Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Upton Sinclair had the Republican party's number decades ago.
Maybe not Grampa Walnuts (I'm with him on his push for tighter boxing regulations) or his sidekick, Linseed (who sometimes blurts out an inadvertent truth like they'll forever lose the Hispanic vote unless they begrudgingly admit they have some basic human rights), the others are strictly party-line and are beyond hope as far as bipartisanship goes.
Upton Sinclair was something of a genius and one of my heroes. He wrote 'Oil' ('There Will Be Blood' was based on it- the book is great, the movie is silly), and 'The Jungle' about the meat-packing industry in Chicago, which was published as a book in 1906 (causing meat sales to fall by half) after which the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act were passed the same year after public outrage (and much to Theodore T-Bag Roosevelt's chagrin).
'The Jungle' is available free in ebook form http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/140
or audio book form http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6556
from Project Gutenberg.
You can also search there for Upton Sinclair's many other books except 'Oil', which is of course copyrighted by some movie studio.
Thanks. I read both years ago in Lit classes, and The Jungle is worth another read since it's such an important book, and because there have been attempts to undo some of the regulations put in place to protect consumers. They will get away with whatever is not specifically regulated with vigilant oversight. "They" = unscrupulous food producers (and many other companies who push the envelope to earn another half penny per share).
I thought There will be Blood wasn't that bad, but it was just a narrow theatrical adaptation that didn't even come close to the book, other than both had the big oil rig fire. I won't do any plot-spoiling, since I thought it was a better movie than most I've seen since it came out a few years back.
We need to investigate and publicize the financial dealings of these snakes. Eric Cantor's wife is on corporate boards that pay the couple hundreds of thousands of dollars. What do they get in return? As I remember the filings of Congressional stock holdings last year, Cantor has a huge investment in funds that invest overseas, esp. in the Pacific. How does that effect his political stances? Same with all of these. Sarah Palin is the carnival sideshow, so easy to dismiss. These men are in charge of what can and cannot happen, and, more often then not, they're being led around by their financial benefactors. Let's stay on the Sarah story for all the reasons we know, but also start to look at what the people in power are really doing with their money, and how they get it.
I'm sorry to say that Nancy Pelosi is another among many on both sides of the aisle. Even though she's done a lot of great work politically, she's been compromised just like so many others in our legislative branch. We need to expect transparency from ALL of our elected officials--- no exceptions.
But the one that really kicks me in the gut, because their power is concentrated among such a small group and the fact that they serve for life is the members of the US Supreme Court. Scalia and Thomas make a mockery of being fair-minded, and recent rulings like Citizens United have had tragic outcomes in further de-legitimizing our elections process. The fact that Thomas' wife is an active, highly compensated lobbyist for those with business before the court and Thomas' unwillingness to recuse himself rise to the level of impeachable actions, in my opinion.
Every time these public servants gets a pass for enriching themselves and their cronies at the expense of our country's best interests, our citizenry suffers the consequences in the long-term as wealth and power become more centralized and corrupt. We the People need to skip the partisan politics and force serious reform at every level, because it will never be in the politicians' interests to self-reform or self-regulate.
They are an ugly bunch of men and I would not want to associate with any of them on a personal level. They are horrid representatives of the people and should be voted out of office when they come up for reelection.
John McCain is one of the worst for having brought Sarah Palin to the forefront!
Funny, i just pullwd The Jungle from my library to reread. Wanted to see the connections to todays craziness and how this generation is truing to outcrazy other generations - or are they all variations on the same theme
Remember, The Jungle is not an expose'. It is a novel. Having worked in a meat packing factory for a couple years I know firsthand it is not government regulators that keep meat safe. Regulators are rarely onsite. The meat companies themselves are highly concerned about hygiene. As sickness or death can result from tainted meat they are well aware that should they put out dangerous meat it will be traced back to them, subject them to huge legal liabilities, ruin their reputation and likely put them out of business. This is a fact as a large meat packing company in Australia (my home), despite an extensive ad campaign to reassure the public it cured its tainted meat problem never could recover and went out of business. I say a pox on both (Rethuglicans and Demoncraps) their houses. All they want is power at the expense of the people's freedom, property and well-being.
It's time for ordinary (mice and wo)Men to play a role in government and stop the Career Politicians from creating a ruling class.
We need to get money out of politics, drastically lower their salary & benefits, to mirror what is available to those working full time at "minimum wage jobs." We need to outlaw the transfer of money in Lobbying, and overturn Citizens United.
It will take some of us plain folks in Congress to vote the right things into law. It will take our continued vigilance to make sure that these self-serving plutocrats don't return to public office.
Maybe not Grampa Walnuts (I'm with him on his push for tighter boxing regulations) or his sidekick, Linseed (who sometimes blurts out an inadvertent truth like they'll forever lose the Hispanic vote unless they begrudgingly admit they have some basic human rights), the others are strictly party-line and are beyond hope as far as bipartisanship goes.
ReplyDeleteBut they are oh so 'religious'!!!!
ReplyDeleteHuh? I don't get it. (Now pay me.)
ReplyDeleteMe either. Is today payday, too?
DeleteUpton Sinclair was something of a genius and one of my heroes. He wrote 'Oil' ('There Will Be Blood' was based on it- the book is great, the movie is silly), and 'The Jungle' about the meat-packing industry in Chicago, which was published as a book in 1906 (causing meat sales to fall by half) after which the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act were passed the same year after public outrage (and much to Theodore T-Bag Roosevelt's chagrin).
ReplyDelete'The Jungle' is available free in ebook form
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/140
or audio book form
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6556
from Project Gutenberg.
You can also search there for Upton Sinclair's many other books except 'Oil', which is of course copyrighted by some movie studio.
Thanks. I read both years ago in Lit classes, and The Jungle is worth another read since it's such an important book, and because there have been attempts to undo some of the regulations put in place to protect consumers. They will get away with whatever is not specifically regulated with vigilant oversight. "They" = unscrupulous food producers (and many other companies who push the envelope to earn another half penny per share).
DeleteI thought There will be Blood wasn't that bad, but it was just a narrow theatrical adaptation that didn't even come close to the book, other than both had the big oil rig fire. I won't do any plot-spoiling, since I thought it was a better movie than most I've seen since it came out a few years back.
We need to investigate and publicize the financial dealings of these snakes.
ReplyDeleteEric Cantor's wife is on corporate boards that pay the couple hundreds of thousands of dollars. What do they get in return? As I remember the filings of Congressional stock holdings last year, Cantor has a huge investment in funds that invest overseas, esp. in the Pacific. How does that effect his political stances?
Same with all of these. Sarah Palin is the carnival sideshow, so easy to dismiss. These men are in charge of what can and cannot happen, and, more often then not, they're being led around by their financial benefactors.
Let's stay on the Sarah story for all the reasons we know, but also start to look at what the people in power are really doing with their money, and how they get it.
Excellent comment.
DeleteI'm sorry to say that Nancy Pelosi is another among many on both sides of the aisle. Even though she's done a lot of great work politically, she's been compromised just like so many others in our legislative branch. We need to expect transparency from ALL of our elected officials--- no exceptions.
But the one that really kicks me in the gut, because their power is concentrated among such a small group and the fact that they serve for life is the members of the US Supreme Court. Scalia and Thomas make a mockery of being fair-minded, and recent rulings like Citizens United have had tragic outcomes in further de-legitimizing our elections process. The fact that Thomas' wife is an active, highly compensated lobbyist for those with business before the court and Thomas' unwillingness to recuse himself rise to the level of impeachable actions, in my opinion.
Every time these public servants gets a pass for enriching themselves and their cronies at the expense of our country's best interests, our citizenry suffers the consequences in the long-term as wealth and power become more centralized and corrupt. We the People need to skip the partisan politics and force serious reform at every level, because it will never be in the politicians' interests to self-reform or self-regulate.
Truth.
ReplyDeleteThey are an ugly bunch of men and I would not want to associate with any of them on a personal level. They are horrid representatives of the people and should be voted out of office when they come up for reelection.
ReplyDeleteJohn McCain is one of the worst for having brought Sarah Palin to the forefront!
Funny, i just pullwd The Jungle from my library to reread. Wanted to see the connections to todays craziness and how this generation is truing to outcrazy other generations - or are they all variations on the same theme
ReplyDeleteAll fucktards, misogynists, and corrupt bastards. Oh yeah, they're rethuglican Congressmen. What was I thinking?
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't Kevin McCarthy's lying face up there?
ReplyDeleteAnd, for more, and very relevant, reading, Paul Theroux's "Ozone". You'll be astonished at the prophetic quality of this novel.
ReplyDeleteRemember, The Jungle is not an expose'. It is a novel. Having worked in a meat packing factory for a couple years I know firsthand it is not government regulators that keep meat safe. Regulators are rarely onsite. The meat companies themselves are highly concerned about hygiene. As sickness or death can result from tainted meat they are well aware that should they put out dangerous meat it will be traced back to them, subject them to huge legal liabilities, ruin their reputation and likely put them out of business. This is a fact as a large meat packing company in Australia (my home), despite an extensive ad campaign to reassure the public it cured its tainted meat problem never could recover and went out of business. I say a pox on both (Rethuglicans and Demoncraps) their houses. All they want is power at the expense of the people's freedom, property and well-being.
ReplyDeleteIt's time for ordinary (mice and wo)Men to play a role in government and stop the Career Politicians from creating a ruling class.
ReplyDeleteWe need to get money out of politics, drastically lower their salary & benefits, to mirror what is available to those working full time at "minimum wage jobs." We need to outlaw the transfer of money in Lobbying, and overturn Citizens United.
It will take some of us plain folks in Congress to vote the right things into law. It will take our continued vigilance to make sure that these self-serving plutocrats don't return to public office.