TPP

The Senate democrats have agreed to go along with the trade deal President Obama and the republicans want.  It seems the debate will continue but a formal vote has not been taken.  I thought it of interest that the democrats went along when they "...reached agreement with republicans for votes on other enforcement measures to protect workers who lose jobs as a result of exports".  Doesn't that agreement mean that the trade deal-TPP-will result in the lose of American jobs, and if so, why in the hell has the Senate agreed to it?

(The Virginian Pilot on 5/15/15).

Guns

Congressman Scott Rigell of the 2nd CD in Virginia, a republican, has proposed legislation to allow wives or husbands of sailors and other service members to be allowed to  buy a gun outside their home state.  Current law requires those purchasing a gun must buy it in the state in which they live.  Rigell believes that service members are required to move from base to base, thus they need to buy outside their home state to protect themselves "from Islamic extremists, foreign and domestic and lone wolves" (what about other wild animals?).  Considering the number of military personnel who return from overseas duty with post tramatic stress disorder or feelings of suicide, this does not sound like a great idea to me.  (VP 5/14/15).

Political corruption and Citizens United

We create a system where corporations can give politicians an unlimited amount of money (Citizens United Supreme Court ruling) by saying they (corporations) are people and have a First Amendment right to free speech, thus allowing them to spend to their heart's content.

Then we prosecute a politician who takes the money the court rules is legal to give.

If we are going to go after pols who are influenced by donations-donations they need to win reelection-then lets ban all donations to political candidates and go with public financing and require the media to provide free air or print time to all candidates from recognized parties.

Get the money out of politics.  Of course, that may mean no-one will want to run.

Mob Rule

An armed mob confronts government police officers who are attempting to enforce the law, causing a stand-off, and this doesn't just scare the shit out of you?  This mob action in favor of a bigot who thinks black Americans would be better off enslaved, not does he want to pay a fee (and fine of $ 1,000,000 for using someone else's land.  It gets worse.  One of the two major political parties defended them, at least for awhile.

Slavery in the US

I am reading "The House Girl" by Tara Conklin about the life of a slave woman in Virginia in the 1840's.  I am struck by the level of fear that existed in our system of human bondage.  All those living in this system lived with a constant state of fear.  Of course, slaves feared the violence of whipping, death for the smallest of things and sexual assault by slave owners.  But white slave owners also lived in fear of a slave revolt or individual act of vengance by a slave wronged.  White non-slave owners also feared for their lives and property if they were known to speak out against the cruelty of the southern labor system.  Slave women feared the sexual assault that resulted in children of mixed race.  White women feared their philandering husbands loss of affection.

What a totally evil system and its damage to our society is ungoing.

The Dogs of War are gathering

In the Virginian Pilot today, in a small article inside the main section of the paper-in a spot that could be easily overlooked, it is reported that the US and Poland seem to have agreed to send "US ground forces to Poland as part of an expansion of NATO's presence in Central and Eastern Europe".  This action has been triggered by the events in the Ukraine.  It is noted that this is a "political decision" with the military planners coming up with details.  And I voted for Obama because I believed he would be less likely to expand the nation's wars.  I guess I was wrong.  How do we figure the Russians will respond when a former "ally" and border state is now willing to accept US forces?  Maybe we wouldn't mind if the Russians sent troops to Cuba or Venezuela or some other country on our border?

Priorities

Vladmir Putin, Hamid Karzai, Bashar al-Assad...are the only people we hear about on the nightly news.  Does anyone know who the mayor of Detroit is?  Of Camden, NJ? Or even the governor of West Virginia? Sorry, but I've got to the point of just not giving a shit about the problems of the world when the problems of this country go ignored.  We seem to be trying to solve the problems of the world when in fact we are trying to profit from those problems or attempting to justify our obscene military/industrial complex spending.  With out problems to "solve" we would not need the military establishment we have and that would mean many wealthy people and companies would lose money.