Is Ben Stein eccentric or insidious?

His throw back fish head tennis shoes aside, Ben Stein, Writer and Jack of all Trades Joker is in the serious business of distortions and dumbing down the political sharpness of those who consider his pronouncements as relevant social polemics, in that mold of polemics as comedy or comedy as polemics.

Ben Stein is a economic elitist whose latest observation on the Sub Prime Rate impact on society and the economy has nothing to do with humor, unless the humor is that of the well placed Machiavellian exploiting the Rothschildian maxim of money is to be made when blood flows in the streets and the chaos of the Sub prime Rate manipulations sure fits the bill of blood flowing in the streets.

Ben Stein is a hold back to the miscues of economics as a Darwinian struggle when it's used as a controlling imperative.

So what is to be made of Pollyannish Stein crowing that the economy is chugging along nicely, the engine that could distortion, despite the daily tumult of jobs lost, bankruptcy reports and blatant energy price manipulations?

Stein reveals his irrelevance when he says 98% of homes are not in foreclosure and that then begs this: so the default of a measly 2% has caused this national and global recession, where the logic of one oil pipe line destroyed in Nigeria, just one, causes voices to go hoarse in the pit on wall street screaming increase, another record for a barrel of oil.

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Should Barack Obama have made a speech on Class and Religion?

David Brooks of the New York Times on the 4/20/08; NBC's Meet The Press,
(note video clip, Obama: Inspiring and Tough Enough?) said in his view Barack Obama should have made a speech on Class and Religion as he did on Race, over his remarks that small town America is bitter and clinging to guns, religion, antipathy e.t.c.

Yes on face value it does seem like a good idea, Obama giving another dissertation on Class and Culture. But the fact of the matter is Obama's remarks on the play of wedge issues in America politics, which is what his clinging to Guns and Religion was about, has nothing to do with the phenomenon and it's recurrence in politics, which others have documented so well even giving it the classification Reagan Democrats and Cultural Conservatism, being complex and improperly formed to be observed clearly.

Because it's idealistic nature is all to clear. So-called cultural-conservatism is a reaction, an immature social activity which has no other motive than holding in disdain, even to the point of compromising and betraying it's economical needs at the behest of a politics that is oppositionary to it's motive, a specific historic grouping. Whether the question is the rural, urban clash of the 18th century America and it contemporary consequences of a reaction to specifically Black American Self-Determination.

The idealism of American politics regardless of tendency is it's suppositionary rigidity. Obama's speech on race wasn't an eye-opener it simply legitimized critique of dialectical fact of race in all it's suppositions. Class and Religion, it's critique requires ideology.

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Apropos

The Welfare Queen, Lou Dobbs and The Immigration Question

Lou Dobbs has ranted his neck wattles raw, so what is to be made of his tendency, this Dobbsian focus on Illegal Immigration, particularly Mexican Immigration which he loves to bash on his CNN pulpit.

Prior to Clintonism welfare reform which was intended to exploit a labor pool into the geriatric care industry, the shortest and quickest route for anyone with political aspirations was be Philistine and Republican. The tactic as all of the other distortions was simple, paint Welfare recipients as parasites on the body politic and designate one as a Welfare Queen who even though statistically the majority of Welfare recipients were White, was always Black.

Politics in a Hedge Fund society is never at a loss for propaganda and it's distortions, so it isn't surprising that the Nationalism of Lou Dobbs and his anti-immigration tendency paints the Mexican Immigrant as the new Welfare Queen.

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Imperialism, The Outsourcing of Manufacturing and the Price of Gas

Isn't it weird and telling that the mainstream media spends more time and energy trying to convince us that the price of gas is low in comparison with the rest of the world?

Is this a talking point from the oil industry?

95% of stories and comments made about the price of gas and it's manipulation has been the hard sell, that the price is low. Apologist-shills argue that the price of gas in comparison to that of the 70's; is relatively low and cheap.

Since when has the perfidious "objective" media been a shill for an industry?

There is a strenuous and energetic effort being made to justify the souring price of gas and it's basis is the collusion to ensure that the industrial maws of China and India, particularly China has the necessary oil and energy to continue it's function in this Colonial paradigm of imperialism. Because If the U.S. is not the global manufacturing center, why then should the finite reserves of oil come it's way at the expense of the new manufacturing , China base as decreed by imperialism.

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Is Speech Pro-Life or Pro-Choice

The human being per virtue of speech and technology rose up from among beast so there isn't any question of the primary nature of speech and that ability to correctly define phenomena.

The Constitution states it's correct grasp of speech and it's significance as the first enumeration in the Bill Of Rights. Between speech and the economy of technology, the U.S. has been able to maintain a viability despite the antagonisms of it's anomalies.

The true test of speech isn't to be found in the tolerance at the public square and it's veneer of civility, (the Valerie Plame contradiction once again taught that) but how redemptive from those crude surrogate suppositions existing in the space of how a thing is understood to labor it's definition correctly.

Would there then be the Pro-Life, Pro-Choice struggle, defining what is life in a human embryo at the cognitive expense of life in the totality of the human condition?

The language of science and it's speech is clear on the life dialectic so what is this speech of certitude wielded by the one -dimensional?

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Open Political Action and the Sharpening of Knives

During The 1987-88; Presidential campaign, candidate Vice-President George H. Bush, used a Black man, Willie Horton and demonized him before the American public. Willie Horton, through the Bush campaign epitomized Black America and that proclivity for crime, stable and prosperous America generally assumes is the case.

By the way George H. Bush won the election.

A Vice-President, sitting in office, personalized the generality of politics. He sharpened national-social contradictions with caricature in "real time" of a human being, demonizing him and in extension a social group and critics could only decry it as "mud slinging".

Fast-forward to the 2008 Democratic nomination for President.

In the sad but comical effort to exploit Barack Obama's comments on small town America. Hillary Clinton is doing the same thing she criticizes Obama of having done. Obama made his comments on why small town America votes against it's interest in a wealthy section of San Francisco. Hillary in her nihilistic toss the baby out with the bath water, either I win or I destroy the Democratic Party tactic. Gave validity to the tactic of the Democratic Party enemies, by stating in Scranton, Pa. a small town and victim of the tactic, that idea and propaganda that the Democratic Party is elitist and out of touch.

This isn't simply a matter of contradiction within the Democratic Party, but this struggle between Hillary and Obama reveals mature antagonisms.

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The politics of guns, religion and bitterness

This spectacle of John McCain and Hillary Clinton labeling Barack Obama condescending and elitist because of his comments that rural townspeople are bitter because for the past 25 years various administrations have betrayed them, so they cling to guns, religion, is that age old status quo ploy to never legitimize issues affecting those marginalized and subordinated.

The premise is as long as issues are not giving legitimacy by those whose voice isn't easily discredited and marginalized, such as a Presidential Candidate, then the issue is unseen, unheard and invalid.

The real condescension is this latest obscenity of John McCain and Hillary Clinton going on the record with the assertion that economic hard times and provincial reaction is a choice and life style for those rural people Obama spoke of being bitter.

Economic hardship and all it's underpinnings is as much a lifestyle issue as claimed by McCain and Clinton as that sham confederate slave owning state rights defense. The real elitism is listen to those terrified of class war ruminate that the aggregate issues Barack Obama spoke of rural townspeople clinging to religion, guns being anti-immigration and antipathetic to unfamiliarity is some sort of birth-right value mystique that is sacrosanct from any sort of critique.

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The Proxy War: Texas, The First Baptist Church and FLDS (Mormons)

I have one question about the raid on the FLDS Mormon compound in Eldorado, Texas.

Why is the First Baptist Church involved? The First Baptist, denominationally at odds with Mormonism should not be involved in no way form or fashion with the State of Texas actions. Yet not only did First Baptist provide transportation for the removal of the allegedly abused kids, but it's members are actively involved in the states actions with the removed Mormon women and children.

By allowing the First Baptist Church to play such a prominent role Texas is tacitly advancing Religious and Denominational partiality.

Yes First Baptist can play a role and that is after after the seized Mormons are released, then it can compete as it does with any and all other belief systems for the participation and fellowship of free sovereign beings.

What is now unfolding is Eldorado, Texas (Besides the allegation of child abuse) is proxy war with the state being an agent for the First Baptist Church in it's battle with Mormonism.

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The gibberish of Michael Marshall

In Michael Marshall's simian tragic comedy post, Delinquent monkey put to death. A narrative about a berserk macaque monkey euthanized for biting and hurling feces at people.

Michael Marshall wrote "I wonder if [ the monkey] wore a hoodie and a bling chain as well".

Talk about a jaundiced brain grappling with phenomena and taking the easy way out with the ridiculous inference: that those who wear hoodies and bling are monkeys or a feces throwing monkey is a caricature of the hoodie and bling wearing persona.

How much socio-pathic and deviant behavior is done by suit wearing or preppy casual perpetrators or even uniformed state agents i.e. Police, Prison Guards?

If attire was indicative and measure of deviancy and it's relative criminality, then hoodies and bling have a long way of catching up with what has been done in the costumes of the past centuries. In closing there is a word for generalizing malbehavior with attire and it's bigotry.

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Economic Relativism, Pete Peterson and the Savings Gambit

Pete Peterson of the Blackstone Group, one of the wealthiest private equities in the cosmos, an imperialist machine par excellence had news to peddle and the smug nerve to, as the saying goes "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" declare it withe the bombast and self-importance pf the newly minted.

Drum roll...! The equity shark declared that the Sub Prime Rate morass and it's purported consequence on the economy is primarily a side effect of America's liberal attitude towards thrift and savings.

You know it's funny savings and it's critique is always the last wheezing gasp of profiteers. America as the critique usually goes should squirrel away liquidity so speculators can in turn appropriate it. Yes that tired ass tune of give me your savings, I know what to do with it, and become wealthy off it's manipulation and when I blunder a'la Bear Stearn's my conspiring and at times duped Uncle Sam will be there to aid me, be my parachute while the squirreling masses will in delirium yodel about Jack and his wit.

The agenda of Pete Peterson and the interest he represents is simple, feint, thrust and parry any intent to call into account the political-economical environment that creates billionaires in an hour (on June 21, 2007; Blackstone Group went public and Peterson became a billionaire in an hour). The formulations that the serving of working class in America who serve and support economic relativism should put it's needs and wants on hold and save so the Pete Peterson's can access the savings and indulge in subjecting the aggregate economy to the up and down swings of their manipulations only benefits a specific group. What is always conveniently ignored in the savings argument is savings as a particular type of specific economic activity doesn't benefit society at large. If the question is liquidity and it's availability then there are more dynamic means of doing so, for example stock investments and the dynamism of such activity impacts the aggregate society in a more realized way, than the manipulation of savings in the hands of a few.

What I find crass, is this colonial paradigm of political-economy which exploits the complexity of the savings question, flips it into a gambit ploy with the simplistic sounding of thrift as policy. So in a period where value derivatives bankrupt century old banks, the savings argument is worn out and backwards.

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The Value Imperative, The Root of it all

Value is that which is given anything that is significant in one's life, from inclination to disposition, to the pursuit of vital necessities and how it is wanted.

Value is at the basis of all human endeavor, whether idealist or materialist, whether it's the socialization of property or it's privatization--- Value is the imperative.

So if value in all it's objectives and ethereal instances has not been thoroughly taken apart as it should be, those who then benefit from the partiality and one-dimensional superficiality of it's thesis have no incentive to dynamically synthesize it.

Just as the human condition cannot step outside of relative history there can never be a devaluation of the value imperative. Yes the false premise construct in it's idealistic vacuum can stand. But when confronted with the fundamental value matrix of necessity as the very condition of humanness, no amount of wit irrelevant of source can negate it.

So as we once again experience the theater of minds in centrist-right America whose only contribution to productivity is the cunning exploitation of relative value. To what then do we owe our tolerance to the assertion there exist a value difference between the bailed out bank, Bear Stearn's and the moral consequence of foreclosed Homes in Cleveland being destroyed by creditors.

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Logan and the State of Illinois, it's Law, Order and Ethics

 The 3/9/08; CBS 60 Minutes Show brought to the fore another example of Law, Order and it's Ethics gone horribly awry. The report was about a couple of Attorneys, whose names as a consequence of their deeds is irrelevant, but for the purpose of posterity will be forever tied to the man Logan who due to their actions, their inactions languished behind bars, imprisoned by the Great State of Illinois for 26 years and counting, because at the time of the airing the State of Illinois still acts with the presumption that it's legal process maintains that facade of legitimacy in regards to the man Logan.

Logan was convicted for an act which was committed by the client of the lawyers in question. Their client confessed to them and he expressed how thrilled he was with the fact, an innocent man was being convicted and punished for something he did.

The lawyers in question kept their mouths shut 26 years! Because of what they described as an ethical conundrum. Wonder how much of a conundrum it would had been were their family in it's vortex.

My concern with this recurring theme in the Justice System isn't the simple matter of here we go again another mockery of Justice. But the Justice System is too vindictive, too idealistic, too sanctimonious in it's pronouncements, Elliott Spitzer like.

The degradation and dehumanization of all those involved and I mean All! Is too complete for so many lives to suffer it's errors and presumptions.

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Iraq and The Global War on Terrorism

Frequent readers of Apropos know the Iraq and Global War on Terrorism is military adventure and political opportunism.

Every step of the way, efforts made by those prosecuting both adventures has been more in line with perceptions rather than material facts. The Ideological support for both adventures has come from quarters whose base has been all those discredited thoughts in history.

These past few days has seen an upswing in violent speech and it's activity in Iraq. The much touted "surge" seems to have only been a weave of promises, pay-offs and compromises and as is usually the case it's unraveling.

There is only one theme central to the Global War on Terrorism, weapons of mass destruction. Weapons of mass destruction is the only element that transforms the discussion. Violent speech in all it's forms against state power isn't
new---but this is relatively the first time a radical group is claimed to have as it's strategy, exploiting weapons of mass destruction. If Al Qaeda had been branded as another rocket grenade using group, no one with a straight face would propose or justify deploying entire armies against it.

But this is where military reality transforms into political opportunity. The technical know how for weapons of mass destruction is limited exclusively by certain specifics which then makes it simple and easy for control. The proposition is simple: were it all about the weapons of mass destruction question, this imperial Romanesque theater of orthodox or regular war will not be happening. But we have been subjected to entire armies deployed, order of battles quixotically ill suited to track down triggers for nuclear devices or chemical and biological agent manipulations---all to what end? Just to see the self-described sole super power humbled and frustrated by minds, if we are to buy the propaganda, whose political-economy is still in the stone age?

The only critique of the adventures, the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans have presented is the National Security one and that as I have shown is the only viable when squared with weapons of mass destruction. Yet the means, if not the employ of Political Opportunity of satisfying the concerns is naively unsound.

War and it's mongering has never been adequate direction for any advance in Political-Economy. Yes it catalyses economies but there has to be a set of suitable facts. The most recent failure, to this dialectical fact and its perversion has been the Soviet Union and there is space on the shelf for it's old Cold War antagonist, The U.S.

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