The Wild Wild Left - Recent Comments

What a very interesting response!

Nezua — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:34:04 GMT

and think that the Unapologetic Mexican is a blog of great interest, my own focus is more on trying to encourage the understanding we need but still lack of why and how we (the people of the U.S. and most of the so-called advanced industrialized world, including, of course, all of Western Europe) have gone so terribly wrong and how we can recognize those reasons and alert others to them and to what must be done differently.
For me, an indictment of 'The West' is complete. We have in this essay, another excellent article for the Bill of Indictment, but not something which is for me other than a dash of extra facts added to a torrent.
I do hope to see lots more from Nezua here--and, if not, I'll occasionally browse the U-M site itself. But I am nearing saturation of my reading and writing capacity as it is. I have two or three books in progress, and five or six in waiting for reading. There is only so much I can read and write in a day, a week, a month.

1. Why and How:
I think it was in the post.

We are Indians who have been invaded and occupied (just as Iraq has) by Imperialist Euro-forces, and who eventually blended with our greedy, self-justifying, resource-thirsting overlords by means of rape, occupation, an eventual perverse desire to blend and be like the rulers, and in time simply because we've all been living on the same land since then.
Not immigrants. Indians. People indigenous to the continent long before map lines were drawn by invading forces.
Farmers. Workers. Campesinos.

Whiteness. Greed. Landlust. Imperialism. War. Thinking of non-whites as exploitable labor. It's very clear WHY my people were then and are now targets of violence and exploitation. BY those European nations and by their offshoots (USA).

How?

Even going to Wikipedia tells you a lot about the history of the railroads, the gold rush, Polk's land grab, The Porfiriato, the border disputes, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, etc. But you sound well-read, I'm sure you know how this land was taken, and how labor is exploited, and how racism works itself into our law system on all levels. Yes?

Or just think of it as "Greed, Shallow Thought, and Bloated Ego."

2. " There is only so much I can read and write in a day, a week, a month. "

I'm...not sure what this is meant to address. Are you saying you didn't read the post? In any regard, I find it very strange that someone who understands what it is like to have limited time to read (me too!) then writes an extremely convoluted and wordy wandering response (that feels off-topic to tell you the truth) to the post!

Anyway, I do thank you very much for the complimentary words. And no offense was taken by me, I know that. I just found your response a bit puzzling in the ways in which I've listed above.

peace...

Obama, and the cynicism of pragmatism

wyamarus — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:00:52 GMT

Frankly, I don't see whatever virtue is in the Obamic pragmatism and cuddly make-nice ass-kissing of the bankers, stock swindlers, extortionists, and other sorry excuses of the right-wing owning class. And I personally find it offensive that someone has the balls to work his manufactured image as a downtrodden person of color to pull off one of the biggest and most brazen scams in the history of the country.

I would prefer to vote for an intelligent, empathetic, and honorable person of principle and personal integrity, who was rational and cognizant enough to be able to see and correct their mistakes without their ego getting in the way.(Or their need for 'acceptance')
Morality and ethics are not an issue that should be determined by 'popularity', as the morally and ethically correct choice will not always be popular. But isn't one of the roles of the President to raise the level of people's perceptions so they see the value in doing the "right" thing? And the shame in losing an opportunity to redress old injustices?

Pragmatism-driven apologetics of the last 50 years are responsible for the mess we are in now; as a country, and as a planet.
The New Feudalism that is upon us is the consequence of not demanding better from our politicians and religious personalities
(I am averse to calling them 'leaders',except in terms of a 'Judas Goat', perhaps.)

If the O-man, Hillary, John Richards,and their ilk are the only alternatives to geriatric nut-jobs like McCain, and his pet pit bull, the Palinator -we are just marking time circling the drain, because we are well and truly fucked.

that word is from video gamers

Diane G — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:34:35 GMT

I guess from a typo in some directions somewhere.

It was supposed to read "own" as in, "Once you defeat the enemy, you have owned them. They become your fighters."

He wrote pwned by accident and they thought it funny. It caught on.

It doesn't bother me too much. I adore making words I think should exist.

As to the anonymous commenter at your blog? He's ignorant. Meh.

oh & never say never

Diane G — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:45:43 GMT

both about the cuban celled genital shocking, or the return of the show....

I'm a writer, I can rewrite the script of my future nearly anytime I want to!

Come to think of it, so can we all!!!!

I should have told you, sorry

Diane G — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:36:00 GMT

but its on indefinite hiatus.

I guess I should have sent out an email on Friday to the usual set who get my show nags that there was no show this week. Sorry you rushed for nothing, dear heart.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Bastard. You choked me all up after I promised myself I wouldn't get weepy ever again. I miss it too.

Yeah. I know. That's the kind of promise a sentimental mushball like me should never make to herself.

But eventually I have to man-up about it.

(Tells herself: Man-up already)

Hard times and hard words and hard life and hard people; I don't wanna be the one who grabs my baseball and stomps off every time something doesn't go my way. I've been through worse and gotten over it. Life is too short, ya know?

You'd think I'd be a hard-ass by now. Heh. Hell, after growing up in my family, where insult was a recreational sport. I blow off steam, I get over it, and expect pretty much the same of everyone else.

Right now, the Holidays are coming and I have a lot going on at home.

We'll just see what tomorrow brings.

man aliiiiiiiive, so am I

Diane G — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:43:02 GMT

I was stunned how easy the pretty transfer was, and realized how much more streamlined the sidebars should be.

Its like rearranging the furniture.

You move something.

Sit.

Look.

Consider.

Move it again.

Hows the Balance?

Take stuff out.

Put stuff in.

Fun.

Yeah!!!

M_A — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:36:13 GMT

Glad it's finally on it's way.

hands Art a bronzed tortilla

Elián Maricón — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:38:28 GMT

Yeah, you sound pretty damn close to "raceless" alright. And you know, it's been my experience that the white people who go on and on the most about how un-racist they are--and how they can see life through the eyes of non-white people in America-- actually turn out to be just as colorblind as they are constantly reminding everyone they are!

The fact you can even make a statement like that...

I was going to elaborate with a sizable dash of vitriol, but I just decided that this is a pissing contest that is not worthy of my urine.

Congratulations on your salsa award, hombre! See you at the next cock fight.

I didn't bother to read the above war of words b/c it is a fact that Wood is correct

Elián Maricón — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:22:19 GMT

I've said this repeatedly, but it has been verified and documented--by a highly trustworthy source-- that Obama was secretly vetted by the healthcare and Wall Street mafia before most of us ever heard his name. Google "Paul Street" at znet. I mean hell, if he hadn't passed that acid test then he'd still be Obama the Illinois state representative and we'd haven't a fucking clue who he was. Campaigning is quite expensive...I hear that the going rate for a reasonably well-funded campaign for political office these days is one soul.

The only thing I'd change in your article, Wood, is this sentence:

I get the sense he knows he has been offered as a scape-goat, someone to take the fall for all the abuses heaped on the people for the last 30 or 40 years by an increasingly dictatorial, Imperial Government

I would add that not only does he know that this is his role, but that he eagerly signed up to play that role from the beginning. Somewhere in a sumptuous and well-appointed room far from the public eye, Cuban cigars were smoked, hands were shook, and a strategic plan was devised (i.e., an Obama) by the same people who in public pretend to divide themselves up into Repubs and Dems--but behind the scenes they could let their hair down, take off their masks, and just be themselves: Goldman Sachs, BlueCross, Lehman Brothers, BearSterns, JP Morgan et al.

Great essay Wood

Thanks D

Elián Maricón — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:49:56 GMT

I've been getting a lot of shit for taking this position. One would think I just joined the KKK and burned a cross on my front lawn or something.

Some anonymous dipshit scolded me for "playing the race card" in the comment section after the post at QAO . Now, I hate the twitterization of the language and text speak, and one word in particular that always enraged me was "pwned".

Well, I think after my reply, I felt that absurd smugness that people seem to display after they "pwned" someone. I am not sure if I am using it correctly, but I digress.