The Red Brick Times

More Republican "tax reform" (wink-wink, nudge-nudge): Sob stories mask a giveaway for the super wealthy
Posted 6:33 AM by whatley (2) comments

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Republican tax reform is based on the sincere desire to return to a simpler time ... the age of "Robber Barons". Capital accumulation and re-investment insures are tight recycling of wealth and prevents the horrors of sharing and caring.

Seems like I just heard W say, "Let them eat cake!".

# posted by  jeichenlaub : July 29, 2005 12:29 PM
 
Living in an area where there are an inordinate number of extremely well-off people I'm really getting sick and tired of hearing people who throw parties that cost more than I make in a year( after dumping most of their taxable income into a Bank in the Cayman Isalnds) bitching about how hard life is. I'm pretty comfortable as far I can tell, but I'm not likely to leave a very large economic ghost when I change existential planes. Which brings me to a question that really needs answering: How much is enough? And the ancilliary: Is money the best determinant of wealth or is it merely a smoke screen to keep the masses hopeful enough to maintain the current allocations of power and influence?

# posted by  A. O. : July 31, 2005 1:25 PM
 
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Katrina vanden Heuvel, an editor at The Nation, asked readers to submit entries that would help "decode the right's veritable Orwellian Code of encrypted language". The result is the beginnings of "A Republican Dictionary." Some examples:

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES, n. New locations to drill for oil and gas. (Peter Scholz, Fort Collins, Colorado)

CIVIL LIBERTIES, n. Unnecessary privileges that you aren't afraid of losing unless you are a God-hating, baby-killing, elitist liberal who loves Saddam Hussein more than your own safety. (Megan Ellis, Bellingham, Washington)

CLIMATE CHANGE, n. Global warming, without that annoying suggestion that something is wrong. (Robert Shanafelt, Statesboro, Georgia)

DEATH TAX, n. A term invented by anti-tax zealots and referring to a tax used to prevent the very wealthy from establishing a dominating aristocracy in this country. (David McNeely, Lutz, Florida)

DEMOCRATIC ALLY, n. Any democracy, monarchy, plutocracy, oligarchy or dictatorship--no matter how ruthless--that verbally supports American diplomatic and economic goals. (L.J. Klass, Concord, New Hampshire)

DETAIN, v. Hold in a secret place without recourse to law and treat in any manner one wishes. (Jeannine Bettis, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

ECONOMIC PROGRESS, n. 1. Recession; 2. Rising unemployment; 3. Minimum-wage freeze. (Terry McGarry, East Rockaway, New York)

FOX NEWS, n. White House Press Office. (Donnalyn Murphy, San Francisco, California)

HARD WORK, n. What Republicans say when they can't think of anything better. (Brain McDowell), Durham, North Carolina)

INSURGENT, n. Armed or unarmed, violent or non-violent Iraqi on the receiving end of an American rocket blast or bullet spray, regardless of age, gender or political affiliation. (Joey Flores, Marina del Ray, California)

MODERNIZE, v. To do away with, as in modernizing Social Security, labor laws, etc. (Robert Sean Roarty, Atlanta, Georgia)

OBSTRUCTIONIST, n. Any elected representative who dares to question Republican radicals on the issue of the day. (Terry Levine, Toronto, Ontario)

OWNERSHIP SOCIETY, n. A society in which Republican donors own the rest of us. (Adrianne Stevens, Seattle, Washington)

PRIVATIZE, v. To steal the resources of the national community and give them to private business. (Susan Dyer, Ottsville, Pennsylvania)

REFORM, v. To eliminate, as in tort reform (to eliminate all lawsuits against businesses and corporations) or Social Security and Medicare reform (to eliminate these programs altogether). (Darren Staley, Millers Creek, North Carolina)

STRICT CONSTRUCTIONIST, n. A judge with extremely conservative beliefs, who interprets laws in a manner that fits his/rarely-her own belief systems, while maintaining that this was the original intent of the law. (Floyd Doney, Athens, Ohio)

SUPPORT THE MILITARY, v. To praise Bush when he sends our young men and women off to die for no reason and without proper body armor. (Marc Goldberg, Vancouver, Washington)

TAX REFORM, n. The shifting of the tax burden from unearned income to earned income, or rather, from the wealthy elite to the working class. (Eric Evans, Gregory, Michigan)

TORT REFORM, n. Corporate immunity and impunity. (Sue Bazy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

UNITER, n. A Leader who brings together his followers by fomenting hatred for anyone who disagrees with him. (Larry Allred, Las Cruces, New Mexico)

This "Orwellian Code of encrypted language" has come to be known as framing.
Posted 6:14 AM by whatley (0) comments

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Egregious and unapologetic abuse of the language:

How to make Holy water: Boil the Hell out of it.
Fish expletive on striking a barrier: Dam!
Eskimo affliction from ice-sitting: Polaroids.
Malfunctioning boomerang: A stick.
Santa's helpers: Subordinate Clauses.
Four Toreadors subsiding in quicksand: Quatro sinko.
Vampire snowman attack: Frostbite.
Why are the sight impaired discouraged from skydiving? It scares the dogs to death.
Pilgrims' pants always fall down because they wear their buckles on their hats.
What lies on the ocean floor and twitches? A nervous wreck.
Difference between a Harley and a Hoover: Location of dirt bag.
Skydiving attorneys: Skeet.
Posted 10:29 AM by Andy (2) comments

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Stumble onto a new humor site did you?

# posted by  whatley : July 10, 2005 1:09 PM
 
Actually, stuff in my (paper) files. Sorting, shredding, discarding. Editing and sharing the odd idiocy found therein.

# posted by  Andy : July 11, 2005 8:58 AM
 
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Posted 7:05 PM by whatley (0) comments

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Here's the opening to an Op/Ed article in The Huffington Post that caught my attention:

"Don’t you love the way many in the media are trying to spin the London bombings? Instead of focusing on the bloody deconstruction of Bush’s “fight them there so we don’t have to fight them here” strategy, they are using it to promote Bush’s failing agenda."

I haven't read much of this (blog? ezine?) yet, it's pretty new. Neocons on the web seem to hate it, obviously a point in its favor. "Eat the Press", a column there by Harry Shearer, seems pretty cool. I'm intrigued enough to read some more there by and by. Though I'm a huge fan of web publishing, at least in concept (power to the people! yo!), it takes a long time for a site like this to impress me on a more than superficial level. If anyone else feels like checking this one out please let me know what you think.
Posted 6:33 AM by whatley (2) comments

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This is about a week after the fact but I want to follow the posting for a while . I like most of what I've read. Everybody seems pretty well informed an reasonably stable. I particularly liked this guy http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/cenk-uygur/put-your-country-above-yo_4143.html

# posted by  A. O. : July 14, 2005 11:42 PM
 
Yeah, an interesting perspective.

I'm becoming more and more dissatisfied with the tendency of news organizations, blogs, whatever, to adopt a certain political philosophy and then only publish opinions that agree with that philosophy. I realize that this is hardly a new phenomenon, but over the last 5 or 10 years it seems to have spun out of control. Rush Limbaugh is the poster boy for this sort of thing and, though an obvious liar and general asshole, has made things like the propaganda spewing Fox News believable to some people by comparison. The Huffington Post ain't Fox News by a longshot but still. Whatever happened to intelligent discourse?

# posted by  whatley : July 16, 2005 7:28 AM
 
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The Brehon Laws, (also see Triskelle- The Brehon Laws) dating from the pre-Christian era, were the legal system for the Celtic people of Ireland. Since the Irish were neither conquered nor controlled by the Romans, the laws continued in force until the English finally suppressed them in the early 17th Century, AD. Accurately transmitted orally for a thousand years, they were first inscribed when the Irish written language was developed. The Brehon ("lawgivers") were socially equal to kings, poets and historians, as they were the keepers of the function and operation of their society.

The Brehon laws, in their complexity and scope, are similar to Talmudic law, since they likewise grew over centuries as need and added interpretations evolved them. A few excerpts may illustrate:

Law: "The smith must rouse all sleeping customers before he puts the iron in the fire."
commentary: "This is to guard against injuries by sparks."
addendum: "Those who fall asleep again will receive no compensation for injuries."

Law: "The harpist is the only musician who is of noble standing."
addendum: "Flute-players, trumpeters, and timpanists, as well as jugglers, conjurers and equestrians who stand on the backs of horses at fairs, have no status of their own in the community, only that of the noble chieftain to whom they are attached."

Law: "The husband-to-be shall pay a bride price of land, cattle, horses, gold or silver to the father of the bride."
addendum: "Husband and wife retain individual rights to all the land, flocks and household goods each brings to the marriage."

Law: "February first is the day on which husband or wife may decide to walk away from the marriage."

So you see, it puts the responsibility on the individual for deciding what to do and how to act. Couples are partners in marriage, with equal decision-making rights. The Brehon laws afforded women equal status with men in many things. Women were poets, chieftans, queens, warriors, poets, lawgivers, land and business owners. Ironically, the Brehon laws were squelched by an English queen - Elizabeth I. Women henceforth were afforded the status of chattel, a situation that has survived, socially and legally, into our lifetimes. But what can one expect? The English laws supplanted the Brehon Laws only 400 years ago. The Brehon Laws were developed and applied for 1700 years. True enlightenment takes time.

The Senchus Mor and other Books of Law:

The brehons had collections of laws in volumes or tracts, all in the Irish language, by which they regulated their judgements, and which those of them who kept law-schools expounded to their scholars ; each tract treating of one subject or one group of subjects.

Many of these have been preserved, and of late years the most important have been published, with translations, forming five printed volumes (with a sixth consisting of a valuable Glossary to the preceding five). In 2000 these books: "Ireland Ancient Laws of Ireland. 6 Vols. Reprint of the 1865-1901 edition" were re-issued. Available from The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. , antiquarian booksellers in New Jersey.

Of the tracts contained in these volumes, the two largest and most important are the Senchus Mór [Shanahus More] and the Book of Acaill [Ack'ill].

In the ancient Introduction to the Senchus Mor the following account is given of its original compilation: In the year 438 A.D. a collection of the pagan laws was made at the request of St. Patrick; and Laegaire [Laery] King of Ireland, appointed a committee of nine learned and eminent persons, including himself and St. Patrick, to revise them. At the end of three years these nine produced a new code, from which everything that clashed with the Christian doctrine had been carefully excluded. This was the Senchus Mór.

The very book left by St. Patrick and the others has been long lost. Successive copies were made from time to time with commentaries and explanations appended, until the surviving manuscripts were produced. The existing manuscript copies of the Senchus Mór consist of the original text, written in a large hand with wide spaces between the lines.
The pages also have:

• An introduction to the text
• Commentaries on the text, in a smaller hand
• Glosses or explanations on words and phrases of the text, in a hand still smaller: commentaries and, glosses commonly written in the spaces between the lines of text, but often on the margins.

Of these the text is the most ancient.

The two great Irish scholars-O'Donovan and O'Curry (working in the 1850's), who translated the laws included in the five printed volumes, were able to do so only after a life-long study ; and in numerous instances were not sure of the meanings. As they had to retain the legal terms and the elliptical style, even the translation is hard enough to understand, and is often unintelligible. It was only a preliminary translation with many imperfections and errors, but the translators did not live long enough to revise it. So it was printed as they left it.
Posted 9:38 AM by Andy (0) comments

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The Bush-Term Children's Library - Social Agenda Group, Book Titles Division:

1 You Are Different and That's Bad
2 The Boy Who Died From Eating All of His Vegetables
3 Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share
4 Hammers, Screwdrivers and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book
5 The Kid's Guide to Hitchiking
6 Curious George and the High Voltage Fence
7 Some Kittens Can Fly
8 That's It, I'm Putting You Up for Adoption
9 Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia
10 The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
11 Whining, Kicking and Crying to Get Your Way
12 You Were an Accident
13 Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will
14 Pop! Goes the Hamster, and Other Great Microwave Games
15 The Man in the Moon is Actually Satan
16 Your Nightmares are Real
17 Eggs, Toilet Paper, and the Neighbors' House
18 Why Can't Mr. Fork and Ms. Electrical Outlet be Friends?
19 Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things
Posted 1:49 PM by Andy (0) comments

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Well, the ripple is working its way up the food chain. Two weeks ago, I learned that my current job is being eliminated sometime within the next few (days? weeks? months?). The "managers", at least three levels up, have no idea when. My direct manager came down to tell me personally, expressing feelings of regret and dismay. Of course. He may be next. His manager assured me there was no issue of performance or fitness for the job. You know, "nothing personal, just business" ..BANG! They said: "we will support you in any way we can" and offered to demote me to keep me in the department. Then they all went away and left me to find a job for myself. It is obvious that employees over 50 cost more. The medical payouts are higher. The vacation days accrued after 10 years or more of employment are more costly. The actuarial tables project higher disability, life insurance, lost time absences. Older and highly experienced employees are more apt to ask probing and analytical questions like "Are you crazy? How do you expect that insane plan to work?" All in all, experienced employees are apt to drive the company sane, and provide checks and balances on runaway idiocy. So, of course, one must eliminate them at any cost. They are a barrier to upper management control (the buzzwords for upper management out-of-control are "flexibility" and "nimble response").

The sticks have been thrown up in the air. They have not landed. I can't even get my hands on a free-range fowl to divine its viscera. Betsy has a copper wash boiler. I may need to set up the caldron. Wing of bat-brained mismanagement and eye of Newt Gingrich. Everybody bring arcania and we will have stone soup. Bon employ-appe-tite.
Posted 9:29 AM by Andy (4) comments

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BTW - I am tracking the stages of separation. I have been through the Suez Canal (de-Nile) and invaded Iraq (bombast, hot air, and inchoate fury). Waiting for the next phases.

# posted by  Andy : July 05, 2005 9:55 AM
 
Saturday I noticed that my Explorer's brakes were making a bit of noise. It quickly got worse though I drove as little as possible Sunday and Monday. I spoke with Jack at Pais' garage first thing this morning and he snuck me in the repair queue. The result, all four rotors and pads had to be replaced, a $450 item, at just over 50k miles. They were pitted from rusting. Jack says they see this sort of thing all the time now on American cars. Good to know that Ford, having caused the problem through cost-cutting to begin with, is now further saving money by getting rid of their most experienced engineers. Fuckers.

# posted by  whatley : July 05, 2005 3:12 PM
 
It is not a new concern. When vehicles sit, unsold, they are subject to, what is known in the trade, as "lot rot". Vehicles with zero miles on them have rusty rotors, brake calipers, drive shafts, exhaust systems, axles. Coatings are expensive and "unneccessary" from a cost and warranty standpoint. My own vehicle had front rotors replaced at 15K miles. The brakes were pulsing when stopping. The dealer, conrary to my very technical and explicit directions, "deglazed" (machined) the rotors twice, then found out they were too thin (surprise), and put new ones and pads on under warranty. Then they determined the left front tire was unbalanceable (my personal diagnosis included all four tires), and replaced it under warranty. Now, at 37K miles (warranty ends at 36K), the other front tire is, you guessed it, "unbalanceable", the pulsing when stopping is back, and the alignment has leftist leanings. Crap tires, cheap metallurgy, minimal robustness. Not limited to one brand. Vehicles are a waste of resources for anything beyond basic movement. They are strictly designed to make $$ and nothing else. Only competition and the threat of bankruptcy moves them down the road. There is certainly no motivation based on caring. But then, when you look at a 4-ton bright yellow Hummer, loaded with chrome accents, wheel spinners and truck air horns barreling up behind you to veer over at the last second, cutting off the Peterbuilt in the next lane, why should anyone care what happens to that consumer. The whole thing is totally screwy.

# posted by  Andy : July 06, 2005 6:04 AM
 
On forced vacation this week. Since the plant is down, we have to take vacation time, whether it fits in with our schedule or not. I am undergoing therapy by working on my house, and beginning the task of throwing stuff away so I won't have so much to handle if I need to move. Or maybe I will be transported. I put in for a job that entails a three-to-five year sentence in Australia. The posting went down on June 23. No indication yet. Not even an appointment for an interview. While researching the requirements for an Australian Visa and work permit, I found out that Betsy and I are not eligible for "skilled worker" visa status. We both have top-rated skills, education and experience. But we are not welcome. Why? Australian immigrant law limits it to those aged 45 or younger. Nice to know where one stands. At least with our Aussie allies it is stated clearly. With USA employers, it is a hidden and illegal bias that is real, but never mentioned.

# posted by  Andy : July 06, 2005 6:22 AM
 
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Ye cats and little kittens, nice posts. I guess Andy and I aren't alone here after all.

Apart from a brisk walk or two I've been lazing around the house for most of this three day weekend. When I laze I tend to read a lot, either in my family room or on the patio just outside, which means my laptop (w/speakers) is nearby, so internet radio goes on in the background. Ah, internet radio. Pure pleasure. If anything will save music in these days of Clear Channel it'll be internet radio. I like it so much that I've been looking for a way to pump it through my main sound system. As I already have an existing wireless setup this solution seems best, though more expensive than I had in mind. I'll talk myself into it sooner or later.

If you've not yet discovered the wealth of commercial-free stations on the net by all means give it a try. Broadband is not necessary (though recommended), and a decent PC speaker set can be had for as little as $50 or so. I use Winamp (a freebie) as my player. And to get you started (or, for those already listening, broaden your choices) my favorite stations (just dying to know, weren't you?) are:

Adult Contemporary RnR
Radio Paradise - My overall favorite. When I buy a CD it's usually something I heard here.
KPIG.com - More oldies, folkies and local flavor (they simultaneously broadcast this in Freedom, CA.)

Indie Pop Rock
SomaFM - Small label RnR. Kind of a college station.

Blues
FIKSZ Radio - Wide selection of Blues. Broadcast from (NYC? Chicago? Nope.) Budapest.

Reggae
808 Live Reggaecast - Nothing better on a hot summer day. (The link goes to Winamp. 808 is one of the selections)

Classical
SKY FM - I seem to always play this on Sunday mornings. (This site carries a wide variety of streams other than classical as well.)
Otto's Baroque Musick - Another Sunday morning favorite. Not always online though.

60's & 70's Underground/Psychedelic
Technicolor Web of Sound - Some things you'll recognize, some you won't.
Beyond the Beat Generation - Think Indies, except from the 60's.

Yow, this turned into a long winded post. Oh well, you know me. If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. Enjoy!
Posted 11:01 AM by whatley (0) comments

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This is from a friend of mine who is about to become a judge out in Hugo, OK. Needless to say he is a little on the conservative side, but this seems to describe the current situation fairly well.


Posted 8:09 PM by A. O. (1) comments

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It.....
The sheer......
Undoubtably.......

Eeeks. Words fail me.

Other than money, power, control and getting to wear a black dress, why is he bothering?

# posted by  Andy : July 03, 2005 10:11 PM
 
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