15 March 2012

This stuff just gets stranger and stranger

Greetings good people.
Sorry for being so slow, it has been a month plus since the last post here. I could say that I had not felt very great and it would be true. I could also say I have been lazy about the blog and that also would be true. I'll go with plain old lazy. Overwhelmed is also a possible. Good grief, there has been so much going on and every new day seems to just bring more of the odd, strange, and just plain crazy to the computer screen.
We started out earlier with the vile NDAA. Just recently, the clowns who populate the US congress gave us the next installment, by that I mean HR 347, the "trespass act". It seems it isn;t enough for the president to claim(!!) he has the authority to kill anybody anywhere, even Americans on American soil, now we the people are not to be allowed to protest anywhere that we might upset some "grand personage" who has Secret Service protection. To do so will be a felony. And here we thought that Shrubbie and the "dark creature" Cheney had done us in with the "free speech zones" crapola. Now even those "zones" will be further away from any government buildings/property. Yes, keep the protesters far away from all federal buildings, never know when some "important people" might be there for a visit. Well, sure, after all, we don't want to make the job of the Secret Service any harder than it may be. 


In view of the above, today there was a news item that really got me "up and running". According to NBC and MSNBC news sources, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was in Afghanistan and yesterday he gave a speech to some 200 US Marines. Now you might say big deal Charlie, so what? Well, yes, normally it would not be any story at all, except for this; the Marines were asked to leave their weapons OUTSIDE the tent where Panetta was giving his speech! No screaming eagle shit folks! The bloody Secretary of Defense for the USA asked that US Marines leave their weapons outside the place he was speaking! this is absolutely amazing to me. I remember back in my days in the imperial war in Vietnam, the commanding general for 1st Marine Division was going back to the states and there was a ceremony for him in DaNang. Some of the Marines I was with went to the party. Hey, they got a nice ride on a CH-47 and all plus a day away from the boonies.They did NOT have to leave their weapons outside of the building where the ceremony was vein held. Hey, it was a war zone. Afghanistan is a war zone. Why did the troops need to be unarmed to hear the speech?


Well, according to Major General Mark Gurganus, there were some two dozen Afghan troops also in attendance and they were unarmed and the general didn't want them to think  they were being treated differently. Why in hell would they not be treated differently? The recent killings of US and NATO troops by Afghan Army and/or police is why. Of course I am NOT excusing the murder by a US Staff Sergeant of 16 Afghan civilians. By now, if you stop by here very often, you know that I oppose all killings of fellow human beings. War IS mass murder, true, but the killing of these civilians is a war crime and should be prosecuted as such. Some articles have called it the Afghanistan My Lia. It just may be and then some.


No matter what the media calls that murder, it is a war crime, period. The person who did the killing must be held to account. Add this along with the desecration of dead Afghans, the burning of the Koran and you have a very nasty situation for the US/NATO troops still in Afghanistan. No matter how nasty and messy that war gets, the commanders cannot allow discipline to break down to the point of killings like this recent one. 


One needs to step back though and take a hard look at what is going on there. In my view, the first offense in this damn fool war of choice is fighting it. Second, a very close second, if we are going to fight this idiotic war, the troops need to have a better understanding of the culture of the Afghan people. To me there is no excuse for the US/NATO troops to not know that the Koran is the most revered book in Afghanistan. For a majority of the Afghans no doubt it is the ONLY book they know of. For any foreign troops to desecrate that book will provoke an outrage. The commanders should have known this and instructed the troops accordingly.
Well, hell, why bother? Sure, we didn't get much, if any, indoctrination into the Vietnamese culture before we left to go fight there either. Well, remember how that imperial war ended? Yeah, with the last helicopter taking off from the roof of the US embassy in Saigon. Any bets the Afghan war ends the same way?


All that and I have not even commented on the morons in the elephant party and the freak show they have been putting on for all to see. I had some articles set aside on good old Rick Sanitarium and was going to link to articles that show how he deviates from even his own Roman Catholic Church and how he does not follow faithfully his own Pope, but why bother. The guy is just so disgusting and I don't feel up to looking to closely at that train wreck just now. Same goes double for Newt. That guy sure does think very highly of himself. One comment I saw about Newt dealt with why he in on marriage number three. The person who made the comment speculated that it was because no other human being could love Newt as much as he loves himself. I think that person has a very valid point.As to Mittens, he is a typical weather vane, he goes which ever way the wind blows. To say that Mittens is a flip-flopper is both obvious and an understatement.  Looks like we just may be in for four more years of Gobomber, or as he has been called; "Mr. Hopey-Changey".  


I still fail to see how Gobomber is worth my vote. He and his (in)Justice Department claim he can kill anybody, anywhere, and at any time. Who knew that the US president was judge, jury, and executioner? I sure didn't, but then I have read the entire US Constitution. More than once even. As recently as three weeks ago in fact. Yes, I have a personal, pocket size copy of that document. It even includes the Declaration of Independence. I also swore an oath to defend the Constitution when I enlisted in the Marines. When I was released from active duty and later when I got my final discharge, there was no asking me to revoke that oath. While it is not perfect, which no document or any form of government can ever be, it is still the best that we have devised yet. I still believe in both of those documents and I think they are worth protecting and defending; against all enemies, foreign AND domestic. How this congress can allow such a power grab by the president to go unchallenged is beyond me to comprehend.  One really begins to see just how it is that the richest 1% are able to get control when the congress critters pass such crap as the "patriot act", the vile NDAA, and now HR 347. All these bills restrict the civil liberties of US citizens. None of these act/bills make us any safer.  Our rights and liberties are being eroded right before our very eyes. We are fast becoming a police state. Economically, we are fast becoming a third world country. Neither of the two wings of the war party care at all about this. Hell, they are the ones who vote on and pass the damn bills that restrict our civil liberties. Be a congress critter, it is one really sweet job. Hey, they vote on their own pay raises and they almost always exempt themselves from every law they pass that we the people must now obey. Yes sir, one really sweet gig, if you are rich enough to grab one. And when you do finally quit, as very few incumbents ever go down to defeat, you get some really swell, high paying lobby gig and/or a seat on the board of directors for some multinational corporation, maybe even the same ones who funded your campaigns. 


America, what a country.
semper fi

13 comments:

john francis lee said...

Good to read your post, Charlie.

I don't think there is going to be any ground regained on the human rights/civil liberties front until the duopoly is taken down. Chris Hedges does have a lawsuit against the NDAA... he said he was due in court in NY on the twenty-something... twenty-ninth, I think. Maybe we'll be surprised there.

I did read a good quote today from a state judge in Wisconsin, rolling back the Republicrat governor's attempts to disenfranchise more of the electorate...

Another Wis. Judge Tosses Out Voter ID
“A government that undermines the very foundation of its existence - the people’s inherent, pre-constitutional right to vote - imperils its legitimacy as a government by the people, for the people, and especially of the people. It sows the seeds for its own demise as a democratic institution.”
–Dane County, Wisconsin circuit judge Richard Niess

The duopol regime has certainly “imperiled its legitimacy as a government... and sown the seeds for its own demise as a democratic institution” in my view. In fact the seeds have shot up and are blooming luxuriantly.

So maybe the federal judge in NY will do what he must, really, and enjoin the enforcement of the NDAA. That would be a pleasant surprise.

Leon Panetta... I'm with you on being against killing. Yet it's happening everyday in Afghanistan, and I'd really rather read that a US Marine popped Leon Panetta than that he ran amok and killed more innocent Afghans in their beds.

My view of the Republicrat freak show is that it is calculated to re-elect Obama, with whom the 1% are very well pleased. They might have spent a billion to elect the guy, but they got a trillion back... and they're headed for a replay, they figure.

Another interesting little tidbit...

Ron Paul’s Hour of Decision
' polls show him beating President Obama in the general election by winning a huge portion of the independent and youth votes… '

I don't like Ron Paul... but he is a chance to end the wars, both the ones we have already and more in the pipeline... and more war is a sure thing with the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Good to see you posting again Charlie. Gives me something real to read.

Tao Dao Man said...

John Francis Lee:
Sorry, but there is no end to these endless wars without borders.
No individual president is capable of peace.
The system [war machine] must first be stopped.
We are a nation of war.
Our MIC business is leading us into the abyss. And for them there is no other business as profitable as war.
As long as corporate America and multi-national corporations along with their bankster cohorts are not held accountable.
Our kids and grand kids will be donating their blood sweat and tears.
We deserve the best government that money can buy.

Mike Whitney said...

You know what? This country deserves Newt Gingrich as its president. Can you imagine how long it would take Newtie before he bombed Iran?

Oh, I don't know... maybe 20 minutes or so.

Anyway, sorry for going "off topic".

You are right about the NDAA of course, but what can we do about it?

Nothing, that's what. Maybe an email petition or some other garbage like that. but nothing that will make a difference.

this country is so far down the road to fascism, it isn't even funny. I don't see how we turn back at this point. It seems to me like the best case scenario would be if we have another financial meltdown that crashes the dollar and forces the troops to come back home. Then, it's all a matter of whether the troops will fire on starving people in the streets or not. I'm hoping they won't.

I know, it's a depressing thought, but where do you think we're headed?

john francis lee said...

RZ and Mike...

I agree that there is no hope of systemic change from within. Casting about for a means to stave of the worst... and that's surely what seem's to be coming up... I suggest the following...

The people, united, will never be defeated

I know that you, Mike, are not 100% beaten down, and I'm sure you aren't either RZ. Neither am I.

My suggestion may indeed be foolish... I eagerly await either or both of yours.

Or anyone else's. Surely it's better to go down resisting than just to go down?

charlie ehlen said...

John,
Thank you for your comments. I really appreciate your opinion.
I think you have this election cycle down pat as they used to say here. Obama IS the choice of the 1% and the clown show the elephant gang is putting on is a distraction to get a second term for old Gobomber.
Still, think back a few years, say to the late 1960's or early 70's. Who then would have thought that a Nobel Peace Prize winner would be involved in fighting so many wars? Back then, the only thing a real Peace prize winner would be doing about wars would be working very hard to end them. This old world sure has changed and not for the better.
I don't follow Hedges very closely. I respect his efforts but I wonder if his suit has any chance considering how low the US as dropped. I hope he is successful, but I will not be holding my breath.
Yes, the judge has that correct. We are undermining the foundations of the country. While the clown show mentions our founders and their "vision" for the country, the "solutions" proposed by slimy Newt, Sanitarium, and Mittens are in no way in accord with what the founders set out to do. They do, however try like hell to convince the rubes they ARE doing as the founders would want. Again, the masses are being sold a "bill of goods" which are in no way actually good for us.
Too bad the trips didn't throw their boots at Panetta. That Iraqi who threw his shoes at Shrubbie had guts. It would have been great to see the troops throwing their boots at old Leon.
Correct me if I am "mis-remembering", but wasn't Panetta at one time a member of the House from California? I seem to remember him as a congress critter from the state I lived in for some 40 years.
Hey, I am old and my memory is not perfect. Then, I have not claimed to be perfect since about the age of 6 or so.
As to Ron Paul, the only thing I agree with him on is to end the idiot wars of choice. Not enough to get my vote as his other positions are not those I can support.

charlie ehlen said...

RZ,
Yes, the children and grandchildren WILL be paying for the miserable mess we are leaving them. Our generation has not produced many real leaders. When we look at what Billy Bob and Hi-Larry have done, then we got Shrubbie and the vile Cheney, now Gobomber (who is not quite a "boomer" or is he?), our generation sure has made one huge mess of the Constitution and much of the world. History may not be very kind to us if we just sit back and watch this play out.
I still have hope that the Occupy movement will be able to make a difference and I will do all I can to support and join in their movement. Yes, I have read some articles that say Occupy has been a target of nastiness like thee old FBI days of Cointellpro. One made mention of the fact that every peoples' movement has been infiltrated by some government agency, so this being done to the Occupy movement is no surprise. We just need to make sure we do not allow the "operatives" gain control and instigate any unneeded violence. We have to take a stand for humanity and civil rights.

charlie ehlen said...

Mike,
I don't quite agree that the whole country "deserves" Newt. Maybe a certain group does, but not the rest of us. The 1% could do with him, but I doubt they really want him as leader. Hey, let the right wing "religious" clowns have Newt and (in) Sanitarium. A theocracy seems to be what they want, let them have those two, just keep them all away from the sane folks.
I do see the country going towards a fascist police state also Mike. Still, I cannot just sit back and do nothing. Yes, being physically disabled means I cannot do some things. Being on a fixed income also limits my participation in events that are very far from where I live. Diesel was $3.99.9 a gallon yesterday around here.
Even so, I can still rant away on the old corner here. I can still talk to my neighbors and others I come in contact with each day. If we just sit back and say/do nothing, then in my opinion we have no basis to complain when the crap gets worse.
My opinion, each of us needs to resist the best we can. I do not want to be like that poem from the Nazi era. You know the one I mean; "when they came for the (insert group) I said nothing as I was not one of them........ Yeah, THAT one. As long as can post here and/or talk to people around me I'll keep doing what I can to resist the violation of our civil rights. Yes, I did take that oath to defend the Constitution against ALL enemies, foreign AND domestic. As I have said many times, when I was discharged (honorably) I was never asked to revoke that oath. Some things as very important, even all these years later. My core values, I suppose you could call it.

charlie ehlen said...

John,
I don't think your suggestion is foolish. Hey, the way I see things, we should try to give it a chance. Let's try something different and see how it goes. If it works great. If it doesn't work, OK, try something else. As I see it, this country was and still is, an experiment.
I think the real "trick" is to be intelligent enough to realize that when what you are doing is not working, that you stop that and try something else. The problem arises when "we" keep doing the same damn thing but expecting the outcome to be different "this time for sure".
We need to realize our mistakes and stop that behavior and try something else. We need to learn from our mistakes and not keep repeating them. In short, I think the country as a whole, and government in particular, needs to grow up and act responsibly. Just my 2 cents; about $0.000000170326 when adjusted for inflation.

john francis lee said...

I don't like Ron Paul either, Charlie. But I urge the people who do like Ron Paul to vote for him rather than for a duopol. I urge everyone to vote for someone they would actually want to see in the office in question. I assume that will require them to write-in the name of their choice on the ballot. I urge people to do that and then to insist that their ballot be counted.

I cannot think of a more basic right in a representative democracy than the free and fair execution of our only chance to effect state policy : voting.

Everyone voting for the candidate of their choice is going to gum up the works. Thank goodness in my view.

At that point we will be in uncharted territory.

My suggested path out of the wilderness is repeated elections over the course of one week intervals until each district has chosen, by majority vote, a Representative and possibly a Senator in an "off-year" election, and a President/VicePresident, Representative, and possibly a Senator in a "fourth year" election.

The system is broken. As you point out, Charlie... we need to do something different if we are to fix it.

As things stand now we are going to have to hold our own, parallel elections if we are actually to vote for whomever each of us wants and to continue voting until we have settled on someone a majority agrees on.

You could term that Occupying the Election if you wanted to.

I'm eager to hear other suggestions. The fact that things are fubar is pretty apparent to me, but if anyone wants to remind me of that fact yet again, that's fine.

I am, though, more interested in proposed fixes than laments.

Grace said...

Charlie, in one of your comments you make the point that every group is infiltrated.. I think we need to do what we need to do anyway. I am not going to let the fact that information is collected on me and they know me, stop me from supporting the Occupy movement. I take it for granted now that every phone call is listened to and everything written, read. They must be really bored spies as my life is not very exciting in general.
Thanks for the moral support. I agree that the Constitution may not be perfect, but it's pretty relevant and useful and we the people should fight against traitors both foreign and DOMESTIC.

The say that love is the greatest power in the Universe. So let's kill them with love : ),

charlie ehlen said...

Grace,
I mentioned the idea that most every group is or has been infiltrated in reference to an article I read earlier this week.
I have no doubt that any group of people that has a number of members or is some what high profile has been infiltrated by some government agency or other. Big deal, that seems to be a fact of life. Or it has been since the late 60's/early 70's. Yes, like the old Cointellpro that Hoover and his FBI ran then.
Again, big deal. The trick is to not allow the group to be highjacked by any member. If you suspect a person as an infiltrator, don't allow that person to get you to do things that violate your sense of right and wrong. Be wary, to an extent, but try not to get paranoid.
I don't know if I am being monitored or watched and don't care. If the government thinks(??) I am worth their time, so be it. As far as I am aware, I have not violated any laws with the old corner here. If I have, no doubt I will have to answer for whatever crime/crimes I have committed. Again, big deal. I learned long ago to own up to my mistakes.
Yes, fight back against it all with love and kindness. Good idea and one well worth doing. It falls under the old "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Exactly, treat all others as you would like to be treated. I try my best every day to do so. Yes, at times that is very difficult as it does seem that some people go about their day trying to upset all they come in contact with. Just be yourself and do your best to be polite to all you meet and let life proceed as it will.
Live and let live, but never give in to tyranny.
Just my 2 cents worth.

david g said...

Hey, Charlie, you sure tell it like it is.

I understand how you get cheesed off sometimes, given the extent of disgusting stuff going on in the world. And when you see Vietnam being fought over again in the Middle East and that those wars will have a similar ending, it must be disheartening.

But the U.S. loves war especially its leaders and the corporations which make the war toys.

But vengeance time is coming, Charlie. And it will come to the homeland of America. American can't kill all its enemies.

There are too many!

Bill the Butcher said...

Thanks for dropping in on my blog. I appreciate your comment. I'll be back to read you. Thanks once again.

Bill.