World opinion upon the change of government in America

Michael Connell

Michael Connell died, while pilot of his small plane, in northeastern Ohio. The Akron Beacon Journal, on 21 December, wrote and described him as a family man, and a very, impressively, involved, catholic parishioner.

But, there is far more. He was a Republican party operative. His ability in computer information technology made him a rich man, but ominously is reminiscent of a character in The Great Gatsby, the man who fixed the 1919 Series. He owned and ran the computers that, are alleged to have, changed the election results for Ohio in 2004. If this is true, Michael Connell fixed the election for Rove and the Bushes, his frequent customers. From the bushcheney ’04 campaign, he is reported to have, received in the excess of $800,000. He had been involved in Republican campaigns for more than twenty years, including the first george bush, and Rove’s electronic mail system.

If this is true he co-operated with great evil. This has not been reported by the american corporate media*. Independent individuals and internet journalist bloggers have: Velvet Revolution, Larisa Alexandrovna, ePluribus Media, RAW STORY, Brad Friedman, Clifford Arnebeck, Bob Fitrakis.

On the 22nd of September he was subpoenaed, on the 31st of  October he gave a deposition, in federal court concerning rigging the ’04 Ohio election. On the 19th of December he flew to Washington, on the 20th he was dead.

His great, deep and intense involvement with Republican party tactics, has been suggested, to have been, centered on his beliefs concerning abortion. Did he ever realise that the Republicans did not end abortion? Did he wonder about the subversion of government, popular sovereignty, democracy, law, and justice?
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*It is often easier to find, and read stories, concerning US political news in the english papers. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3885913/George-Bush-aide-dies-in-plane-crash.html

Job 1 for President Obama

Mister Luckovich created supra, and he often demonstrates, that, there are some great and succinct editorial cartoons, that, tell so much more, and with actuality sometimes remiss from the standard, talking head ‘expert commentators ’.* Eight years of the treasonous misrule of usurpation are nearly over. Still, the reprobates can do great damage, in addition to the lingering damage already done. Six more weeks to wait.

It is not so much that they were wrong in programme, but that they knew no law and despised those whom did. Virtually nothing appeared in the campaign on this most important issue. The press was timid. Many people were interested, only, in their pet issue. The bishops had been co-opted by the Republican party, and were devoted only on abortion, and ignored their pastoral and prophetic duties to speak on other issues. After Obama won the election, in this period of deep, economic recession, the gun enthusiasts, quickly, purchased more weapons.

Mister Obama has been left a country with far more problems, and far less resources, than, that of which, Mister Clinton left when he relinquished the presidency. This interregnum has been a disaster.

Mister Obama has quickly been assembling a new administration. In the forefront of his planning is that of the economy and ‘national security’, but, perhaps, the greatest damage that the busheviks have committed was that done to justice and law. The justice department was whorred out. Intensive repair, recovery and rehabilitation, there, is needed. Those responsible should be found out, and made to bear their guilt and responsibility.

I am sure, that, after the 20th of January there shall be more than a dribble, but not the torrent, of information on the depth and breadth of illegality and corruption, that has been the last eight years. I remember Ronnie Reagan wore dress morning clothes for his inauguration. There are horizontal, black and white, striped suits a waiting for the out-going Republicans.
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*Instead of presenting the blowhards, and propagandists that network and cable television foist upon us, it may be better just to have the camera linger on good cartoons, when they appear.

Restore the Constitution

Barack Obama is the first man to win the presidency since 1996. This eight year period of usurpation, seems to be ending. The standing of this country has suffered in the interval. The populace is gripped in economic trepidation and financial crisis. The rest of the world is rejoicing in the upcoming transition, with near unanimity, that, is far beyond the national evaluation.

Barack Obama has shown calm calculation and poise. He is speaking of conciliation. What he has given barely a public clue to is — restoring and defending the Constitution.

The interloper is shameless. He has been accountable to nothing. The current economic troubles were created by his incompetent policies, and now he tells the world, that, capitalism, his term – free markets, have no cause to be blamed.

The man who practises pre-emptive war is without remorse. The man who knows no law, but his own will, is unbowed. There is still two more months until the return to democracy. In those two months great mischief can be made.

Will Barack Obama undo and, even prevent, some of bush junior’s unique concoction of evil, malevolence, arrogance and incompetence? Perhaps verbal reticence is a shrewd tactic. And of course, though weakened, his political party still exists, and it too, is unrepentant. Obama is speaking only of unity.

A new president for a troubled country

Fernando Lugo, on the Feast of the Assumption, became president of Paraguay in Asunción. This was historic: from 1954 to 1989 General Alfredo Stroessner was dictator, his party lost the latest election, and allowed Lugo to be inaugurated. That was a first in Paraguay. Lugo is a recently laïcised bishop, Rome consented, though not easily or quickly. The bishop for the poor is now the president of the poor. Paraguay has been a highly, visible example of fascist corruption. The new president has much work to do. He has refused a salary. He appears in native shirt and sandals, and speaks Guarani. His presidency will be different than his predecessors.

Members of Fernando Lugo’s family were often imprisoned, and or, exiled by Stroessner’s dictatorship. As a young man, Lugo became a rural teacher, and found his calling when the people had no priest. He joined the Society of the Divine Word, was ordained on the Feast of the Assumption 1977, and went as a missionary to Ecuador for five years. After a year back in Paraguay, he was exiled. He went to Rome. He came back in 1987, and in in 1994 became bishop of the poorest diocese, San Pedro. He resigned in 2005 and began campaigning.

Bishop, now President, Lugo has not come easily to office; already two former presidents have tried to form a coup. Centuries ago, in and about, the same country the jesuits administered reductions (reducciones de indios). These Jesuit Reductions produced a self-sustaining community of christianised, and civilised, but not europeanised indians. In the movie, The Mission, the story was told. The Guarani were the chief indian nation, then in Paraguay, and are that now. They wanted to hold their land in peace and freedom. That is still the problem now. Many indians and mestizos have little, or no, property and rights. With the violent end of the reductions, and the expulsion of the jesuits, the indians were robbed, killed and enslaved.

To-day the ruling families run smuggling operations that enrichen themselves, of course; now smuggling is supposedly illegal. It is done matter-of-factly. Much of the farmland is owned by brasilians. The use of toxic pesticides and deforestation is rampant. The landless native peasantry is powerless, but they have elected a man to champion their interests, and of course, he is in danger.

Now, Paraguay has a great river that runs through it, with many tributaries and falls. Paraguay’s water power generates electricity for Brasil, and Mr. Lugo wants a renegotiated deal. Paraguay is landlocked and has two powerful neighbors in Brasil and Argentina. Foreign relations will be very important.

Recently, he was in New York City, at the United Nations. He was offered a meeting with Sarah Palin, he declined, he found it laughable. She did speak to Kissinger, and the client presidents of Colombia, Georgia, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was not going to be a tool or prop of that campaign.

Mister Lugo has much to deal with. Many in his country have great confidence in him, and great hope for him. He came to power, legally, ending the world’s, longest, current period of one party rule. He is very familiar with liberation theology, so the corporate press will always call him a leftist. So far, the background information available has found him unassailable.

The Great Wave

Katsushika Hokusai. Kanagawa oki nami-ura (The Great Wave Off Kanagawa). c.1826. Hakone.
Yes, I do believe it is coming. Obama, and the Congress, nooks and backwaters will be awash and Republicans swamped. The tide, full of foam and froth, oh, if it will clean and wash the filth and dreck and offal of the last eight years of usurpation and degradation, then may the rule of law return, and the miscreants be hung out to dry.

Why so much early voting?

Several states have encouraged early voting, some in person and some by post. I will be on the road, working out of town and staying in a motel, on election day. I have voted absentee, for the first time. The television has shown long lines at boards of elections, some with only black people in lines.

I know why. The black electorate is enthusiastic about the candidacy of Barack Obama, but, that is not the main rationale. They, as I, do not trust the polling places on Tuesday. The fascists have tried to rig and steal elections. Remember, Florida in 2000, and Ohio in 2004 and other places, by computer fraud, disenfranchisement and discouraging voters, by any means necessary. The special targets are negro citizens, though, not exclusively. I cannot be confident, that, my Democratic vote will be counted as a Democratic vote. Ohio is the home of Diebold, the company, that, makes automated teller machines that photographs users and dispenses receipts, yet makes unverifiable voting machines; they currently use another name for that division.

The early voting is an attempt to pre-empt Republican chicanery. The false charge of voting fraud is there to muddy the waters and cause doubt of real votes. One may be wrongly and falsely registered, even multiply so, but that is not voter fraud; that is registration fraud, at most. Most, virtually all, of the bad registrations will never vote. A person, out of ignorance, may be multiply registered; he will vote once, if at all.

God commands compassion

Consider the Sunday mass readings for the 30th week of ordinary time. A positive of the new mass is the additional reading. In most of the old masses, there was an epistle and a Gospel; in the new mass, the first reading is, usually, from the Old Testament. To-day, it is a wonderful one:

"You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans. "If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate. — Exodus xxii. 20-26. NAB

Advenam non contristabis, neque affliges eum: advenæ enim et ipsi fuistis in terra Ægypti. Viduæ et pupillo non nocebitis. Si læseritis eos, vociferabuntur ad me, et ego audiam clamorem eorum: et indignabitur furor meus, percutiamque vos gladio, et erunt uxores vestræ viduæ, et filii vestri pupilli. Si pecuniam mutuam dederis populo meo pauperi qui habitat tecum, non urgebis eum quasi exactor, nec usuris opprimes. Si pignus a proximo tuo acceperis vestimentum, ante solis occasum reddes ei. Ipsum enim est solum, quo operitur, indumentum carnis ejus, nec habet aliud in quo dormiat: si clamaverit ad me, exaudiam eum, quia misericors sum. — Exodus xxii. 21-27.

Thou shalt not molest a stranger*, nor afflict him: for yourselves also were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not hurt a widow or an orphan. If you hurt them, they will cry out to me, and I will hear their cry: And my rage shall be enkindled, and I will strike you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor, that dwelleth with thee, thou shalt not be hard upon them as an extortioner, nor oppress them with usuries.† If thou take of thy neighbour a garment in pledge, thou shalt give it him again before sunset. For that same is the only thing wherewith he is covered, the clothing of his body, neither hath he any other to sleep in: if he cry to me, I will hear him, because I am compassionate. — Exodus xxii. 21-27. DRC

What would a darwinistic, capitalist of the american, so called, Republican party, or a xenophobe, or a calvinist make of this? Would his ears be shut? How many candidates for office consider these words of God as religious values to campaign on?

God considers the alien, the widow, the orphan, the poor and hates their oppressors, and the usurer also. He promises to hear the plea of the stranger, the pauper, the homeless and abandoned. God commands us to be like Himself; compassionate.

The Scriptures mention four such victims of sin, whose condition cries to heaven, for justice. The first was Abel’s murder, fratricidal killing. The second was the sin of Sodom. Here is the third instance. The fourth is the laborer robbed of wages by his employer. The second pair, are social and economic issues, where the transgressors prey on the weak.

All these acts share a similarity of evil. Those who sin, in these manners, do not love their neighbor. And this leads to the day’s Gospel:

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." — Matthew xx. 34-40. NAB

God command us to exercise charity!
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*The exegist Dom Antoine Augustin Calmet points out, that, the ancient celts put to death the murderer of a stranger, while a murderer of a non-stranger was removed from the community.
† Cato the Censor equated usury with murder. Aquinas saw usury as charging twice, for the item and the use of the item. It is charging for time, time is not for sale. Dante places the usurer, in the inner ring of the seventh circle of hell, with sodomites and blasphemers. Shakespeare has Shylock say about Antonio, Merchant of Venice, in act I, scene iii:

I hate him for he is a Christian,
But more for that in low simplicity
He lends out money gratis and brings down
The rate of usance here with us in Venice.
If I can catch him once upon the hip,
I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.
He hates our sacred nation, and he rails,
Even there where merchants most do congregate,
On me, my bargains and my well-won thrift,
Which he calls interest.

This election there is an Issue 5, in Ohio, which will retain recent legislation, which among other points, limits usury to 28%. A well financed campaign, by the strip mall loan sharks, wants this repealed. Some of their false arguments, are that this is against freedom, and individual choice and would put people out of work. If it is defeated, the rate can be 14 times greater. Some of their allies are: Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Christian Alliance, National Taxpayers Union.

scurrilous, scabrous, scandalous slander

The Republicans are desperate and losing badly in this presidential race. They are resorting to their bag of slime: scurrilous, scabrous, scandalous slander and the pejorative aspersion has always been their weapon of choice.

# 1 John McCain
At the Hofstra event, he falsely used the term ‘class warfare’, and accused Barack Obama to be desirous of wealth distribution. After Wall Street is slated to receive hundreds of billions from americans, after they scammed, skimmed and stole as much as they possibly could, McCain did not worry about wealth distribution. No, when Republicans, plutocrats, their aspirants and lackeys speak of class warfare, they fear the possibility of economic and social justice. There was the signal, that, the Republicans would red bait and declare all those against them, against the country.

# 2 Sarah Palin
“Senator Obama said that he wants to spread the wealth and he wants government to take your money and decide how to best to redistribute it according to his priorities. Joe [the Plumber ?, Biden ?, Lieberman ?, Blow?, Mama?] suggested that sounded a little bit like socialism.”

# 3 George (the pudding) Voinovich
“With all due respect, the man[Obama] is a socialist.”

# 4 Michele Bachmann
“What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out if they are pro-America or anti-America.”

Now, the term ‘socialist’ can mean many different people and ideas. There are christian socialists, a term, for a political party, that has not made inroads into public discourse, in this country. After the hate filled, murderous disaster of hitlerism in Germany, there arose the Christian Democrats under Konrad Adenauer to lead that country, and there are such parties in other lands. Adenauer of Germany, and Charles de Gaulle and Robert Schuman of France led Europe out of the ashes. These Christian Democrats were sometimes socialists, sometimes not. Generally when a country has two strong parties, of socialists, the christians are conservative and the “social democrats” are not, yet both can be democrat[ic]. There are social democrats, now, that term is foggy. Some are democrats and some are communists or damn close, especially in those countries that have been freed of communism in the great movement of 1989 and quickly thereafter.

In the US, the latter type, the marxist, leninist, cæsarian, militarist, stalinist kinds are the only ones referred to. This is what these current, vituperative attacks allude to. Remember, the Republicans used to call Roosevelt and Truman, Kennedy and Johnson ‘communists’. Franklin Delano Roosevelt saved democracy and capitalism in this country, and defeated fascism, and hitlerism in Europe — all this to the displeasure of the Republican party. Also, remember, that, the supporters of gwbushjr love comparing chimpy to Truman, and Truman distrusted, and disliked Republicans immensely.

Road trip about the Ohio

I, and a friend, took a 450 mile road trip in the tristate area about the Ohio River. We passed the Lordstown , the Stratton and Cardinal plants. We signed books, in order to seek work, in Steubenville, Wheeling and attempted Belle Vernon, in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. In Steubenville, the form included the line on racial identification, the old, and presumably out of favor, terms: Negro and Oriental.

We encountered much roadkill, especially deer and coon. The leaves of the trees on the appalachian hills were brilliant in the sun, on a very warm day, in mid-October. Approaching the river, towards Steubenville, a fog sat over the river and up the banks to make the river invisible. There was a chemical stench that would not lift. Martin's Ferry seemed small and stolid, and we passed Mingo Junction, hardly noticing. I sang some of the lyrics of The Banks of the Ohio.

The towns were proud to note their favorite sons: Lou Holtz, Dean Martin, Robert Ulrich, Bill Mazeroski, Stan Musial. A good deal of livestock was visible on farm hillsides. Wheeling looked past its prime and cramped. We also crossed the Monongahela, and pumpkins were available from farms. Dried cornstalks stood in fields.

Along route 7 and elsewhere there were signs for local candidates. One for prosecutor had a visage, very similar to Terry Bradshaw. Over all we saw more Obama signs than McCain. The union halls in Cleveland, Steubenville and Wheeling all had yard signs, available, from the Trumbull county Democratic party. Somewher on the Ohio side, there was, on a billboard, the Quaker dove, stating “War is not the answer”, the same side was in Wheeling. At St. Clairsville, we heard a radio advertisement, by bluegrass musician Ralph Stanley, advocating Barack Obama. At a gasoline station, in Ohio, there came out of the family truck, with Pennsylvania plates, a very tall, and slightly husky, pizza complexioned kid. He was wearing a black tee shirt, with the printing: No communists No socialists Nobama

the republican mob

It disgusts, but does not surprise. In recent McCain and Palin events, the crowds have exhibited some ugly and hateful outbursts of hostility.

The Republican party is the american fascist party, and it shows. There is a basic meanness. They are nationalists, racists, xenophobes and imperialists. They fundamentally do not believe in democracy. The democrats have a surging wave building. The busheviks stole two, close elections; this election will not be close. This base core of lumpenfascists is not accepting this as an outcome. One of the basic tenets, and claims, of these volk is, that, they possess monopoly on patriotism and americanism. They wish to dictate, and decide, on to whom, the identity of american can apply.

Palin is a glib and banal character. She appeals to these rough and vapid masses, whom are becoming mobs. They are disdainful of any press, that is, not in the republican, true believer, wingnut or knuckle dragging camp. Eventually journalistic crews will be physically attacked. An outsider will be taking a gamble on his safety and well being. I hazard to extend the metaphor.

Republicans have been yelling, "socialist","treason","terrorist" and "traitor" at the mention of the next president's name. This could escalate to much worse. These people would certainly not accept these epithets for bush jr., but the double standard is the standard Republicans employ.
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postscriptum: A couple hours after writing this, I saw on television, John McCain trying to neutralise some of the adamantly, stringently stupid. He was trying to defend Barack Obama, from blatant falsehoods, from his supposed supporters. He was booed. Booed by your own partisans, clearly, he is not rabidly, Republican enough. Rove, bush, Fox news [sic], et alia have created monsters. He may also be acknowledging to himself, that, the game is lost, and is saddened, by the part he has played. McCain may be a Republican, but some of the ilk of his co-travellers disgusts him, none-the-less. McCain, after bushjr, was the only chance his party had for victory. The other candidates, with the possible exception of Ron Paul, were wretched. His selection of Palin could not have come from the top of his depth chart. He has tried stunts to gain attention, but without substance, and they did not hold. He will have to work, after November, for self redemption.

regulation, responsibility and republicans

Al Capone advised not to invest in the stock market. “It’s a racket”, he maintained to all. He knew businessmen, he was one himself, and quite successful, until he had tax trouble. He along with Henry Ford, John Rockefeller, and others were the financial celebrities of the booming ’20s.

This American system of ours, call it Americanism, call it capitalism, call it what you will, gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we only seize it with both hands and make the most of it. — Al Capone

Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class. — Al Capone

The roaring ’20s was a time of unregulated excess for those whom had access to wealth. Three Republican administrations allowed business interests to govern. Harding knew he was incompetent, and some of his cabinet was incredibly corrupt. Coolidge’s main occupation was sleeping. This culminated in Herbert Hoover, by far the most able of the three, and collapse. The greatest economic disaster, so far, in the history of this nation tumbled through his four years.

Franklin Roosevelt was then elected four times. The hatred that was given, to this man, by the Republicans and the moneyed interests was virtually boundless. He brought this country out of disaster and saved democracy. Those vengeful and vicious interests, even, at first attempted a putsch. It failed.

Mister Roosevelt was willing to experiment. He did not worship Mammon, under the avatar of “free market capitalism”. The man was not a socialist. He was a pragmatic politician, and acted as a shrewd statesman, and achieved success. This success was a boon to humanitarianism and the american nation. Franklin Roosevelt was a patriot. Some people believed, that, the party of Hoover and the bankers would never regain power, merely, because they should not; so as to avoid the inevitable disaster and failure that would return.

The stock market and the banks were greedy and corrupt in the 1920s. The rich and the Republicans were in high spirits. Their avarice and immoral practices brought ultimate ruin. At first Robert Taft emerged as the point man to overturn the entire New Deal, the reaganistas and the busheviks were successful in that endeavor, and by doing so, were the architects that laid the foundation, and executed the blueprints, for the current economic crisis.

The second Glass-Steagall Act*, the Banking Act of 1933 regulated the financial business. It included the Federal Deposit Insurance Company, but more importantly, it separated brokers from bankers, it created regulation and reform to prevent speculation. These measures reassured the country, and allowed for recovery from the policies of the Republicans, and the Wall Street clique. Now, this, as all elements of social and economic justice and financial regulation is, and has been, anathema to the moneyed interests, the economic royalists and the Republican party.

In the recent generation, the protections of Glass-Steagall have been cancelled and repealed. The last part of it was destroyed by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999. That Gramm, was the Republican senator from Texas, and presidential candidate, and professor of economics at Texas A&M, and McCain’s economic advisor, Phil Gramm. We now have what the Republicans wanted: the reforms of Roosevelt repealed, a return to the orgy of the ’20s. We also have a bill to pay for it. History repeated, because the nation did not remember what it meant to live under the success of the Republican party and their masters.

We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself. — September 2008 Republican Party Platform

Prosperity is just around the corner. — 1932 Herbert Hoover

Corporation: n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. — Ambrose Bierce

The Congress shall have Power ... To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes ... — Article I. Section 8. Constitution

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* Democratic Senator Carter Glass of Virginia, and Democratic Representative Henry B. Steagall of Alabama.

Diagramming the Preamble

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.


Reed-Kellogg parsing drawings analyze, and give graphic, configurations of sentence structure in a logical demonstration of grammar. The base ground is the subject and predicate, a third is the object, which does not have to be expressed, beyond that, many other portions of speech can be tacked on; but they can all be pictorially related. This is done for understanding, there is an intelligence, a logic of construction that gives order. The words ‘in order to’ are a subordinating conjunction, which then allows for several infinitival clauses, which list the programme of purpose (the direct object) of the project (Constitution).

To-day is the anniversary of the establishment of the grounding document of the government of the United States. The seventeenth of September 1787, it was signed. It is currently in danger. Our government has been usurped by individuals, whom have, betrayed their oaths to defend it. Their non-democratic party has ruled without it. The american people, as a whole, are ignorant and complacent about this illegal, operative status quo. It should be a primary concern of the electorate. This non-democratic party, the so called Republicans, should be forced to acknowledge the Constitution. The electorate should disqualify them from consideration at the polls, until they make admission and amends. The Democracy should govern the democracy.

The preamble to the Constitution defines its purpose and scope. It is the law of the land and patriots uphold it. Fascist tyrants and lackeys of the moneyed interests have subverted it. WE the People need to return to our roots.

Vice of a Female Dunderhead

Palin has the essential vapidness of Quayle and bush jr, but with a greater facility of speech, more akin to Ronnie the actor, and little or no interest in facts or truth. A, proud, standard bearer of the Republican party mythology and falsity. She plays well to small town, main street America, to the George Babbitts and Elmer Gantrys. In the short run, at least, she has rallied her party with enthusiasm. Time will tell, whether before voting day, it will be apparent to the electorate, whether the diabolically, clever gambit will be parried by recognition, or stealthily succeed. The vice-presidental, candidate selection has usually meant nothing to the vote. In this very short time, McCain seems bound fast with rope to Palin. It has been an effective, and quick defining and branding. A virtual unknown has been given a glamorous stand.

The image of McCain as a politician is a fraudulent portrayal. He is not a maverick. The “straight talk express” is a wheelbarrow heaped with foul bovine, and equine, manure; but fast, early and repeated lies often defeat truth, in the minds of men.

If it is true, that, party bosses scotched McCain’s favorites and pals Lieberman and Ridge, and he fended off being saddled with Romney, then this substitute is a tour-de-force. Picking a female will not turn Democratic Hillary Clinton voters to McCain, it may turn silly, female partisans, but then male partisans will cancel some of that effect. The abortion and “family values” voters have been satisfied.

Subsidiarity is the catholic principle in society and government, which, has the simplest unit possible to handle an activity. If something can be done within a family, then the family ought to do do, and not be subject to a larger unit. If something can be done by a smaller, local governmental unit, then it ought to be done by that simpler unit. That is the idea behind the Xth amendment. It is also part of the European Union. Pope Leo XIII wrote about this in Rerum Novarum, in 1891. It is the modern cornerstone of Catholic social, and governmental, thought.

Subsidiarity encourages community activity and organising, that which, Palin sarcastically ridiculed. The Republicans lie about small government. Subsidiarity and community organising promotes smaller government, as well as a check against the monied powers. Ah, that is why the Republicans attack community organising. Small government, libertarian type Republicans, who will actually be true, to principle, is insignificant. It is just the spider teasing the fly.

If the press has played with Wright and Pfleger to attack Obama, and the Catholic press to attack Biden (over abortion), then it should be able to look at the nuttiness of Palin’s religious background. So far, she has been well shielded. The corporate press has not scrutinised her much, though last night, NBC did softly report some of her untruths. Palin is a joke, funnier than Monty Python. Unfortunately, Mencken may have been right in his sarcastic, cynical pessimism. In the United States, why must the idiot, and the liar have the advantage?

What have we seen in Minnesota?

Fascist stormtroopers patrolling the outside, while fascist adherents rant inside, but the fascist-in-chief is ignored during their worship and bacchanal. Are these fascists schizophrenic? They still believe in their scripted fascism, even when their leader (führer) has kept to the script and is known to be a failure. Einstein, and sometimes Franklin, is famously, though incorrectly, quoted in giving a definition of insanity as, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”*

Inside, they say the war is keeping America free, while police thugs trample the first amendment outside. When, anywhere in this land, one tries to publicly witness to peace, thereby, being against war; they are surely verbally abused by taunting, war approving, nationalists. These self-defined ‘patriots’, will tell them to leave America and go to France, or see if they could protest in China, or the middle east. The state and many americans do not respect the first amendment, they fear it.

Why is it that Republicans hate the Constitution, except for the second amendment? The demonstrators, and journalists and spectators, outside, believe in the Constitution, but did not, even, consider to attempt to exercise their second amendment rights. If even one did, they would have been slaughtered.

The armed stormtroopers, ah ... police, raided a rented hall, the friday before, with a secret warrant. The only violation they found was a fire code item. The US does, now, practice pre-emption. It is part of bush junior’s regimen. During the week of the convention, at least 800 were arrested. In that number, there were several photographers and journalists. Such individuals are of danger to the authorities and were dealt with accordingly.
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*Rita Mae Brown, Sudden Death, 1983.
noto bene: the photographer, Matt Rourke, of the photograph above, was one of the arrested.

Remember their last candidate

To-day, Labor Day, is being besmirched by those, whom wish, to take away all rights from labor. That party is the institutional fascist party. That party, which, has usurped government and proved treacherous to the Constitution. That party of miserable failures, and filthy lucre. That party of chimpy bush, that roved John McCain in 2000.

Now, for seven and a half years, McCain has toadied to junior. He has become John McBush. He has lived longer than the three score and ten allotted for a, full, active life. He may soon be of the second infancy, and senility, that Ronnie the actor experienced. He may have sold his soul in the craving desire for the presidency.

Certainly, the Republican party slime and distortion machine, that had him targeted, now, is being used on his behalf. They must be judged on their actions, not on their words and promises. His party has stolen government, and has been wretched in, almost, every way. For these sorts of reasons, they have disqualified themselves for consideration to represent and rule. The first operating logical criterion in catholic ethics, is that, the means never justify the ends!

How can I keep from singing?

One of many versions undergoing continual editing:

1.) My life goes on in endless song
Above earth’s lamentations,
I hear the real, though far off hymn
That hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear its music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

2.) While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness ’round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I’m clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?

3.) When tyrants tremble in their fear
And hear their death knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?

In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging,
When friends by shame are undefiled
How can I keep from singing?

The provenance of this song is slightly murky. I would sleuth it in the following manner. The original lines were written by Anne Warner, circa 1864. The Baptist preacher and writer, and sometimes collaborator with Ira Sankey, Robert Lowry, published it in 1869, and has, sometimes, been credited as its author. Doris Plenn learned it in a North Carolina familial setting, surmising it to be a Quaker* song. In 1956, she added the new topical lyrics. It was then introduced to folk music by Pete Seeger in 1957. It has been recorded by several notable folk singers (Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Noel (of PP&M) Stookey, Eva Cassidy) and by Enya and by Bruce Springsteen. Finding it on radio would be quite difficult. It has been recently performed by Martin Sheen on Prairie Home Companion.

A version appears in the missal and hymnal at my parish church. The book is printed anew each year, with it being there for many years. I do not recall it, ever being sung, there. A pity, it is a beautiful tune and song.

I have highlighted the anti-Joe McCarthy, anti-fascist words of Doris Plenn, whom, added on to a religious song of constancy and joy in faith, which was written during a time of war. That war between the Union and the confederates is the fulcrum of american history. No division in this country has ever been greater, nor bloodier. But, Ms. Warner sang with a serene and certain joy. Truly, the words peel off the voice wonderfully.

The tune is both sweet and forceful. With the addition it is triumphant, the wicked leviathan is at death’s rattle and the surviving persecuted are to be redeemed. The celebration of justice is marked.

The original celebrates the paradise, of the New Jerusalem, that will prevail over the present, wretched, destruction of war. That destruction does not whelm, and certainly not overwhelm the faith. The faith is kept, the witness is made, the reward exists, none-the-less. The powers of the world do not win. Love and Truth, the attributes of Our Lord Jesus Christ are irresistible.
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*Apparently, it is now in several hymnals. People will confuse Quaker with Shaker. It has become an indeterminate christian hymn, and since it rarely says Jesus, the unitarians can sing it too. Some librarian could chart its publication appearances. I would guess, it may have not seen much ink between 1870 to 1955. The folkies have resurrected a hymn, a song too good not to be sung.

The american president and the germans

To-day will be seen as a day of counterpoint comparison. Barack Obama spoke to 200 thousands in Berlin, Germany, or ‘old europe’ as Rumsfeld called it. John McCain groused at the Fudge Haus in German Village, Columbus, Ohio. Obama gives a speech on the world stage, while a cranky, geezer appears silly in Ohio.

McCain complained that his opponent did not see the theatres of combat, and lacked foreign policy experience. Obama has embarked on a successful mini world tour. McCain fumes at home. He wanted to go to a gulf oil platform by Louisiana, in order to have a photo shot, to bolster more offshore drilling. To-day 400,000 gallons of diesel fuel is spilt on The Mississippi about New Orleans.

John McCain is showing signs of desperation as he fulminates. He has a commercial that blames the price of gasoline on Obama. Who started the war for Iraq’s oilfields? Is he going to be ridiculous in his accusations? John McCain has made verbal errors of assertion, that were covered up by CBS. The corporate media is propping up McCain, partly because, they want to make the contest appear a horse race. There is a possibility of a grand wave, a landslide for the Democracy, across the country. A real one, not the george bush junior sort, where clever and determined cheating produces less than fifty percent.

10th Sunday after Pentecost - Republicans and Pharisees who browbeat Catholics

Lincoln Cathedral. Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. mid 19th C.
To-day in the extraordinary form of the liturgy, is the 10th Sunday after Pentecost. To-day’s Gospel is from Luke xviii. 9-14:

And to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised others, he spoke also this parable: Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican. I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess.And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner.I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather that the other: because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted.

A foundation of catholic ethics is, that, the means do not justify the ends. This is simple syllogism, false premises do not lead to a truthful conclusion.

The suspect Republican attacks the catholic, with the argument, that, a true catholic must vote for Republicans, because Democrats are for abortion. Whilst it is true, unfortunate but true, that the Democracy officially supports, virtually, unlimited access for the termination of pregnancies; it is not true, that, the Republicans will end or intend to end abortion.

When Republicans attack catholics and democrats, they never admit, that, their party is that of criminals, bandits and war criminals, who act in disregard of all laws. They sneer at the Geneva conventions and approve of torture. They have stolen the last, two, presidential elections and many other races, they suppress the vote, and use secret, criminal, organised, co-ordinated, tyrannical and anti-democratic tactics. They intend to install a one party government. Tom Delay and Karl Rove were their field marshals in the coup. Cheney and bush are the chief war criminals.

Under this regime, they had a span of unmitigated, undeterred power, when no one was allowed to effectively challenge them, in the slightest. They controlled all parts of the federal government. They wanted to do this in perpetuity. They wanted the government to be subjected to their party. In this part of their reign, they lied the US, and coerced other countries, into a war for oil. Their one unifying value is the worship of Mammon. They acted for economic royalists and war imperialists.

Did they direct a fraction of this concern and energy for the abolition of abortion? NO!, they did not!

Jesus taught us, that, no one can serve two masters. Either one worships God, or one worships Mammon. Show unto me, when the Republicans did not serve Mammon and Mars.

There are some who use the phrase ‘cafeteria Catholic’, and deride bleeding hearts. Catholic teaching has never approved of unjust wars, some Catholic teaching condemns all wars. These entrées are not chosen by too many Republicans now. Christ was scourged and crucified — horrible tortures. Jesus was the first bleeding heart; how can a Catholic deride the Sacred Heart? Apparently, when he joins the Republican party.

Now, there is a portion of the Democracy, that is rabidly, for abortion. A good percentage of them are anti-Catholic bigots. There are other Democrats that travel with them. These Democrats have repelled democrats away from the Democracy. Recently a few anti-abortion Democrats have won office, where, another sort of Democrat would not have. This could force the party away from the unreserved support for abortion. Pragmatism, that allows for a spectrum of belief, on abortion may lead to victories, and a reduction in abortions.

Giuliani is not the only Republican who supports abortion, they have latitude on that issue, they have none on others, he is full front and center with them. Catholic prelates don’t deny him Communion, or shame him on abortion. The Republicans have straight, party line votes far more often than Democrats. It may not be for the right reasons that the Democracy will move away from Bill Clinton’s alliance with NARAL, but they may for victories. The Republicans only use it to gain votes from the electorate. When Democrats free themselves from the abortionists, it will be hard for the Republicans to continue to browbeat Catholics. They will on ‘socialism’ and this should expose them as the mammon worshipers they are. The Republicans have shown hat they will oppose measures that reduce the attraction of abortion. Hypocrisy in the service of mammon.

Committed catholics, and other humanists, must push the Democracy to understand, that, the unborn are logically equal, in humanity, to all those who have attained the age of reason. No one who walks and talks has existed, that, hasn’t been in the womb, where he is utterly dependent. For those who are orthodox christians, we believe that Our God, in the person of Jesus, so entered the world.

Tertullian, before the end of the 2nd century, defending against false accusations of child sacrifice among christians:

For us, murder is once and for all forbidden; so even the child in the womb, while yet the mother’s blood is still being drawn on to form the human being, it is not lawful for us to destroy. To forbid birth is only to murder the sooner. It makes no difference whether one takes away the life once born or destroys it as it comes to birth. He is a man who is to be a man; the fruit is always present in the seed.

Even earlier, in the Didache, which was used in the first century as a catechism and a guide to behavior:

You shall not procure abortion. You shall not destroy a newborn child.

Now, those people who believe in other aspects of social justice and the Beatitudes, will never find them honored in the Republican party. The advertisement and false propaganda campaign of ‘compassionate conservatism’ was equivalent to nazi humanism. Arbeit macht frei.

Safety is not job one

To-day, once again, the essential meanness of management raised its stupid head. Now, car plants, thanks to the UAW and the Big Three's wanting to avoid liability, actually practice safety (to some quantifiable degree). Of course, they emphasize simple, visual compliance, but actually do encourage and demand compliance, on occasion, of weightier concerns. Now, it is said, in the public relation, piffle propaganda, that, safety is job one.

The situation: one man is working in a basket lift, between presses and other equipment. The lift is telescoped out and the basket is needled into position. Plant rules are very simple: one man in lift, one man on the ground, if caught disregarding rule, then both men removed from the facility and a one year ban.

General foreman and office representative for the employing electrical contractor notice ground man. General foreman approaches groundman, and tells him he can be bending pipe, while other man is in lift. Pipe bending machinery for rigid pipe and pipe threading machine are a distance away, not very far away, but totally out of eyesight from lift. Clear violation.

All involved know the rules, but the presumed judgment, that, the groundman is shirking work and is not being productive and profitable is foremost of concern. The groundman is a target of management for correction and ultimate dismissal. The presumption of guilt is automatic.

Job requirements and customer demands are reflected in the bid for the work, if it is not, it is completely the fault of the contractor and his representative(s). But, the workman is the victim, scapegoat, and the problem to be solved.

This is only one example, but it is entirely indicative of management's and ownership's modus operandi. Rule over the men, and squeeze every moment of time, and every imaginable cent out of them. This is why contracts need to be followed, and why business needs regulation. Unregulated, industrial production causes worker injury and death. The Republicans, fascists and libertarians do not want government regulation, or a strong and organised labor force.

To add to the hypocrisy, just recently, we were buffaloed about "the code of excellence" ( a recent post), same employer, same union, same customer, different location. Ford has its demands, but they are not secret. They may be inconsistent in their application, the contractors are, bloody damn well, consistent in their behavior.

All construction work is not the same. A steel mill is not wired like a cul-de-sac ticky-tacky home. But, the tendency for construction management to impose 'efficient', 'modern' and 'economical' methods is rampant. The scabs have the former market. Their owners are the bedrock of Republican party contributors and core. Their workers are reaganesque voters. Now, union contractors think like scab contractors. Union workers, minus the idiots and company men (shoppees), are of the Democracy.

Job one is to get it done, and done quick, and as profitable as possible. This is why since 1981, we have had a constant barrage against organised labor, OHSA, trial lawyers, environmentalists and anyone who is an impediment to business' desires and demands. Reagan, Bush the first, Clinton and business Democrats, bush the lesser, and all Republicans are to be pilloried. Any man, and his family, who works for a living and votes for economic royalists is an ass, and an idiot.
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Postscriptum: The two men above, the man in the lift's basket and the groundman, were fired the next day in the last half hour of the shift, Friday the 11th of July. They were "ineligible for rehire" and discharged for "unproductive work". Both men reported to IBEW Local Union 38's hall to describe the firing. It remains to be seen, whether, the union will defend the men and uphold working agreements and contracts, or accommodate Herbst Electric. -- 5.30 p.m. EDST July 11.
The earlier post, referenced supra, is titled "Cohoosion", and was written in the previous month.