Posts
Just read an article entitled ‘Two Dangerous Bush-Cheney Myths’. One is that ‘the Surge’ worked. The other is that torture – or something very much like it - is rationalized (justified?) by the fact that there have been no more attacks on the US since Bush II militarized the war on terror.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/122608.html
This strikes me as much the same rational as related in an old anecdote:
A man is observed shredding newspapers every day in Central Park. After witnessing weeks of this behavior, a passer-by finally asks, “Why are you shredding all that newspaper, day after day?”
The compulsive shredder replies matter-of-factly, “To keep the tigers away.”
To which the passer-by retorts, “There are no tigers in New York.”
The shredder winks and says conspiratorially, “Works pretty well, doesn’t it?”
This is the sort of insane pretzel logic Bush and Cheney are dishing out for us swallow.
I guess we're to assume that attacks on US service personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan are not to be considered in this most preposterous syllogism.
Prosecute these people and make them account for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis that have been murdered and the thousands of Americans who have died as a direct result of their insanity.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Prosecute Bush, Cheney and Co.
I'm beginning to take this very personally.
First, at 18, I had the escalating Vietnam conflict to darken my youthful days.
Then Watergate, the Pentagon Papers and Elsberg break-ins to sour the political brew.
Then, Reagan and the Contras with Ollie North and Adm Poindexter cooking up schemes to derail the power of Congress and establish an imperial presidency with 'neat ideas' whereby they sell drugs and run guns to finance the murder of innocent people.
Next up, Bush I with his 'New World Order' and Gulf War v1.0 which didn't need to be fought but looked real good with the marketing groups and played well to the Bible Belt.
Now during the past 8 years, Bush the Lesser, Cheney the Snide and and their Machiavellian band have brought the economy to the brink of ruin, destroyed two Asian countries and is working on the third (Pakistan), brought about the death of hundreds of thousands of people as a result of two undeclared (and therefore illegal) wars which in turn has bankrupted the nation, enthusiastically engaged in torture and kidnapping (known euphemistically as 'enhanced interrogation and 'extraordinary rendition') undermined habeus corpus, the foundation of English Law, eviscerated the Constitution of the US twelve ways to Sunday, and brought shame and opprobrium upon the people of the United States.
If we don't bring these 'evil-doers' to justice, what is to deter the next round of megalomaniacs from breaking the law, degrading our Republic and moving further towards establishing a dictatorial regime in the place of democracy in the USA?
This is no time to let by-gones be by-gones. We must prosecute Bush, Cheney and Co for crimes against the people of the United States and Crimes against Humanity.
Prosecute them and hold them accountable. It's called justice.
http://www.democrats.com/john-dean-wants-prosecution-not-commission
First, at 18, I had the escalating Vietnam conflict to darken my youthful days.
Then Watergate, the Pentagon Papers and Elsberg break-ins to sour the political brew.
Then, Reagan and the Contras with Ollie North and Adm Poindexter cooking up schemes to derail the power of Congress and establish an imperial presidency with 'neat ideas' whereby they sell drugs and run guns to finance the murder of innocent people.
Next up, Bush I with his 'New World Order' and Gulf War v1.0 which didn't need to be fought but looked real good with the marketing groups and played well to the Bible Belt.
Now during the past 8 years, Bush the Lesser, Cheney the Snide and and their Machiavellian band have brought the economy to the brink of ruin, destroyed two Asian countries and is working on the third (Pakistan), brought about the death of hundreds of thousands of people as a result of two undeclared (and therefore illegal) wars which in turn has bankrupted the nation, enthusiastically engaged in torture and kidnapping (known euphemistically as 'enhanced interrogation and 'extraordinary rendition') undermined habeus corpus, the foundation of English Law, eviscerated the Constitution of the US twelve ways to Sunday, and brought shame and opprobrium upon the people of the United States.
If we don't bring these 'evil-doers' to justice, what is to deter the next round of megalomaniacs from breaking the law, degrading our Republic and moving further towards establishing a dictatorial regime in the place of democracy in the USA?
This is no time to let by-gones be by-gones. We must prosecute Bush, Cheney and Co for crimes against the people of the United States and Crimes against Humanity.
Prosecute them and hold them accountable. It's called justice.
http://www.democrats.com/john-dean-wants-prosecution-not-commission
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) Calls for Independent Counsel to Investigate Cheney and Rumsfeld for Violating Torture Laws
Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York has urged Attorney General Michael Mukasey to appoint an independent counsel to investigate Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and other senior Bush administration officials for violations of the law relating to the torture of prisoners in US custody. Nadler is the chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/23/rep_jerrold_nadler_d_ny_calls
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/23/rep_jerrold_nadler_d_ny_calls
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A Not-So-Modest To-Do List for Obama's First Term
Here's a not-so-modest list of actions that should be taken by Obama in his first term in order to right the ship of state and return the United States to the path of a true democratic republic – of the people, by the people and for the people. This is by no means complete or comprehensive; nor are the items listed by priority or expediency.
1. End the illegal war in Iraq and remove all US personnel and contractors other than those necessary for manning and securing the US embassy at levels consistent with other embassies in the Middle-east.
2. End the illegal war in Afghanistan and remove all US personnel and contractors other than those necessary for manning and securing the US embassy at levels consistent with other embassies in the Western Asia.
3. Begin formal process for the providing war reparations to the people (not the governments) of Iraq and Afghanistan through NGOs. (e.g. Red Cross/Red Crescent, CARE, Doctors Without Borders, etc)
4. Arrange a series of formal meetings between the high-level US State Department officials and high-level Iranian officials.
5. Bring the US into full compliance with the IAEA and the non-proliferation treaty.
6. Fund and promote alternative energy sources, comprehensive energy and resource management policies and ‘Green’ product development.
7. Bring the US into reasonable accord with the international community regarding war, human rights, economic policy, etc and assume a temporary non-voting seat on the UN Security Council.
8. Withdraw unconditional support for State of Israel. France, the oldest ally of the United States does not have that permanent status. American foreign policy is NOT Israeli foreign policy and vice versa.
9. End the bloat at the Pentagon; keep our armed forces strong but keep them at home. (Homeland Security... get it?) Reduce the Pentagon budget by at least 50% over the next four years.
10. End the Federal Reserve's strangle hold on the economic lives of the US people. Make the Federal Reserve directly accountable to Congress by placing it within the Treasury Department. Limit each term of the Federal Reserve Board Chairman to 4 years with a limit of two consecutive terms.
11. Amend the fractional reserve system and return to the gold and silver standard.
12. Remove corporate entities from Constitutional protection as individuals. Corporate entities are NOT individuals any more than any organization (e.g. the Catholic Church, the Lions Club, the Republican Party, etc) is an individual but rather a formal association of individuals comprising a group. If an entity does not develop from a human fetus then the entity is not, CANNOT be a citizen and therefore is NOT entitled to the rights of citizenship.
13. Stop all of this blather about the Free Market as if it's Holy Writ. Regulation of industry, business enterprises and corporations are as necessary as regulation of government and therefore in a democratic society must be primarily for the benefit of the people.
14. Let failing commercial enterprises fail but provide workers a safety net. The bosses responsible for the failure of the enterprise are guaranteed ‘Golden Parachutes’ why shouldn’t the workers who toiled and gave their sweat, blood and life-force as wage-slaves be afforded the same guarantee?
15. Social services must come before service to commercial enterprises including the military-industrial complex (i.e. the Pentocracy).
16. Dismantle the Patriot Act brick by brick and restore the constitutional rights of citizens and residents.
17. Abrogate the Imperial presidency and restore the Constitutional balance of power.
18. End signing statements and restrict the power and number of presidential orders per term.
19. Declassify all documents related to the events of 9/11.
20. Declassify all documents related to the Torture Programs, Rendition and Black Sites.
21. Declassify all documents related to the illegal wire-taping of US citizens.
22. Repeal and renege on the order of amnesty to those companies which participated in any illegal wire-taping.
23. Establish a bi-partisan commission to re-investigate the 9/11 attacks.
24. Establish bi-partisan commissions to investigate the possible War Crimes committed by members of the Bush/Cheney administrations.
25. Establish bi-partisan commissions to investigate the possible crimes committed by members of the Bush/Cheney administrations against the Constitution and civic law.
26. Name independent prosecutors with full subpoena powers for each of the aforementioned commissions cited on this list.
27. Last but not least, repeal the National Security Act of 1947 and the subsequent mis-named security acts and dismantle the Security State for the sake of the republic, the people and the world.
1. End the illegal war in Iraq and remove all US personnel and contractors other than those necessary for manning and securing the US embassy at levels consistent with other embassies in the Middle-east.
2. End the illegal war in Afghanistan and remove all US personnel and contractors other than those necessary for manning and securing the US embassy at levels consistent with other embassies in the Western Asia.
3. Begin formal process for the providing war reparations to the people (not the governments) of Iraq and Afghanistan through NGOs. (e.g. Red Cross/Red Crescent, CARE, Doctors Without Borders, etc)
4. Arrange a series of formal meetings between the high-level US State Department officials and high-level Iranian officials.
5. Bring the US into full compliance with the IAEA and the non-proliferation treaty.
6. Fund and promote alternative energy sources, comprehensive energy and resource management policies and ‘Green’ product development.
7. Bring the US into reasonable accord with the international community regarding war, human rights, economic policy, etc and assume a temporary non-voting seat on the UN Security Council.
8. Withdraw unconditional support for State of Israel. France, the oldest ally of the United States does not have that permanent status. American foreign policy is NOT Israeli foreign policy and vice versa.
9. End the bloat at the Pentagon; keep our armed forces strong but keep them at home. (Homeland Security... get it?) Reduce the Pentagon budget by at least 50% over the next four years.
10. End the Federal Reserve's strangle hold on the economic lives of the US people. Make the Federal Reserve directly accountable to Congress by placing it within the Treasury Department. Limit each term of the Federal Reserve Board Chairman to 4 years with a limit of two consecutive terms.
11. Amend the fractional reserve system and return to the gold and silver standard.
12. Remove corporate entities from Constitutional protection as individuals. Corporate entities are NOT individuals any more than any organization (e.g. the Catholic Church, the Lions Club, the Republican Party, etc) is an individual but rather a formal association of individuals comprising a group. If an entity does not develop from a human fetus then the entity is not, CANNOT be a citizen and therefore is NOT entitled to the rights of citizenship.
13. Stop all of this blather about the Free Market as if it's Holy Writ. Regulation of industry, business enterprises and corporations are as necessary as regulation of government and therefore in a democratic society must be primarily for the benefit of the people.
14. Let failing commercial enterprises fail but provide workers a safety net. The bosses responsible for the failure of the enterprise are guaranteed ‘Golden Parachutes’ why shouldn’t the workers who toiled and gave their sweat, blood and life-force as wage-slaves be afforded the same guarantee?
15. Social services must come before service to commercial enterprises including the military-industrial complex (i.e. the Pentocracy).
16. Dismantle the Patriot Act brick by brick and restore the constitutional rights of citizens and residents.
17. Abrogate the Imperial presidency and restore the Constitutional balance of power.
18. End signing statements and restrict the power and number of presidential orders per term.
19. Declassify all documents related to the events of 9/11.
20. Declassify all documents related to the Torture Programs, Rendition and Black Sites.
21. Declassify all documents related to the illegal wire-taping of US citizens.
22. Repeal and renege on the order of amnesty to those companies which participated in any illegal wire-taping.
23. Establish a bi-partisan commission to re-investigate the 9/11 attacks.
24. Establish bi-partisan commissions to investigate the possible War Crimes committed by members of the Bush/Cheney administrations.
25. Establish bi-partisan commissions to investigate the possible crimes committed by members of the Bush/Cheney administrations against the Constitution and civic law.
26. Name independent prosecutors with full subpoena powers for each of the aforementioned commissions cited on this list.
27. Last but not least, repeal the National Security Act of 1947 and the subsequent mis-named security acts and dismantle the Security State for the sake of the republic, the people and the world.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Speaking of Bail-outs and Nautical Allusions...
A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford Motors) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.
On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.
The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 7 people steering and 2 people rowing.
Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.
They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.
Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 2 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.
They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 2 people rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rowers. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The pension program was trimmed to 'equal the competition' and some of the resultant savings were channeled into morale-boosting programs and teamwork posters.
The next year the Japanese won by two miles.
Humiliated, the American management laid off one rower, halted development of a new canoe, sold all the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses.
The next year, try as he might, the lone designated rower was unable to even finish the race (having no paddles,) so he was laid off for unacceptable performance, all canoe equipment was sold and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India.
Sadly, the End.
Here's something else to think about: Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages.
TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US. The last quarter's results:
TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.
Ford folks are still scratching their heads, and collecting bonuses...
IF THIS WEREN'T SO TRUE IT MIGHT BE FUNNY
Thanks to David Chard of www.deadhorses.org
On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.
The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 7 people steering and 2 people rowing.
Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.
They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.
Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 2 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.
They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 2 people rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rowers. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The pension program was trimmed to 'equal the competition' and some of the resultant savings were channeled into morale-boosting programs and teamwork posters.
The next year the Japanese won by two miles.
Humiliated, the American management laid off one rower, halted development of a new canoe, sold all the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses.
The next year, try as he might, the lone designated rower was unable to even finish the race (having no paddles,) so he was laid off for unacceptable performance, all canoe equipment was sold and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India.
Sadly, the End.
Here's something else to think about: Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages.
TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US. The last quarter's results:
TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.
Ford folks are still scratching their heads, and collecting bonuses...
IF THIS WEREN'T SO TRUE IT MIGHT BE FUNNY
Thanks to David Chard of www.deadhorses.org
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Bail-outs and other nautical allusions
All this talk about 'bail-outs' is begging the real issue.
Bail-outs are a total waste of reserves if the hole in the boat is not being repaired. What is being done to right the ship of state and the correct the course of the economy?
The citizens of the US are simply expected to float billions in loans to the Big 3 and the Wall Street scoundrels - billions which are not in the Treasury - which are never meant to be paid back and for which no account will be demanded.
If hope for our economy is based on the magnanimity, honesty and fair-mindedness of corporate leaders, we are sunk. It would be better to scuttle this ship and let the rats drown.
Bail-outs are a total waste of reserves if the hole in the boat is not being repaired. What is being done to right the ship of state and the correct the course of the economy?
The citizens of the US are simply expected to float billions in loans to the Big 3 and the Wall Street scoundrels - billions which are not in the Treasury - which are never meant to be paid back and for which no account will be demanded.
If hope for our economy is based on the magnanimity, honesty and fair-mindedness of corporate leaders, we are sunk. It would be better to scuttle this ship and let the rats drown.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Phun Presidential Phacts: not-so-trivial trivia
Here's a little brain-teaser the answer to which will make any Liberal or Progressive suffer gastro-intestinitis and probably make many Libertarians and old-school Conservatives blanch.
On Hardball - in case you missed it - Chris Matthews brought forth this little bar-bet fodder:
"When was the last time the Republican party won the White House without Nixon or a Bush on the ticket?"
For the answer go to:
http://votersthink.org/?p=664
Get your Pepto ready...
Is there anyone in this country that hasn't yet gotten the idea that the USA is very flawed as an example of a truly Democratic Republic? This nation is governed by the business elite through their appointed lackeys - and Bush I & II and Nixon are only three on a long list of Oval Office stooges.
Should Obama win (knock wood), he will be castigated by the Righteous Right for simply out-spending poor Sen McCain in a further attempt to undermine the legitimacy of his presidency.
(They will of course fail to mention that Bush II set the bar that Obama bested because that would negate their point and rob Bill-O and Rash Limberger of an opportunity to riff and rant)
The Right will be (gulp) right. It takes a bloody fortune to gain occupancy of the White House. Is another metric necessary to convince Americans that we are governed by the elite? You have got to be super rich or make lots of back-room deals with those who have the money to burn because they have even vaster amounts to make should their candidate win.
Is it any wonder that social programs get such short shrift?
On Hardball - in case you missed it - Chris Matthews brought forth this little bar-bet fodder:
"When was the last time the Republican party won the White House without Nixon or a Bush on the ticket?"
For the answer go to:
http://votersthink.org/?p=664
Get your Pepto ready...
Is there anyone in this country that hasn't yet gotten the idea that the USA is very flawed as an example of a truly Democratic Republic? This nation is governed by the business elite through their appointed lackeys - and Bush I & II and Nixon are only three on a long list of Oval Office stooges.
Should Obama win (knock wood), he will be castigated by the Righteous Right for simply out-spending poor Sen McCain in a further attempt to undermine the legitimacy of his presidency.
(They will of course fail to mention that Bush II set the bar that Obama bested because that would negate their point and rob Bill-O and Rash Limberger of an opportunity to riff and rant)
The Right will be (gulp) right. It takes a bloody fortune to gain occupancy of the White House. Is another metric necessary to convince Americans that we are governed by the elite? You have got to be super rich or make lots of back-room deals with those who have the money to burn because they have even vaster amounts to make should their candidate win.
Is it any wonder that social programs get such short shrift?
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