You're Already a Fascist. Get Over It.

    Fascism. That dirty, ugly word that keeps being tossed around like an epithet, spit out of our mouths in fury at those we believe don't represent American values. It is a Vile and Monstrous Thing, and thus must be reviled by all the people. But besides knowing what it does as far as its effects on basic liberties, does anyone know how Fascism actually works?

     Those who think that "it can never happen here" should look at our own history. The Nazi Party had quite a following here until it became unfashionable when we went to war with Germany, but even then it continued to attract followers as an underground organization and is growing in strength here once again now that those few old geezers who were adults during its heyday are quickly dying off, and the rest of the people have no actual memory of the rise of Fascism. And would be surprised, and perhaps horrified, at how popular it was before Hitler turned it into a mechanism of destruction and hate.
     And why not? As a political theory, Fascism actually works pretty well if you ignore that pesky little bit about having many individual civil rights and avoid going to war too often (a good, modest but not all-consuming Great Cause kind of war is needed from time to time to keep the old "loyalty to the Homeland" [sound familiar?] fires burning) and keep the people sedated with entertainment and the illusion of freedom and prosperity.
     We must not forget fear; the people must always be kept transfixed upon some external threat that is trying to manifest itself insidiously within even People and Institutions You Thought You Knew, so that they are devotedly looking at the leaders... and Homeland Security...to keep them safe.
    If you were to be the creator of your own new country, call it BlankSlateLand, and you had to pick the best system of government to run the place, and the rights of the people was of minimal concern other than to keep them happy and healthy and (more or less) safe, which would YOU pick? Democracy with its constant bickering and economic ups and downs, or a nice stable Fascist form with the trains always running on time and a predictable economic growth pattern?
     So what if you need a Homeland Security to ensure internal and external peace, and a large and highly powerful military-industrial complex to ensure that your economic interests are protected? You and those you choose for your Cabinet will ensure everything is running smoothly for the oligarchy so their profits are stable. Politicians are groomed from upstart idealistic youngsters till they end up being the pragmatic Establishment. The oligarchy will ensure the populace is kept largely inured to the workings of the government and their security apparatus through Mass Media (which by the way is a term we did not employ in this country until the mid-1970's; before then it was simply "the Press" and information traveled through actual Intertubes called "mail boxes" - look it up) and Mass Entertainment.  Even the news carried by the Mass Media is filtered in such a way as to give the illusion of freedom of information.
     All in all a pretty good system for everyone involved. Well, not everyone maybe. You've got the chance of an occasional upstart politician who doesn't hew the Party Line. This is dealt with through the use of ridicule and cutting off of funds, or for the ones who look like wild-eyed crazies you can simply let them be, perhaps even egging them on a bit by giving them a bit of airtime here and there to give those in the population who are of a radical or conspiratorial bent an outlet to blow off steam and have a "Voice" speaking for them in Government.
     Where Fascism breaks down is when it tries to meddle to much in local politics. National level is fine, but start to micromanage things at the state or city level and it gets shaky. You're getting too close to the actual people and cease to be able to hide behind the smokescreen. And you definitely, most assuredly approach with great fear and trepidation stepping into incidences where you directly and dramatically single out and affect the lives of any single group within your society. Terrorism in general or lazy welfare cheats in general, sure, but get into their bedrooms and boy, do you have a lot of backlash. One instance of this can easily be cleaned up but do it over and over again and the people will begin to start to get annoyed with the System. Once that happens, those wild-eyed misfits you allowed to rant will start to gain an audience.
     For you see, the people had been under the spell of capital "D" Democracy, an idealistic hall of mirrors given to the public to give them the illusion that they are the ones in charge. As long as the Government stays behind the scenes everything is going well. Once the Hands of Government are seemingly everywhere, people feel actual fear of it instead of a comforting presence. The mirrors shatter, the apparatus is laid bare, and suddenly those running the Government are now seen as The Problem, not the soylution.
     And thus that insidious thing, Fascism's one true enemy, has taken hold: real lower-case "d" democracy. Nothing the Government has to say, nothing it can do (other than clamp down into a totalitarian dictatorship) will regain the trust of the people. They will demand their individual rights, their freedoms and liberties, and the "return" of power vested in The People.
     That, my friends, is how a Revolution begins. How it progresses from there and ends up looking in the end depends on the victor. And just how bloody the transition is. 1930's Spain. Japan, Germany and Italy in the 1940's. Castro in Cuba in the 1950's. The 1960's through the 1990's in various "Banana Republic" counries. The fall of the Soviet Union, the Orange Revolution and Chechnya in the latter days of the 20th Century. The Arab Spring. Occupy Wall Street. The Green Revolution in Iran. Syria.
     So don't think "it can't happen here." It already is. Fascism is what we have been living under for DECADES. You and I have already been Fascists all of our adult lives. Give it up and get over it. If you want to stay a Fascist, that's fine, just keep believing the Government-sponsored Mass Media and comforted by the Mass Entertainment Reality-TV fantasies. But the smokescreen is clearing, the mirrors are shattering, and democracy is peeking through. The second American Revolution is happening as you read these words. It's up to us to either join in or get left behind.
     It's our turn now, Comrade.

My Politics and Government resume, geared towards public policy analysis and research

Also available at: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1OvAzljMVUpWULzEaW9FJ1q56OGT9nMHOy11AJaqGyd4

Proposed 28th Amendment (by John Cline)

I. A person shall be defined as an individual living self-aware being or one whom, barring mental or physical disability, would otherwise be considered such; and, only a person can be guaranteed the rights and responsibilities embodied in this Constitution of the United States.

II. Only a person may financially participate in the political process within the United States, including providing political contributions, advertising for or against candidates or causes, or providing either sitting office-holders or candidates for office financial incentives for any political action or inaction. Gifts in any amount or kind, be it financial or physical, to any sitting office-holder or candidate for office which are determined to have been used to exact political action or inaction are strictly prohibited and may result in legal action, up to and including imprisonment.

III. Political campaigns at all levels shall be publicly funded by taxpayer contributions to a general election fund which shall reside in and be managed by the United States Treasury in coordination with the Federal Elections Commission. Persons may voluntarily contribute up to a maximum of twenty-five hundred dollars per candidate of their choice, inflation-adjusted for 2012 dollars. For national office, the maximum general election fund amount per candidate shall be limited by Congress as deemed appropriate to the nature of the campaign, and for each type of office an equal share shall be allocated to each candidate regardless of party affiliation. Each State legislature shall determine state-wide general fund needs and solicit the Treasury for the necessary amounts, to be distributed by the State as needed for state-wide and local elections. Any general election funds left unused must be returned to the Treasury within sixty days after the end of the election; all funds collected by candidates from private donations shall be used only for future campaign needs and shall not be used for personal expenses or investments.

IV. The President of the United States shall be elected by a majority vote. Further, all Congressional Districts shall be drawn by non-partisan public committees within six months of the enactment of this Amendment and within six months of the return of United States Census results each decade.

V. Banks shall be separated according to their types of business, commercial or investment, and no coordination between the two shall occur. Commercial institutions shall have their customer deposits protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or a similar entity. Investment institutions shall be liable for their own losses and the United States government and the taxpayers shall not be responsible for such losses.

VI. Given that the health of the nation is bound to the health of the people, and that inadequate healthcare can seriously endanger the security of the nation, Congress shall enact a universal single-payer taxpayer-funded healthcare system for all. Such a system shall fully cover the costs of any procedure deemed involuntary in nature; voluntary procedures such as cosmetic surgery will not be covered unless it is required to repair damage or improve physical function. Prescription drugs shall be purchased from the safest and least expensive source whether domestic or international.

Mitch McConnell, The Tax Fairy

Inspired by the 11/30/2011 Rachel Maddow Show and a request from @susanlbrannigan, I created this:

John's Kick-Butt Lasagna

(Basic recipe borrowed from Barilla lasagna noodle package, the rest is all me)

1 jar Classico Florentine Spinach Spaghetti Sauce
1 jar Ragu or Classico alfredo sauce
1 can S&W Ready-Cut Italian Recipe Garlic, Oregano & Basil tomatoes, do not drain
2 tablespoons California Sun-Dry sun-dried tomato pesto
2 tablespoons Classico traditional basil pesto
1/4 cup Bella Sun Luci Julienne-Cut sun-dried tomatoes & herbs
2 tablespoons The Sauce Factory Mediterranean tomato topping
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped or sauteed fresh garlic
1 lb ground buffalo (substitute turkey or hamburger)
1 lb ground sweet Italian sausage
16 oz cottage or ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon dried or fresh chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 large eggs
6 cups assorted shredded cheeses (recommend Italian blend, mild cheddar, swiss and monterey jack)
2 cups mozarella or Italian blend shredded cheese
1 package lasagna noodles
13x9 glass casserole dish

Boil noodles according to instructions on package in large pot, ensuring they remain firm and not too soft. While noodles are cooking, place meats, garlic and Italian seasoning in frying pan and mix together thoroughly, chopping finely as meat cooks to ensure a smooth filling. Meat and noodles should finish at roughly the same time; drain noodles and allow to cool in collander. Using same large pot, empty in spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, tomatoes, pestos, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato topping along with finished meat mixture. Mix thoroughly and set to medium-low heat, stirring often to avoid burning at the bottom. As noodles will still be quite warm, handle carefully; spread noodles out on waxed paper or large cutting board to avoid sticking together.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In separate bowl, mix 6 cups of shredded assorted cheeses, chives, parsely, eggs, and cottage or ricotta cheese thoroughly until well-blended. Spray glass casserole dish liberally with your favorite cooking oil. After sauce comes to a light boil, remove from heat and spread approximately 1 cup sauce evenly over bottom of casserole dish. Lay 3-4 cooked noodles over bottom, ensuring complete coverage. Apply 1/2 cheese mixture evenly over noodles (some gaps are fine; when the cheese melts it will fill the gaps). Apply enough sauce to cover cheese mixture thoroughly without drowning, then top with another layer of noodles and repeat for another layer. On top of last layer of noodles, spread thin but even layer of sauce and then cover edge-to-edge with shredded mozarella, thick enough so that sauce is no longer visible.
Cover dish loosely with tinfoil, ensuring the top of the tinfoil does not physically touch the cheese topping. Place dish on a large cookie sheet (large enough to capture any boil-overs, or lay tinfoil down on oven rack) and put in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove tinfoil from dish and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes to brown cheese. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Makes 12 individual servings.

Why customer service is so horrible... and likely to get worse

Under the Theory of Competitive Advantage, it is advantageous for companies to encourage the idea that all "customer service" is slow, unresponsive, aggravating, and generally BAD. Why?

Because customer service after the sale is a net loss to the company's profits. The whole profit aspect of producing a widget is in how much you can cut costs to get the raw materials and intermediate goods to make your thingy as cheaply as possible, then selling it at a price that brings in the biggest profit possible.

Customer service drains money away from these profits. Ideally, a company would like to make a product, sell it, and never hear from you again unless you're either buying another product from them or recommending that someone else does. Paying for customer service staff (even the offshore kind making a buck a day) is a complete and total loss, and is generally seen as a "cost of doing business" which would rather be eliminated any way it can to boost those ever-important dividends.

Used to be, companies thought they could get a competitive advantage by offering GREAT customer service. Thus, you had repairmen show up at your home (at no additional cost), gas-station attendants who filled you up, wiped your windshield and checked your tires, and could actually talk to a human being on the phone when you called with a problem. Then some nameless, faceless person with a "bright idea" (as seen from the corporate boardroom) realized that if you made customer service a universally unpleasant experience for people, the very term "customer service" would develop a negative connotation and most people would avoid it... and thus you could cut costs in that very money-sucking area.

So in the last 30 years or so we've seen company after company giving "lousy" customer service. Coincidence? Maybe. But If You Think Like A Corporate Executive it makes perfect sense: if everyone has lousy customer service, customers won't bother using it and we won't have to spend any of our dividend checks paying for it. If it becomes the national (or global) paradigm that customer service is worthless, then corporations get to cut even further back on the quality of that service until they are left with the most limited legal limits of it (essentially, to offer a refund or replacement if the product is not functional upon delivery... everything else is pretty much a "too bad" scenario).

Sure, people will still demand their problems be fixed if something is badly wrong... but this new mindset being imposed on consumers is one of "oh heck, why bother, just go buy another one, it's easier than going through the hassle of customer service". And, of course, unless people buy a different brand (which is often owned by the same company anyway), they end up giving the corporations a double-purchase... a double-win for the company.

And with many retail stores now restricting purchase returns to 30 days... sometimes even 14 or as little as 7... this means that if you buy it and it messes up within a couple weeks, you're screwed. The retail store is no longer the convenient "No problem, we'll take it back if it breaks" solution for consumers. In fact, corporate manufacturers are making this harder on retailers, so it's not even the stores' fault... many stores are changing their returns policy precisely because manufacturers and distributors and tightening them up.

Think this isn't something that goes through the minds of corporate executives daily? Call customer service about your newest electronic gadget and get a wake-up call. Then ask grandma what it was like when the TV technician showed up at her house... for free, always polite and helpful... to fix her console. THEN you will understand how much has changed in the last few decades. And how much we need to develop a sense of "customer SERVICE" back into the corporate world... in other words, if they have crappy service, DON'T BUY THEIR STUFF.

Most important quote of the day and the implications for America

I read this today, and the profundity of it made me realize it needed to be said over and over:

"The standards and quality of live that have been achieved in the United States in general, and in other Western states, didn't come about because because of some mythical invisible hand or because of industry insights into human dignity or the needs of labor. The safety and wage standards that exist today came about because workers in communities across America struggled to change conditions that often pitted a specific industry -- which often had interlocking interests with other industries -- against American labor." "Like the peasants of medieval Europe, [labor] needed work and were forced into conditions which which overlords could dominate virtually all aspects of their lives. Rebellion and the introduction of enlightened leaders paved the way for improvements in [labor's] standard of living ... [j]ust as the progressive ideas of democracy and capitalism were fought by conservative aristocrats in Europe, issues related to social and economic justice in America have always been fought by forces who warn of impending doom if changes are made." -"The Myth of the Free Market: The Role of the State in a Capitalist Economy" by Mark A. Martinez, Kumarian Press, 2009.

Understand this: conservatives, no matter what they SAY in public, abhore the middle class and labor. It goes against everything they believe, which is that there are those who are destined to be priviledged and those who are not. While a few still hew to the belief that "rugged entrepreneurs" have a place at the table, that is an idea that only comes from the middle 16th Century... those who harken back to a more "civilized" day (i.e. when blood-lines meant everything and peasants knew their place) have it engraved in their souls that nobody is entitled to anything unless you belong to the modern-day nobility. Anyone else is an upstart and pretender, and should be treated as such.

Conservatives, in other words, consider YOU inferior, worthless except for the labor you provide, and essentially meaningless in the world at large. Not exactly what you hear them say at election time, eh? But down deep, that's exactly what they are thinking and how they will treat YOU if you are stupid enough to once again elect them into positions of political power. Did I say "stupid"? Sure, because that's exactly how they view YOU if you either vote for them (and don't belong to the top 1% of the wealthy in this country) or stay home and encourage others to stay home to avoid voting for Democrats who have "disappointed" YOU in the past to "send a message". Do you want to know the message you're sending?

"Yes, I want more plutocracy, more corporate control over my life, less freedom and liberty, a militarized police-state, someone to tell me what I can and can't do with my own body, and more income and social inequality, because those lousy Democrats never deliver when I elect THEM into office".

If you're happy with the status quo, then by all means vote any way you want. If you think letting everything we've worked for during the past 100+ years is worth fighting for, then vote Democratic in 2012 and henceforth. Because even if the Dems have been infiltrated by the same corporate interests that busted unions in the 1930s and struggle every day to dismantle the New Deal and Great Society, they're still a damned sight better than the other side that makes no bones whatsoever about destroying every social and political gain the middle class has made in the last century for one and only one purpose: to once again gain the titles and powers of nobility they so desperately miss.

And don't think for a SECOND that they're not drooling at the prospect.

Luscious Crab Cakes

I've been making crab cakes this way for years; it's my own recipe (as far as I know... I kind of made it up as I went along) but you're welcome to share with friends if you like it. There are a lot of variations to this; change the veggie combination, add fresh garlic instead of powdered, use an egg or just substitute the equivalent amount of water, etc. You just can't mess it up too much by switching things around, just don't overcook them because they get tough as a brick if you do.

LUSCIOUS CRAB CAKES

1 pound fresh crab meat, carefully shelled (or 3 6-oz cans of crab)
1 large egg (or approximately 1/4 cup water or milk)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (substitute 3/4 cup of bread crumbs or for extra richness use 3/4 cup of crumbled Club^® Crackers; if you do substitute, you will need both the egg AND the 1/4 cup water or milk)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder (substitute chili powder or your favorite spicy stuff)
1 tablespoon Worstershire sauce
1/4 cup each diced sweet yellow onions, celery, parsley
1/2 cup diced cooked shrimp (salad shrimp work best and don't need chopping)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (substitute 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic or to taste)
Salt, pepper to taste
Lemon juice
Olive oil (about 3 to 5 tablespoons total, use as needed during frying)

Pre-heat olive oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Combine cornmeal (or substitutes) with crab, shrimp, diced veggies, egg (or substitutes), butter or margarine, cayenne, Worstershire, garlic powder, salt and pepper in large bowl. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are fully moist and mixture gets lumpy. Form into fist-sized balls, then flatten to form patties approximately 3/4 inch thick, making sure the edges are smooth (moisten some more if they seem crumbly). Carefully place crabcakes into frying pan to avoid splashing hot oil. Cover and cook approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add oil to pan if necessary and repeat until all crabcakes are complete. Drizzle lightly with lemon juice and serve plain or with your favorite sauce (tartar, teriyaki, oyster and even ketchup all work nicely). Number of crabcakes depends on how big you make the patties, but usually makes between 6 and 10 total.

Palin's Comic Book View of History: Paul Revere's Ride

Apologists for Palin immediately struck against the "lame-stream media" laughing at their darling for getting the history wrong (again) about one of our iconic First Patriots.



There is a tiny bit of merit in their arguments, particularly the chuckles that Revere warned the British. In a sense, he actually did at one point, though it was never his intention to tell the British anything. He was captured (along with his two fellow riders, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott, who are often forgotten in retellings of the famous Midnight Ride story) by a British patrol and informed them that he had been raising the alarm and they would be met by "five hundred Americans" ready to fight.

So that part of the account Palin gave had a grain of truth to it. But her word pudding, as incoherent as it was, didn't exactly give us any indication that she was talking about that incident at all (or was even aware of it). To hear her tell it, Revere might as well have been standing on a rooftop waving his fist at the British defiantly, a patriotic glow emanating from his body, as he warned the cowering British army that they were already defeated and might as well slink back to their ships and sail away.

Beyond the comic-book glorification Palin (and so many others who adore her) have of American history, the other details of her brief blizzard of nonsense lack historical basis as well.

She seems to think Revere shot his gun and rang bells. He was both unarmed and had no bells, at least as far as the historical account goes (although some pictorial depictions of him do show him ringing what looks like a teacher's school-bell, so it's hard to tell for sure). But by all written accounts, it was the people he warned from house to house that shot the guns and range the bells, not himself.

While Revere did in fact "warn" the British (while being detained and under threat of having his brains blown out) that's a little different than Palin's embellishing it with him telling the British that "we're going to be free" and "they weren't going to be taking away our arms".

Although he was either a member of or sympathetic to the Sons of Liberty, a group of Americans who (sometimes violently) fought depredations of the British against Americans, few of them wanted independence from Britain; most of them simply wanted fairness and self-determination under British rule. So while I'm no expert on Revere, there's a good chance Revere no more wanted independence from the Crown than most of the rest of the colonists did in 1775. Up until this time, in fact, they were sending delegation after delegation to Britain petitioning to allow the colonies representation in Parliament, hardly the actions of people who hated the Crown so much they wanted complete freedom.

It wasn't until AFTER the battle at Lexington and Concord that most colonists realized that the Brits were going to ruthlessly put their foot on the Americans and thus the first serious discussion of real independence rather than self-determination took shape, leading to the Declaration of Independence a year later.

The best resource for Revere comes of course from his own accounts as well as those of his companions. The website for the Paul Revere House is here: http://www.paulreverehouse.org/index.html

It might do for Sarah Palin, as she visits all of these historic sites, to brush up a little better before spouting more word coleslaw in front of the cameras. While entertaining, we must remember that a good number of Americans consider her a leading light of Patriotic All-Americanness, and the more we encourage her by putting her ridiculous clown-show on the air and Internet the more her fans believe she's the model for their children and their children's-children. Do we really want to embolden future generations of historical know-nothings?

(Hat tip to Douglas Redecopp for pointing me to the apologist's article)

They aren't going to stop unless we stop them

I encourage everyone to read the excellent op-ed by William Rivers Pitt in TruthOut on March 10, 2011, "Then They Came for the Trade Unionists"

Here's my favorite take-away from it:

Mr. Niemoller wrote his poem decades ago. It might read like this today:

First they declared corporations were "people," and I didn't complain because I'm already a person.

Then they made unlimited money "speech," and I didn't complain because the American Dream says I'll be rich someday, too.

Then they commandeered the means of production by shipping our greatest strength - manufacturing - overseas, because they don't have bothersome unions over there, and I didn't complain because WalMart has cheap stuff.

Then they bought Congress so they could write the laws, and I didn't complain because I can’t be bothered to vote.

Then they bought the Supreme Court so they could cement their rule, and I didn't complain because I don't have time to pay attention.

Then they bought the news so they could convince everyone it's always been this way, and I didn't complain because it's always been this way.

Then they manhandled an election and I didn't complain because I'm not from Florida.

Then they lied us into wars and I didn't complain because I'm not a soldier, or an Iraqi, or an Afghani.

Then millions died for profit and I didn't complain because the graphics on the news were totally awesome.

Then they started locking people up because they said they could and I didn't complain because nobody locked me up.

Then they started spying on everyone because they said they could and I didn't complain because I'm a real American.

Then they came for the worker, but thanks to supply-side trickle-down economics, I don't have a job.