Amanda Reiman writes about the tragic story of Michael Saffioti, the Lynnwood man who died in a Snohomish jail for doing something that will now finally be legal on Thursday.
Can’t Bring Yourself to Type the Word “Ass”?
Eager to share our brilliant political commentary and blunt media criticism, but too genteel to link to horsesass.org? Well, good news, ladies: we also answer to HASeattle.com, because, you know, whatever. You're welcome!
When companies like CCA “think of the children” they’re looking at ways to create a revenue stream, and nothing else.
Corporations see potential dollars and increasing market share, (social influence) in every undertaking they make. With CCA, they insist on using privately owned (unelected) legislation generation committees stocked with their privately employed (unelected) lawyers to push and manipulate State Legislatures for ever increasing sentences for minor crimes, pushing for the manufacturing of new criminal classifications, pushing for the manufacturing of new crimes out of thin air, pushing for the privatization of law enforcement and incarceration facilities, even pushing for the privatization of the court system, all in the name of increasing profit and control of the message machine. As an example, Blackwater campaigned and lobbied State legislatures for years for changes in the law to allow private companies to conduct drug enforcement raids and public school sweeps for illicit materials and weapons. CCA has already conducted such raids, under contract with local law enforcement. They have conducted sweeps of public schools under the color of authority from the local law enforcement organizations. They contract with local school districts and law enforcement organizations to oversee drug testing, as they also own the laboratories that do such testing. They also own the companies that contract for the screening and training of law Enforcement personnel, and control how that training is conducted. More than half the States contract the hiring and training of Police officers out to these companies.
If a legislator doesn’t play the game and bow to their demands, they promise to support candidates that will, and they do this openly and without any qualms whatsoever about manipulating the legislative process for their own ends. They have the funding and the means to do so, having the support of the largest media corporations who openly promote the idea in the public information arena. The “Tea Party” is a primary aspect of this, and their main product promoter for these ideas.
When these people talk about “starving the beast” and reducing government to the size where they can drown it in a bathtub, it is the Republic itself that is that beast they are speaking about. They cannot do business when there is a citizens government that has the power to tell them no.
They say this, openly. Their business is founded on the elimination of public interest and control of the law. They consider it politically and financially necessary to take the citizens influence and control of the law out of the equation.
@1 Well said
re 1: We live in an age of PR and Progressives continue to get better and better at branding and rebranding messages.
Instead of a fruitless effort to rebrand the drown it in the bathtub brand of conservative, better to rebrand them as the Marxists who intend to take over the government in the name of the people (corporations are, after all, people, aren’t they?); and, after a protracted dictatorship of the people, make the state wither away.
Simply put: It’s the people who want to shrink the government who are the communists. In addition, this sort of view plays into the way Tea Bagger types like to twist things around.
re 3 — Just look at how many former Trotskyites are Neo-Cons now.
@4
Yep, that’s a very important point. Conservatism today is far more about social control than it has historically been.
CCA had nothing to do with the start of the Drug War. Sure they have taken advantage of it and CCA was not mentioned in the story. This was all done by the government and government employees The government run by both Republicans and Democrats is responsible for this tragedy that has hurt so many young people.
Obama is Drug Warrior number One!