Hey all, the links in my last post were not working when first posted. There’s a bug in some combination of the current version of the software I’m using wherein I often have to post, go back into edit mode, switch to HTML mode, hit update, then re-save the post in order for the links to work. Sorry. If you want to take a look at the post again, the links are working now. If you caught it via the LJ syndication, I don’t know if that gets updated when I update the post or not. You may need to come here to read it.  Sorry.

Hey, you remember that stuff from a couple of years ago about how working women opting out of the workforce for a more fulfilling life at home, being a mom? Yeah, that kind of turned out to be crap. It turns out that the combination of workplace inflexibility and crappy job prospects were and are behind a lot of professional women leaving their high powered jobs for some other kind of life.

In other job related news, it looks as if one upside to national policies that dismantled our auto industry does exist. We all know that things are bad in the auto sector. It looks like they’re on their way to get worse in the next few quarters. Automakers who can’t sell their stockpiled inventory are in the process of re-introducing cash back incentives and zero interest financing. This means that reduced production will continue, dragging down other sectors with it. However, since the domestic auto market is now such a relatively small part of our economy, it’ll only be a drag on us rather than pulling us back into full blown recession like it did in the early 80s.

But don’t fret, blue collar workers! You can always move to Wyoming

Thanks to Kristine for passing along this article which gives a nice, introductory level overview of how the US’s lower and middle class are among the biggest losers of globalization. The general theme ought to be somewhat apparent to anyone who knows me, reads me elsewhere online or reads this blog closely.

You may have read that Pat Tillman’s brother Kevin has spoken out about the war that took his brother’s life. You may even have seen a widely excerpted quote. I highly recommend reading his short, heartfelt statement about this country, its leadership, and the war. I’ve reprinted it below as it appears at www.truthdig.com.
After Pat’s Birthday

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/200601019_after_pats_birthday/

By Kevin Tillman

Editor’s note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.

It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.

Much has happened since we handed over our voice:

Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.

Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.

Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.

Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.

Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.

Somehow this is tolerated.

Somehow nobody is accountable for this.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.

Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat’s birthday.

Look at how the nutballs on the religious right are trying to motivate their base for the election:

October 11, 2006

Dear (name deleted),

Please help us get this information into the hands of as many people as possible by forwarding it to your entire email list of family and friends.

What if the Liberals Win in November?

How important are the upcoming elections? Extremely important! Below is a list of what we can expect if the liberals win. These elections are crucial. It is vitally important that you vote. Please vote and encourage others to do the same. As bad as things are, they will be infinitely worse if the liberals win.

The strategy of the liberals is to get Values Voters so disgusted and
discouraged that they will not vote. If that happens, the liberals will have achieved their goal and they will be running our country.

Here is what we can expect if the liberals win:

Amnesty for 12,000,000 illegal immigrants.

A push to make homosexual marriage and polygamy legal in all 50 states.

Only liberal judges will be appointed. They will create laws to implement the social agenda liberals cannot get passed through the legislative process.

Liberals will make the killing of the unborn more difficult to stop.

Liberals will continue to try to rid our society of Christian influence, including any reference to God in our Pledge and on our currency.

A return to the “Fairness Doctrine” in broadcasting where opposing views must be given equal time. Every conservative talk show host will be forced to give a liberal equal time on every issue. The purpose of this rule will be to shut down conservative talk shows.

An increase in taxes to push new social programs.

Passing a new “hate crimes” law making it illegal to refer to homosexuality in a negative manner.

Liberals will give terrorists from other countries who try to kill Americans the same rights American citizens enjoy under our constitution.

We will withdraw from Iraq, sending the message to the terrorists that if they will just be patient they can win and bring their terrorist acts to the U.S.Go Vote! Encourage Others To Do The Same.

Sincerely,

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!

I watched part of the presidential news conference this morning. I’m really freaking tired of watching the media let this fucker get away with talking about the U.S. needing a guest worker program so that Mexicans can come and do the jobs “Americans won’t do”. I’ve never yet seen a reporter ask him why we shouldn’t just let the market decide on a fair wage for that work rather than importing low wage workers. Isn’t his party the party that talks about free markets solving everything? Aren’t they the ones who constantly say that the government shouldn’t solve this or that problem because the market will work it out? Why won’t one single reporter ask him why we can’t let the market work out a wage that’s high enough to convince Americans to break their backs in those fields?

I’ve been offline for a couple of weeks as I’ve moved from Florida to California. I do not yet have internet access at my home. UPS delivered my cable modem to the wrong address. The UPS customer service operator who could clearly see that the delivered address and the intended address were not the same was rather flummoxed. Had I waited for UPS to clean up this mess, I might have been another two or three weeks without home internet access. AT&T is sending out another modem and has engaged with UPS to try to recover the old one. Once I have home internet access again, I’ll start posting. I picked an interesting time to be offline, didn’t I?
I really don’t know why anyone uses UPS. I never, ever have a good experience with those people. I greatly prefer Fedex, but even the postal service is more reliable and easier to work with.