The coming liberal thugocracy

[xoxoxoBruce]

Go for it, I can see you doing Hunter Thompson.

[TheMercenary]

Fear and Loathing in The Cellar? I'm in......

[Aliantha]

I can't believe how far this thread has degenerated. lol

You kids are so silly...

[Griff]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Go for it, I can see you doing Hunter Thompson.

Class is many things but a necrophiliac?!!!

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by richlevy

I can see UG leaving the country and joining Slang on a road trip through Southeast Asia. Sort of like Hope & Crosby, but with guns, beer, and prostitutes.

Cue up Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns, And Money" on the in-dash CD. Make sure the cooler has plenty of Singha beer. But no Mekong brand whiskey. I learned a life lesson once; never drink anything that only gets a lukewarm endorsement from an Australian Army infantryman.

("We are not drinking Mekong!!") /Sideways

Whatever we use for firearms depends on what threats we're planning to encounter. Pistols can be small and innocent; selective fire assault rifles are only de rigueur on the rifle-rack up in opium country.

Slang's never mentioned his singing voice to me, and I dance pretty clumpish. Maybe we can do the harmony parts of "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Time time time, for another peaceful war Roland the headless Thompson gunner Time stands still for Roland 'til he evens up the score Norway's bravest son

They can still see his headless body stalking through the night

In the muzzle flash of Roland's Thompson gun
In the muzzle flash of Roland's Thompson gun

[classicman]

Larry M. Bartels, Princeton political scientist, wrote in his book "Unequal Democracy"...

"On average, the real incomes of middle-class families have grown twice as fast under Democrats as they have under Republicans, while the real incomes of working poor families have grown six times as fast under Democrats as they have under Republicans."

For decades, rising inequality coincided with conservative electoral success, because voters were largely ignorant of the effects of tax-code changes and other economic policies, those in power were unresponsive to the concerns of working-class citizens, and broader income growth occurred in election years.

In other words, the causes of inequality are essentially political--an insight that suggests that Obama might use economic policy to begin reversing a decades-long trend.

George Packer
The New Liberalism
Newsweek Magazine
November 17, 2008

Have hope! It's ALL we have left!

[TheMercenary]

Oh, I would bleed to love her.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla

I learned a life lesson once; never drink anything that only gets a lukewarm endorsement from an Australian Army infantryman.

("We are not drinking Mekong!!") /Sideways

That must be some seriously dodgy stuff. The Australian palate recognises three grades of spirits:
Knickersoff (suitable for women)
Rocket fuel (suitable for men)
Window cleaner (Suitable for teenagers who haven't learnt better yet)


Mind you ...

I learned a life lesson once;

Must ... not ... willfully ... misinterpret ... ... ... must ... ignore ... opportunity ... for ... sarcastic ... comment ... oh fuckit

I hope you learn another one soon.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Oh, me too. I always like to get better. But not generally in accord with the lights of the "leave totalitarians alone" mentality that plagues so many in the Cellar, which I reprehend as permitting oppression, nurturing tyranny, and not being liberationist enough. That's the thing I really, really like about George W. Bush -- he does the liberating things the anti-Bush CellarDwellars just can't connect with, to their enduring shame. This guy really appreciated what it takes to liberate the oppressed. Naturally, his wisdom in the matter impresses.

Mekong brand whiskey is quite raw and clearly never saw the inside of a cask. Goes -- or did -- for about fifty cents US the half liter. I think they construct the stuff in patent stills and assemble it like cheap gin.

I've called the stuff "burner fuel" on a whiskey website. The Australian infantryman in question told me it was okay mixed with Coke, but advised me against taking it without. He was indeed correct.

[TheMercenary]

Posted by David Boaz

Paging Naomi Klein. In her book The Shock Doctrine, the left-wing polemicist claimed that right-wing governments — which she defined very broadly — take advantage of crises, or “shocks,” to implement their dastardly policies of free trade, privatization, and tax cuts. Well, one government has now announced its intention to take advantage of an economic crisis to implement “things you could not do before.” And since this government no doubt includes a lot of people who have read Naomi Klein, she may very well be able to take credit for giving them the idea.

According to the Wall Street Journal, President-elect Obama’s first and most central appointee is excited at the opportunities presented by the current economic shock:

Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, speaking to a Wall Street Journal conclave of business leaders Tuesday, said the economic crisis facing the country is “an opportunity to do things you could not do before.”

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” Mr. Emanuel said.

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Klein’s fans would be all over that if a Republican had said it. Instead, Paul Krugman praises that very line. Maybe he’s learned a few things from Naomi Klein, too.

In Crisis and Leviathan, Robert Higgs demonstrated that government growth in the United States has not been slow and steady, year in and year out. Rather, its scope and power tend to shoot up during wars and economic crises. Occasionally, around the world, there have been instances where a crisis led to free-market reforms. Generally, though, governments seek to expand their power, and they take advantage of crises to do so. But they rarely spell their intentions out as clearly as Rahm Emanuel did.

[Trilby]

I think the real question here is: why do right-wingers, those most oppressive of oppressive peoples, think liberal thinking is a thug thing?



Ever work in a state hospital under republicans? THAT is a thugocracy. My own state hospitals motto was thus: Whoever is least qualified WINS!

[Shawnee123]

And how do monkeys possess spanking? Does monkey's has to much trouble?

[Trilby]

Can I hav cheezburger?

[Shawnee123]

I don't think you haz the right mindset to haz cheezburger.