The foolish Paula Deen is getting her just deserts; what with everyone that previously decided to pay her money saying they no longer wish to. Obviously they recognize the public is not with her, so all her prior associates are now decoupling their previously hitched wagons. If they thought the public was with Deen they'd be defending her. Do you think they really care about her using the N-word if they thought the public would forgive here and there was still money to be made? Absolutely not.
A lawsuit filed against Deen is how we learned she used a racial slur decades ago. She honestly admitted she used the offensive word in question. "Of course" she said. She also admitted to "fantasizing about throwing a slavery-themed wedding for her brother". She "apologized" for those things, but only because she was worried that what happened to her (corporate sponsors/employers cutting ties with her) might happen.
That is a clue that this all about the money. The lawsuit filer who complained about a racially insensitive workplace (as well as sexual harassment) is lying. A tearful Deen does not admit she allowed racially insensitive language and jokes in her place of business. Nor sexual harassment. None of that happened according to Deen.
So she says she is sorry for what she said during the deposition for the lawsuit she is defending herself against, but she isn't sorry about how she wronged the person who filed the lawsuit... because Lisa T. Jackson is a liar.
If you ask me who I believe -- Paula and her brother Bubba Hiers or Lisa Jackson -- I say Paula Deen is the dishonest one. So why did she tell the truth about using the N-word in the deposition? Because she didn't think it was a big deal. She said "of course". She thought she had a good excuse, as she said it about a man that had a gun to her head during a bank robbery. But why didn't she say "yes, but..." and then insert her explanation? Why did she say "of course"?
She said "of course" because racial insensitivity is no big deal in Paula's eyes. And that racial insensitivy is not a big deal to Deen is why it was accepted in her place of business. The lawsuit filed by Lisa Jackson, a manager in Deen's restaurants in Savannah GA, says "even though she herself was white, she [was] distressed by Paula and her brother's racist comments because her partner had a biracial niece".
If you ask me if I believe Paula Deen and that Lisa Jackson is a liar, I say "of course NOT". Come on, we all know Deen never changed. Just last year (according to Jackson) Deen said she'd like her bother's wedding to include "tap dancing little n***ers". Conservatives are saying ridiculous things like the Left wanting to stone or lynch Deen, but we don't want that. We just say she should go away. Take your millions (less whatever Lisa Jackson is awarded when she wins her lawsuit) and retire.
George Zimmerman is a cold-blooded murderer who, if not convicted, will surely burn in hell. We know Zimmerman is a liar. He lied about money from supporters. He claimed he had nothing when, in actuality, he had over 100k in a bank account. He was caught speaking in code with his wife about the cash. He lied about his passport, claiming it was stolen so he could get another. Then he turned over the "stolen" one when the judge asked for it (the new one). The court said "why did you give us this passport you claimed was stolen?" But he didn't have a good answer. I don't understand why this wasn't brought up in the trial.
George lied when Sean Hannity asked him if he had ever heard of "stand your ground". Turns out he took a college class that covered it. A class in which the instructor gave him an A grade. So it stands to reason he lied about the confrontation between him and Trayvon. I certainly do not think he lied so much about everything else but has been completely honest about what happened when he shot and killed an unarmed Black teen. Trayvon is dead and cannot tell his side. George is therefore free to make up a story that sounds plausible and get away with murder.
Yes, I think Zimmerman planned on killing a Black male some time before he found the right target. Trayvon was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Zimmerman saw his opportunity and took it. Also, given that he was high on Adderall, he was probably quite angry about the a-holes who always get away. So he found Trayvon and pointed his gun at him. Trayvon, fearing for his life, decked him and started beating on him when he fell. But Zimmerman ultimately got the upper hand and shot, killing Trayvon in cold blood.
Many people I've spoken with think he is guilty but would not be surprised if he walks. Florida Republicans issued George a license to murder, IMO. Now Conservatives across the interwebs are theorizing that George may be murdered by some crazy vigilante Liberal. Perhaps. And I will not feel sorry if that happens. Even though I oppose people taking the law into their own hands.
Plus the Conservatives will surely make hay of it if anyone does; blaming all Liberals in existence. So I pray for no rioting or people going after George even if he is acquitted. Because, even if he does not pay the penalty in this life, surely he will have to answer for his crimes in the next one.
As a Democratic Socialist Conservatives probably believe I hate America. I do not, although I do want to fundamentally transform it. The fundamental transformation that Conservatives say Barack Obama is bringing is total nonsense. The Blue Dog Obama isn't transforming America at all. Instead he supports the status quo. This is why we are still fighting a pointless war in Afghanistan. This is also why we never even considered a single-payer Medicare for all program. Supposedly Obama cut a deal with the health insurers to keep a public option off the table.
I think we need to be more like the more Socialist European countries; countries where nobody ever goes bankrupt due to medical expenses. I find it shameful that when free clinics come to town people who haven't been to a doctor in years line up like we were a 3rd world nation. We can do better and provide for everyone. Why does America worship wealth to such extremes? It is a sickness in my opinion.
Welcome to the first "Extreme Loonacy" post in a very long time. I started this blog back in December of 1999, but got frustrated when it became apparent that nobody reading or commenting. So I gave it up. Now, after 6 months of no posting, I've decided to give this blogging thing another shot.
Please consider this the FIRST post of the new and improved Extreme Loonacy. Hopefully this time some people will join in the conversation? If you're unfamiliar with me, I am a far Lefty, politically speaking. You would probably not be surprised to learn that I did not vote for Willard "Mittens" Romney during the last election. But I also did not vote for the Blue Dog Conservative Democrat Barack Obama. I cheered for the election of our first African American president in 2008, but grew disappointed with him in short order. The last time out I went with my heart instead of my head and voted for Jill Stein of the Green Party.
Never again will I vote for someone who will tow the establishment line, as our current president has shown he will do. Troops still in Afghanistan, Gitmo still open. No public option, let alone a Single Payer Medicare for all health care plan that leaves no citizen without access to medical care they need. And Obama is spying on us in violation of the Constitution exactly like his predecessor, although now they say it's legal because a super-duper secret court has to say yea or nay first.
Oh, but he's keeping us safe from the terrorists the Obama loyalists say, even though they wouldn't tolerate these stripping of our liberties and freedoms if Mittens had been elected (shudder). No, I will be voting for Jill Stein should she chose to run again in 2016. Not another tow-the-line establishment/corporate/Blue Dog Democrat like Hillary Clinton. Hillary, in addition to not being a Progressive, is too old.
Democrats criticized Ronald Reagan for being to old, and in 2016 Hillary will be just months shy of the same age as the fascist Reagan was when he stole the election from Jimmy Carter (October Surprise). As we all know, Ronnie developed alzheimer's during his presidency. This most likely began some time before his second term. I'm not an ageist, but the presidency is a demanding job and we need someone in good physical and mental health, not a doddering old fogy with dementia.
However, you could point out that Jill Stein is only 2 years younger, so she probably missed her window of opportunity. I firmly believe that Hillary did. If she were ever to be elected president it should have been in 2008. Oh well. If it is Hillary versus an unknown Republican (the bible thumper Santorum?) verus Jill Stein I'll vote for Jill Stein. I'll probably vote for whoever runs on the Green ticket.
No, they probably will not receive even one electoral vote, but at least I'll have a clear conscience. All the Obamaites are currently saying that, if you voted for someone who supports our current surveillence state, then it is the same as if you personally gave your stamp of approval for the Obama Administration to scoop up all the data in existence from every citizen of the world that communicates electronically.
Not me. I never said OK when asked if Big Brother could store everything I transmit electronically in huge data storage centers for all time and perhaps listen to if a secret court agrees that I'm a terrorist or talking to a terrorist or somehow for some reason considered connected to a terrorist plot. What would it matter if I did? Violating the Constitution isn't something that can be done with or without the consent of the sheeple. Not unless a Constitutional amendment that made it possible was passed.
The so-called sequester (AKA Tea Party austerity) is now inevitable, in that a deal between the Repubs and the Dems could not be reached. Therefore deep across the board cuts will soon be implemented.
| When does sequestration start? (excerpt from a Politico 2/28/13 article by Darren Samuelsohn) The law requiring $1.2 trillion in across-the-board spending cuts is a bit vague on when the budget cuts begin. It only says March 1. So, the White House Office of Management and Budget has until 11:59 p.m. Friday to actually issue the official sequestration notice that starts the entire process. That’s when OMB will simultaneously transmit a report to Congress detailing cuts in every affected agency’s budget account. President Barack Obama must actually issue an order to trigger OMB's actions. |
Looks like the Republicans are determined to crash the economy so they can blame it on Obama.
Today is another anniversary of the day thousands of Americans died due to the W admin ignoring the warnings.
| The Bush White House ignored even more warnings about September 11 than we thought, according to journalist Kurt Eichenwald, who has a column in the NYT and a new book out today. We already knew about the presidential brief from 8/6/2001 that was titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US"... ...there were other briefings, some seen by Eichenwald, that [also warned] of an imminent attack. On 5/1 the CIA said that a terrorist group in the U.S. was planning an attack. On 6/22 it warned that this attack was "imminent". On 6/29 the brief warned of near-term attacks with "dramatic consequences" including major casualties. On 7/1, the briefing said that the terrorist attack had been delayed but "will occur soon". On 7/24, the president was told again that the attack had been delayed but would occur within months. These and other similar warnings were ignored by the White House. (Bush Received More Warnings About 9/11 Than We Realized. Business Insider 9/11/2012). |
I think the evidence shows that W was determined to allow bin Laden to attack us, as it provided him an excellent excuse to go to war. Time to send this war criminal to the Hague? Yeah, I think it's about time. Past time, actually. Past time that this mass murdering bastard be put behind bars where he belongs.
9/11/2001 is surely a day that will live in infamy. Last Sunday terrorists hijacked commercial airlines and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As you may or may not recall, I predicted (here, on this blog) that an attack like this might happen back in January. Now, less than a year later, my prognostications have been proven accurate. I take no joy in having been right about this, however, what with the fact that 2,606 people lost their lives.
Tragic. Although it is something we could have avoided, IMO. But the W administration didn't do it's duty, which would have been to go after al Qaeda and keep us safe. Why? I think it's because they wanted an incident like this to occur so they could go to war. Which is my current prediction. The answer to this attack will be that the United States goes to war (and the military contractors will be greatly enriched).
Mark my words. It is only a matter of time. Will we go back into Iraq? Saddam Hussein, the leader of that country, hates Osama bin Laden. I seriously doubt Saddam had anything to do with the attacks. But will that matter to W? I'm predicting that it will not. I'm thinking that he'll want to finish what his daddy started. By going into Iraq and deposing Saddam.
Is a stem cell a "human life"? I say the suggestion is laughable. The Bible-thumping President W, however disagrees.
| President Bush used his veto power Wednesday for the first time since taking office 5 1/2 years ago, saying that an embryonic stem-cell research bill "crossed a moral boundary". The bill, which the Senate passed Tuesday, 63-37, would have loosened the restrictions on federal funding for stem-cell research. "This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others", Bush said Wednesday afternoon. "It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect. So I vetoed it". "These boys and girls are not spare parts", he said of the children in the audience. (Bush vetoes embryonic stem-cell bill). |
The ONLY thing this bill can accomplish is condemning to death (or pain) sick people who might have been helped via this kind of research. How many deaths, or how much suffering could have been avoided? We'll never know. But I doubt the answer is zero.
Which is why I say this represents the Republican culture of death. Death for people why could have been helped, and "death" for the embryos... which will STILL be disposed of! W's vetoing doesn't force women to incubate the many unused embryos generated by fertility clinics (for instance), does it? Of course not! The fertility clinic owners will continue to flush these unwanted "boys and girls" down the drain (metaphorically. I don't know how they actually dispose of them. But they must assuredly do trashcan these "innocent human lives").
Anyway, is W actually a "Bible-thumper", or is this all about pandering to the Religious Right? I say it's the latter. This guy is dumb, but I find it hard to believe that he's THIS dumb.
Americans wages are stagnating under this Republican president according to an article from CS Monitor.
| ...consumer pocketbooks had a rough start this millennium... as... gains in their pocketbook slowed dramatically. Median incomes rose just 1.6 percent after inflation during the 2001-04 period, according to data released [2/23/2006] by the Federal Reserve Board. ... Gains are better than losses, but the survey confirms and amplifies a trend of wage stagnation... "It is a long-term trend", says Mark Weisbrot, an economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, which studies the well-being of American workers and families. "Over the past 30 years, the median wage has grown about 9 or 10 percent". (article by Mark Trumbull, 2/24/2006). |
IT'S A LONG TERM TREND. Thanks Shrub. Anywho, I've heard it said that W "won" re-election (which is strange, to be "re-elected" to the presidency a 2nd time when he wasn't elected the 1st time) because the American people didn't want to "change horses midstream" (a reference to the US being at war). But I categorically reject this explanation. No way the electorate decided to keep this illegitimate president for a 2nd term. Especially given the fact that the dumbass got us into this war unnecessarily.
We already went into the country where OBL's al Qaeda was holed up... and where OBL got away, which (in regards to OBL's escape). Shrub said, "So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him. And, again, I don't know where he is. I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him".
So, how stupid is it to start ANOTHER war; and with a country that had nothing to do with 9-ll? I strongly suspect that W stole it again. IMO that Kerry won is much more likely than W getting elected the 1st time to a 2nd term.
"For those who lost loved ones, it has been a year of sorrow, of empty places, of newborn children who will never know their fathers here on earth" our a-hole president said today, commemorating the day he was given the excuse he needed to take the country to war... at the site of his administration's greatest failure. The jackass has some nerve, IMO.
GWB signed the legislation to leave children behind (educationally) yesterday, 2/8/2002. This law requires all public schools receiving federal funding to administer a statewide standardized test annually to all students. Can you say "teach to the test"? Sound like a good idea? I thought not. This law is a giveaway to W's cronies in the standardized testing industry. Cronies that include his brother Neil Bush. Can you say "corrupt president"?
George W Bush, the doofusy son of a former one term president was inaugurated today, becoming our 43rd potus. In my opinion dark days are ahead of us. For the record I voted for the Green Party candidate, Ralph Nader. In my strong opinion, however, the election was stolen from the true winner, Al Gore. That the Supreme Court stopped the recount and handed the presidency to W is total bullshit. Unprecedented bullshit.
But now we are stuck with W for at least the next 4 years. I can't imagine him getting re-elected, however. He'll be another one term president like his father, mark my words. God, it sickens me that it isn't Al Gore who is being sworn in today. Sure, I'd have prefered a president Nader, but a president Gore would have been acceptable to me as well. Especially considering that Al Gore actually won the election!
But back to the dark days. The reason I say that I think terrorists might attack the World Trade Center in New York City again is because they've done it before. On 2/26/1993 a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower, killing 6 people and injuring more than a 1,000. Those responsible had intended to bring down the entire structure and kill many more, however.
In my opinion the terrorists will probably try again, and the election of an incompetent CIC might be just the opportunity that our enemies have been waiting for. President Clinton, the traitor (AKA "New Democrat") who signed the NAFTA trade agreement, at least kept us safe. As you may recall, President Clinton attempted to take out bin Laden. Although the Republicans in Congress claimed that he did so only to distract from the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
I didn't vote for Clinton, instead casting my ballot for Perot in both 1992 and 1996. I was convinced that Perot had a better shot the second time, given the fact that Clinton went back on his word and signed the trade agreement that cost many American jobs, just as Perot warned us. Unfortunately Perot did even worse the 2nd time he ran.
But at least Clinton recognized the threat posed by bin Laden and his terrorist group. Will our new illegitimate president also take the bin Laden threat seriously? I doubt it. Actually, I've got a very bad feeling that the WTC (or some other high profile target) might get bombed again. And this time our enemies might kill many more Americans. We got lucky the fist time. Their plan was to kill thousands, but they only killed 6. We might not be so lucky the next time.
Today, January one, is the first day of the 21st century. The future has arrived! Wow, huh?
| The 21st century is the current century of the Anno Domini era or the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1, 2001, and will end on December 31, 2100. It is the first century of the 3rd millennium. It is distinct from the century known as the 2000s, which began on January 1, 2000 and will end on December 31, 2099. (Wikipedia Link). |
OK, so the countdown to flying cars is on. Only 14 more years until we're all zipping around up in the sky (as per Back to the Future P2). I wonder if I'll have to get a pilot's license, or will my regular one for driving do?
The results of the United State's 54th quadrennial presidential election will be known tomorrow. While I'm casting my ballot for Ralph Nader, my prediction is that Vice President Al Gore will ascend to the White House. Certainly the people are with him, given the popularity of Bill Clinton. Yeah, Clinton disappointed with his signing of the NAFTA trade agreement, but overall the WJC presidency was successful, I think.
Ralph Nader would make a much better president, IMO, but a Gore presidency? I think it could work out OK. Sure, a Gore presidency will not be as beneficial to our economic well-being as a Nader presidency, but it will be loads better than a W presidency (God forbid the electorate is dumb enough to elect this mouth-breather).
Ralph Nader's campaign issues, BTW, included universal healthcare, free education, and protecting American jobs by opposing globalization. As a resolute opponent of trade agreements such as GATT and NAFTA, President Nader would push for the replacement of these bad deals with open agreements that pull-up rather than pull down environmental, labor, and consumer standards.
So-called "free trade" enriches the transnational corporations at the expense of American jobs, harming our economy. President Gore will not roll back NAFTA or pull us out of the World Trade Organization. The exodus of good paying jobs from the US to 3rd world sweatshops will contiune under President Gore.
OK, so there probably are not enough voters out there as intelligent as myself to elect candidate Nader president tomorrow. But, on the other hand, the electorate surely is not dumb enough to send the bumbler George W to the White House. Of that I am 100 percent confident.
WTF is a Pyrenean Ibex you might ask?
| The Pyrenean ibex (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica), Spanish common name bucardo, was one of the four subspecies of the Spanish ibex or Iberian wild goat, a species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Pyrenean ibex were most common in the Cantabrian Mountains, Southern France, and the northern Pyrenees. The Pyrenean ibex was one of four subspecies of the Iberian ibex. The first to become extinct was the Portuguese ibex (Capra pyrenaica lusitanica) in 1892. The Pyrenean ibex was the second, with the last individual, a female called Celia, found dead on January 6, 2000. Although her cause of death is known (she was killed by a fallen tree), the reason for the extinction of the subspecies as a whole is a mystery. Some hypotheses include the inability to compete with other species for food, infections and diseases, and poaching. (Wikipedia Link). |
Weirdly interesting, huh? Please share your thoughts.
So, the year 2000 is now here. Planes did not drop out of the sky. Computers did not stop working, shutting down the electrical grid and sending us back into a pre-modern technological era. Not that I was worried, mind you.
I did wonder, however, if computer programmers were not smart enough to allocate 4 digits for the year, or if they were incredibly smart... setting up a situation where they'd have to do (millions?) of man-hours of work "fixing" a problem they intentionally created. Thereby providing job security.
Anyway, did you know that the year 2000 is a century leap year?
| In the Gregorian calendar, an end-of-century leap year (often referred to as a century leap year) is a year that is exactly divisible by 400 and, as with every other leap year, qualifies for the intercalation of February 29 ("intercalation" is the insertion of a leap day, week, or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons or moon phases). End-of-century years that are not divisible by exactly 400 are common years. The years 2000 and 2400 for example, are end-of-century leap years in a century with 36,525 days, while 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2500, and 2600 are common years in a century with 36,524 days. (Wikipedia Link). |
Interesting, right? Please share your thoughts.
So, I was poking around Wikipedia and I found the following article, which I found quite interesting.
| Longplayer is a piece of music that is designed to last for one thousand years. It started to play on 1/1/2000, and if all goes as planned, it will continue without repetition until 12/31/2999. It will restart on that date. Longplayer is based on an existing piece of music, 20 minutes and 20 seconds in length, which is processed by computer using a simple algorithm. This gives a large number of variations, which, when played consecutively, gives a total expected runtime of 1000 years. The original music was composed by Jem Finer, who was also one of the founding members of the group The Pogues. It uses Tibetan singing bowls and gongs, which are able to create a range of sounds by either striking or rolling pieces of wood around the rims. This source music was recorded in December 1999. It was commissioned by Artangel. Longplayer could be heard in the relaxation zone of the Millennium Dome in London during its year of opening in 2000. The piece was also played in the 19th century lighthouse at Trinity Buoy Wharf and other public listening posts in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Egypt, where it can still be heard today. It can also be heard via an Icecast Internet stream, hosted (as of 2008) by Greenwich-based SPC. (Wikipedia Link). |
Please share your thoughts.
Welcome to Extreme Loonacy. Regarding the title of this blog "Extreme Loonacy"... it is a reference to my political leanings. I do not consider myself a Republican or a Democrat, but a Democratic Socialist like the US Representative from the state of Vermont, Bernie Sanders. Democratic Socialism is a political system adopted by many countries in Europe, where it has been extremely successful. Bernie Sanders is getting up there in years (turning 59 this year). Still, if he would run for president, I would definitely vote for him. One of our worst presidents ever, Ronald Reagan, was 70 years old when he was elected.
