Citizens United first formalized the notion that money is speech, ruling in 2010 that individuals and corporate structures can donate unlimited amounts of money in support of political candidates.
I live in a small semi rural congressional district in Michigan and was told in order to run for state representative I would need to be able to raise at least one million dollars, there’s 90k in this district. Public office is not accessible to the public anymore.
Did you know PT Smarmum spent some of his formative years in South Africa during apartheid? He and E came away from that system thinking it was the ideal.
An old friend asked me," What happened to my Val? You should just listen to rock and roll, and play with your grandchildren and forget about that politics crap. It's all a farce anyway..."
I'll tell you what happened to your Val, I recognized my complacency as being part of the problem and I decided to be part of the solution instead. I pay attention and read critically and speak out.
I still listen to my music and read books other than non-fiction ( right now I'm immersed in Malcolm Gladwell's, "Revenge of the Tipping Point," a wonderfully written and eye-opening work) and I took my grands to see Sonic 3. My husband and I went to see A Complete Unknown too.
It's not ALL politics, but a lot of it is. We can't be just satisfied with our own lot in life, we need to look out for those whose lives have been dealt a shit hand through no fault of their own.
I feel heartsick and worried about what the future holds. I'm trying not to let it take over.
Thiel just wants to tear all the institutions and destroy the government so he and his cabal of anti democracy silicon valley billionaires can permanently install themselves as our feudal lords that can do whatever they want to the rest of us forever. Americans are going to seriously regret putting these deeply evil men in charge of the fate of the nation.
All the yeses! I started writing something this AM spurred by memories of actual sign-carrying end of worlds from my childhood and all the Mad and Cracked cartoons making fun of them. The note you hit resonated special like.
I know this isn't a startling thought, but I don't think it's about money per se. In this country, perhaps more than anywhere else, money is power and vice versa. It's a dick-measuring contest. I don't remember where the quote came from, and I'm not looking it up, but some rich guy was quoted as saying, "After a certain point, the money is just a way of keeping score."
The driving lust of these "fucknoodles" for the power of money is confounding. Enough is enough doesn't exist. How many billions does it take? Pretty sure one would be enough for me.
In Ridley Scott's 2017 film "All the Money in the World" about J. Paul Getty's refusal to pay ransom for his kidnapped grandson, this exchange between Getty and CIA Agent Fletcher Chase is unforgettably chilling.
CHASE: Mr. Getty ... nobody has ever been richer than you are at this moment.
GETTY: I have no money to spare.
CHASE: What would it take? I mean, what would it take for you to feel secure?
GETTY: More.
It's streaming. (Spoiler Alert: they cut off the grandson's ear.)
1/2 The irony of the “transparency” claim is that the same dark money forces that got Citizens United through the court also sued to keep those dark money donations anonymous (Americans for Prosperity). Followed last year by ruling that “bribes” are now legal tips. Its over. There’s a super majority of right wing Christo-fascists on SCOTUS doing the bidding of the federalist society.
I live in a small semi rural congressional district in Michigan and was told in order to run for state representative I would need to be able to raise at least one million dollars, there’s 90k in this district. Public office is not accessible to the public anymore.
Did you know PT Smarmum spent some of his formative years in South Africa during apartheid? He and E came away from that system thinking it was the ideal.
These boys are doing way too much ketamine.
An old friend asked me," What happened to my Val? You should just listen to rock and roll, and play with your grandchildren and forget about that politics crap. It's all a farce anyway..."
I'll tell you what happened to your Val, I recognized my complacency as being part of the problem and I decided to be part of the solution instead. I pay attention and read critically and speak out.
I still listen to my music and read books other than non-fiction ( right now I'm immersed in Malcolm Gladwell's, "Revenge of the Tipping Point," a wonderfully written and eye-opening work) and I took my grands to see Sonic 3. My husband and I went to see A Complete Unknown too.
It's not ALL politics, but a lot of it is. We can't be just satisfied with our own lot in life, we need to look out for those whose lives have been dealt a shit hand through no fault of their own.
I feel heartsick and worried about what the future holds. I'm trying not to let it take over.
Thiel just wants to tear all the institutions and destroy the government so he and his cabal of anti democracy silicon valley billionaires can permanently install themselves as our feudal lords that can do whatever they want to the rest of us forever. Americans are going to seriously regret putting these deeply evil men in charge of the fate of the nation.
All the yeses! I started writing something this AM spurred by memories of actual sign-carrying end of worlds from my childhood and all the Mad and Cracked cartoons making fun of them. The note you hit resonated special like.
I know this isn't a startling thought, but I don't think it's about money per se. In this country, perhaps more than anywhere else, money is power and vice versa. It's a dick-measuring contest. I don't remember where the quote came from, and I'm not looking it up, but some rich guy was quoted as saying, "After a certain point, the money is just a way of keeping score."
“Ancien” 🙄
The driving lust of these "fucknoodles" for the power of money is confounding. Enough is enough doesn't exist. How many billions does it take? Pretty sure one would be enough for me.
In Ridley Scott's 2017 film "All the Money in the World" about J. Paul Getty's refusal to pay ransom for his kidnapped grandson, this exchange between Getty and CIA Agent Fletcher Chase is unforgettably chilling.
CHASE: Mr. Getty ... nobody has ever been richer than you are at this moment.
GETTY: I have no money to spare.
CHASE: What would it take? I mean, what would it take for you to feel secure?
GETTY: More.
It's streaming. (Spoiler Alert: they cut off the grandson's ear.)
2/2 I think it was MIB that turned me on to this 10 part podcast that explains it all:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0A9G5SnJ4B165CfFe3fR0R?si=S1_UEpb9S0iOntfOXhVWVQ&t=783
1/2 The irony of the “transparency” claim is that the same dark money forces that got Citizens United through the court also sued to keep those dark money donations anonymous (Americans for Prosperity). Followed last year by ruling that “bribes” are now legal tips. Its over. There’s a super majority of right wing Christo-fascists on SCOTUS doing the bidding of the federalist society.
I actually... learned several things from this, so thanks (I couldn't bring myself to read the Thiel thing yesterday). And "Zuckleberry Grim"? Gold.
These next four years—like the four-year period that began eight years ago—are only possible for me through mediation. I just even with the can’t.