Farewell. The Flying Pig Has Left The Building.

Steve Hynd, August 16, 2012

After four years on the Typepad site, eight years total blogging, Newshoggers is closing it's doors today. We've been coasting the last year or so, with many of us moving on to bigger projects (Hey, Eric!) or simply running out of blogging enthusiasm, and it's time to give the old flying pig a rest.

We've done okay over those eight years, although never being quite PC enough to gain wider acceptance from the partisan "party right or wrong" crowds. We like to think we moved political conversations a little, on the ever-present wish to rush to war with Iran, on the need for a real Left that isn't licking corporatist Dem boots every cycle, on America's foreign misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. We like to think we made a small difference while writing under that flying pig banner. We did pretty good for a bunch with no ties to big-party apparatuses or think tanks.

Those eight years of blogging will still exist. Because we're ending this typepad account, we've been archiving the typepad blog here. And the original blogger archive is still here. There will still be new content from the old 'hoggers crew too. Ron writes for The Moderate Voice, I post at The Agonist and Eric Martin's lucid foreign policy thoughts can be read at Democracy Arsenal.

I'd like to thank all our regular commenters, readers and the other bloggers who regularly linked to our posts over the years to agree or disagree. You all made writing for 'hoggers an amazingly fun and stimulating experience.

Thank you very much.

Note: This is an archive copy of Newshoggers. Most of the pictures are gone but the words are all here. There may be some occasional new content, John may do some posts and Ron will cross post some of his contributions to The Moderate Voice so check back.


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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Quiet Coup

Commentary By Ron Beasley


Sorry I haven't been posting much recently but my heart isn't in it. As I have said before what passes for politics in the United States is nothing but tribal warfare and has little to do with policy or law. I think an even better analogy might be sports. I haven't been paying much attention to politics because I find basketball and football to be more entertaining and less violent. We have had a silent coup in the United States that has made our elected officials irrelevant - they don't set policy or create laws, that has become the responsibility of the heads of a few multinational corporations and bankers.


Yes, there may appear to be some differences between the two major parties but these differences have little to do with the big picture. This is allowed and encouraged to create the illusion that we still have a Democracy. The health care bill which was written by the health care industry is an example. While it was far to the right of a plan put forward by Richard Nixon and blocked by Teddy Kennedy it was labeled as socialist. Propaganda of tribal warfare. While the plutocrats who could really care less about abortion or gay rights conflict on social issues was encouraged because it strengthened tribalism without really impacting the economic goals of the plutocrats. While the balanced budget argument is encouraged the plutocrat's interests would be harmed - closing the lid of their Federal cookie jar. It can be part of the tribal warfare because it won't happen.


We should not pay any attention to what Obama says in the SOTU - we should learn as much as we can about what goes on at DAVOS.  It was a quiet coup but a coup none the less.  Your elected representatives are employees but not your employees.  They work for the folks at DAVOS.



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3 comments:

  1. shaunJanuary 25, 2011 at 11:25 PM

    Right on, Ron!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Taylor WrayJanuary 26, 2011 at 4:01 AM

    Don't let your apathy infect others, Ron. Even though you've given up on enlightening your country, there are those who carry on. The only way to win this place back from the interests you're describing is to make the masses give a shit.

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  3. geoffJanuary 26, 2011 at 4:22 AM

    I note that Schwab, one of the founders of the annual Davos neoliberal jamboree has said today:
    "Following the economic crisis of the past two years, we have now entered a new era of austerity and greater modesty. In this new reality, collective sacrifices must be made to safeguard and enhance our future." ( http://huff.to/hANeZs ).
    I take that to mean that those inside the Davos ring-fence must concoct clever means to squeeze the life out of those outside the ring-fence.

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