Week Seven: Fuck Chuck Schumer

Black and white panda print notebook

Rundown

Since last week there have been more plane crashes, more cases of measles and bird flu, ICE detained and tortured a legal green card holder, Chuck Schumer caved to republicans and convinced enough Dems in the senate to vote for Trump’s odious continuing resolution (CR). Among other things, the CR included massive cuts to social security, Medicare, and Medicaid, food stamps, and foreign aid.

Trump also defied a court order to have Venezuela-bound flights carrying undocumented immigrants return to the US, and as of Monday he declared all Biden’s pardons null and void. And he’s escalated things with Yemen by bombing it. Trump also steed up his campaign to purge the government of everything woke and dei, removing references to Black and women soldiers interned at Arlington National Cemetery.

Also, web pages detailing Black, Japanese, and women recipients of the Medal of Honor were removed. In the case of Maj Gen Charles Calvin Rogers, a Black Medal of Honor recipient, the url of his web page was changed to include “dei-medal.” Only after public outcry were some of the web pages restored but the pentagon defended its DEI/woke purge. For more information click here.

While Trump has been running roughshod, democratic leadership has been AWOL. This leads me to the topic of this week’s post.

Fuck Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Establishment

Week after week, I’ve been bemoaning the lack of democratic leadership, and nothing epitomizes this more than Chuck Schumer’s betrayal of the American people last week.

Over 200 Democratic senators voted no on the CR, but that doesn’t matter because 12 senate Dems voted for it, giving republicans enough votes for it to pass. Have they no shame?

And Schumer has the nerve to go on a book tour after he slit the throat of his constituents. Well, I say we give him all the time he wants by primarying his ass and every democrat that voted for the CR, and while we’re at it every dem who voted to censure Rep, Al Green of Texas.

Election after election, the democratic establishment has grown further out of touch as it drifted farther right. And every time they lose, they blame progressives for being too radical and themselves for not being centrist enough to appeal to independents and centrist. In reality the right has gone over the cliff and the center is no longer the center. So, what we’re left with is democrats who govern like wannabe Republicans.

Given a choice between these republican-lite candidates and the real deal, those on the right almost always choose the latter. Case in point, Kamala Harris tried appealing to conservatives by campaigning with Liz Cheney and touting her gun ownership, instead of running on a progressive populous platform. And the result is she lost by a thin margin.

Once again, progressives were blamed for voting third party or abstaining. Yet 90 million eligible voters stayed home. Had Harris won over a tenth of these voters she would have won in a landslide. Instead, she pandered to the right and was rewarded with an L.

I am sick and tired of us progressives being blamed for the incompetence of the democratic establishment. Everything we want (universal healthcare, universal college, a tax code where millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share, and a government that works for we the people and not corporations) are popular. Just ask Bernie Sanders who’s been packing townhalls because he stays pushing these issues.

But no.

According to Schumer and the democratic establishment we need to move to the right and play footsie with the fascists. Yeah, ‘cause appeasing the nazis worked so well the first time.

Well Chuck Schumer and the democratic establishment can go fuck themselves with a rabid possum. He, Pelosi, and everyone who’s been in their seat for decades need to go. They’ve gotten too comfortable and forgotten who they work for.

Every second Schumer remains senate minority leader is a disgrace to everyone who fought for our democracy. And until someone who will fight for progressive causes and the rule of law takes the reins, we should boycott all establishment democrats. No donations, no canvassing, nothing. Flood their emails, voicemail, and snail mail in such volumes they have no recourse but to respond.

There’s a popular adage that says the definition of insanity is doing something repeatedly and expecting a different result. Every time it’s the same story with the dems; they capitulate to the republicans in the naive hope this time the other side can be reasoned with, and the republicans stab them in the heart ad infinitum.

No more. This insanity must end. Either Schumer et al get out of the fucking way or progressives take control a la the Tea Party.

Till next week, stay safe, don’t obey in advance, and fuck the feculent fascist in chief.

Week 5: Tariffs, Tantrums, and Hakeem Jeffries’ Ten-Point Nothing Burger

Girl in brown top crying

Rundown

Since last week, Trump met with President Zelensky and tried to strong arm him into a deal granting the US mineral rights in Ukraine in exchange for continued financial and military support. At one point Trump and Vance reportedly got into a shouting match with Zelensky before he left.

In response, European leaders have stepped up to fill the gap and called a summit to address Trump’s actions.

Trump also announced more tariffs set to take effect this week and the stock market tanked.

Bird Flu continues to spread and a measles outbreak in Texas has exploded to over 140 cases as of this writing. This all while the media gag order on the CDC and other health authorities continues.

In what has been the democrats’ response to the above?

Hakeem Jeffries tweeted a ten-point plan to deal with Trump and posted it to social media. However aside from the first point, which is to have House and Senate Dems refuse to vote for any legislation including the upcoming debt ceiling vote; they don’t have any teeth.

Pointing out everything Trump et al are doing wrong is pointless unless it’s paired with a plan of action to stop them and how it will affect voters in concrete terms. People need to see the Dems are actively fighting for them. That they have some fire in their bellies.

Instead, Jeffries gave us a massive nothing burger.

It’s not enough to tell people what Trump et al. Are doing. There are a million places that already do that. If the Dems are to form a true opposition party, they need to move with swiftness and urgency. And they should start by showing people exactly what Trump’s policy will mean for them.

Show Don’t Tell

Writers are often told to show not tell. As this relates to democrats, they need to lay out in full details how Trump and his policies will directly affect people.

First up, Trump’s picking RFK Jr for head of Health and Human Services and rolling back Biden-era health policies will mean the return of people buying thousands a month for insulin, and their children dying from preventable diseases like measles, Tuberculosis, and polio. And should we have another pandemic, we know the Trump administration will botch it leading to needless deaths and price gouging as the supply chain breaks down.  

This isn’t to mention the millions who will go bankrupt due to medical debt should he gut Medicaid and Medicare and repeal the ACA.

Second, his immigration policy will mean higher grocery costs as migrant workers aren’t willing to risk being deported and farmers aren’t willing to pay a living wage to American workers, so crops are rotting in the field. And as some Latino Trump voters have already discovered, it will result in their undocumented friends and family being deported.

Third, Trump’s tariffs will mean higher prices across the board for everyone, but they will also mean higher food costs as the US imports most of its produce from Mexico, whose President has said she will respond with tariffs if he imposes them on Mexico.

And you think home prices are high now, just wait until Canada, from whom we get a lot of our lumber, imposes them on us. Ditto China with steel and other materials the construction industry uses, among other industries.

If that weren’t bad enough, The US gets most of its wheat from Ukraine, and since Russia invaded them in 2022, they’ve drastically decreased exports resulting in higher bread prices. Trump serving up Ukraine to Putin will only make things worse as Putin will no doubt jack up grain prices if Russia conquers Ukraine.

Fourth, Trump’s fiscal policies will lead to empty bank accounts. His proposed tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans will destroy what’s left of the middle class by siphoning billions to the one percent. You think roads are bad now, just wait until the tax cuts go through. Hell, forget any infrastructure project getting done that Trump and associates don’t get a kickback on.

Fifth, when it comes to education, Trump’s policies re: DEI, school funding, and vouchers will lead to a brain drain as foreign students no longer see the benefit of American university degrees. This anti-intellectualism will cause America to stagnant, resulting in lower job prospects for American citizens at home and abroad.

It’s not enough to just say, “Trump bad.” Dems must make their message personal and provide a clear plan how they will stand up to Trump and govern once they’re in control. Otherwise, they will continue losing.

Till next week, stay safe, mask up, and don’t let the copper tone conman grind ya down.

Week 5: The emperor is Nude and Enough is Enough

Grayscale photo of person covering his face with bandana holding a banner with words ” enough is enough” at protest

The Rundown

A month into the second Trump administration and all levels of the government are under assault from the manchild who would be king. More planes have crashed, yet Trump continues his slash and burn of the FAA and other federal employees, despite challenges in the courts. He’s also served Ukraine on a silver platter to Putin and signaled he would allow Russia to attack our European allies.

Thankfully judges and some federal employees are standing up to him, Musk, and DOGE.

However, democratic officials have been slow to respond. But some dems like Jamie Raskin, Corry Booker, and JB Pritzker are showing signs of having a spine. But I fear it’s too little too late as Trump purges the government of anyone who won’t bend the knee.

Meanwhile, due to Trump’s tariffs and immigration policies, inflation has skyrocketed along with gas and food prices. The latter has some in trump’s base reconsidering their vote. We tried to tell ya’ll.

 And speaking of voting, there is growing concern Musk, or another actor accessed the central voting machine where all votes in a state are recorded and altered them, a possibility which Intelligence and national security expert Malcolm Nance says is a possibility.

But given democratic leadership’s failure to call for recounts when questions about voting irregularities first arose, I fear this will be 2000 2.0, only this time if we learn that Kamala Harris did win it won’t matter because Trump et al will have succeeded in dismantling our government and selling our country to the highest bidder.

Our only saving grace may be this administration’s incompetence. Because for the most part democratic leadership is still AWOL.

Which leads me to this week’s theme.

The emperor is Nude and Enough is Enough

 In “The Emperor’s New Clothes” a tailor cons an emperor into believing he’s made new clothes for him out of a rare, expensive and invisible fabric. And as the emperor goes about town nude, his subjects pretend he’s wearing the most magnificent outfit ever, because they fear his wraith should they point out he’s naked. Finally, a child shouts, “The Emperor has no clothes,” breaking the charade.

Last week Trump referred to himself as a king and, as with the above emperor, people are afraid to point out his faults, especially the mainstream media.

When Trump first ran, they refused to call out his lies, instead abusing the thesaurus to use any words but lie and liar. And it was this dereliction of their journalistic duty that led to his first and second term in the oval office.

Time and time again the legacy media sane washed Trump, painting him in a positive light while holding the dems to ridiculously high standards. And those that dared say the emperor had no clothes, like Jim Acosta and the Associated Press, have been barred from the White Press Room.

On the other hand, with few exceptions, democratic officials have failed to respond to this administration’s rape and pillaging of our government and democracy. Week after week, they’ve said nothing, or worse expressed a willingness to work with republicans.

What the actual fuck.

Still worse are their social media posts filled with empty platitudes and milquetoast press conferences. The only time democrats seem energized is in the billions of fundraising emails and texts I get every day.

Sorry, but no!

Enough is enough. We need a concrete plan of action from democratic leadership, or they need to get the fuck outta there.

We can’t and won’t wait until the midterms. We need action NOW. Not two years from now. Not two weeks from now. Today.

Every second we wait is another second Trump et al has to destroy our country.

The emperor is nude and a demented fascist, and no amount of spin or sane washing will ever change that. Stand up or be stomped down.

Until next week, stay safe and don’t let Cheeto Benito grind ya down.

Hobbling Toward herd Immunity: A Pandemic Poem

image by Andrew Grossman via scop.io

Hellion health heretics hobble toward

New Philistia,

Uttering elegies for civility and humanity.

Splayed before them is rationality;

Retched, broken, brutalized, 

It lies

Decrepit and decayed.

Truth is an effigy ablaze.

No fact laid bare is ever good

Enough for them to care.

They will not be dissuaded

From their conspiracy theory crusade,

Until they’re intubated

Or cremated.

Aunt Ruth on Facebook

Has the straight proof.

Look at this YouTube video;

Start researching.

The elite are poofs.

The experts are a bunch

Of dunces.

Instead, trust your hunches.

For we’re lurching

Toward the end of days.

The virus is a hoax,

a scam to get the vaccine in folks.

The mark of the beast and all that jazz.

Save our kids.

Get rid of the Deep State,

Close our borders,

Stop the New World Order.

Pay no mind,

His predictions are always behind.

You’d be a fool not to believe Q Anon

And The Big Lie are true.

Any day now, 45 will get his due.

And the protests at the capitol were

Mostly peaceful and not a MAGA coup.

But also it was Antifa and BLM

Posing as them.

Confused yet?

I sure am.

Don’t be dense.

According to them,

It all makes sense.

Trust and put your faith in

The former guy,

Because Armageddon is nigh.

From on high,

The lord has sent them

A savior.

Their great white hope?

A jaundiced Jesus.

Before their Cheeto God, they bow and pray.

At his feet of lies and hate, they stay,

Hanging on his every word, every ounce

Of vitriol he sprays.

What a dope.

What a joke.

It’s just a poke,

Folks.

I don’t mean to be obscene, but

Get your fucking vaccines!

Come, Comrade Bender! We must take to the streets!

Guards! Bring me the forms I need to fill out to have her taken away! Oh, I always feared he might run off like this. Why, why, why didn’t I break his legs? Tell them I hate them. Yes, except the Dave Matthews Band doesn’t rock.

The Honking

Hey, guess what you’re accessories to. I love this planet! I’ve got wealth, fame, and access to the depths of sleaze that those things bring. Actually, that’s still true. Good man. Nixon’s pro-war and pro-family. Meh. Yeah, lots of people did.
  • Come, Comrade Bender! We must take to the streets!
  • Bender, this is Fry’s decision… and he made it wrong. So it’s time for us to interfere in his life.
  • WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY! GOOD NIGHT!
  • Hello Morbo, how’s the family?

A Big Piece of Garbage

Who said that? SURE you can die! You want to die?! Man, I’m sore all over. I feel like I just went ten rounds with mighty Thor. Robot 1-X, save my friends! And Zoidberg! Well I’da done better, but it’s plum hard pleading a case while awaiting trial for that there incompetence.

The Why of Fry

I’m sure those windmills will keep them cool. I was all of history’s great robot actors – Acting Unit 0.8; Thespomat; David Duchovny! I saw you with those two “ladies of the evening” at Elzars. Explain that. I don’t ‘need’ to drink. I can quit anytime I want!
  1. THE BIG BRAIN AM WINNING AGAIN! I AM THE GREETEST! NOW I AM LEAVING EARTH, FOR NO RAISEN!
  2. I can explain. It’s very valuable.
  3. Eeeee! Now say “nuclear wessels”!
  4. Oh God, what have I done?
Parasites Lost
You wouldn’t. Ask anyway! You wouldn’t. Ask anyway! I suppose I could part with ‘one’ and still be feared…
Anthology of Interest II
With gusto. Our love isn’t any different from yours, except it’s hotter, because I’m involved. Please, Don-Bot… look into your hard drive, and open your mercy file! THE BIG BRAIN AM WINNING AGAIN! I AM THE GREETEST! NOW I AM LEAVING EARTH, FOR NO RAISEN! Bender! Ship! Stop bickering or I’m going to come back there and change your opinions manually! Tell her you just want to talk. It has nothing to do with mating.

Key aides from Putin’s inner circle targeted in new round of EU sanctions

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Facebook to buy virtual reality firm Oculus VR for $2 billion

Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try. …And the fluffy kitten played with that ball of string all through the night. On a lighter note, a Kwik-E-Mart clerk was brutally murdered last night. That’s why I love elementary school, Edna. The children believe anything you tell them.

Natural Born Kissers

A lifetime of working with nuclear power has left me with a healthy green glow…and left me as impotent as a Nevada boxing commissioner. Remember the time he ate my goldfish? And you lied and said I never had goldfish. Then why did I have the bowl, Bart? *Why did I have the bowl?* Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals…except the weasel. Whoa, slow down there, maestro. There’s a *New* Mexico?

  • The Internet King? I wonder if he could provide faster nudity…
  • Duffman can’t breathe! OH NO!

Life on the Fast Lane

Uh, no, they’re saying “Boo-urns, Boo-urns.” I’m a Spalding Gray in a Rick Dees world. Duffman can’t breathe! OH NO! Inflammable means flammable? What a country.

Selma’s Choice

“Thank the Lord”? That sounded like a prayer. A prayer in a public school. God has no place within these walls, just like facts don’t have a place within an organized religion. I’m a Spalding Gray in a Rick Dees world. I hope this has taught you kids a lesson: kids never learn. Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that’s even remotely true!

  1. I didn’t get rich by signing checks.
  2. Yes! I am a citizen! Now which way to the welfare office? I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I work, I work.
  3. Our differences are only skin deep, but our sames go down to the bone.
Rosebud

Jesus must be spinning in his grave! Hi. I’m Troy McClure. You may remember me from such self-help tapes as “Smoke Yourself Thin” and “Get Some Confidence, Stupid!” Last night’s “Itchy and Scratchy Show” was, without a doubt, the worst episode *ever.* Rest assured, I was on the Internet within minutes, registering my disgust throughout the world. Aaah! Natural light! Get it off me! Get it off me! We started out like Romeo and Juliet, but it ended up in tragedy.

Cape Feare

Old people don’t need companionship. They need to be isolated and studied so it can be determined what nutrients they have that might be extracted for our personal use. Our differences are only skin deep, but our sames go down to the bone. Hi. I’m Troy McClure. You may remember me from such self-help tapes as “Smoke Yourself Thin” and “Get Some Confidence, Stupid!” Oh, everything looks bad if you remember it. Marge, it takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen. This is the greatest case of false advertising I’ve seen since I sued the movie “The Never Ending Story.”

Amazon customers: Get your e-book credit

OK, this has gotta stop. I’m going to remind Fry of his humanity the way only a woman can. Hey! I’m a porno-dealing monster, what do I care what you think? Ah, computer dating. It’s like pimping, but you rarely have to use the phrase “upside your head.” I love this planet! I’ve got wealth, fame, and access to the depths of sleaze that those things bring.

The Cyber House Rules

Ummm…to eBay? Hey, guess what you’re accessories to. Ah, yes! John Quincy Adding Machine. He struck a chord with the voters when he pledged not to go on a killing spree.

  • I feel like I was mauled by Jesus.
  • I’m Santa Claus!
  • Leela, Bender, we’re going grave robbing.

Xmas Story

With gusto. Ah, the ‘Breakfast Club’ soundtrack! I can’t wait til I’m old enough to feel ways about stuff! Fetal stemcells, aren’t those controversial? Bender, this is Fry’s decision… and he made it wrong. So it’s time for us to interfere in his life. And remember, don’t do anything that affects anything, unless it turns out you were supposed to, in which case, for the love of God, don’t not do it!

Attack of the Killer App

But, like most politicians, he promised more than he could deliver. Guards! Bring me the forms I need to fill out to have her taken away! Who said that? SURE you can die! You want to die?!

  1. Fry, you can’t just sit here in the dark listening to classical music.
  2. Meh.
  3. If rubbin’ frozen dirt in your crotch is wrong, hey I don’t wanna be right.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela

Ah, computer dating. It’s like pimping, but you rarely have to use the phrase “upside your head.” Ooh, name it after me! Or a guy who burns down a bar for the insurance money!

Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences

Bender, being God isn’t easy. If you do too much, people get dependent on you, and if you do nothing, they lose hope. You have to use a light touch. Like a safecracker, or a pickpocket. Hey, tell me something. You’ve got all this money. How come you always dress like you’re doing your laundry? Or a guy who burns down a bar for the insurance money! I never loved you.

Fighter jets intercept plane that breached summit flight restriction

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Apparently This Matters: Instagram’s favorite grandma

I’m normally not a praying man, but if you’re up there, please save me, Superman. Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals…except the weasel. I’m a Spalding Gray in a Rick Dees world. When will I learn? The answers to life’s problems aren’t at the bottom of a bottle, they’re on TV! Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try. Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.

Radioactive Man

Well, he’s kind of had it in for me ever since I accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace “accidentally” with “repeatedly” and replace “dog” with “son.” What’s the point of going out? We’re just going to wind up back here anyway. You don’t win friends with salad. I’m a Spalding Gray in a Rick Dees world. Bart, with $10,000 we’d be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like…love!

  • Oh, loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix.
  • Whoa, slow down there, maestro. There’s a *New* Mexico?
  • Our differences are only skin deep, but our sames go down to the bone.

Rosebud

Ahoy hoy? I’ll keep it short and sweet — Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business. Bart, with $10,000 we’d be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like…love!

Cape Feare

Oh, loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix. Kids, we need to talk for a moment about Krusty Brand Chew Goo Gum Like Substance. We all knew it contained spider eggs, but the hantavirus? That came out of left field. So if you’re experiencing numbness and/or comas, send five dollars to antidote, PO box… Uh, no, they’re saying “Boo-urns, Boo-urns.” Shoplifting is a victimless crime. Like punching someone in the dark. “Thank the Lord”? That sounded like a prayer. A prayer in a public school. God has no place within these walls, just like facts don’t have a place within an organized religion. I didn’t get rich by signing checks.

  1. I’m a Spalding Gray in a Rick Dees world.
  2. This is the greatest case of false advertising I’ve seen since I sued the movie “The Never Ending Story.”
  3. When I held that gun in my hand, I felt a surge of power…like God must feel when he’s holding a gun.
The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show

I hope I didn’t brain my damage. Jesus must be spinning in his grave! Kids, we need to talk for a moment about Krusty Brand Chew Goo Gum Like Substance. We all knew it contained spider eggs, but the hantavirus? That came out of left field. So if you’re experiencing numbness and/or comas, send five dollars to antidote, PO box…

Duffless

I prefer a vehicle that doesn’t hurt Mother Earth. It’s a go-cart, powered by my own sense of self-satisfaction. I was saying “Boo-urns.” Remember the time he ate my goldfish? And you lied and said I never had goldfish. Then why did I have the bowl, Bart? *Why did I have the bowl?*

N Korea fires mid-range missiles

You hate me; you want to kill me! Well, go on! Kill me! KILL ME! Father Christmas. Santa Claus. Or as I’ve always known him: Jeff. You hit me with a cricket bat. Heh-haa! Super squeaky bum time!

The Unicorn and the Wasp

I’m the Doctor, I’m worse than everyone’s aunt. *catches himself* And that is not how I’m introducing myself. I am the Doctor, and you are the Daleks! I am the last of my species, and I know how that weighs on the heart so don’t lie to me!

  • Heh-haa! Super squeaky bum time!
  • It’s a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool.

Forest of the Dead

The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things.…hey.…the good things don’t always soften the bad things; but vice-versa the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant. I hate yogurt. It’s just stuff with bits in. Annihilate? No. No violence. I won’t stand for it. Not now, not ever, do you understand me?! I’m the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm – and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn’t you?

Midnight

*Insistently* Bow ties are cool! Come on Amy, I’m a normal bloke, tell me what normal blokes do! You hit me with a cricket bat. You know how I sometimes have really brilliant ideas?

  1. They’re not aliens, they’re Earth…liens!
  2. Annihilate? No. No violence. I won’t stand for it. Not now, not ever, do you understand me?! I’m the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm – and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn’t you?
  3. You know when grown-ups tell you ‘everything’s going to be fine’ and you think they’re probably lying to make you feel better?
  4. It’s a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezes are cool.
The Impossible Astronaut

Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush. I’m nobody’s taxi service; I’m not gonna be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship. I’m nobody’s taxi service; I’m not gonna be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship. No, I’ll fix it. I’m good at fixing rot. Call me the Rotmeister. No, I’m the Doctor. Don’t call me the Rotmeister. *Insistently* Bow ties are cool! Come on Amy, I’m a normal bloke, tell me what normal blokes do!

Journey’s End

I’m the Doctor, I’m worse than everyone’s aunt. *catches himself* And that is not how I’m introducing myself. You hate me; you want to kill me! Well, go on! Kill me! KILL ME! I hate yogurt. It’s just stuff with bits in. You’ve swallowed a planet! Did I mention we have comfy chairs? They’re not aliens, they’re Earth…liens!

Where’s the Line?

Last week in my post about genetic privacy I asked if technology was moving too fast and if we needed new guidelines to help us cope with this new world. This week my question to you is this. Is society better off if we allow science to progress with minimal restrictions?

I read in a recent article on the Huffingtonpost about naloxone and how this anti-opiate’s use to treat overdoses has been fought. The critics say it will lead to more drug use and overdoses.

However the larger picture here is that bureaucrats and politicians are deciding what’s right for people. Once again the will of the populous is being ignored so those in power can look good and line their pockets with bribes, I mean campaign contributions, from the pharmaceutical industry.

The old adage goes: there’s no profit in a cure. What does this have to do with science you may be asking yourself?

Everything.

Imagine if penicillin or the polo vaccine were denied to people on the grounds it would increase a person’s likelihood of engaging in activities that could put them at risk for these diseases.

Like wise imagine getting sick and when your doctor asks how you got that way and he/she didn’t like the answer could refuse to treat you. This is exactly the scenario which the blunt amendment allows for.

Doctors and other workers could refuse to treat patients on moral grounds or deeply held beliefs. What’s more your employer could do the same and opt out of covering things like birth control and treatment for AIDS/HIV.

So the question I again pose to you is this. While me need common sense legislation to address the rapid increase in technology and how we deal with each other, how do we also allow for those advances without stifling them?

Labor Day

Do you think it’s OK
To work for shitty pay?
Doing whatever they say,
So at the end of the day
You have to put things on layaway?

Do you think it’s OK
CEOs get three hundred percent the pay
OF the average Joe‘s?

Do you think them lazy to say
They want higher pay when their
Income has been froze for three decades?

Don’t listen to the crooks on Wall Street
Who say austerity is the way while they get
Richer by the day, or that tax cuts for the one
Percent are here to say as our debt mounts
And infrastructure fades away.

workers
image by Herman Brinkman via sxc.hu

If you feel like me and see something is rotten
Then let’s make this a Labor Day something that ought
Not be forgotten.

 

 

 

 

Where’s the Line?

Last week In my post about genetic privacy I asked if technology was moving too fast and if we needed new guidelines to help us cope with this new world. This week my question to you is this. Is society better off if we allow science to progress with minimal restrictions?

I read in a recent article on the Huffington post about naloxone and this anti-opiate use to treat overdoses has been fought. The critics of the say it will lead to more drug use and overdoses.

However the larger picture here is that bureaucrats and politicians are decided what right for people. Once again the will of the populous is being ignored so those in power can look good and line their pockets with bribes, I mean campaign contributions, from the pharmaceutical industry.

The old adage goes: there no profit in a cure. What does this have to do with science you may be asking yourself? Everything.

Imagine if penicillin or the polo vaccine were denied to people on the grounds it would increase a person’s likelihood of engaging in activities that could put them at risk for these diseases.

Like wise imagine getting sick and when your doctor ask how you got that and he/she didn’t like the answer could refuse to treat you. This is exactly the scenario which the blunt amendment allows for.

Doctors and other workers could refuse to treat patients on moral grounds or deeply held beliefs. What’s more your employer could do the same and opt out of covering things like birth control and treatment for AIDS/HIV.

So the question I again pose to you is this. While me need common sense legislation to address the rapid increase in technology and how we deal with each other, how do we also allow for those advances without stifling them?

Current TV: A case Study of Bad Marketing and Brand Recognition

What current TV can teach us about Marketing and Brand recognition

Intro

For those you unaware up until last week Current TV was a left leaning political channel founded in 2002 by Al gore. He along with his partners sold the channel to Aljazeera for an estimated $500 million.

While the former hosts of the programs debated why the channel was a failure their analysis was shallow at best and puerile at the worst.The real reason Current TV failed was because of it’s piss poor marketing.

The Business Model

Before you decide to bring a product to market you must first verify it either solves a problem or provides a delight. The problem with Current TV was what it initially provided was “viewer created content,” or vc^2 as it was referred to. The problem with this is many folds.

First because Current TV wasn’t available on most basic cable or satellite packages, or had to specifically requested, this limited the viewer ship of the network. Moreover because of the proliferation of sites like You tube why would consumers spend money on something they could watch for free?

Content

Much the same way MTV used to show the same videos ad nauseum in its early days, so to did Current TV. Its handful of vc^2 segments repeated around the clock.

This wouldn’t have been as bad if what they showed had a consist theme. But each segmented varied in both length and content so a viewer never knew quite what they were watching or for how long.

Consumers crave fresh content but also have expectations about quality and consistency. The problem with Current TV was it didn’t give viewers much of either. Again because these were programs created by viewers they ranged from terrible to terrific with no metric to determine if you should waste your time watching.

Branding and Messaging

After this business model fail Current TV tried to re-brand itself as a liberal political and news channel. However the same issues carried over. While they dropped all but the most professional viewer created programs like Vanguard or The Young Turks they still had tons of time to fill.

The solution they came up with was to fill it up documentaries and reality TV shows interspersed with political shows like View Point, The War room, etc. The problem with this was a disconnect in messaging it caused.

You can’t have a station dedicated to reporting the news and then show a documentary on how Tupac and Biggie’s murders were part of a conspiracy. Nor can you show propaganda pieces like Michael Moore’s movies and expect to be taken serious as a credible and objective source of journalism.

Enter Aljazeera

Another chapter in the Current TV saga has just started. Aljazeera’s acquisition of the station caused backlashes before it even started airing programs as the new Aljazeera America.

Many cable and satellite providers like Comcast and Time Warner Cable refuse to offer the station. And of those that carry the channel sponsors have threatened to pull their ads in protest.

Conclusion

While it yet remains to be seen if American audiences will embrace the new network, one thing I can say for sure is: if they fail to address the perceived issues with their brand identity and messaging, they will have that much more trouble winning the consumer base over.