Armageddon Strategy

Yesterday, I wrote about the rent strike at the Grand Central Market in Los Angeles. The battles of the New American Revolution are spilling over into the aisles. . . that is the supermarket aisles. Specifically, the struggle is a battle between corporations. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that grocery stores are being squeezed by shrinking demand because their customers don't have money, and the manufactures of food who say they need higher profit margins to cover costs or they will go bankrupt. All those cost increases that occurred as a result of higher fuel prices, food stocks, and so on.

Grocers said that Unilever last year increased the wholesale price of its Skippy peanut butter by about a nickel a jar after shrinking the contents of the container by almost 10%.

Thank god the government has been saying for years that there are few if any signs of inflation. To me, Skippy skipped and jumped up 16+ percent. Gas prices went way up. Food prices went way up. Housing costs went way up. Health care prices went way up. The cost of wars went way way up. Good thing inflation didn't go up too. Otherwise we would be in trouble.

But while the corporations fight each other over prices and shelf spaces, there are some other things going that you may not know about. The L.A. Times is reporting today that port cargo levels up and down the west coast are declining faster than the Titanic. On the same page, one half of all hospitals are in the red (I assume they mean they are losing money). And at Freddy Mac (the giant mortgage lender), the Bush-appointed CEO resigns after five months on the ("heck of a") job.

And closer to home, a woman I work with told me her sister got laid off today from Honeywell. Why? (Please don't say it is the economy stupid) rather her division issues the rebates for solar power, tankless hotwater systems, and so on. Rumor is that for weeks they have not had money from the State of California to pay the rebates because the Republicans were trying to cripple the government.

What really disgusts me is that we have an honest to god crisis brewing here. And there are those that a rejecting helping their fellow citizens and instead are banking on Armageddon or worse as the way in which they will win back political power. Even if they are correct in believing that this Armageddon Strategy will win back power for team elephant, Jesus will be pretty pissed off. Not at the Jews, not at the atheists, but right where it belongs: at those who kicked others while they were down.

Armegorgy

Here is the story that is true of all Armageddons from the beginning. The Jewish Armageddons, the Christian Armageddon, the Maoist Armageddon, the Environmental Armageddon, the Education Armageddon, and the New American Armageddon. We are surrounded.


In a building of gold, with riches untold,
lived the families on which the country was founded.
And the merchants of style, with their red velvet smiles,
were there, for they also were hounded.
And the soft middle class crowded in to the last,
for the building was fully surrounded.
And the noise outside was the ringing of revolution.

Sadly they stared and sank in their chairs
and searched for a comforting notion.
And the rich silver walls looked ready to fall
As they shook in doubtful devotion.
The ice cubes would clink as they freshened their drinks,
wet their minds in bitter emotion.
And they talked about the ringing of revolution.

We were hardly aware of the hardships they beared,
for our time was taken with treasure.
Oh, life was a game, and work was a shame,
And pain was prevented by pleasure.
The world, cold and grey, was so far away
In the distance only money could measure.
But their thoughts were broken by the ringing of revolution.

The clouds filled the room in darkening doom
as the crooked smoke rings were rising.
How long will it take, how can we escape
Someone asks, but no one's advising.
And the quivering floor responds to the roar,
In a shake no longer surprising.
As closer and closer comes the ringing of revolution.

Softly they moan, please leave us alone
As back and forth they are pacing.
And they cover their ears and try not to hear
WIth pillows of silk they're embracing.
And the crackling crowd is laughing out loud,
peeking in at the target they're chasing.
Now trembling inside the ringing of revolution.

With compromise sway we give in half way
When we saw that rebellion was growing.
Now everything's lost as they kneel by the cross
Where the blood of christ is still flowing.
To late for their sorrow they've reached their tomorrow
and reaped the seed they were sowing.
Now harvested by the ringing of revolution.

In tattered tuxedos they faced the new heroes
and crawled about in confusion.
And they sheepishly grinned for their memories were dim
of the decades of dark execution.
Hollow hands were raised; they stood there amazed
in the shattering of their illusions.
As the windows were smashed by the ringing of revolution.

Down on our knees we're begging you please,
We're sorry for the way you were driven.
There's no need to taunt just take what you want,
and we'll make amends, if we're living.
But away from the grounds the flames told the town
that only the dead are forgiven.
As they crumbled inside the ringing of revolution.