You've seen the news reports: McCain/Palin rallies are getting increasingly ugly. "Terrorist!"
"Treason!"
"Kill him!"
There will always be whackos and haters at rallies. Speakers have a responsibility to encourage calm. Unless, of course, they are hoping for unrest.
This topic has a Laestadian connection, by the way, for those readers who prefer we keep to that topic on this blog. Laestadius was accused of hate-mongering after the riots of Kautokeino, where his followers took quite literally his words that the saloonkeeper was an agent of the devil. They killed him. Laestadius denied any connection but toned down his sermons.
Will McCain do likewise before blood is shed?
Against his previous promises and the advice of many Republican advisors (some now jumping ship), he and Palin are stoking the fires of fear and hatred. 100% of their TV ads are negative. Character assassination is now their priority, dominating their speeches. Hateful comments are not contradicted from the podium, but actually affirmed.
How dare they? Knowing the tinderbox we sit on as a nation? If blood spills, it is on their hands.
Back in June, I had my own scary encounter with a hater: the phlebotomist drawing my blood for a routine test. A young, heavily made-up woman, she took exception to the logo on my t-shirt and spent several painful minutes lambasting Obama while digging around in my arm with a needle. When I complained that it hurt, she went to work on the other arm, continuing her racist tirade. I was so appalled that I could barely speak.
This is Seattle, after all, the city of "nice." I tried some banter to lighten things up . . . but she was dead serious, and even after she withdrew the needle, more than a little frightening. On my way out the door, I called out loudly enough for the Pakistani family in the waiting room to hear:
"Get used to having a black president, miss, 'cuz it's going to happen." That cheered me up.
And it is going to happen, if Obama can survive.
(Above is a photo of a man arrested yesterday for terrorist threats. He said he needed to vote to "keep the ni**er out of office," and that he had weapons at home. Heaven help us.)
It seems to me that this election is revealing some of the most ignorant, intolerant people I have ever heard. And yes, I think McCain is out of line.
ReplyDeleteIt would be scary to have some whacked out lady digging in your arm with a needle when she's ranting about politics, yours in particular.
They're coming out of the woodwork.
Jesus said to love. Yet the hate mongers proclaim that they speak for our Lord. How sad.
ReplyDeletelllreader: McCain made a huge mistake in bringing in that gal from Alaska. She was on a phone interview with Rush Limbaugh--calling herself a "ditto-head". Rush brings out the very worst of our country's behavior and thinking. He yells and rants and is an awful influence. People seem to forget about his drug charges. I can't begin to imagine a ditto-head in the White House! What a disastor for the world--picture the little ol' gal winking, snapping gum, giving world leaders a friendly punch on the shoulder while she talks about Joe 6Pack. Her future son-in-law said it all when asked about attending the GOP convention, "I was like, whatever". McCain was a decent man who went against his party when he needed to. I admire him for that, but I think he made a horrible mistake with his choice for VP.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree with you more, LLLReader. And I am absolutely FLOORED that this blog has gotten so quiet, what with both the political drama as well as the apparently impending implosion of our capitalistic life-as-we-know-it. Better plan your spring gardens, folks, and if you are heavily in debt, well, God bless you. Many Trails Home
ReplyDeleteHello, Trails,
ReplyDeleteI think we're all too depressed to get excited about writing on this blog. It's time to stockpile some nonperishables, a few at least, just in case. My husband brought up an interesting point (he who doesn't get het-up about this impending doom stuff): unless the credit crisis is resolved soon, farmers won't be able to get short-term loans for next year's planting season. No wheat, no bread.
SISU
LLLreader here: This credit crisis was bound to happen. When you look at what has happened to this country in terms of trade, we bring in $800 billion more in goods per year then we ship out! (if my number isn't right, someone correct me) We don't produce stuff, we buy stuff! Look at the mcmansions dotting the hills in Hockinson--who needs that kind of house? I'm a little worried for some of the members of the OALC, so many of them are in the building trades and those families are going to be hit hard. Was it Pogo that said, "We found the enemy and it was us"? As individuals we have spent too much, and the people at the top on Wall Street, in the banking industry, and the like, have exploited this country--while the administration sat on their hands. After 9/11 Bush said, "Go shop". During the Second World War people sacrificed, made do with what they had--there was a war to support, and THAT war was necessary. We are supporting a tremendously expensive war right now--and where is that money coming from? Right Bush, let's go shop so we can increase that trade defecit. I believe our country is in a mess, but I believe we will emerge from this smarter and less willing to be duped by our leaders. I sure don't know a lot about economics--but I do know that you can't spend more then you have, and that goes both for individual families and for the country. End of rant!
ReplyDeleteExcellent article, cvow. One of the best assessments I've read. I don't know if things will get better or will get worse, but I've lived by fear all of my life, and I'm not going to do it any more.
ReplyDeleteI've found something to worry about in every decade of my life - and the most worrisome was Y2K. It's good to be prepared, use common sense, not be too far in debt, look at your assets and liabilities, have some provisions on hand, be aware. Beyond that, there are so many things out of our control. It's good to have a historical perspective as you've presented here. We'll survive this.
Cvow, correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to think that (1) spending $430 million per DAY for W's war is not relevant to our economy, and (2) this mess is natural, inevitable -- simply a result of free market ups and downs.
ReplyDeleteHooey! Good thing neither one of us is in charge.
Smarter folks on both sides of the aisle warned of this calamity and were ignored (from senators to lowly loan officers who refused to grant risky loans). There are plenty of numbskulls to blame, but those with power are walking away with MILLIONS (and as Colin Powell said yesterday, some of them are in government).
Throw the bums out indeed. It is quite rich for Obama to be accused of socialism (for returning to Clinton era taxes on the top 5%) when the government now owns parts of the financial sector. That free market ain't so free after all.
Most of us were not getting rich -- wages stagnated and income disparity actually rose in that bull market. We certainly will survive this as a nation, but as usual the most vulnerable, the sick, children and elderly, will suffer, with inadequate healthcare (or none), cheap calories / bad nutrition, and an increase in crime.
White collar criminals will kick back in their Club Med retirements while seniors clip coupons and babies drink Koolaid.
Fine kettle of fish, that.
LLLreader here--I was talking to a person who works for DSHS yesterday, and she said that her office had 22,000 more people this Sept. then last Sept. applying for food stamps and other aid.
ReplyDeleteLLLreader to cvow--I don't get depressed about money either (at least for myself). I do get depressed about the number of poor people we have around us. The loss of jobs in our area has had a terrible effect on our local economy. The food banks are having a difficult time keeping up. Don't tell me that doesn't depress you a little bit!
ReplyDeleteGotta take on cvow here (or at least make the attempt): You say that what is happening now is a "market correction," but I think if that is what it is, it may turn out to be the "mother of all market corrections." I make an effort to see the forest rather than individual trees, so what I am going to say I shall make no attempt to prove, as it is my "gestalt." Just a personal prediction, you might say.
ReplyDeleteI think this episode shall turn out to be very different from previous episodes, even the Great Depression.
First, compared to other bear markets, this one is unusual in that banking is in serious trouble. And without banking, "free enterprise" does not work.
Second, even tho commodity prices have recently (and I think temporarily) dropped, the fact is that we have serious resource depletion in our future. Oil "production," for starters, has been flat since 2005, despite (until recently), escalating demand. Anyone who was surprised by the stunning climb in oil prices has not been following the EIA (Energy Inf Agency of the US govt) data.
Third, how much debt can the US govt assume before paying the piper becomes impossible? Does anyone know that number? What happens if we (the US) have to start borrowing to pay the interest on the loans? (I think we do that already). Remember, the taxes collected will start dropping along with the GDP. There's a wall there somewhere, and I hate to think what will happen when we hit it. Massive, crippling, excrutiating inflation, I think.
As for some of your details, I think of course that you are right when you say that this "market correction" would have happened regardless of the Iraq war, who was pres, etc. - altho I do think some of these things have accelerated and maybe worsened the chaos. As for the companies with the good P/E ratios: well, a lot of those "E's" are falling, in case you haven't noticed. And I suspect job losses will continue to mount, perhaps astronomically (from a compounding effect that we are seeing already).
Sorry to sound so bleak, but I think we are nowhere near any bottom. My advice stands. Many Trails Home