Eight Years Later…Nothing Has Changed.

Picture From Z-Mation.com

Well, it’s September The Eleventh again. Let’s see how we’re doing on All Matters 9/11, shall we?

Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the attacks, is still alive and free, despite self-serving claims to the contrary by some in Pakistan.

The 9/11 Memorial is still unbuilt. (Gonna be lovely sometime, though. 2021? 2031?)

Al Qaeda is now in Iraq, where before, Saddam Hussein’s regime had kept them at bay.

Our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan continues, and Congress has just approved another request for $128 billion to keep the pointless quagmires going. Meanwhile, the Taliban now has a presence in 97% of all the regions of Afghanistan.

There are still no body bags or coffins on the TeeVee. The dead of Iraq and Afghanistan can still be “out of sight, out of mind,” as Donald Rumsfeld decreed.

Last November, we elected a man President based on his promises of “Change,” and so far, he has done nothing but embrace the war policies and the Unitary Executive theory of his much-despised predecessor. Worse, he has protected the members of that OTHER Administration from the consequences of their actions. George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and Condi Rice remain unpunished for their launch of a war based on lies. Bush and Cheney’s other criminal actions, like torture, the outing of Valerie Plame, rendition and warrantless wiretapping, also have cost them nothing.

In this Obamafied, kumbaya, “post-partisan” atmosphere of no accountability ever for any Republican politician, is it any wonder that Tom DeLay is on “Dancing with the Stars,” and Mark Foley, MARK FOLEY of the underage intern scandals, is going to have his own radio show?

When will we ever learn? And when, please tell me, are things going to change?

All my sympathies go to the families and friends of the victims of that fateful attack so many years ago. I can’t help but feel that they would be not pleased by what has been done in their names. I hope that one day we will be able to remember them without guilt and shame for our collective insanity.

Yes, They’re Waking Up. But Is Our Obots Learning?

Hillary's Alleged Multiple Personalities

“Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?”
President George W. Bush, January 11, 2000

I think it’s fairly clear that our “progressive” brethren and sistren of the Obotic persuasion have begun to awaken to the fact that Barack Obama is, well, just not that into them. The utter ridiculousness and unnecessary clusterfuckiness of the health care “debate” combined with the pointless, rightwing-appeasing ousting of “progressive” appointee Van Jones has, in the words of a friend of mine, shown Obama’s ass. It’s now totally obvious to any but the most blinded by Obama worship that Obama never intended to do anything except funnel more money to his corporate and fundiegelical masters. His entire Presidency begins and ends with this goal. That’s really all there is to him, and there’s nothing we can do to change that fact. Why else would the Powers That Be have spent $800 million to force him down America’s throat? They expect a very high return on their investment, you know.

The chagrin and pain of ObamaNation would be cause for vengeful celebration if (a) we didn’t care that Obama is on the verge of completely and irretrievably screwing the possibility of universal health care for the foreseeable future, and (b) we thought that our Obots was (were? it’s so hard to get the Bushspeak context correct, isn’t it?) learning the right lessons.

We racist, bitter, bible-thumping dried-up old ladies were right, weren’t we? So why didn’t they listen to us and back Hillary Clinton? Why did the left blogosphere, for the most part, go so gaga over Obama? Was it merely the excitement of the first black President of the United States? Was it the superior marketing capabilities of Axelrod & Co., hand in glove with the corporate media who, not suspiciously AT ALL (insert eyeroll here) had suddenly discovered a hithertofore hidden lurv of liberal, anti-corporatist policies?

I believe Obama’s skin color, coupled with the media’s relentless coverups of his total and complete unsuitability for the job of POTUS, were two important factors. But two other factors were even stronger: Clinton Derangement Syndrome, and unrepentant misogyny. And I’m afraid our Obot “friends” have not chosen to understand how their own hatreds and prejudices led them to be hoodwinked, bamboozled and made to look like total and complete morons for believing Obama’s lies.

The Horror! The Horror!

Good News: Hillary Still Roolz!

Madam Secretary

As Barack Obama continues to flounder, flip-flop and act like a fumbling fool on the issue of health care, Our Girl is doing what she always does: blooming where she’s planted. Aren’t you glad that SOMEONE in the Obama Administraiton is acting like a Democrat?!

Barely six months into her tenure as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has already made the State Department her own, setting its direction with her usual firmness and clarity.

Clinton’s just-concluded 11-day trip to Africa has sent the clearest signal yet that she intends to make women’s rights one of her signature issues and a higher priority than ever before in American diplomacy.

She plans to press governments on abuses of women’s rights and make women more central in U.S. aid programs.

But her efforts go beyond the marble halls of government and show how she is redefining the role of secretary of state. Her trips are packed with town hall meetings and visits to micro-credit projects and women’s dinners. Ever the politician, she is using her star power to boost women who could be her allies.

“It’s just a constant effort to elevate people who, in their societies, may not even be known by their own leaders,” Clinton said in an interview. “My coming gives them a platform, which then gives us the chance to try and change the priorities of the governments.”

IACF! INOF! WTF???!!!

Typical Obamaganda

During the primaries, the Obots followed a distinct pattern whenever Obama did something they didn’t like. The tactic was so prevalent that I actually coined an anagram for it:  IACF! (It’s All Clinton’s Fault!)

A classic example of IACF! was when Obama said he’d filibuster telecom/Bushie immunity for warrantless wiretapping, then turned right around and not only didn’t filibuster, but actually voted FOR the immunity. Meanwhile, Hillary kept her promise and voted against the immunity.

Whose fault was it? Was it Obama’s for not keeping his promise? Of COURSE not. It was Hillary’s fault for showing him up! And remember the Reverend Wright brouhaha? Josh Marshall said that he was Hillary’s fault too.

If Obama’s the nominee, we will see no end of this kind of stuff. And there’s probably some small benefit of getting a preview. But the simple fact is that we wouldn’t be seeing this stuff now if it weren’t for the fact that this is the kind of campaign Hillary Clinton’s campaign has decided to wage — often directly and at other times indirectly by not reining it in in her supporters when it crops up on its own. Wright is news today because Ferraro’s been news yesterday. Are her comments racist? That’s a loaded, too copious, word. And there’ve been cases where the Clinton team has gotten a bum rap on these matters. What I do know, however, is that Clinton’s campaign and her surrogates have injected the subject of Obama’s race into this campaign too many times now for it to be credible to believe that it is anything but a conscious strategy.

Of course, Josh, of course. Hillary waved her magic wand and forced Obama to sit in that church for 20 years. Mein Gott, the incredible power she has over Barack Obama! I mean, if she had that much control over what Obama did, don’tcha think she woulda waved that wand and made sure he didn’t run at all? Hellllooooooo, as Naomi “Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s” Wolf would say!

But Obot delusions aside, if you were under the impression that IACF! was going to cease now that we have the most post-racial, unifyingest, Pony-est Preznit evah, think again! It’s just mutated into a different form: INOF! (It’s Never Obama’s Fault!)

The Patriarchy and the Love Bomb: A Play in One Speculative Act.

She's Not a Feminist Either

(Note: As always, this play is born of nothing but observation, imagination and speculation. It is purely a work of fiction, although based on some actual events.)

THE SCENE: A conference room somewhere in America. It’s late 2008, and Barack Obama has just been elected. The mood is exuberant.

Sitting around the table are the charter members of the Christian Theocracy wing of the Patriarchy: all white males, of course. We don’t know many of them, but we might recognize JAMES DOBSON, DOUGLAS KMIEC and RICK WARREN among the crowd.

The conference room is decorated in Corporate Middle America, boasting an abundance of the latest in electronic wizardry. The remains of a profusion of fatty, sugary foodstuffs litters the table. The men are all talking idly, full, smug and self-congratulatory.)

DOBSON calls the meeting to order.)

DOBSON: Well, brothers, we did it! Our friend and ally, Barack Obama, has been installed in the White House and  will soon be busily accomplishing our goals. The murdering of helpless babies through contraception, abortion and stem-cell research will go no further under the new President. Faith-based initiatives will be expanded, giving greater power and glory to our cause; and as for the Homosexual Agenda, you can forget all about it. Barack has promised he will not overturn DADT, DOMA or legalize same-sex marriage. In short, my friends, we are sitting pretty!

ALL: Amen!

WARREN: Yes, we are in a great position, brother Dobson; greater than we ever thought possible. Brother Obama has given us control of the Democratic Party as well as the Republican Party! Surely his reward in Heaven will be rich indeed. But I do see one small fly in our proverbial ointment: New Feminism.

DOBSON (outraged):  New Feminism? What devilish business is this?

(ALL make the sign of the cross.)

WARREN: Well, our Online Astroturf Committee tells us that there is a big group of women out there who are very angry with all the sexism they saw this past year. Frankly, I think they’re just a bunch of hysterics, but in any case, they call themselves “PUMAs.”

PATRIARCH #4: “PUMAs?” More like cougars, I’ll bet. RRRRowr!!!

(ALL LAUGH. )

WARREN (pointedly): ANYWAY, these PUMAs started off as Clinton supporters who decided they were not going to vote for Barack Obama, for whatever reason. I don’t get what their problem is – we’ve always known the primaries were a sham, or our brother Huckabee would have been the Republican nominee this year! But somehow, the PUMAs thought the Democrats were different. Honest, or something.

KMIEC: Idiots! They should have known that after the past eight years, we wouldn’t let a godless heathen witch like that Clinton creature ascend to the halls of power!

WARREN: Indeed. Well, the OAC has pretty much taken over the PUMAs by this point. Most of their sites are full of our operatives, pushing the idea that Barack Obama is a Marxist who will tax them all to death, take their guns away, and abort their unborn children against their will.

Have YOU Seen These Toxic Memes at a Blog Near You?

Since the unexpected resignation of Governor Sarah Palin, the PUMASphere has been awash with emotion. Many of us voted McCain/Palin in protest and pain after our Party took a great candidate, the candidate we wanted and voted for, and swapped her for an unqualified, cheating, lying, Reagan-loving fundamentalist-hugger with a deep and abiding love for America’s financial institutions.

Sarah Palin is someone who has a lot of charisma and a high likeability factor. She is not in the Washington bubble, she worked hard to earn the Governorship of Alaska, she has a husband who is content to let her take the lead, and she appeared to govern from the center despite her very right-wing personal beliefs.

BUT.

What if all of that is not enough for you to run out and pledge to vote for her should she run for President against Barack Obama in 2012? What if you would rather not put all your eggs in that basket, but would prefer to work towards building an environment where Obama vs. Palin would not be our only scenario? One in which, perhaps, Hillary Clinton could run as an Independent, or maybe even another gifted (preferably female) liberal politician could arise? What if you feel that in order to run for President, Palin would have to answer to that right-wing fundamentalist base from which she draws her support, and would thus work against your interests if elected? What if you question her ability to be a true feminist, when she proudly proclaims that abortion should be outlawed even in the case of rape and incest and speaks at Right-To-Life rallies?

Well, if you have written any of these thoughts at a PUMA blog recently, you have been in for a treat: a veritable potpourri of sophisticated toxic memes, designed to throw your emotions into a tizzy, confuse your brain, and eventually cause you to throw up your hands and sit out the discussion. Can this really be a coincidence?

It seems pretty clear to me, especially after Cinie’s excellent piece about anti-feminism as an under-the-radar-movement, that the PUMASphere is being infiltrated once again by right-wingers. Their purpose is to destroy anything that might dislodge their dominance over society, and they will use any tactic WHATSOEVER to make that happen.

Barack Obama’s First 100 Days: A Play in One Conspiratorial Act.

Who is Hiding Behind These Masks?

SCENE ONE: The President of the United States, BARACK OBAMA, is sitting in the back of his plushly-appointed limousine. A TV screen showing constantly looping DVD’s of OBAMA’S greatest speeches is strategically placed in front of his eyes. It has a calming effect on him in these days of stress and strain. OBAMA is smoking a cigarette to further relax him in preparation for the meeting he is about to attend.

LIMO DRIVER: Where to, Mr. President? We’ve been driving in circles for 15 minutes now.

OBAMA: Is anyone following us, Frank?

LD: Just the usual photographers and Secret Service, Mr. President.

OBAMA: Ditch the photogs, Frank. The Secret Service knows where we’re going.

LD (with slowly dawning realization): Ohhhhhh. We’re going THERE. (impressed and determined) Hang on, sir. I’ll get you there  in no time.

OBAMA (leaning back in his seat, enjoying his smoke): Good, good. Don’t want to keep them waiting. They hate to wait.

(LIGHTS OUT.)

SCENE TWO:  The hallway of an anonymous office building somewhere in DC. There is no art on the walls, which are a tasteful ecru. A plush beige carpet leads to a nondescript blond wood door. OBAMA walks confidently down the hall and approaches the door.

DOOR (in sultry female voice): Welcome, President Obama.

OBAMA (with a big smile): Hello there, sweetie.

DOOR: Please speak today’s password phrase.

OBAMA (exasperated): Come on, you just recognized me! I’m the President of the United States. Just let me in already!

DOOR (implacably): Please speak today’s password phrase.

OBAMA: Awwwww, shit.  Uh, um…”We get the bucks, your life sucks?”

DOOR: Password incorrect. Two more tries, Mr. President.

OBAMA: The notion that somehow you would deny me entry…I’m the leader of the free world! How can you do this to me?!

DOOR: Do not try to baffle me with bullshit, Mr. President. I am not made to Obot specifications. (implacably) Please speak today’s password phrase.

OBAMA: SHIT! Uh, ummmmm…

(The trademark grin spreads across his face as he remembers the password)

OBAMA: Blood for oil, we get the spoils!

DOOR: Thank you, Mr. President. (the door clicks open) Welcome to the meeting.

(OBAMA walks through the door. LIGHTS OUT.)

SCENE THREE: A typical conference room. The bland decor of the hallway is echoed in the blonde wood, beige leather chairs and beige plush carpeting. The only ornamentation is one large P on the center of the back panel of the wall facing the audience.

Clustered around the stage left side of the table are five people in black robes and white, expressionless masks in the Greek tragedy tradition. Their sex, age and physical appearance are all indeterminate. They have voice-scramblers in their masks, to further hide their identities; the effect of this alteration is to make their words even more inhumane and eerie.

BARACK OBAMA enters stage right, strutting confidently. He takes his seat at the table, across from the five mysterious figures.

OBAMA: Hey, guys, how’s it going?

FIGURE 1 (pointing a finger intimidatingly): WE will ask the questions. YOU will answer.

OBAMA (only slightly daunted): Don’t worry about it, I’m cool. Uh, um…mind if I smoke in here?

FIGURE 2 (forbiddingly): Yes.

OBAMA (more sheepishly): Oh.

FIGURE 3: If you have QUITE finished stalling, young man, we will now proceed with your 100-day performance review.

(A screen comes down in front of the “P” in the back of the room. A blank report card entitled “BARACK OBAMA: FIRST 100 DAYS” appears on the screen. As the figures name the items being graded, the name of the item and the grade fill in the blanks.)

FIGURE 4 (whispering to 3): Are you sure the report card format was such a good idea? He’s not Dubya, you know.

FIGURE 3 (whispering back): Trust me.

FIGURE 5: Now, let’s check your progress on the Patriarchal Agenda. Hmmmm…let’s see. Item number one: Keeping our war machine oiled and running smoothly.

FIGURE 1 (snickering): Oiled! Ha ha ha!

(ALL FIGURES laugh. OBAMA looks puzzled, but gamely joins in the laughter.)

FIGURE 5 (pleased): I thought you’d like that! Anyway, our employee here gets…oooh! An A Plus!

OBAMA (preening): You’re darned right. And it wasn’t easy, either, especially when I talked about how I was against the Iraq war for two years and promised to end it…and now, I’m getting away with continuing it indefinitely. Some trick, huh? Plus, I’m even doing a surge in Afghanistan and building up to a third war in Pock-ee-stan – and not a protest in sight!

ALL FIGURES: Bravo!

The Tale of The Widdershins: A Play in One Long, Strange Act.

Morning all! I opened The Widdershins with this play about our origins. If you missed it last night, here it is again. Enjoy – and please stop by The Widdershins today to see GaryChapelHill, LadyBoomerNYC, Mawm, SheriTags, and yours truly!

THE SCENE: A field of grass. A spotlight alights on center stage, where six people can be seen, standing and talking in an animated and friendly way.

The spotlight moves off the group and rests downstage right, where we see a podium. A woman and a man sit beside it; these are THE NARRATORS. The man is holding a large, old-fashioned book upon which can clearly be seen the title: The Tale of the Widdershins. THE NARRATORS look at each other, then the male NARRATOR nods and takes the book up to the podium. He turns on the reading light, clears his throat, and begins his tale.

MALE NARRATOR: Once upon a time, there was a group of people who loved American politics and followed it obsessively. Since they were mostly liberals, they allied themselves with the Democratic Party, calling themselves…(dramatic pause)…Democrats. These so-called Democrats gathered in a fantastical place called “The Internet,” which, although it could not be seen, nonetheless provided an indispensible forum for discussion (and well-honed snark) during the bleak years of President George W. Bush’s interminable Reign of Error.

(The Female NARRATOR gets up and joins her male counterpart at the podium. She reads the next paragraph of the story.)

FEMALE NARRATOR: The Democrats were united in their hatred of George Bush and their optimism for the next President, who would surely be a Democrat as well. As a member of their Party, he or she would also share and promote their values.

(The spotlight goes back to the field of grass, where individuals in the group begin to speak.)

DEMOCRAT #1: George Bush is the Worst President Ever. I cannot wait until 2008.

DEMOCRAT #2: Impeach Bush and Cheney! Nancy Pelosi for President!

DEMOCRAT #3: End the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan!

DEMOCRAT #4: Save Roe v. Wade!

DEMOCRAT #5: Save the environment!

DEMOCRAT #6: Save the economy! No more trickle-down economics!

ALL DEMOCRATS IN UNISON: Republicans suck! Gooooooo, team!

(The spotlight swings back to the podium, where the NARRATORS are now looking at each other with knowing smiles on their faces.)

FEMALE NARRATOR: It seemed nothing could go wrong for the Democrats. They all cared about the same issues, and there was no way they could lose in 2008. Yes, the future was rosy…until something very strange happened. A new figure appeared on the scene – a man some called, “The One,” but others called by his name: Barack Obama. And the Democrats had their first encounter with: Disloyalty.

No Apologies, No Comparisons: Women First.

Susan B. Anthony

Last night, the lovely and talented LadyBoomerNYC informed me that a Ken Burns documentary on Women’s Herstory was showing on PBS. “Not For Ourselves Alone,” the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, is a moving, inspiring and heartbreaking documentary of the two titans of feminism’s 50-year friendship, and of their lifelong struggle for “a little bit of justice”: votes for women. Tragically, Stanton and Anthony both died before their victory was achieved, although they did see their efforts resulting in a steady improvement in the daily lives of women: women were accepted into medical school, entered politics, became more prevalent in the workforce, and even received the vote in four Western states.

What struck me about the documentary was that in so many respects, it was still so relevant to our struggle for justice today. Yes, we women have had the vote since 1920, thanks to the heroic efforts of Stanton, Anthony and their American sisters of all shapes, sizes, colors and social classes; but was that vote not rendered meaningless by the actions of the RBC on May 31, 2008? Or by that sham of a Convention in August, when states and delegates that went for Hillary Clinton in the primaries were called for Barack Obama – and some states were not even heard from in the roll call? And now, the Obama acolytes who rigged the 2008 Democratic primary are going to be in charge of “reforming” the primary process for 2012, perhaps to stop another presidential bid by Hillary Clinton (which other observers besides myself are now thinking may be possible). Once gained, that “little bit of justice” is proving more difficult to hold onto than we thought.

My husband and I were often brought to tears by the unbelievable strength of these two women, and by the sacrifice that Stanton and Anthony committed themselves to in order to achieve their goal.  Afterwards, my husband said something interesting. “It’s like the struggle for civil rights for African Americans,” he said.

I agree that on some level, all struggles for social justice are the same, with the disenfranchised group fighting to be recognized as human beings with the same rights as every other human being.  But the comparison, while true on the surface, upset me on a deeper level. It sounded like he was saying that fighting for women’s rights, for the ERA, for equal pay for equal work, for the 30% Solution, was not good enough to stand on its own.

My Dirty Little Secret…and Yes, I’ve Left The Confluence

How Barack Obama Makes Me Feel

I am an Obot!!!!1111!!!

Okay, not really. My real secret is:

Barack Obama bores me.

Do I still think he’s a misogynist, homophobic authoritarian who will go down in history as being as bad as, or worse than, Bush? Absolutely. He doesn’t have the temperament, the will or the strength to be President. He was never ready to answer that red phone at 3 am. He had a $150 million inauguration when he knew the economy was going down the toilet. He keeps the White House at 78 degrees when people are living in tent cities. He doesn’t have the experience to deal with political opposition, even pointlessly throwing birth control funding under the bus in order to get an obviously impossible 80 votes for his stimulus package in the Senate. He goes after private citizens with his bully pulpit, trying to stifle their free speech.

As we see with the continuing fiasco over the people he tries to appoint to his Cabinet and staff having to resign because of financial scandals, he doesn’t know how to hire people. He’s left Tim Geithner essentially on his own at Treasury, although the economy is the paramount issue right now. Heck, he even HIRED  Tim Geithner despite his tax cheating history.

As for his foreign policy, our only bright light is Hillary Clinton. But she must be pounding her head against the wall regarding his idiotic idea to reach out to the “moderate Taliban.” Moderate Taliban? That’s the biggest oxymoron since “jumbo shrimp.” Earth to Obama: Extremists aren’t moderate. That’s what makes them extremists.

In short, Obama is staying the course; becoming yet ANOTHER national embarrassment. This is a man who in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, spends more time traveling, partying, vacationing and making speeches (and pissing off important allies like Great Britain), than actually making decisions and governing. He could have been a fine Vice President, but he is an unmitigated disaster as President.  

But we knew that, didn’t we?