I was wondering about what the United States Constitution would look like if was written to represent in the current political environment. It comes up a bit brief but not too sweet.
This is our open thread. Please feel free to offer your own comments on this or any other topic.
The Constitution of the Corporate States
Preamble
We the Corporations of the World, in order to form a fascist union, establish global dominance, maximize profits, minimize individual freedoms, promote outsourcing and secure the dominance of World profits for ourselves and our CEOs do finance and establish this as the Constitution for the Corporations of the World.
Right to Bear Arms
An armed population, being necessary for anarchy, the right of the people to keep and bear arms and oust the executive through violence, shall be unlimited, the sole exception being the use of aircraft, whether piloted or not, or missiles against The Capital itself.
Right to Vote
Voting will be limited to corporate boards, but can be overridden by their Chief Executive Officers.
Free Speech
You can say anything you want, but will be beaten to a pulp for saying anything against the government, teabaggers or their selected candidates.
Freedom of the Press
Who needs that? We already have Fox.
TheZoo 
Here’s some news about the Tea Party’s effect on next Tuesday’s elections:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101028/pl_nm/us_usa_elections_newyork_republicans;_ylt=Aqm46.Kg_Skg84pVDNfwEtms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFodmg1OWJtBHBvcwMyMgRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawN0ZWFwYXJ0eS1iYWM-
I actually expected more of this to show up by now.
I suspect one reason why more of that bagger-negative p.o.v. hasn’t shown up on the MSM is that it’s not the “news” they want to spread, not the “news” they want us to hear. Generally speaking, of course, with a handful of exceptions.
Here is a link to an interesting diary.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/10/28/914334/-The-GOP-has-identified-the-number-one-threat-to-our-Fredoms…
I agree with you Frugal. The msm wants to keep people afraid. Besides, they have been touting a government take over by Republicans for months on end and if they were to change their story now, it would show the viewing public just how stupid and lazy they really are. My gut feeling, which is usually spot on, is that Democrats will continue to control Congress and the media will have pie on their faces on November 3. The polls are not including all the people of color that voted for the first time in 2008. I’ve read that the African American community is fired up and ready to go. They will vote this year.
You have the freedom to assemble, but only if you agree with the teabaggers. All others will be stomped and arrested.
If anyone missed Olbermann last night, check out the final segment, Keith’s extended monologue on next Tuesday’s election, here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677#39880604
No wonder I like that guy.
You don’t see it on the clip, but as Keith did his nightly intro to Rachel’s show, she had the saddest expression on her face, just for a moment, before she popped back into character to start her show’s opening segment. She must have been listening to Keith, too.
It really was overwhelming to hear it all at one time, House. I put it on facebook instantly, and I noticed several other people have done so as well. When I get home this afternoon, I’ll see if I can find it on YouTube — unless some other Critter feels inspired to do it this morning.
I’ll be done at noon today — woo hoo, my one short day!
Off to school, warmed by a nice cup of hot chocolate. Mmmm…
Hey, it’s supposed to get up to 50 degrees today! Yay!
Laters.
Dragonflies make the very best
chocolate…. 🙂
Researchers Find a ‘Liberal Gene’
I’ve long believed that conservatives were genetically inferior and less evolved than liberals.
I’ve long felt that conservatives are genetically inferior and less evolved than wolves, cats, whales, dolphins, elk, bears, cattle, cockroaches, and possibly earthworms. I’m glad to know the supporting data is starting to show up. My wingnut cousin will be the first to get the news!
Good morning!
It is gratifying to know that there are conservatives with brains out there who just can’t support the teabag wingnuttery. I suspect there are more of them out there then anyone knows. It would be so nice if the tea blows up in the teatard’s faces on Nov 2.
And I couldn’t agree more, House. After all, progressives are the ones that want to move things forward. The reich wingers are still crawling around on their bellies. 🙂
Silentpawz, the ones who don’t believe in evolution are the ones who didn’t evolve!
The wacko right’s brains are running on an Intel 4004 processor. The sanest of them probably are using 8020’s
There’s no doubt that progressives are using Xeon processors.
An armed population, being an impotent distraction and a danger to no one but itself, is a clear requirement for keeping the useful idiots pacified. As such, the right to bear arms will not be infringed as long as it stays convenient.
Isn’t that the teabaggers spelling for ‘moron’? So it is an apt name for anyone associated with O’D.
Here’ a dilemma for you – Are the monies given to The Church of Christ’s Scientists a religious contribution or a medical expense? What about faith healers?
That would affect their treatment on Schedule A as well as the amount deductible.
Joe Miller fading fast in Alaska:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/10/28/914345/-AK-Sen:-GOPer-Miller-fades,-McAdams-surges
If trends like this one hold, the ‘tea party revolution’ may well end before it even gets started. Trends in the last week or so are encouraging in California, Nevada, Colorado, Alaska, Delaware, and possibly even Kentucky once we see what the fallout might be in re the head-stomping incident.
2ebb, the O’Donnell campaign has already apologized to the station. We have yet to hear if the campaign has asked WDEL for an apology!
O’Donnell campaign apologizes to WDEL
House, the name and action are what caught my eye.
I did read about the apology.
The skewed way the teaparty ‘plays’ is quite embarrassing for our country. When did it become ok to threaten and/or physically attack just because?
Hopefully voters will smarten up by Tuesday.
(I know. I know.) I’ll not exhale on our Senate race until all votes are counted. Fiorina is a smary, phony person and I’d really hate to see her voted in just to ‘vote out’ the incumbent.
The man who was roughed up at the Cantor event in VA tells his side of the story:
http://www.bluevirginia.us/diary/2138/jon-taylor-free-speech-in-virginias-7th
Also, in Madison the event was moved at the last minute from a public park to a private hall. Democrats were denied entrance, those that gained entrance were asked to leave, and one gentleman was ejected after he boo’d a comment of Eric’s.
In Culpeper, Rick Waugh’s chicken was forced by police to remove his head.
I believe Mr. Taylor’s story will be on Ed Schultz tonight.
Surprise surprise surprise.
March 10th, BP sent an e-mail to MMS to inform them of their intention to “plugback the well and bypass”. A week later, March 17th, is when Tony Hayward, BP CEO sold most of his BP stock.
I’m still waiting for any investigation to explain what transpired after that e-mail, that resulted in the attempt to bring the well in, when they knew it was in trouble.
OIMF – that is really frightening. I fear for any free thinking Virginian, because it appears the ‘thought police’ have invaded.
I do marvel at how you and House manage to stay sane and free, given the nastiness that run each of your states.
No surprises there, frugal. On a related note, I just saw this on Slate:
Interesting that it takes a foreign, Arabic outlet to report stuff like this. I haven’t seen anything on that in our MSM.
Ebb’s 1984 reference to the “thought police” reminded me of this song.
Isn’t there a line in the bible that reads something like, “the love of money is the root of all evil”?
Given the present circumstance, where nothing other than money and the power purchasable therewith have come to virtually define the US and its corporate masters, does that mean the next biblical translation will read, “America is the root of all evil”?
Whether biblical or not, seems to me a damn good case can now be made for that latter proposition.
Looks as though the Persian Mathematician and Poet Omar Khayyam may have actually predicted post-Reagan America some 900 years ago, when he wrote:
Indeed the Idols I have loved so long
Have done my credit in Men’s Eye much wrong;
Have drown’d my Glory in a shallow Cup,
And sold my Reputation for a Song.
He kind of summed ‘us’ up, no?
An excellent program – that includes “Exclusive footage and photos of DeepWater Horizon’s final hours”
Curse you zxbe! Now I know what OIMF means by – that song keeps playing in my mind.
Cheap Trick!
“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Outstanding, that is some heady stuff about money.
It is now understandable why the conservatives have to re-write the bible. To make it ok to have as much money as possible wasn’t in the ‘original’ book!
Yes ebb, the cons have hijacked my faith and my country. I want them back. The Bible also commands us to take care of the needy, many times, in both old and new testaments. I think they’ve deleted those parts as well.
Frugal , HoR and 2ebb …. the news on the DWH disaster will keep drfting out, but is anyone going to be charged with anything?
Is Hayward’s possible insider trading going to be investigated?
11 men died, who is culpable?
Add that one to your Corporate Constitution….
Since corporations have been defined as people by the SCOTUS, maybe each and all employees AND stockholders, being part of the ‘big’ person, are automatic accessories to corporate crime? Eleven murders, possibly — how many million accessories are part of BP? Several million, I suppose. One huge prison required. Still, if that’s the way it is, that’s the way it is. Right?
Sure TtT right after the Bush administration is charged for war crimes they’ll file charges for the oil debacle.
My one afternoon a week off….nice…
What’s the word, y’all?
Good afternoon, Zooey. I’m sensing the appearance of a very handsome, intelligent dragonfly entering the room very soon!
EBB
I resemble that remark!
Hi Zooey
My word is Hershey’s. 🙂
Hello, ebb & Pachy.
Hershey’s is an excellent word. My word of the afternoon is LAZY. 😀
I got my “Turn Off Fox” bumpersticker today, so hopefully the weather will dry up for a day so I can start my collection again.
My old collection went with the car I sold last year. *sniff*
Damn, ever since TP changed their system I’ve had a lot of problems with my computer. I switched to Chrome from Firefox and it worked for a while. Now Shockwave keeps crashing when I use it.
I returned to Firefox and it crashes all windows I have open and doesn’t remember passwords.
What’s a dragonfly to do?
What do you use Shockwave for, Pachy?
My word for the afternoon is wine.
I have the same problem with TP and firefox.
Wine!! Absolutely!
Right after I pick up my son from work. I promised him I’d pick him up if it was raining — dammit, it’s raining.
Google Chrome works like a charm for me. I get the Shockwave crashes now and then, they seem pretty random, but I just refresh the page and it’s fine.
Firefox worked for a while, then it just crashed and my computer needed new stuff inside it. And a nice new virus protection program that’s free. 🙂
Another tsunami and an erupting volcano in Indonesia. 400+ dead.
Pat Robertson did it.
Wine and chocolate…nothing better than that! 🙂 Too bad I’m still at work.
Odd, I haven’t had any trouble with TP and firefox at all. TP and Discus hate IE though. It didn’t crash windows or anything, but I had trouble posting and ‘liking’.
What kind of work does your son do Zooey? Not being nosy, just looking for hope for mine.
Outstanding,
I was referring to my youngest; he works in a lab that sorts bugs out of water samples. I think he’s getting motivated to get back into school. 😉
My eldest, the one with autism, works as a security guard in Portland. He received training in Oregon’s Voc Rehab department and received a certificate of some sort. He finds it boring, but it pays the bills and allows him to do the things he wants to do.
My word is shortribs and they’re cooking in a whole bottle of red wine.
Shayne, that sounds delicious. *drool*
And, Zooey’s kid’s job allows him to live in a very nice building in one of the swankiest, trendiest parts of town. Yuppies slash each other’s throats for apartments like that.
gummitch, it’s subsidized housing. 🙂
But yeah, it’s AMAZING!!
He finds it boring, but it pays the bills and allows him to do the things he wants to do.
Sounds like my job/life.
Zooey
I assumed that Shockwave is the plug-in used by the videos that all go dark with that stupid frowny face. Chrome also shows a yellow bar across the top of the page.
Also, when using Chrome, when I leave a window open but open a 2nd one, the info on the pages of the 1st window are blank when I go back to them. Sometimes they’ll come back but most of the time I have to refresh the pages.
I suspect that all the tracking crap is using up my computer resources. Never had this problem before the 2008 election. I would have 5-6 tabs opened on different threads in 3-4 windows opened to TP, TPM, C & L and other sites.
Well my neighbor dropped off a 12 pack of beer for helping him today and UPS just delivered my 12 exotic beers a friend in Maryland sent me. Maybe tonight won’t be so bad after all! 🙂
Pachy, that’s what happens on my computer as well. Refreshing fixes it. I guess I just don’t find it annoying. 🙂
I find that keeping only 2-3 tabs open at a time helps.
Cesspool party at Pachy’s house tonight!
Pachy, we need a list of the 12 exotic beers, please.
Shockwave crashed for me once today. It always fixes itself, though. I’m running Chrome, and having very little problems with TP, using the Disqus system.
I, too, wish to know what constitutes “exotic” beer. List, please.
Thanks for telling me Zooey, it sounds like he has built an independent life for himself. I try not to worry, but I’m getting old and I fear for mine.
Pachy,
Are you not in the vicinity of Saint Augustine? Do you have a designated driver?
Alright the beers!
Remember last month I reported I had received 12 beers, 3 of two different imported and 3 of two domestic brands. I don’t remember their names but if you look through last month’s posts you might find them.
Today I received 3 bottles each of:
St. Druon, a French Abbey Ale, Brasserie Duyck, Jenlain, France
Geary’s Hampshire Special Ale, Portland, Maine
Hub City Oatmeal Stout, Stanley, Iowa
St. Ambrose Oatmeal Stout, Montreal, Canada.
http://www.monthlyclubs.com
Shockwave seems to do just fine if you close the crash window by clicking on the X in a box.
I am always running with 7 open tabs on Chrome.
Not so exotic, but not terrible beers, either. Hub City is the only brewery there I haven’t tried. Um, or maybe the St. Druon.
Walt
I’m in St. Augustine, I sold my car two years ago and rely on Shank’s Mare and HPVs.
It’s a small town, I can fall down twice and be home! 🙂
And if you have a ten year old PC like I do, things sometimes run a bit slow. Spouse has an HP with twin cores and she runs a bit faster.
I want to stick with the old iron because it has shadowed ECC memory and a full Fire Code hard drive.
Pachy,
I am just above Crescent Beach on the Island. That is a long fall even at 6’4″.
I didn’t recognize any of them, Pachy, but I’m not as experienced as Gummitch. I’ve only had access to really good beer for about a year, when Alabama law changed to allow the better ones to be sold. Thanks for sharing the info.
Walt
Well how about that, I’m off Masters Dr., neighbor. We must get together for a brew or two real soon. Perhaps plot the (censored) @*#$$!#^ tea baggers. 🙂
Did y’all hear about the terror happening at Texas A & M at College Station?
Yeah, me neither.
My sister’s in a royal panic because some bus driver thought he saw someone carrying something that looked like an AK47.
So ridiculous.
HoR — Speaking of Alabama’s goofy liquor laws, I think it was in March of 1967 that I was on a business trip to Huntsville and after hours, wanted a shot or two of good Scotch. Went to a “club” of some sort, paid a dollar for a lifetime membership, then had two glasses of Chivas Regal on the rocks. It came as two glasses of ice plus two airline-sized little bottles of C.R. But I was not allowed to touch the bottles, only the waitress could do that, and after she did she carried the bottles away so I wouldn’t be hit by lightning or whatever the punishment is in Alabama.
Is it still that goofy there?
Zooey — no sweat, it’s a second amendment right you know. Remember the photo of some nutcase in Phoenix a who was wandering around a political event at the downtown Civic Plaza with an AK47 hanging over his shoulder?
God said it was ok, so that makes it ok.
All clear for Texas A&M.
How much you wanna bet that was my nephew?
Zooey, why would you, think that? Is your nephew a bus driver? 🙂
Maybe if he works very hard, Pachy. 😉
Hard to say, Frugal, I don’t do my drinking in clubs. I remember the miniatures from the bar at the bowling alley I used to hang around as a teen. I guess the minis kept the bartender honest about brand and amount. The dollar membership was necessary because you had to be a member so the club could serve liquor and beer on Sunday back then. My parents and my aunt and uncle would stop in on Sunday at the VFW, which would leave my cousin and I out in the lobby with a couple of other kids we would see occasionally.
Over the counter sales here has always been strange. For a while, you couldn’t get it to go on Sunday, but you could drink in the clubs. Then Sunday sales became legal, which made it 24/7. Now you can’t buy between 1am and 8am in the Huntsville city limits. If I got off work after 1am, and really wanted beer, I’d have to drive out to Madison (15 minutes each way) to the WalMart, the only thing open that late that had beer. If I was lucky I could get Beck’s or Warsteiner.
I remember the Blue Laws in Louisiana back in the early 80s.
The Piggly Wiggy would be open on Sundays, but there would be a little string tied across certain aisles. 🙄
OMG, a misplaced comma and I’m only on my 3rd can of beer!
I hate Rick Scott and all the damn emails his campaign keeps sending.
Walt
Are you voting for Heather Beaven instead of Mica?
Thanks, HoR. Makes sense based on recollections of a long time ago, my last stop in Alabama. 43+years. Where the hell did they go?
I still like an occasional shot of Chivas Regal, though. Some things never seem to change!
Blue laws, yeah. I live in Missouri for a couple of years, left in early 1970. Every Sunday, the stores would shroud certain sets of shelves. I asked a clerk once what was that all about. “Blue laws.” “What are they,” I asked. She looked around and since no one else was within earshot, said, “Stupid crap.” I asked around after that and found out just how stupid. Breathtakingly stupid, they were. Had something to do with God not wanting you to do anything on Sunday. Like if you wanted to buy a needle and thread, it might mean you wanted to sew something. Prohibited on Sunday.
Shit did I hate living in MO! Used to use the old line, “I spent a couple of years there. One day.” True story.
When I was in grad school in Jacksonville, beer and liquor was not sold on Sundays. A rich undergraduate from down state hired me as a tutor. I went to his apartment one Sunday to help him and questioned him about the 15 empty pizza boxes piled up outside his door. He said he lived on pizza and asked me to stay for some. I asked if he had any beer.
He didn’t but said not to worry. When the pizza arrived the delivery man also brought a 12 pack of beer. He gave the driver a $20 tip.
My student was honest in saying with money you can get anything you want.
Las Vegas has the best liquor laws I’ve ever run across. Whatever you want, 24/7.
I mean, seriously, what’s the point of abbreviated hours? The bottle of whatever I might have in the closet I can drink as easily during church hours on Sunday morning or after 2AM weeknights as any other time. Seems rather silly to overlay sale hours onto the regular clock, esp. when they’re so basically meaningless anyway.
Frugal, I lived in Missouri in 1975. I was there five months, working as a machinist/die setter, when I has just turned 19. I had to drive over to the Kansas border for 3.2 Coors, because the legal age was 21 in Missouri.
43 years ago in Alabama was not so bad if you were white. At least the Dems won all the elections!
Oh lordy, my sister insists the “terror” was real. **banging head on desk**
I will not try to talk her out of it — I won’t!!
Zooey, is this the sister that will care for your Dad?
By the way, how is he doing? Still in hospital?
Ebb, yep. God made it all stop. Thank goodness.
Dad is out of the hospital, and will fly home on Sunday. Hopefully the flight will go well.
When I was a kid in Oregon (yes, I am very old) all stores were closed on Sunday, period.
Zooey, what “terror”?
gummitch, there was no “terror.”
Some stupid kid in ROTC walked across campus with his fake gun, a bus driver saw him, and they locked down for a couple hours. There was no threat whatsoever, but my sister insists on being terrorized.
pachydiplax, update flash from Adobe’s website. Also, make sure you are not running any 3d drivers and update your video drivers.
glamourdammerung
Thanks, will do when I’m not drinking! 🙂
I used to work on the waterfront. One night the 3rd mate from a ship that came in port once a week asked me to take him to a bar where he thought he could get some stamps for letters he had to mail. He bought us both a bottle of beer and a shot of Ouzo. The bar didn’t have the stamps and while I finished my beer the mate guzzled down a 2nd beer and another Ouzo. The bartender told us about another bar that did have stamps and I took the mate there. I had another beer and Ouzo and the mate had a double of both.
The next week when the ship came in the 3rd mate told me he was in trouble. He had put the letter and check for his wife into the wrong envelope. His wife got the letter intended for his girlfriend!
Karma loves Ouzo… 😉
I’m off to watch some Doctor Who so I can sleep tonight.
Goodnight, all!
pachy, the male gender just doesn’t seem to learn, very quickly, now do they?
The Chilean miner whose wife and mistress met under very strained circumstances – kind of like the wrong correspondence.
When I was at A&M, we carried real rifles, the firing pins were removed except for weekend war games where blanks were issued. One cadet had it out for a particular wedge (Regular Army officer), smuggled in a real round and fired close enough to unnerve the guy. They traced the rifle by checking on the rifling patterns. Result – ex Aggie, ex cadet and a wiser Corps.
Gracious, I’d forgotten all about the blue laws. My dad owned a Rexall drugstore in Richmond VA. Yep, we had to cover all the shelves with sheets on Sunday as we could only sell drugs, and I think maybe bread.
I might note that any student going to A&M becomes an Aggie ex or ex student on graduation – the implication being, once an Aggie, always an Aggie unless you tried something really stupid and expelled.
In Dallas, Texas in the 50’s, you would bring in a brown bag and buy mixers from the bar. If you were onto martinis or the like, you would rent the glass or buy the olives.
This is not a very good reproduction of the photo some of you may have seen in Newsweek, it’s all I could find. I just can’t quite get this picture out of my mind. People eat this stuff!
http://twitpic.com/2zdf5l
pachy,
Thats about six hoots and two hollers.
“mechanically separated meat”? Oooh boy – that conjures some awful things –
thanks for that OIMF –
Mechanically seperated meat is what you get after the good cuts, and the not so good cuts, are removed from the carcass. You hit what’s left with a high pressure water stream and blast the remaining little meat bits off. I don’t know what you do after that to make it look like Dairy Queen.
outstanding, after that description there must be a whole lot of “filling” artificial or could there actually be natural material left to bind?
I imagine it’s sort of like those fake extruded crab legs. Grind it real small, add filler, process to get a iniform consistency and force it through a machine to plop out nugget sized blobs. Most cat food looks more appetizing.
pachydiplax, also any sort of “driver cleaner” type software tends to hose Shockwave/Flash in general and especially on Chrome and Firefox. So worst case, just uninstall them and reinstall, the install Flash from Adobe’s site.