Protests at her funeral here.
On the Mirror site, someone commented that they should put her in a black bag and put her out with the rest of the trash. Okay, that’s a little harsh. But spending 10 million is too, too much, especially for someone who promoted austerity.
Funny how people who advocate austerity measures never include themselves as recipients.
…protesting the corporate take over of public schools. Good for them.
A tweeter has a link up to The Nation’s take on it.
From the article:
The growing movement against corporate-style education reform has its work cut out for it. It is, after all, challenging an insidiously well-messaged behemoth funded by billionaires and sanctioned by both major political parties.
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Word.
How does one fight against something that both parties are for? How does one fight against politicians who have not taught in a classroom, but seem to believe they know better than educators what our kids need? And how does one fight against willful ignorance on their part when it is soooo obvious that No Child Left Behind is a colossal failure?
My prior posts on education here. And here. And here–profit factor. And here – about the kids who were most impacted by NCLB not graduating on time and dropping out.
No Child Left Behind is not about giving kids a well-rounded education with math, reading, art and music, and physical exercise, but going through the motions of educating kids with tests that don’t come close to evaluating what a child’s potential truly is….
…worse than that, it pigeonholes kids, who are still developing, into boxes. It takes away their uniqueness as human beings. It does not recognize the potential because that is impossible to “test” for–their potential is the unexplored parts of themselves that they —and the world—have yet to discover.
I’m fifty years old and still have not reached my potential. 🙂
The comments here are priceless on Margaret Thatcher’s passing. Gah, I used to think so well of this woman in my repub daze. Arrgh.
And even if I had the money, I would not have seen Meryl Streep’s version of her. I was afraid that the worst would not come out, and from the comments on the movie, my guess was accurate. Trying to make her into someone to admire? Wow, Streep has gone so far away from Silkwood.
The comments on feminists praising Thatcher as being a woman that “made it” is spot on. One doesn’t have to look any farther than Hillary Clinton to see that.
I mean, really, Clinton makes a big deal about being asked about her clothes, and there are feminists who applaud that thinking she’s being assertive. Pfft. Men are asked about the suits they wear. I wouldn’t know what an Armani suit was if not for that. And a man could not walk into a courtroom, to use the above example, in jeans and flannel shirt and expect to be given the same consideration from a judge that he would if he were wearing a suit. Men notice other men’s suits, but they’re not as obvious about it. It may come out as “hey, nice suit” and left at that.
Should a person be judged by appearance? Absolutely not.
In my personal observation, we are becoming worse about judging folks by the outside instead of the inside. Our cultural programming, from watching shows like Survivor, among other things, buys into the notion that others are superior. Some see clothes as an indicator of superiority. I remember that it wasn’t so much so before we moved away from an agricultural (family farm) culture. I remember when Levi’s became the preferred jean and you were “uncool” if you didn’t have those jeans. Uncool = lesser person. This also coincides with “poor person”, btw….
Somehow our culture became twisted along the way and “rich people” became associated with “good people”. Being poor, one comes to assess folks not on their bank accounts, but on their actions. What do they do with their funds? Do they help others or spend their time degrading others and, like the Kochs, do their best to make sure that they have it all?
Anyway, Margaret Thatcher and Ronnie Reagan were the architects of what we’re dealing with today–the culture of greed. “I’ve got mine, screw you.” or “I’ve got mine, and I want yours, too.”
Common dreams has this up on the hazards of furniture workers. Be sure to click on the link to the NY Times. This relates to my post on verbal abuse–she’s not bleeding and bruised–it’s much harder, I think, for the public to see the injuries, even though she now walks with a cane. It’s amazing that she lasted five years….I wouldn’t last five minutes, being so hypersensitive now…and I am met with the same disinterest and disbelief when I talk about being hypersensitive to chemicals….you can’t show someone how these chemicals affect you until you’re so bad that you’re bedridden.
I don’t know why they can’t design furniture that doesn’t require gluing. What is wrong with just thread and needle? Is glue really required or can a more creative mind come up with a solution that doesn’t require it?
And if it is affecting the workers this way, what does it do to the person who purchases it? It’s much harder for someone to prove that their furniture is making them ill. I meet with such resistance from folks who should know better—or at least folks who should make it their business to know this stuff….but alas…
Lastly, as the article explores, what happens if the workers protest too much? The company will pack up and move overseas…or just find another worker…
From the article:
“There are people lined up out there for jobs,” said John Lyles, a vice president at Franklin, according to testimony by a plant manager in a successful lawsuit in Mississippi brought by four cushion workers who suffered severe nerve damage from the glue. “If they start dropping like flies, or something in that order, we can replace them today.”
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God, if that isn’t chilling to read. In other words, human life is so cheap, we can poison them and there will be more to take their place. Unbelievable.
Incredibly, OSHA has been inspecting this plant and filing reports of dangerous levels since 1996….and they keep repeating the same story with no results. Clearly, reading this article, OSHA does not exert its power to shut down these plants. The article states that it’s a matter of limited resources. I suspect that it is also unwilling to shut down plants because it would send so many people to the unemployment office. In this economy, the workers are even more vulnerable and need even greater protection. There are no mentions of unions in this article…so one can assume there are none?
Well, the good feelings towards Christie for his actions during the storm crises is evaporating rapidly…with the news of him continuing to destroy public education for private profiteers.
Looking at the comments, Amitola mentions how the town has gone the way of most in the U.S.–jobs dry up, people move or the ones that stay are scraping by–not able to support a robust economy. And the schools follow–poverty is the number one reason for school’s poor performance. It’s hard to concentrate on school work when you’re hungry, dirty, and your folks are stressed out because you’re *this close* to being out on the street. (or worse, you’re already out on the street, living in a shelter, with noise all night long and no privacy and no life).
Another poignant comment is by John Randolph: the 1% bring the city to its knees and then profit off of the carcass.
Disaster capitalism, folks….(speaking of unions, they announced on the news the other day that Indiana has now lost more union members than gained, thanks to “Right to Work” law. Also, they are airing commercials promoting a tax break…yes, a tax break in this economy…for Hoosiers—Gov. Mike Pence, an APEC toadie, first spouted this hairbrained idea right after election. Legislature said no. Now *cough* Americans for Prosperity are taking it to the airwaves trying to get people to call their representatives.)
Unfortunately, charter school takeover is not just here in the U.S., but now in Haiti. (insert a few choice expletives here). Note that Bill Gates has his filthy little fingers in this, too. Like I said before, he is not the philanthropist he tries to imitate.
See previous posts here. And here. And here.
And here.
From PR Watch:
Frankenfish salmon coming to your table, whether you like it or not.
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…because they couldn’t destroy voter access by destroying ACORN….
…note the “guilty until proven innocent” mindset that seems to be the way things have become in the U.S. instead of innocent until proven guilty.
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More on the dangerous food industry trying to keep you from knowing what the hell is in your food or how badly they treat the animals.
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Take action against Fix the Debt.
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Promoting “activist” judges….conservative activist, that is….
Well, the billionaires lost this one. Woot!! I am so glad that people are waking up to what is really going on with the slick campaigns to privatize schools for more money for the 1%. Note the connection with the Gates Foundation.
They seriously want us to think that Paul Krugman is as extreme as LaPierre? As he states: How many times does he have to be right and the others wrong?
Along these lines are the discussions on raising the minimum wage and tying it to inflation.
From the NY Times.
I’m hearing over and over from the conservatives that we can’t raise the minimum wage because it will mean there will be massive layoffs, hours cut, blah, blah blah. People can.not.live. on minimum wage! They cannot meet even their basic needs. But that doesn’t seem to bother these people…all that matters is that the profits keep rolling in.
And, as always, they make exceptions for “their” folks–some of them need a pay increase, but entry-level folks, well, they’re just SOL.
This is an old piece, but bears repeating. It’s always amazing to me that members of Congress tell the American public that we cannot afford to raise the minimum wage, while stating that they cannot afford to live on the measily $100k that they earn under false pretenses.
Here’s an updated version. Note how they have increased their wages by $20,000 in a short time period. The raises alone cost the American public $2 million!
The latest here.
And yet these people will browbeat the American public for holding out their hands and asking for the same treatment–wage increases to a point that they could actually afford to live more than just week to week.
Finally, the perks that we thought were gone…well, not so much…
(I’m sooo far behind, I think I’m ahead…)
Trying to play catch up–here are some highlights of issues sent out by Center for Media and Democracy–
I love that he is holding Whole Foods accountable for the food they are saying is organic….but not quite telling all of the possible ingredients (heavy metals and other contaminants)…
The “Don’t ask, don’t tell” I-see-no-evil, I-hear-no-evil is pretty standard. They aren’t counting on folks like Mario asking questions, either. The more people ask questions, the harder it is to come up with evasive answers.
Like I’ve said before, know where your food is from–buy locally if at all possible, because the gossip is at least one other national organic food store is selling conventionally grown (using chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides) food is being marketed as organic.
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Addressing the gun violence issue. Like in my previous post, you can use other weapons for violence instead of guns–it’s the acceptance of violence in our society (and others) that encourages this. It’s so much easier to throw a rock than to try to reason with someone and to compromise and to recognize one’s own responsibility towards making peace. A gun is a quick way to end whatever problem there is…
And the argument that everyone carrying a gun would stop violence…oy vey…
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ALEC member Scott nominated to fill Demint vacancy.
IRS audit for ALEC? The question becomes “are you a charity if you have a political action committee and go from state to state trying to heavily influence legislation?”
Michigan and ALEC’s right to work law. This is part of the religious right’s assault on fairness, which I’m finding out in the book Holy Terror. (I’m slowly getting through it, a better report later.)
…that 90% of the Democrats endorse and support Hillary Clinton for president in 2016. (Of all the times to forget my earphones–so I can’t watch this, but I have heard parts of it.)
She actually thinks Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair and Benjamin Netanyahu are upstanding people that speak well of her integrity and leadership skills?
Kissinger quotes that are alarming:
“Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
“Intelligence is not all that important in the exercise of power, and is often, in point of fact, useless.”
“Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world.”
In other words, power turns him on–ego, ego, ego. Intelligence is not needed when you’re trying to bomb the hell out of another country–you only need bigger bombs than they have. And lastly, starving people will do wonders at gaining their compliance to do things they would not normally do. And he who has the gold makes the rules….
Tony Blair and his compliance with invading Iraq.
And, of course, we know of Netanyahu’s connections to Romney and his exaggerating the Iran threat….for twenty years…
Clinton is a war hawk who would love to push that fabled “red button” at the slightest provocation….or none at all.
One of the employees bought a converter for our TV in the main room for the residents, so I get whatever our antenna picks up. I watched ABC This Week on Sunday morning and was stunned at Carville’s statement that 90% of Dems have already decided that Clinton will be the nominee.
First of all, how dare you make such an assumption of what the voters are thinking?? I am so sick and tired of politicians and pundits using the phrase “the American people believe/want/need…” when they can only speak for themselves.
…and from where this writer sits, I’d vote for Romney before I’d vote for another Clinton in the White House. I’m sick of Bushes and Clintons in the White House. We can thank Clinton for NAFTA, and Bush II for No Child Left a Mind, and for getting us into two wars on false claims of weapons of mass destruction…between all of them, they’ve done a bang up job of ruining this country. And let’s not leave out the Godfather of it all, Ronald Reagan. I’m ashamed to say that I voted for him the first four years, but thankfully, not the second four…
Eagle 
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