Lally's Alley: QUOTE FOR OUR TIMES

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

QUOTE FOR OUR TIMES

"The problem is, one party has no brains and the other has no balls." —Bill Maher

14 comments:

Anonymous said...: it is more the new reality than a "problem"

we are just in a transitional period into a Dictatorship of the Rich

as JOHN ADAMS said:

"Remember, democracy never lasts long, it soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."

seems to me that the "bubble" has burst but the sound of the POP ! has yet to reach us.... or maybe it has and we are deaf ?

maybe, even, deaf,dumb AND blind?

after all don't we subscribe to "blind faith" in politics and religion...

blind sheep and hypnotized chicken heading towards that light ... over the cliff or heads chopped off !

next election ? we'll just pretend dramatically that our vote counts for change/democracy.

and, "to a man" salute (and where) a flag pin & a person
and anyone who doesn't will have to register (like sex-offenders, or people with foreign-sounding names, or ex-criminals, or et ceteras have to.

the FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, Park Police, State & County Police

well we got lots of practice towards a fascist/socialists state (pretending to be a democracy.

HECK, and we're 1200 % better than anywhere else...
or are we.
as for me? I wouldn't live anywhere else.

the choice is not "love it or leave it"

the choice is "eat dirty coal or eat refried nuclear waste

rather way are fish and meat and vegetables are contaminated and killing us or making us zombies...

with this ne deal the 12 morons that will decide won't and cuts galore will kick in..

first things to go all of the rules about clean air, clean pod, clean fuel...

which ONLY the rich and near rich will be able to afford.

they'll be able to buy one of those piece of crap Chevy Volt cars for $45-65,000 !

the guy is right.... the deems go ball-less into this bad night

and the rebus .... all ways were (and are) for the rich...; August 3, 2011 at 8:49:00 AM EDT
Lally said...: well, anon, you kind of give yourself away equating "fascist" and "socialist"! That shows a perspective that has been duped by the right into thinking all solutions out there are equally bad and therefore it's pointless to try etc. That only leaves the playing field open for the right to use its tiny minority to seize or maintain power and hold sway over the media and its framing of the issues etc. If there's a spectrum of possible solutions to any given problem, fascism is all the way at the farthest right end and socialism is a little to the left of center. And amid the bad news on the debt deal there is still good news in many other areas in which the right was thwarted and progress has been made etc. reality always contains what we call the "good" and the "bad"—sometimes it just feels like it's all one way or the other, but it ain't.
[and PS: I'd like to know where that quote of John Adams comes from, it doesn't right true to me (not just the idea but the wording etc., doesn't sound like most of what I've read of Adams.]; August 3, 2011 at 10:44:00 AM EDT
Miles said...: Anon, the "both sides are equally bad" cop-out is both an intellectual and moral failure. Failing to stop terrorism is not the same as being a terrorist, though both result in a similar outcome. Unfortunately, Maher's quote is a similar cop-out. Someone with "no brains" can't be held responsible in the same way as someone who knowingly uses every ounce of their wit to commit evil. The right is not brainless simply because they fail to admit to themselves how damaging to most of us their ideology is. They have a different world view; one where "it all sucks" leads to "it all sucks, so I'm going to take as much for myself as I can". Is there any difference between that attitude and "it all sucks, so I give up"?; August 3, 2011 at 12:35:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: here are some of John Adams' quotes

that one is the 7 th one down, here:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_adams.html

I am sure with a little goggling you can "pin it down" further..

and, it's not about "giving up" we're supposed to be The Melting Pot

what happened ?

tell us the specifics (as they are written in our laws that we are ruled by, so we'll all know !

lets get beyond Money Is Power, and Might Makes Right

as seems to be what America AND the rest of the world has as their National Mottos...

Somalia, and most of the third world countries are solving their problem (over population) by starving to death 11-15 % of their folks

soon as they take away food stamps, Medicare, and Social Security

how many Americans gonna die ? The poor (in this country) are already malnourished and starving
in large numbers

and the rest of us are being slowly starved/murdered by our polluted food supply ...

look at where we are at with all of these wars

the war on drugs
the war on poverty
the war on the middle class
the war on terror
the war on Illegal Aliens
the war on the Left
the war on the Right

looks like these manufactured wars ARE our basis for
Economic Growth

where in the hell are the solutions ? and, where are the Smart people in America
who can come up with intelligent solutions?

we got Morons running things Morons tied, bound & gagged by Big Money Special Greedy Interest Groups getting $$$ and Materially richer...

while the majority watches Reality TV and play with themselves on their portable computer devices

first move towards a solution? first

a Benevolent Dictatorship sort of like the 12 year reign of FDR

and, what follows that ? well "the past is prologue"

unless you shift gears and go into meaningful discussions your just 'spinning your wheels'

just like the ret of the World/Mankind is doing; August 3, 2011 at 1:39:00 PM EDT
Miles said...: Anon,

I hear what you are saying until you include "the war on the right". Seriously, what are you imagining? There is no war against the right wing.

Also, there are smart people in America. Paul Krugman is one of them. Check out his blog The Conscience of a Liberal. He has economic answers based, oddly enough, on macroeconomics 101. The answers are right in front of us, but not enough folks are pushing for them. It's easier to fall prey to cynicism, and false equivalencies. Change the better party in our two party system. Demand what you want from within. Or just let the power minority continue to grab all they can, while the party that once represented working folks gets hammered.; August 3, 2011 at 2:15:00 PM EDT
Lally said...: Miles, terrific comments. I knew when I posted it that this quote was a vastly over generalized depiction of the problem. But thought it was a fun quote nonetheless that sums up how many feel and perceive the situation out of their frustration with the ways in which a small minority on the right has managed to control, in most cases, or influence, in the rest, the public discussion of what the goals for the country and its leaders should be etc.
As for anon's quote from John Adams, that site has no verification of the quotes (one of the problems with the internet is anyone can claim anything and there will be those who believe it, ala Obama's birth etc.) but even if the quote is accurate, he's talking about ancient times since there were no democracies in the world at the inception of ours, thus what he says is not only no longer true but only true in the sense that civilizations have limited lifetimes, and every form of government ever created has at one time or another died out in particular locations, or lasted a variety of lengths of time etc. The reality of our times is there is more democracy than ever before in history and some of the countries that practice that form of governance have been doing so for decades and even centuries now.
Anyone who thinks our present situation is the worst of times doesn't know or understand history.; August 3, 2011 at 2:38:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: "the party that once represented working class folks ..."

yeah, I'm supporting them .. as soon as I can (re) locate them. Where Did they go ?

and don't assume that "right" means any "right wing"
political party or semblance of one

by "right" I mean 'right behavior/action' far beyond any
religious/political hypocrisy/bologna...

"macroeconomics 101" do give us a 12-point/step-up
via Krugman....

can that be a basis for a way out of our present quay-mire?

and

isn't "macro" have to do with going local ? like neighborhood organic gardens & a REAL doctor who comes to your house when you are sick ?

"macro" vs "micro" WOW. anther war-of-words.

only way to change the "better" party is to tell them that they've 'caved in'
& vote back into office those who haven't
fear drives politicians, too (fear of not getting reelected)
Fear is our National Religion

Greed is a close second

soo

present some CONCRETE solutions instead of abstract vagueries and posturing of egos

what is it called Signifying ?

now to re-set my new toilet uses 1 gallon of water rather than 5

and "dig" this the old 5 gallon American Standard toilet that I am replacing was "made in America"
this new, efficient one is "made in China"

the other brand efficient toilet that is made in America is $356.

the toilet made in China is $187

the way our government id "busting" our unions and workers

eventually the toilet made in America will come down in price...

then American Standard will be equal to the Chinese product in it s lowered standard

meanwhile I need to go up and get a new wax ring

and a six pack of Budweiser which is now owned by a Dutch company ... 100 %

etc; August 3, 2011 at 3:03:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: look up some of the other John Adams sites LAL S
there are hundred of them ..

you need authorities for truisms?

go to church and pray to that invisible man in the sky with the beard !; August 3, 2011 at 3:06:00 PM EDT
JIm said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; August 3, 2011 at 8:25:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: now,
hereeeeeesssss Krugman today:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/

I'd like to see Ron Reagan Junior come back as a regular commentator... this Rachel Maddow not only looks a lot like him but imitates him and

where-as RR didn't read a script off of a tele-prompter RM and all the other talking heads so do.

I prefer reruns of Will Rogers' routine than these hacks
out there now... Rogers STILL makes sense out of non-sense.; August 3, 2011 at 8:45:00 PM EDT
JIm said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; August 3, 2011 at 9:13:00 PM EDT
Lally said...: okay, first of all commenting anonymously on things I write and own under my own name seems to me to be a sign of not wanting to be held accountable for your opinions while holding others accountable for theirs. Second of all, anonymous's comments seem a perfect example of the lack of reason and logic in so much of the public dialogue thee days, which I attribute not just to the use of the big and small for that matter) lie technique by the right, but also to the anonymity of the internet giving false courage to people who otherwise often aren't putting anything on the line other than random statements that add up to not just questionable logic but in most cases to outright confusion stated as some sort of conclusive statement, ala if you want proof that a quote is from who some random anonymous commenter says it is or some website that could write anything it wanted to etc. then somehow you believe in a bearded man-in-the-clouds god? The exact opposite would be more logical, but this isn't about logic or reason, it's about spewing judgements of others out of fear and disappointment in false assumptions etc.; August 3, 2011 at 9:41:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: gee ML
who brain-washed you ?

try this article 'on for size' and a reality check !

things are changing... &, I fear, not for the betterment of mankind
anywhere!

so,
here is where we are at...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-

obama-wont-face-a-primary-challenge/2011/08/03/gIQAHGzqsI_story.html?hpid=z3

as soon as the CDC and the FDA and the IPA are 'cut to the bone' we are ALL going to suffer great food/environmental illnesses FAR BEYOND the cancers
and obesity and mental degeneration now present.

anon or not anon to front or in the closet it doesn't matter.

EVERYBODY (who is interested KNOWS those John Adams quotes
from their high school Civics classes
And / or their G & P freshmen college courses especially in the 1960's

as you notice I am NOT attacking you so, maybe you should not take comments so personally & emotionally

and

what does "logic" have to do with our present societal quagmire?

logi is a manufactured construct and is what got us to this "here"

now, offer some intelligent solutions for a discussion

let get beyond the rhetoric and flag waving and abstractions

thank you very much and
GOD BLESS AMERICA (and Hollywood) !; August 4, 2011 at 10:22:00 AM EDT
Lally said...: ok, I have no idea what anon is talking about at this point, so I'm done with this thread (and the link doesn't work either).; August 4, 2011 at 11:39:00 AM EDT