Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ax and Spend



The Republicans are relentless in pursuing their policy of "Ax and Spend" . . . ax all of the social programs out of the federal budget and spend the money they save on their cruel self-serving tax policies on more yachts and jewelry. Makes sense if you are a selfish traitor who think justice and fairness should be "off the table".

In a passionate and extremely articulate speech on the floor of the Senate Monday June 27, Rep. Bernie Sanders has made the case why the President must draw a line the sand and stop this insane juggernaut which threatens the very foundations of our society, democratic institutions, and most cherished values: Mr. President: Enough is Enough!

[ This article originated at the author's web site: http://jdrachel.com ]



Sunday, June 26, 2011

Books



Alright! We're making progress.

11-11-11 has been out about a month now and it is finally available in print as a large-format paperback (it's simply lovely, daaarling!) from Amazon . . . http://lnk.ms/QXVl5


11-11-11 has also been added as an ebook to these sites.

As a Barnes & Noble Nook Book . . . http://lnk.ms/Py9Xg

At the Sony eReader Book site . . . http://lnk.ms/PPJhr

At Kobo as an EPUB ebook . . . http://lnk.ms/QQJ0n


And as mentioned before:

From Amazon.com as a Kindle ebook . . . http://lnk.ms/M0D5m

From Smashwords in every popular ebook format . . . http://lnk.ms/MYjWm

As a large format paperback direct from the printer . . . http://lnk.ms/NKhg5

From the website of my publisher Melange Books out of beautiful, tropical Minneapolis, Minnesota . . . http://www.melange-books.com/authors/johnrachel/rachel11-11-11.html


11-11-11. It’s crazy. It’s weird. It’s real. It’s fun. It’s America.



[ This posting originated at the author's personal website: http://jdrachel.com ]



Golly Gee . . . How Will It End?



Here is a map of U. S. military presence in the Middle East.

Do we need a crystal ball to see where this is heading?

This clearly explains President Obama's recent announcement of mere token troop reductions from Afghanistan. No point to bringing them home when our boys will be eventually needed right next door, eh?

I intentionally phrased the question the way I did: How will it end? Because if America embarks on another of its imperial military misadventures, against the will of a war-weary public, further scraping at the bottom of its depleted barrel of borrowed bullion bankrolled by China and Japan, forcing Russia into a must-win defensive position, validating Russia's and China's certainty that the U. S. is attempting to establish hegemony over the oil fields of the region, it will be an end.

It will be the end of whatever America is or has pretended to be over its 200 years plus of pseudo-glory and presumed leadership of the world.

It will be the end of America as an idea and as the greatest promise in history.

This will not merely be a war with another country. This will be a war against ourselves.

A war we will most certainly lose . . . because there can be no winner.


[ This article originated at the author's blog site:  http://jdrachel.com/slow-bullets/ ]



Sunday, June 12, 2011

Michigan is #1!!!





My home state of Michigan is #1!!
It's right out front leading the pack!

According to online journal 24/7 Wall Street, Michigan has the #1 worst economy of all the states in the country . . .

1. Michigan
Pct. Change in over 10 years in GDP: 2.3%
Pct. Change in Population: -0.6% (the only decrease)
Unemployment Rate: 10.2%
Median Household Income: $45,255
Change in Household Income: -0.6% (the lowest)
Pct. Below Poverty Line: 16.2%

Lovely. Household income going DOWN! 1 out of every 6 people below the poverty line. Detroit's actual unemployment rate is nearly 50%!

It makes me Proud with a capital P. We're all just tickled pink. Proud and pink. Hmm. What else starts with a 'p'? Ah yes . . . poverty . . . and pathetic.

But all those struggling Michiganders can take heart. According to recent announcements by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and several informed advisors to President Obama, the economic recovery is right on track. Steadily improving, they tell us.

Whew! I am so relieved.

Let's all sing along! . . . "Happy Days Are Here Again"

[ This post originated at the author's web site http://jdrachel.com





Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Sweet Nothings In The Digital Age




It used to be that when you were fond of someone, you carved initials in a tree trunk.
Maybe they still do that in Elk City, Oklahoma or Tuskegee, Alabama or some other godforsaken place.

But wake up folks! This has all changed. Most of us have moved on. Now instead of the tree trunk carving thing, we snap a photo with our smart phones of a boner in briefs or a t-shirt raised for a nice tit shot, then send that sucker out on the digital highway!

This is romance in the Digital Age. Sweet nothings by hitting our 'Send' buttons.

Let me first remind all those that pine for the "good old days" that we have cut down 90% of the trees in this great land of ours, which right from the get-go puts a serious crimp in the carving-initials-in-the-bark-of-a-tree way of doing things.

But more importantly is that every form of human activity evolves. Who is to say how we will say I love you, baby! in ten or twenty years. Maybe instead of a diamond ring, guys will offer the gold-plated testicles of a Himalayan Yak on a depleted uranium chain.

So I say all of this flap about Anthony Weiner's "indiscretions" is truly an anachronism and one big hearty snorting knee-slapping joke.

But seriously . . .

It actually goes way beyond this. The truth is there is no ha-ha to be had in this brouhaha. Because frankly the hypocrisy of it all is so breathtakingly and insultingly evident.

I hate to have to bring this up. But every American citizen right now is an accomplice in some very appalling crimes against our fellow man. Each one of us. Guilty as charged.

Call it a war on terrorism or whatever you want. The fact is that America has killed and is killing thousands of innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and too many other places to mention. Oh right, we don't approve of innocent killing. But that's what's being done in our name by President Obama. We cheer him on, party when he gets the bad guy, then glaze over all deaf and dumb when any of the collateral slaughter gets mentioned in the news. But let's own up. We did elect the guy president. He's doing the job as our chosen commander-in-chief, with our consent and tacit approval. There have been over 150 unmanned attack drones launched since Obama took office. Unfortunately, it ain't just the bad guys on the other end of those drones. Over two thousand people have been killed in Pakistan alone, few of them confirmed terrorists. Many of them children.

Another one.

We are among only a handful of nations who refuse to sign the anti-landmine treaty. The lovely company we keep on this includes China, Pakistan, Russia, North Korea, India and Myanmar. I have seen first hand in Cambodia and Vietnam the horrible consequences of landmines. But that's where we stand. Again we have turned a blind eye and deaf ear. But it's our country and our Congress and our President. We each share the blame and dishonor.

One more . . . just because we're having so much fun, eh?

We are the most polluting, wasteful, selfish country on the planet. We gobble up 25% of all of the energy in the world. We throw away 31 million tons of edible food every year. Our foreign aid as a percentage of GDP is among the lowest in the developed economies. We are 22nd, behind countries like Greece, Portugal and Ireland. They're all broke but they still manage to be more generous!

I could go on but it is too depressing.

All I have to say is when all the self-righteous hyper-prudes point the finger at someone and act like sending a picture of Mr. Happy standing at attention in a pair of BVDs is some horrifying immoral act, they should take a look in the mirror and do some real objective soul-searching about what they and this country stand for and what right they have to claim the high moral ground.

We are all guilty of something. Some guilt is more serious than others.

We all have issues. Some issues are more important than others.

Time to sort it all out and get on with the important stuff.


[ This posting originated at the author's blog site . . . http://jdrachel.com/slow-bullets/ ]





Monday, June 6, 2011

Congressman Anthony Weiner Is A National Treasure

Congressman Anthony Weiner Is A National Treasure




In light of the most recent revelations about Mr. Weiner, I look at what the man stands for politically and honestly believe that whatever harmless and frivolous stuff he does on the side is irrelevant. Maybe his judgment in handling this matter was lacking but his record in standing up for the things which will make America a more just and livable nation is impeccable. I say cut him some slack and focus on what is important. This is a completely unnecessary distraction that might look great as a headline in the National Enquirer but does not belong in the important dialogue about the challenges facing America. This "scandal" is only as scandalous as we let it become. The only real scandal would be to allow this to trivialize the message and silence the voice of this excellent legislator.


[ This post originated at the author's blog page http://jdrachel.com/slow-bullets/ ]