kpete
kpete's JournalPeople have to decide to want another, better country.
We can end unemployment. It's a political decision.
We can end rabid income inequality. It's a political decision.
We can end wealth inequality. It's a political decision.
We can end income class immobility. It's a political decision.
We can have universal health care. It's a political decision.
We have the country we deserve. You Boomers set out to change the world. You did. And the Earth. All for you. You built it. Now you don't even have the gumption to face the people that you ignored while handing it over to them.
Heckuva job.
from a comment at (8:55):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/12/31/january-may-be-do-or-die-for-jobless-benefits/
Flute virtuoso Boujemaa Razgui: ‘JFK Customs destroyed 11 of my instruments’
‘JFK Customs destroyed 11 of my instruments’
December 31, 2013 by Norman Lebrecht
A few minutes ago, we reached the flute virtuoso Boujemaa Razgui by phone to discuss the assault on his instruments by US Customs at JFK airport.
A Canadian citizen, based in New York and with a green card employment permit, Bouzemaa was flying home from Marrakech, Morocco, when his baggage was opened by Customs at JFK.
‘I told them I had these instruments for many years and flew with them in and out,’ he said. ‘There were 11 instruments in all. They told me they were agricultural products and they had to be destroyed. There was nothing I could do. The new flute can be made with bamboo. Is that agricultural?’
Bouzemaa was both upset and unwilling to risk a confrontation with the US authorities. We did not press him for further particulars. He does not know what to do next. But he does appear to be the victim of state injustice. What do the lawyers among our readers think he should do?
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/12/jfk-customs-destroyed-11-of-my-instruments.html
Tea Party Anthem (I Want My Country Back)
quite good,
happy 2014 DU!
and, of course,
PEACE!!!
kpete
god is pissed
God @TheTweetOfGod
Not only is Phil Robertson a homophobic bigot, but he ripped off My look from
"Monty Python and the Holy Grail".
10:25 AM - 28 Dec 2013
Fear Of The New
MORE & BIGGER FEAR:
http://boingboing.net/2013/12/30/illustrated-timeline-of-anti-f.html
Exclusive Report: Obama Will Take on the NSA's Surveillance State in 2014
Obama’s Defining Fight: How He Will Take On the NSA’s Surveillance State in 2014Before he left for Hawaii, the president was sending signals that government surveillance programs need an overhaul to restore the public’s faith on issues of national security.
This is a must-read:
But he also talked about the substance of the proposals and assessed their viability within the administration. He said he believed the bulk of the 46 recommendations would be acceptable to the intelligence community. He also said that many of the recommendations toward the back end of the panel's report could be easily adopted, including new procedures for establishing secure networks without infringing Internet freedom, and improving vetting and security clearances in hiring. He even mentioned a specific number, amounting to roughly 75 percent of the 46 recommendations, that he thought could be adopted without any problem.
A number of panel members, speaking anonymously, said they had the clear impression that Obama was personally inclined to back their proposals on ending the metadata program, as well as many of the other recommendations that would rein in the NSA's surveillance capabilities. "The question is whether he will be able to resist whatever pushback comes from the intelligence community," said one panel member.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/31/obama-s-defining-fight-how-he-will-take-on-the-nsa-s-surveillance-state-in-2014.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/31/1266232/-Exclusive-Report-Obama-Will-Take-on-the-NSA-s-Surveillance-State-in-2014
The NSA Reportedly Has Total Access To The Apple iPhone
MORE:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/12/30/the-nsa-reportedly-has-total-access-to-your-iphone/
You Make GW Bush The Face Of Your Party For 8 Yrs & Then Call Your Voters Stupid? - By MATT TAIBBI
On Christmas, Republicans Quietly Declare War on Themselves
By MATT TAIBBI
POSTED: December 30, 11:45 AM ET
..................................
Our No. 1 focus is to make sure, when it comes to the Senate, that we have no loser candidates… That will be our mantra: No fools on our ticket.
....................
If you spend years letting your voters think Saddam Hussein was an agent of al-Qaeda, that passing a national health care program will result in the formation of Stalinist "death panels," or that Barack Obama is secretly a foreigner, you’re going to end up with some loopy candidates prone to saying crazy things that will turn off voting majorities, which in turn will make it hard to the deliver policy objectives you actually care about for your big-money donors.
The Republican establishment is only just figuring this out. Hence this new $50 million initiative, which according to the WSJ will involve the Chamber working with party leaders in“an aggressive effort to groom and support more centrist Republican candidates.”
But this sudden decision by the party’s Washington establishment to reverse course and blame their failures on "fools" out there in the heartland is a joke. If you spend a decade treating your constituents like morons, you can’t point the finger at them when your party gets a reputation for being stupid.
You’re going to make George "Is our children learning?" Bush the face of your party for eight years and then turn around and call your voters stupid? Jesus. No wonder they decided to make the move during Christmas.
Read MORE:: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/on-christmas-republicans-quietly-declare-war-on-themselves-20131230#ixzz2p3xJZERG
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
Home Depot founder worries Pope Francis neither loves nor understands rich Americans
In an interview on CNBC on Monday, Home Depot founder and devout Catholic Ken Langone said that the Pope’s statements about capitalism have left many potential “capitalist benefactors” wary of donating to the Church or its fundraising projects.
According to Langone, an anonymous, “potential seven-figure donor” for the Church’s restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral is concerned that the Pope’s criticism of capitalism are “exclusionary,” especially his statements about the “culture of prosperity” leading to the wealthy being “incapable of feeling compassion for the poor.”
Langone said he’s raised this issue with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who yesterday praised Pope Francis for “shattering the caricature of the Church.”
“I’ve told the Cardinal,” Langone said, “‘Your Eminence, this is one more hurdle I hope we don’t have to deal with. You want to be careful about generalities. Rich people in one country don’t act the same as rich people in another country.’”
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101302230
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/30/home-depot-founder-worries-pope-francis-neither-loves-or-understands-rich-americans/
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