China Dissident

Back in 1954 I think Elizabeth Bentley wanted to defect to the US. She got caught in the backyard of the Russian Embassy. They were trying to figure out how to get her out of the clutches of the KGB. This was the same front page crap we have going on now about Chen Guangchengs the Chinese victim of Stalinism, no no I meant Ho-Jintao Secretary Central Committee Chinese Communist Party. It was much easier to remember the name Stalin than Ho-Jintao. Back in the cold war days it was between two powers within similar cultural worlds. I admit I feel for Hillary having to deal with this Kabuki of SAVING FACE. She was just trying to make some kind of deal on trade. Now she’s stuck with this stone collar around her neck. “How the hell am I going to weedle our way out of this garbage dump?”

Meantime back home. Mitt Romney and his Karl Rove one percenters are screaming bloody murder that the Obama Administration have sold the “poor blind dissident, Chen down the river to the Chinese Communists.” Oh yes they don’t care a goat's turd about Chen. This is what we are in for right up until November 2012. Every issue no matter how distant it may seem will be made part of the coming election. And man there are a bucket full of them.

Biggest of all will be another confrontation on the debt ceiling. You remember the last one? That was child's play compared to what is coming up this time. The one percenters have smelt blood as Obama put the entitlement programs on the block. Look, don’t be too surprised but I have begun to think we, the 99 percent can’t just sit here and say NO. That is not a policy. It’s a position of failing our responsibility. I am not suggesting we join Mr. Ryan’s solution for Medicare. “Just privatize it.” Same with SS same with the Marine Corps and so on.” Our position of 'it’s sacrosanct don’t touch it' is wearing out. Where we can see there are real problems ahead, we need to come up with solutions. Then we are part of solving the problem. Just saying “No” leaves us outside the conversation. I want to be at that bargaining table when that issue comes up. Then I have a say in the solution.

The Google problem is just getting worse. Just going to Google with a question as I did on Elizabeth Bentley ended me up with, “you want the answer? Buy this book by Eleanor Roosevelt for $75.00.” Where oh where has Google gone? Gone to make money like all the rest. We may be headed down the road of private control of the whole Internet. Think about it. Maybe that’s already true. Somehow average citizens around the world were able to use the Internet as their organizing tool. Losing access could do irreparable harm to that whole new way of calling the folks to the streets. How do we cope with that prospect?

Because Google has really screwed up the Blogbuster website, I will now rely on my dear son-in-law Robert to post it for me. Thank you so much. My best RS