Just Finished Watching "Capitalism: A Love Story"

[Steely_Dan]

This is hard for me.

I openly wept for 20 minutes at the end of the movie. I'm not even sure why.

I'm sorry...I'm having difficulty finding the words.

Maybe if I wait a little while. Maybe if I can get my emotions under control. Just for a moment. Just for a brief moment.

My sadness is only exceeded by my anger. And yet, I cannot shake the awful reality of: "And the saddest of these, is what might have been."

My emotions did not get the best of me until the movie showed FDR's funeral and that he did not live long enough to see the end of the war or to see his "Bill of Rights" implemented. My mother told me not long ago what FDR represented to her. She said that it was like he was a king. For the entirety of her youth, it was all she knew of what was a "President." The sadness of his loss must have been so devastating. I did not live during FDR's time. However, I was greatly saddened watching the people of all races weeping on the sidewalks and in their personal misery.

My weeping is for our country. For our loss. For the millions of people living lives of quiet desperation. What might have been.

I watched Jimmy Carter's face as he pleaded with our country to understand that we are becoming a country that no longer places value on who we are, but instead on what we own. It truly impressed me that there was indeed, a turning point...a fork in the road. He looked so sincere. He looked so concerned. He looked sad.

I've often been told over my lifetime that I need to "chill." I need to not take things so seriously...and not to let my passion over-ride my reason. I guess some of us are just hardwired that way. We often suffer from emotional issues like depression and anxiety. But, I make no apologies. I prefer my life of passion, my life riding the "razor's edge."

I suppose that is why I cannot shake this feeling of sadness and anger which seem to be competing with each other to own my thoughts.

What happened? What happened to our country? What happened to our compassion and our sense of justice and fair-play? I am by no means a religious man. However, watching this film was as close as I have come to touching the face of God. The references to how Jesus would view capitalism somehow made me understand the Bible in a way that I had not previously understood.

For me viewing this film became a very personal experience. It touched me and validated my deepest convictions of how I see my fellow man. But more importantly, it confirmed that I was "a good person." That I'm okay.

You see, for so long, I have been called everything from a traitor to a communist. I've been told over and over again that I "hate America." I've tried to let such statements slide by. But after so long, one begins to question themselves. I've lost family members and friends because of my refusal to compromise my convictions. This film allowed me to reaffirm my commitment to my brothers and sisters. I can go to my grave with the knowledge that I stood against injustice and man's inhumanity to man.

And then there is the anger...

Where are we now and what progress have we made? How was it possible that no one stopped these people before they ruined our country?

My tolerance is at an end. I will no longer excuse those who would see our country to ruin. I will not allow ANYONE to refer to me as a person who "hates America." It is my love, my enduring love for this country that calls me to fight for what is morally right.

I want our government to STAND UP! To fight and not allow this madness to continue another day.

I can cower in the corner and let what has happened to our great country eat at my soul...or I can stand against all that would bring shame and injustice to this grand experiment called America. I may get knocked down. But I know that the measure of a man is not on how many times he is knocked down, but in how many times he rises back to his feet to fight again.

Purpose.

I am Paige Anderson, American.

[daleanime]

1. It hit me in the face this morning....

our enemies are not the GOP, not those teabag puppets, it's what we've allowed our own culture to become.:cry:

[unpossibles]

64. agreed, although to me the GOP embodies the race toward that end

like almost no other.

[Mark D.]

86. K&R

[truedelphi]

93. yes, and in some ways the culture is turning back to the other values

I was just reading some other DU'ers post, about how they tore up one of their credit cards, and the financial firm had insisted if they did that, their credit rating would suffer.

The economy is becoming a barter economy - who will need credit when the majority of Americans start to barter?

What matters in a bartering society is your awareness of the other person and who they are in the community. Whereas in the previous, mass hypnosis, impersonal, Big-Corporate-Honchos-supplies-all society, the people at the top were the Truly Scummy, yet millions of us helped them become Scummier.

[uncommon]

2. I cried through 3/4 of the movie. I posted FDR's Bill of Rights here the other day and no one cared

We are apparently more interested in fighting about stupid bullshit than really thinking about a future for our people.

[Steely_Dan]

3. I typically post this...

But if by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people -- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties -- someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal." JFK, September, 1960

I am now convinced that FDR's speech in the film where he introduces his "bill of Rights" is far more in line with my thinking. I will find that section of the speech and post it. It needs to be read over and over...it is exactly what I feel...and what I think the Democratic Party should adhere to.

-PLA

[uncommon]

4. Absolutely. It's about dignity and a decent life for all people - that should be the bedrock

of any good society.

[Enthusiast]

54. +1 ! nt

[HughBeaumont]

5. I feel you.

I also don't have to tell you how much corporations HATED FDR and his ideas; so much that they tried to band together (with the Bonus Army) and stage an actual Fascist coup of FDR's admin.

Corporate America and it's military do not give one shit about us.

This isn't very well known, but Kennedy's generals entertained the idea of nuking the Soviets, stating that 140 million USSR casualties would be far worth the possible price of 30 million American lives. Kennedy, of course, told them to shove that idea and never take it out again.

These two non-cause-celebre incidents alone tell you how much those in power value human lives.

It's just hard to change things when a ubiquitous giant corporate boot is on your temple and their guns are on your back. They bought both parties and people aren't going to revolt in the millions because they aren't starving . . . yet. This bad economy has really only seriously affected 25% of the population . . . thus far.

It's simply galling that we're all so enamored of this idea that the US is the ultimate nation, this paragon of freedom, a shining beacon of prosperity. It's all an enormous mound of shit.

[Steely_Dan]

8. Thanks Hugh...

One of my greatest fears is that it is too late. I think about that a lot. Yet, I would rather fight, even if it is in denial.

[bif]

16. Like George Carlin said

"They call it the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe in it."

[WCGreen]

57. The Bonus Army happened in the Summer of '32 when Hoover was

still president.

The Bonus Army was not political it was more of a populist movement htat was trying to get the republican Hoover to release the bonus promised to WW I vets distributed earlier.

There was no federal vetern organization back then.

The Bonus Army had nothing to do with the corporate gang who tried to undemine FDR.

[HughBeaumont]

62. Sorry, worded that incorrectly . . .

. . . what I meant was that the plan OF the plotters (which included owners of Heinz, DuPont, Birds Eye, Maxwell House & George Bush’s Grandfather, Prescott) was to incorporate some of the broken-up Bonus Army under the guise of a vet's organization and Butler's half-million-man backing. They saw the influence Butler had on veterans and figured they could use their anger in numbers.

At a second glance, it does read like they conspired and that indeed never happened, since Butler spilled the beans on this treasonous coup before it saw the light of day.

[Steely_Dan]

6. I MIght Add...

That I will NOT allow a watered down version of our party to prevail. Not in my lifetime.

-PLA

[daleanime]

9. Exactly...

the 1st fight is for the soul of the Democratic Party!:bounce:

[Steely_Dan]

10. YES!

I completely agree.

No compromise...do not give an inch to those who would redefine us into something that is a mere shadow of what we are.

-PLA

[OHdem10]

7. It gives me tears of joy to know there are DUers like you who

can appreciate what our GREATEST President meant to so many
of us Liberals who no longer have a voice.

Thanks.

[Steely_Dan]

19. Thanks OHdem10

There are probably more of us out there than we know.

-PLA

[AnArmyVeteran]

11. Great post Steely_Dan. That movie moved me too.

I felt both sadness and anger. It angers me to see so many ignorant Americans cheering on the very people who seek to harm or destroy them. It saddens me to think of all the moments in our history when great men who had the courage to make sweeping changes were killed. JFK, RFK and MLK, all great men who could have made so many profound changes to our country.

If Bobby Kennedy had lived I believe the entire future political landscape would have changed. We would have been spared Richard Nixon, Watergate and the Vietnam War would have ended soon after Kennedy assumed office in January 1969. And the political climate would have so changed that we would probably have been spared the likes of Ronald Reagan and both Bushes. The neocon movement might not have gotten any traction. And we would have been spared trickle down economics which has been one of the greatest enemies of the middle class and the poor.

When I saw that movie I thought it should be required viewing by every high school student. Even though the film blamed both major parties the right wing would definitely protest having people hear the truth.

[Steely_Dan]

15. I Have Often...

referred to Bobby Kennedy and given the same argument about what our future might have been. I am convinced that when RFK died, a huge part of our country's soul died with him...He was that important.

-PLA

[AnArmyVeteran]

20. You will never see millions of people standing beside railroad tracks to see a dead leader's body.

You will never see millions of people standing beside railroad tracks to see a dead leader's body. When Bobby Kennedy's body was brought back home by train people stood beside the tracks all across America to show their respect for him. Never again will this country have a leader so admired, respected and loved. Bobby Kennedy wasn't owned by anyone. He would have made such a huge difference. That's why I feel Sirhan Sirhan was a paid assassin because Bobby Kennedy stood in the way of the military industrial complex and hundreds of billions of dollars to be made. I wonder if any honest, true leader can ever be elected again. It doesn't appear so because to get the money needed to compete you have to sell your soul, your integrity and your honesty to even be allowed in the exclusive club of candidates.

Bobby Kennedy was the first person who motivated and inspired me as a kid. And I remember that morning when my Mom came into tell me he had been shot and had died. I broke down feeling so much loss, not just because of my own feelings, but because our country lost the best hope we had at the time. There hasn't been another Bobby Kennedy since then and I never seeing anyone like him even being allowed to compete in the future. And if someone of his stature does run I'm sure they will experience the same fate Bobby did. The forces of evil are just too powerful.

[Steely_Dan]

21. I Completely Agree

RFK was (IMHO) a much more dynamic person than even his brother. I do not think that you overstate the importance of his loss.

My mother got me out of bed to watch RFK's speech just before he was killed. I'll never forget that night.

You are absolutely correct about the outpouring of grief expressed by the nation. I doubt that we will see that again.

-PLA

[Lydia Leftcoast]

42. I was in high school when RFK and MLK were assassinated

and I was a fairly naive high school student, a real conventional wisdom type.

It was over twenty years later, when I saw Eyes on the Prize II, that I realized what a huge negative turning point 1968 was for our country. I started sobbing, and for a couple of years, I couldn't talk about the program without choking up.

Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy had begun questioning the economic and military establishments. They had begun to stray outside the realm of acceptable political discourse. It can't be a coincidence that both were assassinated, two months apart, shortly after they had started denouncing the Vietnam War and the corporate system.

[Love Bug]

81. Yes. 1968 was a horrible year.

I was in Jr. High at the time and pretty unaware of politics but even I could tell something was not right. The Vietnam war, the assassinations, the riots, the election, etc., etc.

You're right -- it was a horrible, pivotal year.

[Citizen Worker]

90. Making Sense of the 60's is a documentary film that should seen by everyone.

In the film Martin Luther King, Jr., called for the coalescing of the civil rights, peace, and poor people's movements. When I heard that speech it became crystal clear to me why King had to be murdered. Since King's murder there has not been one effort made to rebuild the movement.

The film may be available through your local library.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

100. Even back then, when I heard that James Earl Ray, supposedly an ignorant

good ole boy, had been captured after arriving in London on a first-class ticket--in an era when the cheapest coach tickets cost the equivalent of $2500 today, I knew something was fishy.

There's also a documentary out (and I can't remember the name of it) that points out the oddities in the story of RFK's assassination, including the fact that many of the primary materials from the investigation were thrown out in the 1980s to "make room" for materials from other cases. Right, one of the most historic criminal cases the LAPD ever handled, and they throw out the primary evidence to make room for...what? The evidence for a gas station holdup? Oh yes, and the investigation was headed up by a certain Darryl Gates.

[Solomon]

76. I remember standing alongside the railroad tracks that ran

behind our community waiting for that train and then seeing it roll past. I was thirteen years old.

That was a terrible year. First Martin, the riots, and then Bobby.

[AnArmyVeteran]

85. That ripped my heart out. It still does when I see that film.

[Hawaii Hiker]

29. We also would have been spared

from William Reinquist...

[Enthusiast]

55. +1. This is most likely

the reason for Bobby Kennedy's death.

[druidqueen]

63. You said what I was thinking

I have a poster from JFK's campaign hanging in my home: Kennedy...Leadership for the 60's. ( I was 12 in 1960 when he ran) I sometimes sit and look at the poster and cry & wonder what would have been if he, RFK & MLK had not been killed.....I, too, have "Capitalism - a Love Story" & wept throughout (as well as "Sicko"). The rampant selfishness & "me" attitude so prevalent today in our country is making me sick...I don't know how much more I can take.....(I'm working on getting my Irish citizenship now.)

Everyone should also read James Douglass' book "JFK & The Unspeakable, Why He died & Why it Matters". I understand it's the first book of a trilogy. .. the other two books will be about RFK and MLK.

It seems numbness has taken over our country....as long as I can drive my SUV, drink my Dunkin DOnuts coffee....nothing else matters and fuck everyone else.

:scared:

[Steely_Dan]

72. I Feel A Kinship To So Many Others Now...

...for the first time.

It seems numbness has taken over our country....as long as I can drive my SUV, drink my Dunkin DOnuts coffee....nothing else matters and fuck everyone else.

I agree completely. We are so alien to what I thought it was to be human.

-PLA

[BrklynLiberal]

91. The repukes have succeeded in making greed, selfishness, and "I got mine, screw you" into a national

mantra.

It is sad, scary, frustrating, sickening and demoralizing.

It is amazing to see people out there screaming and demanding things that run against their own best interest.

The ultimate example is that pic of the old lady in the wheelchair, with breathing apparatus attached,
demanding that the government keep its hands off her medical care!!!!!!

[eilen]

12. I just watched it last night for the first time as well

My son and I both watched it together. This morning he asked me how the bank bailouts passed when the Congress voted against it.

One thing that struck me as I was watching it was the activism-- the group keeping people back in their homes that have been foreclosed and the workers at the window factory-- These are brave people who fought the system. The groups protesting on Wall Street also. Where was the Tea Partiers then? Why were these groups not given more support? Why were unions/Labor not given more support after this? That whole stupid speech given to Netroots-- it appears to me that the Left are actually the People-- and they have spoken.

FDR reminded me so much of my grandfather. I have a portrait of him drawn by my stepmother and had to run upstairs to look at it. My grandparents practically worshiped FDR. My grandmother was such and Eleanor! She literally had no prejudice. She didn't judge others. She could always see the other side -- which sometimes frustrated my father. My grandfather had one lame leg d/t polio and if it hadn't been for Dr. Salk, he would have died. He suffered quite a bit as he became older d/t post polio syndrome. They were very much about being thrifty, saving money and helping others. My grandfather, despite his disability, was a volunteer fireman. They donated blood, worked blood drives, worked on numerous fundraisers for the Elks and of course the Church. My grandmother worked as a village clerk basically running the village for many years. She had no affectations. They were true FDR Democrats.

Ironically, Nixon reminded me so much of my father. My dad had a heavy beard/5 oclock shadow and had a very low frustration threshold which was not improved by his propensity for drinking large quantities of Scotch. As typical of many alcoholics, he was quite self pitying, nothing was ever his fault and people were out to get him. When I was little and saw Nixon on tv , I thought it was my Dad. My Dad hated Nixon. He was more of a livingroom liberal --do as I say, not as I do. He and his father didn't get along well--actually my Dad didn't get along well with anyone. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Dad but he was also a very difficult person. I'm sure Dick Nixon's kids loved him too.

I also remember the Reagan years aka the punk rawk years. They should have played Dead Kennedys.

Anyway, the movie brought back a lot of memories. It sadly made me miss those heady days in November 2008, when I was so full of hope, thinking everything would change.

It made me want to check out what further Michael Moore had to say. The thing is, this movie like the magazine AdBusters pulls the curtain up on the corruption and flagrant manipulation but doesn't really offer any solutions. I know things are fucked up. Where the hell do we go from here? We have no power in Washington aside from the gamed votes and now with the Diebods, that is even debateable. People talk about whether a 3 rd party could even be viable but the Democrats and Republican parties are not about to let some newcomer in when they have a lock on so much power and money. Therein lies the dilemma, how to move things more people oriented (Left) when the current PTB seem to have reached a gentleman's agreement, fighting publicly to give the illusion of divergent philosophies and in the end the money people, the Citigroups, the Goldman Sachs', the Exxon's, the Wellpoints' all get what they want anyway.

So yeah, I felt very sad and pissed off after watching this.

[Steely_Dan]

14. Eilen...Thank You...

for such a personal story. So much of who we are, in our soul comes from what we experienced as children. I don't know exactly where I got this sense of being my brother's keeper...to look out for those who are not as fortunate as I have been. I'm sure that my parents played a huge role. It sounds as if your parents did a good job... we must embrace the nurturing side of ourselves. In the end...it really is all that matters.

-PLA

[defendandprotect]

32. We still have the power of the powerless . . . which is substantial--!!

And which is why the right wing is always so frightened --

the wealthier they get, the more frightened and paranoid they become.

And that's why they have to control every bit of information --

every bit of truth is like a pebble tossed at a mirror -- the myths immediately shatter!!

I'm not saying that rw propaganda doesn't work -- but I am saying we can wake people up!!

Vaclav Havel spoke quite knowingly about the "power of the powerless" - -

http://www.thepowerofthepowerless.org/film.htm

http://www.worldandi.com/specialreport/1990/March/Sa17844.htm

http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/165havel.html




We have to stop living the LIE that campaign financing isn't BRIBERY of candidates and our

elected officials!!

First, of course, Americans must unite --

Workers of the world, Unite!


The elite are united -- in every way possible -- up, down and sideways!!

[Enthusiast]

59. Nice post, defendandprotect.

You are so right. And especially so about controlling the information. This has become very clear in the past decade. They have now set their sights on crippling the internet's free flow of information. I fear our voice will again be ignored on Net Neutrality as with the Public Option and other issues.

[defendandprotect]

102. We have to keep getting louder -- more in their faces --

:)

[inna]

13. Wow. I watched that film for the very first time last Sunday, and I had the same reaction,

and I almost posted on DU about it, but then decided against it.

Big, huge K&R.

Will try to post more later, when I get home...

[Steely_Dan]

17. FDR - Economic Bill Of Rights

Franklin D. Roosevelt
“The Economic Bill of Rights”

Excerpt from 11 January 1944 message to Congress on the State of the Union

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.

This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.

[uncommon]

18. kick for solidarity

:)

[defendandprotect]

33. United Nations today passed a 'RIGHT TO WATER' .....

Indeed, if you're born onto this planet you have a natural right to happiness --

and the essentials to provide for it -- food, shelter, clothing, medical care, water --

And we have the right to be free from oppression -- that includes dictatorships --

and corporate dictatorships --


We have to stop pretending that campaign financing isn't BRIBERY and pre-OWNERSHIP of

our candidates and elected officials!!


:)

[Enthusiast]

60. Thank you, Dan of Steel.

FDR!

[Nay]

22. The film pretty much said it all, didn't it? Mr. Nay and I cried after

seeing it as well.

[Steely_Dan]

47. I Didn't Know If...

others would have the same reaction. I surprised myself at my reaction.

I fear I will be much harder to get along with on this board from now on.

[unapatriciated]

23. We have lost so much over the last 30 years.

There is no time left for tolerance and I will continue to stand up for what is morally right even at the risk of being branded a traitor by my fellow Democrats.
Lou Reed says it best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygNAnIG8g_E

This is no time for celebration
This is no time for shaking heads
This is no time for backslapping
This is no time for marching bands

This is no time for optimism
This is no time for endless thought
This is no time for my country right or wrong
Remember what that brought

There is no time
There is no time
There is no time
There is no time

This is no time for congratulations
This is no time to turn your back
This is no time for circumlocution
This is no time for learned speech

This is no time to count your blessings
This is no time for private gain
This is no time to put up or shut up
It won't no time to come back this way again

There is no time
There is no time
There is no time
There is no time

This is no time to swallow anger
This is no time to ignore hate
This is no time to be acting frivolous
Because the time is getting late

This is no time for private vendettas
This is no time to not know who you are
Self knowledge is a dangerous thing
The freedom of who you are

This is no time to ignore warnings
This is no time to clear the plate
Let's not be sorry after the fact
And let the past become out fate

There is no time
There is no time
There is no time
There is no time

This is no time to turn away and drink
Or smoke some vials of crack
This is a time to gather force
And take dead aim and attack

This is no time for celebration
This is no time for saluting flags
This is no time for inner searchings
The future is at head

This is no time for phony rhetoric
This is no time for political speech
This is a time for action
Because the future's within reach

As another passionate P L Anderson, I thank you and stand with you.

edited to add: I saw Capitalist when it first came out and had the same reaction. K&R

[Steely_Dan]

24. Perfect Song

Thanks PLA.

[defendandprotect]

30. We didn't exactly "lose" it -- it was taken by rw political violence over a 50 year

period -- quite out in the open -- and probably much more subverted violene

before that an afterwards --

Evidently, Americans are still sitting in front of the TVs waiting for someone to

acknowledge that reality for them!!! ????

[unapatriciated]

39. can't disagree

Many of us have been out there, but we do not hold the purse strings so we do not have a voice.

[defendandprotect]

43. If I understand what you're saying ... the BRIBERY doesn't work in our favor ????

[unapatriciated]

49. pretty much but they call it lobbying ;)

[snake in the grass]

25. Dear Paige,

I totally feel for you. Totally. I have two personal deficits that I am always struggling with. Sometimes they can come together and then I'm either very funny or very unpleasant, depending on the situation. They are arrogance and anger.

There are times, however, when these things can be useful, especially the anger. I'm sick of hearing the lies. It's not that I believe them, I don't. I never expected much from President Obama in the first place, except maybe that I'd be better able to distinguish him from a less rabid conservative. But the blatant attempt to sell me a bucket of shit as a bucket of gold simply insults me. It's a classic case of the party leaving me and not I leaving the party. It's just that simple. I see a big crowd gathered around Obama, cheering his every utterance, and behind him still stands the pile of rot he was given. Rendition? It's ok when a Democrat does it. Wiretapping? It's ok when a Democrat does it. Tolerance or even support of bigotry? It's ok when a Democrat does it. Perpetual war combined with corporate affinity? It's really alright when we do it.

Well, it's not. I won't preach to anyone by hitting them over the head with the morality stick; each must find his or her own path to enlightenment. For me, though, it is out of the question that I remain silent on the above issues. Especially if it's my party's leadership doing them, because that would make me complicit.

Crime and corruption are not ok. Even when a Democrat does it.

[Steely_Dan]

26. I Right There With You

I actually don't mind my RW friends. I know where they are coming from...So it doesn't surprise me when they do things that I completely disagree with. I know what to expect from them. What is difficult for me is when our own party does not adhere to the essential planks which have been long-held and have served us well. When that happens, I begin to feel like I've been put out to pasture. But no more. No more compromise. Period.

Thanks for your personal post.

-PLA

[snake in the grass]

44. No problem.

It was my pleasure.

Your OP is very important and cannot be said enough. If any real change for the better is to come about, it will be because of what the 'radical' left is offering, not in spite of it. I'm young enough to still have a dream for my life, but old enough to know that sitting around waiting for something to change doesn't cut it, especially when one considers the huge discrepancy between the words and the actions of the current administration. Nothing is carved in granite, not even parties, their affiliations, nor their constituents. I really see the Democratic Party moving to fill the conservative void left after the GOP imploded from three decades of flirting with insanity. This leaves a vacuum to the left that will eventually have to be filled. From now on I'm voting my conscience. My vote is no longer a tactical piece on the board and when someone wails about Palin 2012 as they soil themselves and seek to pin the blame on me, I'll remind them that I wasn't the one who changed. It's the price you pay when you dance with the devil.

Live long and prosper!

[Hydra]

27. I think that, more than anything, disturbs me the most

Does no one really have any principles?

What happened to that "inch" they speak about in "V for Vendetta"? Why is it that people are willing to give that away?

It's all we really have.

[Steely_Dan]

46. It Is What Disturbs...

me the most. How does one combat a society that has lost its principles?

[Hydra]

48. You can, actually

You have to define the ACTUAL principles it has in order to deconstruct it.

This mythical "Profit" comes to mind rather quickly as something our society is built on.

[Steely_Dan]

52. Easier Said Than Done n/t

[Hydra]

78. Oh, I agree

Not going to be easy. May not even be attempted. I'm waiting with my:

:popcorn:

It should be a great show, either way.

[defendandprotect]

34. "But the blatant attempt to sell me a bucket of shit as a bucket of gold simply insults me" --

There's a big effort here by some to ensure that we support the LIE of

accomplishments -- it's really important PR work -- !!

[OwnedByFerrets]

66. Or, especially when a democrat does it.

[phasma ex machina]

28. "Love surpasses all spiritual gifts."

A morning meditation led me to commentary about 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.

* God says love should be directed toward others (verses 1-3).

* God says love is patient and kind (verse 4).

* God says love is never jealous or envious (verse 4).

* God says love is never boastful or proud (verse 4).

* God says love is never rude (verse 5).

* God says love does not demand its own way (verse 5).

* God says love is not irritable or touchy, and it holds no grudges (verse 5).

* God says love rejoices in justice and truth (verse 6).

* God says love is loyal (verse 7).

1 Corinthians 13:11 contains one of my favorites.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.

That verse has been a favorite of mine ever since the character named Cereal Killer said it in a B movie named "Hackers."

:rofl:

[defendandprotect]

31. LOVE Michael Moore -- own the movie --

make sure it gets passed around and others watch it!!

:)

[Ishoutandscream2]

35. Beautifully written op. Thanks.

I am a big Moore fan, and I have to say that I believe "Capitalism" is his best movie.

[defendandprotect]

36. K&R . . . . and now evidently, Michael Moore is on the DU-enemies list???

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Let's see now . . . DU enemies list keeps getting longer --

Now that includes . . . .

Cindy Sheehan

Jane Hamsher

Code Pink

Huffington Post -- Arianna Huffington

Kucinich

Tom Hayden

Wm. Greider

Michael Moore

Oliver Stone

Anyone against Obama's pushing of these wars --

basically, anyone who expresses any dissatisfaction with Obama --

Pitiful --


And I think there is an icy acceptance of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow for that

matter!! Certainly Ed Schultz!!

How much longer will this list get before we realize that the list makers are headed in

the wrong direction?

[laughingliberal]

37. K & R

:cry:

[AsahinaKimi]

38. IS this Movie posted on Line anywhere???

I love Michael Moore's documentaries but I haven't seen this anywhere on line yet, so if you have a link, please post it, thanks!

[eilen]

40. I watched it as a "play it now" from Netflix

they offer 1st month free, you just have to remember to cancel it in time before you are charged for month 2.

[Ross K]

41. Rec #50

;-)

[Catherina]

45. Rec'd. Thank you. n/t

[ChoppinBroccoli]

50. My Favorite Line From That Movie

And I'm going from memory here, so forgive me if I'm a little bit off: "I no longer want to live in a country like this. And I'm not leaving."

[Steely_Dan]

51. Excellent quote...

Especially ...."I not leaving."

[Enthusiast]

53. K&R! nt

[midnight]

56. I was reading an article that had this info. in it:

• 61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.
• 66 percent of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1 percent of all Americans.
• Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.
• The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation's wealth.
• In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.
• More than 40 percent of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.
• Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/the-gop-plot-to-screw-the_b_662953.html

[G_j]

71. Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose

a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.


while The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation's wealth.

:-(

[SunsetDreams]

58. K&R Nice Post

:hug:

[DailyGrind51]

61. RFK was really America's greatest, but perhaps, last hope to return to the FDR legacy.

Carter was a good ethical president, but not strong enough for the task.

[OwnedByFerrets]

65. Its funny you should post these thoughts.....

although not quite as eloquent as you, I had the same epiphany not long ago. I will not take a back seat to the rabble who "call" themselves patriotic because of some misplaced urge to blow something up. I have never been ashamed to be a liberal, but over the last few years Ive become PROUD of it. And I will let NO man shake those convictions.
Bravo to a great post.

[Steely_Dan]

70. It Is Because Of...

people like you that I realize that I am not alone. I will fight...I will not cower.

-PLA

[OwnedByFerrets]

75. Ditto!

[bonnieS]

67. my mother

who is 90, gave her first vote to FDR and loved him, as did her own father, even tho he was flawed and often relied on Eleanor for his moral compass (my mother loves Eleanor to this day).

It is very hard not to get depressed at how this country has fallen. Whereas we used to be a beacon for all in terms of more than material opportunity (and even that light is dimming) we are now an object lessen in greed.

If we read Howard Zinn's History of the United States, we know we have always been on a slippery slope since our first genocide in order to get the country in the first place.

However, depression is OK as long as it is not permanent. There are a lot of this in this with you. As Jesse Jackson used to say (still says?):" Keep hope alive!"

[Steely_Dan]

73. I'm Beginning To...

do some research on Howard Zinn. He is new to me but not for long.

-PLA

[judesedit]

68. As in our election of Obama, we must get out to vote in huge numbers. Republicans will try to steal

every upcoming election, just as they have done in every election passed. Voting is voting. A very simple process. A piece of cake. Just be sure to have your ID with you. Vote by absentee ballot if possible. Republicans are trying to start a rumor stating the ballots are easily tampered with. Not true! Just read the directions and you'll be fine. Be sure to sign where it's specified. The real problem is the electronic voting apparatus that is still being used in this country and is so easily hacked it only takes 5 seconds to switch votes from one party to another, as demonstrated on television by Howard Dean. An alleged "Canadian" company has "purchased" the equipment used in OUR elections! Can you stomach that? I'm sure the company is still owned by Blackwell/Republican/Ohio (remember him?). He just changed the company name, put his crony's name on the paperwork and outsourced any jobs involved. I'd bet on it. Sounds a lot like Halliburton, doesn't it?
Smells like it, too.

Teach your friends, take them to the polls, help them order their absentee ballots online, and hang around and WATCH everything that is going on at your polling center. Let someone know as soon as you see something funny. Preferably someone at the campaign office. Coming out in droves is the only way to defeat organized crime. And that is exactly what the GOP is. If you don't want to lose everything we've recovered so far after the republicans literally nearly annihilated this country, YOU MUST VOTE! And vote for the best darn democrat on your ticket. Help them to get out their campaign messages NOW so other people are aware of the beneficial aspects of their agendas, too. Teach your family and friends how to use the websites that will teach them about the new Health Care Law, use whitehouse.gov so they know what progress this administration has REALLY made and show them factcheck.org so they can research the facts for themselves. The dems are 10 times more for the middle class worker and minorities in this country than the alternative choices. The republicans are for themselves, the upper 1 or 2% that hold at least 50% of the nation's wealth, the corporations, big banks and did I say "themselves"? They want to do away with everything we hold dear. And we CANNOT let them do that! Not now...not EVER again! DEMOCRATS VOTE! AND VOTE DEMOCRAT! Let's move FORWARD, PLEASE. For our children's and grandchildren's futures are at stake!

[Yavin4]

69. It's Not About Capitalism. It's About Race.

Up until the passage of the Civil and Voting Rights Acts in the late 1960s, this country had a strong left of center pull to it. We were heavily unionized. We wanted big government solutions to problems. Just look at the domestic agendas for Eisenhower and Nixon. They were more left of center than Obama.

Following the Great Depression and WWII, we built a society around the middle class, but that changed dramatically because the benefits had to shared equally with non-White males. The uber capitalists that saw the upcoming schism in the FDR coaltion between Southern Whites and Northern White ethnic groups and African Americans looking to equal the economic playing field took advantage of it by pushing their agenda. See Nixon's Southern Strategy.

Reagan was the perfect embodiment of this strategy. He was someone that Southern Whites and Northern White ethnic groups would identify with while all the while he was pushing an anti-union, anti-government, pro-uber capitalist policies. In the end, Southern Whites and Northern White ethnic groups paid for their racism with the loss of their industrial base and millions of jobs that went overseas.

The primary reason why we're not more like Europe is because we vote based on our racial differences instead of what's in our best economic interests. By no means is Europe a color-blind racial utopia, but their people are not stupid enough to vote against national healthcare just because some non-Whites will get the same benefits as Whites.

[myrna minx]

74. Thank you for posting this essay.

This thread has been quite cathartic.

[ElectricLightDem]

77. First Time

I'd just like to say that after literally YEARS of lurking on DU, this post has finally given inspiration to register and participate.

So, Dan, thanks for the post. I was reading in the thread that they felt this downward spiral began with the assassinations of the Kennedy's and MLK. I agree that these events were major, if not primary, contributors to the morass the U.S. is suffering through right now. However, I would like to add that the systemic marginalization of worker's unions should not be overlooked. This has taken away the working class' voice and made it that much harder to articulate our positions. I say, bring back (at least some) power to the unions and bring back the draft. This would cause the political discourse in this country to take a drastic turn.

[Steely_Dan]

83. Your Post...

means a great deal to me ELD. I am a simple man. However, if you have found inspiration in the unbroken chain between those that have inspired me, then to you, there must be hope.

It no longer matters to me if it is too late. What matters is that I live my life without compromise to the sterile inhumanity that has gripped our country.

Let the truth be told, though the heavens fall.

-P

[BrklynLiberal]

89. Well said...and welcome to DU Electric LightDem

[Tailormyst]

79. I saw it last month and had the same reaction

I just don't know how any of it is going to get fixed now. I have a feeling we are past the point of no return. My housemates and I are doing all we can to try and make our little spec of earth as self sufficient and locally purchased as possible.

[catzies]

80. I felt exactly the same way seeing it in the theatre when it came out

I was depressed for a week.

Paige Anderson, I salute you for being a compassionate, impassioned American.

:patriot:

Catherine Smith , American.

[Steely_Dan]

84. Catherine...

Thank you for your own courage. Thank you for not being afraid to stand up to identify yourself as an "individual" willing to carry the banner for the common good.

-PLA

[archiemo]

82. I understand your feelings of sadness and anger that this movie evoked.

I felt the same way after watching this movie and really came to realize how much animosity I really feel for Republicans and those that have flamed the fires against the middle class.

[BrklynLiberal]

87. Superb post...and you have captured the seething cauldron of emotions that we are all feeling.

Angry/Sad/Angry/Sad/Angry/Sad

It is exhausting and disheartening...and yet one does not want to simply shrug one's shoulders and walk away.


We have been warned by many others..in addition to Carter. Even some Republicans have warned us...Eisenhower among them.
in 1961 he gave a speech....

<snip>
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
I heard that he wanted to include "corporate" in his warning as well, to make an evil triumvirate, but was talked out of of it.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

<snip>

http://www.h-net.org/~hst306/documents/indust.html

I think this country was thrust into the international spotlight and role of "Leader of the Free World" after WWII...and there were those who thought of it as an opportunity for private and personal gain, rather than a chance to make the world a better place. I believe that those were the same people who were trying to over throw FDR, and to whom Gen Smedley referred in his discussion of the corporate pigs that were feeding at the taxpayers' trough.

Ironically, those same pigs are still at that same trough.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I share your anger and your disappointment in what might have been....

You have said it all very well.

Thank you.
:fistbump: :yourock:

[BrklynLiberal]

88. video of Ike's speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06NSBBRtY

[BlueJac]

92. That movie got to me as well....

I feel we are lost now and can't find our way because to many people have drank the koolaid.


The changes we were promised was some pipe dream and grand marketing scheme played out for the American people. Things get worse everyday. I feel my grip slipping to hang on to what once was.

Steely_Dan you give me some kind of hope, I just wish the numbers were greater.

[MissDeeds]

94. I'm right there with you, Steely_Dan

My heart breaks for our country. I would add to what you said, but you said it all, and beautifully. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and in the process, giving us all a reality check.

Kicked, Recommended, and Bookmarked

:hug:

[jwirr]

95. I was 4 years old sitting on my mothers lap as she listened to the

funeral procession on the radio and cried. It is my first historical memory. Your OP is beautiful and a petition that I would gladly sign onto. Thank you. Now I want to watch the movie with my family and let them see why I love FDR so much.

[sabrina 1]

96. Beautifully stated

This is how I reacted to the movie also:

I openly wept for 20 minutes at the end of the movie. I'm not even sure why.

The audience was silent when the movie ended. But people were wiping their eyes.

Michael Moore is a man of the people. A good man, like you.

Thank you for an inspiring OP.

K&R

[Greyhound]

97. Careful, seeing the consequences of our actions can lead to unhappiness and mistrust

in our "leaders", and that can adverse effects on everything from your career to your very health.
:toast::thumbsup:
:kick: & R

[riverbendviewgal]

98. I feel your frustration

I loved Capitalism: A love Story. It made me so angry at the greed that exists in America.

I am now looking down south at you all from Canada. I was born in the USA and came to Canada 41 years ago. as a refugee.

I am now a Canadian citizen and proud of it and am very thankful.

My brother calls me a traitor and hates Obama. He says I live in a Commie, socialist country and feels he should not have to pay for anyone else's health care. He hates all immigrants and calls them all illegal.

His daughter works for a international military industrial corporation, making 6 figures. She says she feels that she should not have to pay for anyone else's health insurance. She knows that is not emphatic but actually said she does not care.

They constantly complain about taxes and Obama. They blame EVERYTHING on Obama. I know the problem there is that he is Black.

I'm rooting for you good guys down there but now have turned my interests to my own country and am going to make sure that Harper is not re-elected. He is a Bush boy. His party wanted the same bank system as America...All sane Canadians said no thanks. We saved ourselves.
My son and husband fought the good fight against Cancer. They had the best treatments in the world and it cost us nothing. I live in a caring sane country.

[Rhiannon12866]

99. I finally saw it just a few weeks ago...

And I share your feelings about what might have been and what we have become. Brilliant and affecting... I did not know about FDR's Bill of Rights, either, but what a vision! As for Jimmy Carter, he has always been one of my heroes. What I took away was that everyone needs to see this, but, sadly, most won't. ;( :pals:

[TheKentuckian]

101. I wish I could rec your wonderful thread and that I could talk about right now but I can't on either

God bless you and I hope that doesn't offend.

[Ramulux]

103. That FDR clip

is extremely powerful. His 2nd bill of rights, is basically the liberal manifesto and when I think about many modern day democrats and compare their beliefs with those of FDR it makes me sad to see how radically the party has changed.