Greetings to all who stop by the old corner.
First off, I want to recommend an excellent source for reports that may be of interest. The web site, added to the list on this page, is Public Intelligence. They have many actual reports available for reading and/or download. Among the reports are many of those I have linked to in other posts here. Their web site is; http://publicintelligence.net/. Stop by this site, you might be surprised at the information available there.
Now for the rant. Warning, the language may get nasty. While I have let my postings get behind and my reading has also become overdue, I think this may make up some what for that. What set me off were two separate articles at Think Progress earlier this past week.
The first is; http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/05/08/478673/paul-ryan-food-stamps/. The second, ties in with the first and is; http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/05/08/480017/mccarthy-trimming-fat-poor/.
Yes, the elephant gang is once again attacking the poor and working class people who are already hard pressed to afford enough to eat. First off, Mr. Ryan says that; "You have to savings in some of these areas." Sure thing Paul, screw those who work and still cannot afford food to feed their families. Then along comes Mr. McCarthy, who thinks(?) that kicking some 300,000 children off school lunch programs to protect the over-bloated "defense" budget is "trimming the fat". Sure thing Mr. McCarthy. Here they go again, screw the poor and working class. Hell, this time they even want to punish the kids! All of these cuts are being proposed to ensure that the five sided puzzle palace (aka the Pentagon) does not have to "do without" as it were. As every reader of this blog and who has an interest in the US government and its military spending knows by now, the Pentagon has never passed any budget review and is still unable to even find a place to start such a review. The clowns who run the show at the Department of "Defense" could not care less who best screwed so they can continue to sate money with every single "tick" of the clock. The US military has got to be the most wasteful organization on the face of the planet. Add to this the fact that what passes as our(?) congress today has never failed to keep funding weapons and weapon systems even after the military has decided that a particular weapon or weapon system is not needed. Well, so the congress critters keep telling us, they keep funding the military so as to keep those jobs making weapons and weapon systems.
While I know full well that the US does need to defend itself, it is also true that we, the US, have more weapons than we actually need. The US still has more nuclear weapons than any other country and this after the supposed reductions in those vile weapons of mass destruction.
My reaction to all of this is; just what the bloody hell are these "representatives" thinking? Are they thinking at all even? Well, yes, they are, unfortunately. They are thinking of the campaign contributions they get and want to continue getting from the "defense" industries. Hey, there is BIG money in weapons. Also, when the TV snooze shows video of said weapons being used, why, it all looks so very "sexy" and all that. No doubt such video increases the ratings as well. Maybe we, as a nation, actually DO love war and destruction. In my opinion, the people who are the most FOR wars are those who have never been in a war, let alone, actually been a member of a military with the possibility of getting sent to a war. The term for these war lovers is chicken hawks, and I think it fits them to a "tee". Yes sir, a damn good it in my opinion.
The troops are not exactly "pro-war" either. That is because they know just who it is who will be doing the fighting and the dying when they go to war. The politicians who vote for the newest weapons and vote, when or IF the president asks them for a vote, never go to war. They do not do any fighting and they sure as hell do not do any of the dying either. They get to stay all safe and sound here in the old US of A. They risk nothing by voting for and supporting any of the damn fool wars of choice the US is now bogged down in. Bogged down is just what we are in all of our current wars of choice. If you don't think so, just ask any politician how soon "we" can leave a particular country where our troops and/or advisors are currently in. My bet is that you will be told, IF the politicians even danes to reply, that "we" must stay "until the job is done". Yeah, and just what that job is? Well, that is a "national secret". Why of course it is. And it MUSt be classified. IF the real war aims were to be made known to the people, the really true reason our troops are fighting, killing, and dying, well, that would surely piss off the people. My personal opinion, every damn fool war of choice, all of the current US wars ARE by choice, is to increase and maintain the obscene profits flowing to the "defense" industries and every other multinational corporation and of course the vile rat bastards, the Wall street banksters. Wars make for good profits. I would like for the shareholders of those corporations to choke on their "profits". It almost makes me wish that I believed in some god, just so I could ask that god to damn them all to hell and back. Not a single country or group that the US military is currently fighting with, and this includes every country where "we" are using drone aircraft, has the capability of attacking the US mainland. The US is blessed by geography. We have an ocean on either side of our country.To the North, there is Canada. Not a threat in any way. In some ways, Canada is almost like the 52nd state, we are that close to that country policy wise. To the SOuth, there is Mexico. True, that poor country is and bass been racked by outrageous drug gang warfare. The death toll from the Mexican drug war is staggering. Yes, that war is funded by old uncle Sam, just like the other wars raging around this poor, tired old planet. Poor Mexico cannot win. There is big money in wars, even relatively low intensity wars like the drug war in Mexico. There is also huge money to be made from the illegal drugs. Mexico is caught between the quest for profits by the "defense" industries and the drug gangs. Money for all who play the game, a bullet for those who oppose that war. Poor Mexico. And yes, poor Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Chechnya, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, the Palestinians, and other countries that I didn't name here. No country is safe from the war lovers and their bankster financiers. When there are profits to be made, nobody and no place is safe. Predatory capitalism at work, all living creatures run for your lives.
That the wars are being financed with borrowed money is almost too sick of a joke to be serious. That the members of our(?) congress want to cut social spending to keep the profits flowing to the war lovers is just obscene. Damn them all to hell. They are like leaches. Pests that suck the life out of all else, for their own personal enrichment. The people be damned, there are profits to reap. Yes, and there will be the dead to bury and the wounded to beg for medical help. The survivors may be jealous of those who are killed in these damn fool wars of choice. What sort of life will there be for those who survive these damn fool, idiotic wars of choice? I am sure of one thing, for the vast majority of the survivors, life will be at best a very poor imitation of a decent life. Wars destroy. They destroy people, homes, communities, entire economies. And the war lovers do not care at all about the destruction, they only see those vast profits, never the suffering. Why would they? They and their families do not actually go the the wars, they stay home safe and secure, counting their profits. It is only(!) the "little people" who do the actual fighting and dying. It is the poor and the working class who suffer the wounds of war, physical and psychological. The rich who profit from war never have "bad dreams" or flashbacks. Why would they? The war profiteers do not suffer the physical and psychological wounds as they do not go to war. No, they send others in their place. All future wars should be fought by those who favor war. How soon would war end if that were the law? And NO, they would not be able to buy their way out of going to war as many did during the War Between the States in the US 1860-65. OK, I admit, that is just a "pipe dream" of mine. And yet, I wonder, how many wars would there be if that were the case? At least then, the only ones who would be killed or wounded would be those who wanted the war.
Before I forget, the US House of Reprefentitives voted Thursday, 10 May, 2012, to cut food stamps so that the military would not have to suffer(?) any cuts in funding. America, what a country.
Thank you for your time. I wish you all the very best, but we all must do what we can to prepare for the worst. As a Marine, there were signs in boot camp that said' "Train for war, but pray for peace". So, prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.
semper fi.
7 comments:
Excellent.
The European austerity programs have/will not work.
Here we have the tea baggers proposing cuts to all social programs while we still feed the beast of the MIC.
This is what failing empires do.
They live and die by the sword.
The status quo by the 1% is unsustainable. We might even live to see the day that the greenback is not the global reserve currency.
I just turned 61, so I am talking pretty soon. :-)
Beware of false flags.
There might be a slight chance that the U.S. tells Israel that they will have to live with a nuclear energy Iran. If not, all bets are off.
Agree, Charlie.
antiwar.com had a piece on a poll by the University of Maryland that had an overwhelming percentage of people ready to cut the expenditure for War, Charlie. You probably saw it.
I summarized it here, just now.
Looking at the figures I think we need to fund the veterans' needs, the Wehrmacht's retirees, and interest on the debt incurred in pursuit of the wars. We are honor bound in the first instance and legally bound in the other two to do so. Those expenses amount to about a third of the total War expenditure.
As for defense, as opposed to war ...
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
That sounds like National Guard units in every state ... not a standing army of aggression outside the United States to me.
We've gotta get back to basics. The Wehrmacht is effectively out of our control at this point ... and the only ones who have a chance to bring it back under control are us, the people.
RZ,
Yes indeed, beware of false flag ops. No doubt they have a few just waiting to be implemented. the "ruling class" usually has contingency plans.
Look for ever more smoke and mirrors as the election gets closer also. It is all just another dog and pony show.
I think the Euro might be in much worse shape and the US dollar,which is not so "great" any more.
What a mess the "too big to jail" banksters have made for us.
John,
Yes, a very good report on how the average citizen would cut the war funding. Of course this means very little as the "rulers" never listen to the people. Why should they? Look what they have done to the economy recently. The rich will not care unless or until the people actually revolt. No doubt it would be a replay of the French revolution and the rich would be wondering why the people were so upset. Talk about clueless.
I agree, no standing armies. That, I think, was the intent of the founders. They were very wary of standing armies. "A well regulated militia", yes, the National Guard. One weekend a month and two weeks in the summer for practice. Do like Switzerland perhaps, all able bodied men from age 18(I think it is 18) to about 64 would have and maintain a weapon and ammunition and be ready to answer the call in times of emergency. Quite like the National Guard, although I am not sure that the National Guard takes their weapons and ammunition home with them. I was never a member of that outfit, just a "regular" Marine for four years of active duty.
Any additional information re: the National Guard will be appreciated.
You write, Charlie ...
" There is big money in wars, even relatively low intensity wars like the drug war in Mexico. There is also huge money to be made from the illegal drugs. Mexico is caught between the quest for profits by the "defense" industries and the drug gangs. Money for all who play the game, a bullet for those who oppose that war. Poor Mexico. "
And poor Honduras, poor Peru, poor Ecuador ...
Hondurans demand US withdrawal over civilian deaths
" The killing of at least four Honduran civilians, including two pregnant women, in an attack by a US helicopter last Friday has triggered angry protests in Honduras’s remote northeastern Mosquito Coast area.
" US officials have confirmed that American DEA agents were in the helicopter that strafed the boat, but claim that they did not fire their weapons in the attack. This does nothing to mitigate Washington’s responsibility for the deaths, however, as the helicopter itself was a US aircraft and its crew composed of Guatemalan contractors hired by the US government. The raid was launched based on intelligence provided by US forces, and there can be little doubt that in such operations it is US personnel that literally call the shots.
" Vaquedano, the village’s mayor, however explained that there were two boats in the river that night; that of the drug smugglers, which was downriver and unlit, and that of the two men and two women, which was running with its lights on. “First the narcos opened fire, and later the DEA helicopters were searching the area, and they fired with their guns at the boat with civilians, thinking maybe they were narcos.”
" The bloody incident has drawn attention to the militarized drug war that is being waged in Honduras under the direction of US military and DEA personnel. "
RZ, Yes indeed, beware of false flag ops. No doubt they have a few just waiting to be implemented. the "ruling class" usually has contingency plans. Look for ever more smoke and mirrors as the election gets closer also. It is all just another dog and pony show. I think the Euro might be in much worse shape and the US dollar,which is not so "great" any more. What a mess the "too big to jail" banksters have made for us.
You write, Charlie ... " There is big money in wars, even relatively low intensity wars like the drug war in Mexico. There is also huge money to be made from the illegal drugs. Mexico is caught between the quest for profits by the "defense" industries and the drug gangs. Money for all who play the game, a bullet for those who oppose that war. Poor Mexico. " And poor Honduras, poor Peru, poor Ecuador ... Hondurans demand US withdrawal over civilian deaths " The killing of at least four Honduran civilians, including two pregnant women, in an attack by a US helicopter last Friday has triggered angry protests in Honduras’s remote northeastern Mosquito Coast area. " US officials have confirmed that American DEA agents were in the helicopter that strafed the boat, but claim that they did not fire their weapons in the attack. This does nothing to mitigate Washington’s responsibility for the deaths, however, as the helicopter itself was a US aircraft and its crew composed of Guatemalan contractors hired by the US government. The raid was launched based on intelligence provided by US forces, and there can be little doubt that in such operations it is US personnel that literally call the shots. " Vaquedano, the village’s mayor, however explained that there were two boats in the river that night; that of the drug smugglers, which was downriver and unlit, and that of the two men and two women, which was running with its lights on. “First the narcos opened fire, and later the DEA helicopters were searching the area, and they fired with their guns at the boat with civilians, thinking maybe they were narcos.” " The bloody incident has drawn attention to the militarized drug war that is being waged in Honduras under the direction of US military and DEA personnel. "
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