Today's Tl; Dr

It's from Salon, & is a hearty "fuck you" to David Brooks & his inspiration, Irving Kristol, the subject of yesterday's tl; dr, also from Salon. Coincidence, or an organized liberal attempt to suppress free speechpoint out what a piece of fascist shit Papa Kristol was?

In the 1970s corporate America began a conscious and well-funded effort to roll back the gains of the 1960s, undermine labor unions, beat back business regulations and slash taxes, and Kristol was at the heart of it. The former liberal attacked foundations for funding anti-corporate groups, and urged them to invest in their own think tanks and interest groups. "When you give away your stockholders' money, your philanthropy must serve the longer-term interests of the corporation. Corporate philanthropy should not be, and cannot be, disinterested." That doesn't sound terribly public-spirited to me.

Walsh's piece was inspired by shit spewed in today's NYT by professional lick-spittle & full-time toadie David Brooks.

Brooks quotes Kristol on the loss of true "public spiritedness," which Kristol defined as "curbing one's passions and moderating one's opinions in order to achieve a large consensus that will ensure domestic tranquility." Both men seem to hark back to a golden age when political and opinion leaders tried to balance the competing interests of different groups -- labor and business, and the wealthy and the struggling, mainly -- and in fact, there actually was an era like that. But Kristol played a central role in halting it, in rewriting that notion of public spiritedness and laying the intellectual foundations for the bitter class warfare -- the haves attacking the have-nots -- that over the last 30 years brought us the neo-Gilded Age economy we have now.

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As always in the GOP universe, it seems the only people who should practice self-restraint are unions, working people and low-income families who depend on social services. The most glaring solipsism evident today is Brooks' own.

We anxiously await Mr. Brooks' reply. C'mon, you little chickenshit. please explain how it's all greedy poor people ruining everything.

Personal note: As we get to the stage in life where we could probably do a few yrs. in some prison, & might even be relieved to do so (WE'VE BEEN IN A PRISON ALL OUR LIFE! WHAT DIFFERENCE COULD IT POSSIBLY MAKE NOW?) we wonder who would be most deserving of a life-lesson from the Big Malig. Brooks, who desires so much violence be done to others, but is the dictionary definition of a simpering creep, w/ his weak little smile, crummy teeth & glasses (Gee, can anyone imagine why he's such a kiss-ass?) often seems like an especially deserving target, doesn't he?

And if Irving Kristol weren't dead now, he'd be another candidate. Perhaps the sins of the father can be paid by the son.