Unlimited Terms of Endearment, Star Date 4345.8
Part i. Flossing The Gums of Freedom
I hadn't planned this quite yet.
I had wanted to wait until the Black Mass they're holding in Washington D.C. was over. The "conservative movement" -- you know, the one that was on the wrong end of EVERY human rights issue of the XXth Century, from child labor to segregation to medicare and social security, to the right of collective bargaining (unions) and, most recently, torture in contravention of the Geneva Convention and the UN Charter -- THAT "conservative" movement, is holding its high Black Mass in Washington, D.C. this weekend (with the sacrifice of babies by invitation only).
Listen to this, from George Will's speech to that body: "The 1996 Welfare Reform Act is the greatest piece of legislation of the last 30 years. There isn't a state in the Union that does not have a substantial reduction, in some cases up to 90% reduction, of the welfare rolls...."
Gee, Bowtie George, what kind of heartless prick do you have to be to think THAT is the greatest accomplishment of Congress in the past 30 years? Even "conservatives" would be hard-pressed to toe THAT line.
What's goddamned sad is this: Listen to this blog excerpt from "Panzer Commander" -- a tween-to-teen blogger who's an "official" CPAC blogger. Here is his blog from February 28, 2007 (sic):
Go take a look at the kid "schmoozing" with the monsters of the Right. He reminds me of a white mouse in the pet shop cage with the boa constrictor: blindly oblivious to the fact that HE is 'what's for dinner.'
An astonishing list of astroturf operatives follows; 'from the mouths of babes ...' and all that stuff.
I hope he told George Will the story of his classmate. Will would undoubtedly kvell with warm satisfaction that "the greatest piece of legislation of the last 30 years" might have had a small hand in a Washington D.C. child's demise.
It's enough to give a "conservative" the warm fuzzies. And you wonder WHY I chose the "white mouse" simile?
I often wonder what it is that the bastards are "conserving" anyway? The right to own slaves? Drawing and quartering? The right to stick it to your fellow man six days a week, and then to publicly brag about how much money you're donating to the church on Sunday? (I seem to recall a New Testament verse on the subject, but my memory of the book fades in my senescence).
Part ii. Poisoned By The Fangs Of A Rich Fink
But, alas, too many synchronicities for one day, and I'm already sitting on too much information anyway.
A friend took me to lunch, and, as he sorted through his junk mail, there was an appeal from the "Institute for Justice."
Ahhh, quoth I, Clint Bolick's bunch. Do you know what they're up to in Arizona?
My friend admitted that he didn't.
Later, when I checked my mail about midnight, eerily enough, my friend Cap'n Crusty -- who served exactly the same function in my original investigation of the Howie Rich gang last summer -- wrote me:
It's important to note that the Good Cap'n had done EXACTLY the same thing last summer, when he wrote on my blog "Boregasm":
That's Alpha and Omega, almost.
Because of the 35 initiative campaigns that the three millionaires Howard Rich was fronting for ran, 34 lost.
But they won in Arizona. Which is where Clint Bolick is, not coincidentally.
So: When the Cap'n speaks, I listen. And today, FreedomWorks decided to mail him their next poisoned pen letter. (I presume I've been taken off ALL their mailing lists -- for obvious reasons. So keep those cards and letters coming in, folks!)
And this blog would like to tender a heartfelt "Thanks" and tip of the hat to the Cap'n and wish his crew, and, indeed, all passengers on the SS Bullpucky "godspeed."
Which brings us back to Clint Bolick, the Institute for Justice, the Initiative and Referendum Institute, FreedomWorks and, ultimately, the Brothers Koch.
Tomorrow, I'll tell you how they all begin to fit together.
Meantime, here's a partial list of "Howard Rich" related vendors at the CPAC 2007 (from their "exhibitors" page):
Rich's "group" from last time,
The Chicago office (virtually in toto) of ALG is now called
Their alleged backing cash, the Koch Brothers (now owners of the largest privately held corporation in the world, including, about a year ago, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, makers of Dixie Cups) will be represented by the Charles G. Koch Foundation.
The following exhibitors are all mixed up in it in various ways:
Oh, and take a look at this.
A: SAA is not affiliated with Mr. Rich, who remains the head of Americans for Limited Government. The Sam Adams Alliance shares no management or management decisions with ALG or its affiliates, but we do wish them the best in their future endeavors.
Q: But that's not what I read on a website...
A: Many "non partisan research" websites have a distinct agenda--many, for instance, are funded by left-wing maven George Soros--and they don't let the facts get in the way of their quest to defame groups they perceive as threatening. But, hey, it's kind of amusing to see the wacky things they cook up. Reader, beware.
[I guess they're referring to the Center for Public Integrity, and, unrecompensed, to ME. Still, beware my writing. It's been known to take down demagogues. - HW]
Breaking news: The FAQ has NOW been taken down, so get to the cache quick
And, there's the
"The Secret Life of Duncan Scott" (from my blog)
And, let's not forget:
See: FLP SPLIT! From The Libertarian Forum, V.9, No.4
[Note: others resigning at the same time were Andrea Millen [later Rich], Murray N. Rothbard, Walter Block, Jerry Tuccille, Ralph Raico, Howard Rich, Fran Youngstein and Gary Greenberg. - HW]
And so on and so forth.
I leave you with the weirdly prophetic words of the late Murray N. Rothbard, from that same issue, in an article entitled "COMBATING CONSERVATISM":
Heck, the Whole Sick Crew ought to be there - including Benny Profane and, perhaps, even Tyrone Slothrop.
Courage.
I hadn't planned this quite yet.
I had wanted to wait until the Black Mass they're holding in Washington D.C. was over. The "conservative movement" -- you know, the one that was on the wrong end of EVERY human rights issue of the XXth Century, from child labor to segregation to medicare and social security, to the right of collective bargaining (unions) and, most recently, torture in contravention of the Geneva Convention and the UN Charter -- THAT "conservative" movement, is holding its high Black Mass in Washington, D.C. this weekend (with the sacrifice of babies by invitation only).
Listen to this, from George Will's speech to that body: "The 1996 Welfare Reform Act is the greatest piece of legislation of the last 30 years. There isn't a state in the Union that does not have a substantial reduction, in some cases up to 90% reduction, of the welfare rolls...."
Gee, Bowtie George, what kind of heartless prick do you have to be to think THAT is the greatest accomplishment of Congress in the past 30 years? Even "conservatives" would be hard-pressed to toe THAT line.
What's goddamned sad is this: Listen to this blog excerpt from "Panzer Commander" -- a tween-to-teen blogger who's an "official" CPAC blogger. Here is his blog from February 28, 2007 (sic):
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Brush Your Teeth!
Brush Your Teeth!
When I was on the football team in PG- county, there was a kid who always complained about his mouthgaurd. We called him a baby and other bad names ( the other hoodlums often used profanity). He quit the football team a week or two after we started some real contact football. No one new why... until now. The Washington Post has the story:
Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.
A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him.
If his mother had been insured.
If his family had not lost its Medicaid.
If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find.
If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth.
By the time Deamonte's own aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, doctors said. After two operations and more than six weeks of hospital care, the Prince George's County boy died.
Deamonte's death and the ultimate cost of his care, which could total more than $250,000, underscore an often-overlooked concern in the debate over universal health coverage: dental care.
Some poor children have no dental coverage at all. Others travel three hours to find a dentist willing to take Medicaid patients and accept the incumbent paperwork. And some, including Deamonte's brother, get in for a tooth cleaning but have trouble securing an oral surgeon to fix deeper problems.
In spite of efforts to change the system, fewer than one in three children in Maryland's Medicaid program received any dental service at all in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The figures were worse elsewhere in the region. In the District, 29.3 percent got treatment, and in Virginia, 24.3 percent were treated, although all three jurisdictions say they have done a better job reaching children in recent years.
"I certainly hope the state agencies responsible for making sure these children have dental care take note so that Deamonte didn't die in vain," said Laurie Norris, a lawyer for the Baltimore-based Public Justice Center who tried to help the Driver family. "They know there is a problem, and they have not devoted adequate resources to solving it."
This is the first of 3 pages on how this poor kid died. I feel especially bad for him because I didn't see any sort of dad mentioned in this article. So when mom says " BRUSH YOUR TEETH" they mean it.
posted by panzer commander at 6:00 AM
1 Comments:
Mandy said...
Oh no! That's terrible! Yes, I think I'll go brush my teeth again. Brb
Go take a look at the kid "schmoozing" with the monsters of the Right. He reminds me of a white mouse in the pet shop cage with the boa constrictor: blindly oblivious to the fact that HE is 'what's for dinner.'
Panzer Commander does the C-pac 2007
This year's C-Pac is being held in the Omni-Shoreham in downtown Ballston. I met alot of people and collected alot of swag and candy. I took the business cards of all the people I met so I could email my adress (sic) to them. Here they are ...
An astonishing list of astroturf operatives follows; 'from the mouths of babes ...' and all that stuff.
I hope he told George Will the story of his classmate. Will would undoubtedly kvell with warm satisfaction that "the greatest piece of legislation of the last 30 years" might have had a small hand in a Washington D.C. child's demise.
It's enough to give a "conservative" the warm fuzzies. And you wonder WHY I chose the "white mouse" simile?
I often wonder what it is that the bastards are "conserving" anyway? The right to own slaves? Drawing and quartering? The right to stick it to your fellow man six days a week, and then to publicly brag about how much money you're donating to the church on Sunday? (I seem to recall a New Testament verse on the subject, but my memory of the book fades in my senescence).
Part ii. Poisoned By The Fangs Of A Rich Fink
But, alas, too many synchronicities for one day, and I'm already sitting on too much information anyway.
A friend took me to lunch, and, as he sorted through his junk mail, there was an appeal from the "Institute for Justice."
Ahhh, quoth I, Clint Bolick's bunch. Do you know what they're up to in Arizona?
My friend admitted that he didn't.
Later, when I checked my mail about midnight, eerily enough, my friend Cap'n Crusty -- who served exactly the same function in my original investigation of the Howie Rich gang last summer -- wrote me:
Yesterday, there was a phone message waiting for me, from [unintelligible female voice], whom went on to prattle something about **** voting "to increase our taxes!" Gasp!
Well, I have little use for ****, but even less for unsolicited phone calls. So, it was "delete" for Ms UFV.
Today, I got a postcard saying essentially the same thing, but this time, I had a group name, with a return address: FreedomWorks, allegedly out of Salem, but...I looked just a bit further, and found this: http://www.freedomworks.org/. A national organization, led by none other than "The Honorable [sic] Dick Armey" (apparently, there are two Dick Armeys).
Seem familiar?
Ye Cap'n
PS: One of the staff ( Rob Jordan, Vice President, Federal and State Campaigns) worked for Mark Foley. Proudly, I imagine. Unashamedly, at least.
It's important to note that the Good Cap'n had done EXACTLY the same thing last summer, when he wrote on my blog "Boregasm":
Cap'n Crusty said...Interesting follow-up. The "drip-dick from Bend" was recruited by the Howie Rich gang, and LEFT THE STATE before the election, selling his Bend home, purchased for $500,000 a couple years ago, to Oregon politician Charlie Ringo (no, seriously, that's his name) for $750,000:
Anybody been getting those damn term-limit petitions in the mail? I got my second one in as many weeks. I don't know where these wads got my address, but the last thing I need is some right-wing drip-dick from Bend telling me whom I can and can't vote for.
Term Limits Figurehead Leaves Oregon
Posted by Scott Moore at 01:31 PM
Innnnnteresting bit of news: Theodore Berthelote, the retired Bend dentist who was recruited to be the chief petitioner for the ballot measure that would bring term limits back to the state legislature, has moved out of Oregon. He's now living in New Mexico for medical reasons, but says he plans to move back to Oregon once his health has returned.
Berthelote hasn't had a whole lot to do with the campaign - he's been something of a figurehead, especially now. 'I've taken a total backseat now that it's qualified for the ballot,' he said. My job was to get the signatures.'
Get the signatures? You mean these ones?
At any rate, he's expecting his absentee ballot in the mail, so he'll still be able to vote for the campaign to which he attached his name.
Oh, and get this: He sold his house in Bend to State Sen. Charlie Ringo, the Democrat from Beaverton who announced last January that he wouldn't seek re-election this year in order to spend more time with his family. (Brad Avakian won the primary in his bid to take over Ringo's seat.) Real estate, as they say, makes for strange bedfellows.
That's Alpha and Omega, almost.
Because of the 35 initiative campaigns that the three millionaires Howard Rich was fronting for ran, 34 lost.
But they won in Arizona. Which is where Clint Bolick is, not coincidentally.
So: When the Cap'n speaks, I listen. And today, FreedomWorks decided to mail him their next poisoned pen letter. (I presume I've been taken off ALL their mailing lists -- for obvious reasons. So keep those cards and letters coming in, folks!)
And this blog would like to tender a heartfelt "Thanks" and tip of the hat to the Cap'n and wish his crew, and, indeed, all passengers on the SS Bullpucky "godspeed."
Which brings us back to Clint Bolick, the Institute for Justice, the Initiative and Referendum Institute, FreedomWorks and, ultimately, the Brothers Koch.
Tomorrow, I'll tell you how they all begin to fit together.
Meantime, here's a partial list of "Howard Rich" related vendors at the CPAC 2007 (from their "exhibitors" page):
Rich's "group" from last time,
- Americans for Limited Government
has a table in the exhibitors' hall.
The "Panzer Commander" kid's blog above lists one of his business cards as from:
"Ray Wotring, the VP of Coalitions at Americans for Limited Government. www.getliberty.org"
The Chicago office (virtually in toto) of ALG is now called
- The Sam Adams Alliance
and also has a table. Their communications director may still be Heather Wilhelm, formerly ALG's communications director. This is their big rollout.
Their alleged backing cash, the Koch Brothers (now owners of the largest privately held corporation in the world, including, about a year ago, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, makers of Dixie Cups) will be represented by the Charles G. Koch Foundation.
The following exhibitors are all mixed up in it in various ways:
- Political Media, Inc.
Their media agent, webpage designer, and creator of the infamous "Sopranos" political ad last season. See "This House is MY Home" in Idaho was an example of their work for Howie ... but now it's REFERRED back to "Americans for Limited Government." Try it yourself, for fun: http://www.thishouseismyhome.com/
Oh, and take a look at this.
- The Sam Adams Alliance
whose FAQ notes:
A: SAA is not affiliated with Mr. Rich, who remains the head of Americans for Limited Government. The Sam Adams Alliance shares no management or management decisions with ALG or its affiliates, but we do wish them the best in their future endeavors.
Q: But that's not what I read on a website...
A: Many "non partisan research" websites have a distinct agenda--many, for instance, are funded by left-wing maven George Soros--and they don't let the facts get in the way of their quest to defame groups they perceive as threatening. But, hey, it's kind of amusing to see the wacky things they cook up. Reader, beware.
[I guess they're referring to the Center for Public Integrity, and, unrecompensed, to ME. Still, beware my writing. It's been known to take down demagogues. - HW]
Breaking news: The FAQ has NOW been taken down, so get to the cache quick
- Americans for Limited Government
Try http://www.thishouseismyhome.com/
- Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation
Richard A. Fink, President
- Americans for Tax Reform
Grover Norquist's spin off of the ...
- National Taxpayers Union
And, there's the
- National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation
notable for running bogus PSAs at stations around the country - one was on KOPT-AM AirAmerica Radio down here in Eugene before the listeners howled about the freebie "stealth" attack on Unions), on whose board Duncan Scott sits -- Scott of Kalispell, Montana, who disbursed millions of "America At Its Best" dollars from his law office to Nebraska, Missouri, California, and lord-knows-where-else. ("All contributions to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation are tax deductible.")
"The Secret Life of Duncan Scott" (from my blog)
And, let's not forget:
- Leadership Institute (The)
Where they send people to learn to yell on Fox TV)
See "this house is my home"s Laird Maxwell on TLI
- Libertarian National Committee
See: FLP SPLIT! From The Libertarian Forum, V.9, No.4
LETTER OF RESIGNATION
by Roy A. Childs, Jr.
April 1976
... Although there are in this city several brilliant and eloquent libertarian feminists, there has been no renewed response to the renewed push by the so-called "pro-life" lobby to impose a theocracy on the people of United States, through their campaign against legalized abortion. What this campaign amounts to is nothing less than the attempt to impose the peculiar moral tenets of the Roman Catholic Church on the people of America. But there has been no outcry, no opposition, from the F[ree] L[ibertarian] P[arty]....
[Note: others resigning at the same time were Andrea Millen [later Rich], Murray N. Rothbard, Walter Block, Jerry Tuccille, Ralph Raico, Howard Rich, Fran Youngstein and Gary Greenberg. - HW]
And so on and so forth.
I leave you with the weirdly prophetic words of the late Murray N. Rothbard, from that same issue, in an article entitled "COMBATING CONSERVATISM":
We [Libertarians] are the "extreme" (read consistent) heirs, not of the Conservatives, but of their ancient enemies, the Classical Liberals. Classical Liberalism, with its devotion to individual liberty and a peaceful foreign policy, found itself from the beginning at the polar opposite from Conservatism, and this polarity continues today. Then as now. Conservatism has stood for Big Government and statism across the board; for militarism and repression of civil liberties at home, and for interventionism, imperialism and a warlike foreign policy abroad; for a reverence for the State and its Leader (whether King or President or some other Fuhrer); and for a theocratically imposed "morality" in which the State imposes a religiously conceived behavior on its subjects. Libertarianism, as the heir of classical liberalism, stands, on the contrary, for individual liberty and the absence of government intervention at home or abroad. Our reverence is for the peaceful individual and our hostility goes out to the State apparatus. We hold religion and morality to be strictly the private concerns of each individual.
Contemporary Conservatism is very much in the mold of our long-standing Enemy. It still advocates militarism and imperialism, it still believes in a State-coerced morality, it still reverences the State and its Leader, it still represses dissent.... [emphasis added - HW]
Heck, the Whole Sick Crew ought to be there - including Benny Profane and, perhaps, even Tyrone Slothrop.
Courage.
posted by ed waldo | 3:40 AM
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