Fuck the stock market

And all the fair weather capitalists who oppose living wages, health insurance, workers compensation, overtime pay, and unions, but are willing to stand in line for a government handout to protect their oligarchy.

For all those whose retirement funds just took a hit, you won't see even a fraction of all the money that's going to be flowing out of the U.S. Treasury. It's one more example of the "shock doctrine" in action. Shock & Awe, people. Or as the Bushies say to each other, carpe diem.

UPDATE: There's evidence that they've been sitting on this plan for awhile, waiting for the right "9/11" moment to ram it through.

The racism of white independents

Obama is right on most of the issues in the presidential election. He should win. I think it's become conventional wisdom, on the left if not also the right, that Obama will only lose the election because of racial attitudes. This is the racism, interestingly, of white "independents," who seem even more biased than white republicans. Frankly, I didn't think that Obama would get this far because of racism in this country, so all things considered this country's racial attitudes are probably better than I would have thought. But there are two countries in the U.S., call them red/blue, racist/post-racial, progressive/scared, christianist/christian, whatever. Their worlds, in my opinion, are further and further apart. Maybe the north should have let the south secede.

See the results of a study of racial attitudes here.

Police State 2.0

Check out a Naomi Klein article from back in May on China's surveillance apparatus. It's Stalinist-Capitalism, which isn't looking that unfamiliar these days. Best quote:

Remember how we've always been told that free markets and free people go hand in hand? That was a lie. It turns out that the most efficient delivery system for capitalism is actually a communist-style police state, fortressed with American "homeland security" technologies, pumped up with "war on terror" rhetoric. And the global corporations currently earning superprofits from this social experiment are unlikely to be content if the lucrative new market remains confined to cities such as Shenzhen. Like everything else assembled in China with American parts, Police State 2.0 is ready for export to a neighborhood near you.

Dave Alvin

DFW on the kiss

He's talking about the effects of language and images, but his remarkably simple, soft touch on one of the paradoxes of modern life is really admirable.

St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark)

Washington Consensus dies

Yglesias:

Who knew the “Washington Consensus” would die in Washington, DC under a Republican President in a mad fit of bailouts and nationalizations?

Eschaton:

And who imagined it that when it would die, its death would be confronted with deafening silence. Oh I miss the good old days when lecturing Latin American countries for their bad economic policies was what all the cool kids did

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White Stripes

Margaret Cho lets loose

From her blog entry, "I'm a Christian, you fuckers."

Don’t fucking question my Christianity you fucking idiot assholes. If you continue to have a problem, then talk to God about it, not me, you fucking racist homophobic misogynist fake Christian shitheads. God thinks it is funny that I swear so much. He said I could use his name in vain or whatever. He just wants me to use it. He loves me. So fuck you. And I guess he loves you too. Even though you are fake Christian assholes. If you were truly Christians, you would let gays get married, and send them fucking presents from Bed Bath and Beyond!

If you truly believed in Jesus, you would try to be like him and love us, fags and dykes and feminists all. God bless you, even you. You fucking fuckers.

Magnetic Fields

A literal homemade video. Good song, but couldn't find my favorite, "Acoustic Guitar."