It's a small world, after all

The world is getting smaller. No developed nation can cling to isolationist ideologies and no developing country (with resources) is allowed to.

Our differences are both peaked and dulled by this interconnection. Our similarities are either used for kumba-ya campaigning or shoved under the rug of coincidence.

You won't hear a lot about it in this country, but many of our plights are shared on this stage of global politics. And many of our decisions and stances make marks on other cultures, countries and governments, good and bad.

So, on this platform of continuous globalization, I'd like to share some news stories about us, from parallels and points of view outside of our own.

Have a great weekend, Revolutionaries!

Deja-vu in Poland: Jacek Zakowski could easily be talking about us, but he's not. In a recent article in Gazeta Wyborcza, Zakowski scolds his country for giving up the liberties it fought so hard to gain. “There was no coup, no fanfare, no lofty ideas or slogans,” he says, but slowly and systematically, the Polish government has been restricting the rights and freedoms of its people by passing laws eerily reminiscent of pre-1989. Just in the past six months, Poland has passed a handful of laws that allow invasive government surveillance coupled with restricting public demonstration. Of course, just as in the US, each law comes sugar coated and tied off with double speak logic and a sprinkling of fear. Zakowski sees this as an ominous trend and eerily finishes off his article: “No huge external threat menaces us ; instead, the threat comes from within. A quarter of a century after the overthrow of communism, we have forgotten why it had to be overthrown. We remember the censorship, the empty shelves and tanks in the streets, but we forgot that these were only symptoms. The disease was the arrogance of power. And that rot can set in even in a democracy.” Don't we know it...

Compare and contrast with a .45: I abhor mindless regurgitation of news, particularly tragic, mindless acts of violence. That's why it was so refreshing to read an article by a Brit on the events of July 19^th in Aurora, Colorado. Needless to say, all of Europe was shocked, but in a way, not surprised. It's hard to be surprised when you look at our gun toting culture. In 1996, Britain banned all handguns after a school massacre in Dunblane, Scotland when a man, armed with 4 pistols, killed 16 children and an adult. Assault rifles and automatic weapons have been banned since the 1930s. Last year, 51 Brits were killed with guns. In 2009, 31,347 Americans were killed with guns. Kind of makes the adage, “Guns don't kill people, people do,” a mockery of 30,000 cadavers. One man argued, on the site, Reason.com, that if people in the theater had been allowed to carry guns, this mad man could have been stopped before killing 12 people. Ummmmm...I can't grasp that logic. Oh wait, because it isn't logical! Adding guns to a lethal situation doesn't make it any safer. It seems we suffer from “add-it-on-itis,” thinking that we can cover up a bullet wound with a bandaid and call it a day. The truth of the matter is, that bullet hole wouldn't be there if guns weren't floating around neighborhoods like runaway balloons at a Fair. But as we all know, the NRA has the nuts of government between a rock and a salad shooter. Even conservative Romney had originally campaigned to ban certain guns in 1994 to now of course stand firmly behind the “out of my cold dead hands” slogan. Unfortunately, that slogan is all to real for more than 30,000 Americans a year.

No doot aboot it: Say what you will about their funny accents and cops on horses but money talks and the Canadians are getting loud. For the first time in history, the average Canadian makes more than the average American. Personally, I'm surprised it's taken this long to surpass us. Through the economical twists and turns of the past decade, Canada has remained relatively even-keeled, due in large part to a firm set of banking regulations and a government active in social programs such as health care and education. They're certainly not perfect but they seem to get that free-market capitalism, particularly as a governing faction, doesn't quite cut it. As Stephen Marche wrote in Bloomberg.com, "The Canadian system is working; the American system is not."

Outsourced: Any businessman will tell you: it's a global economy, and times are rough. Outsourcing is nothing new yet most Americans choose to cling to the ignorant naivete that jobs on American soil are always a better option. That's just not the case. As Michael Tanner said in NationalReview.com, presidential hopeful Romney knows from previous experience that outsourcing allows a company to be more "efficient and dynamic" in a global economy, allowing companies to grow and consumers to consume. He calls on Romney to make a "full-throated defense of capitalism" via outsourcing, and to stand up and tell it like it is. Only problem is, it's election year. Romney has backed up on a lot of issues such as health care and gun control, and he's not about to lose swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania just so he can come off as a cold but honest businessman.

So there you have it. The truth of the matter is this: you won't hear the truth. Romney won't back anything that might lose him votes regardless of how he really feels. 

He has to represent the Republican party and all the ideologies that go with it. 

And one of those ideologies is based on the needs of lower/middle class working families who rely on those outsourced jobs. 

The funny (ironic, not haha) part of it is, outsourcing will continue, probably even increase, regardless of what Romney has to say. 

It's a global economy and the figureheads of government have little to do with that.

A reflecting nation

I remember when I went to my first meditation club meeting (I went to college in Santa Barbara - of course there was a meditation club). The man leading us in meditation was a philosophy professor, specializing in eastern philosophies. I recall him saying that, before we begin, flood your mind with thought - allow the gates to open, hold nothing back and reflect. Reflect upon those thoughts, the good, the bad and the ugly. Allow them to move around your mind however they want. Then breathe...you get the point.

As I read about the protests today in Spain, I couldn't help but chuckle. Elections take place tomorrow and by law, no protesting or campaigning is allowed the day before elections, as it is to be a day of "reflection." News media typically run stories and ads of candidates hiking or performing other hobbies as a way to wind down after two weeks of intense campaigning. How charmingly Mediterranean.

The joke wasn't lost on the Spaniards either, as many held signs reading such things as: "We're reflecting. Please don't bother us."

Some would say the Arab Spring hopped the Mediterranean and has come now to "civilized" nations. With an unemployment rate of 21.3% (over 40% for youth) and a corrupt political and financial system, most say it's been a long time comin.'

I know I've said this before, but fuck that sounds familiar!

One protester Natividad Garcia said, "They want to leave us without public health and public education. Half of our youth is unemployed and they have raised the age of retirement."

Um...did I drink bleach or could that easily be an American discussing the issues with this country? Only exception is that there really isn't a "retirement age." You can technically retire at 65, but fuck if most people actually can. With an economy so deep in shit, you need scuba gear to find a dollar, the overwhelming majority keep working til they die. Uplifting isn't it?

The Spanish don't think so - a record 10,000 people have camped out, some since May 15th protesting the current situation in Spain. Elections will be held tomorrow, but the Madrid square, Puerta del Sol shows no signs of being cleared out by morning. In fact, many protesters have confirmed that the plan is to stay through the elections.

Juan Lopez, a spokesman for the protest said, "Now on Monday, we have to see how this develops and what the answer is. The best-case scenario, which is the one we would like, is that they will come down here as citizens to hear us, and to make a new and better Spain, a new and better democracy with all of us are together."

That certainly does sound like a best-case scenario. But with tens of thousands of people in Madrid alone, demanding change, it's hard to ignore. Even though the current protests are illegal, no police have shown up, no military. The peaceful protests have gone on without much interference from the government, suggesting there may be more than just a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The conservative parties are expected to over power the socialist party, now in power.

Tomorrow, 13 out of the 17 regional presidents and parliaments will be elected along with mayors for Spain's 8,000 cities and towns. Needless to say, there's a lot of voting to be done. Protesters hope to keep momentum going until the national elections, due before March of 2012. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said that he felt particularly singled out in the protests against Spain's political system. Well yeah, I can see that. However, as we know, it's not just the tip of the iceberg that's to fault for a sinking ship. It's a collective effort (or lack thereof) to throw a country into economic despair.

Regardless of whether the Arab world is contagious or Facebook's activist power is insurmountable, I'm cheering for the Spanish.

Any people that takes an interest in their country, any people who takes the initiative to make their voices heard can effect change. It's only US vs. Them until Them becomes a representation of US. Of course there's no utopia where everyone is happy and kumba-ya is the national anthem (although I don't find that song very Utopian) but an engaged people is the biggest threat to a corrupt government. An educated, involved people is the birth place of democracy. Corruption loves a stupid mass...US.

Viva España.

Labor pains

No matter how this ends, it's gonna be a damn ugly baby.
Wisconsin broke the water and now it seems that all over the country, state unions are reluctantly entertaining the idea of giving up wages, benefits and work rules in order to keep their most basic bargaining rights.
Collective bargaining is the corner stone of unions. Without that, there's really no point to even having them. And that is the point of of this war.
I agree that Unions can be a royal pain in the ass - but not having them would prove to be a bigger pain in the ass.
Of course, not for the thick walleted law makers barreling through our rights like a fat kid through cake. According to Republicans, these public sector unions are sucking funds out of the states unnecessarily. Furthermore, their popularity in those states has greatly declined since many private sector workers find the job protection, health benefits and pension plans of public workers unfair...
Um...how is that a fucking argument?
Daddy, the big corporations aren't being nice to me so I don't think you should be nice to...um...the people who work for you! That makes total sense! Meanwhile, Obama is further letting up on corporations so they won't have to spend their hard earned money on protecting their workers. His plan to allow the Health Care Bill to be more of a suggestion than actual law makes for yet another avenue for corporations to skirt their responsibility and pocket a few extra dollars on the back end.
The Bahamas are lovely this time of year I hear...
What the fuck?! Really?!
Once again, these incredibly far removed pompous ticks in suits carrying a wall street journal are on their way to rape and rob the average American.
I'd like to blame it all on the newcomer Republicans, pumping their chests after a win in November. But unfortunately, both sides, as usual are to blame.
Governors on the left and the right have made the case against unions, stating that public workers are overpaid and have far too generous health and pension plans.
So, what do their constituents have to say?
A full 71% of those polled said that they were against weakening the collective bargaining rights of public unions. In fact, a recent poll suggests that while the majority of Americans don't love public employee unions, they are not in support of weakening or all-together stripping them of their collective bargaining rights.
It gets better - you know how these flag waving jack-offs are always promising not to raise taxes? In the same recent poll, Americans said that they actually prefer raising taxes to cutting benefits and pay to public workers - dirty fucking socialists...oh wait, that's us.
You mean, we the people, want to help, we the people...? That's just too fucking weird.
Underneath these clouds of apathy, underneath the veils of nonchalant, laissez-faire arrogance, there is a group of Americans who don't want to see corporate America steal our last breaths of freedom and the pursuit of happiness?
Damn...well, if that's true, then couldn't we, possibly, just maybe...Do Something...?

Healthy violence

So, apparently not everyone is stoked about the Health Care Bill passing. Who knew?
I admit, I'm not entirely ecstatic about the bill. I feel that it has its fair share of flaws and by the time it got past the road blocks and obstacles, it was bruised and battered. Not to mention that, still, nobody really seems able to tell the people what the hell is actually in there, other than broad subjects like pre-existing conditions.

Well, now violence can be added as a side effect to swallowing the bitter Health Care pill.
To list just a few occurrences: Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York got an envelope with a threatening letter and white powder, Rep. Russ Carnahan had a coffin delivered to his house and placed on his lawn by Tea Partiers, a bullet was fired through Rep. Eric Cantor's (a Republican by the by) window, Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (also a Republican) received a death threat on her voicemail.
Apparently, these representatives (Democrats and Republicans, you may have noticed) are throwing blame at each other instead of at the ones responsible. Rep. Cantor accused the Democrats of "using acts of violence for political gain."
House Democratic Majority Whip, James Clyburn told CNN "We in this Congress have got to come together in a bipartisan way and tamp this foolishness down. It doesn't make sense. That's not what a democracy is all about."

I'm kinda with Clyburn, other than the fact that we're a republic, not a democracy. But over all, this is ridiculous. I'm all for moving forward and forcing people to notice the needs and issues of truly concerned citizens, as you may have seen from my rally blog. But this is not it. This is terrorism. Not to sound like a loon, but am I wrong? Targeting representatives' homes, offices and families leads to nothing more than violence and the writing off of all of us who do really care but aren't fucked up enough in the head to threaten someone's life.
If you want real change, if you want real results, organize, educate and fight the real culprits with real ammo: fight the corporate kings of America with the power of the people. We don't need a bunch of guns and white powder to get a point across. In fact, if you want to get a point across that doesn't just label you a complete stooge, use your head instead of your trigger finger.

Making non-ideological headway

I recently read an article in the NY Times Opinion section by Frank Rich, a regular in that section.
It's entitled "The Up-or-Down Vote on Obama's Presidency."
Now, I think we can all agree that Obama hasn't proven to be the magical knight of change and hope that he promised to be in his campaign. Unfortunately, he hasn't even been much of an ordinary foot soldier for hope and change.
Rich makes some really great points about Obama and how he has thus far failed to make any difficult choices in the face of partisan attacks and serious issues. He has a great ability to talk to people, tell them that he understands key issues and the need to solve them but he doesn't act. He has yet to outline a clear-cut plan of action, a path to fixing a broken America, on anything from health care to finances. He seems deathly afraid to be called out as partisan. His fear is a great contributor to the stalling. I believe he confuses his ability to act with the appearance of extremism. Acting on key issues is not about choosing sides, it's about getting things done, regardless of who believes what.

Rich mentions FDR and Reagan, two people, who throughout their political careers, made decisions based on their own knowledge and convictions for what they felt was right. The New Deal was seen as extreme by both parties. FDR said "fuck it." In 1967, after Reagan had just been elected governor of California, he submitted one of the largest state budgets in California history, much to the dismay of his conservative pals. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying either one of these characters is infallible. I'm merely bringing up examples of partisan leaders who acted on issues regardless of what their party would bitch and moan about later.

Obama hands off key issues like finances to Congress that will in all likelihood just banter back and forth until they take their next vacation. He apparently didn't want to go up against the same people who filled his campaign piggy-bank. I say bullshit. You're commander-in-chief. It is your job to act on the behalf of the people, not pundits or partisan bullies who claim you're too right or left. Your people are depending on you to act. Like Rich says, Obama doesn't have another year to dance around issues throwing well written speeches our way. A firm stance is necessary to move forward. And, in the end, as commander-in-chief, he has to close his ears to both bickering sides, and go off his own mind. And as his constituents, we should do the same. Work to move forward, not left and right.

Really? A trap?

Did you hear? Apparently there's an evil plot afoot to give Republicans exactly what they asked for...shhhh, don't tell anyone!
That's right. Republicans have been bitching and moaning now since Obama released news of the Health Care summit, where he intends to invite members of both parties to an open dialogue on the controversial issue. Not only that, but it will be televised. Here's the catch. It's exactly what Republicans asked for.
Now I know that Democrats are awfully sneaky, what with their bipartisan talk, their endless wishy-washiness on key issues and juvenile need to impress and please the right. But here they are (or at least he is) taking a stand while simultaneously acquiescing to Republicans requests on Health Care. Holy shit!

Now, as you know, I'm not the Obama poster waving child of hope that believes he can do no wrong. But as of late, I have been a bit impressed with his moves to...shall we say...govern!? The Democrats are notorious for cha-cha-ing around issues, not moving forward unless Republicans say it's ok. However, Republicans are notorious for pushing back. Like some of the southerners I went to school with, or my next door neighbor in good ole North Carolina who claimed American cars had been going down hill ever since n%$#&rs started working on them, Republicans don't want to move into the 21st century. To their credit, they have more than 200 filibusters in three years, they haven't passed or helped pass any major legislation since the Patriot Act that could now potentially jail me for life for writing this post.
They excel at making loads of cash for doing nothing. Washington is stagnant and now some of the rust MIGHT just be coming off the wheels that move this nation forward. Meanwhile the Republicans pull hard on this tug-of-war crying "Trap!" and "Terrorists!"

C'mon. Really?
Put down your bible and your stogie and go do what you were voted to do, get shit done.