Lost Continents

Which Side Are You On Wisconsin?

2012-01-26T22:26:00.000-06:00

The Walker wind machine, well oiled with corporate money, begins its onslaught against the public interest. Care2 make a difference puts the corporate media's latest attempt at manipulation in perspective:

"As the recall campaigns in Wisconsin turn to the second phase–the actual election– new polling shows Republicans in the state still hold a slight advantage with Gov. Scott Walker leading several possible Democratic challengers.The poll numbers are not new, nor do they reflect any changing landscape in Wisconsin. But they will get a lot of attention.For starters, they show the truth in the old political adage of “you don’t beat somebody with nobody”. Walker currently polls better than possible democratic challengers, but close enough that should any of those “possible” challengers turn into actual challengers the governor is in for a race.The poll numbers also ignore the fact that one of the big stories in Wisconsin is not simply the possibility that Walker gets recalled. Sure, that would be fantastic. But in the meantime, Democrats in the state are building one of the most organized and up-to-date voter rolls leading into the 2012 elections.And lets not forget the millions Walker and Republicans have been forced to raise, and spend, during a time when they should be padding war chests for 2012.My point is this. Whether or not Walker actually loses in a recall election is not the determining factor of whether or not the recall campaign is a success. Wisconsin is the flashpoint in a movement against an encroaching plutocracy that will not be pushed back in one state with the recall of one governor. Republicans know this and will do anything to drive the narrative into one of inevitable defeat and failure.Plain and simple, don’t believe the hype."

Henry Kissinger's Latest Gig

2012-01-25T21:31:00.000-06:00

The latest event by the guy who bombed Cambodia and deposed a democratically elected government in Chile should not be a surprise but still gives a new take on what it is to be a mercenary. The Moscow News elaborates:

"Henry Kissinger, the grand old man of American realpolitik, has stepped into the growing breach in Russian-U.S. relations, holding a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the White House in Moscow on Friday.The two men, who are “old friends” and have met eight or 10 times since the early 1990s, according to Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, talked over Russian-U.S. relations and “a range of global issues.....Kissinger, a former Secretary of State and National Security Adviser under U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, has acted as a semiofficial go-between between U.S. presidents and world leaders over the decades. He has held talks with every Russian leader since Brezhnev.A day before the meeting with Putin, Kissinger met with beleaguered U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul – who provoked controversy by meeting with opposition protest leaders on his second working day in the Russian capital.McFaul wrote on his blog Thursday that Kissinger was “back in Moscow to continue the kind of strategic dialogue with the Russian government that is so important to our partnership.”The American Embassy in Moscow did not respond to e-mailed questions to McFaul about his talks with Kissinger by press time Monday.Also on Friday, Kissinger spoke to a group of Sberbank’s board members and leading customers in Moscow. Kissinger spoke about the need for Russia and the U.S. to cooperate in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons – particularly in North Korea and Pakistan, Sberbank’s website reported.“Kissinger regularly plays the role of elder statesman to ensure smooth relations between the U.S. and countries with which it is unlikely ever to have a close, friendly relationship but with which it wants to maintain a cooperative relationship,” Chris Weafer, chief strategist at investment bank Troika Dialog, told The Moscow News on Monday. “China and Russia are the two most important countries on that list currently.”

Which explains a lot about where we are at with our relations with rest of the world.

Unemployment As a Form of Slavery

2012-01-24T19:56:00.000-06:00

The dismal unemployment rate of African-American men in Milwaukee has hit a historical nadir according to a study by a University of Wisconsin Milwaukee report. As per the Milwaukee Journal:

"According to the UWM analysis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, only 44.7% of the area's working-age black males ages 16 to 64 were employed in 2010, which is "the lowest level in metro Milwaukee ever recorded in census data." Only two of the nation's 40 largest metro areas analyzed in the study - Buffalo and Detroit - reported lower black male employment rates in 2010 than Milwaukee."No metro area has witnessed more precipitous erosion in the labor market for black males over the past 40 years than has Milwaukee," according to the report, which echoed findings in recent years by the Journal Sentinel. "The 2010 data, however, revealed a new nadir for black male employment in Milwaukee."

Which is a weird way of saying the unemployment rate among Black men is 55.3%. It would also be enlightening to know the percentage of Black men who have the right to vote in Milwaukee.

American Presidential Elections Pseudo-Events?

2012-01-22T21:48:00.000-06:00

The American political pseudo event known as the election cycle continues with Gingrich's apparent victory in South Carolina. The Republican party continues it's lock on the Angry, Old, Rich, White, Guy part of electorate while evading any meaningful discussion of reality in America with the exception of occasional lapses of lucidity from Ron Paul and the even more coherent and ignored Buddy Roemer. Currently I am reading Chris Hedges'"The World As It Is, Dispatches On The Myth Of Human Progress". He makes reference to pseudo events and "junk politics" which aptly describe the current state of what passes for political discourse in a declining empire. I thought the following passage was worth passing on :

""Pseudo-events--dramatic events orchestrated by publicists, political machines, television, Hollywood, or advertisers--however, are very different. They have, as Daniel Boorstin wrote in his book "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America", the capacity to appear real even though we know they are staged. They are capable, because they can evoke a powerful emotional response, of overwhelming reality and replacing it with a fictional narrative that often becomes accepted truth....Reporters, especially those on television, no longer ask whether the message is true but whether the pseudo-event worked or did not work as political as political theater. Pseudo-events are judged on how effectively we have been manipulated by illusion."

Bear in mind every time you watch television it pseudovision 24/7.

RotFront - Sovietoblaster

2012-01-21T22:22:00.001-06:00

It's Saturday night, time to turn on the Sovietoblaster.

Red Elvises "Cosmonaut Petrov"

2012-01-21T09:57:00.003-06:00

Fitzwalkerstan's Slide Into Oblivion Continues

2012-01-21T09:41:00.001-06:00

In the same week which saw petitions with over a million signatures calling for the recall of the corporate tool known as Scott Walker, new job loss statistics painted a bleak picture of ongoing job loss in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Journal explains:

"According to data released Thursday by the state Department of Workforce Development, the state lost an estimated 3,900 jobs in the private sector in December from November. In the same month, the United States gained an estimated 212,000 jobs, outstripping expectations of most economists and raising hopes that employers are gaining confidence at the national level."

The chart above, courtesy of BadgerStat, rather starkly depicts the reality of "job creation" under the Walker administration.

Scott Walker's Latest PR Triumph

2012-01-16T19:21:00.002-06:00

I couldn't resist this latest Walker public relations fiasco relating to this now hastily removed billboard overlooking what could just about any abandoned industrial lot in Wisconsin. As reported by Wonkette:

"Some unintentional American Heroes of comedy placed one of a series of billboards touting the jerb creation skillz of Wisconsin’s Kochgobbler governor Scott Walker directly in front of a shuttered GM factory that sent 10,000 people to the unemployment line. It’s such an apt visual, seeing his fat head up there surveying the landscape of other peoples’ misery with a weaselly, self-satisfied grin. And how is the whole job creation process going in Wisconsin these days? “In every month since June, the state has lost jobs both overall and in the private sector,” according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Has everyone in Wisconsin remembered to sign the recall Walker petition yet? They’re due next week!The billboard has already come down, boo, after the pro-Walker group that sponsored it heard that the Internet was making fun.Oh well, it could not really get much worse for Scott Walker anyway, who is so hated in Wisconsin that he’s been forced to exile himself from his own state to go beg evil factions in the rest of the country to give him money to support his villainy.From the AP: State law allows those targeted for a recall to ignore normal campaign donation limits until the recall election is set. Walker reported raising more than $5 million as of mid-December, with roughly half coming from outside Wisconsin, and has been traveling the country seeking donations. He was in Texas on Thursday speaking at a conservative legislative forum.Ha ha, shouldn’t Texas have to keep Scott Walker, if they are buying him? "

Texas would be a fitting place no doubt.

Scott Walker; Unindicted Criminal....so far

2012-01-12T21:51:00.000-06:00

From Daily Kos:

GOV. WALKER ACCUSED OF OVER 1,000 VIOLATIONS OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW, COULD FACE $557,500 FINE By Scott Keyes on Jan 11, 2012 at 12:00 pm "Wisconsin law requires gubernatorial campaigns to disclose information about contributors who give more than $100. Again and again, Walker appears to have skirted that requirement. One Wisconsin Now examined the Walker for Governor’s finance records and found 1,115 instances where the campaign received contributions of more than $100 but did not properly disclose who gave the money. In total, “Walker has improperly reported well over $500,000 in contributions from inside and outside of Wisconsin,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. According to the group, which has filed a complaint with the state Government Accountability Board, Walker’s violations could result in a fine of $557,500"

If it were not for the fact the state's judicial system was not already corrupted beyond repair we might hope some redress from our local tyranny.

Cafe Sputnik electronic exotica from Russia

2012-01-09T22:15:00.000-06:00

More Russian Electronic Surf Lounge from Oleg Kostrow and friends.

Russian Urban Exploring

2012-01-08T21:46:00.001-06:00

Lana Sator has a blog dedicated to forgotten, never finished, and other military objects in modern day Russia.

Devo - Beautiful World

2012-01-08T10:52:00.001-06:00

It's a beautiful day in Fitzwalkerstan.

Economic Inequality Then and Now

2012-01-08T10:35:00.000-06:00

Just finished Louis Adamic's 1934 classic on class violence in America, Dynamite: The Story of Class Violence In America, and was struck by the relevance of his observations made almost 80 years ago:

"The humanistic or social interests of the country have been fighting a feud with Big Business for seven or eight decades.Occasionally the social will gets worked up and acting through political parties and the Government, imposes itself upon business and makes it behave, or tries to make it behave, at least for a little while, until business , with its single minded purpose, finds a way to rid itself of social control..... Society must always compel business to function for the social good, and not only for the social good but for the good of business itself. Business would have ruined itself and the country long ago , were it not for occasional spurts of social action to curb it."

This could have just as easily been written anytime in the past 4 or forty years. It also sheds some light on the origins of anti government rhetoric so popular on the Right and emanating from Corporate sources. Even in 1934 Adamic recognized the potential for catastrophe Corporate interests represented:

"They control, it is safe to say, every important process of the country's economic activity and, therby, directly or indirectly influence every other phase of our national life. Indeed, every now and then they threaten, with their enormous money power , to gain full sway over the Government and overcome the social will."

Very insightful reading considering it predates rampant globalization, the rise of the transnational Corporate entity, media concentration, the Koch brothers, Citizens United, and all the other more modern aspects of unrestrained capitalism.

Russia’s Smouldering 'White Revolution'

2012-01-02T22:25:00.000-06:00

People keep asking me about the so-called "White Revolution" in Russia. If it really represents the incredibly diverse Russian public opinion it will still be unpalatable to Western Corporate Oligarchies. Nicola N. Petro gives a breakdown of the forces in Russia propelling a movement with unpredictable outcomes:

"Five groups of the protest movementAs presently constituted, the protest movement can be divided into roughly five groups:(1) The most popular group consists of artists, poets, television personalities, writers, and journalists. People like Artemy Troitsky, who came to the last rally dressed as a condom, Leonid Parfyonov, Boris Akunin, Dmitry Bykov, Olga Romanova, singer Alexei Kortnev, and socialite Kseniya Sobchak. They all make it a point, however, to declare that they are 'non-political,' that their concern is to give the nation back its 'moral voice.'2) Another large group at these protests have been Russian nationalists like Vladimir Tor, and 'true communists' like Sergei Udaltsov. Udaltsov, a scion of the Old Bolshevik elite—one of Moscow’s streets is named after his great-grandfather—parted ways with other communist organizations when the failed to adequately reflect, in his view, worker’s interests. His latest project, the Russian United Labor Front--Left Front, also objects to mere party politics and calls for power to be transferred directly to the working masses. Tor, on the other hand, is one of the perennial leaders of the right wing 'Russian March,' which also counts blogger Alexei Navalny among its participants.[3] He also abjures the divisive term 'party politics', preferring to speak on behalf of the whole Russian nation.While many at Sakharov Square might wish to distance the protests from his appeal 'Russia for Russians,' as Tor pointed in his address to the crowd, the nationalist protesters in Manezh square in Moscow who battled riot police last February share one important bond with the current protests--an uncompromising hostility to political authority. 'Without the heroes of Manezh,' Tor reminded the audience, 'there would never have been a Bolotnaya.'[4](3) Smaller in number, but much better known, are the perennial leaders of the Old Opposition, figures like Vladimir Ryzhkov, Boris Nemtsov, Mikhail Kasyanov, Garry Kasparov, and Grigory Yavlinsky. While some have worked in the government, they have all publicly broken with Putin, and now demand that the entire political system be reconstituted. Their personal ambitions have prevented them from agreeing on a common political strategy, much less a joint list of candidates. As a result, while theoretically they could represent the beginnings of a political opposition, in practice they have placed themselves at a safe remove from the political process.NAvalny_Sakharov_square_meetingThe blogger and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny was released from prison on 20 Dec, four days before the Moscow rally. He was jailed for 15 days for marching in one of the previous unsanctioned opposition protests. ‘I see enough people here to take the Kremlin and the White House right now, but we are a peaceful force,’ Alexei Navalny told the crowd. (Photo: drugoi.livejournal)(4) A fourth group is one I call the new Internet Opposition. It is composed of people like Alexei Navalny, Evgenia Chirikova, Grigory Melkonyants, and Ilya Yashin, who have developed a core following among Russia’s rapidly burgeoning internet community. Navalny is the most charismatic of this group. He has made clear that he considers himself a politician, and that he will run for office (under a different system). For now, however, his political views are hard to pin down. He is all things to all people, refusing, for example, to even discuss whether a (hypothetical) political party he might lead would be on the left or the right side of the political spectrum.[5] With the exception of Navalny and Yashin, who were once active in Yabloko (Navalny also served briefly as an advisor to Belykh in Kirov), their rise to prominence has been largely due to persecution by the authorities and devotion for a single cause, be it corruption, the environment, or election monitoring. Their persecution has garnered them “street cred,” but not much else. Some in the Old Opposition thinks these youngsters look to them for guidance, and that they will ride into political office on the latter’s coat tails. I very much doubt it.(5) The latest addition to protest movement are individuals who have been part of, or directly benefited from, the Putin regime but have since abandoned it. They include former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, and “A Just Russia” deputy Ilya Ponomarev. While they too reject the Old Opposition and share the values of the Internet Opposition, at the last two mass rallies they were met by resounding disapproval. Prokhorov, for example, chose not to address the crowd in Sakharov Square after being hectored by shouts of “Go back to Courchevel”—the Swiss ski resort favoured by Russian nouveau riches. The crowd’s antipathy to individuals with practical political experience are once again on full display here. Thus, by default, the government retains the sole practical political agenda and, as such, its dominance is unassailable. It can easily afford to wait for opposition leaders to devour each other as they have so often in the past. It can then step in to co-opt the best and the brightest by giving them the opportunity to apply themselves in the only meaningful political game in town. ‘… the government retains the sole practical political agenda and, as such, its dominance is unassailable. It can easily afford to wait for opposition leaders to devour each other as they have so often in the past."

"Double Dare" - Molotov Jukebox, en el programa Raíces y LatinRock

2011-12-30T22:09:00.003-06:00

Ongoing Happy New Year music from Molotov Jukebox.

Messer Für Frau Müller◄ - Intim Service Cosmique

2011-12-29T22:39:00.000-06:00

A little low stress music as the year draws to an end. Happy New Year С Новым Годом!

Oligarchies, American and Russian

2011-12-27T22:06:00.000-06:00

russblogger has some video from the 24th in Moscow on Sakhorov Prospecket. The driving force behind these events in Russia have more to do with income inequality rather than so called freedom. Reading the NYT and the WashPO are probably the worst way of following reality in Russia. Americans are only now coming to grips with the fact the country is basically an oligarchic kleptocracy. Both countries show that the real issue in elections is not vote fraud but vote tampering and suppression. Vladimir Putin is not Josef Stalin and U.S. media has great difficulty coming to deal with this. The concerns of the Russian people are quite similar to Americans as they both adjust to former super-power status and acknowledgement of oligarchic kleptocracies that run the world. Luke Harding gives one of the more succinct explanations of power in Russia:

"Putin’s system, Harding writes, has created ‘the most unequal society in Russia’s history’.To keep the have-nots at arm’s length, the wealthiest Russians live in exclusive, walled-off residential compounds like those along the Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Road outside Moscow. But since the highest fliers among Russia’s nouveaux riches lead an essentially borderless existence, their most prized gated communities are located in the West. Those who own real estate abroad include numerous public officials and civil servants: ‘Russian bureaucrats have their houses and families in London, and their children are going to Cambridge and Oxford.’ The reason this ‘very strange political class’ craves an extraterritorial foothold is illuminating: ‘They keep their money outside Russia because none of them believes in Russia and none of them believes in official stability. All of them know that this stability could be finished any day.’ They don’t believe in official stability because, as the ones responsible for guaranteeing it, they are aware of their own limitations. For all their talk about ‘the restoration of Russia’s superpower status’, Russia’s senior political officials have an astonishingly ‘primitive mission’, which is to ‘take this money outside Russia, buy houses outside Russia and give their children a future abroad’. Russia’s affluent classes are irresistibly drawn to relocate their assets to countries where there appears to be a future. Their lack of confidence doesn’t reflect a fear that the government they work for is too strong and may one day initiate mass confiscations. Their worry, on the contrary, is that their government isn’t stable enough to protect their investments."

This doesn't sound a lot different from American Corporations off shoring assets to prevent them from actually assisting the country in which their workers actually live in and products are sold.

You Ain't Getting Shit For Christmas - Red Peters

2011-12-25T09:35:00.000-06:00

For the undeserving everywhere.

Fitzwalkerstan 2nd In The U.S. For "Mass Layoffs"

2011-12-24T08:59:00.000-06:00

Further evidence for ongoing economic collapse in Wisconsin was reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday released a report showing Wisconsin with the second-highest number of unemployment claims from mass layoff events in the nation last month.A "mass layoff" is any event affecting at least 50 workers, according to the BLS.Its mass layoff report for November estimated Wisconsin with 90 such events in the month, impacting 9,359 individuals.Only California, with an estimated 274 events affecting 19,677 individuals, had more initial unemployment claims from mass layoffs.Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/business/biz_beat/biz-beat-jobs-report-notes-high-number-of-wisconsin-layoffs/article_c2d667c2-2cf0-11e1-ab22-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1hSpLMT6n

Meanwhile Wonkette weighs in on the latest Walker video effort at calming the masses:

Also: the video ends in their family living room with a particularly AMAZING awkward shot of Scott Walker blubbering like he can’t feel his face from all the Xanax while his sons hover awkwardly in the back of the room looking judgmental and teenager-y.The most comical part is that this is the best that Scott Walker can do even though he has been outspending his recall organizer opponents four to one in the contest so far: At the outset of Wisconsin’s historic recall fight, GOP Gov. Scott Walker and his allies are outspending the other side on television by a margin of roughly 4-to-1, an advantage he’s expected to maintain in the weeks ahead. The governor has already aired more than $1 million in broadcast ads since he hit the airwaves in mid-November, according to the ad-tracking firm Kantar Media CMAG.Ha ha, and that’s been working so well that organizers already have 507,000 of the 540,000 signatures needed to trigger the recall election in just half the allotted time period.

Occupy Cinema at Charging Bull

2011-12-18T17:15:00.001-06:00

Occupy Cinema // Charging Bull // Tuesday, December 6 from Occupy Cinema on Vimeo.

Occupy Cinema at Charging Bull // more to come from Occupy Cinema on Vimeo.

Fitzwalkerstan Looses 14,000 Jobs In November, Scott Walker Gets $5 Million.

2011-12-16T23:02:00.002-06:00

The further Implosion of Wisconsin is documented on a monthly basis through the jobs report. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel elaborates:"

"Wisconsin lost private-sector jobs for the fifth consecutive month in November, the same months that the nation has been adding private-sector jobs, according to a report Thursday from the state Department of Workforce Development.The state lost an estimated 11,700 private-sector jobs in November from October, the deepest since April 2009, when the nation was in the throes of the recession. The figures are based on a monthly government survey of employers and adjusted to smooth out recurring seasonal factors, such as winter-related slowdowns in construction or holiday hiring by retailers.The government sector, meanwhile, continued to lose jobs at the city and county level, as it has for much of the past two years. All told, the state lost an estimated 14,600 nonfarm jobs when the losses in the private sector are combined with the losses in the public sector."

As a result of his job creating success Scott Walker has attracted big money as outlined at TPM:

"Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is clearly preparing to bring his best game against the Democratic effort to recall him from office. And he’s raising a lot of money for it.As the Wisconsin State Journal reports, Walker has raised $5.1 million since this past July — much of it in the past month, aided by a state law that allows the target of a recall to raise unlimited funds. In all, Walker has received 18,000 donations since November, the month when the recall process was triggered.Also, $2.4 million of the total has come from out of state — notably a $250,000 donation from Bob Perry, the Texas businessman who financed the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth campaign of 2004, which spread false information about Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s war record."

Savoy Brown's "Hell Bound Train" seems appropriate:

Messer für Frau Müller - Тварь Спешит Натворить Дел

2011-12-11T00:54:00.001-06:00

More Russian Surf that quite frankly sheds no light on current events anywhere.

Your Papa's a Fascist: рок-группа Телевизор "Твой папа - фашист"

2011-12-07T21:59:00.001-06:00

A reprise of a now prescient video.

Thousands Protest Election Fraud in Moscow: Беспорядки 5 декабря у Чистых прудов

2011-12-06T22:14:00.001-06:00

Russblogger provides footage of rally of several thousand resulting in the arrest of 300 people protesting election fraud in Moscow December 5th.

Booing United Russia: Коменданте: Против "уплотниловки". Народ освистал "Е.Р."

2011-12-06T22:00:00.001-06:00

United Russia gets a less than enthusiastic reception from "Komendante", pensioners, and people concerned about pollution. The outrage against vote tampering in Russian parliamentary elections could be instructive to Americans who are dealing with voter suppression, and tampering with every election. As Josef Stalin (a closet republican) said, " It's not those who vote that count but those who count the votes."

Doug Stanhope - ON WHY YOUR OPINION DOESNT MATTER

2011-12-03T21:24:00.001-06:00

Doug Stanhope weighs in on the value of our opinions including blogging, which I hate to say, he is probably correct about.

Walker-Putin Conspiracy Against Democracy

2011-12-02T21:16:00.001-06:00

In an unintended coincidence both Scott Walker and Vladimir Putin cracked down on democracy in their respective fiefdoms. Putin decided to put a stop to the group Golos (or Voice) from putting out pesky reports about voter suppression in Russia. Meanwhile the Tsar of Fitzwalkerstan has made it almost impossible for citizens to voice their opinions around the state capitol. I for one think we should ask Golos to monitor any elections in Fitzwalkerstan and report the results to the U.N.

Doug Stanhope: Voice of America - FEAR IN THE U.S. NEWS MEDIA

2011-11-27T21:19:00.001-06:00

Doug Stanhope visits the role of fear in our American lives. The real fears such as economic insecurity, lack of health care, and the criminal oligarchic kleptocracy which guides our country don't get much play. *OWS was a beginning, violence against it suggests its relevance.

Molotov Jukebox - Trying (Live @ Sunrise Festival 2010)

2011-11-26T21:58:00.001-06:00

Trying is a pretty good description of the present times.

Recall Rally's Memorable Sights and Signage

2011-11-22T22:08:00.000-06:00

The innate creativity that comes from thinking for yourself is unmistakeable here and pretty inspiring.

Recall Walker Kick Off Rally Madison,WI Nov. 19, 2011

2011-11-20T13:19:00.001-06:00

A crowd of up to 40,000 people assembled at the state capitol in Madison Saturday, November 19th to kick off efforts to depose the Governor. In the the first 5 days of the recall efforts over 100,000 signatures have been gathered. A good start for what will no doubt be a formidable struggle against entrenched and well financed corporate interests.

messer chups - Dead down comedy

2011-11-18T22:29:00.001-06:00

I am ready to dance.

Fitzwalkerstan Implosion

2011-11-18T22:06:00.001-06:00

The past week brings even more reasons to back the recall of Scott Walker in Wisconsin. First the effects on education from "The Wisconsin State Journal":"Wisconsin shed about 3,400 education positions this year, triple the number from last year. At least one-third of the state's districts increased elementary class sizes. And at least four in 10 districts are using one-time federal stimulus funds to balance their budgets.And then there is the cutting of 65,000 folks from Wisconsin Medicaid. Where do they think these people are going for healthcare at the 11th hour? Here the normally rabid Journal Sentinel sounds reasonable:"BadgerCare is a Wisconsin success story that guarantees health security for more than 775,000 people. Despite its popularity, the program is on the chopping block as the Walker administration implements $554 million in budget cuts to Wisconsin's Medicaid program."And of course is the latest job loss figures:"Wisconsin lost an estimated 9,300 private-sector jobs in October in the state's fourth consecutive month of job declines, according to the state Department of Workforce Development.Losses covered a wide swath of the state's slow-moving economy - from manufacturing to health care and financial services to retail trade. The only sector with a significant increase came in leisure and hospitality trades, such as restaurants and hotels.Abdur Chowdhury, chairman of the economics department at Marquette University in Milwaukee, noted that Wisconsin lost private-sector jobs during the same months that the national economy added private-sector positions, albeit haltingly.At the state level, "the job loss in manufacturing is alarming," Chowdhury said. "At the national level, growth in the manufacturing sector had been driving the recovery. In Wisconsin, despite the presence of a significant manufacturing sector, the job loss doesn't bode well for the short-term growth of the state economy."Tomorrow Madison: http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/161808/recall-scott-walker-kickoff-rally-set-for-november-19th/

Occupy D.C. 1932, The Bonus Army

2011-11-11T21:49:00.001-06:00

Something to ponder this Veterans' Day 2011.

Wisconsin Phone In Crap Dermocracy

2011-11-04T21:17:00.001-05:00

Phoning it in now appears to be the safest thing to do especially after allowing gun toting citizens to show up anywhere including your previously safe town hall meetings. Scott Fitzgerald, a physical coward, understands this well as noted here. Faux democracy marches on.

Wisconsin Special Session "Back to Work" A Shitstorm of Stupidity

2011-11-03T22:13:00.001-05:00

The so-called "Back to Work Wisconsin" session has proved to be anything but. How ever if you're a fan of bat-shit crazy stuff you have been richly rewarded. Witness the following: Shoot anyone in your house. In reality shooting someone in your home has not been an issue but just in case....Then there is Sex Ed as long as it favors abstinence and marriage, and lastly a bill to make recalls harder, mercifully obstructed by renegade republican Dale Schultz. And jobs, where are they?

General Strikes Winnipeg and Oakland

2011-11-02T22:03:00.000-05:00

I had to post the above videos to give some historical perspective on General Strikes. Winnipeg in 1919 was the largest such action in Canada while the 1946 action in Oakland was the last general strike in the U.S. until now. We need to rediscover our legacy of resistance.

Anonymous-Operation Fox Hunt:Anti Fox News Campaign

2011-11-01T21:43:00.000-05:00

Definitely looking forward to this.

The Wisconsin State Assembly Is In Session

2011-10-31T21:30:00.001-05:00

The new concealed carry goes into effect tomorrow. Check with the gentlemen above how to prepare for your visit to the Capitol.

Occupy Wall Street - Chris Hedges shuts down CBC Kevin O'Leary - YouTube.flv

2011-10-30T19:05:00.003-05:00

Chris Hedges puts an obnoxious ignorant CBC commentator in his place. A reflection on the state of media in Canada and should give pause to Americans who think Canadians are naturally liberal and intelligent. CBC, I gather, now stands for Conservative Broadcasting Corporation.

Kismet - I need your love

2011-10-29T23:04:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween from Macedonia.

Chris Hedges in Times Square, October 15, 2011

2011-10-29T22:53:00.001-05:00

Wisconsin Capitol: Cameras and the Constitution No, Guns Yes

2011-10-28T21:39:00.001-05:00

The Wisconsin State Capitol will soon be a place where guns are OK but copies of the constitution worn in the gallery and cameras are forbidden. We are now in the fascist twilight zone."A new plan created by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) would allow guns in most of Wisconsin’s state Capitol, while most photos and video cameras would still be banned.Under the proposed new policy, the public would be allowed to carry concealed weapons into the Assembly viewing galleries, but existing rules barring the use of cameras (still shots and videos) would not be changed, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.Lawmakers would still be allowed to decide if guns are allowed in their individual offices."

Oakland Police Riot

2011-10-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

So now an Iraqi War vet is in a coma as a result of exercising a constitutional right to free speech and free assembly. Fuck this.

Assorted Protests

2011-10-24T21:42:00.002-05:00

The video from russblogger is entitled Elections Without Opposition is a Crime the others refer to the gradual ratcheting up of response to OWS across this country. The picket in Moscow occurs every Tuesday. The police have their own buses for hauling off demonstrators. I expect soon we will have similar arrangements in the future. As Lincoln Steffens said after his visit to Russia : " I've seen the future and it works." Americans are always slightly behind Russians in this respect. When they figure out that elections don't change anything we will see the next step.

Messer Chups - The Model / Speyer Germany

2011-10-23T00:32:00.000-05:00

Another unforgettable Russian surf lounge performance from the experts.

1 Marine vs. 30 Cops (By. J. handy)

2011-10-23T00:05:00.002-05:00

There is no honor eloquently put.

Buddy Roemer The Unheard

2011-10-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

I would not normally even consider a republican for anything, however Buddy Roemer is a refreshing voice in a political desert. I say this knowing full well Stalin's observation, "It's not those who cast the votes that matter, it's those who count the votes." A factor they have taken to heart throughout the the country.

NATO Oppression of Serbians Continues

2011-10-20T22:24:00.000-05:00

If Serbians were an Arabic people seeking justice in say Libya or Egypt maybe the U.S. would be more helpful. Instead being Slavs in SE Europe they have to face KFOR on a daily basis while opposing the Albanian drug lords.

Occupy Madison The Ongoing Saga

2011-10-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

Another Saturday in Madison, arguably the most progressive, revolutionary city in the U.S. Mrs. WINston smITh and I payed a visit to the Capitol as we get ready to plant our recall Walker sign in the yard. Does it matter if we win? Of course but not winning is not the end for our children and grandchildren, living in a just society that values the greatest good for the greatest number is what will be a real victory. The struggle continues.

Chinese Man - Indi Groove - The Groove Sessions Live 2009-2010

2011-10-15T11:32:00.000-05:00

Inspirational music and video for living in an oligarchic kleptocracy.

I AM NOT MOVING - Short Film - Occupy Wall Street - by Corey Ogilvie

2011-10-14T18:55:00.000-05:00

The Occupy Movement will always run the risk of cooptation and distortion by the Oligarchic Kleptocracy which has always been a bipartisan effort. When the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Ron Paul, and Michael Bloomberg all profess some sympathy you know the old saying " The Elite will do anything for working people except get off their backs" is truer than ever.

Russia 1992 and now

2011-10-11T22:22:00.000-05:00

Protests become more global. Russian communists (the real opposition) come out to the streets to mark the Yeltsin oppression. When I went there in 1998 it took a while for me to understand why most Russians didn't feel that IMF or World Bank "Help" was anything but..."

Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-09T17:15:00.000-05:00

Dr. Cornel West, Keith Olbermann, and Tavis Smiley coherently discuss the Occupy Movement. The same cannot be said of the republican party which is even more clueless than usual about the ramifications of this unfolding event. For some further enlightened commentary Naomi Klein:"If there is one thing I know, it is that the 1 percent loves a crisis. When people are panicked and desperate and no one seems to know what to do, that is the ideal time to push through their wish list of pro-corporate policies: privatizing education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over.And there is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it’s a very big thing: the 99 percent. And that 99 percent is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say “No. We will not pay for your crisis.”That slogan began in Italy in 2008. It ricocheted to Greece and France and Ireland and finally it has made its way to the square mile where the crisis began.“Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?” “We’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” And most of all: “Welcome.”

Wisconson Confidential-Cheese Abuse

2011-10-02T16:54:00.000-05:00

The recent "Grim Reaper Cheesehead" incident sheds light on a little discussed issue in Wisconsin life: cheese abuse.As many may recall recently a small band of courageous, thin, doctors put up a billboard in Green Bay pointing out the hazards of cheese abuse. That is until threats from the Cheese Cartels forced them to alter the message to the Cartel's specifications. Make no mistake, the Cheese Cartels control significant aspects of Wisconsinite life. Attend any function in Wisconsin, weddings, graduation parties, funerals, sporting events of any kind, and next thing you know the cheese is there followed by unspeakable acts. It is well known that the cheese cartels control whole communities forcing them to do their bidding. Monroe Wisconsin, for instance, has its school system run by a shadowy group known as "The Cheese Makers" who indoctrinate the youth of the community as early as kindergarten. In addition to the obvious health hazards associated with cheese, its role as a "gateway" drug leading to brat binging and beer, lots and lots of beer is becoming clearer all the time. Not only that but these profitable Cartels are coming to the attention of international narco-terrorists such as the Mexican "Con Queso" organization. Obviously decisive action is called for before things get really out of hand and the Cheese Cartels take over North America altogether, in other words a new never ending, extremely expensive, amorphous, War on Cheese Abuse should be launched and join its place with all the other wars on everything. No doubt legislation, constitutional amendments, and possibly NATO involvement may be necessary.

Múm, Green Grass Of Tunnel

2011-10-01T22:30:00.003-05:00

Icelandic musical interlude.

Kathy Nickolaus Crime or No Crime?

2011-09-30T21:53:00.002-05:00

"A county clerk likely violated the law when she failed to report thousands of votes in this spring's Wisconsin Supreme Court election, but her conduct wasn't criminal, state investigators said Wednesday.Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus couldn't explain how she failed to report the votes, investigators said, but they concluded she probably loaded a blank template into a reporting database rather than a template that contained the vote totals. Wisconsin law requires county clerks to post all returns on Election Night."A county clerk likely violated the law when she failed to report thousands of votes in this spring's Wisconsin Supreme Court election, but her conduct wasn't criminal, state investigators said Wednesday. Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus couldn't explain how she failed to report the votes, investigators said, but they concluded she probably loaded a blank template into a reporting database rather than a template that contained the vote totals. Wisconsin law requires county clerks to post all returns on Election Night. Read more here.Amazing to believe that this is not a prosecutable crime. If I would have done something like this of course it's crime. So what did they do? Look into her vacuous eyes and decide everything was OK? Besides screwing around with previous elections she personifies the republican penchant for vote tampering (as opposed to voter fraud a nonexistent issue used to justify crappy legislation such as voter ID).

Poverty Intensifies In Fitzwalkerstan

2011-09-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

In several sets of dismal statistics the economic implosion in Wisconsin was brought into sharp focus by the U.S. Census Bureau. For example:"To all those Wisconsin workers who feel like they've been economically squeezed in the first decade of the 21st century: It's not your imagination. It's reality.Adjusted for inflation, median household income in the state declined 14.5% between 1999 and 2010, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday.The rate of decline in Wisconsin dwarfed the national drop of 8.9% in median household income over the same period."Even worse was the poverty rate in Milwaukee which is now the 8th poorest city in the United States, worse than Katrina battered New Orleans."Milwaukee's poverty rate was 29.5% last year, up from 27% in 2009. In all, 171,521 people - including nearly half the city's children - lived below the poverty line in 2010 as Milwaukee remained among America's 10 most impoverished big cities."The rate of child poverty in Milwaukee is now approaching a staggering 50%."The stark figures detail the continued economic devastation wrought by America's Great Recession.Poverty among Milwaukee's children shot up to 46.1% last year, up from 39.4% in 2009, according to Census Bureau estimates.Among minorities, 41.4% of Milwaukee's black residents and 32.3% of Hispanics were poor."

Gabor Csupo - In-throw duck show

2011-09-23T22:27:00.001-05:00

From the creator of the "Rug Rats" sound track.

Wall Street Occupation

2011-09-21T22:15:00.000-05:00

An uncovered story of great significance, a potential revolution in the U.S. We won't give up as we have less and less to loose.

Dr. Cornel West inspires thousands at Fighting Bob Fest 2011

2011-09-18T22:00:00.001-05:00

Dr. West at his finest.

Fighting Bob Fest Warm Up At The Barrymore

2011-09-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Sadly, I couldn't make it to Fighting Bob Fest this year due to prior commitments, however I am posting these videos from the Friday night warm up at the Barrymore Theater to publicize what is an especially relevant event in Fitzwalkerstan these days.

Leningrad - Menya Zovut Shnur (they call me Shnur)

2011-09-18T00:19:00.000-05:00

The real Russia.

Politkovskaya Revisited

2011-09-16T22:16:00.000-05:00

More info on the Politkovskaya hit:"The nuanced and explosive case of Anna Politkovskaya continues to stretch its tentacles far and wide, as investigators and a key witness pin the blame on Russian exile Boris Berezovsky. Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, former Moscow police boss currently under arrest, has made a pre-trial agreement with the sleuths and given detailed testimony on the murder of the Novaya Gazeta journalist, naming Berezovsky as the man who ordered her death. Pavlyuchenkov’s damning indictment tallies with leads already uncovered by the Investigative Committee, Kommersant reported. Recent breakthroughs concerning Pavlyuchenkov and supposed gunman Rustam Makhmudov have won the support of Novaya Gazeta and point to a political will to get to the bottom of the case, Tim Roth in Russia Profile wrote. Not the first time This is not the first occasion that now London based Berezovsky’s name has appeared in the case. In 2008 Dmitry Dovgy, former chief investigator in the Prosecutor General’s office who was sacked and convicted for corruption, told Izvestia soon after he was suspended that Berezovsky had ordered the killing. Berezovsky dismissed the accusations in an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio. “This is another attempt to distract the investigation from searching for the real person behind the murder,” the tycoon said, RIA Novosti cited. He has been on Russia’s wanted list for a number of crimes since falling out with Vladimir Putin after his arrival in the president’s office. Killers for hire The latest allegations connect Berezovsky with a supposed group of hired thugs, cobbled together by Chechen crime lord Lom-Ali Gaitukayev. At first engaged in different suspect practices, they are then believed to have turned their hands to murder on demand. The group included ex-millionaire Sergei Kadzhikurebanov, the Dzhabrail brothers, Ibragim and Rustam Makhmudov and Pavlyuchenkov. Kadzhikurebanov is currently serving eight years for extorting money from Pavlyuchenkov and Gaitukayev is doing 15 years for organizing an assassination attempt on businessman Gennady Korban in Ukraine in 2006. Pavlyuchenkov acquired the address and knowledge of Politkovskaya’s usual comings and goings through some of his junior police officers and gave an Izh gas pistol, converted to fire live ammunition, to the Makhmudov brothers. They then shot Politkovskaya in the lift of her stairwell on Oct. 7, 2006, Putin’s birthday, Kommersant reported. One favor for another The Investigative Committee recently finished interrogating Pavlyuchenkov and will soon present the fruits of its work on him to a court. As long as there are no surprises the document will secure the ex-cop at least a minimum term, Kommersant reported. His defense, who did not contest his arrest warrant, did object the terms of his arrest. Given his active cooperation with investigators and the state of his health Pavlyuchenkov’s lawyers hope that he can be moved to house arrest."

Illegal

2011-09-10T22:47:00.002-05:00

Do something illegal?Statement or command?

9-11 10 Years of Mindlessness

2011-09-10T10:37:00.001-05:00

The upcoming 10th anniversary of the 9-11 catastrophe is, not surprisingly, an occasion in the U.S. to renew the Fear. The Fear has become such an ubiquitous feature of American life many Americans can't even recognize it. Its features include the use of Orwellian language such as "The Patriot Act", "Homeland Security", "WMDs", and of course the ever present "War on Terror". A certain sort of mindlessness has been unleashed in the country exemplified by mindless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mindless immolation of the constitution and human rights in general, mindless persecution of Muslims, mindless support of Israel, mindless militarism, mindless political organizations such as the Tea Party, and mindless political and social conformity. The "War on Terror" is an amorphous never ending blob that indefinitely perpetuates the National Security State and creates more terrorists than ever existed previously. The smoking ruins of the WTC could now just as easily symbolize the collapse of the American economy, which while not solely caused by 9-11, got a good healthy push over the cliff by the trillion dollar wars and financial irresponsibility of the previous administration and to a large degree continued by the Obama presidency. In this context the death of Osama Bin Laden may prove to be of little consolation to Americans now living in a degraded society for the foreseeable future.

The Books - Enjoy your worries you may never have them again

2011-09-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

And so many worries there are.

Record Ice Melt Looms

2011-09-07T21:57:00.000-05:00

While morons debate the facts reality continues to pile up regarding climate change. The National Snow and Ice Data Center continues the accumulation of facts:"Arctic sea ice extent averaged for August 2011 reached the second lowest level for the month in the 1979 to 2011 satellite record. Both the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea route appear to be open. Throughout August, sea ice extent tracked near the record lows of 2007, underscoring the continued decline in Arctic ice cover.Note: Arctic sea ice extent will likely reach its minimum extent for the year sometime in the next two weeks. NSIDC will make a preliminary announcement when ice extent has stopped declining and has increased for several days in a row. Monthly data for September will be released in early October."

''i Robot'' by Oleg Kostrov live in Gogolclub

2011-08-27T22:54:00.000-05:00

Wish I was there.

Fitzwalkerstanization Or The Rabid Badger

2011-08-27T22:41:00.001-05:00

While our oligarchic kleptocrats running Fitzwalkerstan have never been big on facts and figurin the recent numbers suggest that things aren't going so well in the place "open for business". Here's a few things to mull over your Spotted Cow:

"Wisconsin lost 12,500 private sector jobs in July:
The economic slowdown hit Wisconsin in July as the state lost 12,500 private sector jobs on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to the state Department of Workforce Development.
The state gained 4,300 government jobs during the month, so the state had a net job loss of 8,200 during the month, on a seasonally adjusted basis.
Most of the government jobs (4,100) were added at the local level. The federal government added 300 jobs in the state and the state cut 100 government jobs.
The July job losses cancel out most of the 12,900 private sector job gain and 9,500 net job gain that the state posted in June on a seasonally adjusted basis.
The news is a blow to Gov. Scott Walker’s goal of helping the private sector in the state create 250,000 jobs during his first term in office. The state has now added 28,700 private sector jobs since Walker was sworn in at the beginning of this year. At that pace of about 4,100 private sector jobs per month the state will add only 196,800 private sector jobs by the end of Walker’s term. The state needs to add an average of 5,208 private sector jobs each month to reach Walker’s goal."

"Wisconsin ranks 19th nationally in child poverty":
"Child poverty, across the country, increased in 38 states from 2000 to 2009, according to a recent report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Wisconsin fared better than the national average, but followed the same trend, with children in poverty rising from 10 percent in 2000 to 17 percent in 2009, putting the state at No. 19.

Researchers concluded that low-income children will likely suffer academically, economically and socially long after their parents have recovered.....
Wisconsin came in 12th, showing improvement in teen birth rate and infant, child and teen mortality rates. However, the amount of low-birthweight babies, children in poverty and children in single-parent families grew.

Mississippi had the most children living in poverty, with 31 percent..."

Not necessarily Scott Walker's fault but considering his policies unlikely to get better.

And of course there's Milwaukee, Little Johannesburg, worse than Mississippi:

"One out of three school-age children in Milwaukee lived with a family in poverty in 2005, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Wednesday.

Milwaukee ranked sixth highest overall among the nation's 70 largest school districts; only Cleveland, New Orleans, Detroit, Fresno, Calif., and St. Louis had higher percentages of children living with families in poverty."

I kind of doubt that this number has gotten any better either.

'Western countries fighting for Libya’s oil fields like piranhas'

2011-08-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

What's really going on here? Don't expect MSM to tell you anything. William Engdahl lays it on:

"Engdahl says NATO’s actions in Libya have created a very virulent precedent.

“What we have going on in Libya for some months now is a major effort by the US and NATO forces to pour at least $1 billion by various estimates into the so-called Transitional National Council,” he said. “It’s rival tribal clan warfare that is going on in Libya. This is not a democracy movement by any stretch of the imagination.”

Engdahl said it is simply an insurgency being supported covertly by US-financed armed shipments to the rebels – in order, he claimed “to simply carve up the oil fields and get them into Western hands, rather than in Libyan state hands, which Gaddafi held firmly on to.”

David Maimela from the South Africans for Peace in Africa Initiative shared Engdahl’s pessimism about Libya’s near future.

“NATO has not achieved anything [in Libya],” he said. “Even if they are to remove Gaddafi and his government at the moment, what we are going to have is a greater form of political instability in the country and a further breakout of civil war in Libya,” he said."

oh lord give us more money

2011-08-21T23:44:00.000-05:00

Holger Czukay's song could be the new national anthem.

London Calling

2011-08-16T23:12:00.000-05:00

The American media has been careful to portray recent unrest in the UK as just criminal activity as opposed to a reaction to economic injustice and disparity. Religion Dispatches puts a new perspective in "Our Great War Is a Spiritual War". Particularly interesting is the participants interpretation of events:

"“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

Furthermore:

" …with the complicit support of the government, the banks looted the nation’s wealth while destroying countless small businesses and brought the whole economy to its knees in a covert, clean manner, rather like organised crime... These kids would have to riot and steal every night for a year to run up a bill equivalent to the value of non-paid tax big business has ‘avoided’ out of the economy this year alone. They may not articulate their grievances like the politicians that condemn them but this is absolutely political… It’s mad, sad and scary when we have to take to the streets to defend our homes and businesses from angry thieving kids, but where are the police and what justice is ever done when the mob is dressed in pinstripe?"

Who can blame them?

messer chups go satan go

2011-08-13T23:27:00.000-05:00

Enough Wisconsin dreariness, Go Satan Go by my favorite Russian surfers.

Wisconsin Meets The Machine

2011-08-13T23:18:00.001-05:00

I have spent the better part of the last week pondering the results of the Wisconsin recall and have come to some conclusions. The recall of republican state senators failed in its ambitious goals. The democratic party failed to grasp what was really at stake at both the state and national level. The state party was disorganized and couldn't get out a coherent message and instead treated the recall as a group of local contests with no common thread. The national party continues to fail by having no values or principles that distinguish them from the republicans except by degree of complicity. The debt ceiling debate was a perfect example. My representative, Tammy Baldwin, demonstrated as much courage as any democrat by voting against this travesty for reasons of principle, namely the lack of sacrifice from the oligarchs and the national security state. President Obama was nowhere to be seen or heard on the subject. He has become a caretaker, holding the place down until the real owners show up. If I would have known this I'd rather left the the presidency in republican hands and let them suffer the consequences of a decade of misrule. In the end I have to agree with the World Socialist Web Site:

"In the end, the recall campaign boosted the fortunes of the Republicans in Wisconsin and nationally, along with their right-wing corporate backers who flooded the state with millions in campaign funding. Going into another recall vote next Tuesday—this time for two Democrats—the Republicans could extend their majority in the state senate, which is currently 17-16.

Even if the Democrats had won the election, workers in the state would have seen no fundamental change. Like the Republicans, the Democrats on every level of government have insisted that the working class must pay for the economic crisis, tax cuts for the wealthy and other supposedly “job-creating” incentives for big business.

In Wisconsin, the Democrats boasted that they had made the deepest cuts in state history, including public employee furloughs and other concessions, under Walker’s Democratic predecessor, Governor Jim Doyle."

In the words of anarchist David Graeber:

"WE FACE A GIANT MACHINE DESIGNED TO DESTROY ANY SENSE OF POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE FUTURES"

Republicans Burning Down The House

2011-08-07T10:34:00.000-05:00

This of course is dedicated to the pyromaniacs currently manning that fire station known as the U.S. House of Representatives. Watching last weeks events with what can only be described as something like morbid fascination I decided to assemble a few of what I thought were some of the more pithy comments out there:

From Matt Taibbi:

"So the debt deal has finally been reached. As expected, the agreement arrives in a form that right-thinking people everywhere can feel terrible about with great confidence.

The general consensus is that for the second time in three years, a gang of financial terrorists has successfully extorted the congress and the White House, threatening to blow up the planet if they didn't get what they wanted.

Back in 2008, the congress and George Bush rewarded Hank Paulson and Wall Street for pulling the Cleavon-Little-"the-next-man-makes-a-move-the-n---er-gets-it" routine by tossing trillions of bailout dollars at the same people who had wrecked the economy.

Now, Barack Obama has surrendered control of the budget to the Tea Party, whose operatives in congress used the same suicide-bomber tactic, threatening a catastrophic default unless the Democrats committed to a regime of steep spending cuts without any tax increases on the wealthy."

Paul Krugman:

"Make no mistake about it, what we’re witnessing here is a catastrophe on multiple levels.

It is, of course, a political catastrophe for Democrats, who just a few weeks ago seemed to have Republicans on the run over their plan to dismantle Medicare; now Mr. Obama has thrown all that away. And the damage isn’t over: there will be more choke points where Republicans can threaten to create a crisis unless the president surrenders, and they can now act with the confident expectation that he will.

In the long run, however, Democrats won’t be the only losers. What Republicans have just gotten away with calls our whole system of government into question. After all, how can American democracy work if whichever party is most prepared to be ruthless, to threaten the nation’s economic security, gets to dictate policy? And the answer is, maybe it can’t."

And Dave Cohen at Decline of The Empire with what I thought was one of best blog titles "Dying Government Fails To Commit Suicide, Will Try Again Later":

"A self-inflicted disaster. The government held a gun to its head and threatened to kill itself (video below). Fortunately—or unfortunately, I can't decide which—the government didn't pull the trigger.

Guess what? There is no "plan" in any time frame which will address both the long-term fiscal gap without weighing heavily on a weak recovery economy. This "plan" doesn't exist! Can't possibly exist!

As I've told you over and over again, it took 30 years to get here. That's why the politicians basically did nothing, for there is nothing they can do so without 1) screwing the special interests who actually elected them or 2) screwing the low- and middle-income people who voted for them. That's why every citizen with an interest in the matter—outside the politicians who negotiated it—is unhappy with the deal. That's why the government is feeling suicidal lately. Forget about the politics, those are mere details. Think about it. It's not clear which is worse: raising the debt ceiling or not raising the debt ceiling. Few Americans can wrap their heads around this. Prepare yourself for a lot of future unhappiness."

Our political system has now devolved to a point where it is totally unresponsive to the needs of the majority of the citizens. On a national level we are confronted with the choice of the ongoing criminal enterprise known as the the republican party versus a national democratic party with no apparent principles worth actually fighting for or identifiable values. My only consolation in the midst of this dermocracy, (taken from the Russian, dermo or shit), is living in Wisconsin where a sizable portion of the populace has awakened and will hopefully begin the laborious process of freeing itself. On to the recalls.

ДДТ "Мама, это Рок-н-Ролл" (DDT "Mama, This is Rock'n Roll")

2011-08-05T22:29:00.002-05:00

Wisconsin State Fair Time With Governor Walker

2011-08-05T22:14:00.001-05:00

It is heartening to know this guy can't go anywhere without public outcry and protests. The people turning out against Walker are the newly radicalized middle class who are the answer to the question "Will Americans ever start to react to the rampant economic injustice and disparity that characterizes our oligarchic kleptocracy?"
Next week in Wisconsin will be very interesting to put it mildly.

Devotchka - the last beat of my heart

2011-07-31T22:01:00.000-05:00

Saw them with Gogol Bordello last year. Truly an under appreciated group.

The Resonating Words of Fighting Bob

2011-07-31T08:50:00.000-05:00

"We are slow to realize that democracy is a life and involves continual struggle"

Fighting Bobfest is moving to the Alliant Energy Colesium in Madison on Sept. 17th. Check here for future details.

Oppurtunity To Oppose Walker In Fort Atkinson

2011-07-28T23:19:00.002-05:00

Soon to be ex governor Scott Walker blew in and out of Fort Atkinson and was greeted by a 100 or so citizens somewhat less than happy to see him. Mrs. WINston smITh provided the above documentation. Interestingly while Opportunities supposedly provides the "disabled" a chance to work at minimum or less wages chances are unless someone will drive them at least 20 miles they will be unable to obtain documentation for voting anywhere locally as the local DMV office is being closed in keeping with voter suppression rules.

Olga Arefeva Night In October Ольга Арефьева Ночь в Октябре

2011-07-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

A world of music beyond our door.

Republican Economics Explained Or Help the Koch brothers bust the unions in Wisconsin

2011-07-26T19:54:00.001-05:00

A coherent explanation of our current dilemma both on a state level and nationally.

Gov Walker Unwelcome At The Welcome Center

2011-07-24T20:45:00.001-05:00

In case anyone had doubts about Governor Scott Walker's detestabilty quotient, this video of his visit to a state Welcome Center on July 18th outside of Beloit should settle the issue. A similar reception awaits him in Fort Atkinson on July 28th, where he is scheduled to dedicate a building used to improve the lot of the disabled, a group he is normally attempting to render even more destitute through his policies. Anyone interested in unwelcoming the governor can do so starting around 5:00 PM at 100 East Cramer in Fort Atkinson. His Highness is scheduled to speak at 7:00PM

messer chups --- Crash live in st.Peterburg

2011-07-24T11:39:00.001-05:00

The weekly serving of Messer Chups and Russian Surf.

Putin's Army

2011-07-23T20:07:00.001-05:00

As the Russian election looms a new twist, Putin's Army, willing to do anything though, as per The Global Post, just what isn't exactly clear:

"One group that has managed to find an enemy is Putin’s Army, a collective that formed on VKontakte, Russia’s version of Facebook, last week. In a video calling on “young, smart and beautiful girls” to join their ranks, the narrator points out “those who would throw dirt on him,” their beloved leader. She then announces a contest calling on young women to “tear something” for Putin (before tearing her own tanktop in two) — but the double meaning of the Russian word she uses (porvat) also implies the threat of vicious revenge.

About 20 members of the group gathered in a central Moscow square on Friday evening to “tear for Putin.” Tottering on heels and wearing t-shirts emblazoned with their hero’s image, they didn’t quite know what to do. First, they strutted down a makeshift catwalk — three times. Then, they decided to march, like soldiers, to show their support of Putin.

“I didn’t think it would be such a popular thing,” Maria Utkina, a 19-year-old Putin’s Army leader, said. “Maybe then I wouldn’t have called it an army.”

“We’re ready to do a lot for Putin — we just have no idea what,” she added.

The group, and a similar one called I Really Do Like Putin that formed on VKontakte this month (they’ve already held a Blueberry Hill sing-along and a bikini-clad car wash), have all the hallmarks of Nashi, the Kremlin-connected youth group. But both Putin’s Army and Nashi deny any connection. The racy Putin’s Army video went viral after appearing on Schitov’s blog but he also denies that his Youth Guard movement is involved.

“Any national leader has a huge number of supporters and this is normal,” Nikita Borovikov, the leader of Nashi, said. “Some of his supporters are young girls, this is also normal — they are citizens like any other person.”

Polar Ice Melting At Record Rate

2011-07-21T21:46:00.002-05:00

According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center the polar ice cap is melting at record rate this summer surpassing the record set in 2007:

"Arctic sea ice extent declined at a rapid pace through the first half of July, and is now tracking below the year 2007, which saw the record minimum September extent. The rapid decline in the past few weeks is related to persistent above-average temperatures and an early start to melt. Snow cover over Northern Eurasia was especially low in May and June, continuing the pattern seen in April.....

"Arctic sea ice extent declined rapidly through the first two weeks of July, at a rate averaging nearly 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) per day. Ice extent is now tracking below the year 2007, which saw the record minimum September extent."

Messer chups -Shandor Diabolikov

2011-07-16T21:56:00.001-05:00

Late night Russian surf-lounge musika.

Imagine If London Was Occupied by Israel

2011-07-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

Wisconsin GOP Zombie Attack Turned Back

2011-07-13T19:13:00.001-05:00

By large margins Wisconsin voters averted an insidious attack by republican zombies in areas scheduled for state senate recall elections in August. According to Dane 101:

"Democratic primary results from the six districts where Republican incumbents are up for recall have been called. The real Democrats defeated all of the GOP's handpicked zombie Democrats.

Wisconsin has an open primary system, so Republicans can vote in the Democratic primary. The Democrats defeated their opponents by a spread of more than 30 percent in all but one district suggesting substantial enthusiasm by opponents of one party rule for those recall races. Shelly Moore, a newcomer to politics, is challenging incumbent State Senator Shelia Harsdorf in District 10 and she came out eight points higher than Isaac Weix. While this doesn't mean there is less enthusiasm for Moore, it does suggest there is less of an enthusiasm gap in Harsdorf's district. Turn out was high on both sides with it being the only race where more than 10,000 votes were cast (as of this writing) for a fake candidate (see official numbers here)."

Kismet - Until The Next War

2011-07-12T19:36:00.002-05:00

The United States is currently involved in conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya. There are also the "wars" on terrorism and drugs. There was also the war on poverty which we gave up on.

Khodorkovsky Revisited

2011-07-10T20:39:00.001-05:00

Why the West has latched onto the Khodorkovsky case is something known only the editors of The New York Times and other purveyors of misinformation about Russia. Living in Wisconsin these days my sympathy for downtrodden billionaires is wearing a little thin. Anatoly Karlin gives an interesting take on the Russian Billionaire As Victim Saga:

"Imagine the following scenario.

In the US, a black homeless man “robs” a bank. He only takes a single $100 bill out of the wad of cash offered, because he was hungry and had to pay to stay at a detox center. Regardless, he had the good graces to return the money the day after. Net financial loss to the bank? $0. Years he was sent down to the slammer for: 15.

In another country, a billionaire fleeces the state by using offshore companies to sell his company’s oil production (and sees nothing wrong with it). Politicians and businessmen who oppose him get this nasty habit of turning up dead. Net financial loss to that country’s treasury, and ultimately taxpayers? Many billions of dollars. Years he was sent down to the slammer for: 14.

Now imagine that one of these cases becomes the focal point of universal condemnation of that country’s brutal, lawless, and authoritarian human rights regime – from Amnesty International and PACE, the US State Department and the German Bundestag, and regular scathing editorials from the biggest media titans. The country’s own liberals work overtime to campaign for the case to be overturned.

Which case would you guess I’m talking about? Surely it would be Roy Brown, the indigent beggar right? No way, sucker."

Very nice blog BTW.

Messer Chups - Lipstick twang -

2011-07-10T00:06:00.001-05:00

Slavery Introduced In Wisconsin

2011-07-08T14:05:00.001-05:00

A working definition of slavery might be something like forced unpaid labor that normally would be compensated. By that definition the use of unpaid prisoners in Wisconsin to do work formerly done by union workers would seem to fit. From Truthout:

"While Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) law dismantling collective bargaining rights has harmed teachers, nurses, and other civil servants, it’s helping a different group in Wisconsinites — inmates. Prisoners are now taking up jobs that used to be held by unionized workers in some parts of the state.

As the Madison Capital Times reports, “Besides losing their right to negotiate over the percentage of their paycheck that will go toward health care and retirement, unions also lost the ability to claim work as a ‘union-only’ job, opening the door for private workers and evidently even inmates to step in and take their place.” Inmates are not paid for their work, but may receive time off of their sentences.

The law went into effect last week, and Racine County is already using inmates to do landscaping, painting, and another basic maintenance around the county that was previously done by county workers. The union had successfully sued to stop the country from using prison labor for these jobs last year, but with Walker’s new law, they have no recourse."

Which begs the question did Walker's supporters know that introduction of slavery was part of the package? Another incentive for corporate investment in Wisconsin?

Tariq Ali - Obama, Pakistan and the US empire

2011-07-04T19:19:00.000-05:00

The 4th of July is a good day for a history lesson and Tariq Ali gives a good overview of recent events in America and abroad.

Afrirampo 【PV】あふりらんぽ《ミラクルラッキーガールズ》

2011-07-03T20:20:00.001-05:00

Certainly not your average Japanese Girl Band fortunately.

Savage Republic - So It Is Written

2011-07-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite groups from the 80s.

George Carlin -"Who Really Controls America"

2011-07-01T14:10:00.000-05:00

The deepest and most critical thinkers in America are not politicians or pundits but "comedians".

Protesting Governor Walker's bill signing ceremony,Fox Valley Tech 6/26/2011

2011-06-27T22:27:00.000-05:00

After last minute arrangements (as noted here) to rearrange the bill signing ceremony Wisconsin people can still find where to protest the corporatization of life in the state. Once again sparsely covered in what passes for news in Wisconsin.

Late Night Molvaer

2011-06-25T22:21:00.002-05:00