Depart

Do a proper shutdown; go away and leave us alone.

We know you're keeping your pay coming. That's OK.

DEPART, I SAY, AND LET US HAVE DONE WITH YOU.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, GO!."

Oliver Cromwell


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Congressman Cramer, Marie Antoinette, and Lenin... and Patrick Henry

Raw Story:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/21/republican-congressman-tells-constituent-asking-about-food-stamp-cuts-let-him-not-eat/

A Facebook question from a Bismark, North Dakota resident to his congressman started off rockily yesterday, when the congressman dismissed a religious argument opposed to cuts in the federal food stamp program with a religious quote.

“2 Thessalonians 3:10 English Standard Version (ESV) 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat,” Congressman Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) posted in reply Friday afternoon to an inquiry from Kevin Tengesdal, a Bismark-based actor and activist.

House Republicans narrowly passed deep cuts to the food stamp program Thursday, despite opposition from the Senate and a veto threat from President Obama. In a op-ed published on his office webpage Friday, Cramer railed against exemptions to the work requirement for food stamps, arguing that “We can generate $20 billion in savings by ending these waivers while encouraging able-bodied people to work … When did America become a country where working for benefits is no longer noble?”

The quote Cramer used in reply to Tengesdal is an admonition against Christians failing to plant seed and harvest food because anticipation of the imminent return of Christ might seemingly make that toil unnecessary...

Marie Antionette, who was actually quite a fine Austrian lady, allowed that under circumstances of malnourishment or under-nourishment, the poor who had no bread, could eat cake instead, or brioches, if you will. A brioche is more like a roll than a creamy, rich cake.

St. Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians might be written with the obvious meaning that the Second Coming is very soon, and "toil is unnecessary", thus reminding us of the lilies of the field, or it might be a bit more like a parable, and mean that he who does not prepare himself spiritually for the Second Coming will miss out.

In either case, the spirit of Mr. Cramer's quote is closer to Lenin:
http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1918/may/22b.htm

On The Famine
A Letter To The Workers Of Petrograd
22 May, 1918

“He who does not work, neither shall he eat”—how is this to be put into effect? It is as clear as daylight that in order to put it into effect we require, first, a state grain monopoly, i.e., the absolute prohibition of all private trade in grain, the compulsory delivery of all surplus grain to the state at a fixed price, the absolute prohibition of all hoarding and concealment of surplus grain, no matter by whom.

Secondly, we require the strictest registration of all grain surpluses, faultless organisation of the transportation of grain from places of abundance to places of shortage, and the building up of reserves for consumption, for processing, and for seed.

Thirdly, we require a just and proper distribution of bread, controlled by the workers’ state, the proletarian state, among all the citizens of the state, a distribution which will permit of no privileges and advantages for the rich.

I think the spirit is much closer to Mr. Cramer. The words seem different; sort of which whom do we attack? the rich or the poor?
If that is the case, then the spirit is the same, that is, an attack against some group, and it is merely the target of the mean-spirited attack which is different.
(As I write this, I stop and wonder just how clearly we truly understand the statements we make: all those "truths" of politics and life and religion we hold so dear... do we understand them as through a darkling mirror?
For, indeed, the words of Thessalonians are unclear to me, for those who "eat" but do not work are called "busybodies", and there is no indication that there is a subsidy of bread to them, nor that they beg for food. St. Paul seems to be talking about something quite apart from our daily squabbles.)

Nonetheless, the use of St. Paul to back up a dubious political stand is atrocious. Let every saint denounce those religious carpet-baggers who seek to confound us with inspired words squeezed dry of every last drop of spirituality!

In summation, we paraphrase Patrick Henry

""Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, France's Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, had their Revolution, and the Republican House Majority...

  — [at this point, "Treason!" cried the Speaker of the House] —

... may profit by their example. 

If this be treason, make the most of it."

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The Rump Congress

In 1653, Oliver Cromwell addresses the Rump Parliament,  

"YOU HAVE BEEN SAT TO LONG HERE FOR ANY GOOD YOU HAVE BEEN DOING.

DEPART, I SAY, AND LET US HAVE DONE WITH YOU.

IN THE NAME OF GOD, GO!."

The "Rump" Congress has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act 41 times.

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Cutting Ourselves

The nation's financial problems are not over.
The recent Fed decision to not taper its quantitative easing demonstrates to me that this is an economy that has gotten so used to artificial supports, that it can barely function on its own anymore. Oh, it does go through the motions, quarterly reports, shareholders meetings, lots of sounds and furious effort, but I think it is becoming clear that the overall financial edifice cannot function.

The financial reform accomplished little and not enough. Intelligent minds call out for the job to be finished, but the will is gone.

Congress can, however, find the will to shut down government.

What kind of a government is it that can only harm itself? Cut itself? Suicide itself back to nothingness?

We do not deserve this House of Representatives.

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All The Clowns Aren't In The Rodeo

http://news.yahoo.com/-texas-congressman-invites-%E2%80%98obama-rodeo-clowns%E2%80%99-to-perform-in-his-state--010041307.html

A House Republican has decided to stoke the fires of a recent controversy by inviting the rodeo clown who wore a mask of President Barack Obama to appear in his state.

The Missouri State Fair drew heavy criticism recently for its decision to feature a rodeo clown wearing a President Obama mask. What really seemed to upset people was the crowd reaction to the Obama rodeo clown, as he encouraged a bull to chase him.

The strong reaction prompted the state fair to ban the Obama mask-wearing clown from future events.

However in a statement released Wednesday, Texas Republican Steve Stockman said, any rodeo in his state would be proud to have the banned clown perform.

“Liberals want to bronco bust dissent. But Texans value speech, even if its speech they don’t agree with,” Stockman said. “From Molly Ivins to Louie Gohmert and every opinion between, Texans value free and open political speech."

"I’m sure any rodeo in Texas would be proud to have performers,” he said.

A White House spokesman who hails from the state weighed in on Wednesday too, saying the mask-wearing rodeo act tarnished the reputation of Missouri.
"I can tell you, as a native Missourian, it's certainly not one of the finer moments for our state and not the way that I like to see our state mentioned in the news," Deputy White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
The Missouri State Fair has not released the name of the clown who wore the Obama mask. So, it’s remains unclear if he was attempting to make a disrespectful political statement about the president, or was simply going with an easy approach to working up the rodeo crowd.
On his congressional website, Stockman evoked liberal organizer Saul Alinsky in an attempt to tie the rodeo clown ban directly to Obama.
“The liberal reaction is straight out of Alinsky,” Stockman said in a statement. “They want to crush dissent by isolating and polarizing anyone who questions Obama, even if it’s a rodeo clown with a harmless gag."

"No one tried to personally destroy the rodeo clown who wore a George H.W. Bush mask,” he said.

(1) Why must we be subjected to these fools?

(2) A rodeo clown wore a George Bush mask?

(3) Isn't Saul Alinksy passed on a long time ago? Where did he come from? Too many people reading too many cheap politicized quasi-histories, I guess.

(4) At least being a  rodeo clown is an honorable profession......... not at all like being a Congressman.

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Caligula and Congress

 Caligula

Let's see..., sequestration treats everyone the same and swings a broad sword, which cuts things indiscriminately.
In essence, it is as if everyone's problems are the same, and everyone can bear to lose equal amounts; everyone will be treated the exact same way, even though not everyone may have benefited previously. That is, various segments received great doses of money before, and they will be cut by the same percentage as folks who received little or nothing.

So, where in the history of Rome are we with all this?

Caligula once was heard to say, "Utinam populus Romanus unam cervicem haberet!" 
Or, "O, that all the people of Rome had only one neck!"
The idea here was one neck would be easier to strike off the Roman shoulders than thousands of necks and their top-heavy appurtenances called brain cases.

Would that the American People had but one head, so that we could give all of their benefits a buzzcut right now!

Buzzcut

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