Mitch McConnell, American Terrorist

Mitch McConnell is the senior senator from Kentucky. It's old news by now that he was the driving force behind negotiating huge tax breaks for wealthy people at the expense of the poor and the middle class. He did this by, as President Obama said, "holding the American people hostage." More specifically, McConnell held unemployed people hostage by threatening to lead a blockade against unemployment compensation. President Obama knew that this selfish, soulless cynical SOB had no problem hurting millions of people and their families in order to get his way.

In plain words, McConnell terrorized the American people with his disgusting criminal tactics. Therefore, McConnell is an American Terrorist and a thug.

If there is a Hell, there should be a special place for him to burn forever and forever and forever.

He has an ugly mind to match his ugly face.

New Names for our Two Political Parties in the US

The Bullies and the Wimps.

The Speech I Wish Obama Would Give

Good Evening, my fellow Americans. I am speaking to you tonight because we face a crisis of confidence that calls for bold action. As president of the United States, it is my job to help create a better world for all Americans. I am declaring tonight that I will no longer tolerate those who stand in the way of progress.

Americans need jobs, health care, housing, food and the assurance that their government is here to help them.

We do not need war. We are engaged in two wars that are costing us the lives of young Americans and billions of dollars. Those wars must be brought to a close beginning tonight. I am announcing that we will begin troop withdrawals from Afghanistan immediately and accelerate drawdown in Iraq.

We are struggling through a recession that has devastated the lives of millions more Americans, and continues to take its toll. That recession must be met head on. Tonight I am announcing support for a massive jobs program modeled after President Franklin D Roosevelt's WPA designed to put millions of Americans to work in many vital sectors of our economy.

I will not tolerate a Supreme Court decision that puts soulless corporations in charge of our elections with massive infusions of cash. I have asked key members of Congress to work on a bill that will severely restrict corporate meddling in the politics of our nation.

There will be those who will complain that we are acting too fast and reaching too far. They will vow, as they have in the past, that they will block progress as too radical and too expensive.

However, I believe the vast majority of Americans will support changes that will save lives and money and put millions of people to work. And as I said at the outset of this address, I will no longer tolerate reactionaries who would block progress.

Our democracy is at stake. In addition to ending both wars and taking bold steps to end the recession, I am proposing a 50 percent cut in our annual military budget. I am taking seriously President Eisenhower's warning about the military industrial complex, which is as big a danger to our democracy as any foreign terrorists. The money we save should be used to give every young American who wants to go to college a chance to further his or her education. That policy alone will guarantee us a brighter future than a bloated military could ever give.

Furthermore, I propose that we expand Medicare to cover all Americans from birth to the end of life. We have spent far too much time and effort building a health care system that gives outsized benefits to insurance companies and not enough benefits to the people. I am prepared to fight hard for this relatively simple change in taking care of the health of our people.

I am also proposing that this country take the lead in reducing global warming and the assault on the natural environment. Part of my WPA program will be dedicated to this proposal.

So here is a warning to those who would counsel business as usual. No more Mr. Nice Guy. No more tax breaks for the rich at the expense of the poor and the middle class. No more capitulating to those who would continue policies that only harm most Americans for the benefit of the few.

I am putting Congress on notice. I expect the members of my party to pull together to accomplish the goals that I will set out in more detail in the days and and weeks ahead. Those who oppose progressive change will find themselves facing well-funded progressive opposition in primary elections two years from now. If members of the opposition party wish to help in our efforts to improve the lives of All Americans, I welcome their help. If not, they can expect I will do all I can to make sure they end their careers in the dustbin of history.

Because the changes I propose are sensible, I expect the American people will support me in my renewed dedication to fight with all my strength and skill to help make their lives more secure and more productive with a policy of peace, job creation, a sustainable economy and decent health care for all.

Thank you and good night.

Tea Party

This just in. A photo of an executive planning session for the Tea Party

Thoughts on Religion

I have been thinking about religion lately. Mostly it is because my sister and her husband and their two grown daughters are always writing about God and Jesus on their Facebook page. I am not religious, but I am curious about religion.

Once on the phone, my sister mentioned some health problems she had, none of which I would wish on anyone. But then she said when she dies and goes to Heaven she expected God to give her a new healthy body. She really believes this.

I think it would be very comforting if I could believe that after I die, I will go to a happy place where I would live forever. Unfortunately I have no belief in any such thing, any more than I believe in the tooth fairy or Santa Claus. And I wonder how anyone could possibly believe in such a thing. But polls show that millions of people believe in Heaven and Hell. It makes no sense to me.

I am not absolutely sure there is no God. I am about 90 percent sure that God does not exist. I tend to think the universe came about as a result of implacable and immutable forces of nature that we do not fully understand. The Big Bang apparently began with a tiny bit of something smaller than a pinhead. But I don't think God had anything to do with it. I tend not to believe in God for several reasons.

First of all, the universe is logical, orderly, and capable of being mathematically analyzed. Explanations for God are not at all logical. Science depends on careful examination and analysis. Religion depends of faith. Religious people tell us God's behavior cannot be explained, while science continues to discover precisely how nature works according to universal laws.

I think religion serves three main purposes for people. First, churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious gathering places serve a social purpose. People are social creatures and they like being around people who share their values. I also think God or gods were invented to explain mysteries. The Greeks and Romans had gods of weather and love and thunder and the passage of the sun from morning to night and all sorts of mysteries of nature. Bit by bit over the centuries, science has unraveled much of what religion once explained. Finally, I think religion, especially Christianity and Islam which preach Heaven or Paradise offers hope to those who fear death. Hindus believe in reincarnation. Some Jews believe in an afterlife. The whole idea of afterlife was central to AD Egyptians. It appears that Christianity borrowed that idea and ran with it.

Seems to me there are a lot of problems with the idea of Heaven and Hell. First of all, why would a loving God invent a place of eternal torture? The only answer that makes any kind of sense is that God is not at all loving, but vengeful. There's a frightening thought, a vengeful and all-powerful God. But that doesn't square with the idea of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and Love. So there's a contradiction.

And then there's Heaven, where people (who accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior) go to spend eternity in blissful happiness, forever and forever and forever. Sounds crushingly dull after a few hundred years. Happy Happy Happy. And what if you go to Heaven but your loving husband or wife or kids who never quite accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, are not allowed into heaven, but sent straight to Hell. Are you still going to be Happy Happy Happy forever and forever knowing that your loved ones are consigned to a place of eternal torture?

And then what about all the people who were born and died before Christ, so never got the chance to accept him as their Lord and Savior? Straight to Hell, I guess. And all the Jews and Hindus and Muslims who don't accept Christ. Straight to Hell. Doesn't make sense.

Christianity doesn't make sense. I don't know much about any of the other religions, but it seems to me belief in an Imaginary Man in the Sky is ridiculous. My sister recently had an auto accident. She and her husband were hurt but not too badly. One of her daughters thanked God that they were not killed. I wondered if God was responsible for saving them from death just then, why couldn't God have prevented the accident in the first place. The answer was that God Works in Mysterious Ways, it is not for us to understand. This lets God off the hook, seems to me. God as an irresponsible teenager.

Actually, I wish I COULD believe in religion. It comforts those who do believe. It works for them. Apparently makes them happy. At least it works for those who really follow the best aspects of their religion, the parts about peace and loving your neighbor. Problem is, a lot of religious people seem to be vengeful and judgmental and selfish. And then there are the Catholic priests who have molested children. The worst kinds of people are those who use religion for their own selfish purposes. Or the hypocrites, who pretend to be religious but act quite in opposition to their own stated religious beliefs.

There are many people doing good in the name of their religion and their God. To me, this is the best face of religion. But I think God never created man. Man created God. So religion is not a divine and holy thing. It is just a flawed human institution, embodying good and bad, like the people who invented it.

This is a letter to my sister, who said she was angry about the way things are going in the country. I am not one hundred percent sure which side of angry she is on. She is a North Carolina Christian. I kind of suspect she may not be coming from my perspective, but we'll see.


Elizabeth, You are absolutely right, little sister. I'm angry along with you and a lot of other people.

I listened to Obama's speech this morning and discovered once again, HE JUST DOESN'T GET IT. He doesn't get that these Ku Klux Republican corporatist rat bastards have only one thing in mind, and that is to destroy his presidency. Just that one thing. Nothing to help end the Depression. Nothing about jobs.

And Obama, ignoring the birthers and the death panel lies and Mitch McConnell saying his number one goal is to STOP OBAMA, and Obama, like a fool, says he wants to compromise, and work with these people, sit down with Boehner and McConnell and the rest of these clowns and NEGOTIATE! AAAAAAAAAARRARRRRRRGGGGG!

Yeah, he'll negotiate the privatization of Social Security and deregulation of Wall Street and sending more jobs to China and bashing the unions, and all that country club Republican crap.

I didn't put in my time serving my country in the military to see a lot of old white fascists working for the richest people in the country, and predatory corporations sending jobs overseas. Republicans have no respect for the military or veterans. Bush proved that.

But, come on angry or not, I'm sure we are all looking forward to having an orange-colored Speaker of the House. That has got to be funny. And that thug from Kentucky, Rand Paul, who'd like to repeal the 1964 Civil Rights Act. All the goofy Tea Partiers now in the Congress. Now that's entertainment.

You are right. it's infuriating but I think it's funny at the same time.. (I know, I have a twisted sense of humor.)The funny part is crazy stuff like Republicans defending a major tax break for rich people while at the same time they say they want to CUT THE DEFICIT. It will be funny just seeing them trying to justify that.

Ya gotta laugh or you'd just have to sit down and cry. And it's healthy to laugh at the antics these idiots are sure to produce.

New Post, first Since AUGUST?

I admit I have been watching Facebook and occasionally posting over there. A friend of mine has taken the position that there's no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats, and another one posted that we need to turn out ALL the incumbents and start all over again with new people in office. Yet a third person over at Facebook posted this:

Say what you want the democratic party is leading this country down the path of Socialism with a slow curve to communism. With just fifty percent of americans paying taxes the programs this administration is shoving down our throats is unsustainable. Take a look at the chaos thats reaking havoc in Europe. Socialism at its best. The American people are not as stupid as this administration thinks. This country was founded on freedoms that thousands gave their lives protecting. I am more than willing to give my life defending my freedom and the freedom of my family."

I replied that there are differences between the political parties, and that although we are often disappointed with the Dems, we need to encourage and vote for progressive Democrats and try to move the Democratic party more in the direction of Franklin D. Roosevelt's vision for America during the Great Depression of the 1930s. I also offered the opinion that most Republicans are misinformed and mean spirited. So the same person who posted the diatribe about Democrats leading the country down the path of socialism posted this:

Hey what do i know im just a misinformed and mean-spirited american citizen, the progressives know whats best for me and the rest of the country, just ask them, chairman mao explains it all in his little red book."

Which kind of proved my original point -- about Republicans being misinformed and mean-spirited. I would never want to waste my time sitting down with a beer and conversation with this guy.

Woman Dumps Cat in a Garbage Bin

It happened in Jolly Old England. The cat was missing. A nearby homeowner, owner of the cat had recently installed a video camera due to a spate of burglaries in the neighborhood. They scanned the videotape to see if there were any clues to the disappearance of their cat. Sure enough, they caught the fifty something grey haired lady dumping their cat in the garbage bin. She has since been identified and police are interviewing her.

Kissinger

Geeeez, Johnny Carson and Jack Webb both gone. A lot of my lifetime heroes gone. George Burns, Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite, Caroll O'Connor, Johnny Cash, Paul Wellstone, Jimi Hendrix, but HENRY KISSINGER, who was Nixon's Secretary of State fer chrissake forty years ago, still ain't dead. Is this guy a vampire or a zombie or something? Did he make a pact with the Devil? He's an old War Criminal, and he just lives on and on and on.

The Chinese Red Army Does a Tribute to Michael Jackson

No kidding. Does the Chinese Red Army really have a sense of humor?

Dick Cheney Has No Heart

This is is old news to people who have been keeping up with the news. But it still amazes me. Dick (Darth) Cheney has no heartbeat. No kidding. This is not Supermarket Tabloid Stuff. He's a Cyborg. I always suspected he was heartless. BTW, he has no pulse.

Rumor has it that he has two big sharp canine teeth He doesn't show up in a mirror, and he avoids sunlight. Why do you think he is always in an undisclosed location? If you ever meet up with him, you better have a crucifix handy.

He's an evil Dick.

A Video About a Flower

A video about a flower. Only, it is a very special kind of flower.

Battle with Bank of America

I have been in combat with Bank of America. This email explains it all. It is not a complicated problem, but to Bank of America it is impossible. Here is the text of a chat I had with the wonderful customer service people.


Welcome to an online chat session at Bank of America. Please hold while we connect you to the next available Bank of America Online Banking Specialist. Your chat may be monitored and recorded for quality purposes. Your current wait time is approximately 0 minutes. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you for choosing Bank of America. You are now being connected to a Bank of America Online Banking Specialist.
Chole: Good Afternoon! Welcome to Bank of America's Service Chat for Personal accounts.
Chole: My name is Chole. May I have your complete name & last 4 digits of the account?
You: Hi Chole Name: Russell X XXXXXXX
Chole: Hello Russell.
Chole: How are you doing today?
You: Last 4 Digits: XXXX
Chole: Thank you.
You: ok thanks, Here is a problem. All information to solve the problem follows.
You: Five phone calls have not solved this problem. I want to pay my BofA HELOC with a credit union account. , BofA placed THREE small deposits in my account for verification, but the verification Web page provided only TWO spaces for me to respond. So I failed to verify. I need to solve this problem so I can pay THIS MONTH's HELOC account. About to go to my local TV consumer reporter to get this solved. Here is all info you need to solve the problem. (HELOC Acct: # XXXXXX) (Verification Deposits: $ .48 .47 .01) (XXX Credit Union: Routing: XXXXXXXXX Checking:
XXXXXXXXXXX)
Chole: Please go ahead with your query.
You: There it is.
Chole: I understand that you would like to pay HELOC account from another bank's account.
Chole: And, you have to verify the trail deposit.
Chole: Let me help you with that.
You: correct. You have the credit union account, the name of the bank, the routing and cheking number there, and the exact amount of the trial deposits.
Chole: The trial deposits are done only in two small amounts........
Chole: And this trial deposit has to be done from Credit Unions account/
You: The
You: Credit union is the American Broadcast Employees FCU
Chole: Does it allow to transfer funds online?
You: yes.
Chole: Please make a trail deposit from that account into this HELOC account.
Chole: And it has to be only two small amounts.
Chole: In these three deposits did you try to confirm the latest two deposits?
You: Wait. the way this works is BofA made the trial deposits to veritfy the account. I was not able to verify because they made THREE deposits and the Web page only gave me TWO spaces to verify. Chole, did you read my complete explanation avove?
You: above not avove
Chole: Yes I did read the whole explanation.
Chole: That was the problem.
Chole: There has to be only two small deposit to verify.
You: Right. I need to verify those three deposits.
You: OK TWO. Which two?
Chole: The latest two.
Chole: Ignore the older deposit.
You: OK, that would be $.47 and .01
Chole: Please try to verify with them once.
You: Can you confirm verification?
Chole: No we do not have access that, it is a self service one.
You: Rats. OK, but I have been locked out of the system because of this screwup on the part of BofA. Can you get someone to unlock it, and give me the Web address so I can try again.
Chole: Sorry, as an associate I have only access to transfer the chat to my Supervisor.
You: We have to get this problem solved so I can make sure my HELOC payment goes in on time. BTW, I paid it in June and I need to make sure it is credited for July
You: Well, let's get it solved.
You: Let
Chole: I understand your point of view.
You: Let's get it solved. Supervisor. Good idea.
Chole: Sure....
Chole: Please allow me a moment!
You: I would hate to have to start this whole conversation over again if the chat window were to close down due to inactivity.
Chole: I am still with you.
Chole: I will transfer you over to my Supervisor but he will have the same access to this issue.
You: So if my payment is late, BofA would come down on me about that because BofA can't solve the problem?
Chole: I only assist with personal Checking and Savings account.
Chole: However, I can help you with setting up these trail deposits and verifying. But I will not be able to comment on the late payment fee.
Chole: Would you still like me to transfer the chat to my Supervisor?
You: Let's just get the problem solved. Now
You: Let's transfer to BofA CEO Brian Moynihan if necessary. In fact maybe a copy of this chat should go to a top exec of BofA. This is NOT a complicated problem.
Chole: Please wait.. while I transfer the chat to my Supervisor.
Please wait while I transfer the chat to Ralph who can best assist you today.
Thank you for choosing Bank of America. You are now being connected to a Bank of America Online Banking Specialist.
You: [After a long wait] anyone there?
You: I am going to get disconnected if someone doesn't appear. I do not wish to waste a lot more time on this very simple problem. Hello?
Chole: I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Please wait while I transfer the chat to Ralph who can best assist you today.
Thank you for choosing Bank of America. You are now being connected to a Bank of America Online Banking Specialist.
Ralph: Hi Russell! This is Ralph. I am the floor supervisor.
You: Hello there Ralph. I have every confidence you can solve this problem. It is not complicated.
Ralph: Please give me some time while I review your chat with Chole.
You: OK, let me give you the simple version. BofA made THREE small trial deposits in my credit union account but only gave me TWO spaces to verify on their Web page. So I failed to verity correctly and BofA locked me out of the verification page. Why can't I just pay the HELOC online out of the account: BTW I already paid the HELOC early and need to make sure it is credited for JULY
Ralph: I understand as you have failed verification on the trial deposits you have got locked out .
You: Correct, Ralph
Ralph: Please give me a quick moment while I provide you the number to our specialists who would be able to help you with this.
You: No I will not call. I have wasted hours on phone calls with BofA on this problem. No calls. I will copy this chat and sent it to Corporate HQ if necessary.
Ralph: Russell, I am sorry but through this chat channel we are unable to assist you.
Ralph: I can provide you with our specialists contact number who can guide you.
You: Fine, have someone call me. Someone who can actually solve the problem. 323.221.0821 or 323. 221.3550.
Ralph: I regret we would not be able to provide a call back regarding this issue.
You: I think BofA will be
You: I spent years as a television consumer reporter. This is one of the most outrageous cases (my own) that I have ever encounterd. Do you really think Corporate wants a copy of this message by email or snail mail?
You: I think it is your job, Ralph, to find out who can solve this problem and have them call me.
Ralph: Please contact us at 1.800.933.6262 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mon to Fri, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat to Sun, Eastern Time. I do understand your frustration and I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Ralph: I am referring you to our specialists as they would be able to guide you on this.
Ralph: We solely assist with personal accounts so we are unable to directly assist you with this issue.
You: This IS a personal account.
Ralph: We assist only with Personal Checking and Savings accounts.
You: How do I contact the HELOC people?
Ralph: I have referred you to our Online Banking Specialists regarding the trial deposits verification.
Ralph: One moment please.
You: The online banking specialists have proven to be incompetent and unconnected. They have no interest in helping. They just shuffle me from one office to another.
You: How about if I publish this entire chat online for everyone to see? Without my account numbers included, of course?
Ralph: Please contact our Heloc specialists at 1.800.934.5626 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mon to Fri, Eastern Time.
You: There's a reason I have no bank account with BofA.
Ralph: I do apologize for the inconvenience. Our specialists at 1.800.933.6262 would be able to help you with the trial deposits.
Ralph: Is there anything else I may assist you with?
Ralph: Are you still with me? Please respond so I can leave this chat window open to answer any questions for you.
Ralph: Russell, Unfortunately, due to the elapsed time since we received your last message, we are exiting the chat session. If you wish to chat with a Bank of America associate again, please click "Chat Online Now."
Last text message received Thank you for chatting with us. We value your feedback and would like to invite you to take a moment to complete a survey and tell us how we did today. The survey takes only a few moments to complete and will be presented to you upon closing this window.

A Break from the Project

Finally finishing up The Project. I hope. The Client wants a bunch of changes. Naturally. Have to make the Client happy. Will be finishing up in the morning. Meantime, here is Techno Chicken. Everyone out for recess.

Bumper Sticker Religion

I see them all the time out here in Los Angeles. Bumper stickers touting one religious sentiment or another. "Jesus is God, Read the Bible." and the same quote in Spanish. This one annoys me. In my humble opinion, the Bible is not exactly a reliable reference to prove anything. Besides that, it seems to me that any religion that can be reduced to a bumper sticker is way wide but not very deep. If you can put your entire spiritual experience on a bumper sticker, you don't have much going for you. It seems almost an insult to a genuine religious belief to carry it around on the bumper of your car.

"My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter." That's cute. I think it references Jesus, but I don't know of any evidence that Jesus was a carpenter and a Google search seems to indicate he was not a carpenter at all. One Web site says: "..the Greek word for 'carpenter' in the gospels actually stands for an underlying Aramaic term that is used metaphorically in the Talmud to denote a scholar."

Or how about the little fish you see pasted to the trunk lids of cars? This one is a religious symbol referencing Jesus feeding the multitudes with just a handful of fish and a few sips of wine. It's also an in-your-face statement that says, "I'm an Evangelical Christian and what are you going to do about it?" The reply to it, of course is the fish with feet, an in-your-face statement that references Darwin and evolution, something that Evangelical Christians deny.

"Jesus is My God." There's another one that also appears in Spanish. Seems to me it reflects a shallow view of God and Jesus and the whole notion of a serious spiritual experience. It's bumper sticker religion.