I've been silent for some time because I felt I haven't had much to say...in fact, what I've been feeling most of late with regards to our society et al is a desire to say, "Fuck this, I'm done. Later bitches!"
However, that isn't very helpful, and so I watch the news feeling the gloom of watching a nation spasm in either it's death throes of a dying Republic, or the squalling of new birth of our Plutocracy. The question of which has long been settled by the Department of Homeland Security actively coordinating the suppression of the Occupy Wall Street protestors. If ever there is evidence of the government actively engaged in activity that goes against the wishes of the public at large, this is it.
The Republic is dead. Long live the Republic.
So, now, here I am, early in the morning, standing guard on two smoking turkeys that I put on the smoker at 6:45am, pondering the "what next?" for us as a nation.
President Obama has clearly chosen sides.
I think we're in for a very long winter, and I suspect, and this suspicion needs more research, that by next summer we're going to be looking at a very different world...and I think, again based on this suspicion, that we're going to be none-to-pleased.
Anyway, back to the turkeys, and my best wishes to all of you on this...:::sigh:::...wet day of Thanksgiving.
Good to see you around again, s. Even if you don't have much to say, just a report from the world where you're at.
ReplyDeleteThanksgiving here is just me and the wife, at the Truck Stop south of town that's been running a T-Day buffet for several years now.
Frankly, we don't have the bucks to travel the 300 miles to the nearest relative, so some phone calls will have to do.
With the pathetic selection of Republican presidential candidates this fall, pathetic even to a decent-sized chunk of their base, Obama should be back for a second term, though without my support.
By all rights, and by what should have been an effective record since 08 of economic stimulus and budget& health care activity, Obama would be ten to twenty poll points ahead of the Republicans.
Not the case, and the OWS should be a rich mine of political support for Obama, if he should take the opportunity.
But he won't, and even then, overwhelming OWS support is not guaranteed.
Pepper Spray, the icon of American politics!
http://driftglass.blogspot.com/2011/11/per-user-request.html
There are some embers of good politics left, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
And more.
bb
I'm normally the doom-and-gloom person around here but I have to disagree, at least in part with Sheera.
ReplyDeleteThe future is particularly unknowable at the moment. The crystal ball I used to predict the 2008 crisis (just not publicly and I was wrong on the timing) is cracked and cloudy.
We aren't running down a straight path towards a cliff like we were in 2008. This is a much more treacherous, winding path through a dark jungle with no clear line of sight for more than 10 paces that doesn't mean that something spectacular can't happen, just that we can't foresee it happening.
Admittedly the federal government is running out of ammo (popular confidence) and we know there are hungry tigers out there but all we can do at this stage is keep our elbows tucked in as we roll through the brush and wait to find out what happens next.
In the meantime, I'm pausing to give thanks for my good fortune in the last year and to offer my best wishes for the future to everybody here at the Milpub.
Sheer-
ReplyDeleteAgree with Pluto.
Dark times. But very "Art Deco", in that we seem to be repeating mistakes leading to whatever disaster . . .
A dream of mine perhaps: 1920-30s German hits playing in the background of a cavern-like Berliner Kneipe. Picture a beautiful German brunet walking up to you nude wearing only a top hat and holding an empty champagne glass. New Years Eve. You fill her glass . . .
"Enjoy the delusional confusion, the reality will be terrible."
Pluto, I would not mind a Plutocracy, Pluto, not at all, Pluto.
ReplyDeleteA Plutocracy actually sounds pretty darn good to me, Pluto. Do you like the idea, Pluto? :)
I like your New Year's imagery, seydlitz.
Back to plusses in politics, voters recently demolished an odious piece of legislation in Ohio, and folk in Alabama are agitating against their state's immigration bill.
And Wisconsin seems set to boot its tres odious governor.
From Tom Tomorrow:
http://tinyurl.com/75872hz
bb
bb - different roots I think - or maybe not?
ReplyDeletebb - "A Plutocracy actually sounds pretty darn good to me, Pluto. Do you like the idea, Pluto? :)"
ReplyDeleteI know you're having fun with the coincidence in names but I really do think you'd hate a plutocracy, even if I was running it. I know I'd hate running one.
bb - "And Wisconsin seems set to boot its tres odious governor."
Hard to say, bb. Yes they may vote on booting him but that doesn't say they will actually do it. The key is the nature of the Democratic candidate to replace him.
We saw this in the WI legislative recall. There was a moderate Republican up for recall in a district close enough to us that we got to watch the commercials on TV.
The Republican ran a very nuanced campaign where she described how torn she was between her party and her personal beliefs and how uncomfortable she was with the legislation to cover the deficit and the backlash that followed. She didn't actually say how she'd vote if she had to do it all over again.
The Democrat ran a tone-deaf campaign where she described in detail how much delight she was going to take in reversing the anti-union legislation, expand the power of the unions by a lot, and raise taxes on the wealthy out of sight to cover the budget shortfall. This was in one of the wealthiest and least unionized legislative districts in WI.
The Democrat lost by a considerable margin and then blamed the Republican media machine for distorting her image. As an impartial observer, I would say that there is some merit to her argument (the ads the Republicans ran against her were vicious) but she was very unnecessarily one of the chief planners of her own destruction.
If the Dem's put up a divisive tone-deaf left-wing hack who's never run for office before, Walker is going to win big and use that margin of victory as a mandate to go much further because that's just the way the guy is built.
If the Dem's put up a real candidate then things get a whole lot more interesting.
I've also been watching the situation in Alabama with interest.
Shirra:
ReplyDeleteHow did your smoked turkey turn out? I am thinking of trying it next year. I have a tiny smoker, good for salmon or steelhead fillets and oysters, but have never tried anything else. Did you smoke the entire turkey or just piece-parts? I could probably convert my barbecue grill to a smoker and do a ten- or 12- pound turkey in that. I assume you used mesquite chips? But I am thinking of alder?
bb - different roots I think - or maybe not?
ReplyDeleteNovember 24, 2011 4:56 PM
"Pluto" is the counterpart to the Greek Hades, God of the Dead and also of Wealth. He was notoriously tight-fisted, and guarded what was his with great vigor. In fact, it was a mark of divine nature to be able to descend to Hades and to return to our world alive, a point which the Disney cartoon movie "Hercules" made correctly, but litte else. :)
The Dead had to pay to get in, hence the coins in the mouth or on the eyes, and since metallic and crystal riches were dug up from the Earth, Pluto was called also the God of Wealth.
So "plutocracy", rule by wealth. But also "Plutonium", which is named that for its relationship to death and destruction, I assume.
Pluto:
I know you're having fun with the coincidence in names but I really do think you'd hate a plutocracy, even if I was running it. I know I'd hate running one.
Oh gee, was it that obvious?
IMHO, we do have a plutocracy here, as we write.
AFAIC, if one criticizes, one should have an alternate plan and be willing to employ it if given the chance.
"Plutocracy", I think, has connotations of a group, Oligarchs, who rule by power of their wealth and influence.
But sure, if there was an "Easy Button" of commercial ad fame, I'd push it and run the US of A.
With a little help from my friends, of course.
bb
“The 15 HP Babcock Electric Roadster (1911) had a range of 100 miles when driven at 17 mph (27 km/h). Its top speed was 30 mph or 48 km/h (source). The Bailey Electric Roaster, built in the same year and having a similar top speed, had a range of up to 118 miles (190 kms) on a single charge when driven at a speed of 20 mph (32 km/h).” http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/overview-of-early-electric-cars.html
ReplyDeleteThese cars had appeal to upper-class ladies (including Mrs. Ford) because of their silence, smooth power delivery, and the absence of a starter crank and gearbox. If the evening when the shopping and social obligations were met, the cars were parked in garages, where they were recharged, the batteries tested, and made ready for the next day’s excursions. Their husbands drove gasoline-powered vehicles, which were faster and had, even in those days, what amounted to infinite range.
If the past is any guide, electric cars will be confined to a similar nitch. They will not be a replacement for the automobiles that we know.