I'm being a RepugliCon (until the primaries are over)

Well, I did it -- put the mark of Cain on my own forehead, as far as anyone who sees my voter's registration knows. From today until the primary election is over, I'm just another RepugliCon, easily mistaken for one of those new-style RepugliCons proudly known (by themselves, anyway) as "neo-cons."

I had to do it. In the People's Republic of California, parties may choose whether they'll allow "crossover" voting (by voters not registered in their party) in the primaries. The DemocRat party, and the Constitution party do. All other parties don't. Their actions and mine are understood this way: This is the only way I can vote for Dr. Ron Paul to be the Republican presidential candidate. It's also the only roadblock the neo-con fascists have to (legally) throw in my way, and they hesitate to draw Blackwater into the process so early (thrift -- no doubt.)

I know they hate being called fascists, since that's a tag which still retains much of its pejorative punch, like "communist" ought to, but never really did. But if the Dems can laugh off "commie," and play Sir Parse-a-lot word games about how they're not really socialists, just "progressives," the 'Pugs can't shake "fascist" so easily. They much prefer "corporatist," since they like turning most of the dirty work of government (what they consider "government" work) to big, well-heeled, insider corporations. "Corporatism," said Mussolini (who ought to know) is the proper way to think of fascism -- the marriage of the corporation and the state.

"But the private sector is so much more efficient than government -- they have to meet a payroll and show a profit." It's true. Ask those who worked so efficiently for so many of the favored German corporations, during WWII. Oh, that's right, you can't -- they were so efficient, they're dead. You can, however, bet your bottom Reichsmark, er, dollar, that those corporations got the tip-top efficient most out of those, uh, workers, before, well ... you know.

Private business is almost always more efficient at what it does. But there are jobs governments are notoriously good at, that they still should never undertake, except when attacked (like killing people and breaking things.) Moreover, those "jobs" should never be contracted out to the private sector, regardless of how efficiently and profitably it can do them, since humankind are generally better off when those jobs are not being done, and we don't want to fall in the trap of prolonging the "job" for the sake of (someone else's) profit. And it's not really cricket for the government to supply its own initial attack, either.

Of course, when you're the aforementioned "someone else," and you're collecting the profits, not paying them, the desirability of prolonging the killing and breaking looks somehow, ... different. And when you're a stockholder in a profitable corporation, and/or a doctrinaire corporatist being feted at corporate parties, living on corporate stipends, or kept in office by corporate campaign funds, killing and breaking for a nice hefty profit (even if not always fun) can be downright seductive. Just ask the families Rothschild, Rockefeller, Roosevelt, and Bush.

When you're more committed to the survival of "allied" nations than to that of your own, pouring the treasure of your nation, and the lives of its youth, down the funnel of war, into corporations whose stock your friends and family own, can probably seem almost holy, not to mention courageous. I wouldn't know, but seeing and hearing those who advocate for it, I suspect.

Dr. Paul is light years away from the new "mainstream" (downstream) of his nominal party. I hope and pray he survives this election.

"Terrorist Catch and Release Program "

A friend sent a recycled oldie (~2003) called the "Terrorist Catch and Release Program "

"U.S. Navy releases Al Qaeda Terrorist -

"I can't believe it!

"The US Navy today announced that it has released a senior Al Qaeda terrorist after questioning him extensively for 27 days while being held prisoner aboard a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.

"In a humanitarian gesture, the terrorist was given $50 US and a white 1962 Ford Fairlane automobile upon being released from custody.

"The attached photo shows the terrorist on his way home just after being released by the Navy."

The message ends with a photoshopped pic of the subject automobile sailing off the bow of the main deck of a carrier in the vast and choppy sea.
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Here's my reply to him:

Even as a 4-year old stretch, it's a good joke. But I'm far more concerned with domestic catch and release, wherein the cops end up tippy-toe-dancing like Nureyev to avoid, at all costs, accidentally uncovering some un-ignoreable evidence that the perp they have just stopped (or arrested) is a criminal foreign invader ("illegal immigrant," to use the inaccurate vernacular) which discovery, however inadvertent, runs so violently counter to the prevailing "political correctness" (cultural Marxism) of the jurisdiction for which he/she works, that his/her job might well be forfeit.

Consequently, many lesser violations of the law are so flagrantly and openly tolerated, e.g., traffic offenses, that the criminals hardly fear to commit them openly in the presence of law enforcement officers, as long as they make no secret of not being here legally. A "YO ♥ JALISCO" bumpersticker, or amped-up Cumbia blasting from the car stereo works on cops in San Francisco like garlic on vampires in Transylvania. After all "Es mí cultura," dontchaknow?

Entire districts are "allowed" to park in the middle lanes of the street, on the sidewalks, and if our "guests" ever master the art, up on the sides of buildings, for that matter. Graffitti, speeding, drunk driving, illegal voting, and gang rape are simply taken for granted as part of the price we must pay for having them here, for Heaven only knows, housing, food, transportation, medical, education, and legal service subsidies -- to the tune of $20K/family/year -- are hardly enough reward to keep the price of lettuce down where it presumably belongs.

Only murder (of other, ... honored guests, certainly not mere Americans) -- and then even only if committed with ... wait for it ... a gun(!) is heinous enough to warrant uncovering the perp's unfortunate lack of documentation, whereupon his consulate must be notified, and bail (and sometimes, flight to avoid prosecution) arranged.

Lest you think all my distaste is aimed at those native to our nearest southern neighbor, I'll recall for you that in 2005 alone, the Border Patrol (before it was rolled up into the Department of Homeland Insecurity to contain its unfortunate tendency to actually catch invaders) apprehended (and then released -- on their own recognizance[!] and promise to later appear at a hearing[!] to determine their immigration status) -- approximately 79,000 persons from "nations of interest," bureaucratese for Muslim countries, North Korea, and China. Fortunately, that problem has been ameliorated by ordering the remaining BP (now ICE) agents not to stop obviously Asian "visitors" coming across the Mexican (also the Canadian?) border.

I know that if millions of us went to their nations, and behaved as they do when here, we would be lucky to merely be arrested and jailed. So, yes, I like "the Navy's" version of catch and release better than the civilian version. I expect it to become more popular as the sellout progresses. But this one-at-a-time business will need streamlining.