All Over, but the Shouting

In the beginning there was some argument with me from Glenn Greenwald about Barack Obama's betrayal. Lately he's rather prolific about his assessment of the last three years. Whatever made a majority of the American people believe he was somehow God's gift of "hope and change" everyone could trust only shows how gullible people really are. Now while everyone is trying to justify their voting this liar into the Office of the Presidency of the United States and proclaiming his worthiness for another four years, he's quietly sold everyone done the river.

This past week Glenn Greenwald has written some rather important and thought provoking articles, well worth reading. This one  caught my attention, specially this quote from his: Obama takes tough stance on banks.

The intensely angry "town hall" political protests from last August, though wildly misdirected at health care reform, gave a glimpse of the brewing societal anger and economic anxiety; even Tea Party politicians are now being angrily harangued by furious citizens over growing joblessness and loss of opportunity as Wall Street prospers and Endless Wars continue.  This situation -- exploding wealth inequality combined with harsh austerity, little hope for improvement and a growing sense of irreversible national decline -- cannot possibly be sustained for long without some serious social unrest.  As Yale Professor David Bromwich put it in his extraordinarily thorough analysis of the "continuities" in what he calls "the Bush-Obama presidency":

The usual turn from unsatisfying wars abroad to happier domestic conditions, however, no longer seems tenable. In these August days, Americans are rubbing their eyes, still wondering what has befallen us with the president’s "debt deal" -- a shifting of tectonic plates beneath the economy of a sort Dick Cheney might have dreamed of, but which Barack Obama and the House Republicans together brought to fruition. A redistribution of wealth and power more than three decades in the making has now been carved into the system and given the stamp of permanence.  

Only a Democratic president, and only one associated in the public mind (however wrongly) with the fortunes of the poor, could have accomplished such a reversal with such sickening completeness.

Economic suffering and anxiety -- and anger over it and the flamboyant prosperity of the elites who caused it -- is only going to worsen.  So, too, will the refusal of the Western citizenry to meekly accept their predicament. As that happens, who it is who controls the Internet and the flow of information and communications takes on greater importance.  Those who are devoted to preserving the current system of prerogatives certainly know that, and that is what explains this obsession with expanding the Surveillance State and secrecy powers, maintaining control over the dissemination of information, and harshly punishing those who threaten it.  That's also why there are few conflicts, if there are any, of greater import than this one. 

Just to make everyone's day, this bit of news from Bloomberg hit mainstream news today:

Fed secretly loaned $1.2 trillion in public money to Wall St. firms: report

Differing from the $16 trillion in loans made through asset swaps and preferred stock agreements, which were first revealed by a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit mandated by Congress, these loans came from public money, representing the greatest largess of the financial sector during a crisis that threatened to pull the whole globalized system of finance to its knees.

If you're interested here's the list of his latest articles:

Obama v. Bush on power over Congress - Tuesday, August 16, 2011

A prime aim of the growing Surveillance State

U.S. Mideast policy in a single phrase

The Libya War argument

Obama administration takes tough stance on banks

--Joe

Times-Standard and Digital Subscriptions

[UPDATE :: Thursday, August 18, 2011 - Just received a Renewal notice and the inclusion of the E-Edition offered is considerably less than the posted amount below. And that's GOOD!]

When the Internet first came online, I was there. It was an exciting time, with new adventures. What made the Internet great and that was truly amazing, for me anyway, was the amount of FREE information, free computer programs, free pictures - you name it - websites such as ZDnet and Cnet including Download.com and Delphi Forums where you can talk about anything. What I loved was that it was all there FREE for the taking. And that was only a small part of the potential available online. Not so, anymore. Witness the latest from:

Times-Standard website to set limits on free access

Beginning today, MediaNews Group, Inc. is launching a digital subscription model for several of its affiliate papers including the Times-Standard.

This digital subscription will affect some readers, allowing free access to a limited set of content on a monthly basis.

Once the limit has been reached, readers will be asked to subscribe to have full access to http://www.times-standard.com/.

All readers of http://www.times-standard.com/ will have free access to the home page, classifieds, obituaries and announcements section at all times. In addition, readers will have an additional five free pages of editorial content per month available before being asked to subscribe.

Current print subscribers may extend their subscription to include full digital access for an additional $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year.

Digital-only subscriptions will be available to those who are not currently print subscribers for $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year.

To subscribe, visit https://www.subscriberconcierge.com/eureka/.

I notice that current subscribers can pay an extra $20.00 a year for full digital access. I'm not sure it's even worth it. Paying for "editorial content" that's mostly irrelevant or or more importantly written by igoistic, unilateral, literalist believers or is relegated to simple mudslingning autocratic self-servers doesn't say much for the value.

I guess it never occurs to these people that a good product - good reporting, accurate, truthful and timely news reports is the time-honored way of producing revenues, both for them, their readers and advertisers. A naked police press release without relevant followup is as skewed and basically irrelevant as it gets. We don't need some corporate master telling us what is and is not. Show some respect for your readers with simple facts that backup the truth where people can decide for themselves. Followup on important stories. People want to know what happens when it takes a year to investigate BEFORE any comment or resolution. We've got plenty of mainstream media nonsense without involving the local media too.

--Joe

The Legacy of American Multiculturalism

The Legacy of American Multiculturalism

In a packed out store, the cute little five year old began stomping his little feet, all of a sudden threw up his arms, flopped down on the floor thrashing about, screaming to the top of his lungs as if he was about to die. The more the mother tried to get him to stop the worse the frenzied tantrum got until it became a self-feeding energy. In the end all the mother could do was stop shopping and take the child home.

Later, in a similar situation, a group of teenagers, boys and girls, would enter a store and repeat a similar tantrum. They were a kind of mini flash-mob that simply overwhelmed everyone as they looted, vandalized and threatened everyone else. Today, American public places, stores, malls, parks, and beaches are plagued by an epidemic of an ever increasing number of mini riots called flash mobs. These mobs take on an energy of their own where everyone is threatened and no one is safe.

Lew Rockwell has a thoughtful commentary by Patrick J. Buchanan, “The Fire This Time.”

Mr. Buchanan asserts, with regard to the current rioting, specially in England, but looking more and more like what's coming to America as these flash mobs grow and the youth become more angry and frustrated:

“For poverty existed in far greater measure in the Depression. Yet our parents and grandparents did not form mobs to burn, beat and loot.”

He asks the pertinent, if not burning, question:

“Is multiculturalism a success here? Or does the sudden eruption of flash mobs suggest that the curtain has begun to be pulled back on diversity's dark side here in America?”

--Joe

Another Blog Joins the Humbug Elitist's Club

[UPDATE Below :: "jendocino.blog"]

Above The Fold

Home Delivered Glances of Humboldt County

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Well, Hello There!

This is a brand new blog gracing the cyberwaves in Northern California. We'll touch on fun community events, politics, current newsworthy topics, local history, good people doing good things in our community and oddball kitsch.  Hmmm, sounds like a blog that used to kick around these parts back in the day.  This time, it's a duo with female and male perspectives.  Look out, it's sure to be quite colorful on occasion.  Thanks for checking us out!

The Editors
(No, we don't really have newspaper journalism backgrounds, but we find the premise fun for a blog.)

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You can always tell one of these Humbuggers by the people they link up with as well as those that they do NOT link to. The complete list is over on the Humboldt Herald.

My Blog List

• 
  The Humboldt Herald

  12 hours ago
• 
  Ernie's Place

  16 hours ago
• 
  The Humboldt Mirror

  19 hours ago
• 
  Sohum Parlance II

  21 hours ago
• 
  Planet Tapperass

  1 day ago
• 
  Fred's Humboldt Blog

  1 day ago
• 
  Lynette's NorCal History Blog

  4 days ago
• 
  samoasoftball

  5 days ago
• 
  A Beachcomber's Blog

  3 weeks ago
• 
  Chocolate Covered Xanax

  3 weeks ago
• 
  Digging Up Humboldt

  4 months ago
• Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County
• 
  Blogthing | North Coast Journal | Humboldt County

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I'm not sure Heraldo's comment about Ross Rowley and Ms. Sterious: "Bookmark the link to find out whether brown bread, fake cheese and other questionable food-like items will play a role in Above the Fold" is an epithet or an epitaph. --- PS. Did you read any of the comments? Rather validates the "club," I'd say.
[UPDATE] To anyone that's interested, I let "Anonymous" comment on this blog. You want to use foul language, post an ID, Heraldo.

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[UPDATE :: Sunday, August 21, 2011]

A new blog from far, far SoHum just came to my attention that deserves to be lumped into the group: "jendocino" - Take a look at her list of blogs and you can begin to see how this group comes together.

--Joe

Long-standing Tradition – For What That's Worth

Bullshit Traditions

The Times-Standard Editor's assert their tradition of “printing My Word Opinions, including those submitted by a group of individuals.” Thus justifying their July 22, 2011, printing by Eight former Eureka Council members including one former Mayor. I wrote about what the Times-Standard Editors were doing publishing this rhetorical demagog when I made the following observation in Nanny Speak or Mob Rule:

“Again we witness conservative ideologue believers using the Times-Standard to promote their demagogue and vitriol to divide and alienate the people of Humboldt County while their hypocrisy and duplicity is as repulsive as a pile of cat shit on your kitchen table. “Progress or protest? We need to work together to move forward” is classic in how these wannabe Elitist say one thing and do another.”

On, Wednesday, August 3, 2011, My Word commentary by Judy Hodgson, publisher and co-owner of the North Coast Journal responds to the Gang of Eight's attack on her paper in: An error and omission in former Eureka officials' My Word piece – The “omission” is that none of the eight signees of that My Word: Progress or protest? We need to work together to move forward was written by either of them. Yet the newspaper printed their “opinion” as if they had. In response to Judy Hodgson the Editor says:

“Editor's note: The Times-Standard has a long-standing tradition of printing My Word opinions, including those submitted by a group of individuals. As with all My Word pieces, each of the signers was called and each verified that they were signing on as an author of the submission.” [Emphasis added]

So, now, do we add to the list such characteristics as deviate, untruthful, deceptive, misrepresentation, or just plain, flat-out liars? Which brings me to the Times-Standard propensity to publish these kinds of letters, My Word and other Opinions including Dave Stancliff's As It Stands that purport authenticity and legitimacy based upon, as we can see here, an assumed fact or truth that is in reality merely someone's unsubstantiated and nonfactual belief.

Judy Hodgson asserts: "So the source was none of the eight signers." If what the Times-Standard Editors say is the truth, then those eight individuals lied. If not, then the Editor's lied. Either way, the credibility of one or both are suspect. So much for publishing half-truths, lies, hate, demagoguery and racist bigotry – disguised as so-called free speech.

NOTE: Humboldt Herald's latest comments.

--Joe

UPDATE – The Essence of Anarchy

When laws are not enforced there is no law – So says retired Eureka resident Thomas Hannah.

Actually, when laws are NOT enforced, law enforcement, codifies a new law neutralizing, invalidating or removing the old law. Example: Failure to enforce stop sign law. This is law enforcements defacto codifying a new law removing the old requirement to STOP. Consequently, no one actually stops at supposedly controlled intersections or, for that matter, even slows down enough in preparation to stop as required in an intersection WITHOUT stop signs. Law enforcement by their defacto actions mandates the state of anarchy.

When law enforcement is left to the personal discretion of the policing officer or court, law in and of itself ceases to exist as these individuals become the defacto law. In this regard, Thomas Hannah is right. Legitimate authority and right to enforce law ceases to emanate or derive its power from its justifiable base, citizen consensus and consent, and rests upon or is motivated by the “tough cop” authority, mentality and attitude.

Furthermore, the seriousness of such lawless conduct, when people deliberately, with full intent to violate the law, whatever consequence result are deliberate and with malice.

A read of Thomas Hannah's long-winded and perfunctory My Word commentary asks “what Eureka's elected and appointed executives officials are doing to protect the property owners and voters from the hazards ... Who is really looking out for the interest of the residents in the city of Eureka?” He continues: “During recent years, I have been troubled by the growing tendency to mitigate or find exceptions to laws, ordinances and regulations by our city officials. Responsible enforcement is the duty of every elected and appointed official. When laws and their counterparts are not enforced, there is no law.”

Herein lies the answer as to why everyone seems to think they have a choice as to whether or not to comply. His use of the word “duty.” Elected and appointed officials are legally obligated to enforce the law and their sworn oath. Failure to do so violates their legitimate right to hold that office or position. The only way they can justify retaining their elected position or other office is by getting the people, to a certain extent using coercion, threats and force to go along with their lawless conduct. In effect, codifying their lawlessness.

In the Eureka City Council's case they think to bribe Eureka citizens with: Council courts public input on hiring new police chief – "City to hold pair of public forums, poll residents online."

They hope to mitigate their actions and they say as much, for firing police Chief Garr Neilsen without cause. When they go ahead and hire the kind of person they want, they can hide behind their fig leaf of some sort of independent “public forums.” Wishful thinking at this point: “That might be a way to heal some of the huge rifts in the community.” I wonder how they plan to heal this rift: Mayor Frank Jager seems to think: “”We've got the police department right now in the able hands of Mr. (Interim Chief Murl) Harpham, and I think it would behoove us not to rush this,” Mayor Frank Jager said.”

Thomas Hannah shows that there is more of a problem than just wanton failure to stop. He may try to hold the elected officials, in particular the Eureka City Council, accountable for their chicanery, but I see it as everyone's responsibility. Everyone is obligated to obey the law and as a consequence, enforce the law. When everyone practices anarchy, their elected representatives, as anarchists, shall enforce anarchy.

--Joe

Debt Ceiling Passes House - What Now?

Something for the die-hard politicos:



Die Hards.

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Don't forget this tweet from TP:

ThinkProgress
Plenty of more crisis politics to look forward to this fall: gas tax expiration, the super committee and a potential gov't shutdown

--Joe