real shabby dee

Rob a bank, get a jail cell. Rob someone with a bank, get a mansion.

Much good has come from socialism, both in the US and around the world, without resorting to totalitarianism. Don’t worry, your TV is safe.

A staggering amount of what the average person considers history is mythology. This is a hindrance to progress.

Reasonably, everyone would like to pay lower taxes. When politicians speak, it has special meaning. “Cut taxes” is code for “limit the government’s ability to help and protect you while channeling wealth into the hands of the already wealthy.” Be suspicious when you hear these words. It frequently has little to do with your tax burden.

Financial collapse, economic malaise, soaring debt. Corporate dominance, crumbling infrastructure, dangerous consumer goods. Protracted wars, environmental disasters, mining tragedies. Conservative chickens coming home to roost.

Given: Tennessee passed a “state sovereignty” resolution in 2009.
Given: The US Constitution has no explicit provision for federal disaster relief.
Given: The recent flooding in Tennessee is catastrophic.

Prove: Tennessee should have a reasonable expectation to receive federal disaster aid.

Svetlana Kirilenko: That’s the trouble with you Americans. You expect nothing bad ever to happen. When the rest of the world expect only bad to happen. And they are not disappointed.

Happy May Day! While the rest of the world commemorates, through International Workers’ Day, the courage and sacrifice of the American workers who struggled to advance labor rights, we dance around the maypole or more likely ignore it all together. Remember the martyrs of the movement and consider the need for a renewed commitment to solidarity, peace, and justice in light of contemporary society.

I may not light a bonfire today, but a bonfire burns eternally in my heart.