It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas advertising.

Halloween has past, and we all know what that means. It's Christmas time, sorry American Thanksgiving. Sure, the stores were already playing Christmas music two weeks back.

But it's almost time for ads to focus on Christmas. And by focusing on Christmas I mean focusing on buying things we don't need. But I guess that's most ads. It's just now there's more red ribbons, snow, and excess sentimentality.


Cracked.com looked at some of the more ridiculous ads.

The 4 Most Insulting TV Ads You See Every Christmas -- powered by Cracked.com

How Not to Stay Neutral on Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality has been an issue of great concern to people who work online. The end of it may likely mean an end to those smaller operations, or new ideas looking for a place to blossom. It has also been of great concern to corporate interests and the Telecomms, who all look to cement their control on what we see and use. It all comes down to how neutral we will see information and services online treated.

FCC after Dark - from College Humor

But the FCC (Federal Trade Commission) is eyeing an end to neutrality. Not surprising from a collective largely made up of former and future executives of the Telecomm Industry. And the head of the FCC thinks it makes perfect sense to end neutrality, but make a caveat that all access must be kept at least at the levels they currently are at.

That would be great if time and technology stood still. But that's the point of the statement from the FCC. Sound good, mean nothing. Throw out a platitude while handing the power, wealth making potential, and speed to their corporate friends.

These Assholes - By College Humor

After that, we are all left to the whims of Internet Service Providers, and to the select online services that have paid up large sums to run suitably. And for many in power, that is how the world should work. You shouldn't have things if you can't pay up a nice size fee for it. Schooling. Water. Knowledge.

Well, that is garbage. The Internet is supposed to be a marketplace of ideas, amusement, and disappointment.


Among those trying to advocate for no neutrality think that not all sites deserve to be treated equal. Money should buy access. The Internet should operate like many other areas of business where the barriers to entry should be high. For many of them, Net Neutrality is a regulation. And that means taxes. And, "The government will control the Internet!!!".

The attitude is that they fear/hate the government, but tolerate/respect the old boy network of corporate elite making decision on this.

I don't, obviously, trust the people at the FCC. We need a better quality of regulator there. But if I have to choose between the power being in the FCC's and the Telecomms grasp, I pick the FCC. Whipping the FCC into shape is easier. And, once industry has it's way with the Internet, we'll have to wait a decade or more to right things.

We rely on regulation by government for a good reason. Industry rarely does a fair to decent job of watching over itself.

Dracula Rises from the News

It seems Dracula just can't keep out of the news. As good a time as any, I suppose.

For Sale By Owner, Crypt Newly Refurnished.

Dallas and John Heaton/Free Agents Limited/Corbis

Word is that Castle Dracula is for sale. It's a nice deal at around $80,000,000.

Granted, it's not the actual Castle Dracula, or rather we are talking about the very human Vlad Tepes. Also, it isn't the caste from which he ruled. Rather it's a castle where he was kept prisoner...allegedly.

Still, nice deal, especially as a surprise birthday present....Of course renovation and heating would kill you. So it'd actually be a horrible gift.


Dracula slept here, because this is where we buried him.

It also seems that they've found the final resting place of Drac...Vlad. It's in Naples at Santa Maria La Nova. Apparently the hypothesis is that while Vlad was imprisoned by the Turks, his daughter (a secret one) in Naples paid a ransom for his freedom. He then lived out his final years in Naples.

Trouble is, there's no actual evidence that this is true. Just speculation and interpretation. The historically accepted version of Vlad's fate is that he died fighting to retake his land of Wallachia.


This is all an issue with Dracula, or any notorious figure from history. So many tales emerge. So many claims. So many opportunities to make a tidy sum.

And Bran Castle is one of many spots in Romania that have become tourist spots. They've even tried and failed to get a Dracula Theme Park open. And now, Santa Maria in Naples is drawing in tourist.

It's enough to make Dracula roll over in his sarcophagus.

Climate Change Denialist and Their Denial

At this stage it should be getting hard to disagree about the impact of our treatment of the global environment. The negative changes are slowly creeping into place. Difficulties are growing. Tension slowly mounts.

But, hey...

Source

Bundy Ranch: The Takers Come Home To Roost

The most patriotic anti-American patriot ever.

...I probably should have made that a cattle reference. Still, Clive Bundy doesn't make much of any sense either.

A rancher in Nevada, Bundy has taken it upon himself to skip out on paying grazing fees for his cattle over the past 20 years. These fees were being paid by his neighbors as needed, and by any other rancher in the country.

It's a simple enough idea. You want additional grass and scrub for your cattle. So you can make a deal with a neighbor, to allow your cattle on their land for awhile to eat. As part of the deal you may agree about how long they can stay, or you can pay for the use of the land.

It seems very friendly and simple. It seems rather capitalistic.

But not to Bundy. He seems to have decided that since the land is owned by the government, he can use it at will for whatever reasons he decides. And when he's asked to pay his fees, he refuses. And when he goes to court looses, he still refuses. And when he looses again in court, he refuses...You see how this is going.

He's a cheat. He currently owes around one million dollars. (Imagine how nicely you'd be treated if you refused to pay that amount of money to the government.)

Trailers in Short: From Frank to Reich

Time for some more trailers. Frankenstein fights...something. Keanu Reeves leaves me troubled. Tarzan finds a new dimension. Mr. Peabody should ground Sherman, for the sake of time. And, Robert Reich has something to say.


I, Frankenstein

What...? Bat/Bird people. Fancy blades. And an Eckhart Monster?

But I don't want to judge on his appearance. And I've seen reserved takes on Frankenstein's Monster before. But I see this ad and think, "What am I looking at?"

What is this? It looks like one of those movies that has the odds on of being really bad. But, it could be ridiculously good. It could even be a competent fantasy tale. But...what? Is this some angel/demon war? ...What?

Now I do know that this is based on a comic book story. But this trailer...Everything about this trailers has me thinking that this movie has to start with a long string of text setting things up, or a long bit of narration. So much to lay out.

But, hey, you get some Miranda Otto. Always a plus.


47 Ronin

Oh, good. Keanu Reaves is playing a savior again. This time he's saving Japan.

That's a bit factitious. But he's playing "the half breed", who is needed to help the Ronin in their quest to save their land (..Japan, part of Japan...eh.). And, it isn't necessarily a historic land, it's magical, with strange creatures, and witches, and other beings...That make it more palatable?

Now, I don't know if Reeves is partly Japanese, but the movie stretched here is to justify his part. And it means bypassing all the Japanese (or actors from other parts of Asia) actors that could have fulfilled the role. And the hurdle the movie makers have given me is making me struggle with even the trailer.

The 47 Ronin come from a great legendary tale of Japan. It's sad that it seems so hard to bring a version, even a fantastical one, to US audiences. ...Of course, the movie could also be a huge mess. I just couldn't get passed Reeves to consider that.


Tarzan 3D

A Tarzan animated movie. Well, the first thing that pops into my head when that's said is the Disney one. It just sticks with you. Still, that doesn't seem like an argument against this. The animation in it might. Being this realistic looking is tricky (the whole realism curve), and in a movie full of action it's very tricky.

The one thing that almost interests me is the magic meteor rock. That brings a feel of the old pulp stories of Tarzan. But it stays on the more mundane side. It's an animated movie. Just go all in. Meteor rocks. Ancient immortal lizard species. Lost civilization. Go crazy...Not like they'll get to make another Tarzan movie.

(I will say though, that having him found by apes at an older age makes some sense. An infant would not have survived...Is being more realistic a plus with Tarzan?)


Mr. Peabody and Sherman

By all rights I should instantly hate this movie. Mr. Peabody and Sherman come from a world of short and simple cartoons, meant to fill out "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show". Those types of concepts are tricky to expand out into a movie. And many cartoons don't get translated well to modern designs or writing. The path to the cinema is scattered with failed ideas and movie bombs.

BUT, of the different shorts from Bullwinkle, this one has the best shot. I mean, would we want a movie following that Victorian era elderly racist explorer? No.

This could be fun...It just has all those bad movies it follows...Maybe I'll catch when it's on TV someday.


Inequality For All

Robert Reich is always interesting to listen to. And this movie follows him and the issues in the economy. The topic is important. It seems like an interesting movie, and I do need to catch.

REBLOGGING: Thanksgiving. More than thanks, giving.

It's Thanksgiving again...Or as the stores call it, Pre-Christmas.

And I'm reblogging a previous Thanksgiving post looking at issues people face. If only those issues weren't ever present.

And they grow. As annoying as people find getting people to race out the next day to "sales". Business has decided that this was too generous. Yeah. Apparently they take the first part of "The Christmas Carol", throw away the rest, and pass it around Wall Street. It's like they take being called misers as a compliment.

So, this year, many stores will be opening in just hours.

This means many couldn't travel to visit family. In fact, they likely are getting ready to head into work to prep for 6 o'clock openings. And some are actually open right now! Thanksgiving used to be sacrosanct, like Christmas. You just didn't force workers to come in on this day. It was a societal promise. Not now. You are expected to work, take your meager wages, lose time with family, and make rich people even richer.

I have nothing against choosing to have a place open on Thanksgiving. It can be necessary. But the idea was supposed to be extraordinary. And usually the boss would make the sacrifice, or workers would get extra money in recognition.

Worse, the one way this could be fought against, people just refusing to go to the stores...That isn't going to happen. We'll see, but I expect a rush come the end of Thanksgiving Dinner. Everyone racing off; I would like to be proved wrong.

These workers are paid amounts that leave them in poverty. They are pushed onto food stamps and mediaid, AND NOW, they have to work today, and not have time to be with family and friends. More hours of subpar pay, and a chance to be cursed out by a line of people pissed off that the last of the "doorbuster" was sold. It's such a wonderful day, huh?

What can you do to help? What can you give to make things better?

Thanksgiving. More than thanks, giving.

Thanksgiving is upon us...in the Americans...North America...United States. Okay, we Americans are having our Thanksgiving holiday.

And you know what that means. Having a good meals before we head out later that day to line up to shop. Sadly, no joke there.

That is what it is for many of us. Others like to get some time off (unless you work retail, and you're resting before going to work Thanksgiving night -- or afternoon, at Wal-Mart) Or, to complain about Thanksgiving being horrific.

Now, it is true that the relationship between Europeans colonizers and native peoples in the Americas tended to be less than ideal...Okay. They tended to be dark passages in the annals of history. And we can never let what resulted be forgotten, despite some wanting to brush it over.

But there are some positive lessons to learn from those early years. Even today.


But first...



Okay. Back to my point.

Giving thanks is an old tradition. For the US, we draw back to the Plymouth colony for the holiday. From the start, the English settlement of Plymouth struggled. They were out of there depths. They couldn't get the crops to grow. They were getting sick, or dying. Some local tribes didn't care for the colonial interlopers. And the colonist stole from the food stores of some of locals. Not a good start. A bad lot. You can imagine what modern conservatives would say of them and call them if they could see them as they were.

We too often get a nice weird image of guys in big hats, all in black, with lots of buckles. They seem to all be tall and barrel-chested. And then they invite the Indians over for a party, because that's just how awesome they were. No. The colonist didn't dress like that. And they weren't clean, healthy, and hearty. It was a tense and dark time. Things were grim.

But...They were helped. The Wampanoag tribe gave them food during the first rough winter. They were taught fishing techniques, and which crops grow best in the local ground. Plymouth was struggling and dying. Many colonies before had been attempted. some died out, some were abandoned. Their fate was not certain. But the local society around them lent a hand to them. It fed them. It trained them. It bolstered them at the point of greatest need. They got their asses saved.


So now, as we gorge ourselves and prep to show in this time of Thanks Giving, let's remember and learn from the aid and support given to our national ancestors (the white ones) by those natives (also out national ancestors) 400 some years ago.

No, they didn't just build it.

No, they weren't lazy because they needed a leg up.

Now though, we can continue the good that was done that year. We can consider and plan today how we will continue to pay forward the good spirit and intentions of that time. How can we feed those in need? How can we teach those in need? How can we bolster and aid those in need?

We can ensure the Affordable Care Act moves forward. We can ensure a social safety remains intact (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP, and on down the line). We can pull back from war. And we can remember those in need, acting to be sure they have a chance to succeed.

AMERICANS TO PAY FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER WITH FOOD STAMPS IN RECORD NUMBERS

... 

The latest data from the US Department of Agriculture shows that 47.1 million Americans relied on food stamps in August – the highest number yet. 

Since 2007, participation in the food stamp program has skyrocketed, increasing by 70 percent. The cost of feeding the approximately 44.7 million Americans who relied on food stamps last year cost the US government a record $72 billion. 

...

Also, in the wake of the first Thanksgiving, on reservations, poverty approaches 1/3, and 4% of food stamps go to Native Americans.

 More SNAP data.

Infographic: The face of the food stamp recipient

But it is a joke to some.

Fox Pundit Jokes Food Stamps Could Be A Diet Plan

Sadly, for some, helping out your neighbors is ridiculous. From conservatives that see much of the country as lazy or looking for hand outs, to wealthy people eager to avoid any investment in society.

Or, investing in the well-being of their employees.
Restaurant chain experiments with more part-time work to avoid Obamacare costs

And they do this despite the positives for the economy and the business that will come from this investment.

RETAIL'S HIDDEN POTENTIAL: HOW RAISING WAGES WOULD BENEFIT WORKERS, THE INDUSTRY AND THE OVERALL ECONOMY

Take time to appreciate the good things you have in your life. Thank those that helped you, and were their for you.

Then think about giving, how we can all give to those in need.


Some more thinking on Thanksgiving with John Fugelsang, hosting The Point:

Get to know your Obamacare.

Healthcare Triage is a new YouTube show, looking at medicine.

For their first show, Obamacare and October 1st.

Shutdowns and default, the path that the GOP wants to shove us down.

Beware of snakes...and elephants.

There are some dangerous places to tread. They offer risk to the individual that enters. Or, it has repercussions for everyone else that can be hard to estimate.

Government shutdowns are these, to an extent. But debt default are in a whole other league of intractable paths. And people don't seek that path, if they are responsible, or sensible.

Yet, in the United States we've seen ourselves facing this path twice now, in less than 5 years. Not as an act of the will of the government. Not by the will of the people. But as the machinations and plotting of a small minority in this country. And Ted Cruz has eagerly taken on the role of the drum major for this lot. He led the spectacle in the Senate and has repeatedly encouraged and met with Republicans in the House, urging no deals. On down the path! On to the brink!

But Cruz isn't alone, Conservatives have eagerly rallied to shutdown government, they've declared it no big deal, and a debt default? Pfft! And then when the government shutdowns? They then turn and cry out, "Why has this happen?" It's so disingenuous.

And he's not the only powerful voice. Paul Ryan has jumped into this. The last Vice Presidential candidate is hip deep in this (AND do I even have to bring up what their last VP candidate has been doing the last week?) This Is The Party.

Not to worry, the party is working. Various Republicans have a plan. Impeach the president. Glad they're helping. The idea is that if they won't let government pay it's debts, the president has failed to pay the nations debts. and that means he has grievously failed. Now that may not make ANY sense to you, but if you don't think about it...It's still stupid.

But this is what we are getting from the GOP now. You have some, slowly, trying to talk sense (as the minutes to default evaporate away), but for far too many, madness reigns (or, for many, they stay silent for hear of the nutters). And through the nutters, we're being kept from financial safety, and access to basic government services. They battle on, fighting, with the solvency of the nation in the balance, for:

• Delaying Obamacare roll out.
• Making Capitol Hill workers health insurance more expensive.
• On the question of medical equipment taxation.
• NOW, cutting medicaid!
• Denying women access to preventative health.

We've gotten to the point that even Representative Peter King, of New York, is freaking out and angry at his party. That is quite a move, but he's been left sputtering to understand how they've gone so far, risking so much. Joe Scarborough is in such pain about why his party is acting in such a dysfunctional manner.

But you know why this happened? Conservative politics. This is all about the ideas conservatives have been espousing for decades now. Remember when Reagan was mocking the usefulness of the federal government, to win votes? Remember when you wanted more and more power ceded from the federal government to states and businesses? This is the reality of that rhetoric.

The Heritage Foundation has been helping lead and formulate these plans. Over at the Heritage Action group, they are bragging about how all of this still means they can kill Obamacare (and anyone or thing that gets in the way of Conservatives). They are at war with the US government. And the House Republicans, and Ted Cruz, are their allies. From Rush Limbaugh to Sean Hannity, the conservative media voices have been championing the shutdown of the government. They have goaded Republicans on.

This has been the agenda of Conservatism since President Obama won the presidency. So many candidates and representatives, dreamed of shutdowns. And they were open about this! They wanted this battleground. This is their endgame. It's not happenstance or mistake. It's an agenda

And John Boehner has been key to this agenda. The Senate Republicans have given up the ghost on these matters for now, beyond Ted Cruz and his tailcoat riders. But in the House, Boehner has tens of members who yell, and he flinches. It has been in his power since before the shutdown to end this. But he won't. He even had a plan earlier this week to move things, but he dumped it when everyone wasn't happy. (Worse he allowed the rules of the House to be changed so only he and Cantor bring in a solution.) It's such as sign of weakness, I'm shocked that the carrion eaters aren't sitting in the doors of the House licking their lips. He's not a leader. He's a puppet. While his suffering isn't going to end, he can end it for the country.


But, even then, what happens next? When the next discussion of debt or budget comes, will they try and threaten shutdown and default? YES!!! And that is the problem. This is now how Republicans govern now.

We have to put an end to it. I don't know how we do that short of voting Republicans out of power. And keeping them out where they aren't in control. And that's at the federal, state, and local levels.

In various places in the country they are feeling the impact of the Republicans efforts. In Houston, the Houston Chronicle has recalled it's endorsement of Ted Cruz. Wall Street has had it's fill of this instability being forced on their markets.

Closed for business, like much of
government.

I refrained from some of the picture of strewn carnage.

And in places like South Dakota, people are being buffeted hard by the reality of the federal government not being there to help (Take that Ronald Reagan!). Last week the west of the state was hit hard, very hard, by a nasty blizzard. It knocked out power. It trapped people. It shutdown business. And in the wake, they found the 10's of thousands of dead cattle littered across the region, in fields, in ditches, on the highways. And by the next weekend, a torrent of rain and flooding. People were hurt, financially. It is bad. And all the federal support they usually can turn to is gone. Shuttered. All for the sake of GOP gamesmanship.

The question is, what lessons will voters learn. Is all of Houston sick of Cruz? Do businesses realize how dangerous a bet the GOP is now (Is anything this last few weeks Pro-Business?)? And Red States? Is this what you wanted? Are you happy with what Republican and Tea Party agenda has given? What do you think of no dissent being allowed?

This is the face of the GOP now. It isn't moving towards any form of sanity. It's shambling into the darkness to the Right. And it's shunning reality and genuine governance. They are harmful.

So, do you have any polls open today where you are? Or soon? Would be good for you to know.

The fate of the country is in the balance.

If it was a Conscious Clause, the GOP would be embarrassed by themselves.

As we've seen this weekend, the House Republicans introduced a "conscious clause" into the ongoing budget debate.

This isn't a matter where they want to address a budgetary expense, to claim something, like the ACA, is a fiscal burden for the country. No. This is just an addendum on their other crazy ideas, to take away access to birth control from as many women as they can.

The idea is that if you, the business owner, decide that preventative health care for women is morally or religiously objectionable, you get to opt out. So you, as a business owner, have an out to slash your health care expenses...while taking a religious/moral stand...of course.

But even if you are taking some stand, call this a conscious clause or a matter of Religious Freedom, it is the same thing. This is putting women in a separate and inferior category. This is saying that the preventative health needs of women do not stack up as worthwhile or acceptable as those of men. Sexual health issues of men are clean. The sexual health issues of women aren't clean, and actually troubling. So when someone wants to boot out women's access to The Pill, or other contraception, we'll allow it. I mean, they have "moral objections". How can we not acquiesce to someone having a moral objection. Sure, contraception is medically valid...but I know a church that doesn't like it.

Their are a number of religions opposed to blood transfusions. There are people who morally object to vaccination. No one cares. No one will take access to this stuff away.


Already we've seen a ridiculous exemption given to religious institutions to not have to have any cover even allowed in their health care coverage. Many don't only hire people of their faith. They can't directly control what they do on their own time (have unacceptable relationships, dress unacceptably, say unacceptable things), but they can control this. And the government gave them that power over people.

The Koch Brothers want to be sure they have that power. So does Hobby Lobby, Chick Fil-A, and many others.

The end result that conservatives hope for in this is a stigmatization of birth control. To convince us that birth control or abortion it's all evil.  They want women to struggle. They want society to look in fear at sex.


Did I mention this was a budget battle?

Because we are currently looking at a budget battle, and the risk that the government will shut down.

And the House GOP decided to lob this into the strife we are already besot by. Unbelievable.

No. Unacceptable.

And the Right Wing clowns cheer this on, even lauding a debt default by the United States. They are fools giddily dancing their way through a raging fire.

Conservative callousness towards the low income worker. *UPDATED*

Saw this quote noted on a post:

But, why should every job pay enough to live on? The whole idea of a diverse economy is that there are many, many, many jobs on which you can make a living, and there are many jobs which are not intended — they’re at the bottom of the scale — they’re not jobs you’re supposed to be able to live on. … When you’re unskilled, you should not expect to be able to make a living off of your ordinary day’s labor.

And this is just a taste of the attitude we see. Some jobs are just "those jobs". And, some people are...you know.

It's a confident callousness towards those that struggle with acquiring a good paying job, with personal problems, with illnesses, with family they take care of, and a whole range of issues and factors. It's an assurance that those you aren't well off, or economically stable are being punished (by God, by fate, by society, by that damn Invisible Hand). Or, you are one of them (the good lot), and one of those type (foreigner, union, atheist, teacher, liberal) screwed you over.

It all fits together to them. If you are getting minimum wage, you are clearly a teenager. You have to be. Otherwise, you'd...you can't be receiving minimum wage, cause that just doesn't happen. Yet, we can see that those getting minimum wage are around 50% people over 25. And if you are a part time worker (which more and more of us are being pushed into) you are more likely to be pushed towards minimum wages. And the trend over the last few decades has been a growth of those with more education and age finding themselves working in lower wage jobs.

I suppose conservatives feel people are being silly taking these jobs. Don't they know better? Just take that high paying job instead!

The reality is people who can't find work in their fields are struggling and looking for work in other areas to sustain them, and what they often find is part time offers.

Sure, if you are at a major news network it probably not too bad to move jobs. Nor if you're at a major think tank. But for the rest of us, it is rough.

Which is why things like food stamps or Obamacare are so desperately needed (Also various government services in dire peril this week.). Yet conservatives are eager to slash at these. It'd be nice if conservatives were helping out. (No. Ending the minimum wage isn't helping.) Not to worry they are sending cash to corporate farming, the military, and military contractors. I'm sure that will...trickle down to us before long.

__________
UPDATED:

Okay. started seeing typos. Had to step in, and stop hitting my head on my desk.

Walmart? Stop being evil! ...Or at least be less creepy. *UPDATED*

The executive board of Walmart...What?
Should I be subtle? They aren't.

Hopefully by now we have all heard about how nastily Walmart is run.

If not, here's a fact sheet, including:

• Work at Walmart, live in poverty.
• Destroys higher paying jobs in communities.

Walmart drives down wages, and not to stay in business, it's already immensely profitable. And that isn't a bad thing. Businesses making profits is fine. But the focus on immediate profits, instead of investing in workers, only negatively impacts future viability. Common sense should tells us usually that theirs more to running a business then immediate profitability. (Sadly too many business thinkers today think only in the short term.) Investing in the community and workforce is what a responsible and sound business does.

What Walmart does is squeeze out every last bit of profitability, which it shunts right to the Walton family and the executives. That's just damn miserly.

Add to this the troubling impact of their pull on groceries and the food supply chain.

But now they are looking at another idea. I'd call it an amazing idea, or a shocking one, but this is Walmart. How can they shock us at this point?

Walmart now think it's time for Walmart customers to work for Walmart as it's personal delivery system.

Imagine it. You can be a delivery boy for WALMART. How awesome!

Yup. You can sign up, give them your home address, and then get discounts up to the cost of gas mileage. How awesome! Right?

Sign me up!

And I appreciate Daily Kos's list of how this plan could end horrifically for someone. Free labor for Walmart. And, a chance to serve a company that is eager to help...drive out it's competition in town.

They make stunning profits. They pay their workers a pittance. And, now you can work for them, for no money.

Walmart? Way to be a Walmart.

__________
UPDATED:

Wanted to add some graphics that remind just how backwards Walmart, and a lot business is today. To do that, look at some businesses that are trying to do things right.

Source

Source

Source

If I have to choose, I say dump religion and embrace gay people.

Source

As questions on some rights of the gay community come before the Supreme Court, it is apt to consider this. 

Conservatives seem to ever be concerned with gay people. Obsessed even. 

They are constantly afraid some gay people might be around them. Afraid they might have a good job. Afraid they might find love. Afraid they might have a voice in society, and be treated like normal folk.

It seems to all scare them. 

So they try and legislate to, as with some many things in the scary modern world, to ostracize them.

Many ANTI-GAY groups (and never forget that that is what they are) are lamenting the state of this country. They live in a sad place. A place where it's inconvenient to be a bigot. It's a place where it's actually kind of cool, and normal, to be tolerant and accepting of other people. It's a place where they have the antiquated ideas. And they think that is wholly unfair. 

... 

“These Republicans who are jumping ship are doing so because we have no way of messaging,” said Ashley Pratte, 23, the executive director of Cornerstone Policy Research and Cornerstone Action, a New Hampshire group that focuses on social issues. “Do you want to tell your friends when you’re out with them on a Friday night that they can’t get married? No, you don’t want to have that discussion, but you want to have a healthy discussion.” 

...

In the piece they use a lot of words to try and hide their only real argument against gays and gay marriage. That they and it are yucky. And, you know, the quote seems to suggest that these conservatives have a lot of gay friends they hang out with (and that a lot of gay people are out in the open and unafraid to be themselves -- which doesn't thrill conservatives). So when they are out with them, shoot, they feel awkward telling these gay friends that they are wicked sinners, destined for hell, that are destroying the fabric of society. Gosh, I really feel for these conservatives.

And if you do want to be depressed about this:

... 

Opponents of same-sex marriage say they realize they may lose the current fight, but they optimistically take the long view, pointing to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion. At the time, they say, opponents of abortion were told their cause was lost, but the fight continues 40 years later. 

...

They've fought for 40 years to limit women's rights. And they have drug this out and limited abortion access across the country. They are hoping and praying to do the same on gay rights.

And let's see one place they are making their dream of religious bigotry against the gay community come true. KENTUCKY. 

Religious freedom. Sounds nice enough. You have your beliefs, I have mine. Or, as the Kentucky legislature sees it, you have your beliefs, and that overrides state law. That's their definition of Religious Freedom. (It's similar to their definition of Academic Freedom. -- Conservatives have really begun abusing the word Freedom quite heartily these days. But I'll get more into that as we approach Easter.)

I wish I could lay this all on the GOP. But the Kentucky Democratic Party has made that impossible. A Democratic sponsored the bill in the state house. The House is controlled by Democrats, who largely supported and voted for the bill (7 voted against. Thanks for trying.). It is depressing. I don't know why they've done this. If it's fear of losing power, or if most of them are just that socially conservative (backwards).

But, you might get excited to hear that this week the governor vetoed this law (after it passed the Republican state senate). But the house Democrats tonight overrode that veto. They did it behind closed doors, just Democrats alone, personally override it. And the Republicans in the state senate said they would move fast once the house voted.

We will see if it goes to court. As it is, it will quickly move to law now allows now makes it legal to discriminate against gay, lesbian, and transgendered people in Kentucky...as along as you have a religious reason. (wink) 

Doesn't Kentucky feel freer already?

The argument is that religious freedom is in peril. You know, doctors have to treat patients, even if they don't like the treatment being sent. Businesses have to pay for health care support they don't like for workers. And landlords have to let people rent from them, even when they're of the wrong race, religion, or sexual orientation or presentation. How tyrannical is all of that?

Religion is making a useful justification for using the law to deny rights. And it's called Freedom. Frank Luntz must have a tear of pride trailing down from his eye tonight. 

Triangle Fire anniversary. Let's not forget.

Triangle Wait Company Building
Front

Almost slipped passed me, but it's the anniversary of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which killed 146 workers, 129 of them women. It was the second largest fatality in a disaster at the time.

It came about due to, first, a fire. The factory was placed on the top 3 floors of the building. On March 25th, a fire broke out in a linen bin on the bottom most of these floors. When people realized what was happening, the top floor was contacted, but they couldn't call the middle floor. So word to the middle floor came slowly. People that were warned began descending open stairways. But these quickly became inaccessible. More exits were available, but kept locked to control worker movement and prevent theft. And the people with keys fled early, leaving those left trapped.

Then when the fire service arrived, they could not stop the fire. And they had no ladders that could reach up to those trapped.

The factory employed 500, so nearly one third of the workforce was killed in this fire. The owners escaped criminal responsibility, but were made to pay in civil action. But they showed no sign of learning from this.

Still many horrible lessons were taught that day. It rallied many workers to stand together, and demand better treatment by business. Unions already existed, but this reinforced their need for many. New interest in oversight of factories pushed government to investigate what was actually happening in New York factories. They discovered many reason to doubt the safety of workers. And this lead to new labor law and building codes. It was a horrible moment that stayed with people and tilted interest to those poor people treated too much like chattel, and not human beings.

The deaths of that day cannot be forgotten now, more than one hundred years on. Some like to talk down workers coordinating for their wages, benefits, and safety. They attack regulations, which are key to enforcing safety. They see the profits of the managers and owners as the paramount concern. And they have power in many states, diminish rights and security.

So let's be sure to not forget those that died.

How does working in the US rate?: What the graphs and maps are saying.

It is interesting to look at just how the United States rates against other countries, when it comes to how business is run and affected by government. Their are many regulatory issues.

But a useful one to consider is how workers are treated.

So consider how much paid leave you are required to receive.

Notice how we compare to the competition? We don't mandate time off. You may get it at your work, but you may also be denied any time off with pay, or have it suddenly revoked. Much of the rest of the world, who we are seriously competing with find it important to address. But we don't. And China. (Though this Wikipedia page suggests that China does have some level of mandatory paid leave.)

Add to this, how maternity leave handled.

So, again, US has no mandatory leave for childbirth. Which is why we do often see parents racing to get back into the workflow post-birth. And, again, we see our main competitors are giving weeks to half a year of paid leave. It makes the US look like it's trying to push new mothers out of the workforce.

But at least we get good pay from top to bottom, right? We make sure people, if they may not get any leave,   can actually afford to live, right?

In many of our large population centers, a person at minimum wage cannot work 6 AM - 5 PM Monday to Sunday and pay rent. But look at the bright side  you'll be working so hard to keep a home, you won't have time to vacation, or use vacation as a verb.

American workers deserve better.

But, sadly, many of us don't even know.

We easily fail to realize how out of sync the country is on matters of wealth. The top echelons of the country hold most of our wealth. And the next group down holds far far little, but still a nice chunk of the wealth. And that leaves the middle class and those below fighting for the crumbs left at the end of the table. And we often don't see how amazingly unequal it is. And when some of us do see how the scales are tipped out of our reach, we are reassured. Don't worry. It's for the best. The rich will invest in us or us.

But, no.

• 1% of entrepreneurs are from the richest of us. Most of that cash sits in accounts, safe and accruing interest.
• The equivalent of half of the US's GDP is held overseas and untaxed. That's up to $12 trillion hidden overseas.
• Since the recession started, corporations have been avoiding paying around $250 billion every year in taxes.
• Around a trillion dollars is lost to revenue in tax deductions for the richest.
• $4 trillion was given to bail out the banks.
• Securities trading goes untaxed. In the US, there is 100's of trillions of dollars of it.
• Those in poverty on food stamps, including the elderly and disabled, receive around $4.30 a day in support.

The rich take money, tuck it away, seek ways to avoiding paying out, and ask for gifts. How else do you get and stay stinking rich? Money doesn't come to these people by big investments in the country. When the rich have done this, it has been a major pay out. Carnegie, Gates, Rowling. These people are forgoing chunks of their wealth to make the world around them better.

Same happens with business efforts. Business leaders have to give up some profits to benefit and motivate workers, to help the community, to protect the environment. Now, there are times that these investment can lead to financial profit, but often it doesn't. For example, Walmart may not see profits soar just as high as they do now, if it gives workers health care and a living wage. But the benefits to the community at large, and the harm being done should not be ignored. But business minds often have trouble seeing passed their piles of gold.

That's why we need to mandate things like paid leave, and minimum wage.

Michigan, Inc. - Selling it for parts.

Gov Snyder, the creepy executive of Michigan is continuing his privatization of his state. Across the state he has been placing cities under the control of Emergency Managers. This ends the democratic control and authority of citizens.

Now he has set his sights on controlling Detroit.

Why does the GOP want to make Robocop 3 a reality?!

Snyder is declaring another financial emergency, and in comes the Emergency Manager. And out goes the power of the mayor and city council. No one can act as the manager sells off property, functions, and materials. So look forward to the auctions. Also the manager can void contracts, so we can expect layoffs. So services are going away or worsening, all things that should do a bang up job of improving the state's condition  At this point the state is approaching having half of all blacks in the state denied any voice in government.

And if you actually have a doubt about how little the GOP cares for the opinion and desires of voters, just look to last year. The people of Michigan voted to end the Emergency Managers law. Then, in December, Snyder signed a new Emergency Manager law, bypassing the people of Michigan. Screw the people. More to the point, Snyder is telling Michigan it...Well, actually, he's the one screwing Michigan. And Snyder has been wringing his hands about this Detroit decision. But as he's been putting in Emergency Managers around the state, and reappointing them, he's had his eye on Detroit, waiting for the time to declare an emergency.

Michigan is having troubles. But what Snyder and the GOP want and are doing is killing the state, denying the people their voices, and helping their benefactors profit greatly from it all.

The GOP plan for America is written across Michigan today. A better America? Who needs that? The money is in selling it for parts. 

SOTU: What's the agenda? *UPDATED*

We are closing out the week of the State of the Union, so before I get into any critical issues with current government policy (Oh, let's hope I get writing.), let's look at the good work being, at least considered. As such, what is the president considering for the next year and on?

There were many good ideas, good moments, hit in the speech. Obviously continuing talk of doing something on gun violence is great, and his rhetorical flourishes in reaching out to the national audience were touching. I hope for the best. Then I remember the hundreds of hostile eyes on him in that room, eager to not piss off the NRA. ...Let's see what happens. This is unlike immigration, where I am guessing their is enough push right now, and fear in the GOP of Hispanics, to make something real happen.


But I was more interested in the "new" ideas.

Universal Pre-K. Or, preschool for all. This would be great. A heads up for all kids, to socialize, learn some early skills, and help parents entering or trying to hold jobs in the workforce. The struggle to find ways to get their kids into preschool is a struggle for many working moms. But the problem is making it real.

This involves some troubling areas for the GOP. Kids, they don't like kids. Education, they really don't like education. And the government making an investment in communities across the nation, ...I think you see where I'm going here. This will be a fight. We already know Newt Gingrich already leads the concept of getting kids into overalls and giving them comically small brooms. You can feel free to imagine what the wingery parts of the party are thinking. As I heard someone say, this will likely not happen in Obama's time in office. Maybe the foundations for it can be set in the next 4 years. Or, maybe, we will be surprised by movement on it.

Minimum Wage Hike. This is needed. The minimum wage continues to lag behind indicator, and leaves anyone working for this wage rate below the poverty line. That is just not acceptable. And the idea of tying it to a measure so we don't need to wait for Congress to move, that seems sound. Also seems pie in the sky. I just don't see the GOP not blocking this, as always. The president needs to move things with voters so the GOP has no where to go. As it is, the GOP has it's tested pablum about how horrible it is to pay people living wages, and the media eats it up (despite it all being crap). But we may yet see a Minimum Wage bump at least. I just can't predict what madness the House will pull.

Getting to Actually Vote. I was glad to see continuing as an issue. And the president humanizing the experience with the older woman, stuck in an interminable line is smart. I hope we will see real action on it. The president has formed a committee, that is good. He's put a Republicans who's worked for Romney and McCain, and helped in the swiftboating of John Kerry, that's...confusing and troubling. But as long as we see some real plans to improve voting, I'd be happy. Though it seems the simplest way to go is to enforce uniform rules on FEDERAL elections, which would push states and counties to try and streamline their own elections, and put pressure to be sure regions of the country don't leave poorer communities with inadequate facilities to vote. If a finding of the committee is that we need to deal with voter fraud I will be peeved. But, it is early days...Voting occurs next year. Get to work!

The Progressive Narrative. This, to me, is the real power of the speech. Policy can have a chance of passing the next Congress or not. But what is the narrative of who we are as Americans? Reagan helped usher in a contempt for government action, a sense we were all on our own. It was the era of the yuppies, in bad suits, getting rich on the backs of the middle class, leading to growing disparity and struggle.

Obama talks of something else, connecting with Americans. He offers up a return to building a middle class that is the heart of this country. To us all standing together. The Progressive Narrative:

... 

"And now they are at the heart of the story President Obama has been telling the American people in his SOTU, in his second inaugural address, on the campaign trail last year. From last night: "It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine of America's economic growth -- a rising, thriving middle class." And "A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs -- that must be the North Star that guides our efforts." And "no one who works full time should have to live in poverty..." And "Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. 

It is this kind of prosperity -- broad, shared, and built on a thriving middle class -- that has always been the source of our progress at home." You are speaking our language, Mr. President.It wasn't because the president's speech writers saw the website and thought it sounded good. It was because they are reading the same polling we are, because they are seeing the same focus groups. It is because this is where the American people have come around to after flirting with the Tea Party "no government is ever good" rhetoric. America's middle class knows it is getting crushed, and it knows that wealthy and powerful special interests have been making out like bandits on the backs of the rest of us. People are rallying around the story we are telling because it is common sense. The progressive center of gravity we built with this narrative pulled the president and the public in our direction because the story is true, and because it has powerful resonance in people's lives." 

... 

President Obama made a potent use of this annual event. But it is only the beginning. The new term of Congress has started, as has the presidents term. The work lies ahead. Everyone has to be sure that the Progressive Narrative isn't lost under conventional wisdom, beltway realities, and our own sad short term memories. We have to push back on what conservatives will try to do and try to not let happen. And we will need to likely need to push the president on some actions.


Oh, but now, what did the GOP have to say in response, cutting the president's ideas to shreds?!

*GULP*

_____________
ADDENDUM:

Forgot to mention another important area that the president mentioned.

Infrastructure investment. This is something we've needed for years now. Bridges, levies, dams, national piping, electrical grids, roads, all have needed a serious investment. And more should have come in the stimulus we got four years ago. We need to do this. It means, work, jobs, and needed boost to the economy. And it means we won't go more years and have a severe crisis arise when grids die, pipeline rupture, areas getting isolated by dilapidated travel conditions, or another tragic flood.

I hope this investment can happen. We do need this work done.

The trouble with going to Walmart

We know much about Walmart. Walmart is big business. It cuts into other businesses in a communities. And most of the products it sells come from other countries.

But what it does to it's own employees is a matter that seems to be missed in much of the media.

Walmart employs 1.3 million, making it the largest private employer. On average the starting salary at Walmart is $15,500. This puts a two-person family at the poverty line. Walmart also skimps on paying overtime to workers. When workers do make more money they get pushed out of jobs, to keep the workforce from taking too much of the profits (from managements view.). Also, no unions have able to gain a foothold within the corporation, as of yet, to allow workers to achieve any change. Of note, in Alabama this poor pay rate forces 4,700 kids on to Medicaid to get by. This is an intended result of the pay strategy, to put employee benefits pressure on Medicaid. By allowing it's workforce to fall below the poverty line, the government takes on the cost of their health care, food support, etc. Here's a chart to show the impact of Walmart's scheme on the whole country:

$1.5 billion in tax dollars. Just so Walmart can post an extra billion and a half in profit. Millions of which go to the CEO. And much more into the pockets of the Walton family. So you go to Walmart spend hundreds to buy their products, then you pay your taxes and fund them further. All the while the Waltons will support efforts to get their tax rates cut further.

How much money in their in this business? The CEO of Walmart makes $18 million a year. And the profits for Walmart were $15.7 billion in 2011. Efforts to get better treatment for workers, in the wake of these high executive salaries and massive profits, continue. But management disregards the concerns and needs of workers.

And the result of this has been the beginning of attempts to strike against mistreatment by Walmart management. And come tomorrow, Black Friday, strikes will begin in earnest. Up to now, Walmart has prevented any real dissent. It looks like things are shifting.

What Walmart has been doing isn't too different from what many businesses do, trying to minimize what it pays and offers workers. It is really all too common. And that is sad. Now, I understand the desire to maximize profits, but as Henry Ford understood long ago, you want a workforce that can actually buy your products. This should be immediately obvious to the largest private employer in a country. It is truly pathetic shortsightedness. As noted here, paying better only improves the state of a given industry and an economy as a whole. But businesses don't bother. And Walmart has the power to ignore it's impact, while doing small acts to try and look better.

We need to move them to change. Workers are beginning to believe they can have some affect. But part of this can also come from boycotting Walmart. At least on Black Friday. We can hope to make a mark on their profits to make them consider how they treat their workers, and how they damage the economy.


Additional Resources:

OUR Walmart Strike Took Kit

Stand With Walmart Strikers On Black Friday

Thanksgiving. More than thanks, giving.

Thanksgiving is upon us...in the Americans...North America...United States. Okay, we Americans are having our Thanksgiving holiday.

And you know what that means. Having a good meals before we head out later that day to line up to shop. Sadly, no joke there.

That is what it is for many of us. Others like to get some time off (unless you work retail, and you're resting before going to work Thanksgiving night -- or afternoon, at Wal-Mart) Or, to complain about Thanksgiving being horrific.

Now, it is true that the relationship between Europeans colonizers and native peoples in the Americas tended to be less than ideal...Okay. They tended to be dark passages in the annals of history. And we can never let what resulted be forgotten, despite some wanting to brush it over.

But there are some positive lessons to learn from those early years. Even today.


But first...



Okay. Back to my point.

Giving thanks is an old tradition. For the US, we draw back to the Plymouth colony for the holiday. From the start, the English settlement of Plymouth struggled. They were out of there depths. They couldn't get the crops to grow. They were getting sick, or dying. Some local tribes didn't care for the colonial interlopers. And the colonist stole from the food stores of some of locals. Not a good start. A bad lot. You can imagine what modern conservatives would say of them and call them if they could see them as they were.

We too often get a nice weird image of guys in big hats, all in black, with lots of buckles. They seem to all be tall and barrel-chested. And then they invite the Indians over for a party, because that's just how awesome they were. No. The colonist didn't dress like that. And they weren't clean, healthy, and hearty. It was a tense and dark time. Things were grim.

But...They were helped. The Wampanoag tribe gave them food during the first rough winter. They were taught fishing techniques, and which crops grow best in the local ground. Plymouth was struggling and dying. Many colonies before had been attempted. some died out, some were abandoned. Their fate was not certain. But the local society around them lent a hand to them. It fed them. It trained them. It bolstered them at the point of greatest need. They got their asses saved.


So now, as we gorge ourselves and prep to show in this time of Thanks Giving, let's remember and learn from the aid and support given to our national ancestors (the white ones) by those natives (also out national ancestors) 400 some years ago.

No, they didn't just build it.

No, they weren't lazy because they needed a leg up.

Now though, we can continue the good that was done that year. We can consider and plan today how we will continue to pay forward the good spirit and intentions of that time. How can we feed those in need? How can we teach those in need? How can we bolster and aid those in need?

We can ensure the Affordable Care Act moves forward. We can ensure a social safety remains intact (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP, and on down the line). We can pull back from war. And we can remember those in need, acting to be sure they have a chance to succeed.

Americans to pay for Thanksgiving dinner with food stamps in record numbers

... 

The latest data from the US Department of Agriculture shows that 47.1 million Americans relied on food stamps in August – the highest number yet. 

Since 2007, participation in the food stamp program has skyrocketed, increasing by 70 percent. The cost of feeding the approximately 44.7 million Americans who relied on food stamps last year cost the US government a record $72 billion. 

...

Also, in the wake of the first Thanksgiving, on reservations, poverty approaches 1/3, and 4% of food stamps go to Native Americans.

 More SNAP data.

Infographic: The face of the food stamp recipient

But it is a joke to some.

Fox Pundit Jokes Food Stamps Could Be A Diet Plan

Sadly, for some, helping out your neighbors is ridiculous. From conservatives that see much of the country as lazy or looking for hand outs, to wealthy people eager to avoid any investment in society.

Or, investing in the well-being of their employees.
Restaurant chain experiments with more part-time work to avoid Obamacare costs

And they do this despite the positives for the economy and the business that will come from this investment.

RETAIL'S HIDDEN POTENTIAL: HOW RAISING WAGES WOULD BENEFIT WORKERS, THE INDUSTRY AND THE OVERALL ECONOMY

Take time to appreciate the good things you have in your life. Thank those that helped you, and were their for you.

Then think about giving, how we can all give to those in need.


Some more thinking on Thanksgiving with John Fugelsang, hosting The Point: