Whoops — kind of skipped a step or two there, didn’t we? The “fighting” and “winning” bits, if memory serves.
A quick Google search finds a few stalwarts still out there manning the barricades: the International Workers of the World (IWW), better known as the Wobblies; the Socialist Party USA; the Democratic Socialists of America; the World Socialist Party (US); and of course, Old Reliable, the Communist Party USA.
I haven’t seen an actual commie on the hoof for the better part of quite some time — since I fancied myself one, back in the late Seventies. They appear to be as rare as honor and dignity in the workplace.
Small wonder. Considering the calumny and vitriol heaped upon the decidedly non-socialist Democrat currently occupying the Oval Office, can you imagine what sort of horror awaits someone who actually declares himself a pinko in public?
And more’s the pity. It would be refreshing to see someone standing tall for working people instead of heaping more shit on their plates.
So, until someone shows up — perhaps the Judean People’s Front Crack Suicide Squad — we’ll just have to settle for some old-style agitprop. Here’s an English-language version of the Internationale from the late folk-punk artist and socialist Alistair Hulett to put the red back in your blood.
Mad Blog Media 
What about Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the self described Socialist? If we on only had another sixty six senators like him, and at least another 220 other Socialists in the House, then we might be able to finally start to improve things around here!
In the meantime, I expect the average American voter to put their faith (literally) in this guy: http://www.johndavisforpresident.org/ He’s got a big eagle and an American Flag on his website, plus a red, white, and blue pipe wrench. What more do you need?
Bernie will do. But he must get awfully lonely, closeted as he is with cutpurses and hoors.
I knew you wouldn’t fail me when I linked to your blog today!
Opus, I’m a creature of habit, as you know.
Russian link didn’t work. Happy May Day, Comrades.
Hm, that’s weird. It was working earlier, and worked fine when I pasted the link into Safari. Maybe Firefox is a corporate stooge.
I tried it a couple times and it came back with “huh?, what link?” or whatever the electronic translation would be.
I have to admit I’m not optimistic about the American Experiment. Any historians out there who can tell me that we weathered these storms before? At minimum, I’d say we are a ways from the bottom.
Larry’s wife Heather nails the problem: people are stupid. Rather than voting for their self-interest (i.e., government that lives within its means but with a solvent social safety net, a continued commitment to funding the sciences and humanities, and a fair tax policy rather than give-aways for the rich), they may vote for a “man on a horse”, or more likely, a horse’s ass. Someone who promises to make all the big problems go away with rhetorical mumbo-jumbo and mass scapegoating. We already saw that in the last elections with people in droves being suckered into voting for right wing Republicans who were for the most part feathering the nests of the oligarchs.
I hope the Repugs overplayed their hand in Wisconsin but not sure. With Donald Trump and other birthers on the right trying to make Obama an “outsider” (i.e., someone like those illegals who we can fear and loath as a scapegoat for our problems) and with the traditional working class stiffs fragmented into stooging for the right, we may not find enough intelligent voters to turn back the tide. Sure hope I am wrong.
With you there, K. The American attention span being measurable in nanoseconds (“Ooh, shiny object!”) does not give one hope. Navigating the American political system feels like wandering through a carnival sideshow with a head full of cheap mescaline.
Did you catch Trump at the White House Correspondents dinner? Not a happy camper.
Patrick, mescaline either is or it isn’t – cheap has nothing to do with it. But you knew that I’m sure… And right now, after tonight’s OBL announcement, I’m looking for a little hit of that divine ‘shroom to get me through the next, oh say, ten years or so, from the certain fallout of this act. It almost assuredly won’t be pretty…
This “burial at sea” thing gives me concern about plausible deniability. Two things I thought of:
1. Al Quida denying he is dead and quickly putting together a wax figure for the camera.
2. Donald Trump denying he is dead and asserting that Obama faked it in anticipation of the next election.
A third possibility was raised by a friend who quipped that bin Laden has been relocated to Gary Indiana and is in the witness protection program.
While we were at it we took out Darth Vader, the Emperor, and Jar-Jar Binks and dumped their bodies at sea too.
Muslum faith dictates that burial has to occur within 24 hrs of death. We, as Christians, will honor his faith even though he didn’t honor mine.
Trump has already demanded to see the long form death certificate.
I said this way back when the planes hit the towers – the USA, if they really wanted to capture/kill those responsible should have created an Israeli-style task force of CIA, etc. and quietly, methodically, hunted down those responsible rather than start not one, but TWO massive wars, spending ourselves into close-to (if not actual) bankruptcy along the way. The whole thing probably could have been done for a billion or so…chump change when compared to what W set in motion. But of course Dick Cheney’s pals at Haliburton wouldn’t have gotten as rich. Think what might have happened had cooler heads prevailed 10 years ago….what could we have done with all the $ spent on invading Afghanistan and Iraq? And in the end, intelligence operations and targeted attacks get Osama, in PAKISTAN!
Who really has the last laugh here? Osama’s dead (probably) but the USA’s worldwide reputation is in tatters and we’re fu__ing broke. (I should be careful here, this is the kind of stuff that got Bill Maher tossed off network TV!) But in less than two weeks this s__t will fade away when we get on that plane to Milano!
thankfully, Larry, this isn’t network TV. In a world of suicide martyrs, Osama might have accomplished all his goals.
Khal –
Here in Wisconsin we have 6 Repugs facing recall elections beginning in July. If we toss ’em all out, it will be a first for America. We are keeping the momentum up and already trying to keep people focused, as the big money comes rolling in. There are 3 Dems also facing recall, but a lot of the signatures were obtained on let’s say, shaky circumstances. Like giving shots in return for signing.
As far as Bin Laden, let the sharks have him. Would ya rather have people worshiping at his tomb? Nah.
Can we bring our kids back from Afghanistan now? Please?
So who exactly do I talk to about getting a free shot in exchange for my signature?
That would be the Waukesha County Baggers org. They’re real friendly.
Better off coming to my place and cracking a bottle of Evan Williams with me!
“Sleeping with the fishes” really does apply here. I like the reaction of the locals – kind of like when the neighbor goes on a killing spree – “He was a quiet guy, kept to himself”. But in a bungalow surrounded by a 12 foot wall. Haven’t seen any response from the Paki government yet. Strange.
Glad he is dead, but Larry nailed it. We should have taken him out with special forces a decade ago rather than spending all this blood and money playing whack-a-mole over there.
There was a LOT more money to be made by defense contractors by starting a full blow war than having him killed in the first few days after 9/11, and if the Bush admin had any mandate it was to transfer tax dollars to defense contractors and oil companies. I mean, damn, they started a war with a country that had never done us any harm at all (unless you count shooting back during the 1991 war). It’s old news now, but the Chaney/Bush admin needed this guy alive to be the boogie man in order to justify all their looting.
Khal +1
I planted this one on some far right friends of mine: Obama quoted the Pledge of Allegiance in his speech last night, and everyone knows that the Pledge was written by an American Socialist … proof that Obama is trying to lead this country into socialism. You can almost hear their brains fry as they try to wrap their heads around the conflict between the irresistible desire to spread anti-Obama propaganda but only by also impugning the beloved Pledge.
LMAO….
Trump’s next bit “show me the ashes!”
The never end dumbness goes on.
We should all drop drawers and show Donald Trump our ashes.