I love how in the last few seconds you can suddenly see the cop's swagger suddenly switch on..
"Oh and yeah.. just like that, my ol' ninjitsu training kicked in. It's weird, you know.. it's kinda-.. it's kinda like *instinct*.".

She should hang with this guy:
http://videosift.com/video/Swang-and-Swagger-Parov-Stelar-Catgroove

>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:

Yup. I stand by every word of that. The whole Wisconsin kerfuffle had almost nothing to do with "fairness". It was all about Union power and money. To a man, the protests were bought, paid for, and stoked by a bunch of swaggering, thuggish, threatening, mafioso sleazebags.
ht
tp://bigjournalism.com/jjmnolte/2011/03/18/20-days-of-left-wing-thuggery-in-wisconsin-when-will-obama-democrats-and-msm-call-for-civility/
And after the law passed they are not done. They're going around threatening businesses who don't actively support THEM (unions) with financial ruin. They are threatening families. They are threatening people. They are using violence. There is nothing to praise about these people. They are scum and don't deserve one iota of sympathy.
But of course they are not done. This Cenk vid showing them ratcheting up their rhetoric and activity was easy to predict. Unions were never going to just shrug and go, "Oh well - guess we better start behaving..." Nope. Not with Indiana, Ohio, and several other states in the process of passing similar laws that scale back on the lavish union gravy trains in many locations. The unions know they are facing a huge tide of popular sentiment against them, and they are going to bus in every thug, make every threat, slap every woman, punch every old guy, and beat up any kid they have to in order to make sure they can keep living like pigs on the public dollar.


God-fucking-dammit.

This is not about some "mafioso" union crime bosses. This is about a Republican governor and Republican senators eliminating by fiat collective bargaining.

Collective bargaining! The heart and soul of the only protection and means of progress that the laboring class has ever known in the history of the human race.

From wikipedia: Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements which regulate working conditions. Collective agreements usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanisms and rights to participate in workplace or company affairs.

The unions acquiesced to Walker's salary demands. They acquiesced to his demand to contribute more to their health care. And yet, even as they acquiesced to the financial aspects of Walker's plan, this still wasn't enough. The Republicans voted to eliminate nearly ALL collective bargaining rights.

Read the above definition of collective bargaining again. Do you really think it's moral to strip workers of the power to declare their workplace is unsafe without fear of retaliation or access to a grievance system that protects them from unfair discipline or termination, or any of a thousand other issues that infringe on basic human rights?

Collective bargaining means far more than just wage negotiations. It is the means by which ordinary workers across a broad range of careers have any leverage to stand up to enormous government and corporate entities (which in this day and age are nearly the same thing thanks to people like the Koch brothers who are funding Walker's criminality) that can and do exploit them in any way that is not strictly prohibited by law.

This is class warfare.

http://videosift.com/video/Wisconsin-Governor-Prank-Called-By-Billionaire-Tea-Party

Wait, who was bought? And who are the thuggish, threatening, mafioso sleazebags? Hint: Answer in above video.

>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:

the protests were bought, paid for, and stoked by a bunch of swaggering, thuggish, threatening, mafioso sleazebags.

Yup. I stand by every word of that. The whole Wisconsin kerfuffle had almost nothing to do with "fairness". It was all about Union power and money. To a man, the protests were bought, paid for, and stoked by a bunch of swaggering, thuggish, threatening, mafioso sleazebags.

http://bigjournalism.com/jjmnolte/2011/03/18/20-days-of-left-wing-thuggery-in-wisconsin-when-will-obama-democrats-and-msm-call-for-civility/

And after the law passed they are not done. They're going around threatening businesses who don't actively support THEM (unions) with financial ruin. They are threatening families. They are threatening people. They are using violence. There is nothing to praise about these people. They are scum and don't deserve one iota of sympathy.

But of course they are not done. This Cenk vid showing them ratcheting up their rhetoric and activity was easy to predict. Unions were never going to just shrug and go, "Oh well - guess we better start behaving..." Nope. Not with Indiana, Ohio, and several other states in the process of passing similar laws that scale back on the lavish union gravy trains in many locations. The unions know they are facing a huge tide of popular sentiment against them, and they are going to bus in every thug, make every threat, slap every woman, punch every old guy, and beat up any kid they have to in order to make sure they can keep living like pigs on the public dollar.

>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:

pigs
thuggery
force
violence
threats
sour
swaggering
threatening
'consequences'
bought & paid for
mafioso
sleazebags

That seems "fairly balanced". ;-)

>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:

In other news - human beings need to respirate oxygen to survive.
I don't think there's anyone particularly amazed at the concept that the unions would continue to squeal like stuck pigs and use thuggery, force, violence, and threats to make sour grape juice. Unions are swaggering around Wisconsin in droves threatening businesses and consumers alike with 'consequences' unless they do what they want. It's hard to say what will happen in the long run, but I really hope all these bought & paid for mafioso sleazebags get what they deserve - a swift kick in the pants.


Yeah got it. You wanna join your fellow Americans in fighting for fairness...or you wanna support rich people as they get richer and hurt the middle and lower classes. Cause for the past 30 years the people have been getting fucked...everyone knows it just ask the Tea Partiers.

"In other news - human beings need to respirate oxygen to survive.

I don't think there's anyone particularly amazed at the concept that the unions would continue to squeal like stuck pigs and use thuggery, force, violence, and threats to make sour grape juice. Unions are swaggering around Wisconsin in droves threatening businesses and consumers alike with 'consequences' unless they do what they want. It's hard to say what will happen in the long run, but I really hope all these bought & paid for mafioso sleazebags get what they deserve - a swift kick in the pants."

Did you get this upset when Wall Street threatened the world with a 'global financial meltdown' if the taxpayers don't cough up ~700 billion to cover their failed ponzi scheme built on CDOs?

Didn't think so.

I'd educate you on how slimy this latest push by the Republicans is to strip the last dregs of leverage from average working Americans but you already know so instead I'll just say fuck you.

Good day.

In other news - human beings need to respirate oxygen to survive.

I don't think there's anyone particularly amazed at the concept that the unions would continue to squeal like stuck pigs and use thuggery, force, violence, and threats to make sour grape juice. Unions are swaggering around Wisconsin in droves threatening businesses and consumers alike with 'consequences' unless they do what they want. It's hard to say what will happen in the long run, but I really hope all these bought & paid for mafioso sleazebags get what they deserve - a swift kick in the pants.

You can win elections by promising to balance budgets, but as soon as you start cutting programs you get replaced by the next guy promising big buzz words with as few specifics as possible.

No argument. The problem is the GOP doesn't want to do that because they are just like Democrats in the sense that they want to keep eating and promising free lunches. America for 20+ years has been living in a government sponsored 'benefits bubble'. Everyone thinks they can get free this & cheap that and politicians have spent the farm for their votes. This is not a GOP/Democrat issue. This is a "political class" issue. There are a few glittering jewels in the mine like Christie in NJ and Chaffitz from Utah - but they are far too rare.

This is a problme that is not going to be solved unless (A) the government completely collapses or (B) voters collectively wise up and vote in a couple generations of true fiscal conservatives. This election cycle gives some very distant gleams of hope that (B) might happen - but I'm pessimistic. I think America has already reached the Alexander Tytler point of no return...

"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is followed by a dictatorship."

We see this happening right before our eyes. More wisdom - same guy...

“From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to complacency; From complacency to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”

In my cold assessment of the American condition, the U.S. POLITICAL CLASS is firmly decided on "dependance" and is starting to push into "bondage". The American PEOPLE however, are factionalized into about 30% "liberty", 20% "complacency", 20% "apathy", and 30% "dependance". By and large most of the public falls towards the "Liberty" side but you flash enough baubles to get 21% of the complacency/apathy vote and BOOM the U.S. is running over a cliff to tyranny.

That's what happened with Obama. Only what can be described as the collective insanity of emotion based stupidity elected that doofus. If he was in ANY other country, he would already be swaggering around in a uniform with epaulettes and making everyone call him "Commandant". He's a disaster, and polls are showing that even the apathetic and complacent realize they made a horrible mistake electing that specimen.

But too little - too late I fear. I think the government is too addicted to spending, and the public too addicted to the lie of 'free/cheap' government stuff. Loose fiscal policy will collapse this great nation, and there will be a period of subseqent balkanization. At this point, I fear it is inevitable.

"Your pirate name is: Mad Tom Kidd

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!"

Dirty Morty Kidd

You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

I like his ass swagger at the end in those tight, high-waisted jeans. MmmmMmmmm.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

He was a lot more cloying, personable sales-guy back then - he was still in the process of saving the company. Now he get's up on the stage with a bit more swagger. "I'm Steve f*cking Jobs - welcome to my show."

"You can't become a pacifist or a conscientious objector after actively seeking a job in which you might have to kill people."

Why?

Taken out of context, your statement doesn't make sense. It is possible for people to realize they have taken an incorrect action and seek to correct it only after having gone down the initial route. Taken in context, your statement is at best an over-simplification/generalization and at worst a conscious attempt to silence those who know first-hand the personal destruction of war. On the contrary, I would think that knowing precisely what it is like to shoot a fellow human with a different skin color and watch while his family tries to make him comfortable in his last breaths gives a human the ability to conscientiously object, like no other human can. Watching ones close friends die at the hand of an enemy only attacking you because you're affiliated with a swagger-rabbit asshole who just told them all to "Bring It On" would be enough to give a human the right to choose pacifism.

Those who have lived through that are, uniquely, allowed.