Pahokee

Not so long ago in a neglected 1974 Ford Galaxie not so far away and parked toward the back of Donny’s Mira-Lago motors in Pahokee, Florida, Donald Trumbow finished off the last roach in the tin Altoids box with little more than ashes left in it, slid it back in his pocket and his oversized self back into the seat and sighed. A  four door ’74 with the base 351 certainly wasn’t going to attract the resto-mod builder who might have a marginal interest in something like a ’68 with the 427 and a four speed or even a 2 door ’72 with the 429, and besides it needed much more  work than it was worth in mint condition. He could see gravel through the floor.  The guy in the Gas Monkey T shirt had taken about a minute to look it over and walk away before Donny had even begun the story of how many people were lined up for this car if he didn’t take it fast. He didn’t have the energy to pursue him.

Trumbow, or Dumbo as his wife called him behind his back, was going to need some cash right away. Some wise-ass with a paintbrush had changed the L in Lago to a C last night.  Mira-Lago had been his wife’s idea and was supposed to mean ‘Lake View’ if you could trust Google Translator, and that might, she thought, give the seedy enterprise a more impressive air, at least with the non Spanish speakers, which they both would have preferred. But Mira was her name and Mira-lago said the cheap looking sign  -- until now.

Mira Cago, he was pretty sure meant “looks like Shit.”  It would really look like shit if he tried to fix the sign himself and to get anyone to do it, he was going to need cash, things being as they were. Nothing was selling and the last person he could ask for a loan (and the only one he hadn’t lately) was Mira herself, although her Tarot and fortune telling business was making money and taking up a good part of their double-wide up by J&J fish camp.  It had no more of a view of the lake than the car lot did, but only of the Hoover dike keeping the Southern end of Okeechobee a lake and not a swamp, and the ditch that surrounds it. Mira had begun to appear double-wide herself in recent years, but that didn’t noticeably interfere with her accurate predictions of 10 minutes of oral sex following the transfer of 20 bucks to the ornate box she kept the cards in.

Donny closed the squeaky door gingerly, the door skin on the ancient Ford being barely attached, and went over to the trailer “office.”  It was starting to get hot. “Looks like shit” he said to himself, thinking of his life.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? GEORGE SOROS AND RESURGENT ANTI-SEMITISM

The name George Soros is often a target of derision and scorn in right wing circles. Whatever fringe groups think of George Soros as a person is beside the point; the name no longer refers to the man. Through semantic substitution, the name has morphed into a reflexive epithet that has no bearing upon his character.

I refer to the use of code words as disguised bigotry. Since it is considered "verboten" (German for "forbidden") to use the K-word or the N-word when referring to certain ethnic groups, the idea is to disguise hate speech under cover of substitution — a form of bigotry by proxy. Code words avoid the outward appearance of bias, racism, or anti-Semitism — leaving room for plausible deniability.

Another convention is the triple parens to highlight the ethnic identity of a person, as in (((George Soros))). This convention identifies persons of Jewish heritage. In avoiding direct use of the K-word, this convention sends a clear message under cover of punctuation.

Why single out George Soros for special derision? As investor and hedge fund trader, Soros is one of the highest profile men in the world with an estimated net worth of $25 billion. Like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, his philanthropies support numerous humanitarian causes. Yet, unlike Gates or Buffett, Soros is singled out for special scorn. Why?

Symbolically, the name George Soros has become synonymous with “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a forged hate screed first published in Russia, circa 1903. The Protocols allege a worldwide conspiracy of Jews whose goal is to subvert Christianity and dominate global economies. The Protocols gained wide circulation in the 1920s — inciting pogroms against Jews in Russia and justifying the Holocaust in Germany. Despite a dark and discredited past, the Protocols remain in worldwide circulation today via the Internet.

These historical reference points account for the special hatred of George Soros, both as a man and as a symbol. As Jew, Holocaust survivor, hedge fund investor, philanthropist, and supporter of progressive causes, right wing hate groups regard George Soros as an Elder of the Protocols.

Whenever you hear or see the name George Soros, keep these historical reference points in mind. Those who wield his name in scorn reveal a hidden and sinister purpose: Resurgent anti-Semitism under the banner of Breitbart and Bannon.

POST HASTE CUT & PASTE

By Jeffrey Berger

Earlier today, FaceBook friend Ken Karstens shared this warning message: “It looks like you’re doing a lot on Facebook. Please try again later ..."

Confirmed! Sometimes I have received the same message. Why? Often, I will copy/paste the same comment under multiple posts in quick succession, my daily missive shared among friends. Apparently, an algorithm catches me in the act. Are there other FaceBook frustrations? Yes! Some citations are inaccessible, and not all notifications link to the original source.

In the financial pages of newspapers, I read of record-breaking subscribers using FaceBook. Of course, the simplest and most plausible explanation is that Facebook’s servers are slammed.

Nevertheless, I share Kevin Karsten’s concern — because we have reason to fear the new Mammon in town. Steve Bannon is now titular head of National Security (his recent appointment slipped suspiciously under the radar of full Senate confirmation). In his new role, Sleaze Bannon will see all and know all:

He's making a list and checking it twice. 

Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.

So you better watch out, you better nor cry.

Better not pout, I’m telling you why:

Fascism is comin’ to town.

Rogue POTUS Defies Courts, Has Blood on his Hands

SIX DEAD, EIGHT WOUNDED IN QUEBEC CITY:  Yesterday, a gunman opened fire on an Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City, killing six worshippers and wounding eight. The shooting occurred days after an unconstitutional order signed by the 'unpresidented' banned travelers from specifically named Muslim countries.

MORE BAD NEWS: The president defies court orders. On Saturday, federal judges in Massachusetts, New York, and the state of Washington issued temporary restraining orders to stop the deportations. In Virginia, another court ordered access to legal counsel for detainees. In response, a White House official replied: “All stopped visas will remain stopped. All halted admissions will remain halted. All restricted travel will remain prohibited.” Meanwhile, administration officials continue to stonewall and CBP agents continue to defy the courts, constitutional and contract law, plus all international conventions and treaties.

Abner Greene, a law professor at Fordham University, said: “Obedience to specific court orders is what keeps us from being a banana republic or fascist dictatorship.” According to Michael Dorf of Cornell University: “Outright defiance can only be deemed disrespect for the rule of law.”

'A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS,' writes Congressman Don Beyer on his Twitter account. No doubt, appeals to bigotry and reckless rhetoric meet the definition of incitement as assuredly as if the president had pulled the trigger himself.

Even more disturbing, the travel ban is predicted on bogus evidence. In 40 years, no traveler from the list of banned nations committed even one act of terrorism. Not one! Alternate facts are merely falsehoods and fascist rhetoric, as this chart explains:

So, What's True?

Rational Nation USA
Purveyor of Truth

We’re hearing a great deal about alternative facts, fake news, that the media is the opposition party, as well as a steady stream of hyperbole and platitudes casting the other side as the side that a engages in undesirable and unethical behavior.  In fact neither the conservative or liberal media, conservative or liberal politicians are immune from bias.

 Bias is something all people are prone to. An individual’s environment, his upbringing, education, career path, and indeed the total of one’s life experiences shapes their biases. As a person ages and gains experience their biases can change.  Bias is a powerful driver on how we view reality and the world.

Another factor that often works in forming a person’s bias is their own self-interest. It is this writer’s contention that politicians are heavily affected by their own personal self-interests and as a result fail to serve their constituency honestly as they should.

To expect journalists as well as others in the media to be immune from bias is naïve. However, good journalists and newscasters are acutely aware of their own bias and are able to separate facts from bias and emotion. They fully understand their role is to honestly report facts that are supported by verifiable evidence.

Unfortunately not every journalist and newscaster, or news organization for that matter, holds themselves to the highest journalistic standards. For whatever reason (usually money or political agenda) they make the decision to play to their own biases as well as those of the American people and allow themselves to compromise the truth.

The graphics below illustrates the above I think. Truth is generally found at the center (middle) or somewhere near the center. The further you move from center in journalism and politics the more bias is at play. Extreme political ideologies are supported my extremely biased journalists and reporters and more often than not there is little truth in what either write or say.

Pay attention to both the X and Y axis.

A HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE

By Jeffrey Berger

Seventy-two years have passed since the liberation of Auschwitz. On this anniversary, we commemorate innocent victims of persecution whose life possibilities were cut mercilessly short. We remember missing persons of a family tree whose fates may never be known. On this day, I honor a forebear whom I never met.

The exact death toll at Auschwitz remains elusive. Many inmates were undocumented, and large amounts of incriminating evidence were destroyed in the final weeks of war. The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum sets the official record: 1.1 million total victims including 960,000 Jews, 75,000 non-Jewish Poles, 21,000 Romani, 15,000 Soviet POWs, and 15,000 disabled persons, among others.

The Red Army liberated Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. Only 7,500 emaciated inmates were found alive among 600 corpses, 370,000 men's suits, 837,000 women's garments, and 8.5 tons of human hair. Among the survivors who recovered and resumed full and productive lives:

Elie Wiesel (awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986), Simone Veil (served as President of the European Parliament), Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler (escapees who saved an estimated 120,000 to 200,000 inmates), Imre Kertesz (writer and Nobel Laureate in Literature), and the parents of American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, as examples.

Little is known of my great grandfather. He was an author, philosopher, and college professor living in Prague when the Nazi army occupied Czechoslovakia. No letters or literary works survive apart from anecdotal accounts handed down by word of mouth – until the trial of Adolph Eichmann in 1961 revealed his fate.

In 1961, I recall my mother and grandmother watching the trial on national television, and their stunned silence when the fate of our forbear was finally was revealed. According to trial testimony, Eichmann ordered the SS to stop a deportation train headed for Auschwitz and execute by firing squad a prominent human rights dissident onboard. The condemned man was my maternal great-grandfather.

Are some people more predisposed to obedience than others and willing to follow even the most heinous orders? Yale University research psychologist Stanley Milgram tested this hypothesis with disturbing results:

The percentage of test subjects willing to inflict pain on command was constant across all population groups – ranging from 61 to 66 percent regardless of ethnicity, gender, nationality, or circumstance.

Milgram’s experiment reveals a grim truth about human nature: Everywhere in the world are people innately capable of unspeakable savagery. Genocide did not end with World War II. It happened again in Tibet (1959-1966), in Cambodia (1975-1979), in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992-1995), and in Rwanda (1994). Even today, atrocities continue unabated in Syria and Yemen. The record of human history is grim:

Vainglorious wars of aggression and oppression. Centuries of persecutions and pogroms. True believers torment and condemn infidels. Whites enslave blacks. Nazis murder Jews. Hutus slaughter Tutsis. Butchery and bloodshed begin with dehumanizing words.

Yet, there are deniers and historical revisionists who still dispute the indisputable, and madmen who still target innocent civilians. Are some atrocities worse than others?  Does the tormented history of one people overshadow the tragic history of another?  Every account is deserving of validation and remembrance.

Arbeit macht frei. Work sets you free. Perversely cynical words meant to exterminate, not liberate. Words more aptly inscribed above the Gates of Hell: 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.’

Consider the diversity of life on Earth evolving over eons of time. Here is a single species united in time but divided in culture, language, customs, and tribe. ‘Ecce homo.’  Behold the human condition.

Will humanity ever find peace?  Shall we forget the tragic voyage of the MS St. Louis whose 900 passengers were refused sanctuary and condemned to death?  Shall we separate people behind borders and walls and stop the free exchange of commerce, creativity and invention?  Or shall we learn how to tolerate, integrate, and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of all humankind?

There will be no peace, no hope, no freedom from tyranny and war until people come to terms with their darkest impulses.

AMERICA!

Yes, friends, I'm getting tired of the daily hate too, although the choice of words between hate and anger or perhaps outrage I hear gives a hint, a whiff of tendentiousness, if I'm not being oversensitive.

"Hate" reflects poorly on the person who is against something, while outrage brings in the possibility of the feeling being justified. I'm also tired of the situation, the outrage, even the horror of the Trump "Putsch" just as you are,  although I can't avoid thinking it's the biggest disaster since the Civil War and perhaps the beginning of the end of anything about the USA we could honestly call great.

So I have to sympathize. I'm also already sick of turning on the TV or going to the newspaper websites every morning with the usually fulfilled expectation of some new horror, some new crime to be explained away by some ministry of disinformation and to be accepted by the nodding heads and nitwits of America.

Yes, sure, call me a hater for hating hate, for hating corruption, for hating the murder of things I hold fundamental, self-evident: for hating the summary destruction of the infrastructure of our former Republic and you're right, I hate Donald Trump and I hate the people who support his outrages and I hate them to the point where the word itself is strained to the point of breaking. It may be your right to withdraw, to close your eyes and wait for the end times and whatever they may bring. Just understand that to me it's the patriot's duty, the citizen's burden and the obligation of the honest man to oppose and to be seen to be opposing the rise of tyrannical corruption and the acts of treason we will have to endure if you do.

 It's up to us and only to us and there so one, no country, no army, no miracle to save us while there are so many who will profit obscenely when we sink into the pit that's being dug for us.

 “A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.” ― Samuel Adams

WOMEN'S MARCH OF 2017 - THE CALL HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD

It began with a FB post in Hawaii and then it grew... it was the Women's March on Washington DC and then it added the Sister Marches, city by city and then Sisters around the world heard our story and took to their streets in solidarity.
 

And that was a big feature of the March, to solidify the base, not just women but men, strong enough and man enough to stand up with women in our fight for equality and the fight to keep the gains we had already made.

But it was not just about our equality struggles but also the equality struggles of all the diverse members of our society, of our country that has always made America great in the eyes of the world.

The goal was to give voice not only to women but to persons of color, Black, Hispanic, Native Americans, Asian, born here and immigrants. Black lives matter, all lives matter.  And give voice to those in the LBGT community who always seem to be on the fringe of society. And a voice to those who would identify as nonChristian, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists. They have a place here too. We cannot and should not separate ourselves from each other.

The Women's March mission statement reads, "We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families - recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country."

What was it like on the ground? Many of you attended a March somewhere in the world. I went to Washington DC. For such a huge crowd it was surprisingly cheerful and patient. If you had to cut across lines, folks would smile and let you through. Toilet lines were long mostly due to the porta potties in several locations that were locked up. Why, no one knows. While it was boisterous and sometimes a bit irreverent, it was always peaceful and contained. The March itself stretched for miles. It wound throughout the city. And while there was jocularity and camaraderie, there was also a seriousness as everyone carried with them that day the weight of an administration gone wild, bent on destroying democracy, environmental protections and the constitutional rights of great swathes of our nation.

Men frequently carried signs saying I'm marching for - my mother, my sister, my daughters, etc. And that was a common theme among all marchers. I marched for me but also for my granddaughters because I want them to have a strong female role model and for my Mother. Although we have never gotten along all that well, she is one of the bravest women I know.

We are calling out a leadership that cares nothing for us, over half the citizens of this country. We are calling out voters who care for no one but themselves and voted out of spite and ignorance and laziness. We are calling out the base to get busy and MAKE yourself be heard! Maybe what you say will fall on deaf ears, maybe none of it will make a difference but doing nothing is far worse and failing to reach an apathetic administration.

STRONGER TOGETHER - that was a sign I saw. And it is the rallying cry of a movement that will continue to fight the attacks on equality, protections and diversity until we have turned the tide. It could take years but a Movement has been born and while politicians and Trump voters try to downplay our importance we keep moving until our importance steamrolls right over top of them.

About the pink hats, this was another grassroots idea that, if you have seen the photos from across the country, grew into a massive pink hat wave. Called the Pussy Hat Project, you can learn more about the empowerment created by wearing the hat.

There are many ways to get involved. There are postcard writing campaigns, calls being made, visits to legislators offices and more rallies and marches in every state.

Resources to look for:
 Indivisible Guide can be downloaded and there is a local groups link for groups currently forming and organizing events.
Women's March isn't finished either. 10 Events in 100 Days. Go to their website and sign up for alerts.
NAACP join and use the site to find a local chapter. Many of them, like our local NC chapter are scheduling events. (And no you do not have to be black to join)
Moveon.org is a clearinghouse of campaigns and events.

As time goes on, I think we will see groups merge to become one stronger entity, and a national site to coordinate all groups so we can be stronger, organized and powerful.

JOIN THE RESISTANCE NOW!

THIS INAUGURATION IS A FRAUD

For decades, Hillary Clinton has been ridiculed for her sterling qualifications, her public service, and the indiscretions of her husband. When sensationalism and sexism conspire in the news, sleazy soundbites are amplified.

One key word is ‘projection’ — a tactic used to turn tables and malign the reputation of any challenger. Briefly defined, a bad actor blames his bad actions on an opponent. The bully belittles, berates, defames, and smears his adversary with such frequency and ferocity, the repetition of cheap shots creates a phantom reality. Horse and rider change places as projections turn an innocent person guilty and a guilty person innocent.

That Hillary chose to salvage her marriage is a personal and private choice (and none of our business). We may even argue that her forgiveness of Bill is a credit in her favor. Yet, we hold Lewd Gingrich, Rudely Giuliani, Snark Sanford, and Groper Don to a lower standard. All are infamous scoundrels untainted by their indiscretions.

Condemnations in the kangaroo court of public opinion. Suspicions and derisions. Witch hunts without merit. From Bill to Benghazi and beyond, Hillary has been blamed for misdeeds she never committed (but the taint of hearsay never goes away). “Crooked Hillary.” “Lock her up.” The words of a reprobate and Pawn of Putin confirm the double standard: American culture is steeped in misogyny and sexism.

How do partisan cheap shots stick glue-like in the minds of the public? Perhaps this tendency of people to react irrationally in binary terms: Tribe against tribe, us versus them, better him than her. Binary reasoning is the wellspring of bigotry, divisiveness, sexism, verbal abuse.

Repetitious soundbites build over time and play continuously in the mind like an old radio jingle. In American politics, this is how the mendacious and disputatious demagogue won.

It's MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY, goddamn it!

Last night (ironically, the first Friday the 13th of the new year), the mayor of Biloxi put out a tweet that rather specifically did not call Monday's holiday "Martin Luther King Day."

It was a fascinatingly specific error (yes, let's just call it an "error," shall we?), but they left it up overnight, finally deleting it this morning, and a lot of the Twitterverse noticed. My personal favorite response was this.

when u see what @CityofBiloxi did for the day acknowledging you pic.twitter.com/C6PufnXECK

— Large ☀️☀️of Anarchy (@JumpinJackFlask) January 14, 2017

Let's remember that Biloxi, Mississippi was the site of the infamous "wade-ins" in 1960, to protest the fact that the miles of available beach in Biloxi were "whites only," with only tiny "colored" bits of beach available. (That one didn't end well for the protesters in Biloxi, by the way, although it did bring the city to national attention).

Of course, the whole state has a terrible history in the civil rights annals - they didn't call the movie "Alabama Burning," after all.

And let's add this little detail to that list of Mississippi's record on civil rights:

1. In 1910, the state passed a law to honor January 19 as Robert E Lee's birthday.


2. In 1983, Reagan made Martin Luther King's Day a federal holiday, observed on the third Monday in January


3. In 1987, calling it a "cost-saving measure," the state of Mississippi combined the two holidays, in a move that most people understand was a backhanded insult to King (MLK Day was already a Federal holiday - you want to lose a holiday? Accept that you probably shouldn't have a day honoring somebody who committed treason.

And then, in 2017, the mayor of Biloxi decided that the combined holiday needed a name, since everybody was still referring to it by the name of that Negro. A move which he probably regrets, since he's been trying to walk it back all day.

Remember, as we enter the Trump Era, undercover racists are going to keep trying to do this kind of crap.