Best of times, worst of times

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. --A Tale of Two Cities

Thus begins Charles Dickens classic novel depicting society in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel goes on to portray how the period was indeed the best of times for some, and the worst of times for others. Some of the most vivid scenes of the novel are those that illustrate the shocking contrast between the aristocracy and the proletariat in England and in France, and the brutality with which the former treats the latter.

In one scene, while racing through the streets of Paris in his carriage, the Marquis St. Evrémonde, a heartless aristocrat who openly disdains the lower classes, runs over and kills a peasant child. He callously tosses a few coins to the devastated peasants who have gathered around the body, then continues on his way. That night, he is murdered in his bed by the father of the killed child. Dickens uses the incident as an example of the myriad of events that lead inevitably to the Revolution and all its ensuing horrors.

Yesterday, I saw a story that caused me to recall Dickens' novel.

In a move sure to make bankers and mortgage brokers very nervous, Sheriff Tom Dart, of Cook County, Illinois, announced that his office will not enforce foreclosure-related evictions.

Sheriff Dart objects to evictions being carried out against renters who pay their rent on time while the property owners, unbeknown to their tenants, are in default on the mortgages. His decision not to enforce these court-ordered evictions also spares home-owners who are legitimately in foreclosure, but, says Sheriff Dart, "We will no longer be a party to something that's so unjust."

Sheriff Tom Dart

You can read the whole story here.

The Illinois Bankers Association was swift with its public response, saying "The reality is that by ignoring the law and his legal responsibilities, he is carrying out 'vigilantism' at the highest level of an elected official. The Illinois banking industry is working hard to help troubled homeowners in many ways, but Sheriff Dart's declaration of 'marshal law' should not be tolerated."

When I read the response, I was reminded of the words of the Marquis St. Evrémonde on the day he ran over the child in the streets of Paris: "Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend, will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof shuts out the sky."

Presently, the number of residential mortgages in foreclosure is at record levels. This is a direct result of the deregulation of banking practices that was designed to allow banks and mortgage lenders to effectively enslave borrowers by tying them to subprime mortgages ("interest-only" loans, and the like) that they could never pay off. Chimeric promises of a never-ending ascension in the housing market lured in uninformed borrowers who had the naivete to believe in the "American Dream," and who are now hopelessly indebted and at risk of losing all their worldly possessions. And the people that hold their debts are the same people that are now benefiting from the $700 billion bail-out that tax-payers have been told is necessary to save the world from financial collapse. The same people that, after receiving a bail-out from the Federal government to prevent them from going into bankruptcy, promptly took themselves on a $440,000 junket to a resort in California.

Dart's action must surely strike fear into the blackened hearts of those bankers, those subprime lenders, those Wall Street pirates. What begins with an upstart, would-be hero shooting his mouth off might end with a brand new Bastille Day. The problem, for them, is that their greed has caused them to overreach to the point that they have no credibility. Their lies can no longer be pedaled by any old greenhorn demagogue. The proletariat is awakened.

When the abuse perpetuated on the lower classes surpasses the point of tolerance, when the proletariat loses hope for a better future, they rise up.

The open question is this: how will things play out from here?

"Blah, blah, blah," said the badger. "Blah, blah, blah," said Barack.

It may be due to my mind having already been made up (indeed, I have never even considered voting for McCain), but last night's "town hall" debate between Barack Obama and Mad Johnny was a big sleeper. The debate took place at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and was a bore. Tom Brokaw looked like he was asleep. The questions posed by the audience and by Brokaw himself were warmed over hash.

There were no new revelations regarding policy from either candidate. McCain, the angry badger, did growl something about a mortgage reform proposal; Barack did talk about his priorities (energy, health care, and education, in that order). But nothing too earth-shattering from either of them.

McCain once again came out snarling and aggressive, spouting off condescending remarks about Obama's lack of experience and qualifications. I can't imagine that that will go over with the viewing public. His anger, bordering on seething fury, is so obviously roiling his insides that it almost evokes pity. Almost.

Obama was collected and dispassionate. Maybe too dispassionate. He continued with his tactic of tying McCain to President Junior fairly effectively. And I thought he scored with his retort to McCain's invocation of Teddy Roosevelt by pointing out that McCain was the buffoon who sang "Bomb, bomb Iran," in front of cameras on the campaign trail. ("Talk softly," indeed!) But, for the most part, Obama was his usual emotionally-restrained self.

I didn't feel like either of them came away with a clear victory. Obama didn't make any big mistakes, but neither did Mad Johnny. Of course, given the polls over the past week, a draw works to Obama's advantage.

I guess the bottom line for me is that I've reached the saturation point for campaign rhetoric. Now, it is just a matter of watching and waiting.

Meanwhile, for your entertainment....

(Strong language alert!)

Gordon Smith: Negrero

¡No sea engañado! Gordon Smith, el senador menor de Oregón, lo quien esta en un combate duro para reelección, no es un amigo de la gente corriente. Cada cuatro años, èl finge que es un republicano moderado, pero este año, los votantes de Oregón saben la verdad. Nosotros tenemos un candidado mejor en Jeff Merkley, el democrato. Ojalá Merkley gane.

Recentemiente, el periódico semanal local, Willamette Week, publicó un cuento, se llama "Señor Smith." Este cuento dice que la compañía de Smith, Smith Frozen Foods, empleó indocumentados a trabajar en las envasadoras. Claro, Senador Smith y su campaña lo niegan.

Willamette Week documenta los hechos completamente, y yo no tengo duda que el cuento es verdad. La hipocresía no es una cosa nueva a Gordon Smith.

Pero, una parte del cuento que tiene el más interés es esta (traducido del inglés):

Mucho del trabajo paga acerca de $8 per hora. Es irregular; trabajadores no saben de una semana a la promxima cuántas horas que ellos serán necesitados. Si hay demasiado lluvia, los granjeros no pueden cosechar sus campos y no hay suficiente trabajo. Si el maíz no está listo para ser cosechado, también no está listo para ser empaquetado.

Los trabajadores no osan buscar un segundo trabajo, muchos de ellos dijeron. Ellos pueden ser despedidos si en más de una ocasión ellos no están disponibles trabajar cuando ellos son llamados al deber.

Y empleados sólo de todo el año, acerca de la tercera parte de la fuerza de trabajo general de Smith, son ofrecidos seguro de enfermedad.

Además, Smith Frozen Foods maneja sus empleados con un sistema de puntos, lo cuál que los trabajadores caracterizan como degrandando. Se da ellos billetes para infracciones, grandes y pequeñas, como llegando tarde, o fallando de obtener una nota del médico para explicar una ausencia para cuidar de un niño enfermo. Algunas infracciones ganan a un trabajador un desmerecimiento. Otras, más. Diez puntos en un año y usted es fuera. --Willamette Week, 10 Septiembre, 2008

Esta es la manera que Senador Smith les trata a sus trabajadores: en la manera de un negrero. Además, Smith ha luchada contra levantar el salario mínimo a través de su ocupación en el Senado EEUU. Ya podemos ver la que signifca la importancia de la familia con Smith.

Con sus adviertos de campaña, Smith esta tratando parecer como un moderado, contra de los republicanos más atroces. Pero, aparte del asunto de las practicas ilegal del empleo, él demuestra una insensibilidad a gente que revela su carácter verdadero.

Smith es un negrero.

La mejor elección es Jeff Merkley.

(Perdóneme por favor para mi español malo.)

Nervous yet?

I don't necessarily want to come across as the wild-eyed madman, raving about the end of the world, but an ever-increasing number of developments indicate that something Big^TM is afoot.

Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson hasn't even finished doling out the $700 billion to the various collapsing financial institutions, and it is already becoming apparent that the much-touted bailout that was going to save us from a new Great Depression isn't going to work. This morning the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen below the 10000 mark for the first time in 4 years. The crisis is global. The Russian and Brazilian markets halted trading today to stave off a panic among traders in those countries. The Euro is collapsing. The states of California and Massachusetts have both applied to the US Treasury for emergency loans to allow their governments to continue to function.

That's just a far-from-exhaustive sketch of the global financial situation.

There is also the ominous news that the US military's Northern Command is being deployed within the United States, ostensibly to deal with catastrophes, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters. (I'm no lawyer, but this would seem to be a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, no?)

There's a gas panic occurring in the southeastern US, just as the northern hemisphere descends into winter. Although there has been a lull recently, simmering worries about the availability of fuel and food remain a concern on a global level.

Tense international hot-spots threaten to erupt at any time, whether it is the continuing conflict between Russia and Georgia, the simmering problems in Iraq, the incredibly dangerous situation in Pakistan, or the old stand-by crisis of Israel and Palestine.

American political leadership, whether the administration or the Congress, seems woefully inadequate for any kind of meaningful action, even if there was someone that had a clear idea of what to do.

Well, if you're not nervous, good for you. Me? I'm scared as hell. I haven't had the courage or desire to even glimpse at my 401K plan for over a month, and, I kid you not, dear reader, I was just thankful that my last paycheck cleared so Maty and I could fill up the refrigerator.

The dire predictions that Jim Kunstler of Clusterf**k Nation has been making for the last year are all coming true. But even he doesn't know what is coming next. Although I'm still ardently supporting Barack Obama, this year's presidential race could very well prove to be irrelevant: regardless of who wins, the pace of events may dictate the course of action for either candidate, never mind what was said during the campaign.

We're in uncharted waters, folks. It's going to get more than a little choppy.

Jene verrückte Deutsch!

Prost!

The world may be crumbling all around us, but by God, never let it be said that we won't go down without a laugh!

Singer-songwriter extraordinaire Jon Haase, (Angry) Dave Thompson, and Lori performing Jon's tune "Sunburn"

Last night, my friends, Patrick and (former band-mate) Lori Edenfield held their annual Oktoberfest celebration featuring Patrick's home-brewed beer and tons of good German noshes.

Ally Edenfield leads an ensemble of musicians in a rotation of traditional Irish songs

Patrick's creations this year included an amber, a stout, and a concoction he named simply "Oktoberfest." Being something of a teetotaler these days, I limited myself to one beer for the evening. I chose the Oktoberfest and was completely enamored of its boldness and strength of flavor. It was a beautiful beer, almost pumpkin orange in color. Patrick has refined his brewing skills over the years; he can hold his own with anybody, I venture.

Dan Binmore and your humble author working over some of the old Mahatma Candy repetoire

As is always the case at an Edenfield event there was a lot of laughter and music and a good time was had by all. Lots of good conversation, lots of food, lots of beer, and lots of music. Can't beat that.

Prost!

Veep picks mix it up

The one and only vice-presidential debate of this election cycle has only just ended. My initial impression: Sarah Palin did quite well, especially early on in the engagement, but on the whole Joe Biden's greater experience and knowledge carried the day.

Joe Biden had a much higher bar to clear than did Sarah Palin. Biden, after all, was expected to win, especially in light of Sarah Palin's disastrous interview with Katie Couric last week. Governor Palin had actually become a drag on the McCain ticket according to some polls, and some conservative columnists had publicly called for her to step down.

In the debate, however, Governor Palin definitely showed that she is no dummy; she spoke with authority and confidence. She engaged Senator Biden directly, in direct contrast to McCain's furtive performance in his debate with Obama last week. Her demeanor was self-assured and it is certainly to her advantage that she is such an attractive person. But, at times, it seems that she was reciting her answers, almost like a Catholic reciting the Rosary.

Several times she tried to steer the course of the conversation toward energy and energy policy, which, no doubt, the McCain campaign perceives as her strength. It seemed awkward and contrived, especially when she did it in lieu of actually answering the question posed by moderator Gwen Ifill. And she made prolific use of the word "maverick" when referring to her running mate, Mad Johnny as if desperately trying to conjure distance between her ticket and the Republican party.

Also, I found her frequent attempts to appear an everyday gal a little tiresome. References to "Joe Six-pack" wore a little thin. But her biggest mistake of the evening was when she suggested that the Constitution allowed for expanded powers for the vice-president. This allowed Senator Biden to liken her to the despised Dick Cheney. Faux pas, Sarah!

Senator Biden, on the other hand, chose not to engage Governor Palin directly. He made frequent reference to obscene corporate profits and the growing disparity between the wealthy and the middle class, defended Obama's positions, and repeatedly drew comparisons between the McCain campaign and the Bush administration. Senator Biden's years of speaking on the floor of the Senate and in front of cameras definitely showed.

Biden is quite capable of eloquence and he spoke movingly about the need to address the genocide occurring in Darfur and about the plight of the American middle class. He was gracious and respectful to his opponent.

All in all, I think Sarah Palin did as well as could be expected. The problem for her is that she must defend the myopic and out-dated policies that John McCain has staked out as his ground. There's only so much lipstick you can put on that pig (just to choose a random colloquialism).

Recent polls show Obama starting to break away. Governor Palin didn't do anything tonight to hurt her ticket, but neither did her performance do anything to reverse the trend. Senator Biden was solid and dependable. And, you know, that's probably all one could want in a vice-president.

Leadership vacuum: USS Economy, meet iceberg

Man the lifeboats!

Well, Americans, if there is one thing of which we can be sure in these times of economic peril, it is this: there is no one at the helm of our ship-of-state. If that shape we seem looming up ahead in the mist is really the iceberg of financial calamity that many fear, brace yourselves, because we're heading straight for it. All of those whom we have elected to steer our vessel out of danger are instead strapping on their life jackets and running for the dinghies.

The lack of leadership, on both sides of the partisan aisle, is shameful, cowardly, and deeply unpatriotic.

On Monday, the US House of Representatives failed to pass the $700 billion bailout package. The word was that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson had worked out a deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner. The two leaders had whip counted their caucuses and apparently believed that they had enough votes to eke out passage. Both presidential candidates expressed support for the package, with John McCain even "suspending" his campaign to fly in to Washington to try to finagle public perceptions so that he could take the credit for rescuing the economy. President Junior, his disapproval rating hovering right around 70%, came on television to plead for support.

Then came the vote.

As the world watched, one third of Pelosi's caucus, and two thirds of Boehner's, voted against passage, the measure failed, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 778 points (or roughly 1.2 trillion dollars). Both sides responded immediately with finger-pointing, Junior scurried back to his hole, and Mad Johnny looked like a fool yet again.

As to the actual merits of the legislation, it is not clear that they were abundant. Concerns about burdening the tax-payer, about rewarding irresponsible behavior on Wall Street, about ignoring the plight of desperate mortgage-holders all seem legitimate. The legislation was certainly not a panacea; and even its strongest supporters admitted it had many weaknesses.

But, regardless of its lack of merits, it had been forged in that time-honored American way, through compromise and hard-fought bargaining between the administration, both political parties, and both houses of Congress.

That it would then be defeated in a floor vote in the House of Representatives is a stark indication that there is a leadership vacuum in our nation. There is no trust between the administration and its own Republican party, let alone any trust between Republicans and Democrats.

There is no one at the helm. We're adrift in a sea of ice.