..even (on certain occasions) the ::shrug:: - that is, amidst such things as The Unpleasantness at the Belonna Club or like right now: some o' us Muricans have a certain tendency to want to fingerprint every Angel dancing on ary pin, on every 'issue' [Not Mee! Noo..]

Yes, as said - I think that Osama et al hadn't a clue re the 'depth' of resources, as you put it - and while he was swift enough to notice the tawdry nature of our customary entertainments and our often solipsistic.. personal quests to umm own at least One of Every Thing? - his grievous error was to presume that, not just a majority but *all* Muricans are as shallow and also so consumption besotted as to.. stand about in helpless confusion after WTC.

(But then, he's hardly alone in both these naive presumptions and in his Rightousness.) Every True Believer is Certain\ufffd that s/he Knows what is best for *ALL* - and will kill you to save yer 'soul'. THAT factoid is likely a built-in natural defense for that aforementioned *ALL* IMhO. The ones we have most to worry about are the Ones as clever as a G\ufffdbbels, a man capable of inventing and boldfaced calling it! The Ministry of Propaganda. See what just poor (in spirit, that is) autistic addled-Billy has done with this concept, in the jejeune mercantile world! - and just for mere $$/Power (not a Messiah Wannabe. Yet.?.)

{sigh} Fortunately then: we are facing the addled of the Addled. This time. But remember too, the decline (the dumbth) locally. Many Muricans remain ignorant of our history, of what's in the Constitution.. and don't have the foggiest what (even) 'HUAC' means, meant. This situation makes us vulnerable to the next G-like truly virtuoso manipulator of slogans. I have no idea How vulnerable, but am prepared to aver that Ignorance Kills.

I'll breathe a lot easier.. when the rollback of Ashcroft's 'Millennium Permanent Idiocy' Laws commences in earnest. (Yes and UCITA, the not quite dead SSSC whatever That becomes next). And when the USSC has - over ~ a decade? - somehow overcome the shame of the junk-logic within last years's machinations - such as incurred the wrath of all political polarities: who ever went to law school - or run one today. That wasn't even 'RightWing\ufffd' - that was 200 proof cockamamie (to use the technical term).

We weren't nearly so-much a Corporate-owned 'electorate' back when most consumers were also citizens: and voted, as best they could wade through the tripe slogans. Where's HL Mencken when we really Need him?

We might make it back to that level of citizenship. We might not. Crap shoot. Meanwhile, we seem to be muddling on adequately against at least, the real Loonies. Pity we have to eat the inane slogans which Bushie just must repeat endlessy, in lieu of reading a bit o' Churchill for leavening.. and variety.


Cheers,

Ashton
think: Pres. Cheney be just a pretzel away :(

Pastors Billy n'Bally ummm {ugh}

Must we choose ..

A) The earnestly deranged, but at least tryin to hep ya - to

B) The malevolently self-absorbed, who leave you alone simply 'cause they don't give a fuck what happens to you or yours?

Have you nothing oblique?











I think we have to reinvent the whole ball o'wax.. as to the idea of our bein a 'collective'. Oh, and stop buyin $150 shoes for kids with Swooshes on their butts (and also clogging their fledgling mentation). Raise em up right and maybe they won't turn out like their parents?


A.
In other words: have no idea how we get outta this mess..

In the old days we had trade guilds. Then unions - who brought us the 8-hour day and 40-hour week (well.. even less in enlightened places, by now) - over their heaped mauled bodies from SF to Detroit to Virginia coal mines.

Of course they also brought the union boss equiv. of suited CIEIO greed - surprise - but, there was a kind of balance.. one that is impossible when there's no organization *at all*. Then, ya get the Future:

Manpower Inc. SF chron even managed to reprint last Sun. the article about temps working in Si Valley (in To-Do List mag). Reporter, Raj Jayadev is Ed. of siliconvalleydebug.com .

Via interposing another layer between Manpower and HP ("MSL") -- the really shitty conditions incl. frequent lo-ball paychecks or delayed checks - can't be laid at your 'employer == HP' but at these inaccessible middle-slime. Etc. Exact same story as a has been written re those nice maquiladoras on our Southern border. Same complaints: right here in River City.

Natch there's no medical or other coverage. Mention organizing? yer Out -- as the author chronicles. Laws protecting your right to organize? In Bushie Murica 2002 - you jest. The Indians (from India) working there commented: these conditions wouldn't be gotten away with there, today - and he mentioned the techniques used to counter them (left over from being used on the British!).

Prediction: this sort of scam is Popular with suits and inevitable unless and until _____ (I won't even mention the Obvious)


Ashton
Enjoy your toys assembled, boxed by these huddled masses - we are meant to be perenially distracted and.. it's working so far.