U.S. has class system: Bankers are sacred. Soldiers are ignored.

You can tell there is an unspoken caste system in the United States. Here is how you can tell: When the economy took a dive and the feds had to bail out so many giant financial corporations, the lobbies and lawyers screamed that contracts including big bonuses had to be honored. Start breaking contracts and Western civilization would crumble, according to the bankers and their lackies in government.  When the fed finally got busy and put some restrictions on bonuses - the banks couldn't pay the TARP back fast enough.

WHAT ABOUT OUR SOLDIERS WHO SIGN A ONE YEAR CONTRACT for military service - but then the U.S. engages its "STOP LOSS" program and they aren't allowed to leave, sometimes having to serve a second or third term against their will. Their contracts are broken, and they have no legal recourse. So a contract with a banker is sacred. A contract between the Federal Government and a soldier isn't worth the paper its written on..... Of course the Indians could have told us this.....

So according to U.S. practice -- If you are a well-connected banker the government will go broke to protect you and your contracts are sacred.(Unless of course there is a populist outcry of VOTE THE BUMS OUT!) If you are just a foot soldier, or an Indian Tribe, historically the government says, screw you. Obama may have fixed the first part - but he hasn't gotten around to the second part yet....

Check out this NPR story about a  soldier the army wouldn't let go --  who is going to get a court marshal because he wrote and sang a song protesting the Stoploss program. The military actions against this soldier are unAmerican.

Case of the disappearing O's & quote for the day

"Have you ever tried to CRUSH a Cheerio?"

This was  not Genghis Khan nor Sally Sour speaking. It was not a sardonic Brit, who couldn't get the last word as an opponent left the argument.  It was a hungry, white-haired elder trying out a Stop and Shop muffin recipe that called for this odd ingredient: X amount of crushed Cheerios.   A Cheerio, being so little and round, and good-natured, might sound like an easy target. Guess not.  She said  that when a large spoon was applied, the little buggers just leaped out from between the spoon and the breadboard.  I suggested a paper bag and a sledge hammer or the hopelessly modern device: the food processor. Both suggestions were booed.

The baker, not to be derailed from baking, put the Cheerios in the muffin batter whole. Guess what? Not one whole or partial Cheerio was found in the tasty finished muffins.  Despite the ignored instructions of the marketing department, the laws of physics triumph once again.....

Sound Clips for Walden

I have been doing a little web stuff this week – added a sample audio file to http://vladimiroffmusic.net The clip is on the About Walden page. Walden is a 20 minute musical composition by Maxim Vladimiroff for chorus, string orchestra and piano. The clip, which the composer prepared, contains a short bit from each of the six movements.

A Song by Markella Hatziano

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klpjjFf9fL8&w=560&h=349]
‪You can really tap your feet or dance all around to this one..... Well, I could. The words are very powerful and enhanced by the grim and very real pictures of violence done in the real world to real people in the name of god. Her words describe a joyful determination to be done with all this cruelty. The refrain says this:

"All I see around me are the casualties of god delusion
Everyone bamboozled with the certainties of god delusion
Why cant we have freedom from the cruelties of god delusion
Save us all from god delusion" - Markella Hatziano

Click through - and watch it on its own YouTube page where you can see the rest of the words (just click "show more" in the box under the video.)

Visit the song-writer's website: http://www.markella.com/‬
or  http://www.newageofreason.com/‬

A Peaceful New Year's Eve

Well, well

my first post of 2010!

And what an odd evening.

What did I do this evening?

Nothing. Slept through dinner.

Later, I solved a Sudoko puzzle.

At 11:30 walked the dog around the block.

The holiday lights were still up.

A few homes were having parties.

All quiet with a slight snow softly falling.

The old dog eager and playful.

We came around with a dusting

on our coats, at peace with the new year.

Came inside to make this post

then sleep some more.

Terrifying realities

It must be frightening to live in a world where you are positive there are no muffin cups and baking muffins in one of those things you love to do.... And in the store your hair-brained ditzy daughter says "but we have several boxes at home." And you say, "No, we don't have any, I know what I am doing! You can be sure of that!"  And you get home with the new box of muffin cups, and when you go to put it away, you open the cabinet door and lo -- there are three unopened boxes. That must scare a person right down to their slippers. Enough to push all four boxes behind the olive oil spray and close the cabinet door and never mention it again. At least until the next time you think there are none.

Christmas Prep: The Whirl, the Blur, the Pause, the STRESS!!

Here is a link to this column, posted as text on this blog a few years ago