Those of you who know me know that I am 1) a flag geek; and 2) a big fan of the Gadsden flag. The Gadsden flag, of course, is the Revolutionary War flag that is bright yellow with a coiled rattlesnake above the words "Don't Tread On Me" which has been completely usurped by the Tea Party movement. I used to actually have a huge Gadsden flag on my office wall, but since the Tea Party stole it and it now stands for whackjob right wing conspiracy theories, I had to abandon its use.
Since then, I have looked for a new flag, and last week actually found one that suits my purposes perfectly. I give you the Veterans Exempt flag!
It combines all the greatness of the Gadsden flag, the Jolly Roger, the other Revolutionary war flags and the Freakin' Oakland Raiders! Thirteen black stars on a silver field, a coiled rattlesnake beneath the words "Don't Tread on Me" and a skull and crossbones above the phrase "Thy Will Be Done." Damn! This would make any Bankster shake in his Gucci loafers.
This is a flag that was used by retired soldiers who fought in reserve in the Battle of Plattsburg during the War of 1812. It was a late (and rare) U.S. victory in this battle against Britain. I need a full size version of it because it is the coolest freaking flag ever made!!!!!!
More Class Warfare
Why is it that Class Warfare is a term that is only used in order to criticise arguments in favor of implementing policies which would benefit working class people? For those of you who haven't noticed, class warfare has been waged against the middle class for the last 30 years to the point where there really isn't any middle class left anymore. The result of this economic warfare has been that income disparity has widened to record proportions while median incomes have actually dropped during that period.
The latest meme being used by the real class warriors on the right is to point out that 50% of Americans don't pay taxes. This is an old trick used by the rich to drive wedges between different groups of people who would otherwise find a common purpose (that being that they are continually being screwed by those in power again and again and again) in order to keep them from rising up to overthrow the rich. It's also a complete and utter lie.
Although it is true that 50% of the poorest Americans do not pay any Federal income tax, they pay a hell of a lot higher percentage of their income in all sorts of other taxes. These include sales taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes, excise taxes, etc. These are taxes that everyone pays, but the poor are hurt disproportionately by these taxes because they constitute a much higher percentage of their net income that those who do pay taxes.
Class warfare is real and has been going on for decades. Now those against whom the war has been waged are fighting back because their very survival depends on it.
My Annual Diatribe Against DST
DST. It sounds like some kind of carcinogenic chemical that industries are pumping into the food supply that ends up killing babies. If only.
DST is Daylight Savings Time. DST was first implemented during World War II in order to help Americans conserve energy for the war campaign. The theory is that if you switch the clock forward an hour during the warmer months, people will use less energy lighting their homes because it will be light out later eliminating the need to use electric lightbulbs. Good idea -- when everyone went to bed at dusk!
Since then, DST has become a permanent fixture in most of the U.S. with the exception of a few holdouts (Arizona and until recently parts of Indiana). Fine. It works during the summer. We get to mow our lawns after work. Great.
But over the years the government has lengthened the time that DST remains in effect for way, way too freaking long. The result is that I feel like absolute crap during the last two weeks of October and now the first week of November. For crying out loud can we freaking go back to standard time already?!?!?!?!!! I feel like I'm sleepwalking all the freaking time. It no longer is serving a purpose and my internal clock is needing a break already!
#OWS and the Need to Keep Up The Fight
There were reports this week that Occupy Wall Street is starting to see fissures as conflict breaks out amongst the leaders as to goals and strategies. This isn't surprising as I have seen this happen all too often, especially in left leaning organizations. There seems to come a point where intransigence amongst members in their philosophical views starts to splinter the larger group. This is what appears to be happening with #OWS.
Hopefully calmer heads will prevail and the members can set their egos aside. This movement is simply too important to allow this to happen.
One of the things that has been pointed out about the movement is how their biggest obstacle to long-term sustainability may be simply getting beyond the cultural differences between many middle class non-activists and the perceived hippy or intellectually superior attitude of the left. One of the best ways I can see this happening is to employ military Veterans to help bridge the gap between the protesters and the Tea Party types. Some of the best media clips to come out of #OWS have come from Vets such as the Iraqi Marine Vet who said Sean Hannity could go F*** himself. Nobody's going to question the patriotism of someone who just risked his life overseas so that he could shore up the profits of JP Morgan.
Syracuse 49 West Virginia 23
Just had to say it again. GO ORANGE!!!!!!!!!
Herman Cain Again
It's starting to get too easy to attack Herman Cain. When faced with criticism over his 9-9-9 plan and how it would disproportionately harm the poorest individuals, Cain introduced a new caveat to the plan. He would implement Entrepreneurial Zones in inner-city urban areas where the 9% sales tax and business tax would be suspended. This would come with caveats, though. Included in these caveats would be the elimination of the minimum wage in these areas and the implementation of school voucher programs. I'm thinking that next he's going to come up with a catchy slogan for his plan like, oh, I don't know, "Work Makes You Free" or something like that. Again, how can anyone support this asshole?
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