Over due echoes...

Well, I, of course, didn't keep up with the cut and past as written plan.
It was a good plan.  I stated with good intentions.  I always do.  Then I get distracted.  I always do.  Too many things to think and do..
This was a bad time to loose focus.  I've been thinking a lot, so this is going to take a while to put this together.
But, the longer I wait the more time it will take...

April 5, 2016

Americans Favor Fifteen Dollars an Hour for Congress

  Oh, let's be generous and give them a whole $8.25 an hour, for the hours they actually work, and that's just the hours they put in at the office or some verified work activity. Most of us don't get paid to travel to and from our jobs, so, they'll just have to live with that like the rest of us.
And, of course, no paid time off, no sick time or vacation, cuz, if yer only making $8.25 an hour you don't deserve a life.

Revealed: The Chamber of Commerce Strategy to Kill Empathy of Its Members

'The poll, commissioned by Council of State Chambers (COSC), targeted 1,000 C-level executives (CEOs, CFOs, or COOs) who were members of their local chamber (46%), state chamber (28%), or the U.S. Chamber (16%). According to the results, there was lop-sided support for various pro-worker positions. Of those asked, 80% supported raising the state minimum wage, compared to only 8% who didn't. Meanwhile, paid sick time was supported by a margin of 73% to 16%. And asked about "more time off to take care of sick children or relatives," the executives supported it 83% to 5%.'

And the lies from the money men just keep coming.
But, this shores up my opinion of humanity. Not all of the money men are heartless and blind. It's only the ones at the very top of the pyramid that are truly psychotic.
If we move the base, a good chunk of the middle will follow, and the top will come tumbling down....

April 11, 2016 

 Remember, without employees they don't have a business. Let's see Papa John make and deliverer all the pizzas ordered, everywhere, by himself, for an hour....

 April 17, 2016

Illinois Gov. Rauner tries to explain $250K salary for staffer

 This is worth revisiting at the moment. 
 Of course he has a lower office budget than his predecessor, that happens when you pull from other departments to pay your staff. That $250K salary came out the health and human services budget.
I said it when the story broke, If she's such a superstar she should let her dedication to teaching shine and take a cut in pay for a few years to be of service to her fellow human beings.

Rauner never really answers the questions, and he's uncomfortable with them being asked. You know he's full of BS....

April 18, 2016

We've gotta start doing something soon. We're gonna reach the point of no return soon.

  April 19, 2016

Who remembers these 9 cartoons based on popular 1970s TV shows?

They left out The Chan Clan.
But, I guess, even though it was on TV all the time, Charlie Chan wasn't really a TV show....

 April 20, 2016

Anti-Marijuana Politician Charged With Possession of Marijuana

  Well, it wasn't ridiculous till after he was arrested....

April 21, 2016

  Yeah, I don't think they knew what the song was about. But, it had Jesus in it, so it must be all good....

 OK, I knew most of this as disparate facts. Never had it all laid out like this before. Now it makes a whole lot more sense....

April 23, 2016

 

 It's called a write in, and I will use it. I WILL NOT VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN!! Be it Hillary or Trump.

April 28, 2016

 

 If I thought that she'd won all the primaries honestly and fairly, I might vote for her. As it is, there's already been too many allegations of fraud and dirty dealing to trust her anymore....

 

  And that's why I'm not voting for Clinton.....

  April 30, 2016

Forget Bernie Bros — the Worst Trolls Work in Corporate Media

'The big reveal? The Sanders camp actually had an average donation of $27.89! What a scandal indeed.'

Come on people, one of the big draws for the Sanders campaign is that he's trying to run an honest, civil race. His supporters owe it to him to do the same. Don't stoop to the level of the trolls.

OK, been working on this for a bit, and this is as far as I've gotten.  I'm gonna post this one and start another echos post.  I'm going to keep working on it, even though I keep jumping the gun...

More from FB.....

March 17, 2016 

 

Sanders hopes to lure superdelegates with electability argument

 OK, it's time for the western states to really push and save our collective asses. Please.

 

March 20, 2016 

 

 

How can anybody think Trump is not part of the system? The man makes his living from 'reality' entertainment. Which is the ultimate corporate corruption of the media. He's been to the Bilderberg meetings.
Trump is not an outsider, he's a shill.
He's a major mover for the deep state.

Leonard

 Leonard looking for snacks.....

March 24, 2016

 

New Details Reveal Possible Voter Suppression in Illinois Primary

 I've been reading article after article and seeing post upon post about voter fraud and suppression, and how the whole system is rigged
And I have no doubt that it is rigged. The whole process has been corrupted and is thrown into doubt. From hanging chads, gerrymandered districts, and all the forms of voter suppression that have come slithering out of the shadows, the whole thing stinks.
And this is an important election. This is a pivot point in history, a make or break moment. This is the moment we stand up and take our country back to the home of the free and compassionate and sane, or we march like zombies into the century of world wide corporate fascists dominance. This is the end game, and from what I'm seeing, I assume they don't give a shit who knows it.
Or they really believe that we're all too stupid to see what is happening.
But we're not all that stupid. Not all of us.
Bernie Sanders is not just a candidate for president. He's a leader trying to build a movement. He's fighting to make this country a decent place to live for everybody. He's trying to get us to move and make that a reality.
If everybody that has contributed to his campaign, attended a rally, reposted his stuff on FaceBook, if we all wrote him in, he would win. He has the numbers, despite what the corporate media and the DNC are telling us.
If we could all get coordinated enough to write him in, and then show up on the White House steps when they tell us he didn't win and demand a recount, we could take our country back and stop the war mongering corporate overlords in their tracks.
Is there a way you can personally record your vote? Some way of recording your vote independent of the system? Anybody know?

 March 25, 2016

 

Our democracy has died a slow death over the last 50 years....

March 27, 2016

 I didn't comment on this at the time, but the moment is so magical and uplifting I can't let it slide...


 

April 2, 2016

Governments Admit that Much of Modern History Has Been Manipulated By False Flag Attacks

False flags have a long and dirty history. Makes you wonder if any of the terrorism in the world is real or just the powerful staging things to get their way....

BREAKING: ELIZABETH WARREN ENDORSES BERNIE SANDERS FOR PRESIDENT!

Sanders/Warren There's the ticket!!

How Hillary Clinton Bought the Loyalty of 33 State Democratic Parties

'None of these are awful people; they are simply awfully rich. And they like their friend Hillary and want her to be the president. And if some of their millions will buy her way into the White House then so be it. None of this is illegal. But it makes a mockery of Ms. Clinton’s pledge to further the cause of campaign finance reform.'

The only candidate who is serious about finance reform is Bernie Sanders.

New echoes....

I started the stream of FaceBook echos for easy content.  But I was going about it all wrong, so it wasn't really easy.  Well, I had a thought.  Yes, it is a lonely thing. :)  But, it has grown into an action.  Instead of sifting back through the months and trying to pull, old dubious pearls of wisdom to copy and paste, I'm going to start fresh right now, Saturday, March 5, 2016.  I'm going to keep this draft open and try to remember (Yeah, right) to copy any post of content to here when I write it.
Yes, I know that it is an ultimate act of conceit to think that I have anything to say that anyone should or will listen too.  But. ya never know.....

March 10, 2016:

Thousands Of ISIS Documents Apparently Leaked To British Media

 "It's far from Islam," the man tells Sky News' Stuart Ramsay, during an interview in Turkey in which he wore a scarf to obscure his face.'

I know a few who are of the mindset that Islam = evil.  Remember ISIS is a slightly more violent KKK.  Imagine if the folks from Westboro Baptist church had grown up in a war zone, where guns were everywhere and people around them were dying daily. I don't think it would take much and they'd be lopping people's heads off. Timothy McVeigh was a white American....

There's a lot of thoughts brewing here.  Just have to wait and see if they boil over....

Hey! I remembered one!!
 

Should Kids Be Able to Sue For a Safe Climate? This Federal Court is About to Decide

 Hell, yes they should.
Maybe that's the way to take down the corporate overlords. Take the battle to their field with a global class action suite....

 Two in one day, I'm on a roll!

We need to take steps to bring common decency back to the fore front of our national conscious. It really wouldn't cost that much to ensure that everyone in this country, and across the world, had a decent healthy life. Sanders is the one talking about the golden rule and solidarity. Equality is lost in this country. The free and the brave are almost out of ground. We need to bring an end to the corporate state now, before it's too late.

Wow!  Can ya tell I got some time off?  Three in a row.
That last was a response to Meme about Bernie Sanders.
And that ties back to Jeebus....

But, the Jeebus meeting is on hold for the moment.  I've lost the registration code for my graphics program and it's looking like I'll have to update the program.  I'm not complaining about having to update the program, don't get me wrong.  I like the program, I'm willing to pay for it, but I don't have the money right now.
That's put a damper on the Come to Jeebus movement for now....

March 14, 2016:

The majority of our money now goes to bombing the middle east.
I'd rather have more classrooms and more teachers. I'd rather plant community vegetable gardens, build tiny homes for the homeless, and provide adequate food, shelter, medical care to everybody.

Wall Street expert shocks CNBC as he states Bernie Sanders is best for economy (VIDEO)

March 11, 2016 By Egberto Willies

This one still amazes me. The inspiration for Mr. Greed speaking bare facts and sense, I did not expect this.
And neither did the other panelists.....

March 16, 2016

The last is just cool.....

FBEs from the last couple of days....

 March 28, 2015
 Quotes from and comments on the article linked.  These are things we seriously need to fix.

 'The wingnuts went ballistic, posting on the Facebook page of a local television station that if the girl wanted to speak Latin, she should move to Latin America.'

This is one of the biggest problems in this country.
And if you don't see the glaring inaccuracy in the quoted statement, you are part of the problem.

'Too many Americans naively believe that the 1% have their best interests at heart, and they fail to realize that when unions are strong and their members earn decent wages, that money goes back into the economy.'

That's another problem we need to fix.....

9 basic concepts Americans fail to grasp

March 28, 2015
Comment on the article cited.

Oh yeah, the war on is drugs is working, for the PTB and their minions.  It's working to keep the for profit prisons full, give the police state a reason to seize private property and search people's houses without warrants.  It's working to keep people running scared of both their neighbors and the police that are supposed to protect them....

For Years, DEA Agents Attended Illegal “Sex Parties” Paid for By Drug Cartels, Using Govt Buildings

Also love how the the Justice Department says:

“The Justice Department law enforcement agencies do not have adequate technology to enable them to detect that type of misconduct.”

REALLY?!
You guys know when some poor Schmoe from nowhere makes a date with his mistress, yet you can't monitor the electronic communications of your own agents?
Let's say it all together now,  BULLSHIT!

 March 27, 2015
Response to meme quoting Sean Penn on Bush and Cheney creating ISIS.

Yes, the PTB do manufacture our enemies, both directly and indirectly.  Wouldn't surprise me if there are NSA or CIA agents embedded in some of the groups to facilitate their formation and determine their agenda.
Look up some of the released documentation, they've been doing this for at least the last 60 years...

There really are 2 separate and vastly different entities inhabiting the U.S.  There's the Military/Industrial Empire run by the captains of industry and finance, foreign and domestic, that seeks to control and consume the whole world, and then there's the Average Joes, who just want to own a yard and go on vacation a couple times a year.
The Empire has been growing since the late 40's early 50's and is on the cusp of end game.
And not handling it very well....
But that's a whole nother post entirely....





March 27, 2015
Comment on the article cited.

'Next, it was revealed that the Kochs own a 200,000 acre cattle ranch in Montana that has received more than $12 million of state and federal subsidies since it was founded. Two-thirds of the cattle operation is on public land, which means the Kochs pay grazing fees that are far below market rates while taxpayers make up the difference.  (In 2011, the state of Montana proposed raising these fees to get them closer to market, and a guy from the Kochs' ranch showed up to the hearing to protest this increase.)
This grotesque set of facts—two billionaires taking subsidies while trying to block our poorest citizens from getting assistance for medical care—was not well received by the press or public when it was brought to light.'

Kochs burning bridges in Montana Medicaid fight

'The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows...'

Everybody Knows, Leonard Cohen

The rich taking from the poor to give to themselves.  That's what the Tea Party is all about at its heart.  Anything else they espouse is lip service and sham.

FBEs from the last few weeks....

Random thoughts and opinions.....

'These are not the words of a man who wishes to establish a Christian theocracy. Jefferson promoted tolerance above all and said earlier that his statute for religious freedom in Virginia was "meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mohammeden, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination." He specifically wished to avoid the dominance of a single religion.'

'Declaration of Independence (1776)
The most important assertion in this document is that "to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."'

 Founding Fathers: We Are Not a Christian Nation

The power comes from the people, not from any god.
Our founders went out of their way to keep religion out of government. They knew first hand that a government of faith, any faith, leads to oppression. We need to look no further than the divine arrogance of Israel, the tyrannical zealots of Sharia to see the danger of mixing religion and government.

Feb. 28, 2015
Thoughts after reading the article.

 The war was never meant to end. It is never meant to end. War is a big profit maker for these guys and a few others. As long as they are making money there will be no end.

Mar.. 4, 2015
Response to a meme quoting the likes of Cheney and Rumsfeld on the Iran war a decade ago.
If you're tired of seeing young people bleed and die for ungrateful old people, it's time to radically change the system.

It doesn't have to be violent.
And if I'm getting MY country back, there will be reasonable gun control. A back ground check, waiting period, and license are not too much to ask for an easier way to kill things.

 Mar. 5, 2015
Response to a meme from the gun owners of America about taking the country back.  I'm all for the right to keep and bear arms.  I'm also in favor of imposing some common sense and restrictions.  I don't trust my fellow man to act sensibly.  From what I've seen of the open carry crowd, my distrust is justified.

'Take, for example, Wal-Mart, which recently made headlines by announcing it would spend a billion dollars a year raising the wages of its lowest paid employees — a minor tweak to its low-wage business model. Over the past 10 years, according to data compiled from its public filings, Wal-Mart has spent more than $65.4 billion on stock buybacks — about 47 percent of its profits. That’s an average of more than $6.5 billion a year in stock buybacks, enough to give each of its 1.4 million U.S. workers a $4,670-a-year raise. It is also, coincidentally, an amount roughly equivalent to the estimated $6.2 billion Wal-Mart costs U.S. taxpayers every year in food stamps, Medicaid, subsidized housing, and other public assistance to its many impoverished employees. In this context, how can stock buybacks be either morally or economically justified?'

 Column: The biggest scam bankrupting business and the middle clas

It can't be. It's part of the recipe for the Fascist state this country is turning into. Hanauer sees where this is going, and has looked past the corporate end game to the pitchforks, which will come.
Not that I agree with Hanauer that a new, more balanced, capitalist state is a glorious achievement.
I don't agree that profit is the only motivator of the human spirit.
I think we could do better than a longer, more balanced game of Monopoly.....

 Mar. 11, 2015
 Thoughts on the article cited.

I say we should let Bernie Sanders & U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren save their money. They should forget about bowing and scraping to the self-appointed aristocracy. Let's run a true grass roots, social network campaign for them. These two should be our next president and vice president. I don't care which is which, let's just all agree to write them in....

March 23,  2015
Response to a status update from Robert Reich about Ted Cruz's official entry to the Republican Primary.
People want Warren and Sanders to run.
Both have said they can't afford it.
Neither will be able to raise the necessary money.  Which is an extremely sad thing to say in this country.
Both of them could do a lot to pull this country, and the world, out of the downhill slide to destruction we are tipping into.
I would like to see Bernie Sanders as the next president of these United States.  I'd be happy with Warren.  My ideal would be 8 years of Sanders/Warren and 8 years of Warren/Sanders.  I believe the two of them would pull together and haul this country out of the slime pit it is turning into.
I'm writing them in in 2016, Sanders for president, Warren for Vice-president, and I'm getting as many people as I can to join me.
We are the American People and we can pull off the greatest Hail Mary in history.

FBEs sighted....

Hey, it's a post, right?

I really do write almost everyday.  A lot of it ends up on FaceBook....

"It's time to wean the world off oil and big money, and get a grip on reality.
Natural resources are not infinite. The earth is a closed system. We can't just pack up and move no more. There is no planet B. We can't maintain the grand life style of rabid capitalism, we're running out of planet.
Instead to going to ever desperate measures to pull every last drop and crumb from the ground, we should be looking at new ways to harvest what comes from the air and water.
Hell, we could be wiring up gyms to collect kinetic energy by now.
Right now, the modern western world is working almost half their time on this earth to prop up and perpetuate a destructive and dying system for a few shiny toys and a false sense of security.'

2-21-2015 comment on the Keystone pipe line.
It really is time to stop ripping the world apart to support our capitalist habit...


'And yes, the disparities in income between the top and the bottom do fall under the line of misconduct. Everybody in a corporation puts in the same amount of time and contributes something of value. Yes, some people are more valuable to the business than others, and do deserve a little more in the paycheck. But no one is worth 300% more than anyone else. Everyone working for that corporation should be able to make a good living.
Ya all need to think about working without a janitorial staff for a week or so.....'

2-20-2015 comment on a quote from Theodore Roosevelt.

 'Bigger is not always better.
Factory farming must be stopped. We were much better off 50-100 years ago when food was produced closer to home. Small farmers made this country great. We need to scale back and diversify.'

2-20-2015  An opinion on factory farming.  Again we need to stop messing up the environment.  We need to carefully pick and choose between old and new to lesson our impact on the planet.
Still ain't no planet B anywhere in the near future.

The birds 2-2-2015

 Only counts as writing if I actually thought about it and spell checked it and all....

FBE...

Or FaceBook echo.
It occurs that a lot of my political/social observations occur as random FaceBook comments lately.
And FB being FB, I'm not sure anybody even reads them.
Not that I think anybody is really reading the blog, but there's more of a potential here than there.....
So, there's gonna be FBEs here from time to time.  Starting with this one.
I think it's worth tossing this pebble into the pond.

Ya know, if we all want things to change in this country all it would take is a minor public sacrifice.
Don't shop this Christmas.
Give handmade gifts, give someone your time or your assistance instead of some cheap coffee mug.  Be gauche give cash.
Stay home this weekend.  Save gas, spend time improving your surroundings in some fashion.  Catch up on whatever it is you need to catch up.  Take a nap, read a book, give yourself a facial and a manicure, take a long, hot, soak in the tub, instead.
If you must shop, shop local, shop direct.  Go to craft fairs and buy direct from the artist.  Shop second hand and antique.  Shop small and unique.
And consider this.

If everybody spent a relaxing weekend at home this Thanksgiving...

The sales the following couple of weeks would be even better! 

Cuz the retailers would freak out over the massive surplus bursting out of their storerooms and try to move it as fast as they could.

Taking money out of Christmas or, at least distributing it lower down the ladder,  Would be a severe blow to the corporate capitalist model.  Many of the large retailers gamble on making the bulk of their income at Christmas....

But we all know that the American population, like sheep at a slaughter house, are gonna line up for the fleecing...