Burma

The recent developments in the country formerly known as Burma bring to the forefront several disturbing things. The obvious fight that continues for freedom from the junta that rules there is but one. Underlying all that is going on is the foot-dragging way the supposed democracies of the world respond and act. Too often economics takes precedence over political will and human rights. It would seem to me that complete economic isolation would have a much better chance of effecting change. While in the short run this kind of action would cause hardships on the people of Burma and all her trading partners, if the world (us) is really serious in its beliefs this would be a small price to pay when compared to continued repression. Freedom isn't free. Not even for those of us already living with it, sort of. As long as wealth and our own comfort come first, freedom for all comes last. The global economy must not rely on hypocracy to advance. The global mantra must be "ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE"

the Star Trek world we want

Over at the ReclusiveLeftist Dr. Socks gives what I think is the clearest path to the gender neautral world here, comment 50 scroll down the #50 comment. She talks of the need to abandon the old to have the new.

define illegal for one and all

Every time the subject of illegal immigration comes up the term illegal seems to fade from view. What is it about coming to the US. that makes being illegal desirable to being legal? What makes this even possible? The health care system? The willingness of business to provide illegal jobs? The American consumer's willingness to look the other way as long as they get things cheap? A capitalist system that puts profit above the law? To require a full accounting of those that get paid, those that pay, those that receive medical treatment and so on may scare those that are in violation but just maybe an above board approach to this problem is the only way to keep the front door open while shutting the back door...Some make noises about losses of freedom, government intrusion into our private lives and all the usual rhetoric. But what about MY freedom, MY government and MY private life? Are we to be held captive to those that abuse our system for fear of being called politically incorrect or subject to economic threats? If you want to dance to our band, buy a ticket. At full price!!

the hipocracy of it all

the federal reserve has taken drastic measures to smooth out the ripples in the banking and real estate markets before the economy as a whole hits the Crapper. The unspoken truth of this move is the benefit to those that were mostly the beneficiaries of the actions that caused the problems in the first place. Those that speak the loudest about the evils of taxes seem to have no qualms about having taxpayers and our government bail out their sorry asses because they set up and abuse a system that holds most of the people hostage to their excesses.

stumbling

great article at WIRED about the ongoing online spying, by our government and corporate entities.

test 3

one more time for good measure

test 2

funny but true

testing

check here

slip up or slippedout

In a NYT article Fred Thompson, talking about the economy, said that what is now a worrisome unemployment level used to be considered "full" employment. He also said that nothing is sustainable forever. Does that include profit growth that is larger than population growth? As some revel in the Dow's advance, they must not be doing ALL the math. If profit growth, real profit, is larger than population growth the only place this growth can come from is increased productivity per worker. We are seeing the use of the exploitation of resources and people to produce wealth for some but we have reached the end of that line in many ways.
As anyone that remembers high school math will tell you "A geometric progression will eventually reach tangent" Unfortunately for those of us living today this is a fact that those that came before us ignored. The economic progression must be in stasis with population if we are to survive as a civilization and a species.

chickens with thier heads cut off

The impending resignation of Senator Craig is telling on so many levels. What is going on?