Anticipating the Worst

John Kerry hosted a discussion last week where he had a round table of experts engage in hysterics regarding the recession and asked them to criticize his party's stimulus, the one he cosponsored. One of their doomsday warnings was that major wars, such as World War II, are preceded by long periods of economic recession. They predicted such an outcome if the current recession lasts, oh say more than two years.

This, in relation to certain things I have been hearing people say, leads me to be concerned. My specific concern is a sensitive one to discuss, however I feel that it is necessary to discuss in the interests of preparedness and prevention. The subject of race riots. If we recall, WWII and most regional conflicts in recent history were preceded by racial unrest or have a racial element to the conflict. Iraq, Darfour, Bosnia, Rwanda.

The things that I have been hearing that worry me are a linking of the effects of the recession on individuals to illegal immigration of Hispanics. I have heard people remark, "why should I be worried about the civil rights of illegal immigrants I can't even find a job myself." To be sure, I have only heard this sentiment coming from racist people who already bemoan bilingual signage. Still, the linking of the bad effects of the recession on individuals, by the individuals themselves, through the issue of illegal immigration, to a specific racial category of people, is what worries me. The immigration debate already inflames gun toting extremists to the point of mobilization. And the Minutemen were in existence when we were still relatively prosperous. I fear the recruitment power the recession will have for violent racist radicals.

This will be the kind of thing that plays out like prior race riots. On the streets in the poor parts of the country people will feel the pressure building every day. That sense of racial tension will never see the light of day in the MSM until the flood waters suddenly burst forth in a regional paroxysm of violence. Local riots will break out and only local outlets will cover them until they become either large, or last multiple days, or become shocking in some other way. Then the national MSM will start saying what had been obvious to 1/4 of the country for months. This will all be a complete shock to white middle class midwesterners who will wake up one morning as the MSM brings their attention to race riots already in progress.



Honestly, I hope it doesn't happen that way. Maybe it will just be local like the riots over the killing of Oscar Grant III. Or maybe the racial tension will never reach critical mass, or maybe the catalyst will never appear. I am just worried at the pace with which racist sentiment against Latinos has changed under the influence of the recession. For practical purposes, we should be concerned with good relations with Mexico because a good portion of their GDP is remittances from the US, and they recently discovered epic shit tons of oil. We should stay friendly with our neighbors.

Speaking of Religious Zealotry

Isn't there something in the Bible about graven images? One of those "commandment" thingys the fundamentalist religious fanatics keep trying to force onto public land?

Cleveland Ohio: Terrible American City or the Worst American City?

It has been such a long time since a Cleveland article that the city must have thought it had to do better. Yesterday a 42 inch, 111 year old, water main ruptured in an industrial neighborhood of downtown Cleveland cutting off water to half the city. Schools and commercial buildings were closed due to unsanitary conditions and the risk of fire. This being Cleveland the Federal building promptly caught fire. Today there was a boil water alert because of the microbes and toxic industrial chemicals that contaminated the cities water supply as a result of the breach. This happened on a day where the low temperature was 23F in a City that gets as cold as -10F yearly. Tonight there is a massive ice storm bearing down on the Mistake by the Lake and attempts to flee the flaming wreckage of the city by air have been eliminated as the barely operational airports in the region cancel flights. Sure there is a lot about Cleveland to cause a resident to complain, but apparently Clevelanders even do a good job of exporting reasons for people in other regions of the country to take note of Cleveland when they leave the city. What a wondrous place.

The Afterglow

I have made the analogy before that the campaign was like being hit on by a drunken sociopath. In the aftermath of the election it seems even more so with various special interest groups and media outlets remembering various promises made by Obama while on the road to the White House. They seem like an expectant lover on the morning after, hopeful that this impulsive decision to get in bed with this beautiful person who said all the right things will turn into a healthy relationship. All the while the recipient of the lover's attention hurriedly prepares to move on with his agenda while assuring the lover that, "that was all pillow talk baby." We can at least hope that Obama doesn't spurn the voters like a one night stand. But he is a politician and I won't hold my breath.

John Stewart made the observation to Obama that the country isn't what it was when he started this race. Truly Obama is inheriting a sloppy shit sandwich from one of the most hated presidents in history. Unfortunately for the discontent, Bush is scheduled to leave office and they will loose a symbol of everything they dislike about U.S. policy. But the problems he created will remain. What happens if Obama fails? Do we loose the meager gains we have made in race relations? Does the country swing wildly back to the politically extreme right? Will there be much left of the country after four years if he can't get a hold on these various crises?

Parts of the country started to reflect Bush's low approval ratings by going blue this election. My question is whether these states who were red in 2004 have an indelible sin on them for causing the last 4 years of unnecessary downward spiraling of the nation. Ohio and Pennsylvania, I am looking at you.

As usual, I have nothing positive to say.

I, For One, Welcome Our New Cybernetic Simian Overlords

In some bizarre attempt at mad science, scientists have created something that has the best chance of destroying civilization since the nuclear bomb, cybernetic monkeys.




We all know that the things most likely to destroy life as we know it are robots that have achieved scientience, hyperevolved monkeys, or zombies. Now mad scientists have combined monkeys and robots as if they are goading God on in an arrogant attempt to provoke the apocylapse. The next time congress tries to ban armor piercing ammunition remember, robot monkeys.

Why Isn't Anyone Talking About All The Earthquakes?

OK, so lots of people are talking aobut the earthquake in Illinois. But what about the ones that have been shaking the ring of fire over the last week or so? Oregon Quake Swarms, Alaska, French Guiana, Maluku, Guatemala.
In the face of clear signs of the apocylapse I am compelled to ask all of you:
What is your zombie plan?

Establishing a Christian nation

Heres another blog that explains why the concept should be scary to every normal person.

http://www.unknownnews.net/apocalypsenow.html#below

Basically the born again types believe that Jesus will return only when Israel is returned to its biblical boarders and there is then a massive war in the region, triggering the rapture and the end of the world.

So its not just the self serving ignorance bemoaned in these articles that we should fear,
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=19049
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=19031
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/pdf/SOFA2007results.pdf
http://www.unknownnews.net/apocalypsenow.html#below
but that we have these maniacs in the government and the military and want to start war in the middle east. Not for anything that makes sense like control of oil but to bring about the end of the world. They think the Bible is an instruction manual.

There is so much willful, self serving, ignorance among people out there that they would probably not even care if this were being reported in the old media. But CNN would rather report on skateboarding dogs than risk offending the 50% of maniacs out there who believe they are right and 26% who believe noone else has the right to think differently.