I don't give two shits about that poor Bhutto lady, or Bin Laden's death...

when I'm a few weeks away from potential financial ruin, health is shot, no insurance to speak of, no job on the horizon, and I'm sure there are more than a few DUrs who have it even worse, judging from the Christmas threads where some DUrs had horrors going on in their personal lives...

Really, in the end, do I CARE if these people live or die when I could be in the Street? Does it even matter if the Corporate bought and Paid For Media discusses Bhutto's death, or whether Paris Hilton is hanging out with Brit, while good and decent people struggle to get medications, or freaking DIE themselves?

Sorry, but let's have a little perspective here.. Some of us in the Peanut Gallery are STARVING, right Here in America, and before people's very EYES..

Its amazing how as soon as the Media Delineates WHAT everyone SHOULD be Talking about, we are off to the races Right Here on the DU, and its the same crowd that excoriates the damn Media at the same time..

Please feel free to discuss other subjects at any time, like helping out your fellow man, making sure OUR Brothers and Sisters are Alive and Well.

You will never meet Bin Laden OR Paris Hilton... At least you never see them at the same time, in the same nightclub, why IS That I wonder? :)

God Bless that poor woman, may her family find Happiness, and may she rest in Peace...

but the assassination is an extremely important topic and it's necessary for the media to pay a ton of attention to it, imo.

Takebackthemedia.com, I'd have to say that for the most part its what the Media DOESN'T SAY that's most important of All ...

time. Bhutto was an important world figure, I am saddened by her loss and the media needs to cover it. I was also able to contribute to various charities to help my fellow man. Rumor has it Bin Laden is dead. May your life find peace in '08..

:crazy:

maybe I'm not a complete asshole, and care about humanity in general, moreso worrying about feeding my three year old if forced to live in a car now that we've spent more than a couple of hundred thousand fighting this administration since we joined the DU more than six years ago..

Frankly I expected better from you than to post a Looney icon in association with me, Matcom..

Sarcasm, sure.. Appreciate the respect in my time of need, when life Trumps Politics.

I'm sorry, but an unfortunate situation is no excuse to throw out any sense you have. This is an extremely big deal. This is sort of a modern day "Mahatma Gandhi"-type situation where the assassination may finally bring enough of an uprising to start dealing with Pakistani fundamentalists, and the war on terror is IN Pakistan. While I feel for your unfortunate situation, I'm also awed at the sheer ignorance you possess and wonder why you got on this board in the first place. You're acting just like my "fuck everybody else," fundie sister. If you're in such a time of need and it so trumps politics, why are you still posting here?

and marvel are your lack of empathy.. You might want to read some of the thread before you unleash your mighty mouth.. Maybe Google me just for fun, you might be surprised at what you find.. One thing youll find out us that I'm the farthest thing from a Republican Fundy you're ever likely to meet.

How much you want to bet that NOTHING will happen? Say in two weeks? A month?

The fix is in, the fix has been in for a LONG time. I know a little about life there kiddo..

Media runs with it for a spell, then OJ pulls another boner and Pakistan news Evaporates. Been watching TV
a LONG time, puppy.

And if I'm wrong, and you are right, then I'll eat your Head.. What is it, about the size of a baseball?

You didn't excuse my "ignorance" at all, rather you were hurling insults like my fundie sister. My entire family has been through an extreme amount of pain, but I still manage to have a different outlook, so I don't need your patronizing, "whoa-is-me crap." Why don't you just give up now? Baby.

hangs on a .gif saying downloading. whats the deal with that anyway. is the pic so large as or is it full of illegal code or something.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria



Infamous assassinations of well-known leaders often
catalyze major events.

Tesha

That'll affect food prices, heating prices, and the prices of everything and anything transported by truck/boat/etc.

This is very much a poverty/economic issue.

After that, we can get into Constitutional issues if Pakistan's nukes get loose. That's easy. They call it "Red Alert." That means "No Constitution." That matters.

I'm sorry for your troubles. But this isn't DUers going "Ooooohh, shiny new distraction."

This is the real deal.

I'll believe it when I see it.

The Reality is that this admin has been boiling the Frog ( the Economy) for a Long time, and some us now have more pressing problems like sheer economic survival.. I don't want to lead the way in foreclosures, but someone has to do it, and there'll be plenty more, DUrs included, and in all Honesty, when it hits home and gets bad locally, then you really don't care if you have nothing to lose.

My prediction? They've already won, nothing will change, except I won't have a job, and will fall through the cracks, as will others.

This is an inflated event, and is under control my villanous bastards who won't let us all die, else who will buy their products?

Watch and see.

But timing is all.

Check your PM. Some troubles you don't have to volunteer for, yes?

:hug:

thanks, not too worried about it - as soon as someone mentions that they have problems or don't agree with the perception, threads drop like a rock :)

My rep was gone a long time ago, as soon as I started arguing with you :)

:P

:hug:

:toast:

I just lost some respect for the op.

then we should care not only for Bhuto but also for your plight.
Let me do some brainstorming and perhaps one of this suggestions will be of help to you.

In what part of the country do you live? Are there local networks of small businesspeople with whom you might be able to find, at the very least, free lance employment? Where I live, people work this way a lot, as there aren't many regular jobs with benefits. Since you are computer savvy, are you going around to local businesses offering to construct and maintain websites? Repair computers? Here's another idea: if you know QuickBooks or another accounting software program, you may wish to look into doing the bookwork for several very small businesses. There's a person in my town who makes her living that way.

You say your health is shot. Is there a non-profit health clinic nearby that you could utilize? The one I'm affiliated with allows long term payment arrangements. Are you open to alternative medicine? Though many scoff, I know from personal experience that utilizing their expertise in diet and exercise and pain relief can be very very helpful. If you live anywhere near NW Arkansas, PM me and I can give you details.

Do you have a long range plan if you are evicted? There are folks in my neck of the woods that don't have a home, but have been able to get by house sitting for people. Since my area has a certain number of summer folks, this is great for winter. In the summer, the house sitters often use tents or have been known to build shelters using what they can. We do have a community and there is support. A lot of folks around here trade work or barter for their goods and services.

I do hope that some of these suggestions are helpful, and I wish you the very best. It is obvious when someone famous dies that the world will be effected; what is not so obvious but which is also very true is that the world is also effected when those of us who are not famous suffer.

paris hilton is gossip and i agree that no one really should care about her.

however benazir bhutto's death could have dire consequence for millions of people. so yes, we should care.

You will carry on... I just know it.
When things are shitty in ones own life, I think a person has every right in the world to lash out.

A lot of people here have the luxury of spending hours a day posting and pontificating.

They mean nothing to you in your real life. I hope the new year will bring you better health and financial stability. If I could make that happen, I would.

I can Live with... Thanx OKNancy, you're a fine person, and we're going to need people like you, when the Humans Take Over :)

I may get by, it just really Stings to be taken down personally by Bush after fighting him high profile for more than six years, throwing money out the window while everything went up and up in price.

Next time I guess I'll just forget about trying to make life better for more people, and cover my own ass ... Seems to be the way of the Future, unfortunately. Thank god for folks like you though.. :)

but you and the people who are represented in you take precedence in your immediate need to find a solution to the unfortunate circumstance so many of us find ourselves in...as a result of the bushit boy stole election and a kiss-hiss-ass spineless congress.

this isn't the America I swore an Oath to defend when I signed up during Nam, I'll tell you that.. Thanks for understanding.

:pals: I'm trying to "hang in there" myself & feel like I have nothing but my own words. I hope things turn around in a good way for ya, symbolman.

sometimes it feels like watching a herd of horses that get that "look" in their eyes, where they're ready to BOLT, and I just sit back here and watch them gallop one direction, and the another, and its always about whatever the Hated, Traitorous Media lays on folks.. Almost funny at times..

But like you said, when you get to the point where you don't have two nickels to rub together, its all just "Words".. It SEEMS important, and a week later its all but forgotten. Watch it happen.

I hope this new Year uplifts you, and you find all your needs met, and More, because YOU are far more important than this Story, at least to Me :)

I wish you all the strength and support for the coming year.:hug: :yourock:

I'm just numb to world leaders getting killed anymore. Why?

My cousin and I were just talking about the downhill slide America's been experiencing in the past 10 years, culminating with Bewsh's presidency. People are in a general morass of health and are experiencing a void in regards to happiness. This has got to be one of the most shameful BLIGHTS on American history.

Nothing but aggresive ego wars, conflict, genocide, terrorism, dying, fear, layoffs, job insecurity, plant closings, free enterprise being all but dead, corruption, scandal, bad news almost hourly, stolen elections, the rich getting whatever the hell they want while the middle class and the poor get lead piped, corporations and religion hand in hand controlling the message, STILL no national health care, STILL no end to the Middle East bloodbath, STILL no plan on anything, a skyrocketing debt and trade deficit . . . gosh, I can just go on and on and on and on, but it's TOO FUCKING DEPRESSING!!!!

I think we've just forgotten that a collaborative effort is needed if we want to pull ourselves out of the mess we're all in. The problem is that the wealthy consistently tear up any such memo.

The point is, I cannot really care as much about what's happening to other nations, when the one I live in is currently in a state of disrepair.

I think I speak for most people when I say: I cannot WAIT for the Bewsh "Presidency" to end.

Even so, will the bad news stop?

As a country, we need to do something, and FAST.

our whole Culture is at risk, our fucking Experiences are CREATED by Corporations, and the younger you are, the less you Realize that most of what you touch, taste, watch, feel, Think - outside of Nature, is Supplied by Corporations and Media.. Many people deep down KNOW they are being Lied to on so many fronts, that their very Sanity is at Risk...

I worked in two Mental Institutions, and know the Sacredness of Truth, the Sanctity of A Reality Construct, and it doesnt take that much to push a Public over the edge... Many people don't even have the capacity to have a Real Conversation anymore - I call some of them "Repeater Stations" because if you listen to them converse they are basically "lifting" chapter and verse from their goddam televisions, seriously, listen to people some times and see how far they dig into their mental library for cogent info...

I received a Hollywood award for my creation of a Flash animation where I tell a story using only Symbols. http://www.symbolman.com even wrote a 60 page book telling an entire tale with only symbols.. As I told some folks I tested the book on in Seattle coffee shops, "I'm writing a book with No Words.." and they'd say "Suuure you Are.." :)

The point being that I was worried that our brain trusts in this country would get so low, that at some point we'd be left with only Symbols to be told where to go and what to do... :) sort of like in "Idiocracy" where there was just an ASS on the movie screen and that was the Hit Film :)

My actual point is that our minds are basically symbol systems, and they can control the Populace with that as a basis.. But again people Knkw Something is Wrong, and its leading to Depression and Despair..

You've Nailed it in your post here, and I thank you for it..

I agree with your OP, BTW, but I had no idea America had an actual culture. Or I recall the days when other people said we had no culture. :(

"Buy or Die", getting more real each day.. Thirty years ago in college I told a few pals that in the Future American Culture would involve "Goose stepping for Jesus All over the Planet"... Boy do I ever wish I was wrong.. :)

Appreciate you Hypnotoad.. You've got you finger on the pulse alright :)

"our fucking Experiences are CREATED by Corporations, and the younger you are, the less you Realize that most of what you touch, taste, watch, feel, Think - outside of Nature, is Supplied by Corporations and Media.. "

not that we know each other but in spirit we are brothers and brothers are special.
Peace

to be Honest I'm Vietnam Era, kept California and England safe, I was in Procurement, so I was Buying the Implements of Destruction for the men in country..

Did spend two summers flying in choppers all over Alaska piloted by armed and Dangerous ex-Nam Vets, who shot up everything, so I had a little "taste", can't claim no honors I never earned, but have probably more Respect for you guys who did the work than most, God bless you for your Service...

And thanks for the vibes :)

albeit it was for a lie then too as our present one is now.

I feel the people who got us out of Vietnam was the people back here stateside protesting the war, not us who were dodging bullets. And to them is where my true allegiance lies.
Peace and get down to the VA they treat me well, no complaints
maybe its because the first thing I said to them my first visit at the ripe ole age of 54 and me with a DVT was, I am here to take orders not to be giving them, everyone within earshot of my making that statement turned to me and said welcome home brother you are in good hands now or something to that effect

Fuck this crazy world and focus on you and yours. I for one have always appreciated your hard work, and I for one feel your current pain like it was my own.

Fuck this crazy world, we just live in it.

appreciated more than you know, and you know Why :)

Thanks Friend..

while still having compassion for people who are in trouble. I suspect most DUers can.

It's all connected and we are too to what ever outcomes await us. We've got to make the best of it and turn it around for all of us.

I've spent a considerable amount of time and money fighting to expose these monsters, over 40 Flash animations, a commercial, advising the top folks at Moveon.org after we were sued for a half a million bucks by Michael Savage's people, etc..

That's why ending up with nothing to show for it, in economical distress cuts so deeply..

But I appreciate the thoughts, a lot :)

Best to you too

My best wishes for you.

I'm so sorry you've had some hard luck. From one of your last posts I read a while back I thought things were looking up for you. I"m in similar dire circumstances but for what its worth, I think I'm able to deal with the hopelessness of my own situation better by purposely empathizing, and suffering about world events through the great DU here. It adds to my general anxiety about things but If I dwell on my crappy life for too long at times I can do nothing to alter it then the depression King takes over and things go way south from there. Just two cents. Always a fan
S

Symbolman, I can see where you are coming from.

I hope things work out.

and everyone for kind and thoughtful posts. I'm normally not this cranked, but on top of it all we've all had some stomach flu hit hard here, with the holidays being ruined while we try and pimp for work, specifically today being the worst as its my three year old's Birthday, and he's been up all night tossing cookies...

Looking at that sweet little pale face, worried about the future for him, well, just left me thinking that most of those Stars of Terror and Heroes of Democracy, where all the lines have been blurred purposefully, it all means nothing personally to me.

I want the boy to grow up strong, handsome, honest.. At least have a chance to grow up.

I'm sick to death of fighting these monsters who roll in money and threaten us with what are many times, empty threats to boot. I don't like the "New Normal" and want nothing to do with it.

But I DO appreciate this Community, because in the end Only Community will Save Us.

Once again, thanks to you all :)

Sometimes it feels like all the world's shit is running downhill and piling at your feet...

I don't have anything to say that wouldn't sound like a meaningless platitude, but rest assured you are not alone here.

:hug: ...

Come Oahu, more jobs here....but then, less homes for rent....

Wishing for a Better New year man....

Who needs to rent a home when we can live in a Spacious old Chevy? How big is your yard, Bra? :)

Come, we go fish, grind, party.. The sharks no care fo' no Bhutto or Bin Laden either ...

Mahalo and aloha, my friend

He is working on huge project..and may need some help...

Keep the Mind Sharp....

like a razor right now :)

Thanks for calling, we'll have to talk... Good joo joo, I hope?

What is your MO man...need to know job skills for those good positions...

any skills in construction....like dry wall, tile setting???

Lemme know

If Carter's fuel standards had not been gutted by Reagan in 1985, we would have stopped importing oil by 1991.
The US could have departed from the Middle East 17 years ago.
The trillions of tax dollars wasted protecting Big Oil's profits could have paid for universal single-payer health care.
With the US military/oil companies out of the region, the Islamic fundies wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
The Wall Street-owned media shills 24/7 for Big Business, while never mentioning the plight of our own people.

Your OP is right on target.

It's time to focus on the needs of American citizens, become energy independent by law and get the hell out of these idiotic overseas wars.

just imagine what a world that would be... There is an Insane amount of money being channeled out of this country, OUR Money, money that is being stolen from our great-great - great grandchildren, and its not even Officially "on the books".

I don't know if this nation will survive this kind of rape, pillaging and looting.. I think this time they've gone too far, and they know it - hence the Draconian measures to steal our Civil Rights.

We may never see Freedom again.

Thanks for the info, brilliant ;)

Its obviously becoming a major problem for many, thus all the distractions and other garbage being thrown out into the news media.

Pocketbook issues have to stay first and foremost in this election and we have to keep them there.

It has implications for the stability of Pakistan and the region. It could escalate and pull in other countries, and the scenario involves nukes.

Having been in a position so similar to what you describe, let me tell you that when your immediate world has been destroyed or is being destroyed, it is as if the world shrinks, all those political battles and worldly intrigue seem so unimportant and all you can worry about, all that your shoulders can bear are the troubles in your life at any given moment today.

That doesn't mean you don't care, it means you can't take the time to care, too many pressing issues are before you and survival takes precedence. Let the rest of the world pass you by, it truly doesn't matter right now. Do what you must for you and yours.

Keep your head up and keep the faith. Focus on your survival and the well being of your family and don't try to change the world. If you can improve your little corner of it, you have improved the world.

Stay strong, safe and healthy, you and yours are in my prayers. :hug:

I know how hard it was for you, well, not really, only you know that ... But knowing some of what you've been through and how it can make people more wise, its really appreciated, bad money problems can be like a cancer in a little family, people tense out, fight over stupid things, etc

Thanks much for the advise, I'll take it deep to heart, coming from you it means everything.. I'll read it to the wife :)

Keep on keepin' on, eh?

:)

The only things that matter today is your survival, your family's survival and the well being of your loved ones. Let the rest of the world go and put your energies where they are needed. Take the time you need to rant, to be afraid, to rest, but don't ever give up. Just keep on keepin' on. :)

:hug: :loveya:

and your efforts are greatly appreciated by many. Things are getting seriously desperate for a lot of people. You are not alone. May the new year bring you relief.

...and you are right on about the media. I was listening to xm and for 3 days after Xmas and the news broadcasts were repeats-- for nearly 3 days--the exact same 4 minute broadcast. It seemed time stood still because of the holidays and there was no reporting going on even on tv except for tiger attacks. What passes for news these days is seriously warped. I suspect that they decided not to waste any propaganda effort and let everyone off on holiday until the Bhutto assassination. And then, after calling back the newstroops, they were seriously short of new material and so could only cover that 1 story....not that they wouldn't do the same thing on any other day to fill up time slots.

Seems pretty important to me. But I can totally understand why having other pressing concerns locally may negate world-wide concerns.

You cannot ignore this simple fact that the War on Terror is bankrupting this country. In "advanced countries" their taxes keep people off the streets and give their citizens healthcare. In America, our taxes go to play war games with mythical boogiemen.

http://nationalpriorities.org/cms/costofwar

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." -John Donne

I hope your situation improves brother.

I'm sorry you're having such a bad time of it, but some of us can walk and chew gum at the same time.

You walked into the belly of the beast and came out the other side. You are strong and you will get through this. Sometimes in the middle of the night, the world becomes a horrible scary place. Just remember there are good people still around who will help you when you need it, you sometimes just have to ask (sorry if that sounds like a platitude). Are you covered by the VA for instance?
People on this board care about you and yours - take care of yourself and your family, you have their love and support as well as ours :grouphug:

:hi:

though i'd be filing for asylum of some sorts or even crawling across the canadian border to get health care if i was in your situation. screw fighting the good fight here if it means penury, ill-health, despair, and possibly death. it's always better to retreat to fight another day. lose the battle win the war, y'know? no pride lost in a sensible retreat.

i care about world events if it will genuinely affect my life. what is going on in pakistan will genuinely affect my life, but in a more indirect, mid-term basis. short-term it's just interesting pyrotechnics; i still have lots on my own plate to get in order.

which is why i think your post is valuable. DU often acts like the vestibule of Dante's Inferno: big swarm of screaming masses chasing a multi-colored, ever-changing flag being goaded by swarms of stinging insects. those who will stand for anything and everything stand for nothing and shall never know peace. each new useless bit of TV ephemera becomes explosions of frenzied (and i often consider "wasted") energy. each new minutiae becomes whole platforms on how one's candidate or tv shows or friends or product or party becomes completely compromised, therefore necessitating purity pledges and party purges. it's plain ol' stupid factionalism and fanaticism and brain-dead escapism all mixed together, and frankly it's a song and dance that's getting very old. but DU is as human a place as any other. such popularity games, distractions, and domination tactics will work here as they work everywhere.

and that's just the most painful part of it. we want to think there's some sort of cultural exceptional-ism here. but there isn't and there can't be. "we" are just like "them." it is inescapable. we will get over this clarion call and run back with "the masses" here. we'll run back trying to solve the world's problems with hysterical hand wringing over "missing white women," "guns/animals/cops/crooks gone wild," "who's the pariah now?" and "the powerful just contemptuously flapped their genitals at us."

the disorganized are the powerless. and the powerless are the ignorable. and the ignorable is just the static white noise in the chaotic hell that is life. welcome to the beautiful nightmare.