A tone deaf Obama Administration has not only redecorated the Oval Office during a deepening recession but Michelle Obama's recent spending spree in Spain leaves her wide open for rightful ridicule and parody: Allen L Roland
Let them eat cake ~ the origins of many English phrases are unknown. Nevertheless, many people would say that they know the source of this one. It is widely attributed to Marie-Antoinette (1755-93), the Queen consort of Louis XVI. She is supposed to have said this when she was told that the French populace had no bread to eat.
In that regard, here is a satirical thank you note from Michelle Obama to the American taxpayer ~ courtesy of Patriot Post Humor.
http://media.patriotpost.us/humor/2010-09-07.html
Dear America,
" For only the second time in my adult life, I am not ashamed of my country.
I want to thank the hard working American people for paying $242,000 (plus a few hundred thou in additional expenses) for my vacation in Spain. My daughter Sasha, several long-time family friends, my personal staff and various guests had a wonderful time. Honestly, you just haven't lived until you have stayed in a $2,500.00 per night suite at a 5-Star luxury hotel. We only booked 70 rooms for our friends, staff and family. Thank you also for the use of Air Force 2 and the 70 Secret Service personnel who tagged along to be sure we were safe and cared for at all times ~ with our 13-vehicle convoy.
Air Force 2 only used 47,500 gallons of jet fuel for this trip and carbon emissions were a mere 1,031 tons of CO2. It costs only $11,500 per hour to operate Air Force 2 and each additional plane for the other members of our party group. These are only rough estimates, but they are close (who's counting?). That's quite a carbon footprint as my good friend Al Gore would say, so we must ask the American citizens to drive smaller, more fuel efficient cars and drive less too, so we can lessen our combined carbon footprint.
I know times are hard and millions of you are struggling to put food on the table and trying to make ends meet. I do appreciate your sacrifice and do hope you find work soon. I was really exhausted after Barack took our family on a luxury vacation in Maine a few weeks ago. I just had to get away for a few days. Will write more from Martha's Vineyard where we will spend our sixth vacation this year with more of our family and friends. "
With Gratitude,
Michelle Obama
It was Theodore Roethke who once wrote ~
" In a dark time, the eye begins to see "
Allen L Roland
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/michelle-antoinette-obama-let-them-eat.html
This weblog is sustained through donations from people like yourself. Please send check or Money Order to Allen L. Roland, PO Box 1221, Sonoma,CA 95476 Also accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover .
Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and psychotherapist Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private consultations ( allen@allenroland.com )
Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net
ONLY THE TRUTH IS REVOLUTIONARY
ELENA KAGAN IS OBAMA'S HARRIET MIERS
Elena Kagan, Obama's Supreme Court Nominee
Remember the shock when George W Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court ~ a Bush loyalist with virtually no legal opinions. Now think Elena Kagan ~ an Obama loyalist with virtually no legal opinions but old ties with Goldman Sachs and a big advocate of executive power: Allen L Roland
Why would George W Bush nominate a blank legal page to the Supreme Court like Harriet Miers ? Because Bush needed to count on the ultimate legal protection of the Supreme Court and he knew his loyalist, Harriet Miers, would provide that protection against his executive abuses of power ~ like indefinite detention without trial of seemingly illegally renditioned Muslims.
Why would Barack Obama nominate a blank legal page to the Supreme court like Elena Kagan? Because Obama needs to count on the ultimate legal protection of the Supreme Court and he knows his loyalist, Elena Kagan, would provide protection against his inherited executive abuses of power from the Cheney/Bush administration ~ like indefinite detention without a trial of those same illegally renditioned Muslims.
During her hearings to be confirmed as Solicitor General, the New York Times paraphrases Kagan as saying "that someone suspected of helping finance Al Qaeda should be subject to battlefield law ~ indefinite detention without a trial ~ even if he were captured in a place like the Philippines rather than a physical battle zone." --Charlie Savage, Obama's War on Terror May Resemble Bush's in Some Areas, The New York Times, 17 Feb 2009. (Wikipedia).
The Times' Charlie Savage explains that executive power is one key area where Obama's choice could bring about major changes to the Court, given that his selection would replace Justice Stevens, who was so stalwart about imposing limits on such power. As Savage writes, Kagan's record (to the extent such a thing even exists) "suggests she might generally be more sympathetic toward the White House than Justice Stevens."
Sound familiar ? It should be for in Washington, DC it's all about corporate power and the preservation of executive power as well as any means toward that end ~ as Justice Elena Kagan most certainly would accomplish.
Glenn Greenwald writes in Salon THE CASE AGAINST ELENA KAGAN, 4/13/10 " The prospect that Stevens will be replaced by Elena Kagan has led to the growing perception that Barack Obama will actually take a Supreme Court dominated by Justices Scalia (Reagan), Thomas (Bush 41), Roberts (Bush 43), Alito (Bush 43) and Kennedy (Reagan) and move it further to the Right .... replacing Stevens with Kagan risks moving the Court to the Right, perhaps substantially to the Right (by "the Right," I mean: closer to the Bush/Cheney vision of Government and the Thomas/Scalia approach to executive power and law)."
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/13/kagan/index.html
And as AlterNet's Marjorie Cohn points out today ~ " While Bush was shredding the Constitution with his unprecedented assertions of executive power, law professors throughout the country voiced strong objections. Kagan remained silent "
http://www.alternet.org/story/146794/obama%27s_supreme_court_nominee_elena_kagan_will_move_the_court_to_the_right
Kagan needs to be questioned in depth about the limits of executive power in light of the decade of known abuses of that same executive power by the Cheney/Bush administration ~ and obviously still condoned by the Obama administration.
In summary, the Kagan nomination appears to be another Obama sell out to the right as well as another slap in the face for liberals, who wanted Diane Wood, but, in reality, they were thrown under the Obama bus a long time ago.
Allen L Roland
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/elena-kagan-is-obamas-harriet-miers.html
This weblog is sustained through donations from people like yourself. Please send check or Money Order to Allen L. Roland, PO Box 1221, Sonoma,CA 95476 Also accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover ~ call (707) 935-1908.
Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and psychotherapist Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private consultations ( allen@allenroland.com )
Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net
ONLY THE TRUTH IS REVOLUTIONARY
