Diana no Princess to Illinois lawmakers

I've long tired of hearing faux Democrat Diana Rauner extol husband Bruce's extreme Republican remedies for improving Illinois. Union busting, denigrating teachers, bemoaning a fair minimum wage, opposing Medicaid expansion, being AWOL on marriage equality, promoting more tax cuts for the greedy rich while planning regressive new sales taxes to hurt the poor and middle class are anathema to a true Democrat. They are also a recipe to derail the steady, compassionate and inclusive governance of Democratic incumbent Governor Pat Quinn who righted the ship called Land of Lincoln from the disastrous recession caused by those same Republican policies at a national level. But Diana's latest ad caught my ear when she said:

"I support my husband Bruce Rauner...because he's smart, honest, successful...everything that Springfield isn't."

Can you imagine her first introductory remarks to lawmakers assembled to celebrate a Rauner administration?

"I want to welcome you stupid, dishonest and unsuccessful losers to the Governor's tenth mansion today."

Only WMD found in Iraq was 'Made In USA'

It took eleven years but apologists for George W. Bush's criminal Iraq war have finally found WMD. Alas, they jumped the gun in announcing its discovery. Turns out the WMD consisted of about 5,000 shells of mustard and nerve gas supplied to our then Best Bud, Saddam Hussein, by the Reagan administration in the 1980's to further his criminal war against Iran. Well, it really wasn't Hussein's criminal war so much as Reagan's, since Uncle Sam sort of inspired Hussein to invade Iran so we could rid America of the pesky Ayatollah and his revolutionary minions potentially threatening our Middle East oil empire. Although he started out well, Hussein was put on his heels by Iranian human wave attacks, prompting the Gipper to counter with a handy dose of WMD. A half million dead later, the war ended in stalemate. Fast forward twenty years and Bush's canon fodder stumbled across the decaying WMD resulting in serious injury to at least 17 GI's. Bush and his war cabinet, realizing how damaging this discovery could be, suppressed the story with the help of their Fawning Corporate Media. Not only didn't we hear about the old WMD, the 17 injured didn't hear about it either, resulting in their not being given proper medical treatment.   

 

Hey, what's a few damaged soldiers compared to preventing damage to the war party and their endless quest for more war and more plunder at the expense of investing in all the right things to reverse America's seemingly inexorable decline.  

Is Rauner re-incarnation of Ross Perot?

Listening to Bruce Rauner plug his gubernatorial campaign for the past 8 months, I kept getting a sense of Deja vu.  Sure enough, it struck me today that Billionaire Bruce reminds me of Billionaire Ross, as in Ross Perot. Back in 1992, Perot became the darling of the anti government set with his fake populist, outsider, genius businessman persona that for a time, made him frontrunner in the three way race with insiders George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.  Perot, like Rauner, was an immensely wealthy businessman who worked the system to get everything that money can buy...except political power. Like Rauner, Perot largely financed his own campaign. Like Rauner, Perot garnered votes and attention by sliming the political class as corrupt dolts, not understanding that on Day One of a Ross presidency, he'd have to sheepishly approach them with a huge serving of Humble Pie if he had a prayer of accomplishing anything. Like Rauner, he offered nothing but "trust this fabulously successful businessman to fix all problems". Like Rauner, Perot promised to balance the budget without a word or a prayer as to what services to the needy he'd cut to maintain the largely tax free candy store for this wealthy base. Like Rauner, Perot promised to fix every major problem on faith alone.

Perot's egomaniacal stridency and austerity mumbo, jumbo soon wore on the electorate and he finished with just 19%. Rauner, much more slick, remains in a dead heat with the immensely accomplished, dedicated and compassionate Governor Quinn. Today, Perot is a forgotten figure, who retreated into his limitless money having accomplished nothing of value to American and human progress. Should Rauner likewise fail in his attempt to buy high office, he likely will follow Perot's path to oblivion.

All numbers point to Palestinian state except 2

Last week the British Parliament voted 274 to 12 to advise the British government to recognize the state of Palestine. Britain remains one of only 59 of 193 countries that don't recognize Palestinian statehood which they declared at the Palestinian Council in Algiers 26 years ago next month. Two years ago the UN did vote 138 to 9 to grant Palestine Non-Member Observer Status, which gives them access to 60 UN organizations including those seeking relief from torture and genocide, two issues greatly impacting Palestine. Sweden has just announced it will become the 135th country to recognize Palestine and the first one in the European Union. While all these numbers point to the inexorable establishment of Palestine as the UN's 194 state, it's the number two that is preventing it: the US and Israel.