Talking, Not Listening Part One

From the Desk of HamsterPrez
Hamsterdam, USA

My Fellow Hamsters;

This is likely to be my last series of posts. I have finally discovered the problem to the problems, and there appears to be no solution. It's in the title. Everyone's talking, but no one is listening. Poll after poll after poll has told our elected officials what we, their employers, want and yet they fail at every turn to pay any heed. So caught up in their own sanctimonious and petty drivel are they that we no longer matter. They have completely ceased being representatives of ours and have morphed into professional politicians whose only focus is re-election.

They don't give a crap about us...that would take too much effort. Having been reduced to just another lonely voice screaming into the empty darkness had driven me to just shut the hell up. My voice among all the others offers nothing to those who refuse to listen.

And I'm just too angry about all the stupidity I see and hear. There are such easy answers to all of the problems we have, and yet those who have the ability and position to enact those solutions refuse to do so until and unless they get something in return. Louisianna gets $100 million dollars so their senator will not block a procedural vote. Abortion gets written into the alleged health care reform bill so that some politicrat from Nebraska will get in line with the party, despite the fact that what he is asking for is contradictory to the party's platform.

Dont' even get me started on Lieberman. He's been called the Senator from Aetna, but he's actually just the Senator from Lieberman. His actions have absolutely nothing to do with his constituents, the country, the sick and the dying. He's not holding things up to get something for his state or for the insurance cartel. He's doing what he's doing because he can and gives him an egomaniacal boost in self importance.

President Obama? He's so intent on the ideal of how government should work that he has completely failed to notice the reality of it all. It's great to want the system to work as you've been taught that it should, but at some point (long past now) you have to say "screw it" and just do what you know is right. And just. And that doesn't kill people. You are not only the leader of the free world, Sir, you are the leader of your party. Except they are leading you. Long ago you should have taken over the debate, gotten the country behind you, threatened these dolts with their political lives, and gotten your party to do what you said you were going to do. On this, Sir, you have failed miserably, and it's killing a lot of people.

The rest of the civilized world, and probably some parts of the not-so-civilized world, are looking at America now and wondering what the hell? We look stupid, inept, incapable and we are losing our position rapidly as the place that everyone turns to for answers and assistance. We are becoming a laughing-stock and all the pretty speeches won't make that go away. Our very credibility is at stake, and we're losing our grip.

I said earlier (and before in other posts) that the solutions to the major problems facing this country are simple and in my next post I will outline them. It won't do any good, of course. If the people who actually have a podium from which to speak can't get any traction, then how the hell will I? But, it will make me feel better.

HP

From the Hamster Nation HQ in Hamsterdam, here is this year's recipient of the Hamster Paradigm Excellence in Writing Award, Mr. Rod G. of Seal Beach, CA. Rod, or as we affectionately call him Big Rod, won this award months ago, but it has taken the Hamster Nation Budget Office this long to approve the funding for the Keith Olbermann bobble head doll, pictured with its proud new owner.

Many thanks to Big Rod for his contributions and thought-numbing conversations around the HQ.

HamsterPrez

PSA: Porn Makes You Gay

This past weekend saw an event called the Values Voter Summit and it featured most if not all of the potential Republican presidential hopefuls. During this conference, there was a "break out session" which featured Mike Schwartz who is the Chief of Staff to Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and he had this to say:

"All pornography is homosexual pornography because all pornography turns your sexual drive inwards. Now think about that. And if you, if you tell an 11-year old boy about that, do you think he going to want to go out and get a copy of Playboy? I'm pretty sure he'll lose interest. That's the last thing he wants."

This is absurd on so many levels. Let's start with the question, "Where does an 11-year boy 'go out to' to get a Playboy magazine?" Chances are, he pulled it out from between the matress and box springs of his Dad's bed. Are you the Christian father who wants to try to reconcile that argument with your 11-year old son? "Dad, if reading Playboy makes me gay, are you, too?"

Playboy, along with all adult fare, is not exactly easily obtainable by the pre-teen set except from within the home, or a heathen friend's home. So, then Bobby goes over to Tommy's house to look at Tommy's dad's Playboys and asks Tommy's dad the same question. You think Tommy's Dad might make a call to Bobby's Dad? Probably.

All pornography is homosexual pornography because it turns your sex drive inwards? That would make it monosexuality, wouldn't it? If Playboy makes you want to have sex with yourself, then how does that make you homosexual?

What about lesbians? One could presume that Playboy would, in fact, cause a lesbian-leaning 11-year old girl to strap on a tool belt and start fixing the dishwasher. Applying Mr. Schwartz' logic-deprived theory to this argument, Playgirl would turn little girls into lesbians. Which means that all pornography makes girls homosexual. It's a wonder there are any straight women at all.

Here's some more of what Mr. Schwartz had to say:

"It's been a few years, not that many, since I was closely associated with pre-adolescent boys, boys who are like 10 to 12 years of age." Really? "Closely associated"means what, exactly? I'm going to take a slightly higher road here and assume that you were a Sunday school teacher to that age group and not the scary guy on the corner. He goes on to say, "But it is my observation that boys at that age have less tolerance for homosexuality than just about any other class of people. That's beacause they don't want to be that way. They don't want to fall into it. And that's a good instinct."

Boys at that age are mimicing what they've been told. They have no clear understanding of the question. So, publically and to the adults in the room, they will answer accordingly. Reality is that all children are naturally curious about sex of all types, and are more likely to experiment with different kinds when told it's a bad thing. It's part of human nature. Don't tell me I can't or shouldn't do something and if it's so bad, what about Uncle Larry? Or Father Mike?

No one and nothing has the power to "make someone gay", Mr. Schwartz. Trust me, I wish it did. There are thousands of guys I wish I could convert, even for an hour, to our side. But the truth you so blindly ignore is that this world is comprised of many different types of people who, according to your own faith, are all children of God. And there really is no choice of one's sexuality beyond accepting or rejecting it.

So tell me, if it's okay with God, why isn't it okay with you? I wonder if God appreciates your efforts to usurp his authority.

The President's Speech: Official Hamster Response

My Fellow Hamsters,

After listening to the President's speech tonight, and whiling away the hours between it's end and the beginning of this post listening to the talking heads and politicians on MSNBC and (gasp!) Fox, it is time for me to compose the Official Response of the Hamster Nation. I know that you have been spending the evening since the speech at your computer waiting for this analysis, and I apologize if I have kept you up past your bedtime. I just needed to do a little research first. So, nuke a cup of coffee, turn the lights down low, and let's just get it done.

Tonight, he was President Muhammad Ali. He was poetic and threw enough left jabs and right uppercuts to make even The Greatest proud. He knew the song we wanted to hear, and he sang it beautifully. He denounced the fringe and the party that supports and inflames them. He reminded the Democrats that they were still the other party, and the one in power, and that this was to be done now. He basically called all the kids in the sandbox together and told them to play nice or else.

Tonight, the Republican Party showed it's true colors. I was appalled at the disrespect shown to the President of the United States. Eric Cantor thought texting more important an activity than listening to the President detailing THE issue on the table. The whole, albeit small, group sat stoically in their seats, rising only to applaud tort reform, looking all grim and smug. Just say no, fellas, and stay on the wrong side of history. He told you tonight, get on board or get out of the way.

And Congressman Wilson from South Carolina, you have no right to remain in office. Your behavior by yelling that the President of the United States was a liar is cause enough for you to resign your seat immediately. In this writer's opinion, you have proven yourself a detriment to this country and to your constituents. There is no excuse for your behavior especially given the fact that you have been lying all along by supporting the Death Panel garbage. Resignation is far easier, quicker, and less costly than impeachment.

And he told the Democrats they are their own worst enemy and to get on the same page. Screw the Republicans and let's get this done. It's what we elected them to do, and there is no reason not to. Get it on the table before they know what hit them. And it had better have every element that I want in it. As Jean Luc Picard would say, "Make it so." (That was for you, Honey).

And he told us in completely transparent terms what we can expect and demystified the plan. He finally told us, told Congress what we've wanted him to say: it's a moral imperative. That what we do to ourselves by feeding off of each other is destroying this country. I just recently decided to stop being a Realtor because what I saw in that process made me sick. Humanity has been reduced to me-ism and economic greed-ism. The health and well-being of our citizens is not a profit motive...or shouldn't be.

He threw the insurance industry enough rope to either pull themselves in or hang themselves. He practically begged them to come to the table and bring something tangible to the debate. Pharma did. The American Hospital Association did. They've already pledged more that $300 billion dollars towards reforms in cutting prices, improving delivery, and cutting costs. The American Medical Association is on board and working on tort reform, cost cutting, and improved medical care. He told them tonight, there are 30 million customers out there for you to come and get, figure out a way to get them in a way that we can all live with. You'll actually make more money if you have more customers even if some of them are paying less.

Could we also get a freeze on premium increases? Just saying. A hundred and seventeen percent is a lot. Really rather not pay you that until I see if you're actually going to step up here and do the right thing. This is actually your mess. You should be cleaning it up. You believe that you are immune because you feel we have no choice. Like the oil companies and gas price manipulation. You all feel like you don't need us as much as we need you.

You're right, of course, but that doesn't make you right for doing it. Don't you get it? We're fucking broke! The overwhelming majority of the people in this country...that would be us, the hamsters...are existing paycheck to paycheck and just don't have anymore to give. You won, already. Stop piling on. UNCLE!

He's not going to get mandated insurance coverage because it isn't possible. Where the argument goes astray in saying that the bill will not extend these benefits to illegal aliens, it doesn't have to. They have free health care, along with anyone else who is indigent, just by going to the emergency room. You cannot ask people to purchase insurance that they didn't need before and still give it away to people who, arguably, shouldn't be entitled to it. If they do not change their ways, we will all have free health care. I don't think that's what they want, really.

Big business does not want the government interfering in its affairs. A really good way to get the government off your back is to do as it asks, which is help us help you help the American people. Because this issue cannot be about who's right anymore. It has to be about what's right. And what's right in this case is; If it's good for the geese, it's good for the hamsters. Ladies and Gentlemen of the House and Senate, I'd like your insurance, please. Why am I, your boss, not entitled to the same quality insurance as you, my employee?

I'm just saying. Thanks for tuning in, and your comments are welcome. Please feel free to share with anyone. Good luck, and for crissakes stay well.

Hamster Prez

The 117% Solution

Hey HamsterNation!

I apologize for the erratic timing of the posts, but HP has been busy culling the airways for all the latest garbage and crapola from the world of politics. Hell of it is, I didn't even need to leave the house. The health care debacle has come to the Off White House of the Hamster Party. I call it the 117% Solution, which is, oddly enough, where the title to this little screed came from. Oh, but the irony is just beginning.

See, no matter what the Republican't Party does, no matter how many wingnuts scream, shout epithets, demand their country back, carry guns to Presidential appearances, or invoke Hitler's name, no matter how many tens of millions of dollars the industry throws at it's purchased officials, no matter how many more lies are trotted forth as truth, the real truth is that health care reform is going to happen. The real truth is that the industry knows it. The real truth is that the only thing they want killed is the government option and single-payer. The only thing that frightens them is competition.

But the ABSOLUTE TRUTH is that they already know that not only is it not dead, but it will be part of the reform package that will be signed by President Obama sometime in December of this year. The Public Option is going to happen. They also know that they have 3 years before it kicks in and to make as much money as possible. And in the next 3 years, they are going to rape everyone of us who has health insurance.

It's the 117% Solution. My husband (yes, we are both husbands) works for a municipal government in Southern California. So, by extension, he has roughly the same benefits as all government employees in California. (Even broke, we're the seventh or so largest economy in the world and have more government employees than any other state). They had a pretty good union once, when unions were relevant, and as a result I am able to have the same insurance as he does. He has the monthly payments deducted from his paycheck every two weeks, and we never really miss the money. And we enjoy knowing that, should anything happen, like it did to me a couple of years ago, that we would be covered. Yes, the premiums went up a little last year, but that seemed reasonable enough at the time.

Now, when this insurance was offered, there was no choice as to provider, only to paying to have it or not. You could choose different plans offered by the provider, and whether you wanted to have an HMO or a prohibitively expensive PPO, and all of the usual choices. The only choice missing was for the provider.

This week, Scott was informed by someone in the human resources department that our premiums are going up 117% in January. One hundred and seventeen fucking percent. Scott's annual cost of living increase, if he gets it, will be 114% less than that. I haven't' had a raise in 2 years, and I'm not anticipating one, or at least much of one. Certainly not anything approaching 117%. We got a combined $900 dollars back last year, and most of that was business losses by me trying to stay in the real estate business. Scott actually had to pay. And the Insurance industry reported record profits.

This is happening to a government agency, so can you imagine what they're going to do to you? The only tactic they have left is to completely bankrupt the system before the government can get it's act together and actually start the program thereby being too late to save it. We'll end up giving them our tax money to stay in business, just like the banks and Wall Street, so that the entire behemoth doesn't implode.

Because the ABSOLUTE TRUTH is that they are in the rarefied air of "too big to fail." Like the greedy shits at the banks, investment houses, auto manufacturers, and yes, the insurance industry. Hell, they've already had us bail out one of them, and they were the largest! Think about the combined worth and impact of just the top 10 health care insurers. Add to that the 200+ smaller insurance companies then throw in the ancillary businesses that comprise our total health care system, and you can see where this scenario leads.

Even if it ends up being a delaying-the-inevitable demise of the insurance industry, it will cost us hundreds of billions of dollars. The irony of that is the Repbulican't Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the health care industry. The party that said no to the stimulus package, no to the Cash for Clunkers (which, by the way, is causing GM (r) to up production and re-hire a couple thousand workers, but hey, just because it worked doesn't mean it's a good idea), and have been blocking this reform package arguing, when they're actually trying to seem sincere, that it will cost too much, will end up costing us a helluva lot more.

Our collective nuts are firmly held in their greasy sweating hands. Even for me, that's not a comfortable thought. And along the way they have managed to let loose the morons and their contagious virus of right wingnut-ery, putting into motion the empowerment and recruitment of the lunatic fringe. You know, the ones with all the guns, ammo, and fertilizer. The Confederate Soldiers of 1865 today. Still thinking the war is going on. Eager to bring our their militias. Morons with guns, a cause, and an ill-conceived sense of right and wrong. Great.

The ABSOLUTE TRUTH is that the government can never compete with capitalism. We all know, because they want us to know, that they're behind all this rabble-rousing. They not only know whose palms to grease, both belonging to politicians and the TV "news" people, they have more resources and only one rule: Win.

The "news" people think that they are uncovering this vast conspiracy of "beltway insiders creating AstroTurf protests", when, in reality, they are being spoon-fed the conspiracy. If they didn't want you to know, they wouldn't put their names on it. They make it pretty easy to find, don't they? Rachel Maddow, whom I adore, points out just how easy it is whenever she shows us another one. "All you have to do is find the button that says 'about' and it will tell you who's involved." If they didn't want you to know, trust me, you wouldn't.

In of the best rants I've heard since Dennis Miller smoked too much dope and started backing George II, Keith Olbermann (whose bobble-head doll is the Hamster Paradigm Writing Award trophy... that's how much I love him) castigates and villifies all of the Republican't and Scaredycrat congresspeople who seem to be in the pocket of health care. It was a thing a beauty, and you can see it right here on this blog...just scroll down. It's that easy. It was at once passionate and pointless. Kind of like The Cell: A thing of visual creation mastery ensconced in a preposterous movie. Put on some Pink Floyd and skip to the dream sequences.

I watch you guys every night, and it pains me to tell you that this thing, even as big as you think it is, is bigger than you even know. In anticipation of the passing of the bill, and it's potential effects on the greed masters, there will be huge increases in premiums, less access, fewer approved procedures, less reimbursements, higher co-pays and deductibles, and more unprinted preventable deaths. They will blame the government (all of it, not just the Dems), and convince enough who can't think for themselves that they're right, and I think the rest of us might want to have a good plan B.

The possibility and plausibility of this argument is supported by our very recent past. Business moves at the speed of instant. Government like the O'Hare Starbuck's (R) at 7 am. Causing a collapse is easier and more efficient that creating a recovery. Even the threat of a collapse will cause widespread panic. And it has certainly been proven this past month that it doesn't even have to be the truth.

It's easier and more efficient to kill your enemy than to try to be his friend.

Until next time, for crissakes stay well!

HamsterPrez

Self-Imposed Segregation

Ok, one more post. In the next blog, you're going to be introduced to the idea of Self-Imposed Segregation, or SIS. I just wanted to clarify something before I got any responses. This is not a new idea, and it is prevalent already in our society. In fact, in almost every American city, there are pockets of SIS everywhere. Little Saigon, Little Italy, Chinatown, Koreatown, the Barrio, the South/North/East/West side. And this is true all over the world. Within the larger population are areas of SIS.

The concept of sharing a common space with people of like temperament, beliefs, ideals, and cultural heritage goes back to man's earliest stages. We are tribal by nature, and no amount of technology can replace that. Although I would argue that it is certainly putting up a good fight. The problem comes when one tribe thinks that it is better than a neighboring tribe and all hell breaks loose.

It is, after all, a logistical impossibility. You cannot cordon off certain areas and make them available to a certain group of people. How much is space is enough? What about growth within the community? Where does it go if there's no more room? As they are now, the lines become blurred and eventually cultures and differing perceptions collide. This phenomenon has played out countless times throughout history from neighborhood spats to world wars.

Mankind has never been able to collectively figure out that issues are never settled when the solution is not about what's right, but rather about who's right. I guarantee that there is a pretty simple answer to every convoluted issue the human race is facing.

And I have the answer.

Time to grow the fuck up and become the adults in the room. It's time to get the fuck over ourselves and realize that since we are here, we have the right to be here. No one is on this planet by mistake. We really had no other choice. So here we all are, acting like two year olds while being spoon-fed buckets of shit everyday. We have to stop should-ing on each other and just mind our own damn business.

The human race is a freakin mess and the stupidest thing about it is that it doesn't have to be this way. It could be the way I'm ranting on about. We can change it. Hell, we could do it virtually overnight if everyone would just get onboard. That's the most frustrating part for me. We don't have to live the way we do, but we won't change it. We'll keep putting the kids on drugs while telling them not to do drugs. We'll keep helping ourselves to the mood enhancers/penis en lagers/migraine pills/plastic surgeries/gym memberships/big houses/foreign cars/ or whatever other addictions you have to mask how miserable you are being a human being. We may have the thumbs, but that doesn't make us smarter. It just makes us more obnoxious.

Enough for tonight. It's nearly 4 am and my hands are done. Please feel free to add you $1.25 ideas and comments.

Calling the MotherShip,

HamsterPrez

Changing Things Up a Bit...

Look, this is no longer about who's right, it's about what's right. It cannot be about anything else.

It can't be about left or right. It can't be about liberal or conservative. It can't be about Democrat or Republican. It can't be about cutting education and not government bloat. It can't be politics versus health care versus the environment versus [insert your favorite crisis here]. It can't be about God or Allah or Sam the Butcher. It can't be about black or white or brown or whatever. It can't be about greed. It can't be about sloth. It can't be about gluttony. It can't be about suing someone else for your own stupidity. It can't be about legislating morality, because your morality is likely different from mine. It can't be about cynicism , racism, fascism, socialism, cronyism, ageism, criticism, sarcasm, or any other ism or asm. It can't be about discrimination, recrimination, retribution, exclusion, expulsion, or execution.

What it is about is fixing what's broken. It's about becoming healthier to reduce health care costs. It's about spreading the burden of health care around. The poor have health care...it comes from those of us paying our premiums and our taxes. You cannot be refused treatment in this country by any hospital for any reason. But it still has to be paid for. We just want to legitimize it, see what we're actually paying for it, find away to make someone else pay for it, and eventually realize that we are all paying for it no matter what. It's up to the health care industry to change its corporate mindset and realize that profit is not something we object to. Exorbitant profit is. Bonuses for ripping us of is. Telling us that we can't have a medication or a procedure or a test is.

We need to let businesses succeed or fail on their own. No more taxpayer money to save a corporation. There are other corporations to take their place or take them over. Not another dime to Wall Street, the auto industry, or anyone else. If I don't get a hand out, why the hell should they? If you aren't smart enough or good enough or if, gosh darn it, people just don't like you, time to fold up the tents and move on. Thanks Senator Franken for not suing me for paraphrasing one of your SNL characters. Sorry, GE, there is no little r in a circle emblem available for this blog, so please don't sue me either.

We need a financial system that is not faith-based because I for one have no more faith in it. We need something tangible and of a fixed value to base our currency on. And don't look at me for the answer, I have no idea what that might be. But we must get away from this phony economy, and that's globally, not just here. The entire thing is a house of cards, is all made up, and exists only because we say it does. Kinda like God.

But I digress. I warned you about that in the very first post.

It has to be about curtailing government spending at every level, not in cutting services and education. Along with a real monetary standard must come the end of deficit spending and made up debts. Like the rest of us, the government must operate within its budget. Whatever happened to negotiation? Used to be, if Bob had something that you wanted and he said he'd sell it to you for $10, which is what it was worth to him, but to you it only seemed worth $5, you gave him $7.50 and shook hands. We could just chuck the whole damn mess and go back to barter. A chicken for a hernia operation sounds ok to me.

The entire cultural mindset has to change. I don't know the names of a single neighbor where we live. We're more or at least as interested in what the latest celebrity gossip is as we are in what's really important. It can't be about our differences anymore, it has to be about our similarities. We are all on this planet and as such we all have a right to be here. We have a right to agree or disagree with how others live their lives, but we have no right to force them to change or even try to. Every person on this planet ultimately wants the same things: A safe place to live, some variation of a family, reasonably tasty food, at least basic creature comforts, and sex. All without the interference of others but with those of a like mind. In other words, it you don't like where you are, be somewhere else. Intolerance disappears when you like everyone around you.

Now, before you go all MLK on me, I'm suggesting self imposed and regulated segregation. Look, it makes sense. To avoid serious conflict, lives among those you choose, who choose you, and don't try to make others like you.

You can't have a war if nobody fights.

Ok, so I'm having a bit of a Rodney King moment, and it's far too Utopian to ever work. I'm saying it's what we need, but people are too stupid to realize it. I'm beginning to think that perhaps we've crossed and confused the DNA a few too many times. I'm buying a banjo next week, just in case.

Of course, we've come too far to ever go back. I'm afraid we are stuck in this headlong descent into Irish Setter territory. They are, of course, the stupidest creatures of their ilk. They are the equivalent of a pet rock emotionally and a Looney-Tunes (R) Tasmanian devil on crack simultaneously. As stupid as they are beautiful. Tragic. Of course, by then we won't really give a shit as long as there's something dead to chew on.

This may have been my last post. I'm pretty fed up with the whole fucking mess. I believe that I may have tilted at my last windmill.

Maybe.


HamsterPrez

Healthcare Reform Redux

Before you all go crazy on me and say that my last post was essentially single-payer, let me be clear. It's a modified single payer plan. It's expanding the Medicare system only to those who do not have insurance, cannot get insurance, or lose their insurance. And it provides an employer option to purchase healthcare at a rate that won't bankrupt him.

Under this proposal, once a persons situation changes and they are either able to obtain healthcare through their emplyer or are able to afford either the government's or private insurers, then they must do so. And, the same scenario would apply to employers. All of it would be sliding scale oriented up to the level charged by private insurers.

Both the government and private insurance would pay the same for tests, procedures, etc. which would bring costs, and premiums down. This proposal really answers all of the issues. It provides insurance to those who don't have it, those who can't afford it now, employers who are struggling to provide it, and would establish lower costs and fees. Isn't that what the bill is for anyway?

But having said that, what the hell is wrong with a single-payer system anyway? Can anyone provide me with a non-hysterical, cogent argument? I'll be here waiting.

HamsterPrez

Do We Need Healthcare Reform?

It's becoming clearer to me that we might be going about this the wrong way. We are talking about reforming a system (?) that is obviously broken and trying to replace it with something new. However, it occurs to me that we already have a system (!) in place that works quite well, is very popular, and would eliminate all the confusion and anger.

It's called Medicare. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, why not just expand Medicare to everyone who cannot afford insurance, and offer it on a sliding scale to those that can afford something but not what the private insurers are charging? It would still force the private insurers to reduce premiums, and would establish set fees for services...just like it does now. The industry would be forced to re-examine costs and charge accordingly.

Or is that too simple?

Can anyone offer any reasons why this wouldn't work? I'm open to suggestions.


HamsterPrez

Countdown video: Olbermann: Legislators for sale

 

Olbermann: Legislators for sale

Aug.3: In a Special Comment, Countdown's Keith Olbermann slams members of Congress for acting more in the interests of their health industry campaign donors than their constituents who so clearly favor health care reform.

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/32277034#32277034

Official Name Change

The American Rights Party will from this day forward be known as the Hamster Party. No significant changes in our platform are expected. However, we are re-examining the post by faithful Hamster Follower Rod Garrett for possible alterations.

Stay tuned for further developments. Your continued support is appreciated.

HamsterPrez

By the way...there are many more readers than there are followers, so please sign up as a follower. And please contribute. Email potterblog09@gmail.com or add comments at the bottom of the page. I seriously want to know what you think. Thank you.

FW: Put this in your blog and post it

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Potter [mailto:potterblog09@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 10:09 PM
To: mark@best-trans.com
Subject: Fwd: Put this in your blog and post it

From Rod

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rod Garrett <rodgarrett@roadrunner.com>
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 2009 17:57:38 -0700
Subject: Put this in your blog and post it
To: Mark Potter <potterblog09@gmail.com>

Hey Mark,
This is not directed at you but society in general. Although you have
contributed. I am attacking both sides of the fence politically
speaking. I came home today in a foul mood and received just one more
in a line of numerous e-mails that just piss me off. I am sending it
to you because you have a blog. I hope you add this as I tried but it
has too many characters (irony and pun intended). The following is the
result of too many people pointing fingers and not taking
responsibility.

It seems every day I receive some e-mail(s), whether original or
forwarded, complaining about our government. People blaming the
"other" party, be it democrat or republican, liberal or conservative
about our current situation. And frankly I am sick of it. No, I am
FUCKING sick of it. Shut up, do something about it or leave. While
there are other parties, i.e. Libertarians, Green, Independent, etc.
there are, in reality, only two. Democrats and Republicans. The two
party system does not work and neither does the electoral college. I
truly believe the June primaries should have as many candidates on the
ballot any party wants to endorse. I also think the primary should
whittle down each party to three candidates for the final ballot in
November. The top three candidates will receive a fixed and equal
amount of air time for television and radio. They will be given
transportation and no campaign will start before three months prior to
the primaries Why do politicians spend millions of dollars on a job
that only pays $400,000.00 per year at best (or in this case at the
highest level)? The one with the most votes wins. The candidate with
the second most votes is Vice President regardless of party. All
lobbyist should be outlawed. And all Senators should be banned from
voting on any bill which would affect their own state/district unless
it affects all states/districts the same. All bills will include only
one objective. Last year a bill regarding homeland security was passed
with a provision outlawing online gambling. Why? What does online
gambling have to do with homeland security. How could a terrorist
endanger the lives of Americans with an ace high straight? And no more
registering to vote under a certain flag (Democrat, Republican, etc.).
How about we just register to vote. And when voting time rolls around
we can vote for whomever we want. Again, most votes wins. Also, if it
is on a ballot and it gets approved it is law. PERIOD. No claiming,
after the fact, the new law is unconstitutional. We have a
responsibility to figure out constitutionality before it goes on the
ballot. Stop wasting time and money with that one. Speaking of money.
What does the government need to spend money on? Military, police,
fire, health care, courts and prisons and education. That's all. And
not necessarily in that order. I also agree with welfare but with
stipulations. It only last two years. You must attend school full time
and pass in order to receive it and you must pass a drug test during
those two years. And it is the same amount for everyone. And let us
take a look at punishments for criminals. Let's get rid of "Cruel and
Unusual". Let the punishment fit the crime. I was in Iran a very long
time ago. There, if you commit what we would consider a misdemeanor
you get your right hand chopped off. A felony results in beheading. It
sounds harsh but their crime rate is less than one tenth of one
percent. Works for me. Although we don't have to be so cruel about it.
Make the hand removal a surgical procedure. And we already have lethal
injection so that one takes care of itself. Also, each crime should
have the same punishment for everyone. A friend of mine lost his job.
Money was tight so he fed his family (wife and three kids) instead of
paying the registration on his car. He received a ticket and the
penalty was $1,000.00 and 80 hours of community service. I'm OK with
that however while he was doing his community service there was
another guy who was doing community service (50 hours only) for his
second drunk driving conviction. I only want that which is fair and
that wasn't. If a child (15 years and under) commits a crime it is the
parents responsibility. Your kid does the crime you do the time. Also,
if the government brings in X amount of dollars in taxes they get to
spend X or less. PERIOD. Not a penny more. And that money gets spent
here. If there is any left over then we can send it to any country who
needs our help but only when there is extra. While we are on the
subject of taxes...I don't mind paying my taxes. They are taken out of
my check every payday. Be happy with what you have taken Mr.
Government. Don't ask me for more come April 15th. And don't offer to
give some back either. Get it right the first time. But spend it
wisely. See above. There you have it...problems solved. With that said
I am going to spend the rest of the day wishing I still drank.

Sincerely,

Rod Garrett

The ARP vs the LP #3: Health Care

NOTE: As before, the position of the Libertarian Party is taken from their website at www.lp.org/platform

The following is from the American Rights Party platform:

While we generally favor a reduced government, it has become apparent that the profit motive of the insurance industry, and the ancillary industries that are connected to it, prohibits any solution that does not involve government participation. The fundamental right to health is guaranteed and therefore must be provided by either the business entities involved in ensuring it, or falling short of that, the government . To that end, the Party endorses a plan that provides health insurance to the indigent, and reduced cost insurance to those who cannot afford private insurance. While we believe that it is first and foremost the responsibility of the insurance and health care industries to provide services to all persons, we also understand that there has to be some sort of remuneration for those goods and services.

The government option seems like the most viable alternative to a cooperative and responsible health care industry, but even that must have some restrictions. We advocate that the government option be available at significantly lower costs to those that can afford to pay something and to small businesses who can demonstrate that providing health care to its employees is a burden that could force them to either not provide insurance or discontinue business.

Finally, it is the Party's position that it is the health care industry's responsibility to re-evaluate the costs of tests, procedure, fees, and pharmaceuticals and reduce same in accordance with the overall economic health of the country and/or state. The government should hold the industry accountable by requiring justification of costs, for example why a blood test costs what it costs, in much the same way as it requires the restaurant industry to determine nutritional values and contents of the foods we eat.

What follows is the Libertarian platform:

We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-of-life decisions.

If only that worked. I chose this topic tonight because of President Obama's speech on this subject. While I do not believe that he has all the answers, the health care system in this country is completely out of whack. It has been a free market health care system since its inception, and it has failed miserably. Americans pay more for health care than any other industrialized nation yet rank in the mid-teens in healthiness. In proportion, we spend more and get less than any other country on the planet. Health care premiums have doubled in the last 10 years, and there is nothing to suggest that this trend will not continue. The health care industry is beholding to no one, and there is rampant abuse and waste within it

As our platform states, we believe that the industry should be held accountable for costs and should be required to justify them. No insurance company should deny any policy holder treatment for any illness. No insurance company should be able to raise premiums because a person gets sick. And no insurance company should deny coverage based on a pre-existing condition.

Hospitals and care facilities must also be held accountable for costs and to justify them. Why is a Tylenol sixty dollars? Why does a procedure cost three times in Southern California what it costs in Iowa? Why are the prescription medications that you take at home twice as much when the hospital provides them?

Pharmaceutical companies fail to realize on economic principle that has been true since the beginning of capitalism: volume, volume, volume. If you reduce the cost of your product to a point where you can still make a reasonable profit, more people will buy it and you will actually make more money than if you sell less of it at a higher price. Case in point: There is a particular product that works pretty well for me, and not just for its intended use but in other ways as well. I can't afford it, and it is not covered by my insurance. This particular product is not needed to save or even prolong my life, but it enhances the life that I have. I am 100% certain that if this product were affordable more people like me would buy it.

Doctors must be held accountable for ordering tests or providing procedures. Information about a patient must be able to be shared among all physicians attending a patient. If you can walk in to a Walgreens anywhere in the country and get a prescription filled, why can't the doctor across the hall know what has already been done?

As the platform states, we would love to have the health care industry take the lead on this and keep the government out of it. However, they are too interested in spending millions of dollars through their lobbyist trying to defeat any reforms, especially in light of the huge profits that they reported just yesterday. The national model for greed started with the oil companies and their belief that we will pay whatever they charge for their product rather than find an alternative way to work. They were right, and now other industries are following suit.

The airlines come to mind. My partner and I went to Denver a couple of months ago. Two round trip tickets, one checked bag. The airline charged us $15 for the checked bag. When I asked about this, the clerk told me that for $20 on each ticket, I could have upgraded the tickets and wouldn't have been charged the bag fee. So, for $40 extra dollars, I wouldn't have been charged $15?! Oh, and I would have gotten free Direct TV for my 2 hour flight.

The health care industry has fallen lock step into this mentality of greed. We'll pay what they charge because we have no choice. If you try to switch companies, there is no competitive advantage. And if you, heaven forbid, choose a PPO over their HMO where you actually have a choice of doctors and care facilities, they'll charge you up to half again more.

Since the industry seems unwilling to create their own remedy, so to speak, we see no alternative but government intervention. Ideally we would prefer that they fix themselves, but we do not have any faith that they will do so.

The ARP vs The LP: Gun Control

NOTE: All of the information contained herein that relates to the Libertarian Party was obtained from their website at www.lp.org/platform

The following is the platform of the American Rights Party

As proponents of the Bill of Rights, we support the Second Amendment, with restrictions. The founding fathers could not possibly have foreseen the types of arms now available when they offered up this already limited right( virtually no gun owner is in a sanctioned militia). Therefore, we support the outright ban on assault/automatic weapons and ammunition since their only purpose is in the taking of human life. No sportsman uses and automatic weapon to hunt deer. There is no other application for these types of weapons.

We are not naive, and we understand that banning assault/automatic weapons will not eliminate them. To that end, the elimination of the ammunition used in these weapons ultimately renders them useless. Also, since a large number of these weapons are obtained by people engaged in criminal activity, possession and use of them must carry stiffer penalties than are currently in place. Gun possession is not gun ownership.

Here is the position of the Libertarian Party from item 1.6 of their platform

The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights-life, liberty, and justly acquired property-against aggression. This right inheres to the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the right to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the ownership, manufacture, or sale of firearms or ammunition.

It seems fairly apparent that while we may agree that the Second Amendment must be respected, we most certainly disagree on its implementation. At the beginning of our platform we state, "We believe in individual freedoms and individual responsibility." And while there was no specific mention of licensing, registration, or restrictions in our platform we believe that responsible gun owners would have no objection to at least some controls.

For example, we might not require background checks to own firearms but instead show proof of the completion of a firearm safety and education program. The most dangerous gun user is the untrained one, and usually is responsible for innocent lives being taken. We have had unrestricted gun ownership in our history, and we didn't fare so well then.

The most troubling part of the Libertarian platform though is the idea that the legitimate use of force for the protection of one's life, liberty, and property may also include the assistance from another person or group. They also say the "justly acquired property," but that definition is too broad. Gangs identify and protect their "turf" and can justify it as "justly acquired" since it is the area in which they reside, pay rent, shop, sell drugs, etc. It is justly acquired by proximity. Do we not already see these people engaged in protection of their own life, liberty, and property from rival gangs and the police?

And isn't it apparent that the weapons of choice in these battles are assault/automatic guns? The gun lobby would have us believe that escalating the number of weapons by being able to arm their members with similar weapons levels the playing field. Our position is that it just makes it bloodier, and too many uninvolved and innocent people get caught in the crossfire and injured, maimed, or killed. Banning these types of weapons is the first step. Eradicating the bullets is the second. Let them be used to club one another over the head. At least then only the intended target gets hurt.

In direct contrast to the Libertarians, our support of the Second Amendment cannot come without safeguards to ensure that the ownership of firearms is responsible, controlled, and restricted.

ARP vs LP: Difference One: Abortion

NOTE: All of the information presented here that relates to the Libertarian Party was derived from the website www.lp.org/platform

The following is an exerpt from the American Rights Party platform regarding abortion:

While we believe that abortion should be an absolute last resort and performed only when there is a medical necessity with a second opinion attached for late term abortions, we also support a woman’s right to choose when or if to terminate a pregnancy. To that end, we further support a pro-active approach to sex education in schools as being the best solution in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Parental involvement in the selection of appropriate educational materials and participation in the process of teaching their children about the many ramifications of sex is fundamental to decreasing risky sexual behavior and the associated health issues that evolve from it.

Now, here is the position of the Libertarian Party:

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

In my opinion, this really doesn't go far enough to address the issue, and is perhaps a bit too idealistic. Unfortunately, the "good-faith views" that some people hold are far too extreme for there to be no govenmental involvement. Without intervention, there would likely be no clinics or healthcare facilities for women who want and/or need an abortion. If there were no laws to protect the providers, the people who oppose abortion, some already extremist to the point of murdering doctors and bombing clinics, would face no deterrent to their terrorism. And it is terrorism, let us not forget.

It also fails to address prevention of the behaviors which lead to some abortions, and offers no differentiation between an abortion and a late term abortion which I think is important. While we do agree that it is ultimately the choice of the woman, preventing unwanted pregnancies and providing safeguards for late terminations I believe is essential. While government intervention is not the preferred choice of either platform, it is my opinion that it is necessary so that this vital healthcare issue can continue to be provided. Those who oppose abortion will never alter their view. Without legislation to protect the rights of the individual to have an abortion and the rights of the providers to perform them, they would return to the back alley practioners and risk the lives of both mother and child.

The ARP and the Libertarians

Apparently there was a problem getting the words to post. So, short and to the point. A couple of people who have read the American Rights Party platform have asked this question, "Isn't there already a Libertarian Party?" to which I say, "Yes, there is." And while there are a number of simiarities, there are some key differences. The next few posts (and the ones after this one since it didn't post before for some reason) will be highlighting the differences.

As always, please feel free to comment and please pass along the blog address to others. The more people we have participating, the more fun and enlightening this can be.

Thanks, Hamsters and I'll see you on the wheel.

HamsterPrez

The New Party

I have gotten a couple of comments that this sounds suspiciously like the Libertarian Party, and while there are many similarities, I have found some key differences, which I am going to address in a separate blog entry, probably later tonight but perhaps not until the weekend. I am studying LP materials and will address the issue shortly. Your patience is appreciated.

New Stuff

Hey Fellow Hamsters...check out all the new stuff on the blog! Now you can read The Huffington Post, The Nation, and The Week all from here! You can ask and/or answer questions for/from other readers. Get the latest headlines from CNN, FoxNews, and MSNBC (we spray to all fields, here!). Let me know what you think, and I am open for suggestions to add other sources, resources, and gadgets.

Here at the Hamster Paradigm, your opinion matters! Thanks.

HamsterPrez

Major Hamster Announcement

No, not from Major Hamster, he's in Washington in meetings with General Dynamic. Or maybe it's General Motors. In any case, just wanted to let all you Hamsters know that coming this weekend will be the outline of a Brand Spanking New Political Party! No funny hats or noise makers required...it's not that kind of party. Since the Republicans have all but dismantled and the Democrats have become the New Republicans, we here at Hamster HQ have decided that it's time for a new third political party and you, loyal Hamsters, will be the first to see it and it is my hope that we will have a discussion/debate over the platform some of which I can almost guarantee will be controversial. Your participation in this process while not required is most certainly invited. Help us hone the new political landscape of America. Remember, this is a grass roots campaign, so feel free to send the link to others in your sphere or realm or cage and let the hilarity begin. This is America, after all, where we legally not only get to do this sort of thing, the Bill of Rights almost demands that we do so. So, sign up as a follower and get your friends/relatives/colleagues to do the same. The larger we become, and the quicker we get larger, the louder our voice will be. Assuming, of course, that anyone agrees with me and/or that we can work out some manageable platform which will appeal to a larger base than the 5 people that are followers of this blog currently. By the way, regardless of the tone herein, I AM DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! Just so you know. Thanks, and I hope to be talking to all of you and the folks you know soon.

HamsterPrez

It's Been A Tough Few Weeks

What with the six deaths we've had circulating through the news of late: 4 entertainment icons and 2 republican political careers have been captivating the talking heads. The passings of Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett were sad, but not totally unexpected. Ed being 86 and Farrah's well-publicized bout with cancer were not stunners. David Carradine's rather mysterious and sudden death and Michael Jackson's apparent cardiac arrest were, on the other hand, noteworthy if for no other reason than they came as a complete surprise. The shenanigans of Senator John Ensign and Governor Sanford, while inexplicable in this day and age, are likely the final acts for these two idiots.

I call them idiots because anyone in the public eye, which has grown ever more pervasive in the age of cell phone cameras and Twitter who thinks that they can somehow manage to pull off these amazingly stupid affairs is, in fact, an idiot. They sicken me more for their hypocrisy than anything else. Both of these men were very vocal in their disdain for other politicos who did the very same things. They both claimed a moral superiority to others, and both used taxpayer money to fund their illicit activities. Both talked of family values while ignoring their own families. Sometimes, apologies just are not enough, and this is two of those times. There should be no grace period for their unconditional resignation and the forfeiture of their pensions and other government perks. They have abused the system, their constituents, and their families. They are a disgrace to their party and to the American political system. There is no excuse and there can be no acceptance of anything less than removal from office and all that goes with it.

I cannot fathom some of the comments I have heard regarding Michael Jackson. This may be a little controversial to some, but I find the praise from the black community disingenuous and misguided. I heard one mourner state that he, "did so much for the African-American community." Really? Let's see, you want as a symbol a man who bleached his skin to nearly white, had numerous nose jobs to look less like his brothers, who stood trial twice for alleged pedophilia, who married twice to white women, and who had a worldwide nickname of "Wacko Jacko"? What, in all of that, is a positive example of being an African-American? Where is any evidence that he did anything for the black community? He may have been born black, but he spent most of his life doing everything he could to not be seen as black. I just don't get it.

Jackson was known as much for his eccentricities as his talent, and that is a legacy that will not fade. Some have said that his talent will survive longer than his antics, but I doubt that. As I watched the various news reports, as much if not more of the coverage showed clips from his last trial, the baby-dangling event, and other weirdness as it did clips from his performances. I'm not sure that anyone will ever forget that side of his life, or that those images won't flash through the mind as one listens to his music. Maybe a couple of generations down the line, but certainly no time soon. Whatever led to his demise will forever be overshadowed by his larger than life life.

Carradine was a tragic figure to me. He never could (or perhaps would) break free from his wandering Chinese character. In virtually every movie he did, he was Grasshopper at one age or another. If you watch Kill Bill, you will see the aged character that he had personified many years earlier. The events that led to his death are unknown, but it appears to the casual observer as though he may have been accidentally killed during a sexual encounter. I just hope death came after he did. Otherwise, it would be truly tragic.

Poor Ed McMahon had become a parody of himself late in life, apparently broke and broken. His death was tragic because it didn't come with dignity or soon enough. It seems as though he lived longer that he thought he would, and paid dearly in the end for it. A giant of a man reduced to a shadow of himself. Truly sad.

Farrah Fawcett...there's really not much I can say about this one. I think she actually did more at the end of her life than she ever did leading up to it. She brought to us a cautionary tale of the ravages of fame, told partially in her own illness and that of her husband's and son's illness of drug addiction. She brought an awareness that her illness can strike anyone, irrespective of status or fortune, and that no matter how beautiful you may have been, in the end you are just flesh and bone.

Question of the Day.

If they ever build a George W. Bush Presidential Library, will they supply the crayons or will we have to bring our own?

Conspiracy Theory Free Zone Declared

As of this posting, this blog will be a Conspiracy Theory Free Zone. I have decided to cease all talk of the alleged involvement of our government in facilitating or perpetrating the 9-11 tragedy. I am declaring this for two reasons.

First, we will never know the truth. It's too horrific to make public, if it's true. I am quite certain that the country would survive, and perhaps even emerge a better nation regardless of the outcome of any investigation. We are, if nothing else, a resilient people who are quite capable of handling the truth. Still, the short term effects could have an enormous and disastrous impact. Confidence in all levels of government would be shaken to the core. The entire process would be called into question, and every subsequent move the politicians made would be scrutinized much more carefully. No that that would be a bad thing, but the Men Behind the Curtain would then have to stand naked in a harsh light, and they aren't about to do that.

Moreover, though, I believe the country would be rocked by a shared feeling of grief, a collective sense of loss that the country we have been so proud to be a part of could do something this terrifying. To understand that the War on Terror was here, not "over there" and that all of those who lost their lives did so because of one administration's greed and lust for power. That pain would take much longer to heal.

However, who do we see as the better man? The one who cowers in fear of the truth? Or the one who uses a gun to rob an old lady of her social security check? No, the man we admire is the one who stands up and takes responsibility for his actions and pistol whips the cowardly crook. We regain our national self respect by peering into the dark and turning on the light. If there were an honest investigation [honest being the operative word] I think we come out it with a transparent government that truly is what it was supposed to be: A government by, of, and for the people. A government that works for and is accountable to us.

I think you can see now why we can never know the truth. That's the thing about power; Once you've had it, you really don't want to give it up. It's as addictive as heroine and twice as hard to kick. Which is why we see so many "celebrities" like athletes, entertainers, and politicians sticking around longer than their usefulness. The politicians can never allow us to tell them what to do. Otherwise, how will they be able to continue to meddle in our lives? The puppets control the show and the hamsters sit mesmerized.

Which is the second reason why there will be no more talk of this in my blog. Since it can never happen, we will all just have to believe what we want to about it. Or not think about it all. I've already made my decision on it. I doubt that I have to tell you which side of this I'm on, especially if you heard Dick Cheney admit over the past week that both of the primary reasons they gave us for going into Iraq were lies, which to me is just a few words away from an outright admission. If they had to fabricate an enemy to justify a war, then they are quite capable and devious enough to do something that would ensure our support.

But we'll likely never know. But only because we're too afraid to find out. And that's just sad.

If anyone wants to continue the discussion, please email me at potterblog09@gmail.com and I will be happy to oblige.

Office of the Depatment of Utterly Moronic Behavior

We at D.U.M.B bring you this feature which will present articles and commentary regarding the continuing efforts of the politicians, scientists, and religious leaders [the Triad of Futility] to baffle us with their brilliance. There is a nearly endless stream of material available for this feature, what with the Triad constantly having to spin something on a daily basis. We here at the Office will do our best to keep you informed on as much idiocy and mayhem as possible. Your contributions are always welcome, too.

Futility comes in many forms. There’s the kind where you’ve examined all your options and there is only one remaining conclusion, which usually sucks. There’s the Big Picture Futility, which includes the inevitability of your own demise and your relative worth in an endless universe. Then there’s the Gnat In Your Ear futility, like when a city council enacts a law.

These are those stories.

A perfect example of this occurred in Huntington Beach, CA in 2008. It seems that there had been a citizen of that fine city who happened to be a naturist. He was neither lewd nor lascivious. He was just naked. In his house or puttering around the yard, the man posed no threat to anyone. But, neighbors complained that they didn’t want little Tyler and Emily to learn about the differences between boys and girls in this particular manner. So, they called the police. Repeatedly. Finally, out of frustration at being constantly harassed, the man moved out of the city. That was in 2006. Two years later, the Chief of Police convinced the city council to enact an ordinance banning nudity. Even though there had not been another such incident, and the locals weren’t wandering around the streets in all their naked glory, the city council passed the ordinance. It was now officially illegal to do what folks hadn’t been doing in the first place.

But, they didn’t stop there. In a move that can only be described as heterosexist, thongs were exempt. The Huntington Beach city council legally codified thongs, those “garments” that are comprised of a camel toe sock attached by anal floss coupled to a top that is essentially two nipple covers on a string, as perfectly acceptable. I guess that means that assless chaps are ok, too. But I doubt it.

Guantanamo Quagmire

We have dug ourselves a hole (well, more like an abyss, really) and I see only one way climb out of it. The "it" is Guantanamo and the question is, "How do we right this wrong?"

The President last week stated, in essence, that since we don't have any laws to cover what we've done, we have to continue to hold these people until we create the laws to justify our actions. We are holding them not because of what they have done, but what they might do, and without any real reason to believe that they might do what we think they might do other than their religious beliefs or political ideology.

It's called "Preventative Incarceration" and it is illegal, immoral, and unethical. It defies logic and common sense. Where we were once the world's compass on the questions of human rights, we find ourselves as a perpetrator of the very rights violations we used to condemn others for. They have been generalized as "enemy combatants", and while some may be, some may not. They are suspects in potential future crimes, but are not necessarily guilty of anything yet other than being Muslim and/or in the wrong place at the wrong time being of the wrong color. It's Minority Report without the benefit of technological clairvoyance.

The arguments I've heard are that we must prosecute them or declare them prisoners of war. Obvioulsy, the problem with those two scenarios is that in the first case they may not have committed any crimes on our soil and in the second there's been no declaration of war. Let's go back a second: If no crime has been committed here, are they still subject to American laws? If a crime is committed against an American in, say Italy, the Italian courts and laws are applicable, and the punishment is meted out according to the standards of the country where the crime was committed. Take the caning of the kid in Singapore some years back. We were outraged that the court there would hand down that sort of sentence, but it was well within its rights to do so and the kid got the caning. Similarly, if a person from another country commits a crime here, he is subject to our laws and punishments.

Of course, that whole argument depends upon crimes that have actually occured.

The other solution is to declare them prisoners of war, which is difficult to do since there is no war for them to be prisoners of. Yes, I know, if it is looks, walks, and sounds like a duck, it's a duck. It sure looks like a war, but there has been no congressional declaration to make it official, so it's not actually a war. It's a "military action" which is in and of itself is illegal, immoral, and unethical.

So, basically what we have is a bunch of potential criminals who have yet to commit any crime who are prisoners of a non-war. Damn difficult to prosecute that in either case.

The deflective issue is whether to keep them in Cuba or move them to a supermax prison here. I say it's a deflective issue beacuse it's what the fighting is all about but that ignores the real problem which is that no matter where they are, what we have done and apparently are willing to continue to do is illegal. And we're going to "create the legal framework" as we go. The unmitigated audacity of that philosophy is mind-boggling.

One sub-deflective issue that has been thrown around is that moving them here will cost the taxpayers to house them. Uh, we already are paying to keep them in Cuba, so what's the difference?

The other sub-deflective issue is that we don't want them here beacuse of who they are (or rather, who they might be). We have an empty supermax prison which is far more suitable than the plywood and chicken wire camp in Cuba. To my way of thinking, if we want to make sure they can't escape, a concrete fortress in the middle of nowhere is preferable to a rickety old army base surrounded by an ocean in a county that already has issues with us.

So, what's the answer? I think that we need to turn the whole mess over to the World Court and let them decide the outcome and live by whatever rulings they hand down. This cannot come down to a situation of the police policing the police wherein we get to make up the rules as we go along. The questions here are too far-reaching, and the implications to dire for us to handle this alone. The American government is complicit in these illegal acts, and must be held accountable. The rest of the world will judge us, rightfully so, on what we do next. And rather than sanctimoniously create laws to cover our tracks, we need to let the World Court decide what the appropriate course should be.

Afterall, continuing to do something wrong will never make it right. And based upon the legal foundations by which this country has operated for the past 233 years, there is no "legal framework" that we can develop that will justify or codify our actions.

The Best Part of the Day

Subconscious Alternate Reality State, or what I like to call Limboland. It’s the place your brain goes when you’re falling asleep, but not quite there. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds multi-colored whirlwind of disjointed thoughts and images in combinations that your conscious self can’t even comprehend. Nightly I will hear my brain say, “Where in the hell did that come from?” after some wholly unfathomable series of flotsam collides and forms a hideous glimpse into the other possibilities of who I think I am. I then ask myself how my brain talks to me, which inevitably leads into the questions of our very existence, and then it’s a pot of coffee and another night writing blogs. Even as it sometimes terrifies me, I am fascinated by this other me that resides somewhere between what I think I know about who I am and what I think I don’t know about who I might also be. Of course, I am a Gemini, so these internal conflicts are nothing new to me. I’ve been at war with myself since my first two cognitive thoughts failed to agree on which one came first. Limboland is the playground where the other me gets to come out and play. It works hard all day, humming quietly along protecting me from my flawed conscious self, then cuts loose like a frat boy on meth just when the rest of me is trying to get some sleep. But, I laugh at it much more often than I cringe from it.
It is my favorite part of the day.

Bloated? Take a dump!

Bloated? Take a Dump.

Grab the forks ‘cuz we’re done. What the government needs to understand is that the hamsters are broke. The cash cow is dead. The piggy bank is empty. We have no more to give. We are barely scraping by as it is, and no amount of political blackmail is going to change that. And by government I mean everything from school boards to the President of the United States.
On Tuesday May 19, 2009 the hamsters of the State of California sent a very clear message to the Guvernator and the legislature by rejecting six initiatives that would ultimately raise taxes and fees. The Guv was particularly keen on the passage of these shell game initiatives, going so far as to tell us that if we failed him, several thousand firefighters would be cut. This as we enter into the fire season and as Santa Barbara burned. His bluff, assuming that it was a bluff (and it better have been) could not pull any more blood out of his turnips.
By a two-thirds majority, we rejected him and his proposals. The message sent to him and the legislature, though probably lost on them, is that we want them to cut spending instead of raising taxes and fees. We want them to do this without cutting the things that our taxes are supposed to pay for, like police and fire protection, education, and most social services. These are, of course, the government’s extortion tools and they are not likely to give them up.
Except they have to. What we want them to cut are the commissions, committees, bureaus, and departments for which there is no apparent reason to exist. They are in place to provide homes for nepotism and cronyism. And there are literally hundreds of them throughout the state and federal governments. It is the fat on the steak that needs to be trimmed, not the steak itself.
What we want them to examine here is the $12 BILLION annually that California gives to programs for illegal aliens. Whatever your state spends is no less problematic. IDEA: If you want to stem the tide of illegal immigration make it less attractive. I would love to receive some of the benefits that we are providing for people who have no legal entitlement to receive them. I have nothing against people from other places as long as they legally enter and do what is required to remain in the country.
I want the government to stop printing ballots in any language other than English. If you cannot read and/or write in this country’s language, then you have no right to vote, regardless of your immigration status.
I want politicians to cease holding children hostage to get school bonds passed or to raise taxes to fund programs that we are already paying for. If the program has become too expensive but is still necessary, then cut another one or combine it with another whose budget exceeds its expenses. I am immediately suspect when a political campaign uses kids to sell itself. It’s the McDonald’s Marketing Model: Bait the kids, hook the parents.
Here’s a question: If you have a budget shortfall, how are you getting paid? If my employer has a negative balance at the bank, I’m going to lose my job. How are these people still drawing a salary when there is no money to pay them? California has a huge deficit (econ 101 lesson: deficit is bad. It means you don’t have enough income to offset your expenses) and yet our government officials, whether elected or selected, are still cashing paychecks. As one of your employers, I’m severing your pay until and unless there is enough money in the budget to employ you.
Oh, if only I could.
One other threat the government likes to employ is job losses through layoffs or terminations. Uh, memo to the idiots: When you take away people’s incomes, you TAKE AWAY THEIR ABILITY TO PAY TAXES, thereby decreasing your income and widening your deficit. Additionally, when you raise taxes on goods and services, people are more likely to stop buying the goods or using the services, which has the exact same effect. You lose income rather than create it. How did we get so stupid?
The People, aka your employer, can no longer support you. We have nothing left to give. We are tapped out. You must find other solutions to your problems. And that cannot be at the expense, once again, of those things that our tax dollars are supposed to provide. It has to be by eliminating unnecessary government entities, self-serving political appointments, and services to illegal immigrants.
If you’re bloated, take a dump. Just don’t you dare do it on us. The hamsters have enough crap to deal with already. It’s your turn at the sacrificial altar.

THe Furry Futilists

The hamster crawls out from under the newspaper and hamster crap, waddles over to the food and water and partakes of some. Then he waddles over to the wheel, climbs in, and starts his routine of going nowhere. He takes a break, a little more food and drink, then starts all over again. He finishes and takes on a little more food and water then heads back to the corner and crawls back under the newspaper and hamster crap and falls asleep.
The next day is the same. And the next, ad nauseum. If this sounds at all familiar, then you my friend are a hamster. But don’t despair. There are millions of us. In fact, we are the majority species on the planet. This scenario runs constantly everyday everywhere. We are not in a rut. Rather we are in a chasm, an abyss, a bottomless pit. The hamster is the symbol of futility and the most befitting emblem the Futilist Society.
Futilist was not a word up until now. I know this because every time I type it, the little red squiggly line is displayed under it. And since I invented the word, who better to define it? So, as a public service to the nice folks who compile dictionaries, here then is the definition of a Futilist:
Fut-ti-list (fyoot/til/ist) n. A pessimist on steroids. A Futilist considers Dust in the Wind by Kansas a theme song. The Futilist motto is, “It’s always darkest just before it goes completely black.” A Futilist has made friends with the monsters under the bed. A Futilist is the exact and extreme opposite of the Eternal Optimist, who is someone that, often with the assistance of drugs procured at either the corner drug store or the house on the corner, mistakenly believes that all of this makes sense or will someday.
We are the hamsters that keep the wheels spinning all the while feeling like all we’re really doing is spinning our wheels. The overwhelming majority of us are the middle management, support, and service people that keep the whole thing working while trying to balance raising and supporting a family or ourselves. And as we trudge through our days, we see all the insanity around us and look at it blankly because we’ve become so disassociated with it all. Global warming and economic chaos, war and civil unrest, and new more virulent viruses, all parade across our TV screens in short attention span style and we ask, “Gee, that’s terrible, but what can I do about it?”
There are those out there screaming into the wind that the machine is broken. Our global political mindset consists of a bunch of frat boys having a pissing contest. Our scientific community can’t agree on whether or not, or when, we’re going to simultaneously fry and drown. And our religious leaders continue to shout at the sky that God will save us/kill us/show us the way/give us a bunch of virgins.
Which reminds me; that’s about the stupidest thing to want, if you’re a man. Whatever the number of virgins it is, it’s for ETERNITY! Once you’ve deflowered them all, you got that many unsatisfied women to deal with. I have never heard what the female suicide bombers receive as their rewards in heaven. I doubt that the idea of a bunch of virgin men appeals to them. But religion and all its hilarity will follow in future blogs.
Getting back to the point, I love Bill Maher. The April 24th show was one of the best ever. Howard Dean, I have a newfound respect for you. You were articulate and informed and said a lot of very positive things. I admire your tenacity for trying to put a hopeful sheen on all the terrible news concerning the major issues confronting us. Alas, however, even you had to admit in the end that we are basically screwed.
For those of you who might have missed it, here’s a recap. The economy is in the toilet and will likely remain there for some time. The worst, sadly, is yet to come. Torture is bad and ineffective (duh) and the previous administration did a lot of horrible things to quite a few people. That Pakistan is likely going to try to kill us all. And if they don’t, the environment will. There was also the requisite Republican bashing and eulogies and some extraordinarily humorous New Rules.
It was a futilist fantasy: A veritable cornucopia of reasons to just go ahead and take a handful of sedatives and wash them down with a bottle of Crown Royal. But I’m not going to do that because in spite of it all, I find this whole thing to be, if not amusing, at least fascinating. Besides, I see some very simple solutions to most of these problems, including the global climate change, and that is the gist of this blog.
I am not here to bitch and moan without some sort of remedy. And unlike the crap the pharmaceutical companies foist upon us, there are no harmful side effects to my proposals. There will be sacrifices, but they are physically painless and completely habit forming. You may scoff that an average guy like me [124 out of 248 my senior year of high school] could actually possess the answers to what ails us, so I challenge you to find fault with them. I will listen to any reasonable rebuttal and will admit defeat if proven wrong.
In addition to major topic/thematic posts, there will be occasional snippets of the futile world around us. From the Triad of Futility to home town news, these filler pieces are designed to point out the absurd, futile, and ultimately positive events that happen every day. Some will likely make you smack your forehead in disbelief while others may offer up some semblance of hope, a small ray of light in the otherwise dark tunnel.
This hamster may not be climbing entirely off the wheel (I still gotta eat), but I’m not just going to curl up under the newspaper and hamster crap anymore.

Welcome to the Hamster Paradigm

Welcome to the Hamster Paradigm

On May 27, 1954, the world and I met for the first time and the war began. And so it is that today fifty-five years later, the Hamster Paradigm meets the world and the war heats up.
This exercise in noisy futility is meant to inform, provoke, and ultimately entertain those who read it. Your involvement is welcome and encouraged and I will gladly discuss any of the content, but will not tolerate name calling or disrespect either to me or anyone who chooses to post comments. The contents of this blog are the property of the author and he asks that you respect that before using any of it, assuming anyone would want to.
Here are a few facts about me to get you started: White male of average looks, intelligence, and sensibility. I have no political or religious affiliations. I do not identify as any particular sexuality but I am in the 13th year of a committed domestic partnership with a very nice fellow named Scott. I prefer dogs over cats, cats over ferrets, and ferrets over rats. I do not abide snakes of any kind, especially those with two legs. I am a realist, pragmatist, and futilist (much more on that later). I am agnostic in that I believe in an infinite universe with infinite possibilities. But most importantly, I am just another hamster on the wheel trying to make it through the remaining days of my allotment.
You are most welcome to come along for the ride.