Philosophy, politics, and religion from behind the bar.

  Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC and Megyn Kelley on Fox are engaged in an epic philosophical battle over the race of Santa Claus. This crucial and critical question that affects the fate of all mankind and the future of the planet, has been covered thousands of times across all media platforms.   Meantime, in a rare show of bipartisanship, the GOP and Democrats in congress were able to pass a budget and forestall any more talk of government shutdowns for another two years. It makes cuts across the board on welfare, pensions, and investments in education, infrastructure, and research.. It does not cut tax loopholes, has nothing to do with jobs, or wages, or keeping people off of the streets. It maintains our theftocracy and transfers even more of the nation's wealth from the working and jobless poor to the wealthiest among us. It continues the lies of austerity and "job creators". And it is hailed across the media as, well, sort of a milquetoast compromise, but more or...

WestJet Christmas Miracle: real-time giving This ad for a Canadian Airline has gone viral. Everyone seems happy to comment about the "Christmas Miracle" and people having a tear in their eye because "miracles DO happen". Sure, they happen to all those white folks that get what they want for Christmas from a promotional campaign because they are wealthy enough to fly and lucky enough to happen to be there at the right time. Jesus and Santa certainly do love those that are already "blessed". It's a brilliant advertizing coup. They made a pampered, entitled, privileged class feel even more deserving. At least it was a Canadian company, where the ethical bar is set a bit higher than in the USA. Imagine if something like this was done for Walmart's clientele, while they left their employees scrambling for government assistance.  This post did not go over well with a lot of people. Here's an article I stumbled across that better describe...

In South Africa, during the funeral for Nelson Mandela, Raul Castro was caught shaking the hand of a world leader from a country known to imprison and enslave it's own people. A country known for torture, and the denial of legal rights for prisoners on the island of Cuba. Oddly, the Cuban people did not go fuck-stick nuts. Well, the Cubans in Cuba...

  Right wing ideologues, most notably Newt Gingrich and Ted Cruz have recently been blasted by their own supporters for deferring to the historical impact and import of the legacy of Nelson Mandela.   The irony of this may not be lost on Gingrich, who claims a superior grasp of history, but I doubt that either one of them understand that the heat, the ignorance, the hatred being spewed by these bigots is only natural, and that these are exactly the idiots that these two megalomaniacs courted, comforted, and developed to win power. This is their base.   The one time that these two can say something honest and obvious about reality, the one and only time that they have no choice but to speak honestly to history, and it alienates the people who gave them a megaphone in the first place.   This brings up the question of whether they will be savvy enough to understand the impact of their own legacies.   They will not.   But, fear not, Ted and Newt, an...

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=11150 I was there. Lived among them. Know them. Hedges has it EXACTLY right.

Made my first classic, from scratch, whiskey sour. Suziema gave it 2 thumbs up. 2oz. Jack Daniel's, home made ginger simple syrup (could have used more fresh ginger) fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, egg white, shaken, poured over ice, garnished with a dash of Angostura and two dashes of Peychaud's. "From scratch" of course with Sagan's caveat...

Not so hot in Russia anymore. Trending in India, though. Wish I knew what all this shit means... (Maybe ignorance is bliss).

so alex if god doesn't exist then why do you spend so much of your time trying to convince people that he doesn't exist? i mean if he is truly a fictional being then it doesn't make any sense to argue against him as you are simply trying to prove a negative. 5 hours ago · Like Alex McDowell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ2LehsA1dk Because Hitchens delivers one of his best hammer blows to cocky audience member Hitchens delivers one of his best off the cuff hammer blows to cocky audiance member 50 minutes ago · Like · Remove Preview Alex McDowell Or, we could flip the question. Why is it important, why is it a CALLING, a basic tenant in religion to proselytize, to evangelize for an omnipotent, omnipresent being, whom, one would assume, could take care of these matters by himself, pretty much ju st by showing up? Why is it necessary to stick the word and the law of a particular sect into every aspect ...

12 Ways JP Morgan Admitted It Ripped Off Americans to the Tune of Billions As its greedy ways are detailed, its penalty seems too small. All of these penalties on corporations, for whatever crimes, never go anywhere near to re-compensating for the damages done. And no one ever goes to jail. Halliburton, BP, Union Carbide, Exxon, and it goes on and on. For all it's fines, Morgan's (and all the others') crimes were still profitable to them. There is no justice. It should be total restitution, plus any interest or profits on the booty, plus fines and penalties, and possible jail time to everyone involved. Or crimes like this are just smart business tactics that the chumps of the American public must pay for. We are bending over and begging to be fucked again. They must teach this shit at Wharton. http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/jim-hightower-the-mobsters-of-wall-street

The piece on 60 Minutes from the guy that lied about who he was and what he was doing to try shame the Obama Administration on the Benghazi attack may be an indication of where they're going. More telling, I think, is this puff-piece on one of the world's greatest thieves. Alice Walton opens up a world class art museum in her home town in Arkansas. Not a mention of from whom or how that wealth was stolen. PR like this does not come cheap. CBS News Sunday Morning - Alice Walton's Crystal Bridges Museum http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/12/26/misinformer-of-the-year-cbs-news/197323 Bernie Sanders takes 60 Minutes to the woodshed: And even more as they lie about renewables.

Minimum Wage President Obama's proposed minimum wage increase to $10.10/hr with tipped wages being 70% of that is grossly inadequate, considering productivity increases, inflation, livability,  and corporate profits. But even that will be decried as radical and damaging to "job growth". There will be an increase in the minimum wage in 2014. But it will be more in the fifty cents to a dollar range. And politicians on both sides will hail it as "progress", and "help to the working man". The numbers of working poor will continue to rise. http://wildassguesses.blogspot.com/2013/11/minimum-wage.html

I'll keep posting here. But I started a new blog for me to make an ass out of myself. It's called Wild Ass Guesses. And that should be self explanatory. Short bits, easy reads. And inane as hell. You can find it here .

Let's not forget how we got here. 9/11/2001 was bad enough. But it was after comedian Bill Maher called the terrorists "brave", which, in context, was true, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer gave his ominous warning that ""all Americans ... need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is", I truly felt a chill. That the White House felt obliged to try to hide that remark was even more chilling in the wake of the Patriot Act. From Mother Jones: In response to the controversial remarks by "Politically Incorrect"'s Bill Maher, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer lashed out with an ominous warning that "all Americans ... need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is." But the White House Web site, which archives all White House press briefings, edited out the "watch what they say" co...

The Quittah From Wassillah is on a national book tour. There's going to be a lot of Palinisms to catch from her take on "slavery" to her doubts about the liberalism of Pope Frank. Watch this space. Pope may be too liberal. Hard to tell... Oldie, but goodie: Palin decries use of veterans as props, while using veterans as a prop. Gets called out by a vet. Word salad gets rotten: Today Show. War on Xmas. Attacks on "moderate GOP". Lauer goes soft... The "I'm no racist, but " racist ploy: Palin talks slavery with no clue. Then doubles down on that stupidity. God trumps the constitution: If you don't believe in my religion, the constitution is not going to help you. Dan Savage makes a valiant attempt to review the Palin book on Christmas: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/good-grief-and-great-tits/Content?oid=18503580 Again, someone is foisting the lie that Sarah is going to try to run for the White House. She is NOT running. ...

What are they worried about? Mangino On Kdka 4 hours ago · What do you think of Sen Toomey's statement? Senator Pat Toomey I have long believed that more legal protections are appropriate to prevent employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. That is why I supported a provision in the Allentown charter barring the city government from discriminating against persons on the basis of their sexual orientation some 17 years ago, in 1996. More recently, it’s also why I supported allowing gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons to serve openly in the military. So I believe the Employment Non-Discrimination Act contains very important provisions. However, I also believe it should be improved, especially as it pertains to religious organizations. We must strive to reach the appropriate balance between protecting workers and protecting religious freedom. I voted to move forward with debate on ENDA with the hope that the Senate will take up ...