Americans Need to Know Why This House is Important?

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - I wish I could stop writing about Bush altogether, but it appears that he keeps doing things that deserve a response from WE THE PEOPLE! This time it's about respect, or the lack of it.

Generally historians credit the Clinton/Bush transition in 2001 as being relatively smooth, especially when you consider the bad blood. The Clintons were extremely cooperative at the time, despite the bitter impeachment battle and multiple other Republican attacks. It is true there was some damage by employees, but like any office move, few transitions end without some damage.

Today's transition seemed to be going relatively smoothly, except for one very important new development: BLAIR HOUSE! The Bush family, above most others, knows that Blair House - across from the White House - is ALWAYS RESERVED for the incoming first family.

IT IS THE RESIDENCE OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT at the time of transition. Unfortunately, it isn't this year, during this transition. The Bush family has decided to slap the Obamas in the face, forcing them to check into a hotel.

I'm sorry, the corporate media may be ignoring it, but I need to point out just how RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL the Bush family is for denying the residence. It is outrageous! The Obamas arrive in Washington this weekend and are forced to book into a hotel because the Bush Administration said the "official residence was full." OUTRAGEOUS!

For those who think I'm overreacting and think there are more important things to focus on, I would like to say that I agree with you. HOWEVER, this is IMPORTANT too. The inaugural celebrations are designed to turn a candidate into a president, and they were created as a process, and the incoming first family's residence is an important part of that process.

We might not be hearing much about it, but in Washington circles the Bush Administration has effectively thrown the new first family on the street. A hotel does not show them much respect, not to mention it offers little protection during celebrations where security risks are everywhere. They at least should have offered the Lincoln bedroom.

The President-elect traditionally prepares for the inauguration and the transition while staying at Blair House. It is the OFFICIAL government mansion, second to the White House and RESERVED for heads-of-state and incoming first families.

Obama was told to look elsewhere because the building was booked up for farewell parties and events to mark the end of the Bush administration. I must admit, it gets me VERY angry. I doubt the Obamas can do anything, but I wish they could.

I think it's important for us - or the PRESS - to find out WHO is staying at Blair House during the time the Obamas require the residence. We should CALL THEM OUT and SHAME THEM for staying, knowing the president-elect and his family need the residence.

Again, for those unconcerned, it's also worthwhile pointing out that Blair House is considered a safety zone by the Secret Service. This is a very serious breach of protocol that proves once again the lack of respect Bush has for the American people, the inaugural process, and the safety of the next president.

Wow, I'm getting tired of slamming the OFFENSIVE MORONS now living in the White House. I need Obama to take office so I can begin to focus on more important issues. Despite my misgivings, I still think it's important to document the lawbreaking, worldwide destruction, and basic lack of respect shown by the Bush Administration. They continue to offend the American people and the world, and we will ALL rejoice when they are gone.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Politics and 2008

The year 2008 was all about change no matter how you look at it politically. We started the year off wondering how to gas up our cars and looking at green energy with a new perspective and ended up with gas at more than half the price. I mention gasoline because the political world revolves around energy and energy is money and the politics of it all comes down to the almighty dollar. About eight or nine months ago I predicted the crash of oil prices here on this site just prior to George W Bush leaving office and oops… I was right. The scary thing to think about is that Bush could have gone down in history as the defender of America against terrorism but he succumbed to political pressure of the have too much and want more of too much. While he may have kept our nation safe from terrorist attacks he will be remembered as the President that let Wall Street kill Main Street. Then Elm Street, then Oak Street, then South and West Main Street and the list goes on.

Then we had the meltdown of politicians mostly from the right side of the aisle that seemed to exit stage right in disgrace and you can check the list at Republican Offenders website. Speaker of the House resigned, Senate President resigned, and a slew of congressmen and senators left because the picking were not looking so good with the Justice Department fast on their heals.

Out of almost nowhere comes this Senator from Illinois that speaks from his heart, talks common sense, and his mission is change. It doesn’t matter to the voters what his nationality is, his background and experience is or even if he smokes. He churns up the young people of America to get involved in politics and they do so for the first time in many generations. Much like FDR he promises hope, change, and a new beginning and it sold well at the polls. It wasn’t an easy win for Barack Obama but he did it with the help of many people that thought their voice should be heard too.

Anywho… I found this video for ya on politics and 2008 that I thought you might enjoy from You Tube…

Video Link




2009 should be interesting to say the least. We can look forward to many changes courtesy of the exiting President and insisted on by the new President. How it will all work out is anyone’s guess but I’m leaning to the positive side of life.

I filled the wife’s mini van from a quarter tank of gas for just under $22 today and just a couple of months ago it cost me over $60. I like that kind of change so far and Obama has not even been sworn in yet. How much more change are we going to be able to keep in our pockets once he is sworn in?

Papamoka

KKK for RNC Chairman

Is the Republican party nuts or is it just me? Chip Saltsman sent out a CD with a very racist song concerning our next President and Republicans are actually now making excuses for this whack job. The song on the CD parodying Puff the Magic dragon with Barack the Magic Negro is more or less putting the KKK on the front line of the RNC and they seem to think it is all okay to do. Even Rush Limbaugh is cool with it because he thinks its comedy. Rush has even gone so far to throw up a link to the song on his site??? How about making a song about Rush the Pill Popping Junkie? Is that okay?

How far is the RNC willing to go to place itself as an extremist political party more in line with the politics of 1930’s Germany? Politico has this to say on the excuses spouting from the Republican’s in office on behalf of the racist scumbag Saltsman…

'Magic Negro' flap might help Saltsman
By ANDY BARR 12/30/08 4:31 AM EST

The controversy surrounding a comedy CD distributed by Republican National Committee chairman candidate Chip Saltsman has not torpedoed his bid and might have inadvertently helped it.

Four days after news broke that the former Tennessee GOP chairman had sent a CD including a song titled “Barack the Magic Negro” to the RNC members he is courting, some of those officials are rallying around the embattled Saltsman, with a few questioning whether the national media and his opponents are piling on.

“When I heard about the story, I had to figure out what was going on for myself,” said Mark Ellis, the chairman of the Maine Republican Party. “When I found out what this was about I had to ask, ‘Boy, what’s the big deal here?’ because there wasn’t any.”

Alabama Republican Committeeman Paul Reynolds said the fact the Saltsman sent him a CD with the song on it “didn’t bother me one bit.”

“Chip probably could have thought it through a bit more, but he was doing everyone a favor by giving us a gift,” he said. “This is just people looking for something to make an issue of.”

“I don’t think he intended it as any kind of racial slur. I think he intended it as a humor gift,” Oklahoma GOP Committeewoman Carolyn McClarty added. “I think it was innocently done by Chip.” - Politico

I’m sorry but I think racism at any level against anyone is simply disgusting and I can not look at it, listen to it, or even put up with it. This clown from Tennessee thinks its funny to use the word Negro when describing our next President and I find it EXTREMELY offensive. If you have to stoop that low to gain the power of your political party then you don’t have a clue as to what politics is truly all about. Let me explain… If I were of African American decent, and I happened to be in the House or the Senate or for that matter in the White House, I would never give this son of a biscuit eater the time of day. Matter of fact, one does not have to be of African American descent to do this. All of the Congress should participate in this. Additionally, I would lobby every other member of my respective house of government to ostracize Saltsman and every single bill he tried to get passed. Then I would work with his states political process to unseat him in the very next election even if I had to campaign every single available free moment. That is how you deal with morons that think it is okay to call my President, Barack Obama, a negro.

I’m a firm believer that we all must stand up against racism and now that fight goes on to defending our President’s heritage simply because of the color of his skin. Not one of the people in the Politco post would stand face to face with any black man and call him a negro but it is okay if Chip Saltsman does? This is bull and they are lying to themselves.

Just when we thought change in the American consciousness of race has happened we get idiots that remind us all that we have to keep pounding back at ignorance. Thus I end this post with screw you Saltsman you racist puke bag moron! I’ve got ten dollars to bet that you wouldn’t have the guts to call President Obama a negro to his face because you might just get punched out by a Jew, a Mick, a Whop, a Polack, a Ruskie, a Gook, a Fag, a Lesbo, a Spic, a Wet Back, a Canuck, a Chink, and a (insert your nationality hear) ______.

Papamoka

Bush's Final Days of Inaction, Meltdown and Destruction

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - We don't have much time left when it comes to the embarrassing debacle that is the Bush Administration, but almost as if to tweak us even more before leaving office, the so-called President has decided to pretty much ignore a new middle eastern war in favor of cutting brush at his Crawford Ranch. It seems there's no end to the joke that is George W. Bush.

My position is simple, I do believe that Israel has a right to defend itself, and the Gaza attacks were probably necessary, but I also feel that excessive force is unwarranted. That's what seems to be unfolding now. The danger of a wider, regional conflict is VERY serious, and now I'm terrified by what is unfolding in the Gaza Strip.

People, WE could be drawn into a larger conflict. That is something that we CANNOT AFFORD right now. The US has to get involved to calm the situation NOW! Instead, Bush refuses to leave his vacation, and Rice hasn't left her Washington office. They don't seem to be doing anything!

To give us some perspective, this is the very same President, the one who claims to honor his promises to the American people with a seriousness only Republicans can understand, who pledged to resolve the Middle East peace process from Annapolis just 13 months ago. Well, the White House quietly dismissed that promise last month. Now it's taken that breakdown one step further by IGNORING the Middle East all together.

George W. Bush, the narcissistic fool, who Republicans continue to defend for psychotic reasons few others understand, REFUSES to leave his final vacation to try and mitigate the disaster unfolding before our eyes. Just like Katrina, the man's inaction and incompetence will worsen a serious situation that might have been helped under normal leadership. It's almost as if he dares us to despise him even more.

We're facing the possibility of a larger WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST. What is Bush doing? He has ABANDONED HIS POST, LEFT THE SINKING SHIP, and FLED THE FIELD OF BATTLE. Much like during Katrina, his desertion is leading to more death, more destruction. The Republican leadership should be demanding more action NOW to prevent increased cross-border conflict! Instead, they continue to defend him. Again, we must endure the bizarro world of the far right.

Again and again, the American people are left to wonder how we got into this nightmare. Once more, we are forced to watch our leaders DO NOTHING. Oh well, I guess if the war spreads, and the Middle East and other parts of the world IGNITE in conflict, then at least George W. Bush and his supporters will be far away from the action. That's justice for you, and more of the same if you ask me.

George W. Bush, you are either EVIL or inept, incompetent, and inadequate to do the job. You have been one or the other for a long time now. Like any soldier who is incapacitated, mentally like you or physically like most, you should be removed immediately! Unfortunately, we have to endure you for another 20+ days. But when that time comes, GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH has never been more relevant. Oh yes, and God help the people of the Middle East, and the world.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

U.S. to Collapse in 2010

Psst… According to a high ranking former KGB operative, all of our mailing addresses in the United States of America are going to change in 2010. Proffesor Igor Panarin of Moscow is predicting the U.S. Government will collapse and the states will be divied up like economic war prizes. Alaska is going to revert back to Russian control…ROFLMAO! Did anyone ask the US oil companies about that possibility...LOL? All the fashionistas of California and west coast will have to don state approved clothing only and swear allegiance to China. All of you in Texas will now face south to Mexico to salute your new capital. (I'm going to pee my pants laughing) All of you in the midwest will have to learn how to speak Canadian and end all of your sentences with “Aye?” As for all of us in the northeast and southeast down to South Carolina, we get to finally be French, German, Dutch, English, or Spanish and join the European Union. I do hope we don't have to learn all of their languages because the English language is supposed to be the hardest.

Over at the Wall Street Journal they have this to say on it…

DECEMBER 29, 2008, 1:54 P.M. ET
As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.
In Moscow, Igor Panarin's Forecasts Are All the Rage; America 'Disintegrates' in 2010

By ANDREW OSBORN

MOSCOW -- For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. For most of that time, he admits, few took his argument -- that an economic and moral collapse will trigger a civil war and the eventual breakup of the U.S. -- very seriously. Now he's found an eager audience: Russian state media.

In recent weeks, he's been interviewed as much as twice a day about his predictions. "It's a record," says Prof. Panarin. "But I think the attention is going to grow even stronger."

Prof. Panarin, 50 years old, is not a fringe figure. A former KGB analyst, he is dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats. He is invited to Kremlin receptions, lectures students, publishes books, and appears in the media as an expert on U.S.-Russia relations. – Wall Street Journal

Getting into the meat and potatoes of the article I quickly realized that Professor Panarin is on crack cocaine. Just for the sake of argument, the guy has no clue as to what America is all about. He has no clue that we are a migrant society among our states. Most of my own family is in Florida while I freeze my butt off up in New England. And yes my brothers do call when the temperatures are ten degrees up hear and they call from the outdoor patio.

Then we have to consider that American Patriotism thingy. Red state, Blue state, it all comes down to the fact that we are all purple. We are all the offspring of the purple people eater and we all wave the same red, white, and blue flag. So I dare to say that if Professor Igor Panarin is not on crack then he has tipped the old vodka bottle one too many times.

Just to be on the safe side I will be calling Governor Deval Patrick of MA to plead the case that Massachusetts is to be taken over by the Bahamas. I so want to call my brothers in Florida and give them an in your face call. It can be ten degrees outside but my mailing address is the freaking Bahammas!

Papamoka

Other folks talking about this issue...

To the Center

Blogging for Michigan

World Vue Letter has a video!!!

Did You Know that Hoover was a Great President?

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - Well, the holidays are over - thank God - and now we begin to focus on the inauguration and the upcoming storm of activity by the new Obama Administration. Something tells me that's it's going to be a fascinating year of analyses, praise and criticism.

Before we get to the more practical matters of turning the Bush DEPRESSION into a RECESSION, I would like to comment on the state of the far right, or what some might call their EXTREME DENIAL and lack of support for change. There are many reports, and lots of FOX "News" coverage, about how Obama will be making a mistake if he tries to be "too extreme" in his policies.

They do credit him with appointing a "moderate" team so far, but they won't stop criticizing him for plans to push FDR-like programs. You know, health care reform and stuff that WE AMERICANS voted him into office to fix.

They also won't stop repeating their BS about HOW he was elected. Did you know that he was elected due to "white guilt" and a strange and "irrational" hatred of George Bush, and not for his policies or "socialistic" ideas? I know, it's news to me too. It seems they feel the American people really didn't vote for change. I know, I know, WEIRD!

Wow, it would appear the Republican far right has gone past denial into some sort of alternative universe. A good example of their extreme thinking erupted this Christmas with the release of a new CD by a leading contender to become chairman of the Republican Party, Chip Saltsman, featuring a parody song called Barack the Magic Negro. It's repulsive, but many of them think it's hilarious. I think it serves as a great port-hole into that other universe.

I'm proud to say that many leading Republicans were horrified after he distributed the CD, but I'm less proud to report that a reasonable survey of right-wing websites and news organizations show comments very supportive of the parody. Rush Limbaugh LOVES it. It would appear that far right Republicans seem to have trouble distinguishing between good parody and racism.

The Republican party needs to recover from HEAVY electoral defeats over the past two years, and it won't survive unless it reaches out to younger and ethnically diverse voters. So, what is their method of recruiting such voters? To release a parody mocking Barack Obama's ethnicity and skin color. Sung to the tune of Puff the Magic Dragon (also a parody), the lyrics have left most intelligent Republicans cringing.

Chip Saltsman, a former leader of Tennessee Republicans, who is seeking to take over the party's national committee, sent the CD to party members as a Christmas gift. But unlike him, few found it funny. Let's hope that Chip finds a new career, better suited to his talents. How about sewer worker, or Tennessee Klan leader?

Anyway, that CD is only one example. Others include the fact that Sarah Palin has been named "conservative of the year" by more far right Republican organizations than you can count. Just do a search, and you'll find there are too many to name here. You don't even hear John McCain being mentioned anymore.

It's all about her these days. The woman is an IGNORANT fool with little education and a love of killing things, and they love her. She knows NOTHING about the world, or the economy, and they LOVE her? What the hell is wrong with them? Did you know that her 2009 calender is a top seller on Amazon? Okay, I admit it, they scare the hell out of me.

I'm also very disturbed by the right's denial about America's new faith in Obama. They seem to think it's a media construct. They also keep saying they would have won the election if they had been "tougher," and "stuck to their conservative principles more." What the hell is wrong with the far right? They LOST because of that conservative hard-headedness. Most of America wants to come together, they want GOVERNMENT TO HELP THEM, and they refuse to see it.

I know I shouldn't care, because it is their funeral, but I still want to understand them. Why do they keep hitting their heads against brick walls? Why do they keep thinking that the majority of Americans want a Sarah Palin? Where are the polls that make them believe that BS? I don't get it. It's like 30% or more of the country is either retarded or mentally unstable, capable of believing whatever BS they want to.

Oh well, I'll have to let it go. Let's just watch them bash, crash and burn. The majority of us will move on to fix the problems they created. They will do what they do. Just like the Republicans who praised Hoover for years after he left office, claiming that the roaring twenties were the best years of America, the far right will continue to sing the praises of Bush and claim that Obama does not represent the true America.

The Bush Legacy Project will continue to spin, lie, and tell tall tales to small groups of Republicans who want to hear their version of history, because they don't want to face the truth about what really happened. Did you know Hoover was a great president? They say history will vindicate them, but we all know it won't. The rest of us can't afford to wait for them; we have to get to work fixing things.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Time Off or Time Well Spent

This is going to be the year that we can all finish the projects around the house. Some people call it the “Honey Do” list, while others just call it “The Dreaded List”. The items on the lists are the same all over the world and the list never seems to end. Fix the stairs, fix the sticky closet door, replace the leaky faucet, patch the roof, and on it goes. By law every time two items are taken of the list, top secret government agents sneak into your home at night and covertly add three more items to the list.

Finally, we have a solution to this problem. If there isn’t enough time to finish your project list then we will just add the time to the clock. 2008 is the year that you will have the time to finish them all and you can no longer use the excuse that you did not have the time.

Over at Reuters they have this to say on it…

Tick tock ... tick - Extra second added to 2008
Sun Dec 28, 2008 8:21am EST

By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Those eager to put 2008 behind them will have to hold their good-byes for just a moment this New Year's Eve.

The world's official timekeepers have added a "leap second" to the last day of the year on Wednesday, to help match clocks to the Earth's slowing spin on its axis, which takes place at ever-changing rates affected by tides and other factors.

The U.S. Naval Observatory, keeper of the Pentagon's master clock, said it would add the extra second on Wednesday in coordination with the world's atomic clocks at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC. - Reuters

Great, now I have to go around the house and adjust all the damn clocks. I could swear that I just did that for Daylight Savings a couple of weeks ago. Then again, on Wednesday I could just go to bed early and promise that in 2009 the Honey Do and or Dreaded Lists will get tackled and accomplished. Ya, that’s it, that’s the story I’m going with.

Papamoka

Viagra Winning Afghanistan War

Believe it or not, the way to a mans heart has been surpassed with great food for his stomach. Go a few more inches south on the human male anatomy and add a magic little blue pill. Apparently, the logic goes that if you make an Afghan Chieftain happy in one of his many bedrooms, then you get more information than you can handle. Finally, America has a comparative drug to the poppy fields of Afghanistan but ours is legal all around the world and makes older men very, very, very happy.

Check out what the CIA has been doing in Afghanistan according to the Washington Post…

Little Blue Pills Among the Ways CIA Wins Friends in Afghanistan

By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 26, 2008; Page A01

The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.

Four blue pills. Viagra.

"Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.
The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills.

For U.S. intelligence officials, this is how some crucial battles in Afghanistan are fought and won. While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taliban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country's roughest neighborhoods, according to officials directly involved in such operations. - Washington Post

So we have heroine addicts from poppy fields in Afghanistan and now we are finally exporting Viagra back to the people growing the crops that poison and kill our people. This isn’t a fair exchange when you really think about it. One drug is addictive to the point of death and the other just puts a smile on two peoples faces.

I’m thinking that in the next few years there is going to be a baby boom in Afghanistan because of the magic little blue pill courtesy of the CIA drug lords. By all accounts are we or are we not growing future terrorists by default? This RAISES more than one issue. While the CIA is passing out happy little blue pills it is also INCREASING the chances for misinformation. Addicts to the little blue pill will say and do anything for a fix. Eventually, their wives will say and do anything for a day or weeks supply of little blue pills.

Then again, if the older daddy’s in Afghanistan are always smiling and happy then maybe the kids will not grow up in a world full of negatives where they have to join organizations like the Taliban. Screw it, pass out the little blue pills all over the country, carpet bomb them with the little suckers. Gives a whole new meaning to the sixties call to arms of “Make Love Not War” doesn’t it?

All I have to say about this issue is that Afghanistan will look kindly on America as long as the supply keeps up with demand. I think America has finally stumbled on the ultimate weapon of war. I can actually picture super tanker bomber airplanes being built to seed problem areas of the world with pretty little blue pills. I also wonder if the next mega export to Afghanistan will be hearing aids for the men after years of abusing this drug? Hearing loss verse happy potential terrorist men is a give and take though. Then again, this could be good for the economy here at home with the CIA buying Viagra by the ton?

My thanks to Memeorandum for the tip…

Papamoka

Happy Boxing Day? More Like Joyous Yuletide!

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - I hope you all had a great Christmas. I know I did. It was strange not going home to visit my wonderful family, but I decided I wanted to try to create new holiday customs, and I did.

Christmas Eve was spent with cousins in Laguna Beach, which was fantastic and fun despite a need to channel my inner dog whisperer and an inordinate amount of teenage angst and texting, while Christmas Day was spent with good friends here at home, and a potluck brunch that turned out to be pretty fantastic. Overall, I would say that my effort at forming new traditions was met with pretty good success.

So, this post is about the holiday traditions at this time of the year. How did they start? Did they begin with Jesus? Interestingly, no.

Let's begin with today's celebration. It's the day after, what they call Boxing Day in the lands with the quirky accents - it's a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. For trivia sake, in South Africa it's known as the Day of Goodwill.

Boxing Day is a noble holiday based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society. Unfortunately, the majority of people now look at it as a "shopping holiday" associated with after-Christmas sales. Therefore, it's very much akin to Black Friday here in America after Thanksgiving.

I find Boxing Day fascinating because it's all part of the wonderful world of weird traditions that came together to form our modern Christmas, or holiday celebrations. Even though I focus on Jesus, which I believe should be the focus, Christmas is actually an incredible amalgamation of cultural and tribal customs and beliefs. It's one of the few worldwide holidays, offering something for everyone, everywhere.

There are too many historical references to cite for this brief post, so it's easier just to point to the larger examples. Christmas grew out of a wealth of winter festivals that were popular with civilizations, cultures, and the occasional tribe across the northern hemisphere (since it's tied to winter).

The reasons for the various festivals were many, but the underlying reason involved temperature and light. It was too cold to work the fields, or grow anything, and the shorter days made it hard to see what you were doing. People were bored, so the smarter ones decided to find reasons to celebrate, which mostly meant to eat, drink and snog.

So, the winter "holidays" were invented by multiple tribes dragging in various traditions, making it the mutt of the holiday world. It's a fast mover too. Our traditional winter holiday season evolves quickly, if you watch carefully. We even see it changing today, in countries across the globe. Modern variations were even coined recently here in America, such as "Festivus" and "Chrismukkah."

The oldest Christmas tradition of gift-giving and merrymaking stems from Roman Saturnalia. That's also where a lot of the greenery (tree decorations), lights, and charity arose. It was a big part of the Roman New Year celebrations.

It later took bits and pieces from the Scandinavian pagans, who celebrated the winter festivals of Yule, or Yuletide, where kids would leave their shoes outside filled with straw for Odin to leave them gifts - if you call cheese a gift. Those same yule traditions explain the origins of elves and flying reindeer, which many claim are a result of a very early party culture.

You see, according to some, early tribes ate the yellow snow after the reindeer metabolized a poisonous berry providing a powerful hallucinogenic cocktail. They saw little people, glowing trees, and flying reindeer. Wow, they must have been wild, and fun. It must also explain why they bore so many more babies during the summer months.

Believe it or not, it gets weirder. Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus himself, wasn't even from the north. He was from Turkey, where snow was rare. He was actually Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop in Lycia who celebrated his faith in the 4th Century after Christ by putting coins in the shoes of children. I doubt he'd be allowed to get near children today. He was "Nicholas the Wonderworker," and his reputation for secret gift-giving became the model for Santa Claus.

Okay, so Christmas is the GUMBO of holidays. That brings us back to Boxing Day. It, like Roman Saturnalia, is about giving to those less fortunate. Unfortunately, it has a bit of the predictable English, snobbish, upper-class crap associated with it. In past centuries Boxing Day was about the aristocracy giving gifts to their employees.

So, in some respects, Boxing Day is the model for the modern office party. The only difference is that household servants and other service personnel were lucky to get a few shillings or guineas after working their butts off on Christmas Day. It is true, Republicans did run the world back then. So, HAPPY BOXING DAY everybody.

Incredibly, it's not the last of the Christmas folk holidays. There are a few more minor ones after today, wrapping up around Twelfth Night in January marking the coming of the Epiphany, or the adoration of the Magi. Some cultures continue to exchange gifts up until that day.

Oh what a tangled web we weave my fellow man, but this time the web is beautiful and spun across the entire modern world. The Christmas holiday season is an amazing thing wrapping ancient and modern traditions into a wonderful festival of global celebration.

It is uniquely human, since it wouldn't exist today unless it adapted, unless it evolved. It is so powerful that it spread to modern Asia, where people pick and choose their own parts of the holiday - most important is Santa Claus. They strive to create their own, unique winter festivals. It's grown so large even the Southern Hemisphere has joined the party.

So, as a cousin of the Commonwealth, I now plan to go shopping, and then give to the poor. Before it's all over, I will worship Jesus, celebrate Saturnalia, drink to Yule, thank Olin, praise Nicholas of Myra, and finally adore the Magi. Damn, what a wonderful holiday. Enjoy!

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Blogger Christmas Gifts

I have all my gifts for all my Blogging friends and here is what I'm giving them...

For Gun Toting Liberal... I give you free renewals to the NRA and ACLU

For BJ of DemWit... I give you two boxes of snow UPS overnight

For Michael Boh of Our Rants and Raves... I give you a special prosecutor under President Obama that looks at George Bush Presidency and says to him or herself, "This isn't right, that's illegal?"

For Lefty from A View of Battleship Cove... I give you free passes for a year to Lizzie Borden's house.

For Steve Soto of The Left Coaster... I give you a Secretary of State with a desire to talk peace

For Mike of Crooks and Liars... I give you the tip of the decade with George Bush and yet another DUI two days after Obama is sworn in

For Steve of Out of the Binjo Ditch... I give you free babysitting time while you ply the legal knowledge and degree you now have. Just drop the kids off anytime Steve.

For Chell of Paper May... I give you hugs in a box and blessings on the wind

For Just Wondering of Vim and Vinegar... I give you one day of nobody in government pissing you off and of course Dick Cheney on Fox News being arrested for high crimes

For all my friends at Bring It ON!... I give you a never ending list of Republican politicians that swore they were clean but get caught with their hands in the cookie jar anyway

For Jeff of WormTown Taxi... I give you the next two winters worth of Papamoka personally coming over to shovel the sidewalk in front of your house every time it snows. Certain restrictions apply. One: you must have a legal sidewalk. Two: Offer is only effective February 29th.

For DB and MCQ... I give you the extreme right and left wing of both parties in blog readers. Oh and I have a coupon for a starbucks in Tokyo!

For Jay of 4 & 20 Blackbirds... I give you another Red Sox winning season, no I mean it, this year we are going all the way... Again

For Ms Crystal of I Heart Peanutbutter... I give you my Lisa Lamponelli T-Shirt collection and a season pass to the Hanover Theater

For Joe Gandelman of the Moderate Voice... I give you puppets with an attitude (Walter & Jeff Dunham) of rebellion and the success of your dreams in the work you love

Last but not the least... to my very good friend Duke of Madness I promise to always be there for you my friend. You know that anyway but it is what it is

This is where I ask all of them to help me wrap all of thier presents so they can be opened by them on Christmas day. GTL grab the scissors, Ms Crystal grab the wrapping paper, Chell we need you on rapid tape dispensing. Steve Soto, we have you on ribbon detail and don't skimp. Mike Boh you are on the stacking of gifts under the tree. Lefty, I'm going to need you on bandaid patrol... keep an eye on GTL. Crystal, Joe, Mike Jeff, and Steve H. keep the kids away from the production area and BJ we need you on Fox False News Watch Detail ready to toss a laptop to the respective writers in the group.

Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the time with all of your family and friends. Shut the Damn computer off for the day and just breath in the life of the people that love you. We shall talk about the good time you had on this very special holiday later.

I don't have the receipts for your gifts so there is no exchanging them... God Bless to all and Merry Christmas from Papamoka and his family and friends. We will save a piece of Jesus birthday cake for you.

Papamoka

Michael's Personal Christmas Wish

Merry Christmas Eve Papamoka Bloggers - There are many things to talk about when it comes to the celebration of Christmas, or the birth of God on earth, and one of them, in my humble opinion, is to celebrate our blessings. Count them if you will. That is my Christmas wish.

Let's see, I have people I love and a life that I love to enjoy. You all know who you are out there, especially my family and friends. I would like to extend that joy to my fellow bloggers. I enjoy our blogging, and you guys make life more interesting. I hope each and every one of you enjoys a wonderful Christmas celebration.

So, since I have a blog, I thought I might share a few thoughts about what Christmas means to me at this stage of my life. It's from me to you, or for anyone who cares to eavesdrop. I don't want to talk about abstracts, however, I want to focus on the blessings we can can smell, see and hear.

For example, I live in a very beautiful place - the hills of Southern California. I feel blessed for the fact that I walk around each morning appreciating everything. I'm one of those fortunate enough to smell the flowers, pick the fruit, and grow a garden.

In December, I often enjoy an extraordinary view of the ocean and high snow capped mountains in the distance. I don't take them for granted. I always look at them. I always appreciate them. I guess you could say that I count my blessings daily.

The Native Americans had it right; they took the time. We should all take time, each day, to fill ourselves with the spirit and the beauty of everything around us. It doesn't matter where you live; there is usually something beautiful in the most common places.

That's my point this Christmas. I think some Christians lose sight of the world Jesus came to appreciate, and focus too much on an unfortunate desire to see the next. Buddhists are better at it. They talk about the next life, but they also talk about appreciating this one. They meditate and try to become part of both. It's pretty cool if you ask me. I appreciate their teachings too

You see, in my opinion, Jesus came here to say that we have plenty to love and enjoy here on Earth, and that if we live decent, charitable lives, that life here will be a blessing for all of us. We all have something good or special in our lives, and it's up to each of us to take the time to find it, and to appreciate it.

So, let's celebrate the birthday of a man - of God - who taught us all how to be appreciate one another, and how to appreciate our many gifts and blessings. So, my Christmas wish is that WE COUNT OUR BLESSINGS, and be charitable and giving to one another. I know I will do my best.

Merry Christmas!
Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Obama Half Naked at the Beach

Who’d of thunk that President Elect Obama would be half naked only wearing swim trunks at the beach in Hawaii? I’m shocked, I’m concerned for the future nakedness of America at our shores. How dare this man that is supposed to be our next President show off his half naked body. Put a damn tie on or something!

Commander in briefs: Obama shows off his war chest on holiday in Hawaii
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:21 PM on 23rd December 2008

He wore down Hillary Clinton and wiped out John McCain, so we knew he had the stomach for a fight.

And this is what it looks like.

Barack Obama showed off his impressively muscled tummy and a toned pair of pecs while on holiday in Hawaii.

The U.S. president-elect is throwing down something of a challenge by being photographed in his swimming trunks. - Daily Mail Online UK

I have to say that I’m confused over all the hype over a shirtless man that just happens to be the next President of the United States at the beach. Can you picture someone going nuts over a shirtless George W. Bush in his swim trunks? How about President Taft or Rutherford Hayes at the beach? Granted Obama works out every single day but get over it. He is at the freaking beach so grow up. I happen to have a six pack too, it just happens to be in the fridge on the second shelf down on the right and not on my abs. What is the big deal?

For all of our female readers, please feel free to save the picture to your Flicker account.

Papamoka

Traffic Cameras and Santa

Some of Santa's helpers don't like the state or local police traffic light cameras that issue citations with a click of a camera at an intersection. Out in Tempe, Arizona these Santa's helpers covered the traffic cameras with gift wrapped boxes, red sheets and boxes to foil the "Big Brother" impediment to free travel. I'm loving it!

Video Link

Catholic Church Joins Forces Rallying Against Gay People

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - In shocking statements to the Catholic Curia, or governing body, Pope Benedict said today that "saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction." Wow! Is he serious? Homosexuals and transsexuals are a threat to humanity? That's news to me.

On a more serious note, I think he is being incredibly irresponsible, even reckless. I don't care if he's trying to protect the morality of man, or the church, the only RESULT of statements expressing hateful judgements on a whole community of people - including millions of YOUNG PEOPLE - is self-hatred and SUICIDE. Statements like that do nothing to help make the world more moral. They do nothing to heal or help. They only HURT!

If you don't agree, and you think the Pope wasn't expressing hate, then I don't think you've ever been on the receiving end of it. Trust me, those kinds of statements hurt people. They make people, especially young people, feel like they're not good enough, and that they need to be fixed somehow. There is plenty of evidence to support it. They also encourage acts of hate, or violence. This is bad, very bad. We're not talking about a disease that can be cured. We're talking about human beings who have little choice but to be who they are.

He went on to say that "[the Church] should protect man from the destruction of himself." The pope said humanity needed to "listen to the language of creation" to "understand the intended roles of man and woman." He compared behaviour beyond traditional heterosexual relations as "a destruction of God's work".

"DESTRUCTION OF GOD'S WORK? He's equating homosexuals with a destructive force. It's almost as though he's making homosexuals scapegoats for all kinds of moral problems. I'm sorry, but that's hateful. Again, this is BAD, VERY BAD!

The Catholic Church opposes homosexual acts, gay marriage, and, in October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation, an irregularity, a wound". I wish I could confront that Vatican official. In my opinion, he's the only wound that should be healed.

Homosexuals are not a "destructive" force, no matter what you say. There are plenty of heterosexual problems out there that are destructive that should be addressed. Why pick on a weak minority? I'm sorry, but I cannot tolerate that kind of language. I might be very spiritual and part Catholic, but I think the Pope is FULL OF BS!

He also defended the Church's right to "speak of human nature as man and woman, and ask that this order of creation be respected". I would like to say to HIS HOLINESS to LEAVE THE GAY COMMUNITY ALONE! They are often victims of extreme violence. It's a dangerous thing to call them out, to point a moral finger at them that way. It's going to lead to a world of HURT!

Stick to the teachings of Jesus. He didn't seem to have a problem with gay people. If he did, he probably would have said something. In my humble opinion your Holiness, any pain and suffering, or death, resulting from those words ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, and the CHURCH'S. I would be careful what is preached from your pulpits, because the words might even lead to lawsuits.

Hasn't the church already hurt gays enough? You might represent the Catholic Church, or even God on Earth, but in my opinion you are saying things to hurt, not to help.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Cheney Off to Wyoming Finally!

Dick Cheney gave what is supposed to be his last interview before leaving office over at Fox News this past Sunday. I didn’t get a chance to catch it but the sound bites out of the interview are classic Dick Cheney without the Dick Nixon expletives. More or less he called Biden and Ass that has no clue as to what Constitutional law is, chucked the bird at the Congress, and declared George W. Bush a saint that defended the Constitution. And he was drop dead serious when he said it.

I’ll wait till you stop laughing before I continue with the post. Take a few minutes. Okay, you just peed yourself… Go change your pants and get back to the post afterward. Don’t be ashamed, there is an elderly gentleman in Boston that just soiled his pants altogether laughing. Now we have a woman in New York that needs to change too. London, Munich, two folks in Ontario, and now the Australians are pissing themselves laughing. Yes, I have a pissy pants locator on this blog. We monitor the warmness in your crotch from satellites overhead for drastic changes in temperature that could signal urine or a nuclear attack. Technology courtesy of Vice President Dick Cheney’s office. I can’t reveal the details at this time due to national insecurity or incontinence issues. Oh damn, Seattle just went yellow on the warning meter.

If you ever wondered how dangerous Dick and George were as Co-President then all you have to read is this line from the “More powerful than a speeding train” Vice President during his interview with Chris Wallace at Fox News…

Vice President Cheney mocked Vice President-elect Joe Biden's grasp of the Constitution, defended former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and said President Bush "doesn't have to check with anybody" before launching a nuclear attack. - Fox News

Did you ever wonder who initiated the wiretapping of US citizens? Who ran the show on surveillance right here at home on all those domestic terrorist posing as soccer moms? Dick did it! He ran the whole damn show and admitted it to Chris Wallace. He never mentions that the President asked him to oversee it, nope. He ran it all! Check it out for yourself…

WALLACE: Let's drill down into some of the specific measures that you pushed — first of all, the warrantless surveillance on a massive scale, without telling the appropriate court, without seeking legislation from Congress.

Why not, in the aftermath of 9/11 and the spirit of national unity, get approval, support, bring in the other branches of government?

CHENEY: Well, let me tell you a story about the terror surveillance program. We did brief the Congress. And we brought in...

WALLACE: Well, you briefed a few members.

CHENEY: We brought in the chairman and the ranking member, House and Senate, and briefed them a number of times up until — this was — be from late '01 up until '04 when there was additional controversy concerning the program.

At that point, we brought in what I describe as the big nine — not only the intel people but also the speaker, the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate, and brought them into the situation room in the basement of the White House.

I presided over the meeting. We briefed them on the program, and what we'd achieved, and how it worked, and asked them, "Should we continue the program?" They were unanimous, Republican and Democrat alike. All agreed — absolutely essential to continue the program.

I then said, "Do we need to come to the Congress and get additional legislative authorization to continue what we're doing?" They said, "Absolutely not. Don't do it, because it will reveal to the enemy how it is we're reading their mail."

That happened. We did consult. We did keep them involved. We ultimately ended up having to go to the Congress after the New York Times decided they were going to make the judge to review all of — or make all of this available, obviously, when they reacted to a specific leak.

But it was a program that we briefed on repeatedly. We did these briefings in my office. I presided over them. We went to the key people in the House and Senate intel committees and ultimately the entirely leadership and sought their advice and counsel, and they agreed we should not come back to the Congress. - Fox News

By the way, you can check the entire transcript from Fox News at the above mentioned link. I could not make this stuff up if I wanted to.

For some odd reason I am truly surprised that we survived the last eight years of Cheney. When he wasn’t shooting his hunting buddies he was actually looking for ways to make sure all of us were good little goose steppers in line with the Furer… I mean President. Could you even imagine what kind of world this would be if Cheney ever became President? I’m thinking lots of mushroom clouds and my grandchildren glowing at night.

Go back to Wyoming Dick and spy on some cattle or something. Those big eyes are watching for something, what do they see that you don’t? Could there be terrorists in those fields? Grab your gun Dick! (Lawyers and friends duck)

Papamoka

Papamoka Blog Kudo’s

From time to time I like to just promote some blogs and sites that I find as diamonds in the rough or just outright 10 Carat gems. Here we go with this round about the sphere on who is saying what.

BJ over at Demwit has an interesting liberal look at the Reverend Rick Warren choice by Obama for the swearing in as President.

My brother from another motha over at the Gun Toting Liberal has his own opinion on Rick Warren and Barack Obama‘s decision.

Jeff over at Wormtown Taxi has this great video on Governor Blagojevitch declaring his innocence and determined fight to stay in office.

Dusty over at Bring It On has this on Bill Clinton’s donor list in his charitable work around the world.

Omnipotent PooBah has an interesting look at the changing Bush legacy from the Bush Administration perspective. Darth Cheney speaks in defense of Bush granting more interviews the last couple of months than the entire time as VP.

Pissed on Politics has this on the last crusade and union busting by the Republican Party and Bush Company. (Warning on Language)

Last but not least, Sock and Awe has this online game that lets you test your skills at throwing a shoe at President Bush. He’s armed with a quick shoe ducking defensive reaction so test your quick shoe draw reflexes against him…

That’s a wrap folks…

Papamoka

Discount Shoe Emporium

I found this interesting little video from FunnyorDie.com for all of you folks looking for a stealth shoe to toss. They have the latest and greatest in stream lined loafers for all your world leader tossing of shoes needs... Too funny!

Video Link

Iraq Shoe Throwing Store - watch more funny videos

Misinformer or Moron of the Year? Probably Both

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - It's my pleasure to thank Media Matters for choosing our favorite simpleton, the neanderthal of news, the uninspired, the unevolved, Sean Hannity, to be their "Misinformer of the Year."

"He has been a prolific and influential purveyor of conservative misinformation," according to Media Matters - and myself. Sean - "the Repetitive Monkey" - Hannity has admitted to do whatever it takes to stop the Democrats. He is a scoundrel and a LIAR. He is media SCUM. Media Matters made a very wise choice.

A man like Hannity would do well in any society. People like him come in many forms, and all are reprehensible. He's the liar and the propagandist. He's the prison stooge, the camp rat, the coward, the low life who sells secrets for favors. He's the one who rats out the good guys to get what he wants. People like him spew lies, wreck lives, and thrive on chaos. Sean Hannity is nothing but human vermin.

They use religion, ethics and morality as blunt instruments to control, persuade, and plunder. They act as judge, jury and executioner, and rarely burden themselves with matters of personal morality. To be blunt, they play God. They deserve exile or worse.

I'll agree with Media Matters and decent people everywhere, and name Sean Hannity as the Our Rants & Raves choice for THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD for December 2008! It would have been for the whole year, but I think O'Reilly and a few others deserve some consideration, don't you?

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Just How Deep Does the Rabbit Hole Go?

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - I've been saying it for a while, and I will continue to say it - the DOLLAR IS IN TROUBLE! Bloomberg is reporting this morning that the world’s biggest currency-trading firms say "the dollar’s appeal as a haven amid the financial crisis all but evaporated."

Come on people, do you need me to hit you over the head with a frying pan? If you want to grow your money over the next ten years, diversify your savings now or you will be stuck in cheap dollar investments. Think about it this way, people overseas invested in US/dollar investments because it was safe. Now it's not, got it? The dollar is one more victim of the nightmare that is George Bush.

"The U.S. currency slid to a 13-year low against the yen today and had its biggest one-day decline versus the euro after the Federal Reserve reduced its target interest rate yesterday to a range of zero to 0.25 percent, the lowest among the world’s biggest economies."

“Prospects ahead appear particularly ominous for the world’s reserve currency once global economic stability starts to build up.” The Fed’s debt purchases will cause the dollar to weaken to $1.4860 per euro, analysts led by Robert Sinche, New York-based head of global currency strategy at Bank of America Corp., wrote in a report yesterday."

Wow, it's happening even earlier than I thought. People are pulling their money out of the US faster now, and it will only get worse. I knew the dollar would collapse, but I thought people would wait until after the crisis calmed down a bit more. Oh well, at least the Republicans will have a harder time making the upcoming depression look like a problem for the Democrats. The earlier it hits the better I guess.

I don't know about my fellow Americans, but I'm looking at international investments, especially nations with strong natural resource holdings. It makes sense to look to nations/currencies that will BENEFIT FROM THE US SPENDING but NOT SPEND THEMSELVES.

Canadian-dollar investments/natural resource bonds look good to me. I'm also looking at Eurobonds. You can always come back home when things calm down. I'm only suggesting we don't get trapped. I'm looking north and overseas for my financial safety.

As always, I would like to thank my Republican friends again for electing MORONS who got us into this mess. Your HORRIBLE JUDGEMENT has led us to this crisis. I think you should all be BANNED FROM VOTING until we can repair the damage you've caused.

George Bush left so many problems, and according to most experts the only way to get out of the hole is to spend, so no matter what happens the dollar will suffer. Sometimes I feel as a nation we're now like Alice in Wonderland, and we're all waiting to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. The signs keep coming people.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Rick Warren is No Billy Graham Mr. President-Elect

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - I understand it, but I can't believe it. Barack Obama has chosen Orange County preacher Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. It makes sense politically (for the next election at least), but it's a real slap in the face to the people who feel that Rick Warren isn't the open-minded saint many make him out to be.

The move positions Warren to succeed Billy Graham as the nation’s preeminent minister, but Billy Graham was known to be very bipartisan - or apolitical. Warren has been involved in many political movements, at least here in California. He was a main supporter of Proposition 8 that TOOK RIGHTS AWAY from gays and lesbians. He's also known as a major supporter of Republican causes.

As I always promised, I WILL CRITICIZE DEMOCRATS when I feel they deserve it. In this case, I think Barack could have made a better choice. I would have preferred Jeremiah Wright, if only to piss off the far right. No matter what, there were many better candidates. I think Warren was a very bad decision, no matter how political it may be. Rick Warren will need to evolve before I consider him representative of all Americans. Bad choice Barack.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Shutdown and Breakdown in Detroit

Video Link Courtesy of MSNBC

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Uttt OHHHH! The Big Three automakers are shutting down plants and that is not a good thing. Detroit is closing up shop because cars are not moving off the lots in the dealerships all across America. Trust me, this is not going to be an American made auto manufacturer phenomenon. Chrysler is shutting down all of its plants for thirty days and Ford is looking at similar options. GM is planning major shutdowns at plants as well and the ripple effect is not going to be good for the world economy. Over at Market Watch they have this to say and I have my own opinion on it afterward…

Chrysler to shut assembly lines for at least a month

Rival Ford takes similar steps, extending shutdown times at most plants

By Shawn Langlois, MarketWatch
Last update: 6:57 p.m. EST Dec. 17, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Chrysler LLC, struggling to keep afloat as it awaits word on a federal lifeline, said Wednesday it will idle all of its 30 plants for at least a month in an effort to bring output closer in line with plunging demand for new cars and trucks.

The privately held carmaker said it will shut its assembly lines at the end of Friday's shift and keep them closed through at least Jan. 19, extending a holiday shutdown that was already put in place. Under the current union contract, idled workers still receive most of their benefits and wages during the production stoppage.

Separately, Ford Motor Co. announced that it will shut down most of its North American assembly plants for an extra week in January, according to the Associated Press.
Automakers typically close their factories for a couple of weeks over the two weeks during holidays and often, as in Ford's case, target specific plants for even longer idle periods to keep a lid on inventory during times of slack demand. Yet Chrysler's move to idle its entire operation for at least a month reflects just how dire the situation is in Detroit.

"This is definitely out of the ordinary," Edmunds.com analyst Jesse Toprak said. "I've never seen this kind of shutdown for this long, and if you read the language Chrysler used in the release, they're leaving the door open for another extension."

Toprak added that the company will probably take a hard look at its December sales results, which he expects to be down 45% from a year ago, and decide whether to keep blue-collar workers from assembly lines even longer. - Market Watch (Link not working?)

It doesn’t matter anymore what side of the issue you stand on when it comes to the bailout for Detroit and its automakers. The Congress has spoken and the auto industry in America was told to go screw itself. That is a double edged sword so to speak.

Granted the UAW contracts will still pay many of the idled workers almost the same pay for a short shutdown but they can’t get paid forever if the companies end up folding. All of the investment capital that the Big Three used as leverage for long term loans was based on the price per share and all of them are in the toilet as far as share price goes. Wall Street can not and will not offer capital to these companies because the collateral in shares is just not there anymore. The Congress and the Republican members made that a reality by not backing the industry simply because they could. Rather than looking at the bigger picture, Republicans in the Congress looked to see who was in their own back yard and all they could see was Toyota, Honda and the list goes on of foreign owned plants here in the United States. Good for them, they covered their own political ass. Or did they?

While those same Republican leaders were looking out the back step they didn’t see their neighbor Joe that drives twenty minutes to a little mom and pop owned machine shop that just makes screws that go to Detroit. Those screws are installed by the thousands every day by Detroit workers in American made cars. All the little screws do is hold one little piece in a pick up or mid size car down so that another piece of the truck or car can be installed over it with those same little screws holding that part down. Those little tiny machined screws have paid all the wages and healthcare benefits for the five or six people running the actual machines that made them for decades. Not to mention mom and pop put a couple of kids through good schools, then good colleges, and then had those kids buy homes in the local area. Those five or six machine operators buy groceries locally, buy homes or renovate existing homes at the local hardware or home improvement center. They pay local and state taxes that pay for schools, roads, police and fire. They spend their hard earned paychecks where they live and other people benefit from their hard earned wages making little tiny screws that ship to Detroit.

Mom and pop have to close up shop for a while because Detroit is shutting down for a spell. Pick an industry and expand the scenario however you like. There is that old saying about a butterfly beating its wings in China and it gives birth to a hurricane thousands of miles away. Bingo!

There was a reason why the government of long ago would never let Chrysler go bankrupt. It reached to far and wide into the capillaries of the American economy. Lee Iacocca rebuilt Chrysler from the ground up because he had the means to do so courtesy of an American government backed loan. He didn’t do it alone and yet they all made it work out in the end. But now it is okay to let ALL THREE automakers fail? This lack of interest by or government is totally on the Republican Party and they are more than welcome to own it. I can literally see the history books thirty years from now on the new generation of Hoover that started the second economic collapse of America and the world.

This is the never ending ripple effect and when the small business manufacturing owners start closing the doors because Detroit is no longer in business then it is in fact a DEPRESSION! Somebody please call your Congressional representative and give them an earful!

Papamoka

A Casualty We Cannot Afford

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - I love prognostication, predicting all kinds of world events, mostly in business and politics/world affairs.

So, I would like to share a little theory I have that isn't being discussed much yet. Unless Obama can prevent it, we are facing years of American decline. Not because of domestic problems alone, but due to A LOSS OF RESPECT AND TRUST IN THE WORLD. Now, to speculate.

Our American financial system has been the envy of the world for over a century. We took the best parts of the British system and over time developed many advancements that helped build it into the wealthiest on Earth. I won't go into all the historical details that made it great, but suffice to say that it developed into the most trusted system.

Ignoring many citations, allow me to say that things are not looking good. The nightmare of the Bush Administration and its lack of oversight is the main reason why so many people around the world are now losing faith in the American financial system. Despite huge investments worldwide, the incompetence of the Bush years has resulted in instability and market turmoil.

I would argue there have been many final straws - that broke that proverbial camel's back, but the most recent and offensive was the announcement of potential billion-dollar writedowns worldwide caused by exposure to the Madoff hedge fund mess. Foreign losses alone could run as high as $11 billion (€8 billion).

Europe's largest financial companies and institutions revealed their exposure in the billions, and the European governments who own large percentages of those companies are due to lose billions in taxpayer money. That is not good news people. Those were our FOREIGN CUSTOMERS.

Think about it people! What Americans aren't hearing on their cable and local news is HOW ANGRY AND BETRAYED FOREIGN INVESTORS ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW. It's a main topic of daily conversation in the foreign media. It's only Americans who aren't talking about it. To be clear, they're angry at many countries, especially Iceland, but they're VERY ANGRY with US. Actually, to be blunt, they're FURIOUS!

This is serious people. The American financial system is LOSING MORE THAN JUST MONEY, IT'S LOSING THE TRUST OF CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE. So, ask yourself, what is usually the result of a loss of trust. Well, in most businesses it means the customers will stop doing business with you. That has some pretty serious ramifications for Americans.

Once things begin to get back to normal, and foreigners stop buying American financial instruments based on a worldwide panic, they will begin to withdraw from American financial institutions. They will look to countries that will enforce regulations and promise stability. They're not like Republicans, they value financial stability above all else.

The result will inevitably be a falling dollar, higher interest rates, less investment, and a VERY SLOW ECONOMY due to our overwhelming debt (thanks to you Republicans) that will be very difficult to manage.

The real IRONY here is that Republicans still think they're trusted by people when it comes to money. I hear it everyday with my Republican friends. They still believe they know what's best when it comes to the economy. It's amazing. It never ceases to amaze me just how good Republicans are at lying to themselves and others. They have a true gift.

Well, like most things when it comes to Republicans, it's a lie. Average Americans and people worldwide have started to see that American market deregulation and Republican-led economic theories have created market chaos. WE have LOST CREDIBILITY and they don't even see it. Then again, they never do.

People everywhere (except rich Republicans) have lost both respect and trust in the American system. Unless Obama can assuage our customers, then we are looking at many years of being the world's bad boy. Foreign investment will be harder to find.

In a way the nation will be like it was in the early 1800s, saddled with debt and unable to borrow money. The only difference this time is we don't have tons of natural resources to sell and cheap labor to offer an industrial revolution. That is, of course, unless we're willing to make some pretty drastic changes to our system.

So, there you have it. We can only hope that Barack Obama and his brilliant team will do something to restore that respect and trust. It amazes me, but I really believe that my countrymen, especially Republicans, fail to see the whole picture. It's important people. We need to learn, to care, and to be aware of what's happening in the world. We need to care about how they see us more than ever. We can no longer afford to turn inwards.

Republicans are especially ignorant. They need to stop believing the propaganda. I don't care what FOX "News" says, we do not have the best of everything. Learn the FACTS people. We need to learn to see the forest through the trees. We need to be less xenophobic and more global. Unless we can do it, I predict severe hardship for America in the future. I welcome your perspective.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Forget the Shoe, Throw Him Out of Office

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - So, somebody FINALLY took a shot at George - the target - Bush and they used a shoe. I find it kind of sad, because it shows how frustrated yet powerless people are today. George Bush will leave office next month and the worst we did to him was throw a shoe at him. Oh well, the man is still a hero to me, and I would like to rave this morning that George Bush had a shoe thrown at him.

WE THE PEOPLE have not been able to prosecute this man - thanks to Nancy - let everybody go - Pelosi, so what else is there to do but throw something at him in anger. It's a pathetic state of affairs. Oh well, at least somebody did it. Somebody plucked up the courage to hurl something at that lying, thieving, torturer of a president.

I'm sure many of you Republicans out there will be horrified by my words, but you should know that he stopped being my president many years ago. He's nothing but a sleazy criminal to me. Throwing a show at him is nothing to me. I would like to see him handcuffed, tried, fined, exposed, and finally imprisoned for the rest of his life. The man is SCUM to me.

If we don't prosecute him, then I believe George Bush should have shoes thrown at him for the rest of his life. Perhaps that angry reporter has given us all a cause, a political statement to use against him in the future.

That's IT! Why don't we all start to threaten him with our own personal projectiles? The shoe incident could open a new form of protest, a way for us all to vent our anger at the man who practically destroyed our nation and the world.

The way Kruschev is remember for shoes, perhaps the idiot Bush will always be remembered as that horrible president who was so hated that a man actually threw his shoes at him. What might seem petty to some is BOLD and BEAUTIFUL to others. This may be the Bush legacy. We can hope.

To me, that man is a hero. He did what many of us would like to do. George Bush is nothing more than a murderous criminal, and for all of you who still believe the man, or feel some kind of pity for him, I suggest you RESEARCH AND READ ABOUT THE HORRORS THAT HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR before you turn your anger against me.

Don't give me that crap about being loyal to our president. He is no president, he is criminal. He should have been impeached and tried long ago.

So, since I can't have real justice, allow me to thank that reporter. You're a hero and a friend to those of us who do not bury our heads in the sand, to those who know the truth. Now let's do something really practical, and THROW HIM OUT OF OFFICE!

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Shoes Thrown at Bush in Iraq

Over in Iraq today President Bush had the greatest insult an Iraqi can offer. Throwing of the shoes. Remember back to the days when the Sadam Hussein statues were torn down and the people attacked the replicas by slamming their shoes at it over and over again. President Bush just received the same acknowledgement. MSNBC has this video on it...

Video Link



Can't say that I blame the guy for tossing both shoes at President Bush. I'm sure that there are a couple of people right here in the United States that would love the same opportunity.

Papamoka

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McCain Rips RNC Over Attack on Obama

Video Link From ABC

I’ve never been a huge fan of John McCain but I do respect his “No Bull” attitude when it comes to government. I think that it is pretty much common knowledge that President Elect Obama was aware of the Governor of Illinois and his hard lined political philosophy and unaware of his depth of corruption. Some call it pay as you go and others just call it corruption. I find myself with the firm opinion that this is a problem for the people of Illinois to deal with and that should be the end of it. Police thy self Illinois and then let us all get back to the issues facing America and her people. John McCain has the same thought process and Politico has this on it…

McCain scolds GOP for whacking Obama
By MIKE ALLEN 12/14/08 10:05 AM EST

In a surprising rebuke to the warriors who fought for him through tough times, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday sided with President-elect Barack Obama and scolded the Republican National Committee for fanning the Illinois corruption scandal.

On ABC’s “This Week,” host George Stephanopoulos asked: “The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mike Duncan, has been highly critical of the way President- elect Obama has dealt with this.

"He's had a statement every single day, saying that the Obama team should reveal all contacts they've had with Governor [Rod] Blagojevich. He says that Obama's promise of transparency to the American people is now being tested. Do you agree with that?”

McCain replied: “I think that the Obama campaign should and will give all information necessary. You know, in all due respect to the Republican National Committee and anybody — right now, I think we should try to be working constructively together, not only on an issue such as this, but on the economy stimulus package, reforms that are necessary. And so, I don't know all the details of the relationship between President-elect Obama's campaign or his people and the governor of Illinois, but I have some confidence that all the information will come out. It always does, it seems to me.” - Politico

This whole incident with the Governor of Illinois is incredible news but it is fanning the fires that suspend progress on the greater issues in America. Why don’t we let the FBI and the State of Illinois take care of the corrupt Governor and let Obama and his team concentrate on laying the ground work to fix the RNC mantra mistakes under George W. Bush that has our nation facing the next depression.

Who the hell is the RNC to talk anyway? Were they not the ones that shelled out over $150,000 in clothes and cosmetics to Sarah Palin? Don’t they have enough problems dealing with rebuilding their own infrastructure rather than assuming that Governor Blagojevich is from Illinois, Barack Obama is from Illinois, they were both in state government so they both must be guilty. Isn’t that more or less similar in logic to blaming your local bank teller for the collapse of the entire banking industry?

John McCain knows how the RNC works, matter of fact he probably lost the election because of the RNC and how they work. John McCain is done being the best friend of the RNC and he is back to the old John McCain we all know and love. John McCain the fighter, the defender of the truth, and a man that knows bull when he sees it. Good for him. John McCain has always served best in the Senate when he was serving from his own gut. At least McCain wants to work with the President Elect to get America moving forward again. You can not say the same for the RNC or many of their other political leaders in government.

Papamoka

Republican Walmart Deal For Detroit

I’m sorry but I am totally not in agreement with Republican’s when it comes to the Big Three Bailout that failed in the Senate today. Apparently, the only concession that Republican’s wanted was that Detroit Auto Workers agree to the same pay as Walmart workers! What concessions did Wall Street and the billions of greed laden bonuses were part of the discussion for $700 Billion by the banking industry? Do you read anything anywhere about pay cuts in the banking or brokerage houses? Yes, there are job cuts but nobody is cutting their pay down to subsistence levels. I’ll tell you what… NOT ONE big bank that will take the bailout money is going to trim pay scales! But if you are a Detroit Auto Worker you are supposed to put on a blue vest and be thankful while Republican’s break your legal union up simply because they can. This would not be the same outcome if Democrat’s fully controlled the Congress. Um, Democrats do control the Senate but apparently the leadership has no backbone to actually lead. If Jim Web of Virginia were Senate President it would have passed with no concessions.

Over at the New York Times they have this one last chance to slap the working class in the face by Republican’s with a screw you attitude towards the middle and lower classes of America. And in doing so they dump all of the problems they have refused to work on to fix on a new Democrat President…

U.A.W. at Center of Dispute Over Bailout
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: December 12, 2008

DETROIT — Opponents of a Congressional bailout for Detroit auto companies and the United Automobile Workers union traded charges Friday over who was responsible for the defeat of legislation that would have provided temporary financing until the automakers restructured.

Senator Bob Corker, a Republican of Tennessee, suggested the fault lay with the U.A.W.’s president, Ron Gettelfinger, whose union declined to agree to allow wage concessions in 2009 as part of a deal.

But at a news conference Friday morning, Mr. Gettelfinger said the union feared that it was “being set up” by Mr. Corker, who he said was asking the union for concessions that were not sought from other participants in the talks.

Snip… Grab A Wrench to throw…

In a statement Thursday night, the union said it was “prepared to agree that any restructuring plan should ensure that the wages and benefits of workers at the domestic automakers should be competitive with those paid by the foreign transplants. But we also recognized that this would take time to work out and implement” using programs like buyouts and early retirement offers to bring in new workers at lower rates.

“Unfortunately, Senate Republicans insisted that this had to be accomplished by an arbitrary deadline,” the statement said. “This arbitrary requirement was not imposed on any other stakeholder groups. Thus, the U.A.W. believed this was a blatant attempt to make workers shoulder the lion’s share of the costs of any restructuring plan.”

In an interview Friday morning on CNBC, Mr. Corker suggested the union, not Republicans, bore the burden for the measure’s failure.

“I offered them a solution,” he said of discussions with union representatives. “Our caucus was 100 percent behind it. Do we own it, or does the U.A.W. own it?” – New York Times

There is more to this story than we are all reading and I think it comes down to the foreign automakers spread out over more states that are using that Congressional power of numbers to protect and defend their own interests. If the Big Three fail, then Toyota, Honda and every other foreign owned auto maker with plants in the United States wins. You will never be able to buy another American made car ever again! But the campaign war chest check cleared for the Congress members that shot this bill down. All of them Republican!

What is the real destructiveness of this loss is to the American worker across many industries. Republican’s have found a way to cripple a union and make them look like the guilty party. Good wages for good jobs are wrong in America for people punching the clock and working forty or sixty hours a week. The wet dream of the people that killed this bill is to have a nation of Walmart workers where your pay sucks, your benefits suck, and your opportunity to move up in life is less than the chance of winning the lottery. A nation of part time workers where the top of the food chain of the company hands out crumbs to the masses and feels good about the people eating cake.

This bills failure to pass just created several million new Democrat voters all over America that used to be Republican. With the possible bankruptcy of the Big Three Automakers comes millions of middle management and business owners that will see their own business forced into bankruptcy. Good paying jobs all across America will be lost because Senator Bob Corker of Tenn deemed it so. Democrat’s in Congress wanted to pass a bill to bailout the Big Three, Bob Corker and his Republican friends in the Congress killed it.

I do have this to say, Harry Reed should resign as Senate President. If he didn’t have the guts to politically deal with the Republican’s in the Senate then he has no clue as to how to do the job. How the hell is this going to pass once Obama is President or for that matter any tough legislation he needs passed for America? Nice knowing you Harry but you need to step down and let a real leader with backbone take over.

Hopefully, Walmart can keep opening up stores all across America to keep up with the number of JOBS Senator Bob Corker just put into the unemployment lines. Here is your smiley sticker, you can’t eat it or pay your mortgage with it but doesn’t it make you feel better? NOT!

Papamoka

UPDATE: MSNBC HAS REPUBLICAN MEMO ON KILLING GM AND THE UAW!

Video Link




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