Bye Bye Free Market

Like the dodo, numerous creatures in the path of Sarah Palin’s great pipeline that will cover at least half of North America and good sushi, the Free Market seems to be gasping its last breath.

From the Int’l Herald Tribune, we have this story .

Of course, the powers that be won’t admit that the market has failed and all of the corporate tax breaks are living in … I don’t know … the Grand Cayman maybe, but we do know that you and I will be on the hook for all of this toxic debt that hot shits on Bay and Wall Streets have amassed over the past few years.

The damage is ruining the American economy. How will consumers consume more things to consume if they don’t have quadruple mortgages on their homes? When Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are owned by the government, doesn’t that put all of the people in America at risk of being foreclosed by the government, even if they are making their interest payments?

There’s something intrinsically wrong with this picture, but I can’t seem to figure it out. Hmmm … Let’s see … Blackwater debt collectors? Revival of the ‘debtors prisons’ built by Cheney and the Halliburton gang?

Disaster capitalism really is becoming a disaster!!

Bloggers Against Stephen Harper (BASH)

Just when I thought I was being all clever with a new Facebook page, I came across this one for "Canadians United Against Stephen Harper:

http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=29529380865

That said, I’d still be content to see my new one grow, if not only because it’s got cool acronym (BASH): Bloggers Against Stephen Harper.

Facebook link: http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=30298930193

News from the YIKES department: Drug Plane Used for Rendition Flights

This story came across my radar while I was reading What Really Happened .

Quote:

the European Parliament was investigating the private Grumman Gulfstream II, registered by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, for suspected use in CIA "rendition" flights in which prisoners are covertly transferred to a third country or US-run detention centers.

It also said the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) logbook registered that the plane had traveled between US territory and the US military base in Guantanamo.

Canadian Election: $80 million and we can’t get one of these

Recently, Steve announced (last-minute, of course) that his stale old government would give Ford $80 million over 48 years (or something like that) in Windsor so that they could get up and running.

Well, here’s why the Conservatives promised not to make last-minute announcements: you don’t have a little things called a plan .

If they knew what they were doing, they’d at least suggest that Ford look at bringing this little puppy to Canada: A car that can get 65 miles per gallon (which in Canadianese is about 3.6 Litres/100 KM).

This is a FUEL SIPPER like I’ve never seen before and Ford won’t release it in Canada.

rabble.ca election site

rabble.ca has posted a custom election blog, which can be found here:

www.rabble.ca/election

Go there. Register. Post comments. Share your ideas. In the next 35 or 36 it is vital that we create a dialog concerning this election and we capture our frustration and turn it into ways to unseat Steve and Republicans Conservatives.

Canadian Election: Department of Culture

A number of artists have gotten together to protest the Republicans Conservatives and you can do your bit by supporting them.

Here’s their link:
http://departmentofculture.ca/

They’re seeking web experts, media wonks and, of course, creative types that can help spread their messages about the Republicans Conservatives.

Here are some statements about who they are:

We are doing this because we don’t like this government. We don’t like their priorities, we don’t like their values, we don’t like their secrecy, we don’t like the many cuts to many of our allies and we don’t like the cuts to the arts. We are not doing this because we want more art, we’re doing this because we want to live in a better world.

A common response to cultural cuts is to either assert the economic importance of culture or to assert the moral importance: it’s good for the economy or it’s good for the soul. Both of these, while true, are not convincing to anyone opposed to arts funding. A third common argument is that state subsidies are common in many industries: Bombardier, Alberta’s tar sands, etc. This argument, while true, is weak because it’s essentially a two-wrongs argument.

More importantly, the social necessity of airplanes and cheap oil is much more convincing to most people that the social necessity of the ballet. The Department of Culture is an attempt to PROVE art is powerful by using art and artists to intervene directly in the election and, in a very public, serious, fun and spectacular way, to target a few vulnerable Conservatives and unseat their sorry asses.

Time permitting, I will be donating some efforts to this group.

Excited Delirium