Sunday, February 27, 2011

My Stint As An Editor At The HuffingtonandPuffington Post

Just like the New York Slimes, it's fairly apparent that there's no editorial control at the HuffingtonandPuffington Post. (I guess AOL can't afford it now after handing Zsa Zsa Huffington all that cash for no discernible reason, which I'm sure she donated to the Treasury, because she's all about "spreading the wealth around". )




Well, we here at Absolutely Nobama are to help. I thought a great place to start would be Van Jones's column entitled Introducing The American Dream Movement. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/van-jones/american-dream-movement_b_826477.html





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In the past 24 months, those of us who longed for positive change have gone from hope to heartbreak.[Rewrite this, Comrade. It makes you look bitter that Chairman Obama fired you in the middle of the night after Glenn Beck outed you as a commie.] But hope is returning to America -- at last -- thanks largely to the courageous stand of the heroes and heroines of Wisconsin. [Heroes that carry swastikas and were bussed in by union bosses, that is.]



Reinvigorated by the idealism and fighting spirit [And a few left hooks and chokeholds] on display right now in America's heartland, the movement for "hope and change" [Comrade, the term is "Hope and Che".] has a rare, second chance. It can renew itself and become again a national force with which to be reckoned. [Kinda like ACORN and Moveon.Dork, eh ?]



Over the next hours and days, all who love this country [but who hates what it stands for] need to do everything possible to spread the "spirit of Madison" to all 50 states. This does not mean we need to occupy [Occupy ? Violent rhetoric, is it not ?] 50 state capitol buildings; things elsewhere are not yet that dire. But this weekend, the best of America should rally on the steps of every statehouse in the union.



Moveon.org and others have issued just this kind of call to action; everyone should prioritize responding and turning out in large numbers.



On Saturday, the powers-that-be (in both parties) should see a rainbow force coming together: organized workers, business leaders, veterans, students and youth, faith leaders, civil rights fighters, women's rights champions, immigrant rights defenders, LGBTQ stalwarts, environmentalists, academics, artists, celebrities, community activists, elected officials and more -- all standing up for what's right. [It will be a rogue's gallery, that's for sure.]





Take Movement to a Higher Plane: Defending the American Dream



And we should announce that our renewed movement is more than just a mobilization to back unions or oppose illegitimate power grabs [Whether or not one has the votes in the Assembly or Senate.] (as important as those agenda items are). Something more vital is at stake: our country needs a national movement to defend the American Dream itself. And the fight in Wisconsin creates the opportunity to build one. [In the immortal words of Rahmbo Dead Fish: "Never let a good crisis go to waste.]



After all, it is the American Dream that the GOP's "slash and burn" agenda is killing off.[Da comrade, we must fight off that whole "individual liberty" crap-ola.] We need a movement dedicated to renewing the idea that hard work pays in our country;[Yeah! It helps to pay for 13 months of funemployment.] that you can make it if you try; [You'll be taxed to oblivion, of course.] that America remains a land committed to dignity, justice and opportunity for all. Right now, this very idea is on the GOP chopping block. And we must rescue it now -- or risk losing it forever.



America will not make it through this crisis healthy and whole if -- at the first sign of trouble -- we are willing to throw away millions of our everyday heroes. Our teachers, police officers,[Comrade Jones, you might want to delete this line. After all, you hang with cop killers like Mumia Abu Jamal.] firefighters, nurses and others make our communities and country strong. Their daily work is essential to the smooth functioning and long-term success of our nation. An attack on them is an attack on the backbone of America. [Unlike attacking the troops in Afghanistan, which is patriotic, eh ?]



Nobody objects to politicians cutting budgetary fat.[Except when it's a Democrat earmark, then that's just racism.] But the GOP program everywhere is so reckless that it would actually cut muscle, bone and marrow, too. This approach is both shortsighted and immoral. We should rise up against it -- in our millions. [Millions ? Be realistic here, comrade.]





GOP Cuts Muscle, Fat and Bone -- Republicans Attack American Way



Both parties should be taking steps to solve the country's problems in a balanced, fair and rational way.[In other words, ignore election results] If deficits are truly the issue, then raising taxes [because, as we all know, throwing more money into the gaping maw known as government is always the answer.] and cutting spending both should be on the table, as tools. But Wisconsin's governor recently handed out massive corporate tax breaks, reducing the state's revenues.[Actually, comrade, the 80's disproves this theory. Even a hack like Paul Krugman knows that.] That move greatly added to the problem he now wants to fix by attacking essential services [like free health care for government employees] with a meat axe. A slew of GOP governors in places like Ohio are gearing up to take similar approaches.



If a foreign power conspired to inflict this much damage on America's first responders and essential infrastructure, we would see it as an act of war. [Comrade, aren't you a 9/11 Truther ?]



And if a foreign dictator unilaterally announced that his nation's workers no longer had a seat at the bargaining table in their own country, the U.S. establishment would rightfully go bananas. [No, they wouldn't. Do Chinese workers have collective bargaining ?]



If Republicans would oppose that kind of thuggery abroad, how can they champion it here at home? How can they accept for the American people what they would denounce for the people of any other nation on Earth? [Like Iraq, right comrade ? You opposed that adventure, didn't you ?]



GOP governors in multiple states are advancing schemes to erase the long-standing rights of American employees to choose a union and bargain collectively.[Actually, the governors are fighting for the rights of people who don't want to be pressured into joining unions and the tax payers who are being forced to pay for it all.] We need to call these outrageous plots what they are: un-American and unacceptable. They are not just assaults on workers; they are assaults on the American Way itself. [Um...no. Being forced to pay for my neighbor's crap is what's un-American here.]





This Is Our 'Tea Party' Moment -- In a Positive Sense



It is time to draw a line in the sand -- nationally. Someone has to stand up for common sense and fairness. It is time to use all nonviolent means to defend the American people and our American principles from these abuses.



If we take a bold and courageous stand, over time, we can win. Make no mistake about it: this is our "Tea Party" moment -- in a positive sense. [In other words, all of you Tea Party wingnuts can take your Constitution nonsense and shove it.]



In fact, we can learn many important lessons from the recent achievements of the libertarian, populist right. Don't forget: even after the Republican's epic electoral defeat in 2008, a right-wing uprising was still able to smash public support for "new New Deal" economics. Along the way, it revived the political fortunes of the GOP. [And gave you a stinging defeat, comrade. Don't you forget it, either.]



A popular outcry from the left could just as easily shatter the prevailing bipartisan consensus that America is suddenly a poor country that cannot possibly help its people meet our basic needs. [Nyet. Conservatives outnumber libs nearly two to one.]





America Is Not a Poor Country -- We Suffer From Poor Leadership



The truth is that we don't live Bangladesh or Malawi. America is not a poor country.[Right...Trillions of dollars of debt is a sign of financial health.] The public has just been hypnotized into believing that the richest and most creative nation on Earth has only two choices in this crisis: massive austerity (as championed by the Tea Party/Republicans) or SEMI-massive austerity (as meekly offered by too many DC Democrats). It is ridiculous. [We should just keep borrowing from China and hope they don't take California as down payment on the debt. Way to use the ol' noodle, Comrade!]



Fortunately, the people union thugs in Wisconsin know that. So they are fighting courageously.[And carrying swastikas] Their efforts could blossom into a compelling, national force for the good -- offering a powerful alternative to those false choices. [Like liberty, freedom, the Constitution, etc.]



And while our re-born movement needs to be as clear and bold as the Tea Parties, we must base our efforts on a deeper set of American values. [Like your hero Mao did, right ?]



The Tea Party attached itself to only a single American principle. And it identifies itself with only one moment in our distant past: the Boston Tea Party, symbolizing "no taxation without representation." [Funny, that was one of the concepts that created America, but let's just toss that little fact into the nearest Memory Hole.]





'American Dream' Movement Rooted in a Deeper Patriotism



That is an important moment and concept. But the notion of "negative liberty" ("don't tread on me!") is only one principle among many that make our country great. Other equally vital American values and ideals (like justice, opportunity, fairness and democracy) have gone largely undefended and unheralded, in this recent crisis. That ends -- now. Our rising movement should stand for the full suite of American values and principles. [Negative liberties is what the Constitution is based on, but what the hell, right Van ?]



And the American ideal most in need of defense is our most essential one: the American Dream.



The steps needed to renew and redeem the American Dream are straightforward and simple:



•Increase revenue for America's government sensibly by making Wall Street and the super-rich pay their fair share. [In other words "From each according to their abilities to each according to their need"--Karl Marx]





•Reduce spending responsibly by cutting the real fat - like corporate welfare for military contractors, big agriculture and big oil. [But don't you dare touch those fish ladders or turtle tunnels!]









•Simultaneously protect the heart and soul of America - our teachers, nurses and first responders. [This includes lousy teachers, drug addict nurses, and lazy fire fighters who spend their days playing volleyball on the tax payer dime.]









•Guarantee the health, safety and success of our children and communities by leaving the muscle and bone of America's communities intact. [What are you going to do ? Make them work out ?]









•Maintain the American Way by treating employees with dignity and respecting their right to a seat at the bargaining table. [And damn the torpedoes! Make everyone else pay for it.]









•Rebuild the middle class - and pathways into it - by fighting for a "made in America" innovation and manufacturing agenda, including trade and currency policies that honor American workers and entrepreneurs. [And them tax them into the abyss.]









•Stand for the idea that, in a crisis, Americans turn TO each other - and not ON each other. [This means: Let the Left have their way.]





A Return to the Moral Center



These are not radical notions [Despite the fact that the author is an avowed communist.]. They are the common sense ideas that form the core of who we are as a nation. [We're not the USSR yet, comrade.] We can rally Americans, once again, to stand up for these values. We can make America, once again, a land where it is safe for everyday people to dream. [And do nothing about it because the Big Mommy regime crushes business.]



We will prevail because -- in truth -- we are not in a right-wing period of American history, nor are we in a left-wing period. We are simply in a volatile period. [The November Midterm Massacre says otherwise.]



And during times like these, we can take comfort in knowing that a great nation will ultimately pull its answers -- not from its ideological extremes -- but from its deep, moral center. [Like abortion, gay marriage, atheism...That "moral center", comrade ?]



By standing up for dignity, equal opportunity and fair play, the Wisconsin workers have found their way to America's great moral center. They have shown us all, at last, the way back home. By standing with them,[With a swastika] we reclaim what is best in our country.



April 15, 2009, marked the beginning of the national movement to remember the Tea Party and pull America to the ideological right. [That day proved God still loves America.]



Let Saturday, February 26, 2011, mark the beginning of the national movement to renew the American Dream and return us to the moral center -- where everybody counts, and everybody matters. [Does the term "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." ring a bell ? Not exactly original, Vannie.]



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God help us all.

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