April 16, 2015

Editor of Charlie Hebdo on Islamophobia...

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/16/400155340/in-posthumous-riposte-editor-of-charlie-hebdo-targets-islamophobia

Sorry for lack of text from the article, it's tough to do on the phone.

His thoughts have matched mine on this matter for quite a while, glad they get some exposure after his death.

April 15, 2015

Why I'm so cynical of the Hillary campaign...

I think Hillary is a moderate conservative on a lot of economic issues. I feel that revolving family political dynasties are not good for democracy. I think she will be the corporate candidate of choice for Democrats. I don't really like Hillary much as a candidate.

And yet I have to vote for her because of our archaic first past the post two party system.

That depresses me. It makes me cynical.

I know there is a difference between the Democratic and Republican parties, and I know she is the lesser of two evils, but I want more choice than two, I want proportional representation and multiple parties. I don't want to vote for the corporate candidate from one of two parties every time that is the least evil.

It's hard for me to understand any enthusiasm for Hillary, it comes across as perverse to me, like being enthusiastic that I get to pull a lever that dumps sewage on me instead of radioactive waste.

The most understandable is that she would be the first woman, but even this seems somewhat hollow given that the first woman will be a former First Lady with corporate connections, which just seems to reinforce the point that the game is rigged.

The second most understandable point for enthusiasm of Hillary is that she's not a Republican candidate. No doubt, the Republicans can make even a candidate I personally dislike seem quite likeable, but this just further depresses me.

I don't get enthused on these two points, I get reminded why the American system of government is fucked. I know there are people with my perspective on here, and I know we come across as Debbie Downers to those who are enthusiastic.

I do think Hillary and Democrats will do well in 2016, as they usually do on presidential election years and will continue to going forward, given demographic shifts, and the only thing I'm even kind of excited about is certain social conservative ideology failing, and seeing the reaction the the right imploding slowly, but that's a very cynical excitement.

So please understand where I and some others are coming from, why the Hillary enthusiasm can turn our stomachs, make us roll our eyes and maybe even
cause us to criticize the likely presumptive nominee. It's not a joyous occasion to us, it's pretty damn somber and depressing.

Once the general election really heats up, we'll be forgotten, and many of us will be suddenly enthused by our hatred for the greater of the two evils, a pretty poor but understandable reason. It will make us try and forget all the cynical stuff for a bit.

But remember come next Presiential primary, if we still have growing wealth inequality, if we still don't have universal health coverage, if we still have too big to fail banks, and if we still have no progressive Presidential candidate that's not corporate sponsored, you'll see our sad somber faces again. In other words, focusing on the root cause of the problem, at all times, may not be fun, but it's the only way these problems will ever get fixed, IMHO, and some other's as well, so please excuse our cynicism.