Swamp

Swamp
Atchafalaya Swamp

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Roughneck, A Blue Collar Mid-Week Weekly

To make my blogging more regular, and not to piss off the throngs, hordes and masses (I wish) that come here only to be affirmed, yeah, he's too dumb too make views on politics, world affairs or high-finance. 


So I decided on sort of a weekly opinion pieces to break that myth and hold forth about things that matter to me, me and me. It's important that I satisfy my lust first, before I make you cu- err, happy.

It's my free-wheelin' 'n easy take about the depraved, depressed and dangerous times we live in today.



Barack Hussein

The Roughneck wants this dude to win. Conventional Wisdom (CW) says it will happen. But recently, political pundits and
pundeks (to hedge their bets in case the unholy McCain - Palin emerge triumphant) thinks what we're seeing is The Bradley Effect: Barack leads the polls early, and at the very last moment, lose.

And it doesn't make sense.

Why? Because we're humans. Some whiteys are even convinced B.Hussein is Muslim. Whites and Melayus (especially) are at the very core, racist. They tell the pollsters or the public one thing (so their neighbors or whomever will think them as enlightened beings) but in the secrecy of the ballot booth (or closed door UMNO sessions) they'll eventually break down and go for The God-Divined Plan. It's manifest destiny: Only whites, of the superior Aryan race, are fit to lead. Just like the Melayus -
but only Melayus from UMNO. And better yet, UMNO Melayus of Indian, Arab or Javanese extraction. Melayus from PKR, PRS, DAP and GERAKAN are now the new Uncle Toms; oftentimes branded Chinese arse-lickers, sell-outs and traitors. I should know, I'm one of 'em.

So if you think Obama is going to win, think again. Think of the majority race there in the
Unidos Estadas. Think of the times you say one thing but deep in your heart, you mean just the opposite.

But I hope to dear God I'm wrong.


McCain-Palin (The Unholy)

I just a read a damning expose on McCain in The Rolling Stone. Apparently this Vietnam POW was no hero. When shot down over Hanoi lake, instead of just stating his name and rank, he blabbered to his captors that he was the son of a Navy Admiral to get preferential treatment, an offence which should've got him court martialled. But he's J. McCain III, progeny of 4-star Generals. The story littered with McCain having to drop his father's and grandfather's name on many occasions just to scrape through the Navy. He admitted as much, and was quoted as saying, 'My POW experiences make me a good sell'.

To me, he's just an opportunist of the highest order.

Palin?
Palaat lah. Forget the 150,000 dollar wardrobe. The scathing diatribe by Bridget Bardot is what did me. Palin is a disservice to both women and animals. I agree.


The Economy

Stocks?
Fuhgeddaboudit. The Roughneck, being un-schooled in the white-collar ways, was persuaded (some say, conned)  by his Finance Department this past June to plonk down 10 percent of his hard-earned monthly salary - each and every month in condemned perpetuity - into purchasing company stock at a special employee price of 15 percent less prevailing market rate on June 31st. At the time it was over US 100.00 a share - about US 85.00. Five miserable months later it hovered around US 40.00 a share. That's half its value gone in a space of a quarter. 

Nowadays, I don't even bother to look. 

Smart, eh?

The real
smart thing to do is to buy the shares NOW on the open market, sort of hedging or as a cut-loss measure. But I'm not real smart am I? - on top of being a coward when it comes to high-stakes finance.

But I'm a blue collar roughneck, so I am truly deserving of this folly. But you - with your fancy finance, MBA and accounting degrees - what's your excuse?


Actually I was lucky for a while, right around after the '00 dot-com bust. There was an ex-employee of my company, a University Malaya Physics graduate of the late 70s who went on to do an MBA at Yale and worked on Wall Street before striking out on his own in Milwaukee. I believe he has now traded his red passport for a blue one. So I trusted his brokerage and analysts, gambling (the right word, seen in today's light) up to six-figures of my kids future college fund to play the US market. And play them he did. At one time I held shares in, um, let me see . . . Microsoft, Apple, Tommy Hillfiger, Harley-Davidson, Viacom (MTV, Nickleodeon) - all good. Also, Harrahs and Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser, Sea World) - all bad. Owning shares in the world's largest casino operator and the world's largest brewer is definitely confirming my place where Satan reigns when all I had before had was merely a reservation. Hell, I never even liked Buds. Took me years to divest and samak (perform ablution) on the money. But I suspect I still got one leg in hell already. But hey, I've never been on my high horse, have I?


Indonesia's Pesta Blogger (Blogger's Festival) - November 22

October 27th was Indonesia's National Bloggers Day, an event sanctioned by its government and headed by Muhammad Nuh, Minister of Communication and Information, no less.

The Jakarta Post, in article yesterday, mentioned
Ong Hock Chuan as 'Indonesia's top-three' - along with Enda Nasution (dubbed the "Father" of Indonesian Bloggers) and Budi Putra.

Whoa Ong... congrats, bro.

And bye the bye, in an SMS from
Rocky The Bru, Jeff Ooi, the blogger (not the MP from Jelutong, at least not in that spirit I don't think) will represent Malaysia for the Pesta Blogger event come November 22.

The Roughneck has mixed feelings about this. His country, Malaysia, will never hold bloggers in such esteem. In fact, bloggers there are held with such contempt and revulsion; looked down with distaste and disdain, fit only to be persecuted and incarcerated like that Raja Petra
fler.

In Indonesia, they're feted and celebrated. 

Self-styled arbiters of Malaysian morals like its Home Affairs Minister Syed Hamid, whose late father the Lion of UMNO Syed Jaffar, a Hadhrami Arab-Indonesian who migrated into then Tanah Melayu at the ripe age of 30 - knows something we don't?



20 comments:

ArahMan7 said...

Well, if being a blogger in Roughneck's country are held with such contempt and revulsion; looked down with distaste and disdain, fit only to be persecuted and incarcerated, what does that make me?

Will I be twice as contempt, twice as revulsion and so on twice...?

I guess it's tough to be one, even a recovering one.

Congrat too to Rocky and Jeff.

Greetings and lots of love from one Langiang to another Langiang.

p/s InsyaAllah, kito jumpo gak satu hari nanti, ket Longgeng ko, ket Kumpo (KL) pun boleh.

Unknown said...

Be it Obama or Maccain, its going to be more of the same, bully, bully and more bully just like the scenario here.
As for the Melayus being racists, I can't agree more.
These Melayus who call others pendatangs are the biggest racists in this land and the sad thing is that they live off these pendatangs, often sucking up.

Unknown said...

Oh I forgot. My plan is to meet fellow bloggers in KL on the 29th of November, just in case Doc, has not contacted you yet.

Mat Salo said...

Bro' Langgiang: Betoi bro. it seems you got the double-whammy - someone only fit to touch with a wooden stick. But my advice is to ignore these misguided folks. You're doing great, and that's what matters.

Ha, itu katataknak dah nak descend from his Royal Perch in Penang to Kumpo.Nak mark exam paper agak eh. Turun laa bro' kalau boleh, yo..

Chegu! Alamak dah terpecah tembelang...

What you don't know Chegu, is a secret committee co-chaired by a Dato's no less, was formed a week ago to handle this long-awaited event that will trump Pesta Blogger in its complexity. Secure clandestine emails on a 'need to know' basis was flying thru' google and yahoo this past week, compiling logistics -lists, venues, wheel chair ramps etc. etc.

Shit - now I"m gonna have pay the price for breaking the code of Omerta. To shah and Tok Doc Acid - a little publicity wouldn't hurt, eh?

ArahMan7 said...

My my! That bad, huh? Anyway, thanks for your vote of confidence. Feeling much better now knowing my arse is covered, hehehe!

Guess I'm not one of the need to know and I'm not about to pull rank either (as in one Langiang to one Langiang, hehehe) the need to know wtf is going on?

Psst! The line is clear. No ampai around. Come on, come on! Tell me, tell me!

p/s (still hopeful) Will it make a difference if I say, (now in Carpenter's mood) Please Mister Postman, look and see
(Oh yeah)
If there's a letter in your bag for me,
(Please, Please Mister Postman)
Why's it takin' such a long time,
(Oh yeah)
For me to hear from that girl of mine ...

cakapaje said...

Salam ms,

Hehe...publicity has already begun via comments at other blogs. But insyAllah, later tonight or tomorrow, I'll be putting a related entry :)

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

Lets face it. to some quarter, the Melayu belongs exclusively to them. so if you are an oppo-man, you're deemed to be anti-Melayi, even though your blood proves you're very much one. now it makes me wonder if PAS members are not of the same race kita panggil melayu?

* a certain dato? that reminds me to cross over to his right this very second.

Mat Cendana said...

This one about Obama losing it (rather than "McCain winning it") should be given due consideration. I'm delighted that you have focused on this aspect. Why? Because I can use it to sneakily try promote my own blog and maybe attract a few extra hits:-)

It's quite fortunate for me that I had recently read a book in Mike's Election Guide 2008 that allocates a significant part of it to warn US voters of this real possibility. The writer, filmmaker Michael Moore, knows enough of the politics and voters' psyche there to not underestimate McCain.

In fact, this is a major reason why he had written the book - to try prevent yet another turnaround. Moore points to previous elections where the Democrats somehow still managed to lose despite holding the advantage. The situation right now is quite similar to these past loses where, to paraphrase Moore, the Democrats "had managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory".

Like many people (non-Americans), I also hope Obama will win. However, even if he does, I'm not placing too much hope on him bringing about dramatic changes "to try set things right with the world" as many are hoping for. When faced with the realities of US politics, Obama might just be like previous presidents too, generally; with the most striking difference being him having the darkest presidential tan since Abraham Lincoln. That will be disappointing, definitely.

But I'm not a total pessimist and cynic; for deep inside me, I do cherish this hope that Obama will somehow be a pleasant surprise despite all the pressure on him to maintain the status quo. However, he has to win it first, of course. And as you had said here, it's not a sure thing.

Mat Salo said...

Kerpie: 'Anti-Melayi' tu apa beb? He.. Heard you were gallivanting at the Kerp wih Kak Pi arr? Hoi! Apa tak ajak. That teddy bear was cute tho'... Anyway I'm trying to rope Pi for 29th too. Hope she can come. Do your part and racun her too, k?

The Traveling Gambangis: Brother, your insight is as usual, so penetrating and astute. And you make it sound so easy. Tabik spring bro! Thanks for leaving the comment. I was tempted to cut and paste and plagiarize is as my own. Now, wouldn't that be something? Then I'll have these women swoonin' over me. At the moment looks like I caught the clap or something, and no women wants to even touch this blog with a 10 ft. pole.

I envy you guys.

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

typo-error la dei.

yea we actually spoke abt the do briefly. she was quite keen and according to her, as long its within this month she should be able to travel down and join us. but i must let her know of the exact date first.

Pi Bani said...

Woi! Apa nak racun-racun orang ni wei?! Report polis kang!

Mat Salo said...

Looks like I was wrong, Pi,

5-foot pole, not 10-foot. Any you didn't even have any qualms about that Burmese phyton.. he.. :)

Thanks, Pi. Now I feel affirmed and vindicated. A bit like what ARB feels I guess.

Hmm, dah termakan laa tu. 29th it is, ya? THANK YOU!

gram.kong said...

mat salo,

I agree with you Obama may be in for a shock.All white American,except for the White supremacists tried to be politically correct and not wanting to be seen as racists, deep down, they still have that nose up in the air attitude.As Obama have said the next 72 hours is going to get dirty.

Like you I hope I am wrong.I very much like to see a change in that administration and hope Obama would bring about the changes.

Pak Zawi said...

Mat Salo,
Wow world class politics being discussed here. Local politics is of no significance anymore. Not when they get to release all suspects of a murder due to the lack of prima facie, evidence or shoddy investigation. Anything can happen in the land of serba boleh pak.

Faisal Admar said...

If I live there I'd support Obama. Yes, IF.

The Opposition is losing people now. More and more peoples after the Sept 16 drama.

Do you read Jebat Must Die blog? I think he got some points too :)

BaitiBadarudin said...

Yes, we can - in CanLand?
Like an unabashed groupie, I had an Obama-Biden pin button til just a sec ago!
What can u say 'bout comm teacher?

Unknown said...

It's Obama lah !~ Race and colours are not important anymore. We are all in one world. So is one country. Most important is to be able to lead with fairness to all and economy up and up all the way !!!

jaflam said...

Hai MS,
Looks like your prediction on OBAMA is a bit out of tune. He won convincingly, actually he and MacCain are miles apart not only in age but vision and intelligence. Actually it’s proven that everything is possible in this world as long as God granted it, it’s proven that mighty America is now lead by first generation mixed parentage Kenyan+American. It is a wake up call for the arrogance and superpower that nobody is unbeatable ..... when they stray from their true course.

Manature said...

Here is proof (video): Chief Police Officer lied. FRU charged during Negara Ku. Please tell the world

Anonymous said...

I think this is the first time i'm seeing the word palaaaat on a blog. Burst out laffing. Those days i used to hear the kutus in school curse the discipline master that way...heheh.

I like this post macha...old skool gonzo...testosterone laden.

grrr