1920s) has do with either the Koch Brothers, or one of the many organizations they founded (+American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), +The Cato Institute, +Americans For Prosperity), or any of the other billionaires throwing their money around as a means to distract us from revealing their true scheme.

Overt Racism Returns

Here's something that's been really turning me and a good majority of Americans off about +Fox News, and the Right-wing in general, the obvious showings of overt racism on the air. As I said in a previous post, this is exactly like reliving the 1960s.

I'm not about to blame the President for this uptick in overt racist commentary, as he can't control any of it (it is protected by the 1st Amendment, provided it doesn't incite violence). I do, however, blame the +GOP for courting the formerly racist-wing of +The Democrats, and fully giving them control over the past few decades. What the heck happened to the party of fiscal and social moderation? It's like it's been replaced by a party of hardened extreme theocrats looking to impose their values on everyone.

Moreover these theocrats are seeking to impose White Supremacy again! Big mistake, in my eyes. It won't fly in the eyes of the American public. Our national strength comes from our diversity. It's an asset, not a hinderance! However, it won't stop the +GOP's racist wing (aka +The Tea Party) from doing so. How? By claiming freedom of religion, and that anti-discrimination laws (i.e., the +Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, etc.) violate their right to free religious beliefs, and the right to decide how to run their own business.

It's this same excuse, and the newly found medium in +Fox News to broadcast the excuse, that allows the extremists to continue calling for more ways to undermine any and all civil rights legislation.

Protest At The Chinese Consulate

I'll start by saying that the bus ride to work faced a major delay due to a protest in solidarity with the protesters in Hong Kong. The protesters in San Francisco were staging their event at the Chinese Consulate (located on Geary & Laguna) by first marching over to it and then rallying in the street right in front.

Needless to say this tied up traffic, but as inconvenient as protests can be sometimes, they're necessary to prove a point. The point the protesters were making earlier: China should live up to its agreement to retain Hong Kong's democratic governmental structure as had been decreed when the British left in 1997.

Reason To Not Vote Republican In Election

I'm aware that the election is coming up very soon, and that we're in for a really wild outcome. One thing to bear in mind this time is why we need to refrain from voting for the +GOP this time. Let's bear in mind the fact that the Republicans want to turn America into an oligarchic kleptocracy, like Vladimir Putin runs in Russia, and wants to roll back the clock to about the 1830s. We don't need to go back that far, and we need a government that's transparent and accountable to the voting public. And by rolling the clock back to about the 1830s, I'm saying that they want to disenfranchise everyone, but White, Protestant men and strip away all other rights. Additionally, they're looking to start a campaign of genocide against those who are non-White (think of who's a part of the +GOP base - it'd be a non-surprise to know that many happen to be from the White supramcist movement), and don't be too shocked if they try to carry through with it. Many of the folks in +The Tea Party (a good chunk of the +GOP base), also fall into the category of White supremacy advocates and followers, and come from groups that advocate such positions like the +John Birch Society and the +Ku Klux Klan.


In terms of economic policy, many of these same people are looking to drive everyone into a financial hole just to allow big companies like +McDonald's, +BURGER KING, +Koch Industries, etc., to make a quick buck with our tax dollars and get a bigger break in their on-going scam of evading taxes. We can't continue on this path, and we need to grow the economy in order to get ourselves out of the mess left behind by +george w bush's administration.

So just to recap if you would like more racism/more legislated hate, more corruption, more inequality, vote for the +GOP. If you'd like to make more progress (despite it being frustratingly slow), vote for +The Democrats.

A message from +Jgsf1987

Seeing Evil Elmo

I have to say that I was way creeped out yesterday on my way home from work. I just happened to run into a figure who I've seen a lot on +Stanley Roberts' +People Behaving Badly segment on +KRON 4: Evil Elmo (aka, Adam Sandler). I saw him just outside the Powell St. Muni/BART station, and I have to say that he was a lot bigger than I thought. The reason I find him intimidating is not because of his size (My Pop's like 5-6 inches taller than me), but because of the fact that he's known to get exceedingly aggressive with almost no warning and does so at little kids and their families. Just seeing him outside the +Flood Building was enough to give me the willies. I managed to get a photo of him by the Cable Car Turn-around in front of the +Gap on Powell and Market.

Enclosed is a video of him in Times Square, with a warning: be prepared for some graphic language (he makes a lot of Anti-Semitic and Anti-Hindu Remarks). Let's just be clear this is not any Elmo you want near your kids. If he approaches you, don't give him anything. If he gets aggressive, find the nearest officer from the +SFPD.

Blue Shield And Prop 45

I found the mail I got yesterday on the dinkng room table, and next thing I see, a flier addressed to me saying, "Vote No On 45". So naturally, it'd be wise to look at who's funding that flier, and unsurprisingly, 1 name shows up: Blue Shield of California. This is a complete non-surprise as the company's looking to avoid any kind of premium rate regulation so that it continue bilking us at almost 3-5x the inflation rate. Do yourselves a favor and vote Yes On 45. Your wallets will thank you.

A dedication to the greatest Lady a man could have.

I have to take a moment to pause and reflect, and remember the lady that brought me into this world, my Mom. I can think of no lady who's been there fighting there beside me and behind me, no matter what happens. I always would want my Mom to know that I appreciate everything that she does for me, and that I always have her in my thinking as I'm moving on with my life.

I just know that I'll always appreciate the fact that no matter what, I can always count on my Mom.

+Jgsf1987 

White House Intruder And Possible Presidential Assassin

Now this is not to say that the events of the last 2 days or so is the first time that the +United States Secret Service has screwed up royally; but this is perhaps one of their worst, if not the worst screwup in the past 2 1/2 years. Apparently the intruder made it further into the White House Grounds and into +The White House itself than the Secret Service had originally said, and was more heavily armed than originally described. What was lucky was that President +Barack Obama was not in +The White House at the time of the incident, as +PoliticusUSA describes.

In a separate article, +PoliticusUSA makes the situation clear that the +United States Secret Service bears the most responsiblity for allowing this breach to happen because of the misjudgment of the most senior agent on +The White House site of a car backfiring, when what the agent was actually hearing was gunfire. But while I may be heartened that Congress is holding hearings into how the Secret Service allowed the breach to happen, it does deserve a considerable chunk of the blame, particuarly +John Boehner and the +House Republicans, for allowing the sequestration to happen. Had the +House Republicans bothered to work with +Senate Democrats, the sequester would not have been enacted and the Secret Service would not be down 550 agents.

However, as I said previously, management in the +United States Secret Service is ultimately responsible for ensuring that an incident like this doesn't happen again. They are ultimately responsible for ensuring the safety of the first family at all times, in addition to all visiting heads of state and heads of government. In some cases the service has grown complacent when it comes to managing threats, not willing to adapt new means of protecting the first family from all enemies, both foreign and domestic, or unwilling to adapt new tools to combat these threats. I just hope that they get their act together, in addition to Congress.

Understand That Racism Plays A Part In The Right's Campaign This Year

Let me just make a note of the fact that we should be trying to fight as hard as possible to make our voices heard. From the events in Ferguson to the silencing of all our voices by the Koch Brothers, we need to understand what it is that makes this cycle that much more important. We're in for a world of hell should the Republicans take the Senate in November, as they'll be leading us down to a path of fascism not seen since the Nazis had control of Germany back in the 1930s and 1940s. No, I'm not equating ALL REPUBLICANS to being fascists, just the more extreme ones. Most Republicans are kind of like my Pop in this sense, not really all that concerned with someone being gay, or being whatever, and mainly with keeping the government from making a real mess of the economy.

It's the extremists that have hijacked the party and are now leading us down a path to fascism, due to their consistant lust for war and conquest, and their need to manufacture crises at home just to scare the living heck out of all of us. Basically, they continue to view the White Race as the master race, and all others as infestations. The racial community that always gets the worst of it - the Black community. Let me tell you all something, their struggles here in America are like the Jews' struggles in Europe. My ancestors went through the Romanovs' constant pograms, and I see a lot of that happening today with the Black community, many times in the hearts of our big cities. It needs to end, and it needs to change. How? Education of what the community's experience is like from one day to the next.

For those who are from other racial/ethnic communities, I will not discount your experiences either with the worst of White America's racism. Take Arizona's SB 1070, the Papers Please Act, which is completely about racial profiling of Spanish-speaking Americans living in the state. Additionally, it's time to end the usage of the word "illegals" when talking about the Spanish-speaking community at-large. The vast majority of them are here legally, and many are even born here. Another aggrivating example is the stop and frisk and/or warrantless bugging of Muslims and Mosques. This goes beyond common sense and is a knowing willful violation of the 4th Amendment and the 14th Amendment. First of all, the vast majority of Muslims, both in America and around the world, are not JIHADISTS. Those that are Jihadists are a very tiny minority, I'd doubt even 10% of all the world's Muslims.

My point is simple, just because we're from a different background doesn't mean we should be having to deal with disrespect and indignity while trying to get through day to day life.

Think about this when you go to the polls on November 4.

- +Jgsf1987