Category Archives: politics

Education News and the postal service

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Raginghorseblog has a good riddance message to “if-you’re-poor-blame-God” Mayor Bloomberg.

Mercedes Schneider has a post up here on New Years and here on AFT Myths–really good blog on the myths and debunking them with pointed questions.

As I thought about the profiteers circling around public education, the postal service popped into my head.  They actually made a profit last year, but you wouldn’t know it by theBush Administration’s demanding they pay into retirement funds for people not even born yet…

…it suddenly occurred to me that not only are the profiteers going after public education and other social programs, the postal service is also a target for a couple of reasons:  a) strong union–gotta break those unions; and  b) public service efficiently run but could be run more *cough* efficiently.  Or, in other words ::damn, look at the golden opportunity to make some bucks while delivering crappy service…::  and, finally, c) postal workers make pretty good money….so they gotta get rid of them!

See…they can’t portray the postal carriers like teachers and say that they are not doing their job because, well, the mail gets delivered in a reasonable time with good rates through wind and rain and dark of night. They had to come up with some other way to bankrupt them and make it look like it was their fault, see?  Hence, we have the nonsense of paying for people that aren’t even born….making it look like they can’t make a profit or be self-sufficient…then the neocons/neolibs cry foul and trot out the overused sob story that the postal service is costing taxpayers money!  Not exactly.  They are funded by Congress for $100 million to deliver service to the blind and Americans overseas.  Otherwise, they are funded by stamps and other services the public pays for.

Even more astounding is that the postal service made a profit in this economy.  Now that’s impressive!

DIY Solar Power **edited

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I have the bah humbugs for the New Year…can’t get too worked up over the new year–too many times hopes have been dashed…

So…I thought I’d go looking for something to lift my mood...here’s a neat thing–do it yourself solar panels.  I think even if someone only wanted to do one panel, it would still help reduce their electric bill, and that would reduce the country’s needs for energy produced by oil or other environmentally toxic stuff, like fracking.  Note that the author recommends a professional installation, or having a professional inspect your work if you do it yourself.

Eartheasy also has a page on energy efficient lighting, with LED lights.  I was happy they did not have the dreaded mercury-filled lightbulbs.

Enjoy.

**edited to add:  As I read the comments, the author mentions they have a small generator when the sun is not available.  It flashed in my head that with the stupid chemtrails creating a solid mass of “clouds” it could also interfere with available sunlight for the solar panels.

Preppers versus Tradition

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Granny Miller has a post up on the curious phenomenon of preppers.

 

I am positively revolted by the survivalist perception and belief that somehow there will not be enough food, water, clothing, shelter and goodness and humanity to go around when “the collapse” comes.

…wisdom from the elders….

( TEOTWAWKI = The end of the world as we know it.  TSHTF= the sh*t hits the fan.)

 

123 years after Wounded Knee massacre

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Warrior Publications has a blog up on the massacre at Wounded Knee.

As I look at the photo of the mass grave, it is a shocking picture too similar to the Jews in Nazi Germany camps.

Something that is really important to know—these Native Americans had laid down their guns.  They had given all their weaponry to the calvary in what they thought was a truce…

…and then they were fired upon…

Unarmed men, women, and children gunned down…

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Warrior Publications also has this up on Carter Camp, of the 1973 Wounded Knee siege.   Treaty after treaty had been broken, and the Native Americans were asserting their right to exist, their right to practice their spirituality–which had been outlawed–and their right to their land.  They were protesting the war-like atmosphere created by Dick Wilson, whom thought of the traditional American Indians as “communists” .  He terrorized the traditionals.

The movie Thunderheart is loosely based on the events at Wounded Knee.  (Pay close attention to the bartender in one of the scenes–Crosby, Stills, and Nash fans will see a familiar face. 🙂

On the message board under portrayal of elders, a commenter talks about Grandpa Reaches being their favorite character in the movie–he was a medicine man, but not full of himself, not holier-than-thou.  He was the genuine deal.

Another commenter was commenting on the scene where Grandpa’s TV and ancient sacred turtle rattle are destroyed–they were trying to explain to someone why Grandpa would be upset about them breaking his TV, but not the sacred rattle.

It struck me odd, too, but trying to think as the Native Americans do about possessions, perhaps it was supposed to be a “letting go” of possessions such as the rattle, because it, too, could be replaced?  Or perhaps Grandpa Reaches thought that the rattle represented connection with the Creator, but he didn’t need an object because he was always connected?  I don’t know the answer, but it’s a good question.

They also talked about what Grandpa Reaches gave Ray Levoi for his sunglasses.  I thought it was probably a stone that Grandpa had blessed?

Anyway, I hope I haven’t given too much away to anyone who hasn’t seen it but wishes to–a really good movie full of twists and historical value.

An Educator for Chancellor…what a concept…

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Bill de Blasio better check with ole’ slick Willy and Hilly to rethink his choice for Chancellor.   He must be mistaken, because Bill, Hillary, Michelle Rhee, Eli Broad, and Bill Gates don’t approve of actual educators being involved in…you know…education administration.  De Blasio obviously didn’t get the memo that he needs to appoint an investment banker, technology terrorist, or some other profiteer to run the schools.  /very snarky

Highway collapses along U.S. – Mexico border

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Global News has this up on highway collapse thought to be caused by several local earthquakes.

So…yeah, I’m looking at fracking in the area.  Here’s a report on fracking near the area:

(not linking to it for obvious reasons)

thehydroexcavationblog.com/south-texas-hydro-excavation-link-love-shale-fracking-growth/

From the article:

U.S. oil production has reversed a 30-plus year decline and, by some estimates, the country will become the world’s largest oil producer by as early as 2017 and will achieve full energy self-sufficiency by 2030.

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::…meanwhile, citizens are dropping dead of *mysterious* illnesses at  a rate parallel to the amount of fracking being done…..:: /not really snarky, but a little too close to the truth

I found a protest blog by Mexican nationals.   Again, you’ll have to use google translate.

I also found this on the detrimental decision to release control of Mexico’s oil resources to outside investors.  Combine that with this previous story on the huge reserves just ripe for fracking…and well, you can draw the picture.

Egyptians are also protesting fracking.  Can you imagine poisoning the Nile?  Good Grief.

 

Opposing Enbridge

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Warrior Publications has this up on the curious fact that people opposing the Enbridge pipeline are not the radicals that the Oil industry and the politicos would like you to think.

Like I’ve said before, there are a lot more people in favor of protecting the environment but are afraid to be categorized as terrorists or radicals, so they remain silent.  It really came home to me when I wrote an op-ed for my local paper talking about environmental concerns, including GMO labeling.  I had people call me and talk to me in person (in a low voice, no doubt so no one else could hear the conversation) about how they agreed with me.  But they didn’t take that next step and write their own op-ed on how they, too, wanted to protect the environment.

The oil industry and others have done a bang up job of portraying *all* environmentalists as radical, violent people….when only a small number of people have done things that are disagreeable to the rest.  And I’m sure there were agent provocateurs amongst the violent ones.

The following isn’t related to the environmental protests, but it is helpful in understanding that it isn’t paranoia on the part of protestors:

 

The ripples that come after…

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...Congress cuts unemployment benefits.  I disagree with the writer’s assertion that the Democrats “wanted to continue” unemployment benefits.  Are you kidding me?  These are the same people going along with Third Way mentality that wants to end New Deal social programs….

…meanwhile, they budgeted $500 Billion for the defense budget….a budget that should be reigned in, because they have too many contractors, too much waste,  (want to find money to support the jobless, give food to the hungry, and find homes for the homeless?  $430 MILLION in cutting waste is a place to start)  and an NSA that is running amok.

There is just something very, very wrong when a country spends more money to kill people than save them.