Monday, January 16, 2012

Sorry about the light posting...

Personal issues. Not sure when I'll return.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nothing serious, I trust...

Ben Franklin

BTW; British arrogance is alive and well. Craig Murray;
you're not the man we thought you were.

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2012/01/american-killers/

Alessandro Machi said...

For those concerned about how the banks are stealing homes, you can get involved by signing protest petitions at Change dot org.

Banks regularly practice parallel foreclosure. While accepting homeowners into government sponsored mortgage programs, they simultaneously foreclose on a person's home, then resell it, even if the homeowner was complying with terms of the government program!

If you decide to sign the protest petitions, don't feel obligated to list your real address, zip code or local city, list a fake one. However, you should probably use a real name and real email address.

Check this out, kind of unbelievable if you ask me. HSI Trust still collecting signatures for Rachel Kendalls Foreclosure

Mr. Mike said...

Re: Alessandro Machi @ 12:09 AM.

If Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are not against this they are for it, on orders from their Wall Street masters.

Rather that the thinly disguised health insurance company bail out the House should have been holding hearings on why the financial meltdown happed, who was responsible, and seeing to it they were prosecuted. Instead we got Pelosi turning a blind eye just as she did with her refusal to look into how Bush was able to invade Iraq.

Anonymous said...

Good luck in dealing with whatever issues.

Harry

Anonymous said...

I hope everything in real life goes OK and you are back soon.

Alessandro Machi said...

Mr. Mike, I assume that Change dot org might have some connection to Obama or Move on dot org.

What I find ironic is that Change dot org kind of proves that Obama probably could have done more good spearheading this group than being president.

Either way, parallel foreclosure is wrong and helping homeowners fight back against the bank is a good thing.

Anonymous said...

so it's when and not if or when...

Joseph Cannon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joseph Cannon said...

Well, to be frank, if I come back, I'll be "shopping" for a new audience. Most of the readers I have now seem to want me to become a Ron Paulie. Paulism is the "thing" now, just as Obamaism was the "thing" back in 2008.

Naturally, then as now, my job is to be Mr. Contrary.

So if this site is to continue, it may be rebranded purely in terms of strict anti-libertarianism. Take it or leave it!

Anonymous said...

nothing wrong with that is there?

Jerome said...

I'll take it, and gladly.

Gus said...

Sounds like a plan to me Joseph. Personally, I come here precisely because of your contrary nature. There are things Ron Paul supports that I do to, and that Liberals are supposed to support as well, but I can't vote for any Libertarian for any reason, just so we're clear (I support Democracy, not anarchy, after all). I just wish some of those things were supported more by so-called Liberal politicians (and, heck, even citizens) than just Kucinich and a couple other marginal Dems. I suppose though, that is the USA we find ourselves in......leaning so far to the right that Liberals have to become righties to seem like they are centrists. Anyway, hope you come back soon and that your real world problems get resolved.

Anonymous said...

Keep doing your thing Joseph. I enjoy your critical thinking on the many topics you broach, especially objections to libertarianism and President Obama. I may not comment much but know that you have a big fan over here. And to leave on as farcical a note as Ron Paul, Bobbabooie 20012.

JSDuder

Twilight said...

I hope your personal issues recede rapidly, Joseph.

Come back any way at all - except anti-left. ;-)

Anonymous said...

There is a similar swoon for Paul In the UK. Amazing, the misunderstandings about our politics and even the character of the American People. Craig Murray just as ignorant.

Ben Franklin

Seth Warren said...

So if this site is to continue, it may be rebranded purely in terms of strict anti-libertarianism. Take it or leave it!

I'll take it!

Honestly, I can not understand how people can pick the one or two issues that they agree with regarding Ron Paul while ignoring the cumulative insanity of the bulk of his positions.

Anonymous said...

Going strictly anti-libertarianism wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit. Personally, I'm sick to death of hearing about Ron Paul and his 'few good things.' Picked up a vid today where Paul claimed the Transportation Dept, could be reduced 1 guy and a computer.

Really?

Hope you're back on the air soon in whatever configuration.

Peggy Sue

Rich said...

Anti-libertarian forces need some unifying themes -- one part neo-New Deal, one part anti-corporado and maybe one part Catholic Worker. A little Michael Harrington, mixed with Russ Feingold and Abbie Hoffman.

Joseph Cannon said...

That's what I'm looking for, Rich -- some suggestions as to the direction.

Also, being a graphics guy, I'm thinking of a site revamp. Maybe a new name. For the past couple of years, I've been toying with the idea of a blog that looks the way a blog might have looked if there were blogs in the 19th century. But now...perhaps a change.

raunchydog said...

Propaganda posters are ripe for satire. An idea for your metamorphosed return: http://www.commiesutra.com/wp-content/images/fascism.jpg
Hurry home. I miss you.

Hoarseface said...

I find it amusing how many comments there are here, when compared to how many there have been on your recent run-of-the-mill posts.

As a long-time reader, I understand your desire for a change of direction and/or readership. An old drug dealer of mine used to briefly shut down every 6-9 months just to rid himself of the riff-raff, then resume & retain only the good, discreet clients. Maybe the same principle would work for you (I bet M. Yglesias took an immediate readership hit when he moved from ThinkProgress to Slate).

I have no problem with an anti-Libertarian focus - not that you'd give a shit even if I did, and that's part of why I keep visiting. My only advice would be to focus more on libertarian policy initiatives and their intellectual bankruptcy rather than libertarian label itself.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you keep posting, and post things that make YOU happy - and to hell with the readership. Please yourself first; the rest will follow (or won't, but clearly, that's not a concern). As long as the posts keep coming, I'll keep reading - for reasons I can't easily articulate (habit?), I still read Xymphora, and s/he has barely written a sentence worth reading in years... so you'll have to try pretty hard to alienate me to the point of indifference.

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

On a completely separate note, I've found myself wondering recently if we're in the midst of a seismic shift in the dominant political philosophy. The way I understand it, Republicans were dominant in the first 30 years of so of the 20th century; Then the Depression, FDR & the New Deal ushered in a roughly 30-40 year span of Democratic dominance. In the late 70's/early 80's, the Republican worldview became the dominant force in American politics again. I wonder if we're seeing the twilight of that dominance, and an ascendency of a new era of progressive/liberal/democratic political dominance.

Just an random thought, but the winds seem to be shifting. While I'd broadly agree on the readiness of the right/libertarian movement to grasp opportunities presented by an immediate crisis, I wonder if that's more on the downswing instead of the up. Even if my sense is correct, there's years to go yet before it could become entrenched and resilient enough to resist those impulses.

katiebird said...

I would LOVE it if you focused on anti-liberatarianism. It seems like this is a big-important issue. And anti Paul-ism. I'm all for it. Kansas (where I live) has always teetered toward it. And I could use all the resources to fight it that I can get my hands on. Or eyes. Whatever.