“The rabid right has useful idiots that call Obama a socialist and a fascist in the same sentence, obviously not realizing that the two are diametrically opposing!”

Forgetting the grammatical errors, I wish I could agree with that statement. In fact I used to believe it was [...]]]> Here’s a quote from a comment in a liberal blog:

“The rabid right has useful idiots that call Obama a socialist and a fascist in the same sentence, obviously not realizing that the two are diametrically opposing!”

Forgetting the grammatical errors, I wish I could agree with that statement. In fact I used to believe it was true myself, however unfortunately I did some research on “National Socialists” (aka Nazis) and found there was in fact a curious mix of what we might call socialism and fascism – the “Socialist” moniker was not completely a misnomer.

To see this, you have to read the “25 point Program” (also known as the “National Socialist Program“). For instance among such clearly “fascist” gems as:

• We demand land and territory (colonies) for the maintenance of our people and the settlement of our surplus population.
• Only those who are our fellow countrymen can become citizens. Only those who have German blood, regardless of creed, can be our countrymen Hence no Jew can be a countryman.
• Any further immigration of non-Germans must be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans who have entered Germany since August 2, 1914, shall be compelled to leave the Reich immediately.

we also have remarkably “socialist” sounding:

• We demand an agrarian reform in accordance with our national requirements, and the enactment of a law to expropriate the owners without compensation of any land needed for the common purpose. The abolition of ground rents, and the prohibition of all speculation in land.
• We demand the nationalization of all trusts.
• We demand a generous increase in old-age pensions.

There are even one or two others that are sensible until they go spirally off into hateful racism:

• We demand that the State shall above all undertake to ensure that every citizen shall have the possibility of living decently and earning a livelihood. If it should not be possible to feed the whole population, then aliens (non-citizens) must be expelled from the Reich.
• We demand freedom for all religious faiths in the state, insofar as they do not endanger its existence or offend the moral and ethical sense of the Germanic race.

So, does this mean:

socialism = fascism

or, as implied lately by a number on the right:

liberals = fascism

No, not at all. First of all National Socialists are just a single fascist group – Pinochet for instance was an entirely different animal. Second, it means humans and the movements they sponsor are more complicated than the little boxes we like to put them in. That when we say X or Y is “fascist” we better be careful that we see the whole.

It also stands to help see that the Nazis were more human than we thought they were and thus we need to be vigilant in realizing that all humans are capable of great evil, even ones we might believe are “good”. Or to quote Simon Wiesenthal:

“because only the person who has grasped it knows that evil lies dormant in most people and can break out at almost any time. Let no man say that such a ghastly dictatorship is no longer possible today. That is the true lesson from the horror of National Socialism: we must fight against it constantly, against evil, so that it does not emerge again.”

I have no illusion that this might not include me or you, nor should anyone else.

“Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.”

- George W. Bush, ex-President and War Criminal

Of course, he’s a little late to the show, his V.P. admitted to it two years ago:

“I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared, as the agency in effect came [...]]]> Well, he finally admitted to it:

“Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.”

- George W. Bush, ex-President and War Criminal

Of course, he’s a little late to the show, his V.P. admitted to it two years ago:

“I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared, as the agency in effect came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn’t do. And they talked to me, as well as others, to explain what they wanted to do. And I supported it.”

- Dick Cheney, ex-Vice-President and War Criminal

Of course fortunately we have a president now who will prosecute these admitted criminals.

Sometimes truth truly is stranger than fiction. That is, you hit a document, web site, video, audio recording, opinion, whatever where you just can’t believe what you’re reading. Did they really say that? Did they really admit to that? Are they really willing to show so much of the sausage making?

You’d think [...]]]>

Sometimes truth truly is stranger than fiction. That is, you hit a document, web site, video, audio recording, opinion, whatever where you just can’t believe what you’re reading. Did they really say that? Did they really admit to that? Are they really willing to show so much of the sausage making?

You’d think a web site like this:

http://www.israellawcenter.org/Missions-general-information.html

wouldn’t be so transparently militant, so openly reveling in killing and trappings of oppression and that someone, someone at all, would have said, “Don’t post that – are you crazy?”

But no, this is a real site. This is a real offer – and it’s even being advertised on other sites (in this case “Commentary Magazine“). The only thing I can guess is that the authors are so lost in their own love of this distasteful stuff that they just don’t see the issue. That is sad.

Look, I don’t belittle the right to the existence of Israel. I don’t argue that they’re in a tough and nasty spot. I don’t argue that at times they may have to defend themselves and some of that defense is perhaps necessarily distasteful – that’s the reality of war as it were. However, reveling in it and advertising it as if it were some sort of carnival ride, well that’s kind of sick.

I’m not suggesting dishonesty – the hiding of the truth of war. What I’m suggesting instead is that war is like taking a dump – something unfortunately at times can be necessary, but not something you want to pull out and share proudly like pictures of your kids.

Really, if I was an Israeli I would be ashamed of this site. I’d think that it gives the impression that Israelis revel in the killing and oppression going on. That Israelis are blood thirsty killers and proud of it.

Now while I may disagree with Israeli tactics and believe that different ones might yield a better chance of peace (not to mention better lives for both Israelis and Palestinians), somehow I don’t think that the vast majority of Israelis are actually bloodthirsty, nor do they want the rest of the world to think of them that way.

If so, this site isn’t helping.

Himmler’s name and home have a particular – a particularly grisly – significance for Martin Bormann [Junior, son of Martin Borman Senior, famous Nazi]. About a year before the end of the war he and his sisters were [...]]]> From “My Father’s Keeper” by Stephan and Norbert Lebert, a book of interviews with children of Nazi leaders:

Himmler’s name and home have a particular – a particularly grisly – significance for Martin Bormann [Junior, son of Martin Borman Senior, famous Nazi]. About a year before the end of the war he and his sisters were at the house at Tegernsee, on a visit with their mother. Suddenly Himmler’s secretary (and lover) Hedwig Potthast said, with solemn excitement, that she wanted to show them all something very interesting: a very personal collection of her boss’s. Taking them upstairs to the attic floor, she opened a room. In it stood tables and chairs made from human body parts. One of the chair seats was made of a carved and polished pelvic girdle, another had legs made from human legs, complete with human feet. Then Frau Potthast showed them a copy of Mein Kampf bound with the skin from a human back. Bormann remembers it, as if it were yesterday, how clinically and medically it was all explained [emphasis added].

“My Father’s Keeper” is a book written by a German, quoting here from the mouth of a German child of a Nazi leader. On top of the pictures, the films, the testament of real American patriots (WII veterans), and the above – how much more proof does one need?

Really – how anyone could deny the existence and the horror of the Holocaust I cannot know. I am only left believing it is a sickness of similar ilk to those who committed these crimes.

Incidentally, I highly recommend reading this book. It will challenge one’s assumptions of the clarity between those we would call “good” versus those we would call “evil”. Or to quote Simon Wiesenthal from the book:

The were the same people who lovingly kissed their children goodbye in the morning and then a few hours later were gassing or shooting Jews.

and:

because only the person who has grasped it knows that evil lies dormant in most people and can break out at almost any time. Let no man say that such a ghastly dictatorship is no longer possible today. That is the true lesson from the horror of National Socialism: we must fight against it constantly, against evil, so that it does not emerge again.

Something to contemplate.

http://lastwatchdog.com/facebook-phishers-breached-corporate-network/

He had a great reply, and frankly a sad one when you think about it:

I wish they would work on world hunger – the problem would be solved simply and cleverly in about a weeks [...]]]> I sent a note to a co-worker/friend about the fact that hackers were using Facebook to infiltrate financial companies:

http://lastwatchdog.com/facebook-phishers-breached-corporate-network/

He had a great reply, and frankly a sad one when you think about it:

I wish they would work on world hunger – the problem would be solved simply and cleverly in about a weeks time.

It is so entirely true – the amount of effort that goes into something like scamming people is just astounding. If we just put 1/10th that brainpower, not to mention effort, into solving things like world hunger and war, it’s be a done deal in no time.

Ok, in theory – yeah, I know it’s more complicated than that.

Still, the fact that people starve in this day and age is just plain stupid. The food exists, the money exists, the infrastructure to get where it needs to go exists. All that is missing is the will.

Or perhaps it isn’t the case of the lack of anything, but rather the “overabundance” of something else:

GREED and APATHY.

Polanski - Wiki Commons

I admit at one time I thought that Polanski should probably be left alone – I mean it had been over 30 years since his crime hadn’t it? It was just sex right? He’s a famous and fantastic director, non?

Except:

So today Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick named fellow Democrat Paul Kirk to serve out the remainder of Edward Kennedy’s term. The unseamly factor in this that hasn’t been well publicized, which Republicans have good reason to be angry at, is the Democratically controlled MA legislature removed the option from [...]]]> With friends like these, who needs enemies?

So today Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick named fellow Democrat Paul Kirk to serve out the remainder of Edward Kennedy’s term. The unseamly factor in this that hasn’t been well publicized, which Republicans have good reason to be angry at, is the Democratically controlled MA legislature removed the option from then Gov. Mitt Romney to appoint a replacement for Sen. Kennedy as they feared he would die during Romney’s term and thus Romney could appoint a Republican to his seat.

However, now that Romney is safely out of office and a Democrat holds his place, they have restored the power of the Governer to seat a replacement Senator.

I don’t give a damn about the tactical advantages of this solution. The fact is it’s just plain wrong. This is dirty politics and much as I’m glad to see another Democratic Senator holding Sen. Kennedy’s seat, it represents a form of immoral corruption.

Honestly, I also think it is very short term thinking. This sort of shenanigans only, quite fairly I might add, energizes the right. The dark years of the Bush administration were paved with just these sorts of slights during the 60’s and the 70’s. It also reflects badly on all of us who claim to be of the left by invalidating any claims to higher moral ground. If the Democratically controlled Federal Senate were to want to show some moral backbone, they would refuse to seat Mr. Kirk.

Also as alluded to, this little slight of hand has received very little press in the major news outlets. This too helps firm the Republican view (wrong I believe) that the media is under liberal control.

Personally I think this actually isn’t such an example regardless, but rather just one of the poor quality of journalism in general added to their avoidance of anything controversial and/or of substance. Nonetheless, it does not help.

So, to all you pissed Republicans – have at it . Bitch with impunity. This time it’s definitely well deserved.

No I’m not talking watching “Real Sex” on HBO, nor for that matter mass murder, single murder, rape, or any of really horrible crimes that happen. Clearly the people who do those (excluding “Real Sex” watchers of [...]]]> While I’m on the subject of morality, what really is the answer to all the immorality in the world?

No I’m not talking watching “Real Sex” on HBO, nor for that matter mass murder, single murder, rape, or any of really horrible crimes that happen. Clearly the people who do those (excluding “Real Sex” watchers of course), are somewhat beyond the normal level of recovery.

What I’m talking about the plethora of nasty little things that we do to each other, whether in the halls of business, in our homes, on the street, or in our marriages. I’m talking the petty lying, cheating, and stealing that goes on all the time. I’m talking cutting in line. I’m talking not paying your fair share of taxes. Or dumping that extra gallon of oil you didn’t know what to do with on the ground. I’m talking cutting people off in traffic, or not taking the simple courtesy of changing lanes to let someone on the highway. Or breaking into someone’s house to score a few electronics. Or pushing over tombstones for fun. Or throwing our bear cans out our windows (for that matter, drinking beer while driving!). Or running off with the MP3 player we found rather than turning it into lost and found. Or honking your horn right behind a bicyclist just to jag them off. Or just speaking ill of people we don’t need to.

All the selfish tiny little ills that we subject to each other that make life on this earth a living hell.

So what is the answer? The fundamentalists (of numerous religions frankly) would have you believe more “God” (specifically, their god) is the answer. Clearly we are not faithful enough, otherwise we wouldn’t do these things.

Problem is, plenty of very faithful people are pretty dang nasty. A lot of them are very controlling. Many are extremely judgmental, in fact that is sort of how they define their faith – by putting others down, including others of supposed equal faith (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, hang out with some baptist deacons sometime). Frankly in many cases if you don’t fit into their “mold”, all bets toward nicety in your direction are off.

As far as the “simple faithful”, well since 95% of Americans supposedly fall into this category, and yet all the ills I listed are rampant, then I think we can pretty much say that’s out too.

In short, I don’t think religion makes a lot of difference here. Immorality is not by any means a disease only of atheists.

So what then? More schooling? Better parenting? What?

Well, I certainly agree more schooling and better parenting wouldn’t hurt, but I think it’s a lot more simple than that in some ways:

We need to be better people.

What I mean is, we don’t need God (no offense to God), we don’t need better schools, better parents, some help book, or support group. We don’t need to find Jesus, sacrifice a lamb on the 7th night, or try this new drug (Duuude). We just need to be nicer to each other.

That is, stop blaming it on the gays, or the atheists, or liberals, or the commies, of the Catholics, or the Muslims, or the teachers, or blacks, or the Latinos, or the Mexicans, or Nazis, or the Jews, or WASPs, or the Baptists, or trailer trash, or the whatever. Stop thinking that fixing “some other thing”  or “some other one” is going to make it better.

The only thing that is going to make it better is you (or in my case, me). We all just need to be nicer, good-er, better people. We all just need to stop doing bad shit to each other and blaming it others.

I have seen the enemy and it is us.

Seriously – what makes the world hell is us all being a bunch of ass-holes to each other and frankly that has just about zip to do with any defining characteristic that the other ass-hole that might be doing it to us at the same time has as well. That defining characteristic is ultimately a ruse to distract us from the fact that in the end we’re all the same, despite any perceived differences, and that we don’t need to fix anyone else, we need to fix ourselves.

For if we all concentrate on fixing ourselves who we can change, rather than others who we probably can’t,  then the world really will become a better place. So while I can’t say I’m actually convinced Jesus was actually divine, I will say he had something about the “mote” versus the “beam” business:

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

And that includes me too.

Corporations are not good or evil, they’re “amoral”.

It was the first time I had heard it put that way [...]]]> A long, long time ago, but not so far away, I went to a “Howard Dean” rally when he was running for President. At the time, and unfortunately I don’t remember the exacts (so paraphrasing), he said:

Corporations are not good or evil, they’re “amoral”.

It was the first time I had heard it put that way and it had some resonance for me – the idea that rather than thinking of companies as “evil”, as often I was inclined (specifically “big business”), really I should see them as “amoral”, almost as children or even animals. Corporations didn’t work in moralistic terms, they just did what was best for the corporation. So in the same way that animals need to be “trained” to behave, corporations needed to be “governed” by outside rules.

While I can’t really argue with the basic premise, and I certainly agree on external governance, the idea that they were somehow “amoral” and thus like animals and innocent children “absolved” of their sins, never quite sat well with me. Some part of the back of my brain was thinking, “Something is missing here – this is just too easy.”

Recently in one of those cases of “thinking without thinking” (ie: out of nowhere your brain presents you with the answer) I figured out what it is and it’s simple really:

Corporations are run by people (non-animal adults more specifically).

“Of course they’re run by people,” you say, “so what?”

Well, non-animal adult people have morals. They have been “morally trained”. They know “right from wrong”. They believe in God (95% of them). They’ve read the Bible (or claim to have). They know not to lie, cheat, steal, poop on their neighbors lawn, or any of the multitude of other sins that humans might be inclined to if they were “amoral”.

Yet when they walk into the workplace they put their morals away and instead because it’s “business” it’s now ok to lie, cheat, and steal. No, not in the “legal” sense, which is exactly the problem (as long as you don’t “break the law” it’s not seen as lying, cheating, or stealing), but the moral sense.  Telling employees its “all ok” when it isn’t, is just part of business (lie). Telling vendors that you’re considering other options when you’re not (to leverage the price), is similarly so (lie/cheat). Putting some poison pill way down on page 500 of 1000 of a 4 point text contract, is just fine (cheat). As is paying someone well below a fair wage if you can get it (steal). Or charging usurious interest rates (steal).

We wouldn’t do it at home, with our neighbors, at church, or with our investment club (well, most of us), but it’s all par for the course in modern business. It’s all a game and as long as you don’t break the hard “legal” rules, you can bend every damn moral rule in the book.

Or not.

You see, going back to the fact that we’re “non-animal adult people”, well, we know better. We are not absolved by some magical “get out of Hell free card” because we’ve entered the halls of business. It matters not if “we don’t do it, they will.” It’s still wrong.

So what happens when you meet someone who knows the moral code but behaves “amorally”? What do you think?

You think that person is “evil”.

In fact, they’re called “sociopaths” and considered worse than people who are “immoral”, because frankly they’re a cancer from within that cannot be trusted. Even an “immoral” person is predictable and works within the bounds of moral fear, but an “amoral” person is downright frightening. They are the serial killers of the world, or worse (politicians?). They are in some sense, “animals”. They literally do not know right from wrong other than in the most tactical sense.

On the other hand, the people at the top of corporations know better and the only reason they behave “amorally” is because of a conscious choice to behave “amorally”. They’re not animals. So let’s stop letting them off with the “amoral” bit – when they behave “amorally” they’re really immoral at best, and evil at worst.

And “if we don’t the shareholders will fire us,” doesn’t count either. Someone’s wife might say she’s going to leave him unless he shoots her boss, but that excuse won’t fly with anyone when said boss is lying in a pool of his own blood thank you. Answer: If you have to behave amorally (ie: immorally) to stay employed, well get fired or better yet leave.

Now I do work in big business, and I can’t say I haven’t played the game to some extent as well. It’s pretty insidious, particularly when you have a family to feed. Certainly I get it and I don’t have a great answer for it in every case, however there’s something different between hardball negotiation with another big company, and ripping off the little guys which has been the case far too often of late. Case in point, the sub-prime mega-meltdown. The savage credit card interest rates. Banks charging you $2 to access your own money. The shift of full time employees to part time to avoid paying real benefits. Etc. etc.

It’s all nasty and wrong and I’m sorry you don’t get a pass because “it’s part of work”. Because it’s not a “game” for the people on the other end, it’s their hard wrought lives. And when they lose, they don’t go back to “Start” and play happily again, they just get screwed.