People of Connecticut, RECALL Joe Lieberman, NOW please.

Here's the deal. Bear with me while I run down the civics. You see, senators and congressmen USED to serve in most states at the behest of the state executive branch. They were appointed to national office by the governor of the state. Not so anymore. Not in Alaska. Our constitution was amended to make it law that they are elected representatives of the people now. Since all states use the same system, the same rules should apply to Connecticut. Our representatives in D. C. are elected by the people and thus THE PEOPLE have the power to RECALL those same elected representatives when and if they feel they are not doing what is in the best interests of those who elected them. It is as simple as that. Petition and ballot initiative for recall. Governor appoint temporary replacement or via special election depending on the law of the state and voila! Say it IS so, no more Joe!

The rest of America waits with baited breath to see what the people of Connecticut will do with their own rogue pitbull in lipstick. Pray that a certain ex-politician prone to fits of quitting isn't cutting her Hawaii vacation short, rushing off to spend Christmas -- errr, I mean Hanukka with her dear friend Joe (and I'm sure she has been authorized by her Dominionist overlords to offer their new neo(theo)con friend Joe a place in heaven right alongside them after the rapture, just like all the good Christians. They're just that darn powerful, by golly. God told them so.You betcha!

Or maybe Joe just went home over the weekend because he obviously needed a meaningful hug. From someone. Anyone. You know. Like that schlub Bernie Madoff, screwing everyone, laughing all the way to the bank. But blames everyone else and their greed, not his. Maybe he just needed a hug. I'm sure he's getting plenty of hugs in prison. Joe just needs a hug and a little understanding of why he insists upon lighting 'Rome' figuratively aflame while he and those last remaining greedhead neocon and neotheocon assholes still in office rob and grift every damn nickle they can grift or graft from us poor taxpaying citizens or by gaming the system of lobbyists and corporations through campaign contributions. Those neocon and neotheocon rats still aboard ship in D. C. until progressive candidates can weed them out during the next two or three election cycles. If you're claiming to be a progressive you had better be thinking big picture and long haul and bring plenty of patience along if you think we're going to miraculously dig this country out of the deep well of shit the past administration left us all in, buried up to our eyeballs. It is going to take some major effort on all of our parts.

Soon Joe will (and in fact already has) announce he's thinking of running again, but this time maybe as an 'R' next election, justifying more grift and graft and bribes. But I predict he quits, takes all his bags of dirty private insurer death and blood money for profit campaign warchest bribes (you know they can keep those even if they lose or run and decide to retire before the poll date, right?) and retires to his country estate forever. Like a fine Lord or gentleman. Didn't America once fight a war against the aristocracy of a country that was run like this? Like a revolutionary one. Where we Americans were the guerrillas? Yeah. Thought so.

Please pardon my boldness by expressing this aloud as an outsider (and appreciate that plenty of outsiders to Alaskan politics have been just as bold with suggestions about OUR political problems) but in my opinion those who currently seem to be treated as the 'serfdom' of Connecticut by their elected representative and the private insurance industry need to tend to the maintenance of its transplanted vine by doing some selective pruning lest it wither. Now, please? Meet the rest of America at least half way on health care reform of I can almost guarantee that what does get passed in D. C. through either reconciliation or the expansion and reform of Medicare and Medicaid as a single payer public option for ALL Americans will absolutely kill the insurance industry in your state and all those jobs forever. In case I'm not making myself clear -- please, I implore you in the name of all things decent and pure and right, people of Connecticut, recall Joe Lieberman now. Thank you.

-Laz

P. S. -- Housekeeping chores for our reps -- get on their asses about them, people.... write some dead tree letters and fill their offices with mail sacks: Break up the insurance monopolies. Allow more competition in the states. Alaska has one, maybe two major private insurers. Competition doesn't exist when two competitors agree to keep prices the same and never actually compete. More competitors, more competition. Everybody wins and those that can do the best job win more. You know. Like lassiez-faire capitalism. Only really. Then onto banking reform! Are you with me?

The Sleeper Awakens...

In effort to be concise I presume all know about Afghanistan, the situation there, it's American appointed President, and the sorry state of affairs as it pertains to completing the original objective: capturing and prosecuting Osama bin Laden? Okay. Good. For those that don't know (and I encourage you to google and wiki to you hearts content) Hamid Karzai is an ex-negotiator of pipeline right of ways (i.e. a lawyer) for a big oil conglomerate. He was instrumental in getting a pipeline built from Pakistan and Afghanistan to the Caspian Sea area of Russia. So basically doing for the Russians what we (meaning the Bush administration) wanted to do for Iraqi oil. Liberate it for the greater good (and profit) of America(n oil companies)! Only he got the job done for his Russian overlords. Unlike that buffoon al-Malaki that America appointed in Iraq.

What is not so funny, because I find the above hilarious in a disturbing sort of way, is that we are now, as a nation being asked to commit even more blood and treasure propping up an illegitimate Afghan government and I would rather see any armed forces used there focused with laser pinpoint precision upon the true and original target, bin Laden. Time to bring the mastermind of 9/11 to justice. Fuck propping up petty tin-horn dictators and dreams of democratizing the locals. Fuck blood for oil. That is 20th century thinking. Time to move along. Time to fix the problems of America first. Again. We can still help out overseas but is it not well past the time of us thinking we are the police force for the entire world? What the hell is the UN supposed to be if not filling that very role? Time to disband NATO. What is the point? Coldwar is over, right? Time to bring home our troops from Germany and South Korea and Japan and Iraq and Afghanistan and any other place on the planet that isn't legitimate American soil. Time to give Gitmo back to the Cubans and drop the embargoes. Time to force the Israelis and Palistians to hug it out. Time to have a beer (non-alcoholic, of course) with Ahmadinejad. Time for the entire world to be sick and tired of war.

Enough war already, people. Why? Because the world is running out of adult males to continue to fight. Are these the government allies you wish to pair up with our highly trained soldiers, Senator? Congressman? Mr. President? Please. Enough already. Bring our troops home, now. Stop funding perpetual death, before it is too late for us all.

-Laz

Team... WHO?

So here's what I'm saying: the expansion of the 'compound' is probably a house for Bristol. Big deal. Who cares. They can afford it now. Her 'compound' is a large house on a public lake visible from the highway. Not some "secluded location" as I got a good laugh from today while reading comments on the 'intarnets'. I have driven past it literally hundereds of times. So unless they've planted some strategically placed trees recently, you can see it from the parking lot of the public pisser right next to the park where people from Wasilla, frolicing on what passes for a beach during summer in Alaska, are crazy enough to swim and boat and jetski and fly planes and such. It's kind of what we do here in Alaska. I know. Shocking! Oh and by the way people of Wasillia -- figure it out! What do you think the pisser drains into? That's right. You're swimming in it, doofus. Criminy. Or is it just some crafty country way of preventing swimmer's itch? If so, bravo Wasilla!

Okay. I'm picking a side. My utmost expression of compassion in the entire soap opera of life that swirls around the entire Palin family is NOT for Levi. Nor Bristol. Definitely not for Sarah or Todd... no, my most heartfelt wishes and hopes should naturally lead me and everyone else to root for and choose Team TRIGG! I wish him the best. Good luck little buddy. You are going to need it. With all the effed up things adults do, let us all hope the best for him and that he is able to grow up vital, alive, healthy and happpy. And loved by EVERYONE in his family. Let us all hope that ALL the Palin and for the matter the Johnston family(s) "stop effing things up!" and learn to do right by each other, which is the just and humane path. Lives and hearts are at stake. But alas, no. Probably won't happen. That doesn't sell books. Or magazines. For ALL involved.

BAH! I'll have none of it! Go peddle your future Murdock sponsored reality show driven conceptual lifestyle infotainment bullshit elsewhere, lady! I leave consumption of any 'reality based' shows or books or magazines or whatever to others. It's not like they need my permission but I suppose they're going to build their little family fame industry. Nothing we can do to stop it other than ignoring it or not participating. But none of them shall ever see a single penny from my pocket. Unless someone wants to hold a TEAM TRIGG fundraiser, of course. Your mileage may vary and you are free to choose, &tc.but -- GO TEAM TRIGG! Woot!

From my own experience I learned that the answer to the problem with the NOOKULUR family model is that you need to ACTIVELY keep it from blowing up. Think of it as '24' only for 50+ years. I personally was somewhat less than successful and McGuyver-like during my experiments with it and yet because of it I have a brilliant son of whom I am very proud and who I will always love. I grew to understand that perhaps some adults need remedial education to learn how to act as adults rather than spoiled children when matters of family and heart come into play. Even myself. Everyone in the equation is human (though in Trigg's case, probably too young to understand much of what's going on for now...) and needs to be treated politely and with a certain sense of tact and decorum. All humans have feelings and emotions and honest communications are required for all concerned to come out relatively unscathed emotionally. The child's wishes take priority and everyone needs to learn to cooperate towards that end. Within reason of course... no driving off a bridge because "little Timmy told me to...".

Anyhow. As a child of divorce, someone who has been through divorce and as both a married then single parent myself, I say -- "Go TEAM TRIGG!" We're rootin' for ya', buddy.

-Laz

*note the author wishes to acknowledge every where you see 'TRIGG' he is secretly inserting the name of his son Jon. Parents, you understand. Which is NOT to say I am being insincere in my best wishes for Trigg himself. I really do wish young Trigg all the best and really feel he is the most important person in whatever drama if any arises in the near future. So one first and one last time: GO TEAM JON! GO TEAM TRIGG!

The Bizarre World of Sarah Palin's Brain, Part Deux...

Now with COLOR VIDEO. Dang these internet tubes are freekin' awesome!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The absurdity of Palin's position is untenable. The woman needs a serious wake up call (see previous post, written before I watched this video). At the moment Palin has national ambition stars in her eyes (Shuneman fueled, blowing smoke up her wazoo, whispering promises of ponies, unicorns and untold millions with which to purchase peep toe pumps...) and will be hitting the media with a book tour and her 'just Sarah plain and tall' (in jog togs or the aformentioned peep toe pumps) act soon. I see either her and Beck together (and I DO mean TOGETHER together, as in doing 'it' -- you want to see the anti-christ for real then it would have to resemble an imagined unholy spawn of an equally unholy Beck/Palin union) or she will run for President (actually my guess is that by Shuneman being back in the mix again, McCain is making overtures to have her as VP all over again just to show America he's got huge fucking brass balls the size of Brazil, NO! China... he's SO damn mavrick-y he'd choose her all over again, gawdammit). She will probably do both, milking the media, milking the politics for as long as both are possible but either way, eventually she will lose. Lose in the mainstream majority controlled media and then run for office and lose again as President (though more likely as VP to the maverick-y glimmer twins ticket, back for a second thumping in 2012). Or eventually, if Alaskans are lucky, Palin will just quit every blessed thing altogether as it seems quitting stuff is really her true calling (judging from past history), and I've always supported people committed to their true calling. I was called to be a great writer and thinker but all I have is the lousy t-shirt. Not that I'm saying that would be Sarah's fault... who do you think helped me buy the lousy t-shirt?

-Laz