Stop Immigration Raids!

So today I was supposed to go to an immigrat rights protest downtown. Somehow it either didn't happen or I missed it completely, though I was there at the appropriate time. But I've been meaning to write this note and it's a very important one. Obama hasn't been much change in policy as far as immigrants are concerned. And the most frightening thing is he's continued with the ruthless policy of immigration raids.

Back in July he promised(http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=69612) to end it. Like a good politician, speaking in front of a raving latino crowd, he gave them what they wanted to hear: hope. But that isn't what has happened so far. Immigrant rights activists have been furious after raids have continued.

What is an immigration raid? In my state of Florida we have many random blitzes from the police, purposely near immigrant (mostly Brazilian in my region) businesses and neighborhoods. I didn't know this could even occur at the time and I was surprised how fast the news would carry through the community. My mom would always be like "oh so and so called me, told me she had to turn another way cause she saw a police blitz over on so so street". My mom doesn't need to care about them, she's legal now, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a heart. And everyone should have a heart in this case.

An illegal immigrant, driving just to feed his family, in a moment is now torn away from all that he built up. From his family, car, house, his whole life turned upside down. The police turns into the enemy, not the helping hand for immigrants. Immigration raids at workplaces and on the streets are purely unethical. Why deport someone who isn't breaking the law (outside from entering illegally). If they're producing members of a society, they shouldn't be uprooted so cruelly. Like i've said, immigrants don't come here to drive, they come to work and try to build on the American dream. The policy of the U.S. government however, only encourages criminal activity. Without supervision, in their state in the shadows, what incentive do they have to be lawful, to pay their taxes, etc? The aim is to assimilate illegals, not alienate them.

The author of this article (http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_12074704?nclick_check=1) is correct in many ways. Obama has sent mixed signals, purposely or otherwise on his intentions with immigrant rights. And he is correct that Mexico is being pathetic in complaining to the U.S. government. Mexico needs to become a state capable to function on its own. Ironically, it's so close to the most powerful nation in the world and yet it is so weak economically. Many of its south american neighbors put it to shame in that aspect. But we must help them in some way, while also giving them the responsibility for their citizens. I'm all for legalizing the immigrants here now, but we cannot have another 12 million illegals here 10 years from now because of Mexico or any other nation's excuses.

Stop Using Twitter!

First we had livejournal, which some people used often, providing you with a constant stream of your friends' stream of consciousness. Personally I enjoyed livejournal and I thought it was a great way of communicating your thoughts, while keeping a very personal connection with people you knew. No pictures, no video, just pure rambling, sometimes long and boring factoids about your life.

Well, unsurprisingly the advent of Myspace took this model and "enhanced" it, or- I believe -ruined it. No more was it a purely text-based thing but now you had layouts and the famous 'myspace mirror picture' ( little known fact: an angel loses his wings every time you take those), bulletins, stupid interactive games, video, child molesters, pesky ads, and a whole plethora of other things to deal with. But the major problem was it eliminated a lot of what made livejournal personal and made having myspace friends you possibly don't know a greater possibility.

Facebook is a bit different but runs on the same concept right? I just like it because it's neat and organized, and from the beginning functioned on these network things that kept you at least in theory in your area code. Plus facebook brought bumper stickers and graffiti! Who doesn't love those? The status update was also a good invention, keeping you interested in your friends' mundane happenings. Also, I think notes are used more often in Facebook than in myspace, but of course they serve a different function than a diary like livejournal was. Right now I think facebook is the most "virtuous" option, even though I hate this "new" facebook. The makers of facebook are like unsatisfied women who always have to move furniture around every month at the expense of their husbands.

BUT TWITTER? (I had to go bold on you guys) Are serious? I know I said status updates are cool and all, but you can't run a service just on status updates! 140 characters?! What kind of brain-dead, ADD, simple people would sign up for this ? OH America. But this is not a chastisement of all of America, but of American media and politicians more precisely. What other institution (if it were an institution) better embodies American idiocy? It's a shame on the world stage to be caught up in such a gimmick.

Every major news network has a twitter, Fox and CNN (I don't know about MSNBC) both have shows in which they twitter WHILE doing it. It's a sad excuse for what they call being 'interactive'. " Well it's time for our twitter board ' babymama242 says: OBAMA shud pympp slap AIG' , " . You've certainly seen the type of misconstrued sentences, criminal typos and purely ignorant things that come up on these type of forums like Youtube, facebook discussion boards, and twitter. So they never should be used in any form as a journalistic element.

The media's job is to give news, not to interact. Stop twittering and go cover important stories on genocide, injustice, the president, whatever. I can name 100 things right off the top of my head right now that could be a better use of the media's time than devoting time to even mentioning twitter. So please. Stop it, you're not cool! Twitter isn't even cool!

Now for the politicians. All those congressmen/women twittering during the president's speech. And all of them have it too, it's ridiculous. Do you think that keeps you closer to your constituents? That they now know what disrespectful asshole you are going online to make your status update while the president talks? Thanks a lot, you're really caring about my interests. I just hate politicians, almost all of them. And this type of shit, though so stupid and small on the list of shit they do, really pisses me off. They're acting like celebrities, like Ashton Kutcher twittering a picture of his wife's ass. What's the difference? Very minimal in my book.

So just stop twittering. Stop it.

Cuba, G-20 and Republican Uselessness.

I just wanted to talk a little bit about recent events and their implications in the future:

Cuba:

While Obama's move was applauded by most democrats and wildly criticized by blind republicans, it didn't do much. The fact still remains that America maintains a stubborn embargo that would have had even more disastrous consequences if Cuba hadn't been so pragmatic in dealing with the Soviets and now Europe. Now Cuban-Americans can visit Cuba and send money. But a lot of Cubans here, at least many fiery ones in Miami wouldn't go back anyway. They'd much rather put on a huge party in Dolphins Stadium when Fidel Castro dies (true story) . The money might help a bit, but if we take the examples of Mexico and Mexican-Americans what they need is fair trade, not visitation and remittances. The stupid embargo makes Cuba spend many times over 3x more on important imports such as medicine. Still, it remains a fighting a country that makes Latin America (and the U.S. ) jealous in educational and health standards. It is obvious blockades and embargos do not work, while only making the "enemy" more stubborn and resistant. The example of Cuba and Palestine is out there for all to see.

G-20:

With that said, Obama made great progress at the recent G-20 summit. It's amazing how the world deposits trust and confidence in him. He was able to mediate a conflict with France and China and he was clearly the leader among leaders, instead of a creepy old man that gives back massages to Angela Merkel and makes world leaders cringe. He gave a great speech in France calling out the Europeans for a knee-jerk anti-americacnism that had developed in recent years while also being humble and saying America should also learn to appreciate Europe. Overall it was a very successful trip.

Republican uselessness:

I've come to the conclusion that the republican party is the most shameful image of America in this world. It is not an opposition party, but a mud-slinging bunch of imbiciles who know nothing of what they're talking about. There was a time when being a republican meant something concrete, an understandable and rational opposition. But the developments since and a bit before Nixon drew all that was bad from it to the top.

I'm very opposed to a two-party state and I'm by no means a democrat but the Republican party has just deteriorated to a point of no return. It must either die completely and arise anew like a phoenix or a new party (hopefully parties) will take its place. If you ask me the future will be the latter. Instead of reevaluating itself, the republicans have only shifted more to the right. Instead of seeing the huge mistake of Sarah Palin, they support her more than ever. Instead of reaching out to minorities, the educated classes, etc. they are more and more concentrated within the rich capitalist/uneducated whites, an ironic combination but that makes sense given the history of this country.

The misdirected anger is ridiculous. Propagated networks such as Fox News, the public turns its righteous anger of the situation on a government that is barely 3 months old, instead of the failed companies and policies of wall street. Just like while most southerners did not own slaves, the vast majority of confederate troops fought for a system they never did and never would benefit from. That is what these "tea parties" are. Misdirected anger. They are a huge tea bagging on the american public. Funded by the rich, the people holding "Obama is a Facist!" don't know what facism is, and even less that they are in fact benefitting from Obama's tax plans.

It's scary when you think that this country is so evenly divided between left and right. It makes no sense how a failed platform such as Mccain's (which I love as an individual, not as a president) would still gather 46% of the popular vote in the election.

Even scarier is the power of the pundits over these people. When Glenn Beck incites not only anger towards the administration but also implies violence(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNp9GSbFQhQ&feature=related), when the Texan governor implies secession from the union, when pundits warn to buy guns while you can, all these things scare me because we have 46% of the population who voted for these guys. And lets say 46% do not necessarily agree with these outcries but I'm confident in saying that at least half of those 46% do. When Glenn Beck does his crazy antics in San Antonio and calls for secession in Texas and the huge mob applauds that is some scary shit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3W-gmwnWLs).

It seems to me like Obama has been in power for years in the way Republicans are attacking him. But he hasn't. In only 3 months Newt Gringwitch is already calling Obama " the biggest power grabber in U.S. history" . In only 3 months Republicans have fired every sort of inane criticism (none of them really useful or constructive) of Obama. Like bowing to the Saudi King? Who cares? But apparently to republicans that is unacceptable. It was ok when Bush kissed and held hands with the Saudi King though, that's all good , no homo you know? It took far longer for the Democrats to start fighting back during Bush's 8 year reign and even when they did it was utterly weak.

So who is leading this ridiculous party? It's certainly not Michael Steele, the first black chairman but also an idiot who wants to bring republicans to the "urban-suburban" scene through using words such as "bling" and other ghetto sayings. No one in congress seems to lead them either. The real leaders of the republican party are brain-dead farts like Rush Limbaugh, O'Reilly and that stupid "principle" 14-year old they had speak at their conference.

That's why I say the republicans are contributing nothing to the discussion. They are useless, an opposition without opposition. And the only way to escape this circle of ignorance is through education.

Brazil, a hopeful future

Not a lot of people thought twenty years ago that Brazil would be an emerging giant in the world. It had held its first free presidential elections since the right-wing military dictatorship supported by the U.S. took control in 1964. It's first try was a failure, however. Electing the charismatic, young and good-looking Fernando Collor turned out to be a disappointment for democracy as his huge corruption scheme unravelled and he resigned in order to not be impeached. The 1990s were not kind with rinflation rampant and the wide gulf between rich and poor only widening and interest rates that are the highest in the world (and continues to be).

However, in 2003 a different kind of president was elected (finally). Having run since 1989, Luis Inacio "lula" da Silva finally was elected in the second round of a competitive election. He is truly a man of the people. Born in the poor northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco to a large and humble family, he knows exactly the plight of the people. He moved to the industrial São Paulo at 7 and quit school before finishing high school in order to work and support his family. He led the steel workers union in Sao Paulo in a time where unions were oppressed, ending up imprisoned by the dictatorship. He was one of the founding fathers of PT , the Worker's Party in Brazil. Upon the loosening of restrictions in the mid-80s Lula was at the forefront of Brazilian liberalism and the fight for justice. However, the elitist/ "intellectual" Fernando Henrique Cardoso still won the presidency in 1994 and 1998, the only good thing he did was introduce the Real, but even then with mistakes.

Lula is amazing for other quirky reasons too. What other president do you know is missing a pinky from working at the steel plant? He also has a lisp, which is pretty funny but cool that he doesn't give a damn. And most of all he doesn't talk down to the people, unlike most Brazilian politicians. Instead he talks to the people, in ways everyone can understand. His way with words and his vivid metaphors are as entertaining as they are true.


But back to Brazilian progress, all that history lesson and biography was to say that Brazil is emerging as one of the largest and most responsible economies out there. Lula always refused to be a lackey of the U.S. interests and publicly criticized Bush several times. He was a defender of the emerging and poor nations, defending them when members of the EU and the U.S. accused Brazil and other nations of being the causes of the food crisis in 2007. He came out very ironically saying that if there was a food crisis, it was because people in India, China, Brazil and emerging countries are eating better, not because Brazil is producing ethanol, which was one of the accusations.

Under Lula, millions of Brazilians have come out of poverty to middle-class standing. He introduced several social welfare programs that have created jobs for those once without hope. I'm not illusioned though, Brazil still has one of the most horrible slums in the world in Rio and São Paulo and the northeast is still a completely different country compared to the richer south. But what I see is progress and hope that in the future things are going to be better because they have already progressed a long way.

As for the International Recession, Lula has been hitting HARD on the so-called "industrialized, first world" countries. And he is right in doing so. Today he said, while having Prime Minister Gordon Brown by his side, that this recession is caused by people with blonde hair and blue eyes. And he's right, this wasn't caused by African nations, or Latin America or Asia, this was caused mostly by white people in Europe and America. And Lula isn't racist, he's just stating a fact that while white people in America and Europe cause the problems, poor nations who depend on credit for life suffer the most. That's why he has called out jointly with Prime Minister Brown for a $100 Billion fund to help credit flow amongst nations.

Lula, though angered that a lot of what he was able to build on in the last five years may be tainted by this crisis, is not despairing. Brazil is suffering much less than most countries. No mass job cuts as of yet, no massive bank failures. What is affecting Brazil is international trade, which is a big deal. Still, the government projects that Brazil will still grow this year, initially put at 4%, now analyst say it could be much less but still growth or 0.

So I look forward, hopeful for my parent's country, for a people I've lived with and know of their joy, beauty and generosity. I'm an American, and I love this country, but in no way am I ashamed of my Brazilian roots. The Brazilian future is bright, if only they do not fall in previous traps.

Reflections on an idiotic democracy

Rousseau said that that democracy ran on the principle of virtue. The virtue of its citizens is what makes a democracy great or small. And nothing could be more true. Honesty, intelligence, courage and all the other virtues are really important in a system that is free and truly democratic.

Aristotle said that to study politics one needs experience in life. Politics is not something you just do , it's not something you aim for. Politics should be a calling, a love for the people and to represent them. No one should go to school thinking ' i want to be a senator when i grow up' . No, you don't. You wouldn't do shit being a senator, no matter what you learned at your Ivy League school or Uchicago. You must be a leader first in order to lead. And you can only do that by being a servant. A servant of the people. My biggest passion is justice and for a while now I've had this calling to one day hopefully fight for immigrant rights as a lawyer or in some non-profit. That's my goal. Do I love politics? Yeah, but I can only lead if I have lead and served humbly.

So many of the people in Washington are so grossly incompetent. They are people who are just rich, influential, but not servants. They are idiots, ignorant and greedy. And above all they are representatives of a failed system that for a long time now has failed to have its main ingredient : VIRTUE.

So I ask: Why isn't Ralph Nader president?

Because people don't care. People in this country do not know their own good! I mean, it's ridiculous, but the truth nonetheless. Sure, I was never much of a Nader fan, always a socialist resigned to supporting Democrats, but the truth is I was wrong. The democrats TODAY, with Obama or without are the same as the republicans. Sure, they bicker over little issues that in truth don't matter at all while both take money from the big corporations. Who stops cheap drugs from coming in through Canada? The big pharmaceutical lobbies in congress. Who helps put loopholes and deregulation in the bailout? The Wall Street lobbyists. And every day we learn that both parties are recipients, equaly guilty in this dirty, dirty game of money. I've always said our electoral system is a fraud.

I recently watched a documentary called "the Unreasonable Man" about Ralph Nader's life and I have to say it changed by perspective of politicians. This guy is as close to perfect as it gets. I'm talking about his service to the American people. He's no crazy communist, he's a fighter for you, the consumer. Ironically, he has never even held a public office and yet he gets credit for a HUGE list of laws that has made America safer, cleaner and better for each individual.

One guy in the documentary said it right, if the clean air, food boxes, airbags, seatbelts all said "ralph nader" on them maybe people would give him the respect he deserves. Not to mention the numerous foundations he started for the fight against injustice. I mean, the list is so huge of his accomplishments I'd be undermining them if I tried to list them because each one is so important.

But supporting Ralph in the elections was crazy right? You KNEW he was going to lose. Why? Because of people like us, people who lack the insight to know what's our own good. People who do not really believe in democracy, who are resigned to this ugly two-party system. I ask, what the FUCK did George Bush enact/fight for before becoming president? What did Gore do? NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING. They were not a TENTH of the public servant Ralph Nader was, is and continues to be.

So after watching that documentary I just feel depressed. Depressed that perhaps our country is too stupid and will never truly change. Obama has proven he's not that much change from his predecessor. He's erred on Israel, he's erred on the bailout, he's erred on his appointees, especially Tim Geithner and he will continue to go wrong as long as outside forces control our democracy.

So please, America, learn to put democracy first. Learn to foster the virtue that it needs and throw away the mask. And honor your American heroes, Ralph Nader being one of the greatest among them.

A grim future for Israel

The politics of appeasement in its many forms are utterly intolerable in our 21st century world. No longer can we support countries on the basis of ideology or overthrow dictators only to establish another, more cruel one. Neither can we support and acquiesce to those irrational leaders that demand only more and more in order to be calmed. All this were policies of the 20th century, failed in all respects. So why repeat it? Why play the same game?

I've been relatively quiet about Israel and Palestine since the Israeli offensive ended. I waited, hoping for the results of the election, hoping perhaps that the Israeli people would choose logic over fear. But their choices of rational and honorable leaders and parties are few. Israel seems to me like the perfect facist state in the making. For even the so declared "centrist-left" , Kadima would make good friends with Dick Chaney, our most decrepit vice-president.

In the recent election the votes were split very evenly. Kadima, perhaps the lesser of two evils (or three considering the other far right Yisrael Beiteinu) , did not achieve enough seats to properly command a government by itself. A coalition with a party from the right is very likely. Or even worse, Netanyahu could return by forming a coalition and Israel would certainly see more days where innocent lives are killed on both sides. But let us analyze the peace initiatives of both rival parties, perhaps we could find a sensible option:

Palestinian sovereignty, but not at Israel's expense. . That is the dogma of Likud leader and blind man, Benjamin Netanyahu. American Jews, the bastion of liberalism and with the black demographic the most affiliated with the left-leaning Democratic party in the U.S. . You'd think the leader of a party in Israel would be more cautious in speaking of such a touchy subject. In fact the opposite happens, he explains how the Palestinians "should govern themselves, but they shouldn't have certain powers that would threaten the state of Israel" . Those "powers"? Their borders, airspace and even internet!

This is where my tempers flare. Do you Mr. Netanyahu really think a PEOPLE will stand for this? Do you feel threatened by their numbers, or perhaps because they haven't given up yet on being free? Any rational human being can see that this is ludicrous. I'm utterly speechless to continue, so I will leave this matter up to you, the reader.

Israel must give up land to remain Jewish and democratic . The article above features the Israeli option for liberalism, as most parties more left than Kadima are barely significant (except Labor perhaps). How does Ms. Tzipi Livni court the "American Jewry"? By invoking the long promoted "Israel fighting for existence" line. That it's the "only" jewish state and thus fighting for its existence should be halted right there. What makes having a Jewish state any different than having an Islamic state in Iran? Yet we condemn one and support the other? There is no way for Israel to be "Jewish" state as their jewish leaders so desire; they must conform with the fact that they share a land with a people that were actually there first and that their rights are not to be infringed. Secondly, her statement about being the only democracy in the Middle East is false. Hamas was elected too, to Israel's grief.

Livni went on in her address to have the gall, the audacity to urge the American government not to send diplmats to Durban II, an anti-racism conference to be held in Geneva sponsored by the UN. Who does she think she is suggesting to a sovereign government what it should or should not do? It is more than clear why she wouldn't like that. Durban II will be the evaluation and scrutinizing of Israel's blatantly racist and genocidal acts.

I'm sorry, Israel but you're screwed either way. Kadima or Likud, whoever leads the coalition government, will just be more of the same. This reflects on a people that live on fear and not understanding, of excess and not moderation. Even more importantly, it reflects that the Israeli people are short sighted and do not know their own good. Their well being depends on being liked by their neighbors and the world, and not just the U.S. as some figure. Sure, the Gaza Offensive of 2008-09 will keep down insurgencies (or maybe they won't) for a year, maybe more. It will certainly limit Gaza's growth. But for how long? How long does it take a child of 7 or 8 to realize that the loss of his mechanic father and housewife mother was caused by the racist excess of a nation who voted for these leaders? How long will it take for this child to be lured by radicals and those who hate just as much as the other side? I say to you that it doesn't take long in the despair and poverty that confront the Palestinians today. And thus the cycle continues, on towards another 2,000 years of plight?

But if you love Israel, if you want its well being. Hate racism, hate fear, hate the lies and bias.

-Jonathan Rodrigues

The Insensitivity of Modernity

So much of our news is centered around failed attempts at sympathy. In the age of the internet and 24 hour news stations, the world is united in an instant, but numb in a second. Of course, it's not our fault (at least not usually individually) that so many tragedies occur, that so many governments oppress their people and that famine and poverty are rampant. But it is our fault for being numb, living our petty lives like none of this ever existed. I say truly that there is nothing in this world more important than love and compassion. Empathy needs to be built, not false and void sympathy, designed to make you feel sad for a passing moment, a transitory release of what your whole soul cries out for: humanity. It is because of this that I always remember a quote from the movie Hotel Rwanda; it is the scene where a white reporter is talking to a native about the tragedy around them. The native replies with something to the effect of " your people will see this on the television screens, sitting down eating, they will feel bad for a moment, and then they can turn it off and sleep sound and peacefully in their beds". Nothing is more true. How can we sleep peacefully when other human beings suffer? I'm not saying we should all become superhumans and go on a mission to save the world of all grief. But what have you done to make this world better? What is your job, your family, your life to the world in a greater scheme? When I write these things I write them in passion. I love Chase because he is very analytic while I'm just mostly emotion. The world needs servants! The world needs people who understand. I have seen poverty, I have surpassed many boundaries when 19 years ago no one would have said I could have gotten this far. But I do not strive for me directly, but for the fuel that runs me. For my community that has suffered long and grieves hard in injustice. I hope to be a blessing in a stranger's life. If only one. And maybe I'll one day publish my story, but if anyone can take anything from this, take love and give it to the next person you see. Take individualism and incinerate it. Take your life and dedicate it to something larger than your career or family. Take life and live abundantly.

Ali Abunimah: "Israel Lurches into Fascism"

Ali Abunimah, writing for Electronic Intifada, an educational activist website covering Palestinian affairs, supplements my latest analysis of Israeli politics with his own editorial on the topic.

Mr. Abunimah continues where I left off: a discussion of the much wider rightward trend on the Israeli political scene beyond the overtly fascist icons like Avigdor Lieberman. In his words:

"...it's too easy to make [Lieberman] the bogeyman. Israel's narrow political spectrum now consists at one end of the former 'peace camp' that never halted the violent expropriation of Palestinian land for Jewish settlements and boasts with pride of the war crimes in Gaza, and at the other, a surging far-right whose 'solutions' vary from apartheid to outright ethnic cleansing."

The latter is a clear reference to the Likud, Shas (an ultra-Orthodox religious party), Yisrael Beiteinu, and other nationalist parties. The former refers to the Labor Party, led by former Prime Minister and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who in his capacity spearheaded the slaughter of Gaza; as well as Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's Kadima, the centrist inheritor of Ariel Sharon's legacy. Together these parties constitute virtually the entire Knesset; with disgracefully few exceptions, all Israeli parties are anti-Palestinian.

However, I'm skeptical of Abunimah's ultimate conclusion that a two-state solution cannot work. Obviously, a two-state solution imposes impractical geographical constraints on any Palestinian state, which is why a Bosnia-style, federated, two-part single state would be preferable under ideal conditions. But Abunimah seems to underestimate how long it will take before a single-state solution becomes feasible, given the mutual animosity and distrust on both sides. 

For now, the best we can do is encourage a more rational politics in Israel (and in Palestine as well) to foster a peaceful coexistence. 

- CHM

Capitalism Hits the Fan: The Film

Richard Wolff, professor of economics at UMass-Amherst, ☭, has come out with an interesting alternative perspective on the economic crisis in his new documentary, Capitalism Hits the Fan, based on his book of the same name. You can get a full-length (albeit low-quality) preview here.

I don't agree with everything Wolff has to say. In particular, I'm more optimistic about re-regulating the economy (though I appreciate his point on the topic). But in general I think he's on to something.

That's all for now.

- CHM

An Unsettling Trend

By Chase Mechanick

I'd like to introduce you to one of the more disturbing politicians in modern history. 

He was a vitriolic speaker who led a small but growing right-of-center, nationalist, populist party in an otherwise democratic country at the time: Germany. 

Despite being foreign-born himself, his major policy angle had been a lamentation of the ethnic and cultural miscegenation of his country and a call for the restoration of "German values." He had been quoted as saying, "I very much favor democracy, but when there is a contradiction between democratic and German values, the German ... values are more important."

Can you guess who it is yet? Maybe a couple more hints will help.

He proposed that his country's Jewish minority be forced to take what he called a "declaration of loyalty to the State of Germany as a German state" as well as to its "symbols" and "authority," and also be forced to "serve in the army or do national service." If any one of them refuses, his citizenship will be revoked, along with all of his accompanying civil rights and legal benefits. 

He advocated an expansionist policy that would annex German-majority enclaves in neighboring nations through military occupation, ignoring the outcry from the rest of the civilized world. He had accused Jewish parliament members of "treachery," openly calling for their execution in some cases. Regarding several of his country's Jewish prisoners, he once joked, "it would be better to drown these prisoners in the Baltic Sea, if possible."

Any guesses? Nope, it's not Hitler. Actually, the man's name is Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, which came in third place after Kadima and Likud in Israel's parliamentary elections last week (even beating former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's Labor Party, the dominant party in the country for 30 years). All of the aforementioned quotes and policies are literally his, with only arbitrary and inconsequential alteration undertaken by your humble author. Simply replace the words "Germany" with "Israel," "German" with "Jewish," "Jewish" with "Arab," and "Baltic Sea" with "Dead Sea." 

In other words, this man believes that Israel should be preserved as a "Jewish" state. He believes Arab citizens should take an "oath of loyalty" to the Jewish state and serve in the Jewish army, or lose citizenship. He believes Jewish-majority enclaves (read "settlements") should be annexed from neighboring countries (read "Palestine"), despite the fact that these settlements are in violation of the Geneva Convention and are ritually scolded by the international community. It is worth noting that Mr. Lieberman himself personally resides in one of the West Bank settlements, and would have no occasion to evacuate his own home.

His campaign slogan was conspicuously racist: "Only Lieberman Understands Arabic," implying that only Lieberman realizes the insidious threat posed by the 20% of Israeli citizens who are of Arab origin. Imagine if Hillary Clinton adopted a campaign slogan that was this blatantly racist toward African-Americans, who comprise only about 13% of the U.S. population. She'd rightfully be forced to resign. But evidently racism isn't as much of a stigma in Israeli politics.

Lieberman has called for the execution of any member of the Knesset who has met with the Hamas government. In other words, if you're an MK who thought it was a good idea to try and negotiate directly with the freely elected government of the Palestinian territories, then too bad: Mr. Lieberman thinks that you deserve to die. And the Dead Sea joke referred to a plan by Ariel Sharon in 2003 to give amnesty to some 350 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli captivity. Apparently Mr. Lieberman thinks that just liquidating them all is a better idea.

Most troubling of all is that this unstable man, who has a truly medieval perspective on human rights, will have a hugely influential role in the next governing coalition. He will be in an opportune position to start implementing his radical program, and the electoral success of the right-winged bloc gives this dangerous movement all the popular mandate it needs.

And this is only one segment of Israel's much broader trend towards nationalist chauvinism, expressed by continuing territorial acquisitions in the West Bank, humiliating checkpoints, segregated roads, "security" barriers, economic blockade, a flagrantly criminal war in the Gaza Strip, an apartheid-style national ID card that clearly distinguishes Jews from non-Jews (the Teudat Zehut), and most recently a failed attempt to ban Arab parties from running in the 2009 parliamentary elections.

Most of these policies, contrary to feeble claims by the Israelis, have absolutely nothing to do with "self-defense" or "national security." Where they do produce marginal security benefits, as with the checkpoints, roads, and barriers, these are heavily outweighed by their humanitarian toll.

What is remarkable is that, in any other civilized country, these kinds of policies would not pass by even the most elementary human rights standards. But Israel is a special case. It has evolved into a sort of "black hole" for human rights in the developed world, immune to any real international scrutiny, thanks to diplomatic coddling and aggressive military support by the United States. 

There are some out there who may believe that elements of fascism could not possibly take hold through the ballot itself, especially in a liberal democracy such as Israel. But as we all know, history proves them gravely wrong.

Looking to the past is the key to the future.

I'm a lover of history, nothing excites me more than trivia and mostly useless historical facts. Did you know LBJ once gave an interview to a reporter while taking a shit? Great president. But history is far more useful than knowing about Taft getting stuck in a bathtub, it gives us insight to the future. The only reason we're at this point and stage of society is because 1 , 5, 10, 20 years ago something happened.It isn't something irrelevant, but perhaps it becomes more relevant every day. We humans tend to forget too easily. But we must remember where we came from, how we got here. So while perusing Youtube I found this gem. Notice how awkward Bush Senior was in answering this question. Kind of reminds me of the son. It was more than apparent he had no connection with the common man/woman. Bill Clinton was the Barack Obama of 1992. He was CHANGE. In fact, 1992 was like 2008, a recession year, Bush had just gotten out of a Gulf War, the economy was falling apart. And there is Bill Clinton, a womanizer but an exemplary ex-president. I also found the vice-presidential debate, which is also interesting just to see Dan Quale's amazing self.I find it funny how Al Gore made fun of him for comparing himself to JFK and then the idiot is stupid enough to say "Remember the last time someone did that? Remember what they said?" . LOL.







Also watch Clinton Kick Fox's ASS!

A perspective on the financial crisis

By Chase Mechanick

That we are in the throes of one of the most serious economic depressions in decades is no longer in serious dispute. Even the free-market ideologues who apologized for the peril that an untamed financial structure necessarily introduces are now coming to terms with their fatal error. The crisis finally marks the induction of laissez-faire finance (and, more generally, the neoliberal brand of capitalism) into the list of "tried-and-failed" theories of social organization. Like Soviet (big-C) Communism, or "Fordist" or Keynesian economics, it has followed a familiar historical arc. It was created in the midst of a crisis of faith in the existing social order, baptized by profound social transformation, adopted as policy by many cockeyed national governments, and then finally discredited by a disaster of its own making. What the tragedy of Stalin was for Communism, or the inability of the national governments to adapt to the mammoth scale of capitalist rapacity was for Fordism, the current financial eruption is for the idea of neoliberalism. 

Capitalism is plagued by an endemic propensity to crisis. The specific mechanisms that precipitated the current collapse - Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS), Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDO), credit default swaps and other complex derivatives, etc. - are indeed unique to our era. But the basic cause of the collapse - the over-expansion of capital beyond what the forces of consumption and exchange are capable of sustaining - remains the same. 

To be sure, private industry often causes these over-expansions, and almost always encourages them. But they are also frequently the end-result of a feverish policy of state investment. Consider the British economic crisis of 1825, attributed to frantic investments by the government of Britain in railroads, canals, and other infrastructure beyond what the system was able to bear. An easy monetary policy by the Bank of England is also blamed. Some may look at the roots of the present crisis in quasi-government institutions (like this one, this one, and most of all, this one) and claim that government, and not capitalism, is the culprit - as if the two were somehow dialectically contraposed. In fact, the crisis is portrayed as a deviation from capitalism. Ignoring for a moment the glaring problems with this claim (in fact, it was the deregulation movement and the emergence of shadow banking that exaggerated the problem), the historical record tells us that crises caused by government intervention within a capitalist context are nothing new. On the contrary, they are a fundamental, systemic part of capitalism.

Rosa Luxemburg, ☭, wrote more than a hundred years ago on the unsustainable nature of the financial system in her pamphlet, Reform or Revolution. Her remarks prove quite prescient today: 

"To begin with, [credit] increases disproportionately the capacity of the extension of production and thus constitutes an inner motive force that is constantly pushing production to exceed the limits of the market. But credit strikes from two sides. After having (as a factor of the process of production) provoked overproduction, credit (as a factor of exchange) destroys, during the crisis, the very productive forces it itself created. At the first symptom of the crisis, credit melts away. It abandons exchange where it would still be found indispensable, and appearing instead, ineffective and useless, there where some exchange still continues, it reduces to a minimum the consumption capacity of the market."

More from Mrs. Luxemburg:

"[Credit] constitutes the technical means of making available to an entrepreneur the capital of other owners. It stimulates at the same time the bold and unscrupulous utilisation of the property of others. That is, it leads to speculation. Credit not only aggravates the crisis in its capacity as a dissembled means of exchange, it also helps to bring and extend the crisis by transforming all exchange into an extremely complex and artificial mechanism that, having a minimum of metallic money as a real base, is easily disarranged at the slightest occasion."

And finally, a remark that is extremely a propos to our present situation:

"...[Credit] aggravates the antagonism existing between social character of production and private capitalist ownership by rendering necessary the intervention of the State in production."

Some liberal economists claim that Obama's injection of $819 billion (yes, with a "B") into a hodgepodge of social projects will be enough to "beat the system." Some even think that the stimulus is too small. The plan may stave off the crisis for awhile, or prolong its trough so as to insulate us from a steep landing. But printing money is not the panacea that it is made out to be; history tells us that we need to rethink the way finance is conducted.

Hypocrisy at its finest.

I've always been a hater of the American media, but in particular Fox News. No other media giant is more ridiculously and conspicuously pro-Republican and just flat out bigots. The video below shows the lowest blow that just made me want to throw a shoe at my screen for watching it. Ralph Nader is an exemplary American, defender of the poor and the consumer. To attack him and presume his racism was the lowest possible, most base, most animal of all moves. In the clip it didn't matter what Nader said or what was meant by the metaphor; the importance was that he used a racially sensitive word and Fox jumped in to be the "moral" high ground. Well FUCK political sensitivity, FUCK political correctness.

Nader is right. Obama WILL have to choose between being a leader, innovator and CHANGE or more of the same. Between bowing down to the huge lobbies and agendas or choosing for what is best for the most people. But really Fox, really? The hypocrisy and bigotry in that news anchor's face is the look of intolerance, of stupidity. And that bitch at the end DECLARING the end of Nader's career. Who are you? GAHHH, this video gets me so mad, I can't even express it.

I Hate Fox News.

It's not over.

Below are the videos of a panel that was held at the University of Chicago on January 7th, 2009. Please check it out.

  

Ali Abunimah, Palestinian journalist and all around awesome.

Proffessor Meirsheimer, I can't wait to take his class!

Norman Finkelstien, self-hating Jew, very, very against Israel's action, I probably liked him the least but still worth seeing. 

And I found this article in an Israeli newspaper. You Judge for yourself.

Presidential Pictures, What they're really thinking.

"yeah....thanks for fucking up the first time..."

"Um yeah... This is Barack OBAMA. Ever heard? Why the fuck don't I have a cordless phone? I'm the president of the United States!!"

"Mission Accomplished."

The Obama girls are hard to keep entertained.

 And finally... the black man still has to walk home. That's fucked up. 

A Brief Introduction

I admit up until now I've never really been the "blogging" type of person. I'm anything but reticent about my thoughts in person, but never felt comfortable putting my inner ruminations down in writing for all the world to see. Usually, when I think of your stereotypical "blogger," I think of an angst-ridden, lonely teenager, a fringe political junkie, or a cultist. How unappetizing! 

But there's simply too much going on in the world to remain completely silent. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, you simply cannot ignore the myriad issues confronting human society. That is, unless you get your news from one of the less reputable sources. Of course, blogging isn't all about the strong political commentary. It's an exercise in creativity, humor, philosophy, and wit, and you'll find plenty of that here as well. 

I'll keep this introduction short, because I'm too busy to go on in some rambling manifesto (which I am quite tempted to do). My thanks to Jonathan for inspiring this project, and to you, the readers, for giving it a purpose.

-Chase Mechanick

CHANGE HAS COME TO THE BLOGOSPHRE

So for a long time now I've blogged, ranted about several subjects throughout several mediums, mostly social networking sites. But never had I truly entered this spherical world of the blogosphere ( I assume it's spherical). I guess it's time now. Many people seem to enjoy my little snippets of thought, usually recklessly put together in a fit of emotion/inspiration with very little respect for the english language as I constantly have run on sentences, and, overuse, the privilege of the comma. But as the title states, CHANGE has come to the blogosphere. And not just any change, "FUNDAMENTAL change" as Obama puts it.

I'm not at this alone. I count on you readers to tell me when I'm wrong, blah, blah, blah (plagarize Obama's speech!)  And I've also summoned the help of a friend and a most worthy intellectual to help keep this blog diverse, interesting and frequent. We will disagree at times, and I find this useful.

So basically this will be about anything and everything from politics, philosophy, humor to whatever else tickles our fancy, revves our engines, blows our skirts up, shakes our tailfeathers and that generally incites interest.

Below are some really old posts on facebook that I particularly loved and thought would be appropriate here.

Presidential Nomination Predicted correctly on June 7, 2007

PokemonxReal Life

Obama International Relations Aims

and many others concerning immigration laws, racism and media bias you might be interested in.

ENJOY!

-Jonathan Rodrigues.