The "Civil" War, cont.

Sadly, despite the resounding Northern victory, the so called "American Civil War" (1860-1865) never really ended, as the cancer that was "The South" was allowed to persist, metastasizing into sharecroppers and Jim Crow laws and the KKK and thousands of lynchings. But then this aggressive Southern disease infected and took over the Republican Party - the very party that engaged their destruction a hundred years earlier. Goldwater, Regan, Nixon, and you have today's insanity, insto-presto in just the past 40 years (LOL I'm old). Legions of monsters, breaking down democracy and society across the country in pious fervor.

Somehow, despite desegregation and women's lib and gay marriage and so on, we've fallen under the sway of the Confederacy Risen, the Republican Party, the Southern Jim Crow culture writ large as "American Culture" and proving to be the doom of not just America, but the world.

What madness is this? And how can Earth escape?

Fear thy Lord

As everyone knows, man is inherently evil, and it is only the fear of eternal damnation and the teaching of this damnation that keeps humanity from descending into total barbarism.

Remember! God is love.

MciSerf

The American pledge gesture. All nationalistic hand gestures are fascist. As are corporate gestures.

Everything's fascist these days, because we're fascist, for the most part.

But a Taste of the Terror

I'm not sure what's going on here, really, but I present it as Exhibit A, The Kids These Days.

Cyber ready with their smart phones and internet cliques and energy drinks.

But of course this is the tip of the iceburgh, as the Tubes allow for all manner of expression (slightly NSFW):

The Making of You (No Escape)

The urge to share, to record, to transmit your meaning to others is a powerful part of being human - we're social animals to the extreme, and technology has allowed us to be social in ways never seen before.

Look at this high tech stuff! All replaced of course in the glorious 21st century by

The smart phone, which is truly a wonder. And a horror, for so many reasons - the Selfie high among them.

So don't worry about privacy anymore - not only will the streets and skies and oceans be filled with cameras, but we'll be recording ourselves and others all the time, uploading it onto a cyberspace that will always be fully monitored by governments and corporations.

You have nothing to fear, of course, if you have nothing to hide. Unlike this poor cat.

Courage of your convictions

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, of Pussy Riot, who is not only still in jail, but hasn't been heard from in some time - here's a link. Arrested for the brazen expression of free speech, and fighting for her rights. When one person fights for their rights, they fight for us all. But there are often consequences - like getting sent to a Siberian gulag. Would you dare stand up for your rights in the face of such risks? Do you dare express yourself boldly in the face of power?

Femen does. Click below for proof.

Dark Omens

Recent protest in Greece. Not sure which one exactly, because they've been protesting pretty much non-stop for about 5 years. Economic austerity imposed on them from Germany, however, has made the protests of the past few years much more intense.

But protests are protests, and Greece is pretty good at them. What's new is a dark and foreboding development:

Greek NAZIs. The Golden Dawn is ostensibly a political party, but really it's a fascist gang that uses waaaay too many NAZI symbols for any sane collection of people. They've become emergent as the Greek economy has crashed, and in the time tested tactic of all nationalist fascist groups, have used the fear/hate of foreigners as a rallying cry to swell their numbers. They've become a paramilitary force, for example. Witness:

See the black clad goons along the wall? Golden Dawn "Security". Brownshirts, in other words, who have been tied to many assaults and crimes.

It's easy to see the formula at work: Tough economic times create a sense of helplessness, and predatory groups use this feeling to channel their anger towards an "other" - almost always a foreigner of some sort. By joining with other like minded nationalist "patriots" attacking the "decadent Others", folks get a sense of belonging and lose their feelings of helplessness. And thus armies of fascists are formed.

But its not all lost in Greece.

There's still a ton of anarchists!

The Moral Majority

Hey, Virginny? Like your new flag? No? Then get thee to thy polling place this upcoming Tuesday and make sure all Republicans lose. Because if they win, it will be less boobies for all of us.

Half joking, as always. Here's the original with upstanding citizen Ken Cuccinelli's changes:

But the gist is the same: Republicans hate boobies. They hate sex. They hate the classics. Speaking of classics, remember our old friend John Ashcroft?

Boobies! Classical, justice boobies. But that won't do with the new American Puritans. So this:

Became this:

Not only did they cover the nude statues, but they covered the entire space, no doubt to avoid accusations that they covered just the nudity - cuz that would be nuts, right? After all, The Founding Fathers  - Hallowed be their names - loved classical nudity, and as we all know, "Conservatives" adhere to the traditions of the past, by default, and would never attempt to radically change the nature of the country in pursuit of their religious beliefs. Only Muslims would do that.

American Jaysus

Old Jesus is what some wealthy holy roller says He is. He loves big cars, big houses, and big love for The Lord, amen!

And then instead of a cross as the main religious symbol, it could have been a handgun. Cuz Jesus loves handguns!

I'll admit to being a Godless Atheist and wishing for the end of Christian civilization, especially if the Christians are American Snake Handlers and other assorted crazy con men, and women. Big Bang bless America.

Tower Truthers

Click for big, as always. Know the truth.

Learn to let go that which you fear to lose.

I forget

I'm too hip to watch TV, so I have no idea what the TV talked about today in regards 911. My sources on the Intertubes were remarkably muted. So muted I said to myself, "Redshirt, I think we're finally over 911 in some significant sense." Even the 911 jokes were kinda lame. As such!

A stylish 911 shirt.

Have some 911 candy! The nougat filling is made of irony.

Plenty of folks got 911 birthdays, and who could forget that? No one, never!

What I'll never forget is the way 911 was used by some in power to gain more power, and to engage in acts of empire. And get filthy rich. Never forget that, and the way the event is used to manipulate you. Laugh instead, even if you suffered tragedy. Because tragedy will always happen - it just happens, sometimes. It need not be a Kristallnacht. And so as I said before, I mock. I laugh. I post stupid jokes. Why not? The real terror is this reality.

To end with perhaps an actual funny joke, click below - but beware! Boobies.

My Sharia!

Ah, freedom. Of speech - of the right for stupid people to think and say horrid things.

Of course, there were dozens of Muslim victims of the 911 attacks, but let us forget that and instead worry about:

SHARIA! We don't know what the hell it means, but if the MOOSLIMS are a'for it, we're 'agin it! Fun fact! A few southern states have passed laws banning Sharia. Whatever that means.

Imagine not living in America, maybe say instead, for example, you are a Muslim living in Turkey. And you see these protests on your TV. You must think, "America! What a country! Truly, the land of the free and home of the brave."

Let the hate flow through you

It reassures me, in some small ways, that crazy right wingers have always been part of America. They've always been filled with hate of the Other  - whomever the Other of the day happens to be. They are used by their hate and their fear as a political bloc by the rich and powerful to fight any Progressive action in America. And they mostly lose - even today.

Alas, today they have dedicated TV and radio channels spewing their poison 24/7, and so it seems like their influence is large. And it is, in compared to the past. But they are still a small minority of people, no matter how loud they scream.

Push back. Counter hate with love, lies with truth, insanity with logic. Be patient. Use the Force.

A New Hope

An apt image that neatly captures today's political dynamics in America. On the one hand, you have the lock-step Authoritarians of the Right who will back anything and everything their leaders tell them to back - even if it contradicts what they were told to support the day before. And you have "Liberals", who could best be described as a herd of cats. A great concept and I celebrate the freedom of choice, but when it comes to the blood sport of team Politics, Liberals suck. Witness the myriad assaults on Obama from the Left - they're legion.

If we are going to fall into true Empire, all it will take is a persuasive Conservative at this point. Thankfully, none appear on the immediate horizon, as they're all insane.

MOTHER!

Another incredible pic from our old friend Prokudin. Russia, 1900 or so - a whole different world. Think of the history of Russia from then, to now.

John Kerry is in you, Kremlin! And, of yeah, so too is shit like this:

Trotskyist Disco Demon Jews, bent on selling you out to the Chinese.

Watch out!

How Manly, the Warrior

War is politics by different means, and politics is the pursuit of power, and power is sex, and boy, are these warriors manly! Look at how The Leader displays a terrified tiger kitten as an example of his sexual prowess!

Pop quiz: Upon initial glance at this photo, do you have more sympathy for the tiger kitten, or the people these masked hunks have no doubt killed?

Ain't no party like a Chechen warlord party. Woop-woop.

Armored up

One of the more pernicious impacts of the Drug War is the militarization of police forces across the US, and now the world. Andy and Barney are gone, replace by an armored goon with a tazer and mace, to start. More Army than Local Constable.

 Dorner hunt.

Most people did not get shot during the manhunt, thankfully.

But don't worry! Our native, freedom loving militias are keeping pace!

Keep abreast of the latest in mass killing tools, techniques, and strategies! For freedom, of course.

America the Fantasy

Take a close look, behold the inner mind of a person living in multiple fantasies. Know that there are many people who think this is realistic art, depicting the founding of America. Christian America. White, but specifically, English. No Irish! Not sure about Scots. I assume they're OK. For who else to fight the English wars?

It's funny. I am afraid, today, of the Republican Party for their Orwellian impulses to total control - domestic spying, trumped up wars used for political purposes, doublespeak, etc, all the while using a cult like religion as the binding material - you wouldn't want to burn in Hell, would you? And yet here, in this art, you see a Wingnut's take on Orwell - the Liberal Nanny state, bent on total control through liberal agendas like peace and safety. It's ludicrous, though there's a point, I suppose. Authoritarians come in all kinds of different flavors. But one thing's clear about gun nuts, which this artist obviously is (or seeks to inspire), and that is

Your typical gun nut is a loser, scared of the world, of himself, and so he buys guns and swims in fear and is ready for the first attack, or so he thinks. Swimming in fear makes you jumpy, and error prone.

To wit: Despite attempts to create alternate realities (white Christian America defended with guns against the scary foreign hordes come to take all your stuff), there is such a thing as a more objective reality. One that can be agreed upon by a majority of folks. Here's the facts:

1. America was not founded as a Christian nation, though indeed many of the founding dudes were Christians, or - GASP! - Theists.
2. While America was very English/Scottish for the first 100 years or so, it quickly assimilated many immigrant populations such that even the Irish were welcomed to the cool kid's table.
3. Guns can be used for needed work, and sport. Owning an arsenal is not needed, and the possession of one marks the person as a lunatic.

Questions?

Kids bearing

Obviously it's incumbent upon every decent Mother to get their child a firearm, be they 5 days or 25 years old - you're never too young or old for another gun! And if someone with a gun were to threaten you, then there's more guns - gun plus gun equals more guns.

The safest school - when everyone is armed, then there are no victims, no criminals, no crime, no war, no strife, and so on.

An armed society is a dead society.

A new normal

In what part of America would you feel safer by bringing a gun with you and your newborn baby?

What business owner would encourage armed customers to his store - giving them a discount for being armed?

In what mind would you not only attend a pro-gun rally, but make a sign proclaiming "Gun Free Zones Kill"?

The answer to all these questions, and many more, is insanity. A large percentage of Americans have gone insane. And they're heavily armed, and increasingly delusional. A fun recipe for fun! Don't worry though, their gun owning fetish is for white folks only.

Armed Palestinian baby ain't cool! In fact, it's TERROR.