October 28, 2011 6:30 AM

A few random thoughts on a Friday morning

World Becoming Less Violent: Despite Global Conflict, Statistics Show Violence In Steady Decline. How one reacts to this news has a good deal to do with their historical perspective, and it’s your basic good news/bad news conundrum.

Yes, as a species we are killing each other at a slower pace. Thankfully, our interconnectedness makes wholesale crusades, pogroms, and genocide far more difficult that it was in, say, the 15th century. That’s the good news. The bad news, of course, is that we’re still actively engaged in extinguishing our fellow human beings. We may be “less violent”, but we’re by no means “non-violent.” So, before we go patting ourselves on the back for a job well done, think about Darfur…or Syria…or Libya…or Yemen…or Iran. Need I go on?

The Class War Has Begun. No, it’s not June, 1932, but if you believe that history is circular (and I do), than today has the Depression-era smell of fear, desperation, and anger. Of course, we’re far more fortunate now than my great-grandparents’ generation, but I wonder how many of us in years to come will be telling “recession stories” to our children and grandchildren as people from my great-grandparents’ generation did to me?

While the gap in income between the “haves” and the “have nots” continues to (alarmingly) widen, those of us who resent trickle-up economics as being the natural order of things are being seen by those at the top of the heap as “Marxists”, “Socialists”, or “Communists.” Even worse, a good chunk of the Mainstream Media is peddling this propaganda…which makes sense, I suppose, because most media outlets are owned by rich White (and Conservative) males with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

It’s been said that history is written by the victors. I can’t help but wonder if those who prevail will be the 1% who can buy their way to victory, or the 99% who will leverage their moral force, sheer numbers, and righteous anger into a more fair and just system. Greetings from Hooverville, eh? Stay tuned….

Tennessee Hotel Cancels Contract With Major Anti-Muslim Conference. It’s good to know that there are still businesses willing to do the right thing and say “NO!” to the Right-wing Muslim hate industry- and it is an industry. There are those, like Pamela Geller and Frank Gaffney, who’ve made a name, a career, and a bankroll out of spreading and fomenting hatred of any and all things Muslim.

The Right’s Failed Protest Smear. You have to know that Conservatives really are running scared when they’re having to invent canards to attack the Occupy Wall Street movement. When you have no cogent, coherent argument of your own, I suppose all you have left is to make stuff up.

Paul Ryan Is Wrong: Talking About Income Inequality Isn’t Dividing America, Actual Income Inequality Is. Not talking about the 800-lb. gorilla in the room does nothing to make that gorilla disappear. Refusing to discuss income equality only increases the likelihood that things will get out of hand. Then again, Republicans depend on the income equality to support their thirst for political power.

GOP Rep. Gibson Celebrates Solar Energy Initiative, Doesn’t Acknowledge Funds From Obama Programs. It seems that most Congressional Republicans would sooner bugger a goat than do ANYTHING that could possibly be construed as even obliquely crediting President Obama for something positive. I don’t think it’s really a stretch to say that most Republican Congresscritters would watch America burn before they’d do anything that could be construed as a victory for the President. So much for “Country First”….

Bush Had Generated More Regulations At This Point In His Presidency Than Obama. When a Republican President does it, it’s “sound, prudent leadership” and “protecting the public interest.” When an African-American Democratic President does it, it’s “Big Government run amok” or the “Failed leadership of a clueless and desperate President.”

Talking about the hypocrisy of the GOP would hardly be breaking new ground, but it’s like they’ve stopped even trying to camouflage their self-interested agenda, duplicity, and double standards. Time was when politicians, even in Congress, could be brought together to act on behalf of what was best for America. Now, partisan acrimony and Right-wing obstructionism is so deeply-entrenched that most Republicans wouldn’t dream of compromising with Democrats- especially President Obama. Even if they wanted to, they know that any compromise would be twisted and propagandized, and used against them by their political enemies in a re-election bid. Compromise = death. This is where GOP leadership has brought us.

AFTER REFUSING TO TAKE A POSITION ON OHIO’S ANTI-LABOR LAW, ROMNEY IS NOW ‘110 PERCENT’ BEHIND IT. In 2008, we had Sen. John McCain (R-Clouduckooland), who made it clear that he would do and/or say ANYTHING, no matter how outrageous, duplicitous, or just plain dishonest to win the Presidency. Now we have Mitt Romney, who clearly seems to be following in McCain’s footsteps. Romney, who’s lusted after the Presidency for so long that his clock radio alarm wakes him to “Hail to the Chief”, has no real convictions- other than doing or saying whatever it takes to win.

Romney, who seems to be wiling to raise flip-flopping to new eights, seems to be running with a raised damp fingertip in order to gauge the wind direction. Rather than draw a line in the sand and state clearly and without equivocation, “THIS is what I stand for”, Romney has made it clear that he stands for everything. And nothing. It’s all and ONLY about winning the White House; Romney will tailor his message to his audience in order to win their support. If he has to retool and revise that message in order to sell another audience on his candidacy, so be it.

A very wise man once told me that if you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything. Mitt Romney could benefit by taking those words to heart…but then that’s not who he is. Mitt Romney stands for nothing, because he’s too busy trying to be all things to all people.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on October 28, 2011 6:30 AM.

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