As strange as it may seem to anyone who's kept up on current events, there are still those people who appear to think the Occupy movement is just a phase, one that will wear itself out sometime soon, before any of the problems the Occupy movement has brought to light are resolved.
Those people are either feigning ignorance and stupidity, or they really are as dumb as they seem.
Even the Pope now agrees with the Occupy movement that the levels of social and economic inequality faced by people around the world - and especially in its richest nations, like America - can no longer continue. A committee from the Vatican released an official endorsement yesterday of series of economic reforms, aimed at the G-20 leaders summit, beginning a week from today in France.
One of the key reforms the Pontifical Council says that G-20 nations need to make is a financial speculation tax - in short, a tax specifically aimed at the kind of Wall Street thugs responsible for betting, losing, and trashing nearly every economy in the world over the last few years.
As at least some of our staff is Catholic, this gives us a fairly definitive answer to a question some on the American right have been posing about the Occupy movement: If Jesus were here, what would he think about the Occupy movement, and their attacks on Wall Street?
If the Pope really is a direct connection to God, as Catholics believe, it's fairly obvious to us that God isn't on the side of those on Wall Street who've created such an unequal system.
We're also willing to bet that same God wouldn't be looking too favorably on those who think that inequality should be made permanent - through violence, if necessary.
In case you missed it, members of the Oakland, Califonia police department unnecessarily attacked and teargassed Occupiers there Tuesday night - which landed one Occupy activist, an Iraq war veteran, in the hospital in critical but stable condition with a massive head injury.
As journalist Joshua Holland reported, the protesters may have annoyed Oakland officials with their chanting, yelling, and protests, but the Occupiers in Oakland were like those across the country - peaceful if not a little rowdy.
The decision to use unnecessary force and provoke the protesters by delaying lawful actions was made at a level far above the officers on the streets carrying out the orders. The nightmare that followed has already been duplicated in too many cities, from Denver to New York, and from Atlanta to Seattle to - now Oakland.
The politicians in these cities - and the extremely wealthy campaign donors that support them - seem to have a strange delusion that threatening violence against the Occupy protesters is a tactic that will drive the frustrated masses back into quiet submission.
As we already mentioned, we hope these folks aren't as dumb as they seem. Or they could be in a state of delusional slumber.
If it's the latter, when they wake up, we hope the wealthiest 1% are forced to accept living in a reality that the majority of Americans already know is a nightmare.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Fairy Tales And Other Lies Politicians Tell Us
In case you've missed it lately, we've been ramping up our coverage of the looming Keystone pipeline battle with the only weapons we have here at the Daily Felltoon: cartoons and words.
It's been quite obvious that TransCanada has opened up its pocketbook in an last ditch attempt to buy or bully most of the lawmakers involved in authorizing the current proposed route for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
Not only did the forces of big oil recently manage to buy a favorable review from the U.S. State Department, but they've proudly been working with Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper - an anti-evironmentalist sometimes called 'Bush Lite' - in an obvious attempt to push a false sense of inevitability with the pipeline.
As we've noted multiple times, a majority of Nebraskans do NOT want the pipeline's route to cross the Ogallala aquifer. Even Nebraska's Governor, who we gave some credit to yesterday, has previously said that he does not want the pipeline to cross the aquifer (though he's willing to allow the pipeline to be built, if TransCanada routed it elsewhere in the state).
We wish that all of the politicians involved - local, state, Federal, and even those in Canada - would have shown REAL political courage months or years ago and stood up to the obvious bullying and barely legal bribery of TransCanada, the pipeline builder.
Too often, our politicians - of ALL parties - have waited until it's clear that decisions have already been made behind the scenes to take any sort of definitive action. Then when they make grand gestures, shaking their political lances, and waving flags of special sessions, we have a strong suspicion they may be mostly meaningless.
Our worldwide competition in China, in the energy business, has NOT been sitting by and biding their time. China has begun to forcefully drive their own demand for solar power up with feed-in tariffs that heavily benefit solar and wind power. They're also flooding the world market with heavily state-subsidized solar and wind products, while America and the rest of the world does nothing.
While those who support the Keystone pipeline claim that the pipeline's construction will generate jobs in the short term, our energy trade policies right now are further killing one of the only bright spots in the American manufacturing sector... NEW, long-term, well-paying manufacturing jobs.
Serving up a short term benefit, with negative lasting effects for Nebraskans isn't just an unhealthy snack for the insatiable monster of big oil.
It's an outline for a story that ends in anything but happily ever after.
It's been quite obvious that TransCanada has opened up its pocketbook in an last ditch attempt to buy or bully most of the lawmakers involved in authorizing the current proposed route for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
Not only did the forces of big oil recently manage to buy a favorable review from the U.S. State Department, but they've proudly been working with Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper - an anti-evironmentalist sometimes called 'Bush Lite' - in an obvious attempt to push a false sense of inevitability with the pipeline.
As we've noted multiple times, a majority of Nebraskans do NOT want the pipeline's route to cross the Ogallala aquifer. Even Nebraska's Governor, who we gave some credit to yesterday, has previously said that he does not want the pipeline to cross the aquifer (though he's willing to allow the pipeline to be built, if TransCanada routed it elsewhere in the state).
We wish that all of the politicians involved - local, state, Federal, and even those in Canada - would have shown REAL political courage months or years ago and stood up to the obvious bullying and barely legal bribery of TransCanada, the pipeline builder.
Too often, our politicians - of ALL parties - have waited until it's clear that decisions have already been made behind the scenes to take any sort of definitive action. Then when they make grand gestures, shaking their political lances, and waving flags of special sessions, we have a strong suspicion they may be mostly meaningless.
Our worldwide competition in China, in the energy business, has NOT been sitting by and biding their time. China has begun to forcefully drive their own demand for solar power up with feed-in tariffs that heavily benefit solar and wind power. They're also flooding the world market with heavily state-subsidized solar and wind products, while America and the rest of the world does nothing.
While those who support the Keystone pipeline claim that the pipeline's construction will generate jobs in the short term, our energy trade policies right now are further killing one of the only bright spots in the American manufacturing sector... NEW, long-term, well-paying manufacturing jobs.
Serving up a short term benefit, with negative lasting effects for Nebraskans isn't just an unhealthy snack for the insatiable monster of big oil.
It's an outline for a story that ends in anything but happily ever after.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
What Courage Can Do
Since we began The Daily Felltoon, one of our more distinguishing features has been that we'll occasionally give direct praise where it's due, and give direct condemnation when it's been earned.
Today, we have to give praise to a man we've often had disagreements with in the past, Nebraska's Governor Dave Heineman. The Governor did something on Monday that is increasingly rare among major politicians of any party – he took some definitive action.
Gov. Heineman called for a special session of the Nebraska Legislature in order to properly, legally, and thoroughly address the issue of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. As we wrote on Monday morning before the Governor's announcement, it's obvious that Nebraskans have wanted their legislature to have a greater role in the pipeline process.
It now looks like Nebraskans will get their wish, even though the Speaker of the Legislature feels that a special session would be an exercise in futility.
While it would have been easy for Heineman, a Republican, to automatically side with the big oil interests of TransCanada, the Governor chose to do what was right, not what was easy.
The Governor's actions may seem worlds apart from the protesters on the streets of Cairo, or those of the Occupy protesters on Wall Street. Still, a similar kind of quiet determination, like that the Governor displayed Monday, has been a hallmark of the many revolutions that have been happening around the world this year.
Doing what is right has never been easy, whether you're a poor, unemployed person, or a political leader. From standing up to the terrible reign of Middle Eastern political dictators, to standing up to the corruption of the financial despots of Wall Street, the dangers are always many, and the costs are often high.
In our American political system, actions like Gov. Heineman's could be political suicide, if the Governor planned on running for other offices. In the Middle East, standing up for what's right has cost the lives of many.
There is even the danger of becoming that which you hate, as it appears some of Col. Gadhafi's captors tortured him before they killed him - just as Gadhafi had been rumored to do to his enemies.
Still, once a person displays the determination to do the right thing, it often becomes easier for others to do the same.
Once enough people have decided to do what is right instead of what's easy, the cowardly dictators and despots, whether political or financial in nature, have fewer and fewer places left to hide their ill-gotten gains.
In the Middle East, those abusive leaders who remain are becoming as paranoid as the power brokers on Wall Street, afraid that the rivers of red - whether blood or red tape - will swallow them up, and take away that which they've stolen from others.
The river might take back what they've taken - but justice won't happen automatically.
Like the Tunisians, the Egyptians, the Libyans, and even the Occupy Wall Street protesters, Governor Heineman's action that forces Nebraska's Legislature to do its job, is merely a beginning, not an end. We don't expect the Governor's new position will instantly resolve the debate over the pipeline, or even stop the pipeline from eventually going through portions of Nebraska.
What we do hope is that this is a new beginning to solving a difficult problem.
Today, we have to give praise to a man we've often had disagreements with in the past, Nebraska's Governor Dave Heineman. The Governor did something on Monday that is increasingly rare among major politicians of any party – he took some definitive action.
Gov. Heineman called for a special session of the Nebraska Legislature in order to properly, legally, and thoroughly address the issue of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. As we wrote on Monday morning before the Governor's announcement, it's obvious that Nebraskans have wanted their legislature to have a greater role in the pipeline process.
It now looks like Nebraskans will get their wish, even though the Speaker of the Legislature feels that a special session would be an exercise in futility.
While it would have been easy for Heineman, a Republican, to automatically side with the big oil interests of TransCanada, the Governor chose to do what was right, not what was easy.
The Governor's actions may seem worlds apart from the protesters on the streets of Cairo, or those of the Occupy protesters on Wall Street. Still, a similar kind of quiet determination, like that the Governor displayed Monday, has been a hallmark of the many revolutions that have been happening around the world this year.
Doing what is right has never been easy, whether you're a poor, unemployed person, or a political leader. From standing up to the terrible reign of Middle Eastern political dictators, to standing up to the corruption of the financial despots of Wall Street, the dangers are always many, and the costs are often high.
In our American political system, actions like Gov. Heineman's could be political suicide, if the Governor planned on running for other offices. In the Middle East, standing up for what's right has cost the lives of many.
There is even the danger of becoming that which you hate, as it appears some of Col. Gadhafi's captors tortured him before they killed him - just as Gadhafi had been rumored to do to his enemies.
Still, once a person displays the determination to do the right thing, it often becomes easier for others to do the same.
Once enough people have decided to do what is right instead of what's easy, the cowardly dictators and despots, whether political or financial in nature, have fewer and fewer places left to hide their ill-gotten gains.
In the Middle East, those abusive leaders who remain are becoming as paranoid as the power brokers on Wall Street, afraid that the rivers of red - whether blood or red tape - will swallow them up, and take away that which they've stolen from others.
The river might take back what they've taken - but justice won't happen automatically.
Like the Tunisians, the Egyptians, the Libyans, and even the Occupy Wall Street protesters, Governor Heineman's action that forces Nebraska's Legislature to do its job, is merely a beginning, not an end. We don't expect the Governor's new position will instantly resolve the debate over the pipeline, or even stop the pipeline from eventually going through portions of Nebraska.
What we do hope is that this is a new beginning to solving a difficult problem.
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