Purpleshades

ELECTRIC PURGATORY

Check this out.  Man I can’t say enough about this documentary.

As I sit down to begin writing this piece there remains 1 day, 8 hours, 3 minutes left to the Bush Presidency. I find myself absolutely overcome and overwhelmed with an immense sense of joy, fear, and pride all at the same time as a result of the upcoming 2009 Inauguration of Barack Obama. I don’t think that a human being is meant to experience these three particular emotions simultaneously. My unique way to handle this emotional storm, is to weep. That’s right you read correctly. I am a grown woman that is openly weeping, the only thing that seems to keep me from weeping is having to constantly answer the ringing phone.
Now, as you’re reading this you are surely asking yourself, why are her emotions so out of whack. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you were inclined to dismiss it as PMS. You’d be wrong, but that’s OK were all wrong sometimes (myself included). So I’ll stop dragging this out any longer and just answer the question. I’m so overcome and overwhelmed simply because finally there’s someone like me that I can associate with in the Whitehouse. There is a Biracial American that unapologetically admits to being of mixed parentage, and he was still elected President anyway. I’m so psyched about this, but at the same time secretly harbor feelings of fear because of what the President Elect represents. He represents change. I’m absolutely thrilled, because it truly is time for change to come. I also live with fear, a fear that the nation will suddenly develop a case of buyers remorse. I also fear that the result of buyers remorse can be tragic.
Our present American History will reflect that we are still fighting over the issue of a woman’s reproductive rights. History will also reflect that there was widespread fear mongering in both the media and politics in the name of nationalism and patriotism. I am truly hoping that we start to gain an understanding of what it means to be a Constitutional Republic. We have forgotten that the Constitution matters, and I am truly hoping that we can continue down the road of change by reinstating Constitutional Law. Lets remind our elected officials, that if not for We The People, you the Representatives, Senators, Aldermen, Assemblymen, Mayors, Governors, etc.. would be unemployed like the rest of us.

After reading an article in Utne Reader, by E. Benjamin Skinner author of A Crime So Monstrous I have come to the realization that the use of the phrase Wage Slave, by myself and others is highly inappropriate, and in quite poor taste.  Prior to recent layoff when questioned about my employment I would quite often refer to myself as a wage slave.  I believed that I was underpaid, unappreciated and overworked.  I may have been overworked, but not in any comparison to someone who works in a sweatshop for $1 or less.  Clearly that is the definition of a wage slave.  But lets call trafficking what it really is: It’s the Selling of People

Most importantly what I came away with from the article is a bit of a wake up call.  Slavery still exists (that wasn’t the wake up call), and we may bitch and moan about the way in which we are treated by our co-workers and employers; but at least I wasn’t stolen from my family as a child and then sold to someone else, to work in the kitchen of someone who could afford to hire a housekeeper, but would have rather have a young child to cook, and clean and maybe even to molest (that was it).

Human Trafficking is alive and well, and unfortunately President Bush refuses to heed the concerns of his advisers to enforce the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (pdf), which was passed into law by the 106^th Congress on October 28^th, 2000, the purpose of which is:

“to combat trafficking in persons, a contemporary manifestation of slavery whose victims are predominantly women and childere, to ensure just and effective punishment of traffickers, and to protect their victims.”

While the US and many of it’s allies focus solely on those who are sex slaves, there are far more slaves that are domestic slaves, manufacturing slaves or are farm slaves.  And, while this may sound similar to slavery as taught to us while in school as children; the reality is that slavery in these these exact forms exist here in the United States in 2008.  Illiteracy, and ignorance play directly into the hands of slave traffickers.  Often entire families are enslaved for generations, simply as a means for the family to repay a debt.  In the United States some of us can go to our employers and ask for a small loan or advance against your pay check, in countries such as India, and Africa for an employee to do that would mean indentured servitude.  Because you borrowed money from your boss you’ve now forced your family into becoming chattel.

The reality is that the Governments of the world focus primarily on the sex slave trade simply because it is easy.  Governments fear that if they were to truly define, and then actually pursue those involved in human  trafficking, and prosecute them that world economies would collapse, because slavery is so far reaching, so entrenched into the fabric of our lives, pun intended. That is their irrational fear, but not the reality.  Governments and Bureaucracies have become so inflexible that they only know one way, and to upset the apple cart threatens their comfort.  The idea that they will have to give up suckling on the teet that has made them grow fat and bloated scares them to death.  So Governments won’t try to stop the stealing, selling and abuse of people.  They can’t they make too much money from it.   So the next time that someone wants to talk to you about building another wall to keep “them” out keep this in mind: Slaves come by land, sea and air.  They are treated like cargo in the hulls of ships, and in cargo containers.  And people are paid handsomly to loose those cargo containers because whats one container off a ship that just offloaded  100 containers, and that money is burning a hole in someones pocket.

It is for this reason, that I’ll no longer consider myself a wage slave.  In good consciousness, I don’t want to insult the poor souls that truly are wage slaves.

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To Quote Sheryl Crow’s song A Change chorus A change would do you good well the United States has gotten change you can get the details of the change at the Office of the President-Elect’s Website

I came across this recent post from Andrew Sullivan’s Blog, and couldn’t help but think about how it is that sooooo many people are in love with Sarah Palin. She uses very subtle race baiting in her speeches. A perfect example of her using race baiting is her comment about Community organizers, and implying that they don’t have any responsibilities.

The republican’s continued allowance of people to imply during introductions and speeches that their opponent is either a Muslim, a terrorist, or some other demonized idea that will keep the ignorant public from voting for Obama/Biden is ridiculous.

Stop the insanity. Get out and register to vote. If you’re already registered, then make it your respoisibility to vote on Election Day November 4^th 2008.

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If the entire Congress is in recess for the Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah can someone tell me exactly how seriously the Congress and the Bush Administration is taking this financial crisis?

Let’s get something perfectly clear here. This isn’t some antisemitic rant. I don’t care that the Jewish Members of Congress are taking today and tomorrow off.

I take issue with the fact that the rest of Congress left Washington DC for the holiday.

Does that mean that if tragedy of September 11th or the Oklahoma City Bombing had occured on work restricted holiday for one segment of the country would everyone else have stayed home too?

We’re faced with a “financial crisis” and everyone in Congress took off for Rosh Hashana, EVEN THOSE WHO AREN’T JEWISH.

How much of a Crisis could it be. I hear the talking heads on the Television slamming the Congressional Black Congress for their lack of support of a bill that would not have benefited their constituents that face foreclosure on their homes.

Does anyone in congress follow any of the social networking platforms out there. I know that there are a few that actually twitter. The general public via social networking has voted against the congressional proposal too.

Hey Television People, I’m talking to the O’Rileys, Scarborough’s, et al; stop acting soooooo inflamed about this vote. This vote did not benefit Main Street USA.

Hey Main Street USA Stop messing around with your investments; stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc… You are physically adding preciously expensive gasoline to a forest fire that was already burning out of control.

Also, if you are younger than the age of 55 and you ever plan on being able to retire, I ask you to seriously consider who you vote for. Ask yourself what the privatization of Social Security would mean should we face another financial crisis. Make Congress keep Social Security Safe. Stop “borrowing” from it. And Pay back what it is owed.

Keep it in perspective, each decade is faced with a different financial crisis.
1929 - Stock Market Crash - The Great Depression
1937 - Recession of 1937
1940’s - America goes to war to thwart another Economic Depression, and puts an end to Unemployment rates nearing 10%. The end result is the birth of the Daddy Warbucks, the corporations and their leaders that held the government contracts to produce the products required to take this country into World War II. Jobs were created, at the same time the actual employable workforce was reduced due to the draft and war.
1950’s - As a result of the “economic benefit” of going to war Main Street American began to feel Prosperous. As a result of Death and Devastation in Europe and Japan Americas Production lines were pumping out more products than ever before. The prosperity after WWII had created the consumer culture, America exported goods world wide filling the Vacuum left in overseas production by war. This was highlighted by pockets of extreme poverty in areas where once prospering wartime industries shut down production.
1953-1954 - Recession
1960’s - Production continues only in growth areas like housing and computers, and electronics. Poverty grows as a result of declines in other sectors. This slowdown precipitated the:
1961 - Kennedy Tax Cut
1973 Oil Crisis
1979 energy Crisis —Economic Stagflation
1980 Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control ActThis is the beginning of where we are today… the fed allows banks to Merge, the fed no longer has the responsibility of setting the interest rates of savings accounts. Deregulation of the Banking Industry begins
1982 - Bank failures rise, FDIC spends $870 Million ($870,000,000) buying up bad loans to keep banks afloat (precedence for the current bail out bill).
1982 - Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act ushering in adjustable rate mortgages and the Deregulation of the Savings and Loan industry which leads to the S&L crisis a few years later.
The 1980’s saw the deregulation of many industries
1987 - Black Monday stock market looses 22% of its value. 10/19/87
1999 - Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act PL 106-102 Allows the banking industry to combine with other industries to offer investment, commercial banking, and insurance services.

Figure it out people. We have a Government of the Corporations, by the Corporations, for the Corporations.