07 April 2006

Some special thanks in order for the day

I need to give some very special thank you(s ) to some folks.
First up, a very special Thank You! To Mr. Scott Horton. He has very kindly "plugged" this humble space on his excellent blog. You can read much of what he writes at www.Antiwar.com, but he also has an excellent blog site. Check out http://thestressblog.com. You will always get very good information and commentary over at Scott's site.
The next thank you goes to Professor Noam Chomsky. Heck, he rates a big Thank You just for being who he is and all the books and articles he has contributed to humanity. My reason for this thank you is his new book "Failed States". I just got my copy yesterday and so far, all one can say is, this is one very powerful, truthful book! Put this one on your Absolutely MUST Read list folks.
I thought Mr. Bovards' book, "Attention Deficit Democracy" was the book of the year. Now Mr. Chomsky comes out with a power house book that will certainly compete for that title on my list. This is an absolute MUST read. Using the "standards"(?) of the current criminal administration, Mr. Chomsky makes the case that America is either a "failed state" or is on the way to becoming one. And I have only got to page 38 so far!
Both Mr. Bovard and Professor Chomsky write the REAL truth. We the people of America NEED these truths. Read the books folks! You can get them at a fair price over at amazon.com. If you still believe in America, you will not be sorry for reading either book. Read them both. Hey, I am on permanent disability and I managed to buy both.
Mr. Horton, Mr. Bovard, Professor Chomsky, THANK YOU all!
charlie ehlen
Glenmora, LA

05 April 2006

It never stops

The Bush administration is working towards war with Iran. Iran has been testing weapons systems of late. New missiles, new torpedoes, and other weapons. This is a threat to Bush. Bullshit!
If my neighbor tells me he is going to kick the crap out of me, throw me out of my house and do what he pleases with my property, I have a right to defend myself. Going to town and buying a shotgun is NOT a threat to him. It is my self defense. This is what Iran is currently doing.
Bush has threatened Iran with everything, up to and including, nuclear weapons. What does he expect them to do? Just stop making any sort of defensive weapons and tell him, OK, just come and throw out our elected government? I doubt any American would feel like doing or saying anything of the sort if the situation were reversed.
Iraq, the killing of civilians continues. Of course it does. Iraq is very much like Viet Nam in that our troops are fighting an enemy that does not wear a uniform. It is a guerilla war. Even if you had a "score card" you could never tell the "bad guys" from the "good guys". Just like Viet Nam. So, when an IED explodes and kills or wounds a fellow Marine or soldier, the rest of the troops near by feel the need to take revenge on some one. Any one. If all the people close by are innocent civilians, well, that is their tough luck. Some on, any one, has to pay for their buddies being killed and/or wounded. Viet Nam was like that, so is Iraq, and Afghanistan also. That is how guerilla wars are done. I do not condone this, I just know that it is how these wars go. Been there, seen that. It all becomes reaction, emotional reaction. Right and wrong are not considered. My buddy was just killed/wounded, some "rag head" must pay for this. Substitute any other racial or ethnic slur and you get the picture.
This is how war destroys all who are involved. These acts, like all acts in this life, create memories. And as the song says, memories are like star light, they go on forever. PTSD is a life long disorder. The next war will bring back the memories of this current war. The memories do NOT lessen with age. Hell, I think they get worse with age. They are impossible to get rid of. Drugs, booze, they are temporary crutches. Long term, they do even more harm. You cannot hide from your memories. Hell, try to hide from any part of yourself. Can't be done. Maybe clone yourself and the clone, not having your memories might be able to hide from you. Of course the original you will still be stuck, for life, with your memories. Life sucks sometimes.
Another rant. It is time to quit talking about "private military contractors" or "private security contractors". Call them what they really are. Mercenaries. Hired guns. And they are NOT like the old Richard Boone character Palladian. These are people who sell their services to the highest bidders. They kill for money. That is their choice. Do not ever ask me to feel sorry for them when they are killed or wounded. They do not follow any international laws. They do not have to answer to a chain of command, just to their paymasters. They do not deserve the respect due to "regular" military troops. These hired guns make huge amounts of money, much more than our troops get paid. They do take risks, but seem to have the support of our military leadership. I imagine they get air support when needed.
Why go on about this? Well, the killing of four such "contractors" was huge news in the USA a few short years ago. What a crock. Regardless of their citizenship, they were hired guns, not regular troops. They had no loyalty to any country, just to whomever signed their pay checks. You want to give hired guns military status? Fine, next war, fight it with ONLY hired guns. See how much of a tax cut that will get you. The use of these "private militaries" should be a war crime, if it isn't. Yes, the death of any human being saddens me, but I will shed no tears for the mercenary. The hired guns get away with whatever they do. No accountability. If these hired guns torture prisoners they do not face court martial. They just get re-assigned to some other "trouble spot" else where. Not even a pay cut, and probably a pay raise. If they claim to be professionals, well, so do Mafia hit men claim such status. I see no difference. A hired killer, is just that, whether it is the government (through the back door of course) who pays them, or some Mafia don, it is the same. A hired killer is just that. Plain and simple.
On a lighter note, every American needs to read "Attention deficit Democracy" by James Bovard. In my opinion, this is one of the most important books about America in the last few years. Definitely a MUST read.
WAKE UP America. We are being sold into a new slavery of endless war.
Don't take my word for it. Check out www.Counterpunch.org. www.antiwar.com www.fff.org
www.democracynow.org www.tomdispatch.com www.lewrockwell.com These are just a few of the excellent real news sites on the web.
Read, learn, be informed! Do it NOW. Citizenship has implied duties along with the benefits. It is the DUTY of all citizens to be informed. Do NOT depend on any TV news station, they answer to the sponsors. Get the real news. Get informed and stay informed. WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!

02 April 2006

What is happening to America?

What is happening to our country? Are we all brain dead?
Bush has stated that he will send OUR troops to defend Israel(!). What for? They have the best trained and best equipped armed force in the entire Middle East! How many Americans are willing to have their young fight and die for some other country?
Well, it is coming folks. War with Iran. Bush wants it and he will most likely get it. He wanted war in Iraq, and by God, he got it! In spades. OK, it maybe hasn't turned out the way his "advisors(?)" told him it would. When have the "arm chair" warriors ever been right about any war?
This country is headed towards the most distresses time in our history and where is the media? Polls say that a large majority of Americans want our troops OUT of Iraq. A poll of the troops shows that a majority of them want OUT of Iraq, the sooner the better. How much coverage has this had in the "main stream" media? Faux News hasn't had much to say on this. Well, of course not, they are still the biggest "cheer leaders" for this damned war of choice. War seems to be good for the ratings of Faux News, so they won't "give peace a chance". War sells. War makes the idiot "news casters" on Faux sound so patriotic. How many of those people ever served in the military? Have any of them ever been in any war as combatants? I don't know of any of them who can answer yes. Those who cheer loudest for war, are usually those the furthest from the actual fighting. Man, if hot and and bullshit were weapons, Faux News would be worth something. Those blow hards could stop any enemy in their tracks, if bullshit were a real weapon.
America! WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!
Turn off the "reality TV" and look at what is happening to our young people. They are being killed and maimed for nothing! Even those not in direct combat are being affected. PTSD will get them, just like it got everyone in Viet Nam. The scars of war are permanent! Do you really want your sons and daughters to kill and be killed for this bullshit?
We the people need to stand up and say ENOUGH!!!!!!!!