Chega! Now is the time

Now is the time to show the world that America backs up her talk with action.  It has always been very interesting to me as someone who has worked abroad as much as I have to talk about rights comparisons.  I've heard too much, "Well in America, if you are this they don't treat you like scheiße."  True, sometimes they don't.  But, also sometimes they do.

With the legal stance of some aspects of my future up for discussion in the legal corridors of Washington, D.C. I got to thinking about some things today.

1. I am grateful for the sea of red when I pull up my Facebook account.  This may seem trite or unimportant to some of you reading, but it's the little actions that create change.  According to many polls, a majority of America supports extending marriage equality to the LGBT community.  With all these little actions, we are so close to a tipping point, it is SUPER frustrating to have to wait until June.

2.  It is the weirdest feeling to have the validity of my love deliberated in courtroom by 20 some odd people I don't know and don't know me.  To have to sit here MILES away, 'powerless' and praying for a good outcome ramps me up to no end.  Who are they to judge?

3. Namibia is an interesting case when it comes to LGBT rights.  Officially, sodomy is illegal.  Lesbians are okay and generally there are no laws on the books about them.  Technically, homosexuality is not illegal.  They can't arrest you for being homosexual here, the can get you for sodomy though.  However, the legacy of Apartheid has caused Namibia to ensure an ironclad right to privacy is enshrined in its constitution.  So... the question is....  :)    LGBT individuals exist here, they are generally left alone and even blackmail is unheard of when it comes to homosexuality.  Yet many LGBT Namibians I have met do ask me what it's like in America.   I have to admit, I'm a New Englander through and through.  The furthest I've lived outside of NE is Pittsburgh, PA.  So I can't talk about Mississippi.  Yet after the story about the first LGBT candidate's killing, I would say Namibia is doing better than parts of my own home country.

4. We need to clean up our house at home before we can go out to other countries and tell them 'like it is.'  I'm not advocating for a complete halt on working on LGBT rights abroad, or a halt at all.  I'm saying, let's ride the wave of public opinion back home and turn this country around!


I remember I came out on this blog.  As I said then and will say now, nothing has changed with me.    When I was in the process of coming out, I thought everything.  I thought it was a phase, I thought it was not normal.  But then something just clicked and I realized it is normal, it's not a phase and I'm happy.  I hope nothing less than society and anybody who reads this who isn't pro-equality will see the day when it just clicks....

An Important Lesson

Many times, a Westerner will come to Africa with the view that he or she is the expert and others have to learn from them.  Often times it is the locals who teach the Westerner something. 

When I was in Mozambique, the greetings protocol used to make me INSANE.  This especially happened when I wanted to get something done.  I really didn’t care how your goats were, I wanted to get in, get what I wanted from you and get out.  There were important things to do in Mozambique which didn’t involve sweating it out in some dark meeting room.

However, time has changed my view on the protocol required in African contexts.  Yesterday is my case in point.  As many of you who have followed me on Facebook or talked with me recently, you know that I am helping out a Namibian friend here with the social media requirements of her business.  It’s proven a daunting task.   She’s sometimes very mistrusting of people she doesn’t know (me) and technology she doesn’t completely understand (Facebook).  So it’s taken almost a month to even get her to trust me.

Yesterday, we had 2 hours set aside to work on her Facebook page and put together a fundraising campaign.  However, the first hour was spent just catching up.  This is something that I only noticed later worked very well for us.  She now trusts me so much that she is sending me her banking information to get her all set up with the fundraising campaign.  All we had to do was ask each other how we were.

Interesting what happens when you slow down.

Ian

Last Days in America....

I haven't written a post like this in awhile.  But tonight is my last day in Vermont before I head to the airport (JFK) to fly to Namibia.

This is the flag of the country which has been independent since 1990.  I'm very excited because independence day is March 21st (1990) and I will be there for the 23rd anniversary of independence.  I know this is a fanciful comparison, but I wonder what America was like in 1799 - 23 years after our independence from Britain.


I know the answer to part of this question.  I'm also not trying to compare Namibia to America or vice versa.  I'm just trying to process that I WILL BE GOING BACK TO AFRICA after an absence of 4 years.  It's going to be a different experience because I'll be living in the "best" neighborhood of Windhoek.  For those of you that may know Windhoek, I'll be staying in provided housing in the Klein Windhoek or Ludwigsdorf section of the city - depending on who you talk too.  I've also heard, that Klein Windhoek is the original settlement, i.e. the entire eastern section of the modern city and then Ludwigsdorf is the actual neighborhood.  Ahhhh Africa!  I'll let you know when I get there.


Some things I'm looking forward to the most about Africa:

-Heat , especially last night after sliding back down to the railroad parking lot by the river.  Man it was cold and slipper.
-Color
-Spicy smells
-Smell after it rains It'll be the dry season. :(
-Cheap, fresh food
-Music
and lastly, MOST important

GETTING ADAM CHRISTOPHE TO AFRICA!!!!!

My next post will be coming from Windhoek.  I love the fact that I am going from weather that's in the 30's Fahrenheit to 30's Celsius.

More soon.

Ladysmith Fish out of Water

It's been quite the ten days. Last weekend, I went with my brother and sister to go see Freshly Ground in New York. It was wonderful. This past weekend, Ladysmith Black Mambazo played at the Mann Centre in Philadelphia.

I've traveled around for some time now. (after my calculations, 8 of the past 10 years) The Mann Center is one of the best venues I've ever been to. Anyone who comes to visit maybe will be able to go to a concert there. Getting there is a whole different story and man does it work out for quite a story.

Philadelphia is built in the sensible grid pattern that many American cities are built in. Philadelphia was in fact the first "new European" city to be constructed that way. Anyway, the streets that run North to South are numbered from the Delaware River to the Schuykill River. East West streets are named after trees that grow here or places "in the colonies."

Now from Front Street to 50th Street, Philly is safe and normal. After 50th street it gets a little shady. Noel was kind enough to tell me that fact after I had to go to to 52nd street. I thought I would be green and take public transport to the venue. That meant I only had to take 2 subway lines, but I went to a different world. I took the blue line EL and transfered to the Green Trolley Lines. I was the only white person on the trolley and people started giving me weird looks. I was definitely out of my league. But you all know that it doesn't really bother me to be out of my league. I got off at my stop of 52nd and Lancaster. I had to walk. I noticed lots of greenery towards the north so headed that direction. When I got to some train tracks, I knew I was going the right direction. I called my brother though because I wanted another route back. It seemed a little too risky to walk back under the train tracks after dark, by myself and with my credit card. I did!

I stuffed everything into my underwear and just set off with a mission. I felt fine, just hurried not harried... until someone came my direction. The guy was with his girlfriend, so I wasn't too scared, until I notived how BIG this guy was. He greeted me with a hearty "How ya doin' dude?" I burst out laughing. I retorted with a "How YOU doin' dude!" and went on my merry way. As soon as I got to the stop, the number 10 trolley came and I was off.


The CONcert was amazing too!

Independence Day

It was my first 4th of July in America for many years. The last 4th of July I spent in America was 2005. Before that I was in Australia and since then I was in Mozambique. I was excited to spend it in the true birthplace of America... Philadelphia. Apparently, Philadelphia was the second biggest city in the British Empire. It was second to only London. That means it was the second biggest city in the world. It's come a long way since then. But it still is a wonderful big city. 152 very distinct neighborhoods each with its own flavor and culture. (Great I've got 152 cultures to assimilate to!) The city tends to revolve around Independence mall.

Independence Mall is in the eastern part of Center City, so it's basically downtown. This is where the Declaration of Independence was written, signed, approved and read to the public for the first time. It is also the place where I experienced a tea party. I didn't even know I was in the middle of one. Needless to say, I felt like a fish out of water. I was beyond out of water. I was somewhere in the stratosphere. They were saying some things like "Commander in Thief" and "We're number one!" Some people were carrying signs saying "Today is Independence Day not Immigration Day." They're were signs of PALIN 2012 (Nightmarish thought!). They had a reenactment of the reading of the Declaration of Independence (complete with costumes) to exemplify how "far we've strayed" from our original course. All of a sudden, the crowd started chanting USA! USA! USA! I took that as my cue to leave.

Unfortunately, before I left, I saw a sign that said "Remember, Descent is Patriotic!" Now that the Democrats are in government, Descent is Patriotic again. Between USA! USA! and the descent thing, I'm having difficulty discerning the Republican Party from the NSDAP of the 1930's.

Happy 4th!

A Tale of Two Cars

America is obsessed with cars. The history of Detroit and the destruction of the railroad are proof. But I'm parking cars now to get me through until teaching starts. Let me tell you, I've seen some crazy cars. Two really stuck out in my mind today.

A mini-cooper drove up with the obligatory Union Jack sticker and I nearly fell over myself to get to drive that car. I have decided it is the perfect car for me - even though, quite frankly I would be PETRIFIED to take it out against some of the monster trucks that masquerade as private cars in this country. Even the owner of the car was cool. He looked very academic, silver hair, black glasses frames etc. He addressed me by my name and I complemented his car. Then I took the car on a four block joy ride to park it. Manual shift and all! (I said I could drive stick shift... white lies don't hurt do they?)

Around lunch time this boat pulls into the drive way. It is a white and silver Rolls Royce convertible. The doors open backwards and it just exudes snob. I half expected some Royal Family member to get out of the car. A jerk who thought he was royalty did. He left orders to "wipe down the car to get rid of the rain spots." That's what happens when it rains!!! Anyway, my boss wouldn't let any of us touch the car. Good thing, since I've lost my sea legs, I may have been ill inside it. The thing that got me was when Prince Jerk came back out of the Japanese restaurant on the corner. I went to collect the $20 fee for parking and he asked for "the other boy." What is this colonial Africa?!?!?! The other boy went and got a tip of $20 for "wiping the boat's bum." Made me think that I should have been nicer to my staff in Africa.

But you can rest assured I never called her "girl!"
(She actually couldn't pronounce my name very well and would call me boy!)

Culture of...

As I sit here experiencing the strongest I miss Africa moment I have since coming back, I can't help thinking about the culture of America. I've been to many places where the locals will tell me that my home country doesn't have any culture.

According to the ever entertaining Wikipedia, culture as it is popularly understood is broken into three phases.

• excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities
• an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning
• the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group.

I tended to agree with my friends. I mean where do wonderfully majestic buildings exist in America? No place kind of like London. Where are there wonderfully small roads with a surprise around every corner in the form of little shops or restaurants? Melbourne and the bar quarters of most European cities have this. Yet, moving back to America I just have to disagree now. (Sorry L!) The answer to the first question is most definitely Washington DC. Not allowing any other building to be bigger than the US Capitol Building has lead to a sense of majesty that I have to say is unique to DC. Philadelphia has to be the most European of American cities I've ever been to. I just hope the Italians of South Philly don't read this! There is a whole neighborhood called Society Hill here that looks like it was transplanted straight from England. I'm also extremely impressed by this city because it is the smallest big city that I've seen. It has a million and a half people yet seems so much better.

The funniest thing for me is "relearning" America. The dialects and sayings are so funny and vast. The newest one I'm trying to decipher is as follows.

I say "How are you?" to someone.
He or She responds "Sucker free or trying to stay sucker free."

Anyone have any idea what that means?

U U and YOU

Religion and spirituality has always been important to me. I think I can trace it back to when my mom died in 1990. I had to believe that I would see her again. Having her here with me for only 7 short years just seemed like the ultimate cosmic cheat. I was pissed in general. Nothing was really making sense to me and the adults were saying things to me that just confused me even more. I got some beauties as

"God wanted her with him."
"She's in a better place."
"She's not suffering anymore."

The list goes on. None of it made me really feel any better. I turned to the Catholic Church where I had grown up in. I reasoned that I could be around more people that knew my mom, the more I would learn about her. I was desperate for any and all stories. I will admit that I had a very warped sense of Catholicism. I just always thought that eating someone's flesh and drinking someone's blood was WEIRD. (I never believed it and thought it was weird.) For years after, I would pray but never talk to God. God took my mom, he didn't deserve to listen to me. So I talked with Jesus. I thought, "hey his own father let him get crucified, he'll understand me." The Trinity went out the window. Those were my thoughts, and I kept going. I felt that I couldn't fill the hole that I experienced. I couldn't break myself from a religion that I just didn't agree with before I found something else. I remember in a youth group meeting years ago, one leader asked us for some thoughts on "what is prayer." A response was "prayer is talking to an imaginary being that humans invented to make themselves feel better. The leader resolutely shot the answer down saying that's not what we Catholics believe. I thought that was very wrong. Religion to me has always been something more personal, positive, loving and none of the fearful, sinful, penitent scariness that Catholicism can seem.

After I finally came to terms with who I am, it was even harder to buy into a dogma that told me I was inherently flawed or wrong - I mean I love being right! I know I'm not perfect, but I never bought the whole original sin or the homosexuality is evil thing. Ok I bought it for awhile but then I started thinking maybe I wasn't wrong, maybe the rules were wrong. After attending church services in Mozambique where I had Bibles literally thrown at me and stayed in the church building for 12 hours, I had to move on.

SO I found Unitarian Universalism. The moment I walked in and someone said, Hi nice to see you, I was hooked. I'll tell you about it, I'm discovering it slowly. I like it so far and hope it likes me. The pastor is openly gay and so welcoming to all.

More next week.

Ian

Communism is Dead!

Wow, I never thought I would write a title quite like the one above. Let me just preface this with the thought that I still believe in universal Education, universal health care and a fair tax system. I think that means I believe since the government is "of the people, for the people" it should be in the interest of society.

I've got an interesting downstairs neighbor. He doesn't read this (I think) but I'm going to call him R. His flat is decorated with posters of Marx and Che. He listens to philosophy lectures for fun and every sentence out of his mouth has to do with Plato, Socrates or Aristotle. It gets old. Some other mutual friends consider him looney, but he is entertaining no less. A couple of weeks ago, I had this experience with him and some friends that prompted me to write this title. A 2L law student had been over and really into "personal freedom." He defines himself as a libertarian and has an interesting view of "personal freedom." It involved stripping naked and walking down Frankford Ave (A BIG thoroughfare in Philly) The cops picked him up. To make a long story short, he dissapeared for awhile - to read Nietsche (a bit of light reading no?) I later found out.

He reappered after some time and I got chatting with him a few nights ago. He apologized profusely for his "superman" episode and got talking about how we have to help each other. I'm all about helping each other, but this boy is calling for a communist overthrow. Somehow it involved him washing his clothes by hand?!?!?! I would love to see him accomplish that.

I'm just profoundly confused by him. I don't want to come across as a profound arrogant fool so I usually just sit back and listen to his rants. However, what I want to know is, once humans become involved; can communism really exist?

Catch up

Life in Philadelphia has been crazy. I've written many blogs over the course of the past month but haven't put any of them up. Sorry! I'm going to play catch up with some short blogs about what's been going on in my reintergration to American culture - which is not as easy as I thought it would be!

I

What's in a Name?

America. A country or a continent? If I told a Mexican or a Costa Rican that I am American, they would understand. They would say, "so what, I am too!" In any language south of the Rio Grande, I would have to say that I am "estado unidense" or US American (United Statesian, literally translated) But, the past twenty four hours have gotten me thinking about names.

Kensington. Just sounds posh, doesn't it? I life on the cusp of Kensington, Philadelphia. I tend to tell people I live in Fishtown because it just sounds better. Fishtown sounds better?!?!?! I just imagine a bunch of fat crass women who you wouldn't want to mess with when I think of Fishtown. That may have to do with the term fishwife and the fishwives I met in the Fishtown of Maputo. Anyway, Kensington. That just sounds posh to me. I remember when I was exploring London for the first time (1996) and was based in South Kensington. I just thought if the garbage cans were covered in gold lettering than the place must be nice. I mean, it's called the royal borough, isn't it? Kensington Philadelphia is a whole different matter.

In this Kensington, there are regular police helicopter patrols. It's cool and makes you feel "safe" until they put the strobe lights on. Then you feel like you are in an Escape from New York scene. But last night, when I was coming home from Center City (Downtown Philly) I saw a bit of a commotion across the street from my house. Suddenly someone got curb checked. I heard the pop and freaked. I just didn't want to get caught up somewhere I didn't belong. I got my phone out to dial 911 but then someone ran out of Bob's Pub saying they already dialed 911 and I heard them coming. I had to go inside. But before I went inside, I saw them put the guy into the ambulance. He was bleeding and convulsing.

Welcome to America? Kensington on this side of the pond is not quite as posh. I guess this is a lesson to not take anything by its name.

Ate mais

Silver Linings?

In this time of economic hardship, things are tough. I'm breathing deeply every night before I go to bed and praying hard that I find a job. But, you know this bigotry and racism of my last post is changing slowly too. America is in trouble, she elects a black man - who likes to talk to people! What a novel idea! Iceland collapses and she elects a lesbian. Change is coming...

How many years for America to elect a woman or an openly gay person? Ideas?


Food for thought

Female Heads of Government

Female Heads of State

Race in America

We as a country are now about 8 days into the Obama presidency and I personally couldn't be happier. I will admit though, I never thought this country would be able to elect a black man.


I remember learning about "multi-culturalism" in middle school and high school. We were taught to be sensitive and never mention "race" or at least not by the color of the skin. Black suddenly became African -America (a term my friends in Africa do NOT understand) brown became Latin-American, yellow became Asian-American and white became white-cracker... :) Why did we stay white? Aren't we Europen-Americans. Or here is a novel idea that the rest of the world thinks already, we are all AMERICANS! I remember the fear I had if I said black within ear shot of a darker skinned fellow American. Now, I just don't understand the fear of color. (any kind!)

I don't think it is a mistake of linguistics that the words for heat and color are so similar in Portuguese and Spanish CALOR and COLOR. Color and the varients of it is what makes our life so interesting. That is something I looked forward to so much when I was winding down in Africa. The value of difference here in America. So many different people who believe so many different things and don't mind that many different opinions exist...then I got home. I didn't realize this hate exists. I think I'm just an eternal optimist and am a genuine supporter of the hand that Obama is extending. He's turning out to be quite the elegant statesman.

Now he's viewed as a black man here. But he's half white. That is very often forgotten in American politics. We view any black heritage as being black. Yet Obama was raised by a white family and dumped by his father early on. In Africa he is viewed as a white man - with African roots. If you think of it though, we all have African roots.

According to the Guardian today, Obama's White House is extending a hand to Iran, after already extending a hand to the Arab world. He's proven that you can't view things as black and white. When will we learn that lesson?

Timisela

Timisela is Xitswa for patience. Something America doesn't seem to have. Three things happened today where I was just astounded by the speed of America. An old lady was crossing the road in a walker/frame and cars were honking at her to "hurry up." The other honking for hurry uping involved the famous yellow American school buses. They were making their rounds dropping students back off at home. They have a stop sign attached to their sides that they can use when necessary. Now, it's a law to stop for that stop sign and wait for the kids to make it to the sidewalk. Well, this bastard was yelling out the window that the kids needed to hurry up!

I then thought to myself I have all the time in the world to do my shopping and get ready for the Zolani concert tonight.

May I never lose that....

Is this man evil?

I'm going to the Daily Show today and found this prayer from my friend Virginia. It's a prayer by Bishop Gene Robinson who is the gay Episcopal/Anglican bishop from New Hampshire.

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama

By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God's blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will...

Bless us with tears - for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger - at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort - at the easy, simplistic "answers" we've preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience - and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be "fixed" anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility - open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance - replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity - remembering that every religion's God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln's reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy's ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King's dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters' childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we're asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand - that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.


Is he evil because he likes men?

Been Thinking

So I'm almost back in America one solid week and I haven't made it beyond Brooklyn. I hope the extended family is not getting mad at me. It has been snowing almost non-stop since I've been back though so I can understand the "better safe than sorry" mentality in traveling, especially since that is what I used in 3 years in Africa. But I thought about how Africa is still in my blood. In exactly a week, I will have experienced 3 Africa themed things in my life.

Last Friday, we went to the MOMA (which FYI is free every Friday from 4 to 8 PM) to see the American premier of the first Mozambican produced movie called A Terra Sonambula or Sleepwalking land. Then today I found out that one of my favorite singers is playing in NY this week. Her name is Zolani. She's amazing. I'm taking advantage of all of this on top of going to see the Daily Show for the important day of Bush's goodbye and the hello to a new era. (Hopefully in my life too!)

More Soon

It could only happen to me...

So, I'm back and America. It's been about 72 hours and it's cold. I went to the cafe around the corner from my sister's house and tried to "meet people." Truthfully I was just bored in the apartment and wanted some sort of tolerable stimulation. Anyway, I worked up the nerve to speak "coffeeese" and tried to order a hot drink. Luckily the barista was patient and I got my task accomplished. However, the guy next to me was having some trouble. He was asked whether he would like a small, medium or large. So, he retorted with "well, it depends how large the American large is." Think supersize me people. I laughed outloud and he and his girlfriend came to sit at my table. (Which by the way had a picture of Felix on it.) So the first new people I meet in America and become friends with are two Estonians named Peeter and Lissie. Is that a sign?

The America List

What I’m excited for in America

CHEESE!!!!

NPR

Being exotic

Appliances that work

Public transport that works on a schedule

Speaking American English Again

Getting things all in one place (I think Wal Mart would kill me right now)

CHEESE!!!

Choice

Obama

Clinton

Flush toilets

clean bathrooms

high speed

being able to have an egg and cheese sandwich without confusing people

having enough change

things will just work... i think

not being stared at

Passing through the border and feel proud to put down my passport

seeing my family

seeing my friends

going to theater

going to movies

dating

living life in the land of obama

seeing Mag

seeing friends

seeing family

Living in Philly

plotting my next escape

looking for a job

HIGH SPEED INTERNET

What will scare me

People that voted for Bush

That fact Bush and I are in the same country

the possibility that Palin may run in 2012

The cold

the size

the language

the accent

the cold

the snow

the amount of white people

the racism I will only really notice now

flush toilets

clean bathrooms

choice

supersize

mcdonalds (it's been nice not seeing a mcdonalds in YEARS!)

any other thoughts?

Some Thoughts

My brother and I have been talking in spits and spats about the economic crisis in America. This was one of his responses, and I thought it was amazingly to the point.

It is true that fear paralyzes. And having fear means you don't get anything done. Make the population scared and you keep them in check and they give you blank checks. It is a shame that the bailout passed. Privatize profit, socialize loss. Bad recipe. They are already saying that the 700billion is like a "pebble in the ocean"

and it hasn't even been aw eek! the guy they put in charge of the bailout plan is 35 years old and a former investment banker. Lots of confidence there! What is it going to be like when we have a depression and still have circuit city, walmart, target and all that? The master slave relationship of hyper-capitalism will be even more apparent.

To those who pay attention of course.

Any thoughts?

Money Money Money

Quoting ABBA when thinking about the future third world banana republicness of my country is not normal, but then again nothing is normal right now it seems.

Must be funny in a rich man's world. It must be funny because they see 9/10's of the world slaving away for almost nothing. I thought this economic bailout plan would be good, but wait hold on a second. They are losing too much money to really trust themselves to make loans to each other. However, these wall street people have earned 700 billion extra dollars since Bush came into power. Spend that to bail yourselves out!!

I know Michael Moore whine alot, but he makes good points. I wouldn't want too see this country run by the rich at the expense of the poor. I don't care if I sound communist. The country is run by the government any way.



Oh yeah, here's the link