I stopped watching CNN a number of years ago because watching it had become like watching the movie Network without the satire, humor, or talented cast. Whatever half-assed bullshit CNN could put on screen to attract viewers, it would.
I know it's still early, but CNN may have outdone itself in the "Stupid is as stupid does" competition for lamest piece of this year. In light of a former Klan leader last week killing three people in Kansas, some genius at CNN thought to ask the question, "Can the KKK rebrand?" Seriously--rebrand itself as what? Peace loving white supremacists? A Mom and Pop hate group? In fairness to CNN, the piece answered the question as no, but why even fucking ask?
Wonder how soon before we'll see CNN's story on how Lee Harvey Oswald can rebuild his legacy?
Peace,
emayce
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
In America
Several years ago, I had the pleasure of watching a quaint little film called In America. Directed by Jim Sheridan, the film tells the story of the travails of an Irish family upon their immigration to America. Much like having a child can remind a parent over and over of the wonders of this world, seeing America through the eyes of Sheridan's immigrant family reminded me of the wonder that is America.
I thought of that film today while at work. As I've noted before, I manage a thrift store for a non-profit, and we cater to many different immigrants--Eastern Europe, the Middle East, south of our border. This can be both fun (I wished a young Latina woman a nice day a few days ago and she smiled brightly and said "Me, too!") and a pain in the neck (many of the immigrants who shop our store come from countries where buying goods isn't like it is here--walk in Wal-Mart or Target, if it says $2.99 for toilet paper, that's what you pay--and want to bargain for everything like we're on the set of Let's Make a Deal). Tonight a young immigrant woman (although I don't know for sure, I'd guess she was from Eastern Europe) was shopping our store and found an entertainment center she wanted for $25. The stand was huge--probably 7' x 7' and weighing a couple hundred pounds. Unfortunately, she had no vehicle large enough to get it to her home, but after a lot of broken English and hand gestures, I agreed to let her borrow our four wheel cart so she could wheel it down the street to her home. Her father left to get her boys (ten or eleven) and I helped them get the center on our cart and out the door, and then watched as she held on as if it were a Faberge egg as she and her sons wheeled it down the streets of Utica, Michigan to their home.
Now I ask you: what's the truer picture of the glory that is America--this immigrant woman and her boys full of moxie pushing their two hundred pound entertainment center through the streets of her adopted hometown, or some old white republican pissing and moaning about how horrible immigrants and immigration reform are?
Peace,
emaycee
I thought of that film today while at work. As I've noted before, I manage a thrift store for a non-profit, and we cater to many different immigrants--Eastern Europe, the Middle East, south of our border. This can be both fun (I wished a young Latina woman a nice day a few days ago and she smiled brightly and said "Me, too!") and a pain in the neck (many of the immigrants who shop our store come from countries where buying goods isn't like it is here--walk in Wal-Mart or Target, if it says $2.99 for toilet paper, that's what you pay--and want to bargain for everything like we're on the set of Let's Make a Deal). Tonight a young immigrant woman (although I don't know for sure, I'd guess she was from Eastern Europe) was shopping our store and found an entertainment center she wanted for $25. The stand was huge--probably 7' x 7' and weighing a couple hundred pounds. Unfortunately, she had no vehicle large enough to get it to her home, but after a lot of broken English and hand gestures, I agreed to let her borrow our four wheel cart so she could wheel it down the street to her home. Her father left to get her boys (ten or eleven) and I helped them get the center on our cart and out the door, and then watched as she held on as if it were a Faberge egg as she and her sons wheeled it down the streets of Utica, Michigan to their home.
Now I ask you: what's the truer picture of the glory that is America--this immigrant woman and her boys full of moxie pushing their two hundred pound entertainment center through the streets of her adopted hometown, or some old white republican pissing and moaning about how horrible immigrants and immigration reform are?
Peace,
emaycee
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Cherry Kochs
Right wing media this week has been celebrating one Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who for the past twenty years has been refusing to pay land grazing rights to the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM took action by confiscating Bundy's cattle, and a bunch of rednecks with guns (gotta love that second amendment--no one's too stupid to own a gun) beat back that mean old federal government. Note that Mr. Bundy is an old, white male--were he an African-American or Hispanic-American or a woman, these same right wing media channels would be calling him a deadbeat mooching off of their tax dollars.
Needless to say, those bastions of American mediocrity, the Koch brothers, have taken up Mr. Bundy's cause as well through their not so thinly veiled PAC, Americans for Prosperity.
I'd just like to ask the Koch brothers to please pour as much money into this cause as they have into bashing Obamacare. After their epic fail in criticizing a program that's working better than expected and making life easier for so many Americans, as we enter the fall elections I could think of nothing better than poltical ad after political ad touting republican candidates by extolling a man who doesn't recognize the federal government surrounded by a bunch of nutjobs with guns who were willing to use their womenfolk as human shields.
Because only republicans are happy to vote for the clinically batshit insane.
Peace,
emaycee
Needless to say, those bastions of American mediocrity, the Koch brothers, have taken up Mr. Bundy's cause as well through their not so thinly veiled PAC, Americans for Prosperity.
I'd just like to ask the Koch brothers to please pour as much money into this cause as they have into bashing Obamacare. After their epic fail in criticizing a program that's working better than expected and making life easier for so many Americans, as we enter the fall elections I could think of nothing better than poltical ad after political ad touting republican candidates by extolling a man who doesn't recognize the federal government surrounded by a bunch of nutjobs with guns who were willing to use their womenfolk as human shields.
Because only republicans are happy to vote for the clinically batshit insane.
Peace,
emaycee
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Oklahoma, where the corporate sycophants come sweepin' down the plain
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin yesterday signed a bill into law that prohibits local communities from enacting minimum wage increases and paid sick day/vacation requirements.
Today's republican party: the locals know best until they ask corporations to pay people a living wage. Then, they need the guiding hand of government to protect them from having a decent life so some corporate CEO can have eight houses instead of seven.
You know what's really sad? This woman just fucked over one-fifth of the residents of her state, justified it with easily discredited reasons, and made her state's economy worse (consumer spending drives the entire country's economy), and yet she'll win re-election in a walk.
Oklahoma, not O.K.
Peace,
emaycee
Today's republican party: the locals know best until they ask corporations to pay people a living wage. Then, they need the guiding hand of government to protect them from having a decent life so some corporate CEO can have eight houses instead of seven.
You know what's really sad? This woman just fucked over one-fifth of the residents of her state, justified it with easily discredited reasons, and made her state's economy worse (consumer spending drives the entire country's economy), and yet she'll win re-election in a walk.
Oklahoma, not O.K.
Peace,
emaycee
Should have been in the NSA, kid
Seems a young man at South Fayette High School in Pennsylvania who suffers from ADHD was sick and tired of being bullied and recorded on his iPad kids as they were bullying him. Assistant Principal Aaron Skrbin (has there ever been an Assistant Principal anywhere who didn't make Niedermeyer from Animal House look like a bastion of righteousness?) reported that the bullying previously reported didn't measure up to his definition of bullying (sure to be a circle of hell reserved for him). Principal Scott Milburn contacted police over what he considered to be a "wiretapping incident." Lt. Robert Kurta interviewed the young man and told him to destroy the recording and charged him with disorderly conduct. Judge Maureen McGraw-Desmet upheld the charge and the young man was fined $25 and had to pay court costs.
So...four adults had the opportunity to right a wrong, and all four chose to turn their heads, not do their fucking jobs, and blame the messenger rather than rectify the message.
The people of South Fayette, Pennsylvania must be so proud to have four leaders setting such a fine example for their kids--if, of course, they want their kids not to know how to lead a pack of starving dogs to fucking meat.
Too bad for the young man that he wasn't in the NSA--he could have just said the bullies were Al-Qaeda members and their asses would have been shipped off to Guantanamo.
Peace.
emaycee
So...four adults had the opportunity to right a wrong, and all four chose to turn their heads, not do their fucking jobs, and blame the messenger rather than rectify the message.
The people of South Fayette, Pennsylvania must be so proud to have four leaders setting such a fine example for their kids--if, of course, they want their kids not to know how to lead a pack of starving dogs to fucking meat.
Too bad for the young man that he wasn't in the NSA--he could have just said the bullies were Al-Qaeda members and their asses would have been shipped off to Guantanamo.
Peace.
emaycee
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Kotex, Monistat, and Lisa Brown
Michigan Democratic gubenatorial candidate Mark Schauer last week chose former Michigan House representative Lisa Brown for his running mate. While many may recall from a couple of years ago that two Democratic female representatives were barred by republican legislators from speaking on the floor concerning anti-abortion bills for saying the word "vagina," not many may know that Lisa Brown was one of the two ("Finally, Mr. Speaker, I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina, but 'no' means 'no.'").
Predictably (it's not called "politics" for the hell of it), republican pundits have begun chastising Schauer for his choice, but Nolan Finley of The Detroit News this week set the bar pretty fucking high for abject political lunacy here in the Wolvernine State by stating that Brown was "...still milking the vagina business, and is a minor celebrity among feminists."
What the fuck?
While it wouldn't be words I would choose, one could say that Kotex was in the vagina business. The same could be said for Monistat. But an accomplished female running for Lieutenant Governor in the great state of Michigan in the 21st century?
Methinks Finley's greatest fear is that Lisa Brown will be a stark reminder to many of the voting women in Michigan of our current governor, republican Rick Snyder, standing helplessly by as Michigan republicans rammed anti-abortion bills through the legislature in our left of center state that basically will necessitate our mothers, wives, and daughters getting rape insurance.
Peace,
emaycee
Predictably (it's not called "politics" for the hell of it), republican pundits have begun chastising Schauer for his choice, but Nolan Finley of The Detroit News this week set the bar pretty fucking high for abject political lunacy here in the Wolvernine State by stating that Brown was "...still milking the vagina business, and is a minor celebrity among feminists."
What the fuck?
While it wouldn't be words I would choose, one could say that Kotex was in the vagina business. The same could be said for Monistat. But an accomplished female running for Lieutenant Governor in the great state of Michigan in the 21st century?
Methinks Finley's greatest fear is that Lisa Brown will be a stark reminder to many of the voting women in Michigan of our current governor, republican Rick Snyder, standing helplessly by as Michigan republicans rammed anti-abortion bills through the legislature in our left of center state that basically will necessitate our mothers, wives, and daughters getting rape insurance.
Peace,
emaycee
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