14 December 2007

More ramblings and rants.......what else?

Well, here I am again. The current "flap" over the NIE on Iran has taken up way too much time, in my opinion. Yes, on the one hand it IS good news of sorts. At the very least it means that our intelligence agencies do NOT support the idea of an Iranian nuclear weapon as a cause for America to start a war with Iran. Very good news to be sure.

It HAS distracted though, in my opinion, from other news. It is a type of distraction even. Sort of like old Billy Bob Bubba bombing Kosovo just as the Senate was deciding if they wanted to impeach him for the "Monica thing". It distracts from other news. I see this NIE in that way to a certain extent. While it is very welcome, it takes the heat off other things for now. It lets some things slide on by.

Where is the uproar over the "Homegrown Terrorist" Bill in the Congress? Forgot about that didn't you? Yep. Bet ya did. I didn't, but it DID get pushed aside.

I'll come back to this in a bit. First I want to give a shout out to Professor Stephen Zunes who has two (2!) commentaries over at Antiwar.com today. Both are quite good and I would say go read them both. My favorite is the one titled "Hillary Clinton's Illiberal Belligerence". If you lean toward voting for Ma Clinton, or even if you just think she is a "liberal", read this one, now! Actually, Hi-Larry started out in politics as a "Goldwater girl" way back in the mid 60's, so some of this wasn't a bug surprise to me. Also, if you can get it, check the print/email editions of Counterpunch, they did a series on Hillary's political background that is well worth the read. Very informative. they also show how she got her start "pushing" for Goldwater in the 60's and "became" a democrat after meeting Bill. This is the link to the Zunes article, well worth your time reading it. WWW.antiwar.com/zunes/?articleid=12051. Check it out.

To me Hi-Larry is a democrat for the same reason she is still married to Billy, it helps HER career and furthers HER ambitions. Period. IF she were elected president, and IF she wins a second term, look for her to dump Bill after the second inauguration party, if not sooner. If she does NOT get the donkey nomination for the 2008 election, look for the divorce to start this fall. Just my 2 cents worth. It is MY opinion, that Hi-Larry is a conniving,political,liar,schemer,and a true bitch in every sense of the term. But that is just my opinion, yours may vary, as is your right, still in America.

Now, back to the "homegrown Terrorist" bill.

This piece of crap was "presented" to us by..........wait for it...............a member of the donkey gang! Yes sir, a democrat has given us this piece of shit. And here you all thought it was just those nasty old republicans who were set to destroy liberty in America. Nope, this turkey came from Ms. Jane Harman, a democant. Wow, how about that?It means that Hi-Larry is NOT the only female democrat who is a warmonger bitch today. There ARE others out there! OK, I suppose that now I am sounding "sexist". Well, tough shit. I refuse to be "politically correct"! In the book I recently finished reading, the author made repeated claims that "political correctness" is just a way of suppressing freedom of speech. Since I agree with him on that, I will speak my mind and to hell with any form of "political correctness". It is all bullshit anyway. And ALL of you know this, you may not say so out loud, but dammit, you KNOW that PC is bullshit. So, do like I do, call bullshit bullshit and not some "fancy" stuff like "bovine excrement", which it IS, but damn, Bullshit sounds so much MORE real. Bovine excrement has to be imagined, bullshit is readily there and in your face real. No imagining needed
Enter the donkey gang. Maybe they feel the "need" to show they are "tough on terrorists", I don't know, but this "bill" from Democrat Jane Harman reeks of pure bullshit and guts OUR constitutional rights.
I am talking about the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorist Prevention Act". Big name for a bill that screws US. This piece of crap HAS passed the House by a vote of 405 to 6! Some representation we have in that branch of congress. This turkey is now off to the Senate Homeland Security Committee, headed by.........wait for it..........old Joe Lieberman. Yes, good old Joe the "independent" aka Republican in Democrat shirt.
This "legislation" (aka; piece of shit) will create a congressional commission that will be empowered to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and designate whomever they decide(!) as "homegrown terrorists". How will "they" decide(?) who is a homegrown terrorist? Well, now THAT seems to be the $64 million question. This "bill" does NOT define what terrorist behavior is, nor does it define what "extremist" views might be. See, they leave this all very vague on purpose. Why, you ask do they do such things? Well, that is all too easy to answer. They leave the definitions ( when they actually do try to define some ting) very vague for the reason that then, ANY behavior or belief they don't like at a particular time, will "fit" the definition of "extremist" or "terrorist". See, this way, what might pass for accepted behavior or thought today, can suddenly become a crime tomorrow if a particular member of this new commission happens to wake up that day and "decide" that he/she doesn't like something. Yes, it IS that goddamn simple. When the "crime" is vaguely ill-defined, nobody can know with any certainty what MIGHT be a crime at any given moment. It is all done just like "political correctness", to maintain CONTROL. Same as the reason for invading Iraq, control. The Iraq deal is to CONTROL the flow of oil. It is not/was not, to insure that America got cheap oil, hell no. It is to control the flow of the oil, of course the neo-cons and their pals get first shot at getting the oil, but it is all about control. In my opinion, that IS the goal of the entire neo-con plan, control. Control over as much of the entire globe and world population as possible. Think Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Napoleon, or any other "world conqueror" from history. These people want control, for the sake of having control. Period.
This new bill, as mentioned, provides for the setting up of a commission that will have ten members. These folks will travel around the country holding hearings, obtaining testimony, even swear witnesses to oaths, much like a court room. These ten members may act independently, meaning there could be as many as ten separate hearings going on around the country at any given time.
The "members" will of course, be "selected" for their expertise and appointed by our wonderful Congress. Now of course these good folks on this new commission will be paid, with our tax dollars naturally. They will NEED to have their own staffs and offices, and all sorts of other equipment and "goodies". Think, new beurocracy here folks. A new government agency.
Now, an interesting bit in not defining just what terrorism is, leaves this up to the members of the commission to define terrorism. Sort of like pornography, I may not know what it is, but I know it when I see it. That should be a very worrisome bit regards this "bill". It means, as I said before, the definition can change on any given day, or hour. It is a very flexible, too flexible, definition. It does partially define "homegrown terrorism" as "planning" or "threatening" to use force to promote a political objective. In other words people, just THINKING about something could be considered an act of terrorism! Thinking! As in "thought crimes"! Now, I realize thay thinking is not one of the things most Americans do best, or even do at all here of late, but, holy shit people, thinking as a crime!???!!! What the fuck!
This turkey also "defines" violent radicalization (?) as promoting an "extremist belief system", but it does NOT define extremism. Again, it is up to the individual commission member to "decide" that issue.
In my opinion, this entire mess is way too vague. It is too light on any definition of terrorism or extremism. It gives way too much power discretion to the member of this commission, who will be appointed by Congress to this commission. It attacks OUR basic rights and freedoms. It further helps shred OUR constitution and OUR Bill of Rights. It limits freedom of speech,press,and association, among others. It gives too much power to unelected people, who will have the power to decide what is or is not lawful. It makes the act of thinking(!!!) a crime!
We are already being spied upon by our own government. Our Congress has rolled over and played dead for the Cheney/Bush war machine. We voted the Democrats into a mojority in BOTH houses of Congress, not to keep "business as usual" going. We voted them into a majority to CHANGE policy. Well, we have not received value for our votes. All we have to show for our "election" of 2006 is same old shit, different people. Business as usual, this Congress has never seen a military funding bill that it did not pass. Thanks for nothing there Democrats.
We have government out of control, a president who acts as if he is above the law, and a Congress that refuses to do its job, refuses to stand up to this abuse of power. And do NOT tell me that all will be better if Hillary wins the election in 2008. Bullshit! She will NOT roll back any of the power acquired by Cheney/Bush. I think this is why the Democrats do not challenge Bush on his power grabs, they think they will win the presidency and then THEY will have all that power. Hillary is a power hungry person, period. She would LOVE to have the powers Bush has amassed for the office of president. Power for the sake of having power. That is where America is today. Leaderless, floundering in a sea of debt, and bogged down in two un-winnable wars of choice. Health care? Just don't get sick. Highways and infrastructure? Be very careful where you go. Jobs? Move to Chin, India, or some other foreign country.
A Grateful Dead song goes something like...........I may be headed to Hell in a bucket, but at least I'm enjoying the ride. Well, America IS headed to Hell, bucket or no, but very, very few of us are enjoying the ride.
Well, enough of me for today. No, I will NOT stop this blog. I will continue to keep having my say until they pry my cold dead hands from the keyboard, along with my weapons. Hell YES, defend the Bill of Rights! Defned free speech. Defend AMERICA.
Maybe we DO need a new American Revolution. Time will tell.
semper fi,
charlie

11 December 2007

Iran, of course, and other things as well

Well, I suppose I need to mention the new NIE and Iran. So far, just about every web site I visit on any regular/semi-regular basis has had at least one comment on this topic. So, here is my "take" on it.
First off, the NIE is good news. I see it that way because it eliminates at least one "reason" for Shrub/Cheney to start a war with Iran. No nuclear weapons program. What weapons program they did have was ended in 2003 and has NOT been re-started as of now. Very good news, because our "leaders" cannot use the Iranian nuclear bomb, or very near to having an Iranian nuclear bomb as a reason to attack Iran. Very good news, in my opinion.
Now the not quite so good news on this. It just means that Shrub/Cheney will have to actually work at trying to come up with another reason to attack Iran. I have no doubt that they have been at this since they had a preview of the NIE this past summer.
Notice that the "leadership" of Israel has stated that OUR intelligence services have got the Iran nuclear weapons thing all wrong. According to some Israeli sources, Iran could still have "the bomb" by some time in 2008! Wow, we never figured they were that close, or did we? I would guess that Benny Nutty-Yahoo (misspelled incorrectly ON PURPOSE) is hopping mad about the NIE regarding Iran and a nuclear weapon. My guess is that he and "Mr. 5 deferments" Cheney still want a war with Iran no matter what excuse they need to manufacture to get that war. It never fails to amaze me how some folks are so damn gung-ho for war. It is usually people who have never worn the uniform of any military. Have never fired a shot in anger/self defence. And they have never been shot at or had their buddies killed or wounded while standing or sitting right next to them. They are people who have never experienced war "up close and personal". Yet, they are some of the loudest "cheerleaders" FOR war, any war, or even every war. Where in the hell do these damn fools come from? Are they born with this brain damage or did they suffer some very traumatic injury during early childhood? There has to be a valid reason for their adamant fervor for war. In my opinion, it is totally irrational. But hell, I am just an old, former Marine and a veteran of the imperial "adventure" in Vietnam. Guess that disqualifies me and my opinion from this war "debate" thing.
OK, that is all I have to say on that issue. I will just add that I really hope that we will be able to avoid any war with Iran, not just for the remainder of the Shrub administration, but for the foreseeable future as well, no matter who gets "elected" in 2008. If I were religious, I might even pray to some god or other for that wish to come true. Perhaps if anybody who reads this and IS religious might pray to her/his god for that wish to come true. All of the world would thank you for that prayer.
This next topic has a sort of tie-in to the Iran deal, but not quite a direct one. I just finished reading a very interesting book. It it "Homo Americanus: Child of the Post-Modern Age" by Tomislaw Sunic. It is quite interesting and only about 200 pages long. He presents some very interesting ideas in his book. He also mentioned something I have been curious about. This is where the tie-in comes about. He mentions that there COULD be a backlash of real anti-Semitism in America from the propaganda of AIPAC and the Christian Zionists. This is something I have been wondering about for some years now. Not obsessively mind you, but more of a curiosity to me. Sort of an "I wonder if......" type of feeling I have had. The reason is based on life experiences. We have all seen how when we are constantly told/lectured one way on a particular topic, after some time, we rebel against those "teachings". This does concern me, in that we really could see the rise of a very violent anti-Semitism here in America. I hope we never do, but we have been force fed so much propaganda (aka crap and bullshit) about how Israel is the only democratic country in the middle east. How poor little Israel is surrounded by hostile forces set on the absolute destruction of Israel. How Israel is an indispensable ally to America.
Well, my opinion is all of that is just a cart load of bullshit. Oh, and we give/pay Israel about $3 billion every year for them to be our "indispensable ally" as well. What sort of friend is it that you have to pay to be your friend? Maybe somebody will let me know the answer to that one.
Israel is not very democratic if you are not a Jew living in Israel. Non Jews do not have the benefits of living in a democracy if they live in Israel. Israel is a Jewish state. Even one of the Israeli news outlets had a story on the racism in Israel. The results surprised even the Israelis. They hadn't realized how really racist they are. That doesn't sound very democratic to me.
Israel is surrounded by Arab countries, but, Israel has approximately 200 nuclear bombs. Not just old atomic bombs either. They have hydrogen bombs, aka thermo-nuclear weapons. These are much more powerful than "regular" atomic bombs. Don't take my word for it, Google thermo-nuclear weapons and atomic bombs. Check Wikipedia also. Now Israel has never admitted to having these weapons. Israel has never signed on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty either. Their nuclear facilities have never been inspected by any "outside" source, such as the IAEA. Now, Iran DID sign the NPT and Iran HAS been inspected, many times, by the IAEA. It was the IAEA, that found, along with ALL 16 US intelligence agencies, that Iran is NOT working on a nuclear weapon.
Israel also has the most powerful, best equipped, and best trained military in the entire mid east. There are no countries in that region that are a credible threat to destroy Israel. If any of them did mount a full scale attack on Israel, and if Israel felt their survival was at stake, Israel could just launch a few of those "undeclared" nukes and that would end any "threat" to Israel.
One other thing. The Zionists claim that the country of Israel has a "right" to exist. Wrong! NO country has the "right" to exist. Not even America. PEOPLE have the right to exist. Countries do not. Israel also demands that it is and shall be a Jewish nation. Well, OK, but that doesn't make it a democracy. It makes it a theocratic nation. It also tends to make it racist, in my opinion. It enables the leadership to revoke the "rights" of any non Jew who lives in Israel, just because they are non Jews.Freedom, but only for Jews. OK, but don't tell me how "democratic" the country is, because I don't think it can be when the rights of some residents of the country are denied civil rights because they are not the "correct" religion.
I'm going to keep this entry short. My back is hurting very bad tonight. I do want to close with another book that I just recently started to read. It is "Delusional Democracy" subtitled "Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government"; by Joel Hirschhorn. I would recommend this book and I am just on page 79 out of a total of 255 pages. So far, it is very good, though much of it to now I knew. Still I have learned a good bit even at this early stage of the book. Very well written, easy to read, good sized print for old eyes even. He doesn't use specialized terms or $15 words either. Simple language and easy to understand. If I remember, even with shipping as a single book order from Amazon.com it was still less than $20. Makes a very good Christmas present for any American who want to help save our country from both of our two party duopoly. Or, maybe your local library has it on the shelves. Check it out.
semper fi,
charlie