As a money manager, I'm not very good. Every year, I spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on my students. I buy them meals, shoes, clothes, classroom supplies, and other assorted items as needed. Both of my parents were teachers and I never really considered doing anything else with my life as a career.
The Democratic Party has been asleep at the wheel and Republicans have seized the initiative to swing the pendulem back in favor of the wealthy in this country and strip what little gains working class people have made via the labor union movement in our nation. Unions are being hammered at every level and the average citizen is oblivious to the significant assault this current wave of attacks are going to have on the standard of living for the average American. For years, non-union workers have benefited from the coattails of union members and the rights won for them in hard-fought battles in every field.
The Republican Party continues to reveal itself at every turn as the bastion for the wealthy, the racist, and the anti-intellectuals. They are effectively turning back the clock to the 1920s. The question is whether or not the Democratic Party will regain it's backbone and go to work actively and ferociously defending the rights of the average working class man and woman in this country.
Our future depends upon it.
Kevin C Shinn
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Bettie Page
For many freedom loving Americans, the idea that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld could truthfully not believe that tactics like water boarding are forms of torture seems to stretch their credibility past the breaking point. However, I'm not so sure that I would be so quick to discount their statements on the issue as self-serving efforts at protecting their historical legacy and an attempt to keep themselves out of jail. To believe them, it is essential to find a context in which their ignoring the obvious is believable. Under what circumstances would any rational human being believe that being strapped to a board and then being systematically drowned, revived, and drowned again repeating the process over and over again is not torture?
It was while watching an old episode of the television show CSI that the answer became glaringly clear. In the show, the lead investigator, Grissom, is enamored by a woman with an outside of the mainstream profession. She was a dominatrix. According to the respected alternative lifestyle website Wikipedia "the stereotypical image of a dominatrix is of a woman wearing a rubber or leather catsuit and thigh-length boots with high heels or, in a more elegant and teasing mode, black lingerie, stockings and high heels, or some combination of these two alternatives. Many professional dominatrices do indeed wear similar outfits for their work in order to meet client expectations. Women who engage in female domination recreationally are known as dommes, dominatrices, mistresses, or simply dominants. A high percentage of dominants are lifestyle dominants, but some simply play the dominatrix role because it is a high-paying profession. It is common for professional dominatrices who are also lifestyle dommes to have both paying clients and a "personal slave or sub" or slaves or subs, who are not paying clients. A personal slave will typically perform a domme's housework and run errands for her. A personal slave may or may not live with his or her domme. Professional dominants most frequently do not engage in sexual contact with their paying customers, as this can be construed as prostitution in some places. A common form of domination involves chastity where a dominant controls her slaves' sexual access, sometimes keeping them locked in a chastity device except for rare occasions." By the end of the episode, all had become clear for me. Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld are obviously devotees of this profession. To them, a little water boarding and electrodes to the genitals would be just another Saturday night on the town.
To further support this position, I did a little research. The most famous Dominatrix was the legendary Bettie Page who was at the peak of her fame in the 1950's. Cheney was born on January 30, 1941 which means that during his teenage years as his sexuality was forming, the dominant Page must have captivated little Dick's imagination and deeply impacted his view of the world. As for Donald Rumsfeld, he was born on July 9, 1932. Mental illness usually becomes more pronounced during an individual's twenty’s which means that during the very time that Don Rumsfeld was struggling to grasp hold of reality, Bettie Page was grasping his manhood and shaping his perspective on the use of power.
So, to those of you who continue to doubt the honesty and integrity of Cheney and Rumsfeld with regard to their defense of torture techniques, I must respectfully disagree with you. I think it is all too apparent that they really are just a couple of screwed up little boys who never grew up. Pity them but don't hate them.
It was while watching an old episode of the television show CSI that the answer became glaringly clear. In the show, the lead investigator, Grissom, is enamored by a woman with an outside of the mainstream profession. She was a dominatrix. According to the respected alternative lifestyle website Wikipedia "the stereotypical image of a dominatrix is of a woman wearing a rubber or leather catsuit and thigh-length boots with high heels or, in a more elegant and teasing mode, black lingerie, stockings and high heels, or some combination of these two alternatives. Many professional dominatrices do indeed wear similar outfits for their work in order to meet client expectations. Women who engage in female domination recreationally are known as dommes, dominatrices, mistresses, or simply dominants. A high percentage of dominants are lifestyle dominants, but some simply play the dominatrix role because it is a high-paying profession. It is common for professional dominatrices who are also lifestyle dommes to have both paying clients and a "personal slave or sub" or slaves or subs, who are not paying clients. A personal slave will typically perform a domme's housework and run errands for her. A personal slave may or may not live with his or her domme. Professional dominants most frequently do not engage in sexual contact with their paying customers, as this can be construed as prostitution in some places. A common form of domination involves chastity where a dominant controls her slaves' sexual access, sometimes keeping them locked in a chastity device except for rare occasions." By the end of the episode, all had become clear for me. Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld are obviously devotees of this profession. To them, a little water boarding and electrodes to the genitals would be just another Saturday night on the town.
To further support this position, I did a little research. The most famous Dominatrix was the legendary Bettie Page who was at the peak of her fame in the 1950's. Cheney was born on January 30, 1941 which means that during his teenage years as his sexuality was forming, the dominant Page must have captivated little Dick's imagination and deeply impacted his view of the world. As for Donald Rumsfeld, he was born on July 9, 1932. Mental illness usually becomes more pronounced during an individual's twenty’s which means that during the very time that Don Rumsfeld was struggling to grasp hold of reality, Bettie Page was grasping his manhood and shaping his perspective on the use of power.
So, to those of you who continue to doubt the honesty and integrity of Cheney and Rumsfeld with regard to their defense of torture techniques, I must respectfully disagree with you. I think it is all too apparent that they really are just a couple of screwed up little boys who never grew up. Pity them but don't hate them.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Cheney, Limbaugh, and the Grinch Who Stole Christmas
God Bless America. There truly is no better place on Earth than the United States of America. The level of freedom that we enjoy is unparalleled to any other country at any other time in history.
Watching the implosion of the Republican Party over the last year has been downright entertaining for me. A good liberal Democrat, I have been forced to endure the silliness and mean-spiritedness of the Far Right for years. To watch them devour each other now is a sign that reinforces my faith in God and all things that are holy.
When historians get around to writing their accounts of this era, few people will be able to rival Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh as the most unprincipled scoundrels in our history. Cheney had earned his berth in this classification early on in his Vice Presidency with his secretive collaboration with the energy industry to financially rape the citizens of the country. But since leaving office, he has managed to plunge himself even lower into the depths of hell with his ridiculous defense of the use of torture by the Bush Administration. In a nation founded upon the principles of human rights and steeped in the tradition of expanding those rights, Cheney’s defense of water-boarding is intolerable. How can we as a nation condemn the evils of those who act against us if we allow ourselves to sink to their levels?
Boss Limbaugh joins his pal Cheney on this descent into darkness more out of his desire for ratings than principle. Cheney truly believes in his view of the world whereas Limbaugh is simply an opportunistic windbag living off of the naivety of his audience. A college dropout, Rush latched onto entertainment as his career option. In recent years, he has made fun of Michael Fox and his struggle with Parkinson’s disease, accused veterans who opposed the war in Iraq as being phony soldiers, and championed the idea that African-Americans are incapable of being effective NFL quarterbacks. If it weren't for his callous disregard for basic human kindness and charity would be tempted to forgive his bloated shenanigans as the mind-numbing ramblings of a drug addict. Unfortunately, his hypocrisy is so blatant; he has earned his rightful place next to Cheney in the basement of history’s pathetic caricatures.
However, there is hope offered to us by the great literary figure of the Grinch. He too had a heart constricted by the coldness of his character. His evil doings were every bit as calculated as those of Limbaugh and as mean-spirited as those of Cheney but he was touched by the compassion of those victimized by his deeds and the love of those he had exploited. So, maybe Cheney and Limbaugh will be redeemed by a higher power and given the chance to refurbish their reputations and right the wrongs they have perpetrated on the citizens of this great country before it is too late. If not, perhaps they will enjoy their place in history with Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, and Benedict Arnold.
Watching the implosion of the Republican Party over the last year has been downright entertaining for me. A good liberal Democrat, I have been forced to endure the silliness and mean-spiritedness of the Far Right for years. To watch them devour each other now is a sign that reinforces my faith in God and all things that are holy.
When historians get around to writing their accounts of this era, few people will be able to rival Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh as the most unprincipled scoundrels in our history. Cheney had earned his berth in this classification early on in his Vice Presidency with his secretive collaboration with the energy industry to financially rape the citizens of the country. But since leaving office, he has managed to plunge himself even lower into the depths of hell with his ridiculous defense of the use of torture by the Bush Administration. In a nation founded upon the principles of human rights and steeped in the tradition of expanding those rights, Cheney’s defense of water-boarding is intolerable. How can we as a nation condemn the evils of those who act against us if we allow ourselves to sink to their levels?
Boss Limbaugh joins his pal Cheney on this descent into darkness more out of his desire for ratings than principle. Cheney truly believes in his view of the world whereas Limbaugh is simply an opportunistic windbag living off of the naivety of his audience. A college dropout, Rush latched onto entertainment as his career option. In recent years, he has made fun of Michael Fox and his struggle with Parkinson’s disease, accused veterans who opposed the war in Iraq as being phony soldiers, and championed the idea that African-Americans are incapable of being effective NFL quarterbacks. If it weren't for his callous disregard for basic human kindness and charity would be tempted to forgive his bloated shenanigans as the mind-numbing ramblings of a drug addict. Unfortunately, his hypocrisy is so blatant; he has earned his rightful place next to Cheney in the basement of history’s pathetic caricatures.
However, there is hope offered to us by the great literary figure of the Grinch. He too had a heart constricted by the coldness of his character. His evil doings were every bit as calculated as those of Limbaugh and as mean-spirited as those of Cheney but he was touched by the compassion of those victimized by his deeds and the love of those he had exploited. So, maybe Cheney and Limbaugh will be redeemed by a higher power and given the chance to refurbish their reputations and right the wrongs they have perpetrated on the citizens of this great country before it is too late. If not, perhaps they will enjoy their place in history with Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, and Benedict Arnold.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Lou Dobbs Doesn't Get It
I must admit that I am a CNN junkie. It is on my television most times of the day, even as I am scanning their website and reading stories of relevance to me. Jack Cafferty, Anderson Cooper, even Lou Dobbs do an excellent job bringing interesting views to the light for us. I appreciate their efforts. BUT....that said, Lou Dobbs simply is wrong with his efforts to get voters to drop out of the two main political parties. I am a life-long Democrat and will continue to be a Democrat. Do I always agree 100% with my party leaders? No, of course not. Then again, do I always agree 100% with my wife and children? Not even close. The answer is not to quit and drop out of the process but to work hard to reform from within.
With my wife, I've learned the most important negotiating tool in two short words, "Yes, dear." However, I do not advocate the same approach in our political parties. Instead, if we really disagree with the direction our party is headed, it is our duty to work from within to effect change. I do recognize the frustrations involved with such a tactic, but the alternative as promoted by Dobbs is to remove ourselves from the process altogether in the assumption that somehow those left behind will be influenced by our absence. On the face of it, the option is absurd. The idea that the problem with our political process is that it is too partisan is naive and childish.
People act out of their own self-interest. Always have and always will. It is the base of human behavior. That said, we must recognize that the two political parties represent distinctly perspectives on governing society. To believe that the Walton's will act from a position that is in the best interest of their workers is ludicrous and without merit. They have accumulated an enormous fortune while at the same time crushing all attempts at unionizing any Wal-Mart. They do this out of their own self-interest and the workers have allowed it to happen against their own needs.
This political season has been refreshing because of the large turn out of new voters in the process. The more people we have involved in the process, the less likely that special interest groups will be able to have an undue influence on the outcome of public policy. Hopefully Lou will figure this out soon. It appears millions in our nation already have.
With my wife, I've learned the most important negotiating tool in two short words, "Yes, dear." However, I do not advocate the same approach in our political parties. Instead, if we really disagree with the direction our party is headed, it is our duty to work from within to effect change. I do recognize the frustrations involved with such a tactic, but the alternative as promoted by Dobbs is to remove ourselves from the process altogether in the assumption that somehow those left behind will be influenced by our absence. On the face of it, the option is absurd. The idea that the problem with our political process is that it is too partisan is naive and childish.
People act out of their own self-interest. Always have and always will. It is the base of human behavior. That said, we must recognize that the two political parties represent distinctly perspectives on governing society. To believe that the Walton's will act from a position that is in the best interest of their workers is ludicrous and without merit. They have accumulated an enormous fortune while at the same time crushing all attempts at unionizing any Wal-Mart. They do this out of their own self-interest and the workers have allowed it to happen against their own needs.
This political season has been refreshing because of the large turn out of new voters in the process. The more people we have involved in the process, the less likely that special interest groups will be able to have an undue influence on the outcome of public policy. Hopefully Lou will figure this out soon. It appears millions in our nation already have.
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