WURSTWRITER

Tom's blog of whatnots and other stuff

Tag: Dysfunction

  • Robespierre vs Orwell

    pledge alligiance trump.png

    I’m not really thinking of revolution but I am thinking of the consequence of those who are able, through whatever means, to take advantage of it. These are the people who stand by with white tails and gimmi-geeks and they plaster their wits on the walls of power. The owners of power, on the other hand, laugh and sneer, amused by the people that are powerless but are granted the right(s) to be in the rich man’s room(s). Revolutions are amazing things–only because of how easy they are to turn–not unlike the turning of dead flesh or milk in a jar, both sitting too long in the shinning sun. Turn things rotten indeed. It happened in France. It happened in Russia. It is, for all practical purposes, happening perpetually in the US. Yes. Our revolution of 1776 is in a perpetual state of counter revolution–and rot. Or?

    “If the French Revolution were to recur eternally, French historians would be less proud of Robespierre. But because they deal with something that will not return, the bloody years of the Revolution have turned into mere words, theories, and discussions, have become lighter than feathers, frightening no one. There is an infinite difference between a Robespierre who occurs only once in history and a Robespierre who eternally returns, chopping off French heads.” -Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

    The above quote from Kundera comes from the beginning of his book where he so brilliantly begins by orating the mood and essence of his story. I bring it up because that story is one that is being perpetually played out–even as I worst-write these words today. The essence of that story seems to be engrained in the past, present and future, as some of us are Tomas and we have written manifests that confuse our allegiances. And there is nothing we can do about it, except, maybe, sign a pledge (of allegiance). The only difference between the time of Robespierre, the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia, etc., and today is that the story changes colours, it changes rooms, it wears new & improved coats and it even changes hair styles. Indeed. The story goes on. The powerless are clueless to it, too. This amazes and confuses me in such a wondrous way that my head spins like Ray D. Tutto aka The King of the Moon.

    I reckon I’m thinking of more than revolution. Orwell comes to mind, too. The whole idear that people are indifferent to the surroundings that lead to both revolution and whatever the opposite is of revolution (counter?), has never been more prevalent. For example, the signing of the above “pledge” by The Donald. Can you believe this? How many examples of Orwellian carnage or the horror of the French counter revolution does there need to be before people get it? Too amused by The Donald, dear worst-reader? Yes. Just maybe. Too amused. But consider this:

    How do you think that worked? Donald Trump went into a room with the head of the republican party of the united mistakes of #americant and when he came out he had signed a pledge of allegiance to that party. This is very confusing to me for I am a believer in the US’s bipartisan system of governance. Seriously. I love the left-right system which seems to work so well with the Constitution. And trust me, I live where political parties grow like crab-grass. Yet powerful men in the greatest constitutional nation-state in history go into rooms and when they come out they have signed papers that are pledges of allegiance. As though Donald Trump’s counter-revolution-like campaign wasn’t a strong enough statement or threat to the established party, he has to promise to remain a member. Donald Trump appeals to the most ignorant of the ignorant and he is a TV reality star and he’s leading in all polls among republicans and he has to promise to stay in the party? Am I the only one to be afeared by this?

    Why does the republican party need pledges like this? I mean, they did the same thing with taxes. Some nut-job practically hoodwinked the party by making republican politicians sign a “pledge” to not raise taxes. Look at what this has done to parts of America (Detroit, Kansas, the entire school system, roads and other national infrastructure, etc.) Politicians and, of course, constituents have fallen for this nonsense in totality. Taxation is questioned and no one EVER questions how money is spent. Yet. If the politicians didn’t sign the no-tax pledge then they would lose campaign funding which also means they couldn’t hold their office. This is constitutional democracy? Someone’s pledge to a party wields this kind of power! I mean, what is really going on when people, in order to prove their allegiance, have to publicly sign things in order to hold public office? Isn’t that what communist party members have to do?

    By-the-bye. It wasn’t enough that Winston Smith was broken by threat of being eaten alive by rats where he denounces Julia and pledges allegiance to Big Brother, but he also had to accept that 2+2=5. Obviously Robespierre didn’t accept that equation and so the French cut off his head–and probably fed it to Orwell’s/O’Brien’s rats.

    Man oh man oh man. When you live in shit you really can’t smell the roses anymore. I guess we all better get up off our asses and… I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united mistakes of #americant….

    Good luck suckers. The day is coming when you all with have to sign that pledge, too.

    Rant on. -t

    Link that motivated this post: The 62-word pledge Donald Trump Signed | NPR

  • All In A Days Workplace

     

    Dustin Hoffman as Travis BickleNote on the pic above: this is a screenshot from my iPad4 of the initial post of an article that appeared on salon.com. Clicking on the pic will enlarge it. The author of the article mistakes Dustin Hoffman as the actor in the movie Taxi Driver. An honest mistake–I guess. The post has since been corrected, although the correction is not mentioned. Got that? I wonder what else confuses the author where he feels there’s no need to add a correction notice. But I digress.

    It’s ok. Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. The point is to learn from our mistakes. The goal is not perfection but the will to strive for perfection. It’s ok. You’ll do better next time. Or something like that. -t

    So it goes. The pat on the shoulder. A gesture of forgiveness. And let’s not forget the unspoken. That is, the unspoken thoughts behind both the forgiver and the maker of errors. For there is, dear worst-reader, a dynamic between forgiver and error-maker–a very profound dynamic. As is the case with the article that lead to this post. What a crock of shit it is, indeed. And not just because the author of the article confuses one iconic actor with another iconic actor from an iconic movie–which deals with one of two parts of the #americant way of life: violence. The author (of the salon.com article that motivated this post) is an obvious knower of #americant misdeeds, haphazard daily life, all ruled by: violence. But the author leaves out the other part of #americant life: money. And so we have: money and violence. Money. Money. Money. Bang. Bang. Bang. These two things are what make and define #americant–even America. But there is, as usual, some confusion–as is the case with the author of the salon.com article (see pic above). Of course, America’s (and #americants) duality one can consider analogous to other things. E.g. Murder vs wealth. Destruction vs (social) status. Arrogance vs. humility. War on drugs vs a country of pharma-junkies. Winner vs loser. Ok. Maybe the winner and loser thing isn’t exactly analogous. For you can have losers that are… Oh so rich and powerful. Can you say The Donald? But let’s not get off subject.

    Money and violence. The American way of life. #americant. But how does it all tie-in to what happened the other day where yet another American decided to pursue only one of (his) two options (in being American)? Well, I reckon I just answered my own question. Yet. It is very easy to mis-read what is going on these days, dear worst-reader. For one thing, how many other people have been murdered or killed this week? Does it even matter? I will give credit to the salon.com writer (see article below) for one thing. He did a great job putting together a list of batshit killers in his article. But tying today’s distraught society with yesteryears waring factions (i.e. Booth and Guiteau) is a bit of a stretch. Comparing recent shooter with the likes of Timothy McVeigh is also a bit hard to swallow. Obviously most of the people that commit these acts have their reasons for doing it. But to say that these acts are somehow connected? Well, I’m not sure I can follow that logic.

    Indeed, dear worst-reader. It’s easy to mis-read things today. Perhaps that’s because if one does really read it–look at it and look deeper–the mirror starts to appear. Or we see how the authors of our lives get things so terribly wrong. Add to that the fact that there’s all this confusing stuff about first person shooters (for me Wolfenstein–oh mein leben!–comes to mind), manifestos and motivation. Like. What is this guys true motivation? This shooting should probably be known as: yet another office shooting by a begrudged, marginalised, under-achiever whose life, like so many, is determined by the elbows of others. In one article I read, frightened colleagues at the TV station where the victims worked were afraid that the killer was coming to get them. Now why would they be afraid for the lives? Could it have something to do with their elbows?

    The only reason this shooting is getting any attention is because a picture perfect blonde is killed in cold blood and everyone can watch it on their smartassphone. And btw! Where is the manifesto the killer wrote AND FAXED–who faxes these days–to the media? Do the powers-that-be really believe that Americans can’t handle what this American killer wrote? Again. Looking too deep into these things means: mirrors. So sit back and don’t ask too many questions. The truth is in the safe hands of media editors everywhere. Oh yeah. Violence and  money, baby. Oh yeah. Violence and money and… avoid those mirrors.

    Good luck suckers. Rant on. -t

    Link that motivated this post:

  • American Economy = Debt Deflation

    It is astonishing to hear/read stuff like this. Man, does this guy (vid) nail it. In fact, Hudson just about sums up the whole shebang in a few words within a fifteen minute video. Most important part of the interview, in worst-writer’s opinion, is in the quote below. Reading about Monday’s “stock crash” because of China just kept me laughing as though I was reading about Greece. Go figure. How #americants will deal with this is another question. For example. Even though I’m diggin’ what Bernie Sanders is saying, I don’t think he’s electable because he’s too extreme for the current political environment which has been nurtured, yes, nurtured, by the 99% since Reagan. Bernie would be a huge shift in that political environment and I don’t think a shift like that has ever happened in the US. Not saying that it can’t happen. Hopefully the new generation of voters that are out there can see through what baby-boomers and conservatives have done. What is probably needed is a gradual political left-leaning shift and then some consistency on the part of the electorate to always be able to counter rightwingnut extremism. But what do I know? I jumped ship after Reagan cause I saw all this coming.

    “The real problem is that we’re still in the aftermath of when the bubble burst in 2008, that all of the growth in the economy has only been in the financial sector, in the monopolies—only for the 1 percent. And it’s as if there are two economies, and the 99 percent has not grown. And so, the American economy is still in a debt deflation. So the real problem is, stocks have doubled in price since 2008, and the economy, for most people, certainly who listen to your show, hasn’t grown at all. So, finally, the stocks were inflated really by the central bank, by the Fed, creating an enormous amount of money, $4.5 trillion, essentially, to drop over Wall Street to buy bonds that have pushed the yields down so high—so low, to about 0.1 percent for government bonds, that pension funds and investors say, “How can we make money?” So they buy stocks. And they borrowed at 1 percent to buy up stocks that yield maybe 4 percent. But who are the largest people who buy the stocks? They’re the companies themselves that have done stock buybacks. They’re the managers of the companies that have used their earnings, essentially, to push up stock prices so they get more bonuses. Ninety precent of all the earnings of the biggest companies in America in the last five years have gone for stock buybacks and dividends. It’s not being invested. It’s not building new factories. It’s not employing more people. So, the real problem is that we’re in a non-recovery in America, and Europe is in an absolute class war of austerity. That’s what the eurozone is, an austerity zone. So that’s not growing. And that’s really what’s happening. And all that you saw on Monday was just sort of like a shift, tectonic shift, is people realizing, “Well, the game is up, it’s time to get out.” And once a few people want to get out, everybody sees the game’s up.” -Source: Democracy Now!

    Good luck suckers. And. Rant on. -t

     

  • Not Moonstruck

    moonstruck tears

    Rose: Why do men chase women?

    Johnny Cammareri: Well. The Bible story. God took a rib from Adam and made Eve. Now maybe men chase women to get the rib back. When God took the rib, he left a big hole there. (He points to his ribs.) A place where there used to be something. And the women have that. Now maybe a man isn’t complete without a woman.

    Rose: Why would a man need more than one woman?

    Johnny Cammareri: I don’t know. Maybe because he fears death.

    Rose: That’s it. That’s the reason.

    Johnny Cammareri: I don’t know.

    Rose: No. That’s it! (Pause.) Thank you. Thank you for answering my question. -from the 1987 film Moonstruck

    Ok. Let’s go from a confusing love story, Moonstruck, to another confusing love story–as only America can. Let’s go to the Clinton/Lewinsky love story. Unlike the Moonstruck scandal–i.e. the bride-to-be sleeps with her groom-to-be’s brother before the wedding, of which we know the outcome–what came of the Clinton/Lewinsky love story? That’s right. Nothing. Whereas the Moonstruck scandal left us all–especially yours truly–in happy-tears, from the President of the United Mistakes of Americant, lying about a blowjob in the hallway to the oval office, came absolutely nothing. Well. Other than a bunch of lawyers getting paid lots of money, that is. Or? Ok. Maybe something did come out of it. Here’s what worst-moi thinks came out of it: What business is it to anyone what consenting adults do with each other? According to Ken Starr, what those adults do is the business of not only law enforcement and political parties and pundits, but also the entire nation. So I have no remorse telling you that I was furious at the moral hypocrisy of hell-bent republicans during that costly ($100m) attempt at trying to get Clinton to quit (because they were never able to get back at Dems for Nixon). In a small way I’m thankful to Starr for showing his and a large portion of America’s point-of-view regarding human behaviour. I mean, come on. After Lewinsky, blowjobs, spitting or swallowing, protein stains on blue dresses, etc., America gained a few things to talk about. Starr and Clinton also made certain that promiscuous acts of love-lust, that are NOT sexual relations with that woman, can be redefined so that men the world over can say: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, honey! And. She just sucked me off, sweety. Or. She just let me put my finger… It wasn’t sexual relations, babe. Or maybe not. On the other hand, because of Starr, America finally showed the world its obsessions–you know, like most perverts dream of doing. And get this. One of the reasons I got caught up in #eurowasteland was the fact that Europeans have a completely different take on sex. For example. They are open about it. They know about it. They are not ashamed of it. And they are not held captive by a puritan mindset that literally chokes nature by Her balls. Of course, on top of that, when sex scandals occur in Europe, people get a kick out of it. The affairs of presidents and chancellors and royalty, etc., become part of the landscape, the castles, the allure of all things medieval. Sure, there are those #eurowastelanders that condemn such behaviour but the condemnation doesn’t make the media and the population turn into a frantic horde of gigglers. Sexual misconduct on this side of the pond (Atlantic Ocean) is just waved off and society, somehow, gets on with smokin’ that doob and fucking each others brains out. As it should be. Yet in my beloved #americant things seem to be stuck–even all these years after the rigamarole of Lewinsky’s luscious lips. And so. The question still is: whose fucking business is it anyway what consenting adults do with their parts? In fact, in America, there always has to be a way to one-up something. In this case what needs to be one-upped is America’s perversions. Seriously. I bet you never gave it second thought whether or not Ken Starr’s morality served any purpose. If anything came out of what Starr did it was that he made blowjobs more popular than ever. So how is America gonna top that? Enter ashleymadison(dot)com. A website created and, obviously trafficked, for the sole purpose of aiding and abetting relationship promiscuity. Now. If you think about that in terms of web traffic, it’s probably a pretty ingenious idear. If there are websites that help people meet the love of their life, why not have a website to help people cheat on that love? Indeed. But here’s the thing. Unlike the false morality that was behind trying to get Clinton to quit (on account House impeachment wasn’t enough), the Ashley Madison data breach might just be the perversion a new generation of perverts needs. And to put a cherry on top of the new pervert cake, instead of batshit, right-wing nut-job American judges, we now have computer geeks. Confused yet? Again. It cannot be said enough. I’m not the least concerned about what consenting adults do with their time. In fact, this is such a grand display of false morality among perverts that I couldn’t help but compare it to Monica Lewinsky, Ken Starr and everybody’s favourite, slick willy Bill Clinton. Yet what is this Ashley Madison thing all about? Morality? Why would hackers be moral? That would be like pirates considering the legality of their deeds. Is this about privacy? The shear act of hacking is a circumvention of privacy. Is this about control? Ok. Good question. Maybe with that we’re getting somewhere. Control. I mean, in any business transaction–double for illicit transactions–the greatest threat is trust. Could the hackers be disgruntled employees? Angry investors? Ok. Who knows. My point with all this worst-writing is this: as an already morally bankrupt country wouldn’t it be a good idear to try to get a grip on the perversions and then consider who done it? Or maybe not. Good luck suckers. Rant on. -t

    Links that motivated this post:

  • More Aussteiger Please

    consume hell
    Somebody’s gotta work this. How ’bout you?

    Word of the day:

    Aussteiger

    Give it a try. Yet heed this. It’s important to note that an Aussteiger is someone who drops out. S/he is not a dropout.

    It was the first thing I noticed when I started working–for The Man. Large cubicle workspaces that were strategically placed so that you could see offices lining the walls of the floor of the building. The walls had real offices with doors and furniture and windows. That’s where the managers sat and I so admired that they had a view to the outside world. Ironically as cubicle space expanded manager offices became less occupied. By the time I exited the freak show, none of those offices were filled. Of the managers that were able to maintain their jobs, they never looked out those windows. Indeed. They looked just like everyone else looked in their cubicles. They looked with their heads down, their necks cringing, their eyes empty except for the information they were focused on given from another manager above them. And so spews the cogs of the wheels of careers and corporatists. I did it for about ten years–on and off. And although I wanted one of those windowed offices, I never made it. Thank goodness.

    The only outlet I had when working a cubicle life was the travel. But then–The Man–figured out a way to turn business travel into an office cubicle. Travel expenditures were cut. Frills and thrills of flying were slashed. If I wanted a preferred seat that cost more in economy, I had to pay for it out of pocket. The same went for a hotel. Seriously. The company earned millions and then they wanted to nit-pick about 20-, Euros extra for an isle seat on the wing in the middle row (because a window distracted me from my work!) or a hotel room with a real bed? Seriously. The hotel thing really did happen. It was a hotel in Stockholm. The hotel room was a bathroom with a pull-out couch in it. When I asked the Swedes about it they said that there was nothing to be done. There were simply not enough hotels in Sweden to accommodate those who, at the time, wanted to travel there. This was 1997/98. For whatever unknown reason, Sweden was part of the Dotcom boom and to this day I don’t know why. But I went there because it was a great outlet from cubicle hell and also all the minions and automatons that occupied those cubicles. Speaking of cubicle hell.

    I also travelled to HP in Germany for some contract work. It was in Böblingen, near Stuttgart. It was also the largest cubicle hell I’d ever seen. The building was a huge hanger that could fit an airliner and it was filled with cubicles of all sizes. From the thirty foot ceilings hung massive signs that designated the areas underneath. There was “sales”, “project”, “hardware”, “network”, etc. At least fifty cubicles were under each sign and each desk was separated from the other by a plastic, styrofoam wall that was hooked to another and then another and then another. Some cubicles had more than one desk. Go figure, eh. There were glass enclosed offices through out the hanger as well–for managers, I guess. It didn’t matter where I traveled back then. Every cubicle, every wall office, every hallway, every toilet had the same face and the same human in it. Seriously. What have we done to ourselves?

    Not that I give a shit anymore. I found a way out. Yet sometimes I can’t help but be reminded of those who can’t find a way out. Like most of the corporate workforce in the US today.  The NYT article (below) depicts the misery of working in America x2. That the article is about Amazon is of no surprise to me. Ironically, one of the last interviews I had when I had to work for The Man was with Amazon at their Bad Hersfeld facility in Germany. Boy am I glad I didn’t get that job. It was one of the worst job interviews I’ve ever had. I’ll never forget it. Those who interviewed me were rude, combative and pushy. The interviewers said things like “how far would you go if…” or “If I called you at three in the morning…” and “have you ever talked about your salary with another employee”, etc. Back then I knew that asking such things said more about the corporate culture than it did about the people doing, without question, what they are told. While reading the NYT article below, though, I can still imagine that interview as if it were yesterday. My last interview was, in fact, in 2001. Nothing changes for all the suckers who participate in this krapp.

    Good luck suckers. Rant on. -t

    Links that motiviated this post:

  • Questions Shouldn't Be Asked

    questions shouldn't be asked

    Some call me the worst explainer ever. Go figure. But the reality is, I explain things. I especially explain things to Eurowastelanders. I guess it just bleeds out of me. You know, the fact that I’m not from–the place where I live and drink (too much). So far this inadequacy has served me well. In fact, it’s lead to my early retirement, a humble but comfortable abode and more tech equipment than I could wish for. But what must I do for all this? Oh yeah. I must. Explain.

    So they come to me, these Eurowastelanders, and they ask: what is going on in your #americant?

    “Wha?” I say. And I answer: “Nothing. All’s good.”

    And then they present their evidence. “Did you read about Donald Trump and what he said to a woman on national TV? Please, lieber Tomas (when the French say it the ‘s’ is silent), explain this to us.”

    Here’s the scene lieber worst-reader and fellow Eurowastelander. A propaganda apparatus works in the second largest building ever built. The largest building ever built is, of course, the war building. But that’s neither here nor there. Just keep in mind that we, dear worst-reader, dear Eurowastelander, are in the second largest building ever built. Such a large building is complicated. Not because of its size but because of what’s in it. Rooms. Halls. Stadiums. Toilets. Banks. Basements. Parking lots. Homes. Attics. Fraternities. Women’s toilets. Clubs. Restaurants. DIY stores. Etc. Etc.

    The thing about this building is that it is not part of the public domain where it exists. You know, public places have rules, regulations, laws. This building is a private place! Obviously most laws apply in the building–but most of them also do not. Over the years this building allowed public idiosyncrasies–which are also mandated by law, as convenient as they are for the plaintiffs and defendents–to enter its walls. One of those “idiosyncrasies” is the human female. That’s right. The world’s second largest building allows human females to move within its walls. Heck, they can even move through doorways. They can look through windows. And they can most certainly use toilets–that have been designated: female (or the like).

    Ain’t that something!

    But. As I said. This is a private building. And not all “rights” (by law) have been granted to everyone who enters it. Case in point. There are rooms in this building that do not allow human females to enter. In fact, if you never ask or put any effort into searching them out, you’d never even know that such rooms exist. Yet sometimes, fewer times than hoped for, these rooms are exposed. For the exposure of the room that has motivated this post or the question asked of moi:

    We can thank Megyn Kelly.

    Here’s what happened. Mrs. Kelly entered, either by accident or by design, one of the rooms in the second largest building. Call it a boy’s room. Call it a man’s room. Call it a strip club. Call it the wall of a toilet in whatever college bar you’ve ever got drunk at where it says: for a good time call. Nomatter how/what you call it, this room must not be entered–by human females.

    Boy did this chick enter it.

    Let’s try to summarise, shall we? At the recent republican nut-job question & answer session (that faux newz calls a “debate”), Mrs. Kelly posed a question to Donald Trump. This question, it turns out, was quite a shocker. In fact, it wasn’t even the content of the question that was the problem. The problem was that she asked the question in the wrong room. With that in mind, allow me to worst-explain something else about #americant.

    There are two types of human females in America. One is the object. She likes men, she dates them, she has fun with them. At times she even marries them and bears offspring. She usually ends up divorced two or three times. And she’s good with that. The other female in America is the subject. This particular female lives for her man. Once she gives herself to him, she belongs to him. She not only takes his name but she takes his identity. For this she gives up her offspring and is compensated in the form of a comfortable wedded life–even if she’s divorced. (Btw, divorce doesn’t mean you were never owned.) The Subject is Mrs. Sonso and she lives in that big house up the street with a car the size of a bus that she uses to transport herself and her rodent legally bastard children to Walmart and that’s Ok because she did great in the divorce settlement. The Object is the hot MILF that goes about her life with a few tears but an attitude of… sothefuckwhat.

    (Note: I might have mixed up the subject/object thing. But don’t worry. The gist is the same, just switch them around till the right one pops up.)

    Ok. There is one thing that differentiates one American female from the other–other than the obvious (see previous paragraph). One female never really learns to think for herself beyond the man that defines her. Even after she’s been through the gauntlet of marital hell, divorce number three or four, she still believes in the bullshit of whatever Walt Disney and her mother put in her head. And here’s one other important fact. Without this female, conservative America could not have gotten as far as it’s gotten. On the other hand, the other female can think for herself. She may not be Frau Einstein but she sure has learned enough to see through (all) the lies.

    Which brings me to American female extraordinaire Megyn Kelly. Whether she’s the subject or object is irrelevant. She is instead a woman who entered the wrong room of the second largest building in the world and she didn’t even know it. Which means she ain’t Frau Einstein either. Nomatter. Let’s call this building that Kelly got herself into what it is, shall we. It’s called MAN BUILDING. And not only did she enter a private, off the grid room of MAN BUILDING, she’s clueless to having done it. In fact. She not only entered the wrong room but she publicly posed a question to those in the room not knowing who is watching what. Hence the headline after she

    1. entered room she shouldn’t have entered,
    2. asked a question in that room that shouldn’t have been asked because the audience she wishes or thinks she could reach with such a question can’t exist in such a room.

    The headline after she asked her question: Megyn Kelly goes on sudden vacation (or the like).

    Indeed, dear worst-reader. Some questions should never be asked and most certainly those questions shouldn’t be asked in certain places. With that in mind, good luck female republicans. Good luck with the lives you’ve chosen and the men who are your identity. There are many rooms for you to enter. This room, proven by Mrs. Kelly, is not one of them. Again. Good luck republican females of #americant. I mean that sincerely. All of you are gonna need it if you start asking these questions in these rooms.

    Rant on. -t

    Links:

    There’s No Need To Announce A Winner. The Winner Is Always A Man. | Salon

    Oh No! Conspiracy Abound | DailyBeast

  • That Southern Strategy Beast

    Spaghetti monster lapel pin you too can buy. Source: Amazon. Yeah, baby.
    Spaghetti monster lapel pin. Wouldn’t it be grand if more politicians and pundits wear it? Source: Amazon. (But I ain’t selling it!)

    There’s no beating it, dear worst-reader. As Ferguson explodes (again) I can’t help but think about Richard Nixon. Why? Nixon is, without doubt, one of the greatest politicians in #americant history. The reason for that is simple. Few presidents have left so much in their wake as Nixon. Obviously there are a few before him, but I’m comfortable putting him up there in the top five–impeachment be damned! The greatest politician, btw, has to be slick-willy, Mr. Teflon: Bill Clinton. But he’s another worst-post.

    As my beloved #americant spirals into chaos and anarchy–at least among the so-called ninety-nine-percent–all I see is the beast in the room that is the cause. It is a multi-headed beast, allow me to presume. Each head, not unlike the heads of Lernaean Hydra, once removed, is replaced by two. Hence the brilliance of some politicians. Yet how did this beast come to be? Unlike the Hydra–and any other Spaghetti Monster nonsense made up by men from never-more to the bronze-age–there is something almost scientific, at the least planned, about what’s going on these days. And what is going on?

    Again. I’m thinking of Richard Dick Nixon. Boy do I remember this guy. I remember my mother crying while watching the TV as Dick waved to the cameras, showing the victory sign while boarding Marine One that was parked on the White House lawn–for the last time. I remember Watergate and even visiting the building, a friend pointing to the window where the break-in took place. I remember President Ford on TV pardoning Dick Nixon. Heck, I even remember Nixon trying to impose rent-control on the country in 1971. But there is one thing that I do not remember about tricky-Dick. And I’m kinda bummed by that. I mean. I should remember this one thing. Because if I would remember it, I wouldn’t have to spend so much time trying to figure it out now. Or? Ok. Maybe not.

    Do you know why republicans were so blood thirsty to impeach Bill Clinton? I know. I know. They think they did impeach him. But people forget that Mr. Teflon won that whole Ken Starr whack-job hook, line and sinker. Clinton lying about a blowjob is such a minor and insignificant piece in the annals of #americant history that it will forever be referred to only in a comedic context–or bewilderment over the luscious nature of Monica Lewinsky’s lips. Yet what does that whole piece of history say about a batshit, rightwing House of Reps impeaching Bill Clinton and an equally batshit Senate acquitting him? It says that bloodthirsty (or batshit hungry) republicans are incapable of impeaching and/or making a democrat quit the presidency–like democrats did to them! This tiny piece of history is so infuriating to republicans that the foam from their mouths drips down to be the garb they wear.

    Lapel flag-pin anyone?

    Yeah, I guess I can’t help but drift at times. I blame that on Lewinsky’s lips, you know. So let me try to bring this thing (beast) around. Richard Dick Nixon is one of the greatest politicians in #americant history because he has made The Southern Strategy a permanent part of politics. In fact, post Reagan, that strategy is what governs everything. Yet no one talks about it. Can one talk about it when white cops are constantly shooting young black men? Can one talk about it when batshit conservatives indirectly condone the murder of abortion doctors. Can one talk about it when the so-called middle-class has been systematically drained of its wealth, only so that wealth can be caught by the upper-class? I will assume that most have heard the question: why do people vote for a party or candidate that is obviously not going to govern in their best interest? The answer is more than just blaming the money and the connections politicians make in order to forge their careers. The answer is The Southern Strategy.

    So go ‘head. Thank Dick Nixon for Ronald Reagan, etc.

    So let’s talk about Ronald Reagan. If it wasn’t for Nixon’s southern strategy, Reagan would have never gotten so far as an actor/politician–even in California. Do you remember his rhetoric? Welfare queens anyone? Big government is the problem? Just because a president was impeached and subsequently pardoned for his (obvious) crimes, doesn’t mean that his way of politicking can’t be copied. Copied, indeed. Ronald Reagan is the first president to use, post 1929 depression politics, extreme right-wing ideology to influence the political process. This process isn’t just about law-making, governing and elections. It is about:

    1. influencing/controlling the entire electoral process through gerrymandering, indirect poll-taxing (requiring state issued photo ID or driver’s license), and redistricting,
    2. appointing judges who are born of and adhere to conservative ideology so that, among other things, corporations can’t be held liable for their actions,
    3. attacking and demonising the education system, especially colleges and professors,
    4. and creating a propaganda system that could influence voters to vote against their best interests.

    With #4 in mind, dear worst-reader, sing with me: thank you Roger Ailes for faux newz and for one-upping Joseph Goebbels! And thank you, Mr. Pig, aka Rush Limbaugh, for selling a nation so much grievance, sentiment and belonging.

    Although The Southern Strategy is the multi-headed beast, each head representing something strategic, the core or the body of the beast, the animal itself, is racism. Hence politicians using The Southern Strategy were able to make inroads in their politicking that at first glance doesn’t make much sense. Example? George Wallace won presidential primaries in states that one would think he shouldn’t win–and not just because they were northern states. He won the Democratic party primary in Wisconsin in ’64 and again in Michigan in ’72. This can only be attributed to The Southern Strategy while one of the heads of the beast sung its rhetoric of hate among angry and frustrated white voters.

    Indeed. We should all be doing more today than just singing thanks and praise to the likes of Roger Ailes and conservative talking heads. We should instead be sticking our heads up the next guys ass–because that’s obviously where it belongs. Or maybe not.

    Rant on. -t

    Links that motivated this post:

    Roger Ailes’ Secret Nixon Memo For Creating Faux Newz

    How The GOP Became The White Man’s Party | Salon

    Architect Of Southern Strategy Dies | NYT, 2007

    Team Bush, The Iron Triangle | WP, 1999

    The Southern Strategy Comes Of Age | Harper’s, 2008

  • Send In The Clowns

    Trump States of #AmericantQue song Send in the Clowns. Lights up on stage. Now have a laugh (and a cry). There you go, dear worst-reader. The scene and mood has been set. Clowns (funny) and sadness (republicans). Except for one thing. There is one thing I didn’t laugh at while scanning the Interwebnets for a view of the clusterF known as the Faux Newz Republican Party Debate, which took place August 6. And I can easily say this regarding what I’ve seen and read about this “debate”: beyond the fact that there was zero political substance in any of it, I have never before seen a better example of people, in the political process sometimes known as democracy, getting exactly what they have earned. I choose my words carefully here, too. I say people get what they have earned and not what they deserve. Somehow, in my worst-mind, there is a margin of error in the word deserve–especially in the context of the misconstrued construct known as meritocracy in America. The same does not apply for earned, though. I mean, come on. Have a quick look at recent history. America has gone through a truly ingenious conservative and republican transformation over the past (arguably) thirty or so years. (I know, the whole transformation goes back to Truman and the same (damn) day, August 6, 1945. But that’s another worst-post.) This current transformation has injected such an overwhelming amount of stupidity into the American political process, that the result can only be this freak show. With that in my skeptic worst-mind, there is no hope that either the freak show or the stupidity will ever find its end. So allow me to worst-say this: the only worthwhile persona on the stage easily belongs to Donald Trump. The moment where he forcefully and with absolute conviction called American politicians “stupid” won me over. He literally called everyone else on that stage stupid. As they truly are. Yeah, I thought. Let the freak show begin. This is why it’s #americant, baby. Let these bed-wetting nut-balls continue on their quest to take advantage of the dumb-downed, all of whom have earned the wrath of their love for stupidity. Good luck suckers. Rant on. -t

    Link that motivated this post: Trump The Clown Winner And Losers | BBC

  • Road To Nowhere

    Audi Cable Hell
    An Audi adapter cable that one is forced to buy if one already pays for iPhone integration in the car. Is this called double-dipping?

    German car consortium is buying Nokia’s Mapping technology for three billion dollars. Wow. Amazing. Unbelievable. Now. Is it me? Am I missing something here, dear worst-reader? Why the F are Germans wasting their money on this krapp? Oh well. Even though they make stuff real well, it doesn’t mean that they can innovate. Or is buying a failed company’s left-overs what Germans consider innovation? Yeah, right. §As a long time Audi consumer (my fifth Audi should arrive in September), I can say this about German cars: they are not engineered, they are über-engineered. Obviously German cars are made well. Their TDI motors are fantastic–if you like diesel motors–which I do not. (Note: motor choice in Germany, like everything else in Germany, is a government centralised tax-revenue stream.) Drive-train and suspension on German cars is also pretty good. And then there’s the design of German cars. Ok. Say what you will about z’ Germans–all one needs to do is look at how they dress, the way they build houses, the shape of their forks and knives, etc. But have you had a look at their SUVs? The Mercedes M-series is sad to look at. The Golf is still so weird that I can’t tell the difference between one made today and one made in nineteen-eighty-two (or so). And then there’s BMW’s GT series. I mean, come on! That car looks like the result of sending a piece of Play-do and a Lego block through Seth Brundle’s teleportation machine. And then there’s one other thing about German cars that perturbs me to no end. In fact, I even hate this about the 2013 Ford Fusion that we bought my mother last year. Car makers just can’t seem to get it together when it comes to how they design cockpits, including that whole “ergonomics” bullshit. Sure. The Germans clog the whole driver seat with so many nobs and switches and screens and dials that any fantasising man could think he’s a pilot to Mars–instead of just another Automaton schmuck on his way to cubicle hell. In fact, my Audi is so full of ergonomic bullshit that I don’t even use it. Seriously. I have that whole built-in multi-media system in the car. It costs something like three-quadrillion (ok, thousand) Euros. It has a multi-disc CD player, it has various input slots for SDs, Micro-SDs, USB, etc. And in the glove compartment it has an interface that is supposed to enable the connection of an iPhone. Of course, in order to connect the iPhone I had to purchase the cable extra. The cable alone costs something like forty Euros–and you can only get it from the dealer. (Btw, when I got Audi #4 I couldn’t use the same cable from Audi #3. That’s right. Had to buy another one.) And get this. You know what I do with my multi-media connecting cable and iPhone? I use it to charge the damn phone. For the life of me! The über-engineered cockpit system that Germans put into that car is so complex and old-school, that I gave up on using it years ago. (It is another story of sorts having to do with leasing cars in Germany that is the reason I get this krapp in the first place.) It is the most expensive, extensive, fancy piece of uselss shit that I’ve ever purchased–and it’s not worth my time to figure out how to use. Which brings me to the news of the day. §You would think that Germans would/could figure out that maybe there is a time when simplicity could replenish the cost of complexity. In other words, why not leave the tech stuff to tech-guys. Stop making all this fancy old-school ergonomics in cars and thereby waste time and effort (on your part) and just buy-in to those who know how to do it. For example, the new system that’s being offered by Apple. I think Android has one in the works as well. All one then needs to do is build the connection interface into the car and let the smartphone handle everything else. You can still build little computer monitors in the cars, you can still build a few fancy nobs and dials, but the rest of technology–especially when it comes to navigation and mapping–SERIOUSLY–leave that up to those who know how to do it–as opposed to old-school über-engineers who don’t know their rocket cockpit fantasies from Autobahn madness. With that in mind. What German car makers really shouldn’t be doing is buying old-school navigation system from companies that deserve to fail. Yeah. If only they’d listen to worst-writer. §Rant on. -t

    Links that motivated this post:

  • The Great Smoke Screen Of June

    20140630-135414-50054110.jpg

    As the great conspiracy theorist worst-writer-ghandi said, and I’m pseudo-paraphrasing, “first they snark at you, then they flip you the bird, then they make lots of bad bathroom stall jokes about you and then… you lose”. Or something like that. What a month June 2015 has been, eh worst-reader! I mean, what a month it’s been for the judicial branch of government. Or. There’s marriage equality, health care, fair housing and free jujubes. Then, a former vice presidential candidate’s daughter announces that she’s out-of-wedlock pregnant for the second time after she’s been telling young girls to avoid penises and getting paid to do so in various national abstinence campaigns. Oh. And let’s not forget that some Confederate flags are being lowered and hidden in plain sight in museums. And then there was that odd but delightful interview in a garage of Barry O where he said some interesting things, especially the n-word. Indeed. A lots been going on this summer. Ok. But. For. As good as all this sounds–and if you’re a liberal skeptic like me–I’m not falling for it one bit. Something is going on here. As usual, the political situation in #americant is one-sided. That is, one side controls everything. Everything is money. As we all know the republicans and their gatekeepers, conservatives, have ruled #americant for the past (insert #) years. Why then in June 2015 is there suddenly all this “liberal” stuff being shoved down the throats of political ideologues manifested in the GOP? (Un)Fortunately I don’t know the answer to that question. And that’s a good thing. But I will worst-say this (again): something is up. The corporate run state, the corporate owned supremes, the corporate fascist society that everyone seems to love-hate is either at a cross-roads or the jujubes are spiked. I mean. Come on. People are talking about a flag–yes, the disgusting Confederate flag–when they should be talking about guns. People are talking health care when they should be talking about the insurance industry. People are talking marriage equality when they should be talking about the broken contractual failed state sanctioned institution known as “marriage”. And while all this talking is taking place–and a few people feel victorious–something is going on. But I digress. Or maybe I don’t digress. At least not yet. Let me go out on a limb here. Why all this showboating and/or smoke-screening? What purpose does it all serve? Well, here’s my worst-theory. The most important political happening–and by “important” I mean heavy, weighted, significant, really, really important–was the passing of TPP and the subsequent Fast Track Authority that accompanied it. If you thought you were screwed by the corporate state up to this point, wait till TPP starts to kick in. And now I digress. And I think it’s time for me to get a bit distracted for a while, too. Rant on. -Tommi

    Links that motivated this post:

  • Flags And Creepiness

    Some things just give me the creeps, dear worst-reader. Like, for example, thoughts of whether or not I should still be riding. I gave up motorcycling about ten years ago. Mostly because of finances but also because of, well, it was time. I’m proud to say that when I stopped riding bikes, my last bike wasn’t a puss ride. No rag-tag motorised couch for me to take me into retirement, i.e. no Hardly Drive-able (aka Harley Davidson) to fatboy-super-glide me off into the sunset. No. I didn’t go out with a whimper when I stopped riding. Every bike I owned up to that point was a betterment of the previous machine. That is: each bike was more sportier than the last. My last bike was an Aprilia Mille and it was the best bike I’d ever owned. It was a ninety-degree one-thousand c.c. v-twin packing about hundred and twenty horses and redlining at ten and half thousand RPMs. When I gunned it, horizons would snap shut. When I hit the brakes, gravity readjusted to accommodate me. And when I was just cruising down the highway and accidentally ran over the remains of roadkill, let’s say a squirrel, the suspension on that bike was so good not only did I know I just ran over a squirrel but I also knew what nuts he ate for lunch. (Ok. Enough. This worst-post is about something more than silly motorcycle suspension. Or?)

    Speaking of motorcycle suspension… and creeps.

    As good as the front forks were on my Aprilia, the rear suspension had room for improvement. When buying suspension for a sportbike there really is only one option: Öhlins. The only problem is Öhlins products are very expensive. My dealer recommended a different product that wasn’t as well known as Öhlins but was just as good and, more importantly, was better priced. Ok, I thought, after looking over the shock. There was just one very serious problem with buying such a product: It’s name. It was made by a company called White Power. “It’s called what,” I asked my dealer. “White Power”, he said. “The company is from Austria and they are really, really great,” my dealer continued, pushing, wanting to close the deal. I paused for a few moments and looked back at the Öhlins shock that was priced three hundred Euros more and thought: I can’t have anything on my dream motorcycle named “white power”. So I turned to the dealer, thanked him for his help, said I’ll think about it, and then went out the door. I drove my bike home and decided to stay with the stock rear shock–until I could afford the Öhlins.

    I was born and raised in the southern part the state of Maryland, USA. Maryland is an odd place. It’s odd because it is sandwiched between two of the most important states in the union, plus it boarders the nation’s capital, Washington DC. To its north is Pennsylvania, to its south is Virginia. My stepfather was raised in rural PA where I subsequently spent much of my youth visiting his family or just taking vacations there. As I got older, due to other circumstances, I spent more time in VA, even living in Norfolk for a while. And here’s the thing. Nomatter where I was outside of MD I was neither a Yankee or a Confederate–even when I tried to claim being southern by telling argumentative and über-proud Virginians that, according to the landmark known as The Mason Dixon Line, I was definitely from the south. Not that I was trying to make any claim toward the confederacy that gave #americant its greatest and most deadly conflict–from which it obviously still hasn’t recovered. No. I’m not a southerner. But I’m most certainly not a yankee. And so. Other than the proximity of my birth and a designation of citizenship, I always pretty much considered myself a skeptic when it comes to cultural heritage. For I have learned that between Virginia and Pennsylvania there is a whirlwind of hate and bigotry that in every way rivals what one can find in the darkest corners of Mississippi, Alabama and now, of course, South Carolina.

    Which brings me to flags … and more creepiness.

    Last year I was in VA. I was visiting my sister who lives there. One of the things that’s really hard for me to adjust to is how people can still wave that flag. And they not only wave it, they wave it proudly. You know what flag I’m talking about, don’t you worst-reader? I hate that flag. Heck, even in Europe, in Germany, I sometimes see that flag. It’s on bumper stickers or on license plate holders–sometimes it feels like its always on some young white man’s rear truck window. Drive through certain parts of all of America and it waves in front yards, it waves in your face. And it always gives me the creeps. It gives me the creeps because I know what connects that flag to so many people around the world. I grew up in its confusion, its bigotry, its… hate. Even today, in places like Virginia, USA, or Dortmund, Germany, or Charleston, SC, if you ask someone why they wave that flag their answer is (and can only be) a cesspool of creepiness. People lay claim to that flag as though whatever they say obfuscates what it truly means and represents. And that’s not enough. Not only do these people wave that flag but they wave other flags, too, like flags from apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia. White power. Holy cow! That kid who shot up that church looks like he’s twelve years old and yet he waves flags as though he is capable of understanding what they truly mean for humanity. Where does a twelve year old learn that kind of stuff? Could it be he learns it from people still stuck in the fact that they lost because, well, they deserved to lose. Hate deserves to lose. And I hate them because they can’t stop hating. OYG! Wow.

    Good luck. Rant on. -Tommi

    Links that motivated this post:

    Girl Scouts Speak Out About Animal Abuse And Then Are Abused Because Of Their Skin Color | Think Progress

    The Big Bang Theory, Season 6, Sheldon’s ‘Fun With Flags’ | YouTube

    Flying The Flag Of Hate | NYT

    No Jokes After Another Shooting | HuffPost

    He And What Poison Was Put In His Head Planned This Even | HuffPost

  • Channeling Their Sex: Bernie Sanders and Eurowasteland's Greece

    Can I join these two, dear worst-reader? Varoufakis and Bernie Sanders? One minute I’m watching the Greek finance minister (vid) slime up his (and his country’s) parts, prepping it for penetration, and the next minute I’m reading about a “socialist” politician running for POTUS that might actually get a few votes if it weren’t for what he wrote about sex back in 1972. Or maybe not. (Short pause.)

    First. Bernie Sanders. I read the MotherJones article (link below) and the sixties influenced, nineteen-seventy-two sex article they found. Not once while reading both did I feel what obviously right-wingers feel when/if they (ever) read about sex. I mean, come on. I grew up with sexually repressed right-wingers. Combine that with a perverted sense of right and wrong and it’s no wonder that #americant conservatives are jumping through their hola-hoops regarding Bernie Sanders as though he were having sex with their/his second cousin. All for naught, of course.

    Second. Yanis Varoufakis, Greece Finance Minister. The recent speech he gave in Germany regarding the forever soap-opera that is the Euro’s financial demise baffled me to no end. More on that here. I couldn’t believe what I was watching/hearing–even though I’ve been living in #eurowasteland for most of my adult life—and I have seen pornography and had bad sex. Indeed. I’ll never be able to shed my #americant upbringing—especially when I watch pornography (for empirical, scientific study, of course). In fact, I have learned to hang on to my upbringing as best I can. In this place, #eurowasteland, where it’s all about two things and two things only—pornography and taxes—holding on to my upbringing is the only thing that allows me to see through all the slime-ball #eurowastelanders like Varoufakis and his German counterparts.

    Sexed 1. There are other ways to put it. But I’ll keep it at this for right now. Who is being sexed, dear worst-reader? The 4th Estate recently dug up Bernie Sanders 1972 article where he attempts to write—for lack of having something better to write in the wake of feminism, I guess—about sex. It’s quite a slimy article, if you ask me. But after reading it, I’m glad comrade Sanders wrote it. It was/is quite good and I think I get what he was trying to get at. Chalk one up for Bernie!

    Sexed 2. There is only one way to put it. Varoufakis, on the other hand, is doing his best car-salesman impression—a car salesman that probably has three or four stolen teenage girls in his Belgium basement—in order to beg his owners (the banks not the Germans) from making him do what no other politician has been able to do so far: either allow yourself to be sexed or pay-up you fucking scumbag! Chalk one up for slime balls the world over!

    Quote 1:

    “There are no ‘human’ oppressors. Oppressors have lost their humanity.” -Bernie Sanders

    Quote 2:

    “History does seem to have a flare for farce judging by the way it sometimes repeats itself. The cold war did not begin here in Berlin. It began in the streets of Athens in the summer of 1944. The Euro-crisis also started life in Athens in 2010 triggered off by Greece’s debt problems. Greece was by a twist of fate the birth place of the cold war and the Euro-crisis. But the causes for both ran much wider than the streets of Athens.” -Yanis Varoufakis

    The two quotes above exemplify the reality and/or seriousness of what is ultimately an attempt at saying something that is… I don’t know what it is. Yet I can’t help but feel that that something (that is trying to be said) is seriously awry in both. Sanders is trying to convey a message regarding the fight the human female must constantly face because she is the child bearer and can’t lift a car and it’s still being said long after nineteen-seventy-two. And Varoufakis conveys the reality that #eurowasteland has nothing left to give humanity because it gave all it can give in the form of slime balls who would sell their mothers for a basement vacation in Mallorca.

    Or something like that.

    Rant on. -Tommi

    Links:

    A Young Bernie Sanders Trying To Sex Up A Nation In 1972 | Mother Jones

  • Enough For Every American: A Bottle Of Pills

    259m opioid prescriptions

    Guess what I heard this morn on the Noagendashow (#730) while walking The Pug? That’s right. I heard more than an hour among three hours of two men, one being the gurlfriend, rant, rave and gesticulate about something akin to not having an “agenda”. Which is what these guys do two days a week. Whatever that’s supposed to mean. But all kidding by-side. I should probably worst-write about walking in the wee hours around the rural fields as the Colonia mist rises and a night of too much Kölsch subsides. Or would that be too boring? Nomatter. §Between the regular krapps of my dog and a few casual Guten Morgens, Guten Tags, Moin-Moin and Maat et Joot, all of which interrupt the podcast–which I don’t mind as long the apolitical gurly-men are begging for money and not deconstructing the news during the interruptions–every once-a-once these guys nail it with a bit of info that I can actually relate to. The problem is–and I don’t really care to solve this problem–is there’s rarely a match between what the Godfather of podcasting deconstructs and the sources he promotes in the show’s notes. Although Adam Curry’s technical prowess in running the Noagenda Network is something I’ve admired for quite a while, he could spend a bit more time codifying his sources. But I guess, on the other hand, I don’t listen to the show enough–because if I did maybe then I would understand his code. Or maybe not. §What I’m trying to worst-say is, every once-a-once I come across something that Curry and his west coast gurlfriend say that interests me but I rarely can match it to his sources, i.e. his show notes. Which is kind of a bummer. But I’m not complaining. I mean, I’m still a boner in their eyes–that is, I don’t donate to the show. (Not yet.) §Oh. Before I forget or get taken off somewhere by another tangent. The reason for this post? After a bit of research I found what Curry was alluding to during one of his rants about #americant. Like I said. Sometimes this boy-gurl team nails it. I mean, I always knew that the US (and most of the western world) was addicted to pharmaceuticals. Between all the junk food, the liquor and bad sex, where else should #americant turn for its kicks? Also. What the hell has all these years of “war on drugs” been about? Does anyone actually believe that it’s been about reigning in on illegal drugs and/or drug cartels in Mexico? The war on drugs, just like the war on terror, is about something completely different. The war on terror is so that #americant and the suckers that put politicians in office can terrorise those who don’t believe in The Dream. The war on drugs has been about giving the pharmaceutical companies enough leeway and time so that it could bring all those illicit drugs from the counter-culture era online and sell them through a few corporations legally. That’s why drugs like oxycontin and heroin are the same thing. That’s why we are fighting perpetual war where there’s lots of oil. Etc. With that in mind, I had no idear that the US was this bad when it comes to pharmaceuticals. Just one number, dear worst-reader. Two-hundred and fifty-nine million prescriptions were written in 2012 in the US. That’s a figure higher than there are adults. Holly molly, golly gee. Good luck suckers. Rant on. -Tommi

    Link:

    Opioid Painkiller Prescribing In The US | CDC

     

  • Cruel And Unusual Legal Banality

    8th_amendment

    8th Amendment: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

    Notice, dear worst-reader, that there are three parts to the 8th amendment of the US Constitution. Is it any coincidence that two-thirds of the amendment is about money and one-third, potentially, about life? If you’re surprised at that then I suggest giving the Constitution a read. Seriously. You’ll eventually be even more surprised when you realise that the US Constitution is about one thing and one thing only–and that one thing is not YOUR freedom. In essence that one thing is… But I digress.

    I spent the other night in an insomnia stupor reading the transcript from the April 29, 2015, oral arguments before the US Supreme Court from Glossip v. Gross. It is a case where petitioners are trying to get the Supremes to decide whether or not certain state sanctioned executions by lethal injection adhere to the 8th amendment. For the petitioners, lethal injection is against the 8th amendment because states are using drugs that most likely cause cruel and unusual punishment.

    The lethal injection, aka the death cocktail in question, is made of the following drugs: Midazolam, Vecuronium Bromide, and Potassium Chloride. Potassium Chloride, when injected into the blood stream of most living things, stops the heart from pumping in seconds. Which is great. I mean, it works fast and it never fails. The problem is, the living thing that receives the stuff must endure excruciating pain as the drug literally forces the muscles of the heart to convulse and spasm, inducing a massive heart attack.

    The second drug is Vecuronium Bromide. This drug causes whatever living thing that receives it to stop breathing by shutting down the involuntary mechanism. This too is quite a painful drug because the recipient will be aware of his or her suffocation.

    In order to prevent the cruel and unusual punishment that these drugs cause, an initializing drug is administered. In this case that drug is called Midazolam. It is a nerve depressant. It is mostly used for anaesthesia. According to the transcript that I read, Midazolam cannot cause a patient to fall into a deep coma–which is what is preferred when issuing the other drugs–although it does render the nervous system numb. Because it doesn’t cause a deep coma it is possible a patient, or in this case, a man sentenced to death, might wake up once the pain of the other two drugs hits him. Oh wait. That sounds to speculative. The reality is, just last year exactly that happened while delivering this cocktail to Clayton Lockett.

    The drug of choice for putting a man into deep coma and making sure he doesn’t feel anything is Pentobarbital. But get this. America doesn’t have any Pentobarbital. And do you know why? It’s not only that it can’t make the drug, but it can’t get the company that does make it to sell it. The reason for that is simple. Pentobarbital is made in Europe and European law prohibits its sale to countries that have the death penalty. Wow. You shaking your head yet, worst-reader? Well, relax for a sec and let’s have a look at what one of the supremes said.

    “Yes. I mean, let’s be honest about what’s going on here. Executions could be carried out painlessly. There are many jurisdictions, there are jurisdictions in this country, there are jurisdictions abroad that allow assisted suicide, and I assume that those are carried out with little, if any, pain. Oklahoma and other States could carry out executions painlessly. Now, this Court has held that the death penalty is constitutional. It’s controversial as a constitutional matter. It certainly is controversial as a policy matter. Those who oppose the death penalty are free to try to persuade legislatures to abolish the death penalty. Some of those efforts have been successful. They’re free to ask this Court to overrule the death penalty. But until that occurs, is it appropriate for the judiciary to countenance what amounts to a guerilla war against the death penalty which consists of efforts to make it impossible for the States to obtain drugs that could be used to carry out capital punishment with little, if any, pain?” -Justice Alito

    Yes. Let’s be honest about what’s going on here, Mr. Alito. This is not a constitutional issue. Nor is this an issue about legal writ regarding state sanctioned murder. Instead this is an issue about a dealth-cult-society. It is an issue about a nation-state that kills around the world with impunity in the name of oil and economic control and the unspoken: empire. It is an issue about whether or not a centralised and collective dysfunctional economy can acquire medical drugs so that, in the name of the people and those who rule those people, can kill its citizenry with impunity.

    That said, dear worst-reader, yes, I’m against capital punishment. Yet when I read what went down a few weeks ago in what is supposed to be the highest court of the land, I want to cringe and barf and laugh and joke. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! This is what the judiciary of the United States does? Surprise! It gets worse.

    “And I guess, I guess, I would be more inclined to find that it was intolerable if there was even some doubt about this drug when there was a perfectly safe other drug available. But the States have gone through two different drugs, and those drugs have been rendered unavailable by the abolitionist movement putting pressure on the companies that manufacture them so that the States cannot obtain those two other drugs. And now you want to come before the Court and say, well, this third drug is not 100 percent sure. The reason it isn’t 100 percent sure is because the abolitionists have rendered it impossible to get the 100 percent sure drugs, and you think we should not view that as as relevant to the decision that, that you’re putting before us?” -Justice Scalia

    Quick note: Justice Scalia and Alito are literally trying to blame someone else for the cruel and unusual punishment that the Oklahoma penal system has inflicted upon another human being. Yes. It is common place today in #americant to blame others for your doings. Indeed.

    So. Is it clear yet? What’s going on here? This is most certainly not about the 8th amendment of the united mistakes misunderstood constitution—that relegates life to being only a third as valuable as money (or fines or bail), although some of the arguments posed in the hearing would suggest otherwise. Indeed. This is a discussion as to why/how (sarcasm on) the greatest, most exceptional nation-state in the universe (sarcasm off), is unable to obtain two types of sure proof drugs that establish a deep coma in order that a man can be killed without cruel and unusual punishment.

    I don’t know about you, dear worst-reader, but it’s pretty clear to me. The two conservative justices quoted above make it very clear in their arguments that the constitutionality of this issue is irrelevant because “abolitionist” countries are using “gorilla warfare” to sabotage the US’s right to impose the death penalty. In other words, it’s their fault that there may be cruel and unusual punishment. Which also makes it all kind of ironic. Is America exceptional or not? Why can’t America just make the drug? Oh. Yeah. It can’t make the drug because it doesn’t have the right, the patent, to do so. Go figure.

    In closing and just so we’re clear on the issue of how stupid this debate is, but how fascinating it was to read the transcript, here’s a suggestion for a constitutional amendment that might help avoid this kinda krapp in the future.

    Excessive ignorance imposed on the populace shall not be infringed upon as long as the will to consume and be subjugated is the new American dream. -Tommi’s 28th Amendment

    Rant on. -Tommi

    Links: Glossip v. Gross (pdf), A Horrorifying Day At Court-Slate.com

  • The Language of Everything

    worst news commentary

    Let’s go there, shall we, worst-reader. There is a language that is spoken. There are gestures that are made. There are actions that are taken. And there are ways to wipe the ass so that it feels like it’s being kissed. But all kidding aside. Knowing what’s wrong with EVERYTHING isn’t as hard as some would have us/you believe. Well, at least it’s easy if you put the effort into getting informed. And it’s also easy if you’re willing to understand the information. What’s difficult is if someone tries to explain EVERYTHING to someone who obviously doesn’t get it. Hence, within the news, within the vastness of information that surrounds, simple answers can be found. Beyond that, the effort of explanation is so cumbersome that one of the two parties will die-out while the other goes about his/her consume-to-survive business oblivious as the world turns. That said, allow me to provide a small hint as to why/how EVERYTHING is so screwed up and thereby avoid dying-out. Are you ready? Here it goes: They speak the same language. Their actions are the same. They have perfected the kiss-ass-wipe. So remember that next time you blame a politician or a political party or you suck-up to a political ideology that you ultimately know nothing about. Or, maybe, you sit around with a beer and think everything is A-OK. But let’s not stop there. If you need an example how EVERYTHING functions, here it is. A rich guy gives more money than God to a university that does not need it. If one takes an informed look at how the world turns based on an old, outdated paradigm, where this level of resources is exchanged within a closed loop, well, it’s no wonder that EVERYTHING is so screwed up. This kind of money and how it’s handled really does show one how things work, how they work among themselves, EVERYTHING. Or maybe not. Good luck suckers. Rant on. -Tommi

    Source: Hedge fund boss John Paulson gives a record $400m donation to Harvard | Business | The Guardian

  • Contradiction In Bigness And Failure

    There is a theory floating in the ether, dear worst-reader. Yes, it is a worst-writer theory and it’s about how/why the DotCom boom was systematically undermined in order to save the new world order. Actually, “new world order” is a misnomer. It should be called old world order. And from here on out that’s what we’ll call it. But that’s neither here nor there. §As I’ve stated elsewhere in this worst-blog, I believe that the DotCom boom was undermined by the powers that be, which culminated in a pseudo coup d’etat that secured a place for extreme political conservatism, aka Fascism, in united mistakes politics. Argue as you will, dear worst-reader, that Fascism existed before the DotCom boom and you may be correct. Yet. For the sake of this one-sided discourse, I will stand my ground. Fascism most certainly took over after it was proven in the 90s that even a short-sighted, superficial form of free-market economics, driven by stock-price manipulation and investor creativity, could lead to renewal, if not a regurgitation, of an inherently broken system. And. The powers-that-be didn’t want anything to do with such a thing. §Up until the tech-boom of the 90s, aka the DotCom boom, the united mistakes economy didn’t know where to go. So some parts of that economy found a way to be set free. Hence DotCom madness, chaos, invention. Boom! Indeed. It was a glorious time. I for one profited greatly from it. Unfortunately I still don’t know the difference between a put and call, but, again, that’s neither here nor there–as I do know what a compiler is and I can boot a Raspberry Pie with almost any Linux distro. §What’s important to understand is how/why such an undermining can 1) give a once great nation a president that raised the bar when it comes to stupidity (Dubya) and 2) make sure that creativity, chaos and invention are controlled so that the old world order is not disturbed. Indeed. §There is confusion in the world today. It is a confusion not unlike that which lead to the DotCom boom. Unfortunately the old world order did to the DotCom boom what crazed religious nuts did to knowledge through the ages: it burned the abbey to ash. Part of that ash is where the likes of Aaron Schwartz rests. In other parts of that ash you can find drug ridden remnants of Steve Jobs. What you can’t find in that ash, though, is an answer to how we deal with, perhaps comparable to the big bang, what was left behind from the single largest bump in economic prosperity since The New Deal saved capitalism from itself. Technology is obviously overwhelming us. It’s actually more than everywhere in our lives. And now that the old world order has assumed the role of earthly policeman, in part due to its control of technology, it can’t handle the beast. Hence the NSA and CIA bitch-slapping each other while a stupefied Congress moves its thumb between anus and mouth. But I digress. §Below, dear worst-reader, a few articles that caught my attention this morn. One article is about how our thumb-sucking Congress actually made a pretty decent decision recently by nay-saying a law that would allow government to control encryption. But then that goodness is contradicted by examples of how the great machine of the old world order is truly clueless to how technology really works. Yeah, baby. Rant on. -Tommi

    Links:

    House Overwehelmingly Passes Amendments Blocking Funding For Undermining Encryption | Techdirt

    Fed Government Suffers Massive Hack Attack | HuffPost

    OPM Didn’t Encrypt Data Hacked By Chinese | Politico

  • The Willing

    As an Aussteiger and high-flyer I have the privilege of being both a witness and a passenger. Don’t blame me, dear worst-reader, for having found the formula for comfort and pseudo-luxury–which, btw, I found before I turned fifty. Also, don’t ask me how it’s done. Just keep this in mind, the luxury of being worst-writer found me more than I found it–which may mean that it’s out there for all to have if only ALL would allow it. But then again, finding your Karma isn’t finding my Karma, is it? Nomatter. §It really gets to me when I read articles like the one below. The article is such a downer, man. I mean, that type of writing is a real thorn in my world POV. But then again, it’s rare that I read the WSJ to begin with. The WSJ is most certainly one of those forms of mass propaganda that many more should avoid–if they/you can. Since we live in a world that is obviously dependent on propaganda (because so few humans can actually think for themselves) I suppose making such a claim from a single, void-based voice as mine doesn’t mean much. Which may also mean that I’ll wait for posterity to thank me for what I’m about to worst-say. But. Again. Nomatter. §The article below was referenced the other day in a podcast I was listening to from an American Marxist professor of economics who I think should start calling his listeners/students comrades. Comrade Professor Wolff commented on what Warren Buffett says in this op-ed and as soon as I got back from my pug-walk I pulled the earbuds from my ears, gently placed my ageing iPhone 4S on the counter and grabbed a Bier and then looked up the article. Oh my! §In the article below Warren Buffett, a man with a whole bunch of money–all, btw, earned by speculation–claims to know everything there is to know about why the rich are rich and the poor are poor. The article, of course, is propaganda regarding his view of economic policy that he thinks should be implemented by law, i.e. the Congress, i.e. the US Government. IMHO, there should be a law requiring a warning label on such articles. Perhaps a warning label in the form of a watermark. Yeah. You know. PROPAGANDA should be behind the dismal black letters but in front of the optimistic and blinding white background. But I’m drifting. §Warren Buffet, for his believers, claims to know the reason as to why there are rich people and why there are poor people. And since he is a self proclaimed leader of the compulsive behaviourists of the world (i.e. careerists, corporatists, automatons, bureaucrats, etc.) there are few out there that will counter his propaganda. And so. Without further ado. Like the people that want to be preached to by Warren Buffett, I stake the claim that this article is so full of shit that it’s no wonder #americant can’t get out of the rut it’s been in for the past <fill in # years here>. Or let me try to say that differently. Warren Buffett seems to think that there is a comparison between the rich of Henry Ford (robber baron) and that of Steve Jobs (robber barron). But does it really matter that there is a comparison–a comparison of dollar value? He also believes the adage that “hard work” and people who are “willing” (i.e. The Willing) can somehow get great lives if only there is a law made that manipulates taxes. Seriously Warren Buffett? §And there you have it, dear worst-reader. All the answers as to why things are so truly fucked up. There are rich people, there are poor people, there are those that work hard and there are The Willing. Oh yeah. And don’t forget taxes. Having the right tax policy will fix everything. Wallah! But I digress.  Indeed. Rant on. -Tommi

    Better Than Raising The Minimum Wage | WSJ – Warren Buffett

  • Fail Upwards Galore

    Why does it feel like telecom carriers are consolidating out of fear? What are they afraid of? Why can’t T-Mobile or Verizon make a logical consolidation? Don’t get me wrong. I think consolidation at this level should be prohibited. Let’s not get into that, though. I actually like T-Mobile. When I travel home I always use its pre-paid service, even in areas where it doesn’t have good coverage. Call me a loyal customer–or maybe not. Who gives a krapp about companies that, ultimately, have proven that the only thing they know is how to abuse customers? Yet. Why can’t a fairly creative company like T-Mobile–that I admire for how it has stood up to the industry monopolies it competes with–merge with a company that is actually relevant to its business? The one good thing about the silliness of shareholder driven corporate entities is that their actions speak more than their knowledge or vision of business. But I guess it takes a trained eye to actually see that. (You’re welcome, dear worst-reader!) Which brings me to the following worst-writer pseudo conclusion. I can’t help but wonder if a company like Apple is a major reason for this level of mindless (illogical) corporate consolidation. Full disclosure: I’m almost a total Apple fanboy. As far as tech goes, all I use is Apple. Do I use Apple because I love the company? Not quite. ;-) But the reality is, my better half and I made a household decision a few years back to do our own version of consolidation, which we consider to be very logical. We decided, due to our increasing use of technology, that we were tired of hardware incompatibility, we wanted continuity with our digital content and we wanted cool shit. Apple is truly a creative business that knows how to profit from meeting—at whatever minimal level—the needs of its customers. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Apple has mastered the fact, counter to the #americant ideal, that it doesn’t matter what customers want or need. Instead just make great products–that friggin’ work. (Just don’t tell anybody that if my better-half wouldn’t notice the difference, I’d consider switching our tech world to Google someday.) But, as usual, I’m off subject again. §No other company in my lifetime has done so much with its business than Apple. Compared to other tech companies, i.e. telecoms, Microsoft, etc., who have comparatively failed in their business models, current mindless telecom consolidation wave is just another example of the doom and gloom of how US business, all of which is run by the same college grads who speak the same language and nuances, is a perfect example of corporate fail-upwards most of which is driven by locomotion and not creativity. But I digress. Rant on. -Tommi

    US Media,  Telcos Hooking Up | Financial Review

    Dish In Talks To Merge With T-Mobile | Reuters

    Verizon Bets On Video Ads | NYT

     

  • Iron Irony


    They are finally removing those locks from that Paris bridge. You know, the locks that are supposed to represent girls being princesses swept off their feet by dunce princes with the square chins and riding white horses. Yes. So much is the mindset of a (western) world raised on the whims of money makers and jesters. And speaking of jesters. What a gesture for humanity Parisians are giving us–again. I wonder if most people get it, though. I mean the irony of removing those silly locks and the past we live in. Even though I travel to Paris quite a bit, and I love the bridge with the silly locks–on account I’m entertained by all the goo-goo-eyed girlies that swarm around and over it–am I the only one to see the irony here? I mean, come on. With their history in mind, it makes sense for the French to make this first gesture in the quest for rational thought and rational living. And I love the French for it. But do the French go far enough? You know, I love the French for giving us the French Revolution. Even though, ultimately, in the end, they really kinda screwed it up. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is, how come someone else can’t behead some worthless, slime ball royals and rid us of the burden of monarchy outright–or at least get rid of outdated, patriarchial institutions that literally serve no purpose other than to make half the species live in misery? That’s right, I’m worst-looking at you less than great Britain–on account you guys have never been able to follow French wisdom. I mean seriously. Talk about living in the past. Brits still worship a monarch. Can you believe that! Anywho. I wanted to talk about the French. Oh yeah. If it wasn’t for the French, Etats Unis would never have won that silly war of independence. But I’m off subject again, eh. Anywho. §What is it they say about love? Love is like floating around the ocean while attached to a block of iron and the only reason it hasn’t sunk you is because it hasn’t fallen off the deep end–yet. No? Or did I mix that one up with the ball & chain thing? Ok. How ’bout this one: Love is the difference between done and finished (see quote from silly pop-stars below that are getting hitched). Or wait. Maybe it goes like this: Love is not a two way street–its the 405 in LA during rush hour. Ok. Enough. And. Nomatter. §What I am worst-writing about, motivated by the links below, is that I think there need be NOT a fight for equal rights on the legal and moral issue of marriage. But instead there need be a paradigm shift that in essence will, at best, free half the human species. Indeed. One good thing has come from the mass coming-out in my lifetime of LGBT people around the world. I am thankful to these people for exposing better than anyone in human history the cesspool that is life ruled by authority, subjegation and ignorance all somehow pre-established by mostly white males who hang on to patriarchy like they hang on to their #*?+s. §With that in mind, allow me to offer up some worst-wisdom regarding love and other transactions for those, IMHO, that are seeking equal rights where there are none and have never been. Instead of fighting for equal rights in order to access something that is obviously a failed human precedence, i.e. the institution of marriage, why not fight for something that changes the paradigm? The only legal issue that need be considered in the transaction of love–and yes, in its modern iteration, love, romantic-love and its legal culmination known as marriage, is a transaction–is when it’s about children! That goes for both hetero and homo off-spring. Anything other than children in a discussion about equality is just jibberish, arrogance and hanging on to the past that we need to put behind us. But I digress. Rant on. -Tommi

    Paris Love Locks Removed In Order To Save Humanity | The Guardian

    Divorced? You May Be Able To Rip Spouse Off Still | HuffPost

    Don’t Worry I Didn’t Even Read This Article It’s So Stupid | HuffPost

    Vatican Proves Once Again It’s A Bastion Of Hypocrisy And Bigotry | BuzzFeed

  • Getting Rich

    “We will lay aside the responsibilities and sacrifices of citizenship, and religiously ascribing all virtues and all growth and progress to a republican form of government, will allow our own to go to the dogs, devoting ourselves meanwhile to the business of getting rich.” -from an editorial, The Nation, May 15,1873

  • The Doctor Is Not In

    According to a few outspoken voices, it’s been a slow month in Curacao. Can’t say I’m disappointed. The fewer the merry-er, worst-writer always says. And as others say: good things come to an end. After ten days of too much sun and lots of scuba and no crowds, the hammer hits. We had two dives yesterday and then went out to fill up the car, get more soda-water and have lunch. Upon returning to our rental bungalow, for the first time, we hear music bellowing from the pool. And not just any music. OYG! Country music. Do you know what country music reminds me of, dear worst-reader? It doesn’t remind me of rednecks, their trucks, runaway girlfriends and the love of dogs. No. It reminds me of politics run amok and a country on the verge of pure and utter social anarchy. Country music, as much as I love to listen to it while chewing tobacco (which I dearly miss giving up so many years ago), reminds me of everything that is wrong in #americant today. Police killing people becasue they can’t run after them and they represent an authoritarian state that people can’t run away from (fast enough). Banks ripping the country off while no one watches. Seriously. Complain about things as you will. That’s easy. Don’t try to read as much as I have about how you screwed yourself consuming to survive off of credit and the banks are still laughing. Then there’s the empire’s military that fights wars costing millions of lives so that a few corporations can make more money than God. Etc., etc. But I digress.

    There’s a saying I learned from my paw when I was young who always listened to country music while sitting in front of his open garage door that never housed a car but where he could dream of having a decent paying job and a half decent life while working to his death and disappointing his wife, his kids and the other man that occupied his dreams. Yeah. Country music was playing in the southern caribbean sea. It was playing as though, through the miracle of self aggrandizing entitlement, it was the new voice of an already downtrodden region of the world, middle and south America, where tyranny in the name of THIS IS OUR HEMISPHERE politics wielded a heavy hammer upon the minds and bodies of those whose skin isn’t quite white enough. And worstwriter, who so inelegantly ran away from the tyranny-aftermath of hemisphere politics, takes a wild guess on a vacation destination only to find some dumb-ass pseudo southern draw spewing forth coded hate and bigotry from a battery operated radio a’la nineteen seventy-something. Oh. Wait. The saying. The saying my paw taught me. I forgot the saying. Slipped right off my tongue. Yeah, that happens when I start worst-writing. Indeed. And so.

    Meeting a lot of Americans in Curacao. Conversation usually starts thus: “So where you from?” My response is always: “Originally?” But eventually it comes out. They hear me speak, fluently (I guess) another language. “But you’re not German,” they say. Then some stupid ass conversation which I always hope is only about the weather–but never is–ensues. “No, that’s right,” I say. And then I just throw it out there. “I’m an expat, Mam or Sir. Been living happily-ever-after in another country for quite some time. Going on quarter century, in fact.” There’s usually a few duhs and ohs that follow. Again. Redneck code for “you mean, you’ve found happiness and tranquility outside the bosom of the greatest and most exceptional country in the world?” Seriously, dear worst-reader. This is how it goes. And only because I don’t really know how to hold a nothingness conversation with people. My bad, eh! Nomatter.

    The problem is, the fuck-offs! can’t exit my brain fast enough in this situation. Yet this is what lingers with me after being reared in America, by Americans–the nicest fucking people in the world. Or? But I don’t want to get too deep into my obsessions about expatriating or my frustrations with having learned so much about who I am and where I come from by being so far outside its bubble. This whole worst-blog is full of enough of that (good luck finding it). It’s just that the conversations with my (former) countrymen (that’s right, I’ve long gone “native”) only leads me to anger and frustration. For one thing, at least three of the Americans I’ve met here have talked to me about health insurance after I mention I live in Germany. This can only mean two things. 1) They are somewhat informed, albeit via what sources?, and 2) they question the issue of health insurance because they fail to understand the reality to which they are glued. On the other hand, I try steer the conversation elsewhere. E.g. Can’t we talk about scuba, how beautiful the coral reefs are, the friendly people that live and struggle on this island without the “benefits” of being the greatest nation on earth (sarcasm off)? Nope. Americans are starving for answers or justifications for all the problems that no one seems to understand, let alone to have actually thought about them. And so. It usually starts thus: “Now how does that work over there (in Germany) with health insurance?” Or it goes thus: “Is it true that you have health insurance no matter what?” And this one’s the best: “That damn Obama Care is ruining my health insurance.” And remember, dear worst-reader, the last one, the one about Obama care, can be sung just like a country song. Yeehaw Heehaw!

    The biggest problem with talking about rational things with irrational people (and pretty much all Americans–including moi–are irrational these days) is that the conversation must be a two lane road. But like many of the roads on Curacao, America is wide enough for two cars to drive it, but the lines separating direction does not exist. Eventually on such a road everybody goes one way. It’s called The Lemming Highway. And you know the old saying that is the life blood of subjecting oneself to authoritarian, centralized, Lemming rule: it’s my way or the highway, baby. But I’ve rambled, aka worst-written enough about irrational people. So let me get to the gist of this worst-post.

    When talking about health insurance in the United Mistakes of Americant you must first talk about society. To talk about society you must face certain realities. For one thing, America will probably (and I’m being very liberal here) never have a socialized health care system like other western countries. The reason for that depends on how you view things. Do you view things in terms of “every man for himself” or do you view things “we’re in this together”? Gettin’ rich can be an individual thing. But gettin’ sick obviously ain’t. Yet we (dare I include worst-moi) live THE DREAM according to the former and not the latter. Which brings me to the subject matter that everyone hates, fears and just can’t get a grip on: Politics. When the country-music couple almost ruined our pool-side afternoon vacation nap yesterday I realized that the best way to get THEM to turn off the scary music is to get them to complain about… That’s right. You guessed it. Their hate of government, Obama and how expensive health insurance is. And once their bitchin’ and moaning is over, I  throw in this one:

    “Well, you know. I’ve never even seen a doctor bill.” There’s a long pause as I continue to swim around the pool, listening to the birds sing in the human silence of astonishment. “No, seriously,” I continue. “I don’t know how it happens, man. You know, in most western, civilized, rational countries you’re just health insured. And you know how they do that? They simply say that when you’re sick–and everyone gets sick–we’re in this together. How difficult is that? Sure, lots of people get rich off of getting sick but that’s besides the fucking point. That’s another issue. Seriously. I’ve had one minor surgical procedure, I get regular checkups, dental work, etc., and I’ve never even seen a doctor bill. In fact the only doctor bill I’ve ever seen is from when I got gold caps on my teeth. All I had to pay for was the gold. And all you (#americants) can do is bitch about how expensive your deductible is? US corpo-politicians have been pounding your ass while you’ve been riding the laurels of the past and you confused it with tickling. So stop giggling your way through life high on country music. You’ve bitten the hook, line and sinker of the way things are so there’s no room for complaining anymore–unless you turn it into a media industry like faux newz. Is there a way to fix things, i.e. get affordable insurance? No. For you it’s game over. You’re fucked! At least you can look back and see how easy and enjoyable it was getting to where you are. You’re reaping what you’ve sown. But if you put some effort into it you might be able to scrounge up some civiility and decency for your kids and grand kids. Good luck suckers.”

    Full stop. Breath.

    I took a deep breath and went under the water of the pool. Two minutes later I emerged and the privileged rednecks and the country music were gone. Did I dream the whole thing? Probably. But at least it gave me something to worst-write about this morning.

    Rant on. -Tommi

  • Three Highlights And A Note

    kindle notes may 2015

    There was a time when I was angry with Amazon/Kindle for disallowing the random copying/pasting of highlights from its ebooks. I also don’t use the connection to Twitter or FB which is/was the alternative Amazon offered its customers when/as they/we expressed what they/we were willing to pay for. At the time, I think I had a second or third generation Kindle device and it felt like it could be a great tool to add to the toolbox of my information , i.e. get-informed domain. But I think differently now–thanks to the greed mongering of Bezos & Co. The really knarly (sp?) thing about this/our digital world is watching them try to stop us from coming up with new ways to get around their unwarranted authority. Below a screen shot from the notes and highlights I was reading this morning as my dream was interupted by storm and power outage at ca. 4:30am. From the book Capitalist Realism, by Mark Fisher. Here my worst-write-up on it. Rant on, baby.

    Update: Oh no! It looks like they win again. Using iPad 4 and WordPress App, I’m unable to upload the original-size image for worst-reader viewing displeasure. Will update later.

    Update 2: fixed it.

  • Consequences

    chalkboard 3 DsReading transcripts this morning, dear worst-reader. About what, you ask. Well. About infrastructure investments of a once great structure. At first I didn’t give much of a hoot about recent train derailment. Planes fall out of skies. Rockets can’t reach their instellar destinations and plummet back to earth, burning up in the atmosphere. Buildings in major cities blow up because gas lines are rotting. A train derailment is just another added note on the chalk board where I list examples of the 3Ds. Yes, we’re blogging about #americant this morning. And all because a magazine recently published a figure about how much #americant spends on its infrastructure and that spending figure coincides perfectly with a train derailment in Philadelphia. The figure? 2.5%. That’s how much a once great structure spends on its infrastructure, according to a British magazine. Now. Do we need to worst-write about how much is spent on other things? Probably not. And you know, that’s not even the bestest thing in this post. Indeed. The bestest thing is this:

    The problem is that, you know, elections have consequences. So when you continue to elect people that don’t understand the importance of these kinds of issues, you get the results that you get. -Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department

    Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not quoting a union rep because I like unions. It’s just that I never thought I’d reach the point where a union rep would be the one promoting rational, functional idears regarding what’s wrong with #americant. I’m just not sure there is a precedence where unions–especially the union mind-set–have provided the leadership required to maintain infrastructure of any kind. But I digress.

    The quote from the union rep above says almost everything that need be said about what’s wrong with #americant. May I be so bold as to accentuate it? I mean. Who is responsible for electing political representatives? Who the people involved in this chicanery? Where do these people come from? Indeed. A few hardest questions to ask. And since I can’t answer them (nor do I want to on account it would cause me to not laugh as hard each day) here’s something else one can worst-ponder. Just take a look at that recall election attempt in Wisconsin. Who elected recent governor of Florida? What mentality puts current Texass governor on national stage? And what about all those silly, bed wetting newbies in the US Congress spouting religious fanaticism, greater-than-thee morality and misconstrued economic policies, etc., etc. Add to that the conservative talking heads that obviously tell Americans how to vote/think… Again, I digress.

    After reading through the transcript (link below) and seeing how easy it is to compare a failing infrastructure with those that aren’t necessarily failing, well, I guess that’s significant, too. But what really throws worst-writer for a loop is that this is all so obvious and yet there is nothing to be done about it. I mean, seriously, how does one fix something that transcends being broken only to find new ways to break everything?

    Rant on. -Tommi

    Source: As Train Crash Death Toll Reaches 7, GOP Votes to Cut Amtrak Budget by $250M & Delay Safety Upgrades | Democracy Now!

  • Obsexxed

    The sex obsessed nation-cult? Is it me, getting old, prude? Or am I just bored of it all? At the least, I’m kinda perturbed with all the here & there of sex in what I read. I mean, I scan the news everyday. Whether it’s HuffPost, Reddit or Google News, etc., I’m all over it like two teens in spring-time trying to figure out the metaphor of birds & bees. You see! They’ve even got me obsexxing over it. Nomatter. Allow me to just worst-write this, dear worst-reader. There must be better things to do (in this life) than just write and write and write… about sex. Or? If not, there’s always the entertainment value. Right? Which brings me to the question: who created a media obsessed with sex? Was it William Randolph Hearst? Was it Hugh Hefner? Or was it that cartoon chick shaped like a bombshell who was married to a friggin’ rabbit? Again. Nomatter. Below just a few recent articles regarding #americants obsexxion with… you know what. I especially like the comparison of the boomer generation with millennials. But then again. Maybe I like the nonsense of Sofia Vegara’s estranged rightwing nut-job former lover who thinks he has the right to somehow promote family values and anti-choice by claiming their seeded embryos for himself. Or was that all just part of promoting Vegara’s krappy new movie? Rant on. -tommi

    Obsexxed Links:

     

  • What's The Motivation?

    Maybe I’m just too exposed to this stuff? Maybe there’s been too much of it? Maybe the lies of the mind that make up #americant are so endless that it really doesn’t matter if you can figure this stuff out or not. Or. Maybe someone should ask this: why this now? A simple question, really. But there is a motivation for everything. I’m only worst-wondering if the motivation for this Sy Hersh article is about something other than the truth. I mean. Seriously. Did you actually believe that they “buried” his body in the ocean? Did you actually believe they raided that compound, which was, btw, right next to a Pakistani military institution, without anyone knowing about it? Ok. Full stop. One can go on with all the questions about this. But there is one thing that holds true thru it all. And it too is a question. Why couldn’t Duby get this guy after all those years? But I digress. I guess. Rant on. -t

    Source: Seymour Hersh Details Explosive Story on Bin Laden Killing & Responds to White House, Media Backlash | Democracy Now!