I DID NOT AGREE TO THIS SHIT!

The TPP.  The Trans Pacific Partnership.  

Our President, along with most of Congress are for it.  Hilary Clinton claims to not favor it.  Bernie Sanders feels it is utter bullshit.  The fully loaded clown car of Republican Presidential Nominees Hopefulls?  I could care less what their opinions are- they're all friggin' nuts.  

Me?  I think it's just another raw deal for everyone but Big Corporations and their Wealthiest Stockholders.

It's being negotiated in secret.  The little we do know has only come to light through leaks.  And judgin' by the previews, it's on track to be yet another Corporate Protectionism Plan implemented across National Boundaries.  

A couple of the larger points- the TPP seeks to expand and extend protections on Intellectual Property, which, in turn, stifles competition, which then results in higher prices for consumers.  (But bigger bonuses for CEOs and other corporate officers.) This will be of particular benefit to Big Pharma, as well as Big Ag. 

Another primary tenant of the agreement will allow Corporations to sue National Governments where they operate for any legislation enacted that impacts, or even might impact, profits or projected profits.  This would place sovereign authority in a position where they could be held responsible for any legislation, let's say somethin' like anti-pollution laws, for instance, if a Corporation can prove that such laws reduce their profit margins.  And the Corporations won't have to prove that they lost money, only that they might lose money.  And Taxpayers, here and abroad, will be the ones on The Hook.

Historically, free trade agreements have little or nothin' to do with free trade or creatin' or protectin' jobs.  These "agreements" are constructed by Big Business, in secret, with the primary goals of squelchin' competition and ensurin' the continued profits of the organizations that use their great wealth to strongarm 'em in place.  (Incidentally, TPP ain't the only trade agreement slitherin' around boardrooms and law offices right now...)

 

We can look back at the failed promises of NAFTA, (which, incidently and ironically, was supported by President Bill Clinton), particularly the broken promise of more American jobs, and with the benefit of hindsight, see the real reasons it was championed by Politicians and Corporations.  Strictly Greed.  

The Rich get richer, while the rest of us just get poorer.  

Unfettered and Unregulated Capitalism ultimately destroys the Consumer-based Economy that it relies on for its Profits by reducin' or even doin' away with the capacity of the Middle Class to participate through their ability to purchase goods and services.  (The Poor and Unfortunate?  They never really even get to play.)

The Money-Grubbin' Über Rich have created a system that is both untenable and unsustainable.  Like a snake eatin' it's own tail...

Fish~

NEW THIRD WORLD

Been thinkin'.  Got a little food for thought I'll share with y'all.

People seekin' a better life here in our country are lured by the chance to find work, and they are willin' to work hard.  They don't find work here because they pushed someone out of line, they find work because there are people that are anxious to exploit 'em by payin' 'em less, not matchin' FICA, not offerin' holidays/sick days, safe working conditions required by law...  Even refusin' to pay 'em for time worked or time and a half for any hours over forty in a week.  (That last one?  That's what that phrase "Wage Theft" refers to.  Think of it as makin' your employee act as your part-time slave.  That sums it up nicely.)  All in the name of Increased Profits, aka More Friggin' Money.  

The "Illegals" ain't takin' jobs from Americans.  Businesses are.  It's scarcely different than when American Jobs are moved Overseas.  It's the Same Sorta Thing for the Exact Same Reason- Increased Profits.  

If many of our politicians, particularly Those on the Right, have their way, (which is the Way of Those To Whom They Are Beholdin'), the jobs that have left this country may possibly one day return.  After the destruction of safety requirements, the right to bargain collectively, the rights to safe food, water. air, after the repeal of the Minimum Wage, Child Labor Restrictions, Overtime Pay, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Protection from Discrimination, etcetera, perhaps then these so-called "Corporate Leaders" may decide to move jobs back here to the country that provided 'em the opportunity to prosper and profit in the first place.

When Our Middle Class has been sufficiently beaten down and forced into a dangerous, unhealthy subsistence living, then some of our jobs may return.  If They feel like bringin' 'em back.  But no guarantees!  They don't have to guarantee anything.  Just like They don't have to guarantee job creation or any other types of returns in exchange for more and more tax cuts, these self-described "Job Creators".  And we'll be expected to grovel and show Our Everlastin' Gratitude, gratitude for bein' given the opportunity to dine on their Scraps as they grow ever fatter as Our Unfortunate starve and die.

Huh.  I just described a Third World Country, didn't I?  Just the kinda place where they shipped our jobs to begin with...

Now how crazy is that!

Fish~

NATIONAL PORK

Over the past few months, several stories have surfaced concernin' the proposed "openin' of Federal Land, much of it part of our National Parks System, to private  ventures involvin' the natural resources that may or may not happen to be located in these public, but currently protected, areas.  The goal?  To bolster the Fortunes of a Select Few, with little or no regard to the Consequences.  (Not unlike startin' a War based on Lies and Fabrications.)

 

Our National and State Parks are not there for Political Vultures to usurp, then auction off to the Highest Bidders.  They are controlled by Our Government, because that's who, like it or not, had the Collective Intelligence and Foresight to set these treasures aside for Future Generations of Americans to enjoy, and thus keep the Greedy Bastards Among Us from exploitin' and destroyin' 'em in their Vulgar Pursuit of Wealth. They belong to Us!  (Pretty sure that's also why we call 'em "National" and "State" Parks.)  Our Parks have been, up until now, protected from the Carpetbaggers and Corporate Spoilers by Our Government, Our Collective Representation.  

At least until recently, anyway...  

This latest Example of Twisted Socio-Political Capitalist Subterfuge reminds me of all the insanely dangerous Idiots' Indignation that arose when one Crooked Nutjob Millionaire Bastard refused to pay the insanely cheap lease fee for runnin' his cattle on Federal land, like all his fellow ranchers (who knew and acknowledged what a sweetheart deal they were gettin') were doin'. 

Just more Treasonous Prattle used to rile up a Certain Portion of the Population that's been manipulated and bullshat to the point that they can no longer see even the simplest of things because they're too agitated and too narrow-minded and proud to understand or admit they're bein' taken for a ride.  (Not the one they've been tricked into thinkin' they're on.)  

Sorry- that's about as nice as I can describe 'em, and it's far nicer than most of 'em deserve.

None of this has a damn thing to do with a Particular Interpretation of the Constitution or Somebody's Rights.  It is, in reality, just another example of the Manifestations of the Limitless Greed, Hubris, and Unscrupulousness of the Rich, all dressed up, disguised to appear as Proclamations of Inalienable American Privilege.  A Mask covering the Faces of Liars.  All Straight Up Bullshit.

(Gonna leap!  Stay with me...!)

So, just what do all the folks that seem to be just waitin' for their next chance to rally behind the latest Stream of Falsehood, (not all, but mostly from the Conservative Side, insistin' that the only way to create jobs and "save" this country is to continually give the Rich more and more breaks and subject "Corporate Citizens" (ugh!) to less and less regulation), what did they make of former State Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA), that Perennial Cheerleader for Freakin' Big Business, when he announced that he would bail on the remainder of his term to take a position on Wall Street for over Three Million Dollars a year?  Where's the outrage?  Where's the acknowledgin' of the fact that we've all been lied to, hard, and these sonsabitches barely even try to hide it anymore?  Are we so embarrassed when this kinda shit takes place that all we got left is to look the other way and act like it didn't happen?  Have we become that weak-willed, that apathetic?  That ignorant?

Lookin' the other way, puttin' it out of our minds.  I reckon that's what a bunch of us are fixin' to have to do when the drillin' starts in Yellowstone, the loggin' begins in the Smokies, and the minin' commences in Yosemite.  

But wait!  Perhaps Yellowstone could be spared!  Sure:  Divide the iconic gem into large residential tracts, thus allowin' for the construction of New Gated Communities, filled with golf courses and clubhouses nestled among Palatial Estates, Grand Palaces for the Über Wealthy!  After all, they're the Real Deservin' Americans.  Right? 

Now there's some Real Money waitin' to be made!  

Now that's American!

Fish~

Misdirection of Outrage (Or, How I Lost My Freakin' Mind and Now Let Monsters Do My Thinkin')

You know, a buncha crazy shit happenin' in a hostile country is probably not the simplest thing to interpret, particularly early on.  And I would think any reasonable person would appreciate that for what it is.  

The events that took the lives of four Americans in Benghazi were trajic.  Sadly, instead of bein' allowed to mourn their deaths and stay focused on discoverin' who the murderers were and how we might bring them to Justice, it was turned into just the next in what seems to be an Unendin' Parade of Political Attacks on the President.  Ridiculously Obvious and Transparent.  Even with continuous Leaks, Lies, and Distortions, Shit slung rapid-fire in the hopes that somethin' sticks, the main accomplishment of this Freak Show has been the Extreme Waste of Time, Money, and Resources for something that has absolutely nothin' to do with Justice.  

Whoever was responsible for these deaths, you can bet they're laughin' their Collective Murderous Asses off as they watch what our elected officials are doin' to one another.  

They see us as a Joke.  A perception that, at this point, only an idiot would attempt to refute.

Who is keepin' so many of y'all so pumped up over this?  Are you as angry as They apparently are that the evidence so desperately searched for in the hopes of destroyin' our current President has simply failed to materialize, and that even a Deluge of Lies hasn't brought the desired results?

(If you hurt and discredit the President, the means used are inconsequential, right?  Any damage to our Country is simply a matter of course.  All that matters is accomplishin' the Objective, right?  Right?)

And, with those questions posed, let me ask ya a few more:

So, then how is it that so many of you passionate people don't appear to be even remotely pissed about thousands of American Soldiers dead, and tens of thousands of citizens dead in a country that we invaded for reasons that turned out to be not just Wrong, but Intentional, Intricate, Calculated Lies?  Oh, but wait, wait...!  These were not just Lies of the Garden-Variety.  These were Big, Dark, Dirty Lies, hatched and executed to reward their small group of Authors and Architects with a Windfall of Billions upon Billions of  Dollars, drenched in Blood and caked thick with the Screams of Mothers and Children.  

(That last bit?  Doesn't matter to the Ones doin' the "Reapin'".  Still spends.  Right, Dick?  Yeah, Buddy.  Good Stuff.)  

And, it was always The Plan- a Plan that had been in the works for many, many years.  

That doesn't piss off anybody but me?   Seriously? 

Okay.  Let's say, for the sake of this argument, that mistakes were made in Benghazi.  Let's say that people held onto the Truth for a while before they shared it, for reasons good or bad, which has yet to proven, and wouldn't matter now, anyway.  You know what didn't happen?  Let's see...  Oh!  Here's one thing:  Nobody cashed in on it, by which I mean nobody got stupid rich from it, or, hopefully, ever will. 

(Addendum:  One Lyin' Bastard spewed crap on a popular Sunday network "news" show, a network that turned out to be owned by the same corporation that would release this same Lyin' Bastard's Book of Bullshit, just two days after featurin' this Piece of Shit as their exclusive "Eyewitness".  That buncha Modern Day Alchemists almost succeeded in turnin' Deciet into Gold, but their Lies were exposed.  An apology?  No, not a real one.  The only thing they truly regretted was gettin' found out.)  

Nobody created a decade long nightmare scenario that destroyed families- some because their loved ones were killed, some because they were fortunate to only have their limbs blown off and heads split open, but still survived to live out the wondrous new lives they've been handed, with a government that will barely acknowledge them and their sacrifice.  

Have you all just been savin' up all your Outrage and Disgust, just waitin' for someone to tell you where you should direct it?  Were you stowin' it all in a box under the bed, only now allowin' someone to dictate where you spend your vitriol for some secret, private reason?  What is it, really?

Is it because this guy ain't white?  

"No!", you cry, indignantly...

What is it, then?  

I am the last one to discount the death of anyone, American or otherwise.  (Personally, I'm more of a mind to begin at Human when it comes to my sadness and disdain over Needless Death.)  But, for the freakin' life of me, I just cannot get my head around why so many people allow themselves to be ratcheted up by a buncha Talkin' Heads over the terrible deaths of four people, while simultaneously refusin' to acknowledge a Horrific Event of such Scope and Magnitude, that a relative four deaths is scarcely distinguishable against the backdrop of the War Profiteering that has gone on for more than ten years.  Where in the Livin' Hell y'all been?!  I would think the overused and misused "Support Our Troops" would at least include not supportin' a Manufactured Scheme to swap Blood for Money!  

Look here:  If you support the Cheney-orchestrated War in Iraq, then I clearly support our Troops more than you.  I support their right to not be used as Cannon Fodder- to not be treated as an Expendable Resource in a Corporate Scheme to Dupe and Fleece our Public.  I support the Right of Our Troops to only be put in Harm's Way when there is no other recourse.  When it is the Absolute Last Resort.  I support their Right to Live.

I apologize for the rant.  Sort of.  I find myself frustrated by this type of Skewed, Selective Logic.  I am confounded by the Intellectual Lethargy practiced by so many of my Fellow Citizens.  I would hope that my attempt to point out what's really takin' place might stir some to step back and try and see the Big Picture.  Maybe slow down- spend some time thinkin' for themselves, perhaps re-evaluate their own chosen position, to challenge the Pre-packaged Reality of which they've been served such a steady helpin' for so long. 

But, sadly, I expect that many of you will return to your televisions and choose with your remote control just who you will have show you who to blame, who to hate, all the while designating the latest targets for your outrage, so that you don't have to go to all the trouble of thinkin' too hard or lettin' it get too complicated.

I just don't get it...

~Fish

NO PROFIT IN PEACE

Huh.  So, contractors are bein' paid to do what could be done, and used to be done, by our military and even local law enforcement?

Dang.  Who are these folks and just who is it they're workin' for?

Hired thugs- free of the burden of a code of conduct that might be set by the state or our federal government, are unleashed on our Citizens and the rest of the World, and given carte blanche to harass and intimidate.

So goes the Privatization of Governmental Duties that could be handled by the men and women that are already gettin' paid as members of our Armed Forces, sans the oversight, direction, and accountability.

And yet, laws have been passed and processes have been modified over the past couple or three decades that give over more and more lucrative work to private companies.  (Companies that just happen to be in place and poised to go after it, for profit.  Boy, weren't we lucky!)

Prisons- Privatized for Profit.  The more citizens incarcerated, the bigger the payoff.  (I suppose this helps to explain shit like six years for Manslaughter, sixteen for Cultivation With Intent To Sell.  Who would you rather have in your prison- Killers or Stoners?  Yeah, that's what I thought...)

Border Patrol- Outsource it.  Why should the Government be tasked with the actual function and responsibility, the administrative drudge, when we have private companies that, amazingly, are standin' here just waitin' to bid for the opportunity.  (Okay.  So those given opportunities to bid are actually owned by the same corporation.  It's almost competitive, if you don't actually pay attention.)

War- Logistics, Services, Security- "Farmed Out"...  There is no Profit in Peace.  (Now, this one is the Big Money!)

The Ultimate Business Plan: Create a Need, then friggin' fill it.  Dead up brilliant.

Gotta hand it to 'em- Absolute Evil Genius.  These guys make Goldfinger look like a nine year old swipin' a freakin' Butterfinger.

Halliburton, Blackwater, Brown and Root- all manifestations of the same group of people that wormed their way into Politics as early as the Ford Administration (our only Unelected President- talk about opportunists!) and pushed for the privatization of countless aspects of Government Spendin'.  (And they're still pushin'.)

Cheney and Company- They're not really for Smaller Government.  They're for the Privatization of Government, includin' Military Functions, for which they have positioned themselves in order to soak the One Purse that is the Middle Class Tax Base.  They are not Patriots. They are not Leaders. They are not Good People.

These are Monsters.  Creatures addicted to the Rush of Power and Wealth, consumed by Unfathomable, Insatiable Greed.  These are the Ones for whom everything is Potential Collateral Damage.  They are the Soulless Ones.

No longer are they satisfied to look down from their Mansions, while the Common Folks raise children and set alarm clocks in neighborhoods made up of rows of tidy bungalows.  No.  In their eyes, the Common Man in America is now livin' beyond his position.  His lot, his birthright, is to be subservient to the Privileged, the Elite, the Royalty of Capitalism Unchecked.  And the Common Man would do well to not forget it.

We are all bein' systematically reduced to no more than service workers for the Preferred Caste.  The New Aristocracy.  The Kings of Business, Industry, and Commerce, to Whom All Others are Indebted.  Those that are determined to be incapable of supportin' the Golden Machine through their surplus value will be abandoned and left to perish.

And we are expected to subsist on the scraps they abandon on their plates, the crumbs they brush from their laps as they push back from the table.  Stuffed.  Lethargic.

The New Slaves.  That's where the Middle Class is headed.  And our Poor, our Elderly, our Feeble? A Goddamn Liability.  The sooner dead, the better.

Damnit.

~Fish