Hugging banned by schools.

It makes you wonder how anyone born pre late 1980's and kid-proof homes, physical exercise cut from schools and all the other you get an A+ for self esteem nonsense survived.

Is there any yarn unwound retracing the way out of this labyrinth? In this age where cultural differences among people is explained away as genetic fact by delusional elitist on
Charlie Rose---Schools across the 50's now ban hugging among students.

Sam McGowan the superintendent at Mascoutah Middle School after suspending 8th grader Megan Coulter for hugging her classmates, defended the policy and action with the conclusion "Hugging can lead to something else."

I wonder if this is Solomonic Wisdom or Philistine reaction?

Nah!! Philistine Reaction!

By Apropos

Aw shucks naivete and Musharraf's Pakistan

A few weeks ago, scampering Benazir Bhutto, big business anointee to play the role of opposition in Pakistan politics returned to Pakistan after what had obviously been a brokered experiment, to the welcoming violence of an assassins bomb. Which narrowly missed her but accomplished another possibility the evidence of a topical imperative that had nothing to do with suppositions of business as usual and sphere of influence politics.

The conventional wisdom then among self-proclaimed experts real politick past masters, was the usual hapless bogeyman, Al Qaeda was behind the blast and attempted assassination. The probability that the Cabal of Musharraf, the current Pakistan Military Dictator could have been behind the convenience of the bombing was not explored in any serious manner. Whether this failure was deliberate disinformation of mere analytical liberalism is left to be seen. What is known is the babble tweaking ears of apathy is, Pakistan is a U.S. ally in the global war on terrorism so analysis of events must be reduced to basic Aw Shucks Naivete.

Developments of the past days, bus loads of Pakistani intelligentsia Judge, Lawyers, Journalist being driven off to detention and torture centers, in response to the imposition of Martial Law by Musharraf and his Cabal is now revealing that it fits. if Musharraf is willing to go down the draconian and tumultuous route of Martial Law then the inference comes easy that the bombing which welcomed Bhutto was the easy logic and Al Qaeda fulfilling it's Oswaldian role easy to blame.

By Apropos

Mile High Club and the A380

Didn't the puritans on their wretched Mayflowers have carnal knowledge of their wives during the miserable passage of their sailings to Plymouth Rock? So why should the possibility of passengers on the A380, the world's largest commercial plane, in the privacy of cubicles having sex arouse so much ire, huffing, puffing and denouncements of immorality.

Or is this just another example of critical jealousy , the idea of competitor airlines losing out.

Singapore Airlines is being criticized for having private cubicles on A380's it operates. Critics claim passengers will have sex. So? And if access to the Mile High Club is made so convenient only hypocrites and jealous competitor airline executives who didn't think of the idea can have the gall to express outrage. This criticism against Singapore Airlines is tantamount to Victoria Secret being blamed for adultery.

By Apropos

Ode to Navy, Midshipmen win.

For 43 years of defeat the Midshipmen of Navy Gnashed their teeth and spat out turf in their bows from the cleats of those insufferable Northerners! The fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Till Saturday 11/3/07; a triple over-time classic even with a late questionable and inexcusable call by a zebra attempting to hyper warp destiny, the 2007 Navy team prevailed. Giving Notre Dame a taste of turf flavored with navy cleats, winning 46-44 over the haughty Irish whom even in defeat had a hard time acknowledging the iconic event it was.

Charlie Weis, Note Dame's coach in true petty fashion understated what had become a rite of passage for Notre Dame teams a win over Navy, when he stated during his post gave interview that he didn't even acknowledge Notre Dame's 43 year old winning streak over Navy. A Backhanded attempt at ridiculing Navy's historic accomplishment.

Navy! Give charlie another post game squirm, when you hand him his face in 2008 win!

By Apropos

Bill Richardson, The Vice-Presidency and the end game gambit.

Come on Bill Richardson, you haven't conceded in your quest for the Democratic nomination for President. But sucking up to Hillary during the 10/30/o7; debates at Philadelphia when she was rightfully and correctly being attacked was your Gerber moment. Sucking up to Hillary and the Clinton machine whose zeal for the Presidency is simply Office for the sake of Office, because if Bill Clinton, the husband couldn't realize whatever ideas they had in 8 years as President, Why then should anyone think Hillary has any real direction of which way forward through the morass of this albatross strangle of archaic Colonial and Neo-Colonial Political-Economy foisted the Walmart way? Bill Richardson can calculate all he wants to for the Vice-Presidential slot, but his characterization of the sort of political-action displayed by Obama, Edwards, and Dodd against Hillary during the debate as mud slinging or negative politics is preposterous, and pathetic. But then it's his end-game gambit. By Apropos

Denzel Washington: American Gangster The Movie and sanctimonious sermonizing.

On 10/28/07; Denzel Washington made a point on the Matt Lauer hosted plug in on NBC for the biopic American Gangster, that he wasn't glorifying the life of the drug dealer Frank Lucas whose life was portraying in the movie.

What sanctimonious sermonizing . Who is Denzel Washington kidding? Or is it that historical onus, that when the issue is the Black Experience , ( American Gangster is about A Black drug dealer) The human condition Has to be examined from the perspective of misery loves company, so all the enfeebled minds who have no idea of the contradictions defining the progress of the Human Condition, can engorge on the senseless satisfaction that I'm morally good and they are basely wrong. But the Consequence of this reality is as it's always been, the status quo irrespective of mask maintain the alienation necessary for their survival.

If Denzel Washington feels that strongly about his affiliation with a movie, which I'm quite sure he's being well compensated for--- What are his plans for his take?

By Apropos

Jack Croddy's Lament: Assignment Baghdad, A death sentence.

Where is the Republican outcry, where is the Conservative outrage??

Why is the land so quiet with the din from all those who equated any sort of critique of the Republican led, Bush Iraq War fiasco --- I can't hear you---Over this bizarre spectacle, State Department employees squealing protest, wetting and pissing in their foggy bottom diapers in opposition to the proposed policy that they can be ordered to Iraq.

At a meeting on 10/31/07; Jack Croddy a State Department official had the temerity to squeal that an assignment to Baghdad was a "Potential Death Sentence".

Why should Jack Croddy's life be any more relevant than all those 19,20 and 21 year old lives sweating in their tin can Humvees on patrol, not in the barricaded luxurious coffins of the Green Zone but on the duty streets of Baghdad.

"Some are more equal"

By Apropos

Standard Operating Procedure and Police Accountability

During the Nuremberg Trials for Nazi War Criminals, the victorious allies brushed aside the defense protestations that orders were simply being followed with the rejoinder, that certain orders are beyond the pale.

So why is that same dynamic alive and well in police departments across the nation. People are being killed and brutally beaten by police officers across the nation and after every incident, a police spokesperson is paraded across national jumbotrons uttering Standard Operating Procedure was used by the Siegfried in Question.

If Lessons learnt from all these episodes of the human condition are not to be seen simply within the dicta, organized violence makes the rules and human aspirations, redeemed from environmental- antagonisms affirms the dialectic of accountability, then accountability should not be relative.

Police officers have their responsibilities and summary-executions and assaults upon suspects isn't a part of it.

By Apropos

A toast to Reagan Democrats

The term, Reagan Democrats, was coined in Michigan to describe the phenomenon of Blue Collar Union Workers voting against their interest.

Is it any surprise and wonder that Michigan and Detroit more than any other state and city have negative population and job growth.

Most of whats nihilistic about big business asserted itself during the Reagan years and administration. So here is a toast to those Reagan Democrats who by cutting their noses off to spite their faces can now reminisce about their swoon--- now they rant against the consequence of the seduction.

By Apropos

Bush and Ahmadinejad, Labeling Genocide

Isn't it ironic after all the hue and cry over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's revisionist position over the holocaust, the Bush administration's position on the Armenian Genocide now mirrors the Iranians.

On 10/10/07; President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, Secretary of Defense Gates, Senior elements at the Pentagon and certain Republican opportunist came out in strident opposition to the passage by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a resolution that the 1915 killings of Armenians in what was then the Ottoman Empire, but is now Turkey, was Genocide.

The Bush and pentagon position is based on the shameful argument that contemporary Turkey is a U.S. Ally in it's adventurism, the war in Iraq and as such Turkey should not be offended and this is the wrong time for the U.S. Congress to be declaring critical resolutions of Ally's, even if the Ally's in question have 90 year old genocidal blood on their hands.

By Apropos

One Day Short, too many too long. The Incident of the Minnesota National Guard and the 729 Days.

The Minnesota National Guard which goes by the moniker Red Bull, found itself on the short end of the real meaning of the support the troops slogan, which as the history of the Iraq War teaches has only been a diversion from the absence of material for the Republican led Bush War in Iraq.

Certain well earned benefits, for example educational benefits are being denied members of the Guard unit in question. Because some one with authority to do so, insidiously and with utter disdain for their service terminated their tour of duty One day before they would have been eligible for benefits.

The Minnesota troops would have been eligible for benefits on the 730 Th day of their duty, but orders terminating their duty named 729 Th day as official termination.

Spokespeople for the army are as usual characterizing and describing this misdeed as a simple snafu, an administrative bungle and it's being corrected. But that is not the issue. The issue is this institutionalized disdain now rife in all branches of Government, locally and nationally. Regardless of the reasons, the result and consequence as experienced is mediocrity, incompetence and an exercise in reinventing the wheel, that bespeaks colossal stupidity.

By Apropos

Where is Whoopi, Who is Whoopi Goldberg?

English: Whoopi Goldberg at the Cannes film festival. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Domestication of Whoopi Goldberg. Are you kidding me? Has anyone seen whats happening to her on "The View"? Is this what happens when you are point in a Barbara Walters model that's taking in water from the wake of the Oprah juggernaut?

I'm wondering who or what is being redeemed, rediscovered, Phoenix like rising from the ashes. Is it, "The View" from the inferno that was Rosie-Hasselbeck or is it Whoopi positioned to stir askant interest in the editorial skew of Barbara "I have hobnobbed with the puppets of history, so who is Oprah" Walters.


By Apropos

Apec, George Bush, Security and the Clowns Down Under

Isn't it typical of incompetence to find blame every where else but itself.

Eleven good old down under chaps from an Australian T.V. comedy show are in police custody, because of a prank they pulled on the security at the APEC meeting at good old down under Australia.

The Australian Government and it's super gung ho leader showcasing it's Ultra Security which so far seems only good at keeping at bay protest and dissent, has been which seems to be the trend in these times, where competence is an afterthought, showed up by pranksters whose only motive was to show how conditional and farcical State Security against terrorism is.

Eleven pranksters, one with Osama Bin Laden like whiskers around his chin, in broad day light breached not one but two security points in an area that can easily be argued as being for the duration of the APEC Summit the most secure on earth--- coming within feet of posing strategic threat.

Instead of the Australian Security Official acknowledging their security short comings, they had the gall to spin it! Claiming their security worked!

What is to be made of this, that John Edwards is right, and the Global War on Terrorism is a bumper sticker, a talking point for Ann Coulter Paramours? Or incompetence is really that pervasive, from the Israeli humiliation at the hands of Hezbollah, through the spectacle of American War Generals beseeching and imploring, screeching that the Rebels in Iraq are not playing fair because they won't stand still for Smart Bombs to kill them, to an Osama Bin Laden dress alike penetrating security defenses of a policy so strident in it's support of the mother of all incompetence's, Yeah! bagging that dad in Iraq. But then in an epoch where the triple negative, a Rumsfeldian contribution to grammar is Oohed and Ahhed, what else is new?

By Apropos

Value, understood evenless than God

Whose analysis of political-economy is valid and what standard is it's legitimacy measured by? These past days have seen what has been spoon fed to the political-economy illiterate masses as chaos in the above ground economy. We have been told that instability in the real-estate sector of the economy is the epi-center. First of all what sort of anomaly is devaluation in something as ethereal and relative as value? Techo-cratic economists, love the spectacle of Germans pushing wheel barrow loads of inflated marks for the purpose of buying a loaf of bread at the turn of the last century as illustration of the nastiness of relative economical distortions.

What is peculiar is people expect and pursue progress and deeper understanding in all other facets of life besides paradigms of political-economy and speculation of religion that the matrix of the human condition itself is understood even less than what is God. Money is understood with as much clarity than the fact it's a piece of paper intended to reflect and be the means of transferring value which isn't even understood that it's the value of human life condition.

The human condition, since the marginalization of aristocracy and the emergency of colonialism as political-economy paradigm has accepted as divine fiat the speculation of value which was agreed upon in European drawing rooms and studys as the construct of a New World Order that yawned upon history when whole nationalities and land were reduced to Colonial company-charters.

Speculative value and it's accumulation is not an absolute static, as the paradigm of Colonialism would suggest so why isn't it questioned?

By Apropos

The populace response "Its Fright!"

On the 8-15-07; Today Show Al Roker, the weather personality was doing his usual, on the Plaza, interacting with the spectator audience. He noticed a little girl with a sign proclaiming the day was her birthday. What caught my attention was this: Al Roker asked the girl where was she from, and the child's response was so cagey it spoke volumes.

Is this the meaning of prosperity, progress, civilization? Is this advancement after millenia of evolution, after the passing of tens of thousands of laws, after the imprisonment of millions, the execution of thousands. Life and the human-condition is still at an impasse where a little child cannot even speak freely of where she's from? Nonetheless in this age of Amber
alerts it's not surprising.

What I find ironic is even though people claim to be so devoutly religious that religion based conflicts, politically and socially dominate all practical facets of contemporary life. The hypocrisy and deviancy of humanness mocks such public displays of religiosity, so thoroughly that the only critique left such devoutness is that of Apocalyptic sanctimonious global destruction.

By Apropos

Made in China and The Opportunism of Mollification

Made in China. Another recall and so the litany goes, as if the entire nation is a Norman Rockwell illustration come alive in indignation. There is opportunism at work here. The narrative is being done one-dimensional and that always squeal political opportunity. As if there isn't complicity and the Chinese Communist Party is a unilateral actor of dangerous and unmitigated crimes.

Whatever happened to the multinational corporations, American, British, Dutch e.t.c. who contract the cheap labor of China and all those out-sourced to places with their lax and non-existent quality standards?

Whatever happened to the stock investors of all those companies who benefit from the profit maximized cheap labor and poor quality standards of China and it's misanthropy?

These recent disclosures of Chinese made shoddy products seem to be political shell games, throw back, intended to mollify middle class America and the blue collar electorate with ire at made in China minus the complicity of the multinationals and stock investors who are the real violators and who are the primary beneficiaries of the exploitation of labor and lax quality standards in China. Lest it's forgotten capital in pursuit of cheap labor and production also requires the lowering of quality and environmental standards.

Elections are upon us and the rallying cry of indignation, Made in China, as if Made in China just some how fantastically appeared on the shelves at Walmart, Targets and all the other cathedrals is the fist shaken in the air, the subtle nudge away from the obvious: Bill Clinton perfected it with the condescension "I feel you pain" As if Crocodilian tears of empathy excused the material injustice. So why shouldn't the empathy, indignation gambit be once again played?

By Apropos

AL Qaeda, Gut-Feelings and the Politics of Fear

Isn't it disingenuous for the Bush administration and it's apologist lackeys to on the one hand opportunistically exploit people's fears with hydra-like Al Qaeda sprouting all over the planet. No let me have a "gut-feeling" rather all over the universe and it's alleged summer block buster attack just in time to make up for weak Hollywood fare, or is it weak Republican inroads. Then on the other , proclaim it's tactics for the war in Iraq is bearing fruit because some rag tag wretches have purportedly run Al Qaeda aground in certain provinces and areas in Iraq.

This begs this: It behooves the imagination, that the strongest fighting force to legion like move upon human history could not run Al Qaeda aground and it had to out source as a lot of things are done these days to groups who in earlier State of the Union Addresses were referred to as thugs, murders and the killers for them to heel Al Qaeda.

It makes one wonder what was all that transformational headiness about anyway, or Al Qaeda is the doppelganger of opportunity for the Republican party that's having a hard time whipping up reactionary frenzy in a national policy that sees no economical incentive in reactionary politics.

By Apropos

Giuliani, Teflon politics and The Republican

Reactionary politics whether the reform-liberal or conservative hood-wink, is always about opportunity. How any individual seizes and at times creates opportunity speaks more about their character than sense of deduction.

So what does this one after another domino effect, oops! say about Rudy Giuliani's character? The colloquial adage, If you lie with dogs you'll catch the fleas is empirical wisdom.

Scandal revolves around Giuliani, who were it not for John" The Teflon Don" Gotti, would be just another red tie blue suit wearing faceless Mr. Smith in a sea of Smith's lawyering hamster like on the social-contract tread wheel.

At least Nixon was able to conceal his character flaws till his Water-Gate over reach. Giuliani is an old dog and cannot be taught new tricks, his affinity for hypocrisy has propelled him high enough and if human consciousness is to be spared the spectacle of President Giuliani's cabinet pleading guilty to corruption charges, being indicted on cocaine charges and confessions to very serious sins, then let that wheezing Bronx cheer be Giuliani's cue that yes it took a while but as his rise was built on the backs of "Wise-Guys" so has the polity wised up to him.

By Apropos

Hillary, Obama and the politics of "Bush-Cheney Lite"

This criticism being leveled at presidential hopeful Barack Obama, because of his jab at another presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, calling her "Bush-Cheney Lite" is ridiculous and it's effrontery indicates the contempt mass discourse is held by pundits who seem not to have out grown their fresh-men hazing years.

Why shouldn't contenders duke it out? Where were these critics when George Bush and Co. felt it was fair game to attack a detractors wife, to out her is a profession which in some quarters practices unspeakable brutality on outed agents.

Barack Obama responded, not merely truthfully but practically and that's the operative here, that yes he would meet tyrants and despots out in the open as opposed to the cloak room secrecy of the business as usual nuance politics.

The naivete, Hillary Clinton accuses Barack Obama of not knowing the way of the world is ludicrous. Obama is black and regardless of what sort of black he is the historical condition of blackness has been marginalization and oppression, and that is, the circumstance of tyranny.
So what nature of despotism and dictatorship is Obama naive to? The shrill of Hillary Clinton that Obama's willingness to meet despots, will diminish the stature of the Presidency, now that is naivete. The stature of the U.S. is diminished and being mocked when the world sees how cheap explosive devices in Iraq thwart the strategy of "Shock and Awe".

By Apropos

Culture, Language, and Priorities

A ridiculous amount of Black men and Women, young men and women are held behind bars in American jails and prisons. If this was happening in the Nineteenth and early twentieth century to European Jewry the cries of Pogroms! Would rent the silence of apathy. But that's not the issue. In the July 2007 edition of Essence Magazine, Susan Taylor, The Editorial Director, as her contribution to move the purported Dialogue on usage of deemed offensive language forward in the wake of Don Imus, presented "apology" as a platform for action.

Now what is wrong with this Sisyphean indulgence?

First of all words of respect and atonement will not mean squat in the material condition of injustice and the seeming impotence to take meaningful action in arresting a slide which has the start of it's slope in the 1400's.

The cultural petri dish which produces attitudes about male and female for male and female has nothing to do with the variegated modes of it's expression. The Black American experience has an intractable nihilistic vein that is symptomatic of not specific injustice but historic injustice. So how practical is it for a well-fed member of Black intelligentsia to decree that the journey begins with "Apology."

Again, I close with: A Ridiculous amount of Black men and women, young men and women are held behind bars in American jails and prisons. If this was happening in the nineteenth and early twentieth century to European Jewry the cries of Pogrom! would rent the silence of apathy. But that's not the issue?

By Apropos