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Me & My Friends
Welcome!
I created this Wiki as place where News For Real-ers can play. I get so many terrific emails from readers it struck me that many have more to say, and say it better than I can. So here's where that can happen. Feel free to post text and images, but steer clear videos. I am using the free version of this service which allows me just 25 megs of disk storage. One more thing... for you fellow Mac users... this Wiki doesn't function well in the Safari browser. Use another browser.. IE, FireFox or SeaMonkey instead.
Okay, over to you.
(Post below this message)
Hey,
Thanks for sending me this post about the Clinton farm. And Stephen, great thoughts, which I mostly agree with. Being from the white working class south, I would slightly re-frame the thoughts, and remember that only WEALTHY white people, a small minority in the "old south" had plantations. The rest of us (like my mother who grew up in an abandoned train station) were "dirt poor."
That said, race is still at the center of American life, though we don't have a corner on the market (witness Oprah's adventures in Europe). White people don't like to talk about race very much. It's a minefield, destined to explode if entered, so too many white people just leave it be. I grew up in segregation, and was at ground zero when it went away, at least on paper. If anyone thinks this country values and respects honesty, watch "American Blackout" and see what happened to Cynthia McKinney. Being a Gay man, and working for GLBT rights most of my adult life, I still live at ground zero of being an outsider. My skin may offer me "privilege", but as soon as I open my mouth, I get put off the train, fast. And like Ms. McKinney, I have this bad habit, I just can't keep my mouth shut when it comes to the truth.
From my "Cracker" perspective, I'd say that Hillary and Bill are acting like most of the "New Rich" in this country, working class kids who've forgotten what it feels like to put in an honest days work.
I liked Bill. He was a real "shuck & jive" artist from the get go. But Bill loved people, albeit too much if they were attractive and female, but he genuinely cared about people. Hillary just has that cold and calculating side that is inescapable. She's been riding on Bill's coat tails most of her life. As much as he drives her nuts, she got where she is because people responded to him, not her. Once he got them both "inside", she quickly took up the mantle of being an "insider." It's sort of sad when you think about it, she's still Bill's wife, and that is her primary stock and trade.
Barack cares about people. So does John Edwards. Both of them hold their pain and their upbringings in front of them every day. They remember what it felt like to be "outsiders" and that the real plantation called America is not owned by any of us who work for a living. I know that is why I've responded warmly to both of them.
Lastly, the large corporations in this country always want we Democrats to fight among ourselves. They have orchestrated the "slug fest" between Barack and Hillary so that no one will notice John Edwards, who is the only one of the three who has consistently attacked the corporate machine since he graduated law school. He's the one they are really afraid of, and they are banking on Americans ignoring him, particularly since he talks like a "hick" in the ears of too many Americans.
So if we're going to talk racism here, and we should, we also need to talk regionalism. No one takes anyone seriously in this country who has a "southern accent", including black folks whose families migrated north like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. The irony of that error is that if ANYONE knows about how plantations are run, and how people are manipulated and exploited, it is working class people from the south, no matter what color they are.
So, I'm supporting John, mostly because for me, he's the "homeboy", and (in case anyone forgot) he really tore up Dick Cheney in their debate four years ago. I will enthusiastically support any Democrat, even Hillary, because any Democrat is better than any Republican, something my 95 year old mother told me 28 years ago when I made the mistake of voting for Ronald Reagan.
It's like "Miss Edna" said, "They tell you what you want to hear to get elected. Then they pay off their rich friends, and leave us working people to pay the bill when they leave office." Not bad for a girl who was born out of wedlock, grew up sharecropping an abandoned train station, and worked her way through high school on a scholarship.
My best to you both, keep up the good work. Please feel free to post, send and share.
Regards, Ed Garren
Ed Garren
For Portland City Council
813 SW Alder #004
Portland, OR 97205
http://www.EdForPortland.com
Thanks for sending me this post about the Clinton farm. And Stephen, great thoughts, which I mostly agree with. Being from the white working class south, I would slightly re-frame the thoughts, and remember that only WEALTHY white people, a small minority in the "old south" had plantations. The rest of us (like my mother who grew up in an abandoned train station) were "dirt poor."
That said, race is still at the center of American life, though we don't have a corner on the market (witness Oprah's adventures in Europe). White people don't like to talk about race very much. It's a minefield, destined to explode if entered, so too many white people just leave it be. I grew up in segregation, and was at ground zero when it went away, at least on paper. If anyone thinks this country values and respects honesty, watch "American Blackout" and see what happened to Cynthia McKinney. Being a Gay man, and working for GLBT rights most of my adult life, I still live at ground zero of being an outsider. My skin may offer me "privilege", but as soon as I open my mouth, I get put off the train, fast. And like Ms. McKinney, I have this bad habit, I just can't keep my mouth shut when it comes to the truth.
From my "Cracker" perspective, I'd say that Hillary and Bill are acting like most of the "New Rich" in this country, working class kids who've forgotten what it feels like to put in an honest days work.
I liked Bill. He was a real "shuck & jive" artist from the get go. But Bill loved people, albeit too much if they were attractive and female, but he genuinely cared about people. Hillary just has that cold and calculating side that is inescapable. She's been riding on Bill's coat tails most of her life. As much as he drives her nuts, she got where she is because people responded to him, not her. Once he got them both "inside", she quickly took up the mantle of being an "insider." It's sort of sad when you think about it, she's still Bill's wife, and that is her primary stock and trade.
Barack cares about people. So does John Edwards. Both of them hold their pain and their upbringings in front of them every day. They remember what it felt like to be "outsiders" and that the real plantation called America is not owned by any of us who work for a living. I know that is why I've responded warmly to both of them.
Lastly, the large corporations in this country always want we Democrats to fight among ourselves. They have orchestrated the "slug fest" between Barack and Hillary so that no one will notice John Edwards, who is the only one of the three who has consistently attacked the corporate machine since he graduated law school. He's the one they are really afraid of, and they are banking on Americans ignoring him, particularly since he talks like a "hick" in the ears of too many Americans.
So if we're going to talk racism here, and we should, we also need to talk regionalism. No one takes anyone seriously in this country who has a "southern accent", including black folks whose families migrated north like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. The irony of that error is that if ANYONE knows about how plantations are run, and how people are manipulated and exploited, it is working class people from the south, no matter what color they are.
So, I'm supporting John, mostly because for me, he's the "homeboy", and (in case anyone forgot) he really tore up Dick Cheney in their debate four years ago. I will enthusiastically support any Democrat, even Hillary, because any Democrat is better than any Republican, something my 95 year old mother told me 28 years ago when I made the mistake of voting for Ronald Reagan.
It's like "Miss Edna" said, "They tell you what you want to hear to get elected. Then they pay off their rich friends, and leave us working people to pay the bill when they leave office." Not bad for a girl who was born out of wedlock, grew up sharecropping an abandoned train station, and worked her way through high school on a scholarship.
My best to you both, keep up the good work. Please feel free to post, send and share.
Regards, Ed Garren
Ed Garren
For Portland City Council
813 SW Alder #004
Portland, OR 97205
http://www.EdForPortland.com
(I moved the Gripes page. Click on the "Gripes Page" link in the menu box to your left.)
Post new gripes there at the top of that list. New stuff only below.
Post new gripes there at the top of that list. New stuff only below.
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(Showing the last 5 of 22 - view all)
| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rbank1951 | war and economy | 0 | Feb 28 2008, 8:28 PM EST by rbank1951 | |
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Thread started: Feb 28 2008, 8:28 PM EST
Watch
I guess my question has to be why the republicans pushed a man who was nothing but a failure at us. After reading about george's history I am not surprised that we are in the mess we are in. He doesn't realize that the price of gas may hit $4 per gallon in April. We can't save the world and give the richest 1% a tax cut. Cheney's tax cut is probably more then the income of my whole department at work. I feel like 7 years ago I entered the twilight zone and no one is doing anything to end it.
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| johnbooke | Heroin | 1 | Feb 8 2008, 9:33 PM EST by rbank1951 | |
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Thread started: Jan 25 2008, 11:07 AM EST
Watch
Steve's post hit hard today. I lost a 22 year old son to heroin 10 years ago. I attended a wake this week for the son of a close friend, again heroin OD was the cause of death. My friend's son struggled for 15 years; my son lasted only 2 yrs. Using heroin just one time will eventually kill you.
It infuriates me that our military invasion of the Middle East has not accomplished the irradication of opium production. |
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| Anonymous | Questions and Answers | 1 | Feb 1 2008, 5:20 PM EST by rbank1951 | |
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Thread started: Feb 1 2008, 3:42 PM EST
Watch
Answer. When one hears a republican say, "All democrats do is tax and spend." The answer is: All republicans do is borrow and spend and leave the bill for our children to pay.
Question. Recently the annual most admired man and woman were picked; overwhelmingly, the most admired man in America was George W. Bush. Who in hell were the pollsters asking? Answer. When you hear a republican say, "We have to fight them there so we don't have to fight them here." Answer: Who's going to pay their bus fare to get here. The people that are fighting are poorer than dirt, don't have two nickels to rub toether, and wouldn't know how to get here in any case. Besides that, what is that saying for Homeland Security (HS)? If HS can't stop them, why are we spending all that money on it. Question: Why don't we have a campaign season that starts six weeks before the general election? And any mention of running for an office before that deadline should be dealt with jail time. Answer: Eliminate off-year elections. Make all elections fall at the same time. Otherwise we are in a constant state of electioneering. Answer: Have one standard method of counting ballots in all 50 states. |
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| rbank1951 | sharper then a serpent's tongue | 11 | Feb 1 2008, 3:45 PM EST by Anonymous | |
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Thread started: Jan 14 2008, 9:36 PM EST
Watch
Good article Steve, but I really don't think that either of the front runners of the democratic party can possibly win a national election. My question is why two republican states can decide who will be the leader of the democratic party? Isn't it about time to have a national primary so that everyone has some say about the process. Personally I don't think that 1-2 terms in the senate is enough experience to be president. With either Obama or Clinton our nation will only become more divided. Heaven help us if the race is close and the republicans try to steal this one.
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| rbank1951 | CHEATING IN FL | 0 | Jan 31 2008, 6:01 PM EST by rbank1951 | |
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Thread started: Jan 31 2008, 6:01 PM EST
Watch
Steve, my vote here in Michigan didn't count. Our union endorsed John Edwards and I was not able to vote for him. I am beginning to think the whole primary system is a joke. When you consider that after just 2 states all the experienced candidates had already dropped out, most of us have little say in who will be our next candidate. Myself I think we should do what they do in other countries and have national elections for primarys at least every one would have a say and we wouldn't see so many republicans voting for democrates and vise versa. This has been going on way too long and too much money has been spent. I would like it better if we didn't know who was going to be president until the summer. Just think of the campaign season was cut down how much money would be saved. I'm just hoping that a third party comes up with a good candidate, because I am tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.
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(Showing the last 5 of 22 - view all)