All Kinds of Crutches

  I haven’t been getting out much as it’s hard getting around on crutches. The few times I have ventured out I noticed something that hadn’t occurred to me before. I couldn’t believe how many people went out of their way to hold doors open for me. I even had a man twenty years my senior ask me if he could carry a package I had to my car. I’ve always tried to help those I’ve seen on crutches or in a wheelchair. I guess that means I shouldn’t have been amazed at how kind and thoughtful people can be. I think a small idea to make a better world would be to treat everyone like they could use some little bit of extra help. It couldn’t hurt so think about giving it a try.

  I want you men to listen to this song that you’ve probably heard before. Really listen to the lyrics and think about that woman in your life that has made all the difference. The woman who changed your life for the better could be your wife, girlfriend, mother or sister. After hearing the song see if you don’t want to thank this wonderful woman for all she has done for you.

  I’ve been thinking for sometime now how I should join the Green Party. I’m more and more convinced our two-party system just doesn’t represent working class people. The Democratic Party is the party that is supposed to represent us workers and the little guy. Can we Democrats make the Democratic Party represent us or is it truly time to join a third party? I’m tired of conservatives believing liberals want big government. I’m tired of that boring rhetoric and only want government to be efficient, effective, representative and protective what ever size that makes the government.

  The government should also be investing in our education system and crumbling infrastructure. Those are things that are going to advance the future growth of our nation. Conservatives love having businessmen as politicians. I would think that was a good idea if today’s businessmen were smart enough to think long-term and invest now for tomorrow’s future. Sadly, today’s businessman only thinks about today’s bottom dollar and pleasing stockholders short-term. Conservatism after all means being complacent and opposing change. It seems funny to me that conservatives hold the Founding Fathers in such esteem. The Founding Fathers weren’t complacent men afraid of change. This country was built on risk and setting challenges and meeting them. Complacency and being afraid of change is a crutch that will stop us all from walking into a brighter future.

The Unthanks: “Last”

“Free Will and Testament”

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” – Bill Cosby

A Fat Knee and a Rerun

I am trying to recuperate from some knee surgery. It is difficult for me to sit at the computer for more than a few minutes. I recently watched some of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on CSPAN.  My reaction was much like one I had in 2009 so I thought I’d just do a rerun and elevated my knee. This piece will also show you some of my “beliefs”

  Watching CSPAN this weekend I caught part of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). I get a big chuckle out of hearing speakers like Newt Gingrich who has been married three times address conservative so-called, “family values” types. The last CPAC speaker was Rush the “Stoner” Limbaugh. For years Rush has said, drug users should be jailed but was hypocritical when he was caught. I just love seeing the do as I say not as I do conservatives.

  When Rush spoke at CPAC he said, “Liberals can’t tell you what they believe.” Most liberals I know could easily give you a long list of beliefs. They also could tell you they believe in living those beliefs unlike conservative hypocrites.

  Limbaugh here are just some of my beliefs. I believe  that supporting our veteran’s means giving them the best medical care we can. I believe that soldier’s parents should not have to buy them body armor the government should.  I believe we shouldn’t  sacrifice our young in wars to benefit the military industrial complex and Wall Street. I believe that presidents who used any excuse not to be drafted and have never seen the carnage of war should not be commander-in-chief during times of war.

  I believe that energy company lobbyists shouldn’t write our energy policies; drug company lobbyists shouldn’t write out health care policies and credit card company lobbyists shouldn’t write our bankruptcy policies. I believe our representatives should represent us not global corporations. I believe that all work should have dignity, be creative,  valued and done with pride. I believe that jobs for Americans should not be exported in bad trade policies. I believe that giving all our jobs to China is not a good idea.

  I believe that higher education should be a priority. I believe that it is stupid for politicians to propose budgets that cut college loans. I believe we should not violate people’s rights that are established in our constitution. I believe that we should not help brutal Third World dictators just because they will be “friendly” to global corporations.  I believe that we should not train these dictators’ death squads at Ft. Benning Georgia. I believe that after we supported these dictators for years it is hard for us to then say we want to bring democracy to Third World peoples and have them believe us. I believe American cannot tell the rest of the world how to live because we have money and guns on our side. I believe that U.S. corporate interests should not drive foreign policy.

  I believe in destroying the divisions that the powers that be love to exploit, especially those based on class, gender, race and culture. I believe in a just and pluralistic society where diversity is cherished, freedom is secured, and power is shared.

  I believe that a basic American ethical value should be caring for the poor and vulnerable. I believe that federal and state budgets should be moral documents that include: fairness opportunity and security for all. I believe budgets should show we care more about people’s welfare and less about warfare. I believe our elected leaders are responsible to listen to our calls for justice – and to stand up for moral priorities for the common good. I believe in legislation that is pro-worker and pro-family. I believe we are caretakers of the Earth and should work towards a clean planet for our children. I believe we should listen to scientific research not corporate research that denies corporate responsibility

  I believe we should have the best health care in the world for all our citizens. I believe in a whole lot more but I believe I’ll stop here. These are not extremist, ultra-liberal ideas and beliefs unless like Rush your bread is buttered by corporations.

The Staves: “Mexico”

‘Tongue Behind My Teeth”

“Patience is the glue that binds hard work and faith.”
― Charles F. Glassman, Brain Drain The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life

Let it Shine

Every-single human being is hardwired
for fear, selfishness and greed.
The wealthy revel in and worship these things
and they want to protect and expand all three.
The wealthy Koch brothers
became scared that Americans
were talking about inequities and fairness

and might actually seek economic justice.
To cure those kinds of ideas
the brothers invented the Tea Party
and chartered buses
and rented rednecks
to run interference
for their selfish plot
to exterminate the middle class.
The brothers want you to know that
when you’re living in America,
you’re completely on your own.
There will be no entitlements,
no welfare, unemployment money
or any manner of social safety nets.
That money is reserved so the wealthy
can get entitlements in the form of
corporate welfare, tax breaks, zero interest loans,
bank bailouts, hedge fund manager tax breaks
and subsides for corporate jets and second homes.
Corporate lobbyist write the laws

and pay politicians to pass them.

These laws cut social welfare
and expand corporate welfare.
It’s about taking care of the greedy instead of the needy
because America’s not a country.
It is a business and as GM goes so goes the nation.
Hey wait, wasn’t GM bailed out so they didn’t go bankrupt?
The taxpayers saved Lehman Brothers
from the greed of their collapsed Ponzi schemes.
Bernie Maddoff was the only Wall Streeter jailed.
That’s because he stole from the 1%
not America’s taxpaying 99%.
All these bailouts and corporate welfare
shows capitalism is a failed system.

Why does anyone believe that unregulated capitalism
can provide unlimited goods for unlimited people

 on a planet with finite resources?
The wealthy appear to be able to buy anything.
That is anything but a heart and soul.
The wealthy want recipients of social welfare

 to be tested and prove they aren’t using drugs.
Money is a controlled substance
and the taxpayers should no longer
give it to corporations and the wealthy
until they can prove they’ll use it responsibly.
Bailing out banks only to see
their CEO’s take huge bonuses

and use the taxpayer’s money
to go on luxury vacations
is not being responsible.
The 1% wants to keep what they own
and accumulate everything else.
They will destroy anything they can’t own.
The 1% have cultivated a loyal little teabag army
of unthinking foot soldiers motivated by greed.
Many years ago John Steinbeck said,
“Socialism never took root in America
because the poor see themselves

 not as an exploited proletariat
but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”
That is exactly what the Teabbagers think of themselves.
They are also “Slam the Door Behind Me” Americans.
Their ancestors arrived here and now
they’ve got their share of the American dream.
They believe they deserved to be born here
but want to slam the door on those moving here now.
They say there is no more room for anyone else
after all who could possibly be as special as they are?
When they see many of those coming are not white
they not only want to slam the door they want
to padlock it and get out the barbed wire and cement.
While people are working hard to get more people to vote
the 1%ers and their lemming teabaggers
are working to make sure those votes don’t count.
The 1% robber barons are the ones destroying
this country and using the Tea Party to do it.
Yet, they want to blame the poor and what’s left of the middle class.
It’s like a mass murderer bemoaning how violent society has become

I’m just one person and so are you.

But if we each commit to doing our part
to shine a spot light on these people who are the real problem
they will scurry away like a cockroach when a light comes on.
This little light on mine, I’m going to let it shine,
let it shine let it shine, shine shine.

  Traitor and hypocrite of the week is Sarah Palin. “Look, the perception of Obama, of him and his potency across the world is one of such weakness,” Palin told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “People are looking at Putin as one who wrestles bears and drills for oil. They look at our president as one who wears mom jeans and equivocates and bloviates.” I guess Palin can see shirtless Russian President  Putin from her porch in Alaska wrestling bears. Chikenhawk war loving conservatives like Palin love dictators because they hate democracy.  I’d suggest to Ms. Palin since she hates this democracy and the USA she should move to Russia. Palin feels President Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are all so week they’d never stand up against Putin. Palin would have you believe that if she had been elected vice-president she would have the guts to go toe to toe with Putin. I guess Sara Palin has forgotten her own history. After she became mayor of Wasilla, Alaska she soon fired the police chief, a museum director and a librarian because she told folks these people intimidated her.  Palin’s father Chuck Heath said in his book “Our Sarah left college in Hawaii because she was intimidated by the natives.” Palin is pathetic and needs to go away (again I suggest Russia).

Dick Gaughan: “The Worker’s Song” 

“Tom Paine’s Bones”

“Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.” ~ Thomas Paine

A Wolf Speaks Out

  I think one of the biggest problems facing this nation is inequity. I don’t care if you want to call me a “class warrior” for pointing it out. We have tons of people in the media who are owned by the 1% and get paid to run interference for them. FOX NEWS is a whole network that does the bidding of the 1% twenty-four hours a day. When I look at my local newspaper the Warren Tribune Chronicle I see like most newspapers they have syndicated columnist. These columnists are paid by the 1% and their conservative think tanks. In the Warren Tribune that includes columnists; Cal Thomas, Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, Michele Malkin, George Will and Bill O’Reilly.

  Frank Robinson the editor of the Tribune Chronicle puts his spin on issues to protect the interest of the owner of the newspaper. The owner also owns many other newspapers as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The biggest sad sacks are those lowly conservatives who defend the interest of the 1%s. They don’t do it for pay; they do it because they worship the wealthy 1%. Locally that includes frequent writers to the Warren Tribune like; Patrick M. Liste and Daniel Moadus who like to attack the poor over social welfare but will never mention the wealthy corporations that get corporate welfare. They are all about taking care of the greedy and bashing the needy. I note both men are from Girard, Ohio which makes me think something toxic is in the water in that city. I’m sure your local newspaper and local radio talk shows also have frequent writers and callers who protect the wealthy for zero pay.

  I could go on and give you plenty of statistics that show the inequity in this country. I think a better idea to emphasize the greed of the 1% would be to use the words of a 1%er that I saw on Tavis Smiley’s show. This 1%er is a former Wall Street wolf named, Sam Polk. Here he confesses about his greedy life as a 1%er in this New York Times Letter to the Editor. 

  “A Native American grandfather talking to his young grandson tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred.” “Which wolf will win, grandfather?” asks the young boy. “Whichever one I feed,” is the reply.

  Sam Polk decided to no longer feed the wolf of fear, greed and hatred. Do you really believe the other 1% ers that feed that wolf of greed will see the same light like Sam? How long do you want to wait until these wolves devour us all?

  Hypocrite of the week is a tie. First up is radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh who makes $30 million a year for working fifteen hours a week. Millionaire Rush has criticized New York City Mayor Blasio for wanting to raise the minimum wage in his city. Besides being a drug addict Rush is one of the biggest hypocrites on the planet.

  Then we have Joe the Plumber from Toledo, Ohio. Joe is actually named Samuel Wurzelbacher and was the unlicensed plumber who confronted presidential candidate Obama in 2008. He asked Obama, “I’m getting ready to buy a company that makes 250 to 280 thousand dollars a year. Your new tax plan’s going to tax me more, isn’t it?” The company he was talking about was his bosses. The truth is his boss wasn’t interested in selling the company. Joe has called President Obama a socialist, spoken out against unions and was opposed to the Chrysler and GM bailouts. Joe is now a member of the UAW and is working for Chrysler at the Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio. Sam McAlinden chief economist for the non-profit Center for Automotive Research has said the Jeep plant would have been closed without the bailouts.  Joe was hired this February and already claims he’s been called a “Tea Bagger” by  fellow union co-workers. “I’m a Republican who was cast into the limelight for having the temerity to confront Barack Obama on the question of redistributing wealth,” Joe says. “But I’m a working man, and I’m working.” Joe is working despite opposing the bailouts and the President who supported those bailouts. Joe easily earns hypocrite of the week if not the century. To union members who work with Joe at the Jeep plant I’d say you need to keep your eyes on this guy as he is certainly destined to become a company snitch.

Passenger: “The Wrong Direction”

“Holes”

“Man has responsibility, not power.” ~ Native American proverb.