Post election blues

Yeah, I am a bit depressed. Why? Well, as expected old Rodney Alexander is still secure in his House seat. This time around his "challenger" didn't even put out any campaign signs! No kidding, I never saw a single one. Even worse, yes, it does get worse. Vitter has been re-elected. No kidding folks, the clown who was involved with the "DC Madam" and has been linked to hookers in New Orleans has been re-elected. What will it take for the people of this state to wake up and see that this clown is a disgusting example of the worst type of politician? Well, his wife has stuck with him all through his "troubles" so I suppose he will stay in office as long as he wants to. Unless his wife dumps him, then, maybe, just maybe we will get somebody else as our Senator. Maybe.

From what I have read, the folks who were endorsed by the moose burger bimbo didn't all win their elections. Some folks in this area I talked to before the election told me they didn't care at all for her. A small bit of good news or at least a mark of some sanity. Too bad so many still voted for Vitter. Well, one cannot have everything. A new Senator sure would have been nice though.

That Gobomber supposedly "lost" this time is no surprise. The guy brought it on himself. Just what has he done for us common folks? The poor and working class people have not seen anything for their benefit from the man who sold us "hope" and "change" in 2008. If you were one of the "too big to fail" crew, you made out quite well since Gobomber took office. The rest of us, not so much. The way this country looks from where I stand, the working class and the poor folks are worse off than we were two years ago. Unemployment is still way up. IF we were honest in counting the unemployed, the rate is over 15%.  Of course we stopped giving a true count of the unemployed back in the days when "saint" Ronnie was our "acting" president. Yes, we no longer count as unemployed the folks who have run out of unemployment benefits. Funny, most of them are still unemployed, but as they no longer get their unemployment checks, we no longer count them as unemployed. Neat way to "cook" the books. Only the government can get away with that sort of thing.
The foreclosure rate is still high and most likely going to get much worse in the near term. The banks are still holding homes off the market in hopes they will be able to get better prices for those they have already foreclosed on.
While the banks are not making very many new loans with all that money they got from us, the tax payers, they are still giving huge bonuses to the top management and others who work for them.  Neat trick there, claim you are going broke and need a government bailout, then use that money to pay huge bonuses. And they are not facing criminal prosecution nor jail time. Only in America.

Our two (yes, Iraq is still a war zone) wars are not going well. Oh we have pulled our "combat" troops from Iraq, but the killing continues in that poor country. "We" have not restored utilities for the citizens of Iraq yet either. Yes, seven years after we invaded, the Iraqis still have unreliable electric service, if they get any at all. The water and sewer systems are still as broken as the day we ended the initial invasion, or as Rummy called it "shock and awe".  Iraqis are still being killed on a daily basis. We have about 50,000 troops still in Iraq along with something over 100,000 mercenaries. I refuse to call them "contractors". They are mercenaries, plain and simple, so we should call them what they are.

The war in Afghanistan is not going well, as usual. In fact, that war still threatens to spill over into Pakistan big time. While we are still bombing across the border into Pakistan, we have yet to stage a full scale invasion. Note I said yet. Also, still "on the table" is a possible war with Iran. Of course Yemen is also very close to being "on the table" even though we have done some bombing there just as we occasionally drop bombs on Somalia.

Well, I suppose the current Pentagon "thinking" is, if you have two wars that are going poorly (to put it very, very mildly) well, just start another war to take the public mind off the wars that are not going so well. Now, you might think that when your war is not going well that you might end it. Oh my friends, that is not how the Pentagon works(??) today. No sir/ma'am as ever the case may be. No, not by a long shot. You see the end of war, commonly called peace, is NOT good for business. Particularly when war is your biggest business. In the Amerikkka of 2010 warIS very big business indeed. Why, if peace were to "break out" how would corporations like Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Colt Arms, or even companies like Blackwater (aka Xe) make a profit? Why it would be damn hard to break even if we were to have peace in this world.  Lord knows we cannot have that. No way, no how. Why the god(s) demand war. er, um, that is  um, profits.  Yes, you see, profits must be had, and not just plain ordinary profits, but nice big, huge profits. So, the wars go on and on, and the money just keeps rolling in and the profits rise ever higher and the bonus checks get bigger and bigger. Oh, well, the dead keep dying and the maimed keep getting maimed, but well, that is just part of war, collateral damage you know.
Well, I say enough. Enough war. Enough killing, maiming, and dying. Stop the goddamn wars. We are not fighting wars that need to be fought. Our wars, all of them since World War Two, have been wars of choice. We have not been attacked by another military since 7 December 1941. Our homes have not been threatened by any other military force since then. We have not had a single declared war since 1945 when World War Two ended. Yes, every war we have fought since 1945 have been undeclared wars. Ask you "tea party" friends who supposedly "love" the US Constitution about that. The Constitution says that only Congress can declare war. The last time that Congress did that was 1941 when we declared war against Japan and Germany.
Think back, Korea has been called a "police action", Vietnam was called the "Vietnam conflict". Our "small" wars like when we invaded Panama had code names and even poppy Bush's war with Iraq was only called "Desert Storm" and was not a declared war either.  Of course we would never be allowed to ask the moose burger bimbo about how she would square that with the Constitution, it would be considered a "gotcha" question. No doubt even Gobomber would agree. Oh you say, Congress voted to "give" W. Shrub the "authority" to use military force. Sure, which also means that Congress ducked their Constitutional responsibility! Cowards!!!!! Damn cowards!!!!!
If that pisses you off, tough shit. It is true and at some point, this country is going to have to deal with that truth.
Of the "tea party" people who won their election this week, how many of them care enough about the Constitution to bring this fact up in either house?  How many of them will not vote for more money for the current wars? How many will vote to support the troops once they come back home with VA benefits and housing? How many will vote funds to find shelter for the homeless veterans? According to one report I have seen recently, one in four homeless people is a veteran of the US military. Just how in hell is that "supporting" the troops?

Yes, I am a bit depressed. It isn;t just the election this week. It isn;t just the damn fool wars. It isn't just the rotten excuse of an economy we have today. It isn't just the fact that there will be no raise in Social Security for the second year in a row, or that Medicare premiums are going up and the Part D premiums are going up. It is all that and more. Our country has been waging war in Afghanistan for going on ten years now, with no end in sight. We are making war like noises at Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, and who knows how many other countries. The United States is broke and yet old "helicopter" Ben is going to print more funny money.  The future looks very dark from where I sit.
semper fi

Another day, another rant

Yes, I am ranting on, again. Or should that be still ranting? Either way I am disgusted, still, yet, again, take your pick.
Numerous articles recently tell me that Gobomber is "upset" with his "base" there is an "enthusiasm gap". Say what? Shades of the old cold war crap about the supposed "missile gap" or any other fake "gaps" that were created out of thin air back in the cold war days.
Well, I have a question for Gobomber and his crew. Just what the bloody damn hell are "we" supposed to be so enthusiastic about? The economy? Sure thing pal, as soon as the people get decent paying jobs. The wars we are still bogged down in? Don't think so, they are not going so very well. When even "king" David tells the media that the Afghan war is one that our children will be fighting, well, that makes it damn hard to be "enthusiastic" about that war. Iraq? Well, no, sorry, the fake pulling out of "combat" troops was just a ploy. Any human with a functioning brain was able to see that the relabeling of the troops in Iraq as "advisors" or "trainers" from being "combat" troops is a scam.  Hey, they got away with that sort of thing during the Vietnam war, so they tried it again. Well, it failed this time. Too many people DO have a sense of history after all.
So, again, I ask Gobomber and his crew, just what are we Americans supposed to be so enthusiastic about? Maybe he thinks we should all be so very happy that his administration is NOT going to slow down the home foreclosures. Maybe he thinks we should be "thankful" for the horse manure called "health care reform"? Yeah, sure thing.
When the only folks who are making out like bandits ARE bandits, the "too big to fail" types, well, there sure doesn't seem like much to get all "enthused" about.
Maybe if I were to sit back and knock down a few beers, I might see something to be "enthused" about. Probably not. Mixing alcohol with my pain meds would just get me an over priced trip to the emergency room. I'll pass on that one.

Another "pet peeve" has surfaced. Well, not so much surfaced, more like it is grating on me. Just as the term "homeland" when used to describe America is bothersome, the term Af-Pak is beginning to really grate on me. Af-Pak? OK, it is shorthand for Afghanistan-Pakistan. The thing is, when shortened to "Af-Pak" it seems to me to be a degrading term. Shorten the names of the countries involved and you sort of cheapen them both. Maybe it is just me, but I am starting to detest the term "Af-Pak" no matter who uses it.  It all fits right in there with calling the Afghans names like "sand nigger" or "rag heads". It belittles the country and the people. Yep, just like Vietnam where the "bad guys" were "gooks". "dinks", "rice burners" or other derogatory names.
Well, no wonder we are losing the wars. When you fail to show any respect to the "enemy" you have lost. Not that "we" could ever "win" this war in Afghanistan any way. We are the invaders, and history has shown that invaders go home at some point. The Afghans have a very long history of waiting out the invaders, they will be there long after we leave also.
Yeah, I know, there I go again, telling folks that history does matter. Explaining that by reading and learning from history we could avoid a great many mistakes that we are still making today. Yes, reading and learning. Oh joy, didn't you just "know" that old charlie would be hauling out that crap again. Well, I did, so either read and learn or continue to fail when you go off on the next fools errand.
No doubt some will take my criticism of the term "Af-Pak" as a minor revolt against the "new" information age, things like "Twitter" or "Facebook" where everything is abbreviated. Well, maybe that is the case. Maybe I am a reactionary in some respects. I still think that by shortening the country names, calling the other people by derogatory names is not the way to succeed. Maybe just call me old fashioned.  I still think that people have the right to be respected and treated as fellow human beings.
Well, enough of me for now. I need to find something to get "enthused" about.
semper fi

State spying operations

You may have seen recent news reports that the famed photographer of the Civil Rights movement has been "outed" as an FBI informer.  Yes, Ernest Withers was a paid FBI informer who not only documented the Civil Rights movement of the 60's. He was a close friend (?) to the likes of Dr. King and the other main players of the struggle for equal rights in America. He was there the day that Dr. King was killed.
That such an intimate of the struggle for civil rights was at the same time an FBI informant should not be a great surprise to us now. We have become much more cynical since that time. At least I certainly have. The 60's was a time of great change in America. It was the height of the Vietnam war and the protests over that imperial war. It was a time of great struggle for equal rights also.
That the FBI had informants in just about every group is now common knowledge. That the same outfits, and now the newer ones, use informants should not be a surprise to any who actually read the news. No, not the idiot box we call the TV set, but real news. By real news, I mean the news one has to search out on the internet since even the "real" newspapers today in America no longer report the "news".
What should bother us all is that the Feds are using informants in any group that even mildly protests anything now days. That they have infiltrated such :organizations" as Quaker anti-war groups should be highly disturbing to any true American. Dissent IS patriotic. Yes, that is a bumper sticker, but it IS the truth also. Even such a "great" leader as Teddy Roosevelt made the statement that it was OK to not support the president in everything. I don't have the exact quote handy.
The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees us all the RIGHT to freedom of speech. It is not un-patriotic to oppose any war.
Another misuse of informants by the Feds and various state governments is the use of such people to infiltrate groups who oppose the drilling of the  Marcellus Shale for the natural gas that may be in that strata of our soil in New York and Pennsylvania.  Why spy on these folks? Well, it now seems that the State, at ALL levels, is going to spy on any group who may interfere in the profit of big corporations. Yes, the government is going to try an shut down any and all protest against big business and the profits that big business might make. Protest a corporation and you are now subject to government spying. Welcome to the "new" America.
Not only does the government spy on us and our groups, they have these informants push these groups into actions that might be unlawful.  Yes, the government informers are, at times, instigators of violence.
I would suggest that this method could have serious long term effects on free speech and any sort of protest, no matter how non-violent the group is. When have the Quakers ever been violent in recent memory?
As a former US Marine and a veteran of the imperial war in Vietnam, I refuse to allow any government to limit my freedom of speech. I will, however, be wary of  those who want to take any protest I am involved with to a level of any physical violence. I refuse to throw rotten eggs at a sign or any other such actions. Throw an egg, go to jail. Even talk of throwing that egg could get one extra surveillance by some agency of the government today.
If a member of your group starts to advocate any physical actions, tell that member they are no longer welcome in your group. Keep the protests peaceful. No doubt that may not be enough to keep from being reported to the Feds, but it still seems to be the best way to go.
Carry signs, talk to everybody, write letters and emails to your representatives, but keep it non-violent. Of course one could end up under investigation any way. Since we now live in the "post 9/11" world, we are all at risk of government interference at any time. The reasons for this? Well, just because "they" can. Since "9/11 changed everything", any reason, even one that is made up, will do. I honestly think the government IS paranoid.  Don't think so? OK, then explain to me why we have TWO defense departments then.
YES, I said TWO defense departments. WHat else is the Department of Homeland Security if NOT a defense outfit? Until 9/11, one would have thought that the "defense" of the United States of AMerica was THE main job of the Defense Department. Well, what the hell did I ever know about such things? Not much it would seem. No sir, we now have a second department of defense. All thanks to 9/11, al-Qaeda, bin Laden, and W. Shrub and his crew of Constitution shredders. All the better to increase the obscene profits of the "defense" contractors, of course. Oh, and never, ever, forget the "too big to fail" crew. THEY must have their piece of the pie, naturally you know.
Any way I look at recent events, all I see is increasing surveillance of the "average" person in our country. We ARE well on the way to becoming a police state.
The other day, I was at the doctor to check on my sinus trouble. In the waiting room, they had the TV set on, it was actually NOT tuned to Faux Noise. Wow, imagine that, a station other than Faux. Well, that was a nice change, they had CNN on the tube. Nearly as bad, but still better than Faux.
The "story" they were reporting on was some school district that was thinking of using finger prints of the school kids in order for them to get their school lunches! What!??!! The kids were going to be fingerprinted so they could have school lunches??!!?? Since when was that a part of the American way of life? I was totally surprised by that story. Unfortunately, I was called back to the exam room before the report was finished, so I missed the school district that was "thinking(??)" about this vile action. Need to do a search of that no doubt. Call me lazy, as I have not done so yet.
Being cynical old me, I had a "second" thought about that story on the tube. That thought was, why not do this? Sure, the kids would suffer the indignity of being fingerprinted, but hell, it is for their own good. Yep, it would keep the "bad guys" from sneaking into the lunch line to get free lunches. Can't have them getting away with "free lunch" ya know. Got to teach them early that there is no "free lunch". The earlier the better.
Also, by having to be fingerprinted before you get your school lunch, you get an early indoctrination into Police State America. It sure as hell looks to be on the way folks. Informants all around us, fingerprinting school kids, being arrested for taking holiday snap shots, all manner of police checkpoints for various reasons. Welcome to the "new" post 9/11 America.
For the record, I am not paranoid about any of this. I will continue to exercise my freedom of speech. If that gets me a visit from the "authorities", well, they will be in for a long session. Ask anybody who has known me for a long time, I can talk for days on end about most any subject. As for giving up names, well, let me see, there is always the likes of "dead eye" Dick, W. Shrub, etc to give to the feds. Let them slog through interrogating me. They will get very frustrated, long before I get tired of talking. That what I would say would be of little or no "real" use is their problem.
In short, resist the coming police state. Do not allow yourself to be silenced because the Feds use informants. If you suspect you have one in your group, feed that person some false information and wait to see what happens. If you have proof that you have an informer in your group, well, out the bastard. Just please, do not stop protesting, do not let anybody silence you. Don't get so paranoid that you quit, if you do, they win, and that would be a huge loss for us all.
A good article on this subject can be found at;
www.tomdispatch.com/post/175303/tomgram%3A_stephan_salisbury%2C_keeping_an_eye_on_everyone/#more
Mr. Salisbury shows just how far we have come towards being a police state. I highly recommend this article to all. Pass it around to your family and friends, it is that good, my opinion.
semper fi

forgot to add

Sorry for this addition. I forgot to add the link to another good article that helps to explain the "tea party".
The next-to-last paragraph really hits the target in my opinion.
Well worth your time. The comments are quite good as well.www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_09/025733.php

semper fi

More random thoughts

Just some more of my "just thinking" after reading the "usual" web sites plus a few links to other information.
What has got the "left" all excited is the win by Ms. O'Donnell in Delaware recently. Yes, she is even nuttier than falin' Palin. Still we need to take a serious look at what drives the "tea parties" today.
They say they are angry, but it seems to me, their anger is either mis-directed or it is not directed at all. I don't see much of this anger being directed in any useful way.
Why are they so angry? Well, for one thing they see the world and particularly, America is changing. Change is frightening to them. Hell, change is sometimes scary to all of us at times. Change isn't always easy either.
A very good article on the change facing America is the article by Mr. Dilip Hiro over at the always outstanding TomDispatch web site. You can find the article here; www.tomdispatch.com/post/175299/tomgram%3A_dilip_hiro%2C_the_waning_of_america_#more
The "tea party" folks see this sort of thing, the loss of American influence in the world and it frightens them. It shakes their core belief of America as the "indispensable" nation, as a certain "Madass" Albright has said of our country.  OK, I admit, I mis-spelled her name, on purpose.  Her comment that the deaths of the Iraqi children from the god-awful sanctions imposed by her, at the time boss, Billy Bob Bubba still make me sick. Anybody who could say, on a national TV program that those deaths were "worth it" has to be a total "madass" in my book.
Back to the decline of America as the "sole superpower", the "tea party" people see this and they don't like it one bit. They bought into the lies about our great "strength" as a nation. They bought into the "idea" that America had some sort of "god given" right to rule the world. That "we" could make the world in our image as it were.
Well, that is not working out so well for us now. True, they refuse to see that it was their "hero" W. Shrub who made the current mess. They DO, for the majority, see somebody "other" occupying "their" White House now. That "other" doesn't look quite like them either. Change. Big time change. Frightening change even.
They don't even need to read sites like TomDispatch to see the changes. Even their "precious" Faux Noise has let them see that the US economy, or what passes for an economy today, is in bad shape. Again, they don't see, don't even want to see, that it all really got the start downhill fast for them began with "saint" Ron of Raygun. They refuse to admit that W. Shrub increased the national debt even more and spent the country into the poor house.
They are willfully blind to the truth. This is due mostly to Faux Noise, where the elephant gang will never be held to account. The TV channel where the donkey gang can do no good. Well, that isn't too far from true as I see it. But the "idea"(??) that the elephant gang is blameless is beyond belief. Or it should be if you have a functioning brain.
The "tea party" folks see how things are not going well for themselves or their family members. They see few decent paying, high skill jobs available here at home. They know that much of the good paying manufacturing jobs have been sent off chore. No, they don't get the truth that the big corporations did this to them, and those same corporations fund their "beloved" elephant gang more than they fund the donkey gang. That is something Faux Noise holds back.
Faux Noise being to real news what the WWF is to real sport, well, that is just those of us who are the "professional" left see things. Yeah, a friend told me that I am a part of that "professional" left. And here I had thought I was more middle of the road. Can I still be any sort of "professional" since I am permanently disabled?
The folks like Limburger, Beck, Hannity, falin' Palin, etc all prey on this fear. They feed the fear of these folks.  Yes, the Koch brothers are behind the "tea party" or so I have read more than once. With the win by Ms. O'Donnell, they just may be wondering if they can maintain control over the creature they created though. So far, her strategy(?) seems to be to follow the "advice" of falin' Palin and only speak on/to Faux Noise. Well, Ms. Angel out in Nevada has used that channel as a fund raiser. Now, I am not a lawyer, don't even play one on TV, but I don't think that is legal. It sure does not seem ethical. But, then, ethics is a foreign language to the likes of Beck, et al.  Just ask all the folks who fell for the "Gold Line" commercials that run on his TV show.
The "tea party" people are very frightened. Hell, they have a right to be so. The country is still in a very deep recession, with no real relief in sight. The influence of America in the world is in decline.  Iran still is defying our demands regards their nuclear reactors. China and Russia have deals with Iran. Even India has defied our demands for stronger sanctions against Iran. Hell, India is supposed to be on "our side".  Remember, W. Shrub made that sweetheart nuclear deal with them and got our bought and paid for Congress to approve. Pushed it through the international nuclear regulatory agencies even. Now India is making energy deals with Iran! Holy crap Batman.
Look at Pakistan. We provide them with all sorts of aid. True, the aid is mostly military, but even so, they don't exactly shoot every Taliban they come across. In fact, Pakistan has long term agreements with the Afghan Taliban.
Home foreclosures are still setting records in America. Jobs are leaving still. People are having to depend on food stamps in ever larger numbers. Homelessness is increasing. Sure, people are very frightened today. With good reason.
If only the progressives could channel this fear and anger into something for good. Oh, wait, yes, I know, stop dreaming. Well, sorry, I will continue to dream. We need to talk with the "tea party" folks and tell them the truth. It may not be easy, they have been indoctrinated by Faux Noise.  Not all these folks are out in the far fringes though. Don't get discouraged if you don't succeed the first time either.
On a more positive note. I found out that some places in America DO have an "instant runoff election" this year even. The story on that is at the following web site.www.inthesetimes.com/article/6434/instant_election_reform
See, there IS some good news out there people. You just need to look for it.
semper fi

Just wondering

Just thinking to myself after reading a good bit of late.
I get a kick from old Newt. You may have seen the Newtster call Gobomber an "anti-colonialist". Well, IF our current president actually IS an American, he had damn well best be an anti-colonialist.
Now, unlike old Newt, I have no doubt that the good people who stop by the old corner to check on my rants ARE aware of American history. Yes, I am certain that you good folks know that this country once was a group of colonies. You all know, unlike Newt, that we were colonies of Great Britain. So, for an American president to be anti-colonial is just being a real American. Our ancestors DID kick off the colonial yoke of the king of England and became the United States of America. Oh, count me as an anti-colonial also.
I have seen much rumbling on "left" blogs/web sites where they are in a near panic over some "tea party" candidates winning some recent primaries for the elephant gang. It is so "bad" that even old KKKarl Rove, aka "Bush'e brain"  "trashed"a certain Ms. O'Donnell. From what I have read, even Faux Noise is now critical of poor old  KKKarl (aka turd blossom) for not being supportive of this person. Looks like the crew that KKKarl helped to create is turning against him. One one hand I could laugh and say good deal, the monster he created has come back to bite him. Of course this very same monster just could become very dangerous for us all.
Of course many of the web sites and blogs all say the same old tired donkey gang crapola. We "must" vote for every "democrat" or else the "tea party" nut balls might win the election.  Yes, we have heard this all before, like in every election in recent memory. Every election it is the same old story, vote for the donkey or the mean old elephant will win. NO! Damn it all. Stop for just one small moment and think. We DO have other options. If it is legal for you, write in the candidate of your choice. Here in Louisiana, we cannot do that. We do have other options though. There are usually alternate parties who have candidates to vote for in most offices up for election. Try voting for a "third party" candidate, or, as I sometimes call them, minor party people. My choice in most elections when I lived in southern California was to vote for the candidate from the "Peace and Freedom" party.  Look for an independent person to vote for. We are not restricted to the two "major" parties folks. We have options.
Back to old KKKarl and the "tea parties". I find it very interesting and maybe even amusing how he is now in trouble with Faux Noise over the mess he is in with the O'Donnell deal. It IS fun to see the right wing nut balls eat their own. Great fun for all. Pull up a comfy chair and grab the popcorn. It could be a good show.
Of course we do face the very real prospect of this blowing over way too soon. Yes, KKKarl will wake from his nightmare and remember very soon where his checks come from and the "feud" will be over almost as soon as it began. Nuts. But, maybe not. Maybe, just maybe it will go on for some time and we might get a few laughs from them tearing each other down. Maybe even "saint" Glenda of Beckdom will join in. This could be loads of fun.
Actually it could be a lot of fun, IF the idiot donkey gang doesn't make a mess of it. Another reason not to ever trust that gang. After the last election, it really did look like the elephant gang was done for. I remember reading more than a few articles around the web that the elephant gang was on its last legs and would soon be gone. Aha, but then, the donkey gang came to the rescue. Yes, the donkey gang actually did rescue the elephants from certain doom. No doubt they just might still be dumb enough to do so again this time.
American politics for our time, just when you think we will seem some real progress, it gets pulled away from us. As soon as we begin to have some real fun, they tell us the day is done and we have to go back to the "old ways" again. So, you see, I DO have some faith in the donkey gang. No doubt they will do all they can to save the elephants from destroying themselves, again. Nuts.
You see, I would enjoy watching Rove and Faux Noise fight each other. I know that I would read the web sites that report this sort of thing. Hell, I might even actually get tempted to watch Faux Noise.  Well, I did say tempted, not actually watch it for real.
Seriously, the "tea party" clowns like this Ms. O'Donnell and failin' Palin are very dangerous. They have limited, if any, real brain. They have a very distorted "belief" in god and Jesus. They are, at heart, actually very anti-American when you look at what they say and try to slog through their "political platforms".
Yes, we do have a serious immigration problem in this country, but America IS a nation OF immigrants. These anti-immigration folks are the end result OF immigration themselves. Are they prepared to "go back where they came from"? Of course not. They got here, legally or other wise and damn it all, they WILL stay here. Ah, but to even think of allowing anybody else to come here, well, that IS a very "different" story. Two faced, is what my parents generation called that, double standards is what I call it. Bigots and liars is what they are.
This applies to the attitudes of the anti-gay stance also. Many times we have seen that the most vocal anti-gay people are themselves gay. Self hatred drives many people unfortunately.
Not all the "tea party" folks are bigots and/or racists, but the vast majority seem to be older and "white". As more than one article has said recently, they are "mad" at something. Well, from nearly 63 years of personal experience, it is easy to get "mad", but it takes some real work to make things better.
I want to ask the "tea party" folks what are they going to DO to make the country a better place for us all. What is their plan for a better country? Do they even have a plan? Oh, and telling me to vote for their candidate is NOT a plan. We all need to think on that. Just what are WE prepared to do to make the country a better place for all? WE need to start with ourselves on this one folks. It all begins with us. We all need to try and be polite to others. We need to act like sane, decent human beings toward each other. We need to set, decent, common goals and then actually work towards those goals. Come on, you are not hearing this for the first time. This is just common knowledge people! We all know this. Or at least we should.
I get a lot from music. Always have and still do. Maybe because musicians are artists and I like good art. Maybe it is just the way music makes me feel and some times, it makes me stop and think. Either way, I want to leave a bit from a song I have liked since I first heard it. It is by John Kay, Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nicholas, and Larry Brown. It was recorded by Steppenwolf and the song is titled "Monster". The last verse is what I am setting down here now as it really does say what we need today, maybe more than ever.
America where are you now?
Don't you care about your sons and daughters?
Don't you know we need you now
We can't fight alone against the monster
We need America. We need it more  than we did when this song was new. Back then we were stuck in the imperial war in Vietnam. I was there, as part of the 5th Marine Regiment. Now, we are stuck in Afghanistan AND Iraq. YEs, the "combat" troops have left Iraq, but our troops are still there and being killed there. We are stuck in and idiotic, endless war on terror. This is a war that can never be won, no matter how many wedding parties, funerals, or villages we bomb. Terror is not something that can be fought with bombs. Terror is a weapon that is used by the powerless against the very powerful. The "war on terror" is as foolish and as stupid as the damn fool war on drugs or the war against poverty.
We need America to wake up and see this truth. We need America to join the fight against the monster that is trying to enslave the world with its greed and money and wars. We need America to start acting like decent, honorable human beings. We need to stop creating ever more enemies and to live in peace with each other.
I have been to their damn wars. There is no "glory" there, only death and suffering and destruction. Nobody ever "wins" any war. We are going broke if we aren't there already. Just how do "we" expect to pay for these damn fool wars?
We need an America that doesn't "need" to have some sort of "war" on something all the time. As a country we seem to always be at "war" with something or somebody. War on poverty, war on drugs, war on terror, war on cancer, etc. Endless damn wars. ENOUGH! End all the wars and get to work making the country a decent place for all of us. We don't need to have any more wars.
Yes, I still believe in some of those old ideas from the 60's. Things like peace and an end to wars. Hell, maybe I am a dreamer.
semper fi

Just thinking

Well, I have been reading and thinking on things of late.
I am getting very tired of the fuss over the non mosque that is not even viewable from "ground zero" in New York City. The big fuss is just showing the rest of the world how down right cowardly some Americans are today.
What is so frightening about a community center? Is the clown Beck afraid of a swimming pool? Is falin' Palin afraid of a basketball court? I had thought she was a basketball player at some point in her "illustrious" career. What is Newt so bloody upset about this building for? Why are these "tea party" folks so afraid of?
We are continuously told that America is the land of the free, home of the brave. If we are so brave, why are "we" so afraid of this community center being built?
OK, maybe I am way out of touch with this world, but to my way of thinking, a community center where I could go and meet with and learn from people who have a different culture and/or religion would be a good thing for us all.
But then, I enjoy meeting people and I very much enjoy learning things. I am interested in meeting people and discussing things like culture and even religion. True, I do not believe in any religion, but I do like to learn about the beliefs of others. I would enjoy having a nice, polite, and civil discussion about religion with most anybody. I'd like to discuss politics with a Muslim person, or anybody else as long as we could keep the discussion civil and polite. When things get to the level of name calling, well, that ends the discussion as far as I am concerned. Keep it civil and no problem.
Maybe that is why these folks are so afraid of this community center. They are not as sure of their own belief system as they claim to be. They must be afraid that by talking to some Muslim person, they may have to take a real close look at their own belief system. They may be afraid that their belief system isn't all it is cracked up to be. They may be afraid that, just maybe, the Muslim beliefs are not as "far out" as they have been told. They may be very afraid that the Muslim faith is not as different as they have been told. They may be extremely afraid that by talking to a Muslim, they just might find out what I have known for years, that is, people are people, no matter what religion they have.
That must be the reason these folks are so very afraid. They are afraid that the Muslims are just the same as the Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, or any other religion. They must be afraid that they might realize that Muslims are just ordinary human beings, with the same needs and basic wants that they have.
They would find out that Muslims do not want their children to fight and die for lies, as our troops have been doing for years now, in Iraq and Afghanistan and probably very soon, Pakistan or Somalia (again).
They would find out that Muslims, for the most part, just want to be able to live a decent life and provide for their families, just as people of other religions do. Just as most every other human being of any, or even no, religion want.
They may be afraid that if they were to have a civil conversation at a Muslim community center that is open to all faiths, that these Muslim people are just like they are. They would find Muslims want to live in peace with the rest of the world. That Muslims are just as concerned about being a victim of terrorists as they are.
Yes, they would come to realize that Muslims are just ordinary human beings who do not want their children to die in a useless war of choice.
If these folks were to have a civil conversation with the Muslims at the proposed community center, they would find that they have a great deal in common with those Muslim people. Then, they would realize that there is no reason for the continuing idiot wars of choice. That the current wars of choice are only wars for profit for the "too big to fail" gangsters.
Now THAT must scare the living crap out of the "leaders" like the clown Beck, falin' Palin, Newt, O'Really, etc and outfits like Faux Noise and the war mongers.
Yes, you see, if all of us ordinary people were to ever sit down and have a serious, civil conversation with "the others", we would soon realize there is no reason for these damn fool wars of choice. The endless, useless wars for endless profits would come to a very fast stop. That would surely upset the old apple cart of the rich bastards who call the shots and keep us all fighting each other over false "differences". Why, it could even lead to more peace and much, much less war. Imagine that.
semper fi

The "combat" troops leave Iraq

Well, I suppose I should be jumping for joy or at least doing cartwheels in the yard.
Why, you may ask. Well, our "combat" troops have now left Iraq. Yep, it is the old "mission accomplished" deal all over again. Except this time we have pulled our "combat"troops out of Iraq.
No doubt Go-bomber is happy and all smiles. I believe he gave a speech the other day. Or was that last night? Hell, I don't keep up with him any more. Not that I ever really did. So, I missed the speech. Big deal, once you have heard him yak you have basically heard all he has to say.
No, that is not "sour grapes" of having voted for him. I didn't vote for him, nor will I ever vote for him. It is just my disgust at the guy. He lied during the campaign and many folks got suckered in by him. He gave a lot of folks false hope. He talked about change, but delivered......what? Basically the third term of old Shrubbie is what.
Be careful about getting overly excited about the "troop reduction" folks. They pulled some neat tricks in Vietnam also.
When I was in Vietnam with the 5th Marine Regiment, we had a radio link to an Army unit. Once a month or sometimes more often, we would drive over to that base and check our radio site ob their base and shoot the breeze for a while. One day as we pulled into their base, one of my buddies said it looked like they had repainted the sign at the main gate. When we stopped at the radio bunker we asked the Army guys about it. Oh they said, didn't we catch the news on AFVN (Armed Forces Radio Vietnam)? Their "old"unit had gone back to the states just as old tricky Dick had said during the campaign for president. He was "bringing the troops home". Ah, we asked the Army guys, if your unit went home, why are you all still here? Well, they replied, it is like this. They took the unit flag, some paperwork and a junior officer and two or three enlisted troops, put them all on a plane and sent them to the states. Now that unit was "back home". Yep, nice little "slight of hand" there. Neat trick, and they got away with it. The media reported the old unit was now back home. They did NOT announce the replacement of that unit however. Very neat trick. And yes, they did get away with it. Even back then, the media only asked certain questions and no further. Today, they ask even less.
The above remembrance brings me back to the idea that our "combat" troops have left Iraq.
Be very careful how that reads folks. The troops who are still in Iraq, if you accept the "news", are not combat troops. No, they are training and security troops.
Well, security can involve combat. If they are attacked, they will fight back. Combat.
The training troops, well, if they do "hands on training", they or the Iraqi troops they are training might get attacked. They will fight back. Combat. The point I am trying to make is that the remaining troops MAY be tasked with training and security, it does not mean that US troops will no longer be involved in combat. The examples I used above are just "worst case" scenarios. No doubt the "training and security" troops could go out on patrols, just as the combat troops have done. There is nothing to stop these remaining troops from going out and looking for combat with the "enemy" forces.
Another question. Once the combat troops from Iraq have been back in the US, how long before they are deployed to Afghanistan? Any ideas? I bet not more than 12 months before they get sent to Afghanistan. Maybe even as little as six months.  They should get at least one year, but ideally, they should not be sent to any war zone, period.

Just a comment or three on a different topic.
Glenn Beck. Yep, old Becky. You all know he had his big rally this past weekend. I have not seen the final numbers as to the attendance, but no doubt he got in the tens of thousands of "tea party" folks to come out for his get together. I have heard estimates of as high as 500,000, but I doubt that number. I'd bet the number was closer to maybe 75,000. Anybody have other numbers?  You can pass them along if you wish.
The thing about the Beckster is that some folks and web sites are making a big joke of him. Now I don't care for his crapola at all, nor do I watch his show. I tried to watch him way back when he first was on CNN Headline News with the half hour show. Even then, it was all I could do to stay with the show for more than five minutes. How he got more air time even on Faux Noise is beyond me. I suppose stupid does sell on TV now days.
OK, so, you now know that I dislike the Beckster and don't watch his TV show, nor do I listen to his radio show. Same goes for Limburger and O'Really, etc and all of Faux Noise. I check in at Faux Noise every so often, just to keep myself from becoming too happy with life. Every so often it seems I need a "downer" just so I don't get to thinking that the media might be getting honest or worth my time.
OK, now the problem, as I see it with Beck, is some sites and their readers are basically calling Beck a joke. Well, yes, he IS a joke. A very sick joke, BUT, do not take him lightly. Same goes for the failin' Palin. While they are jokes, be very wary of them and their followers. If all we do is call them jokes and brush them off, one day we might find that they have taken power and we are really screwed. Big time!
I think that in the 1920's and maybe even the very early 1930's Hitler was seen as a joke by many Germans. And we all know how that played out. So, yes, laugh at the absurdities of  Beck and Palin, Bachmann, etc. But do not take them lightly. These fools are very dangerous. When you laugh at them, remember to tell others why they are such jokes. If you just make light of them, it is too easy for their supporters to brush you off. Let the people know how wrong these clowns are with their twisted versions of history and the distorted "facts" that Beck/Palin spout. That way, we can do even more to knock a few dents into the idiot reich wing of the elephant party. Hey, take down a few of the donkey gang as well. That "tribe" is just as bad as the elephants.
Oh, but while being critical of our dear politicians and the government, be very careful. Now that Go-bomber has declared that "we" can go after anybody at any time in any place, even US citizens, and "silence" them, we have to wonder just when they will start to crack down on things like this little corner  of the internet.
Yes, Go-bomber has said that he will go after anybody who is deemed to be a "threat" to the US. The prime example is the American born guy who is supposedly with the al-Qaeda in Yemen. Go-bomber says he has the right to kill anybody like that person at any time in any place. By extension, that means that he thinks he could do whatever to silence or imprison folks like me. Yep, being critical of the "powers that be" just could become a crime here at home  now.
Gee, aren't you all just so very happy we all got that neat "change" back in November of 2008? I sure as hell am.................NOT.
Well, no matter what Go-bomber thinks, this corner will continue to have my rants posted on it as long as I have something to say or until the old iMac quits. I don't plan on going away quietly. Nor do I plan on quitting, hell I never held any elected office, let alone a governorship. Yes, that was a "dig" at falin' Palin.
semper fi

The non mosque and Beck, more random rants

Well it seems that I am going to have to comment on the non mosque planned for New York City.
You all know what I am talking about here. Yes, the "ground zero mosque". Yep, THAT mosque.
Well, for starters, it is NOT a mosque. It is a community center. The community center will include a basketball court and I even read that it is to have a swimming pool. It will have an area set aside for prayer.
Now while I do not live in New York city or state, I don't see why a community center could be a bad thing. As I understand it, it is planned as a place for ALL people to meet and possibly come to understand each other better. To my way of thinking this can only be a good idea.
Oh, some may say, the imam who is behind this community center is a "terrorist". Well, if that is so, why was he on a program on Faux Noise where he was proclaimed as a "good" Muslim?
The "idea"(??) that some how the "ground zero" in New York, New York is some sort of "sacred" ground is, to me, obscene. The whole bit of calling the site of the now destroyed World Trade Center as "ground zero" is incorrect. Until 9/11, or very shortly there after, the term "ground zero" had only been used to describe the place where a nuclear bomb had been detonated.  Now this term is being used to describe an attack by nineteen radicals, the majority of whom were from Saudi Arabia, NOT Afghanistan or Iraq.
Well, I suppose that calling this site "ground zero" is just another example of how "9/11 changed everything". Yes, words mean what the writer or speaker wants them to mean, forget anything like dictionary definitions or past usage, that is now all different. Yep, thanks to 9/11, ALL is changed.
The "controversy over this community center, which is located far enough from the "sacred ground" that neither can be seen from the other. There is NO direct line of sight between the two. Also, there are many other businesses much closer to this new "sacred ground" that many people would not even care to visit. This IS New York city, where strip clubs can be across the street from a church. Why so upset over this community center?
Well, this weekend Washington D.C. had the "honor" of hosting the Glenn BEck "restoring our honor" rally. From what I have read on it, the turn out was fair, about 200,000 or so people. The National Park Service does not give counts for these sort of events according to most reports I have seen. No doubt Mr. Beck and Ms. Palin will try to claim numbers closer to one million. No doubt some "tea party" folks will echo that claim. Personally, I doubt they had more than 200,000 IF they had that many.
Now there were restrictions placed on the speakers. No kidding, honest, they were told that it could not be a political rally. That requirement was put on the rally by the main beneficiary of the rally. The group, Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) placed the "no politics" deal on the rally. This organization is not a political outfit and they do not want to be associated with a political event.
Money raised from the rally will be donated to SOWF, but, only after all expenses are paid. You know how that goes, they first have to pay form items like the port-a-potties and other items used by and for the rally. I wonder if "expenses" also includes the "speakers fees" that falin' Palin will collect for her yak to the folks who attended the rally.
Now maybe I am just some far out radical "professional" leftist, but I would think that the former half-term quitter of a governor would have given the speech for free. Oh, I'd have no trouble having her air fare paid by the organizers of the rally. Of course that would mean she would have to fly coach. Well, it was always the only way I ever flew, so if it was good enough for me, it sure would be good enough for her. Of course, I was never, nor will I ever be, a "celebrity".  Then again, to my old fashioned thinking, neither is a half-term quitter any sort of "celebrity".
Yes, you can now see what I have finally come to see, old charlie (me) actually IS a member of the "professional" left.  Yes, I see no problem with the proposed community center a few blocks away from and unseen from the "sacred" site of the 9/11 "ground zero". I also fail to see how a half-term quitter of a governor is a "celebrity" of any sort.
All this of course puts me deeply into the "professional" left in things here in old 'Merikkka, 2010. Yes, I believe that meeting and learning about people from different cultures and religions is a good thing. I believe that allowing people of different religions and cultures to open a community center, all people welcome, is a good thing for all of us.
I still find it odd though, that just having an open mind, a curious mind, makes me part of some "professional" left. All my nearly 63 years on this planet, I had thought that having an open mind, a curious mind, was just a sign of being curious and eager to learn. I never had any idea that I was in any way, being "professional" in that.
semper fi

Covert war in Yemen

According to a news report in the Seattle Times on August 14 of this year, we are bombing people in Yemen. I tried to post the link to this story but could not get it to work. 

To access this news report, please check the Counterpunch web site. Under their links for today, the link works, it is "The US war in Yemen" link. It is well worth your time to check this report.

Of course we "need" this deal in Yemen. After all, the two current wars, Iraq and Afghanistan are not going very good for us. Combat troops are supposed to be leaving Iraq soon and the "deadline" is for troops to start leaving Afghanistan next year.

Now we all know that these two "dead lines" are "conditions based", which means that they may not go as we are being told. The troops just might not leave as planned, since at any time, the "bad guys" might make our staying necessary.

The war in Yemen, and Somalia are just what the war lovers need and want. The goal, the real goal, is for America to be stuck in endless wars. Endless wars for endless profits. Obscene profits true, but endless profits for the "too big to fail" crew. Endless profits for the war industries. Endless profits for the mercenary companies. And endless pain and suffering for the troops and their families. 

All the secret wars are needed by the war profiteers. They will remain secret until one or both of our currently "public" wars in Iraq and Afghanistan actually end. 

No doubt outfits like "talk" radio and Faux Noise will be cheering these secret wars and demand that they stay secret. The folks who buy into such "news" will cheer the attacks when they are reported and demand that "we" bomb more "terrerists". The far right will also demand ever more killings of the "bad guys". And all the time "we" are off in more secret wars, the infrastructure here at home crumbles. Unemployment rises, health care at home declines, and people in America go hungry.

Now, I would like the "loyal" Democrats who tell me that I "must" vote for that party to explain just how Go-bomber is NOT as bad or worse than Shrubbie was. 

We have a Democrat as president, the Democrats have majorities in BOTH houses of Congress and we are in more wars, secret and open, than when Shrubbie was president. How are we, the American people, any better off? Why should we ever vote for another Democrat?

A pox on both of the "animal" parties.

semper fi

Just my opinion

I have a bit more to add to the story, or non-story, as it may be, regards the pouting of little Robbie Gibbs the other day.
As you recall, little Mr. Gibbs called out the "professional" left over them not being fully supportive of our "dear leader" Go-bomber.
I was told the other day, by a friend of mine via an email on this topic that I am a part of that very same "professional" left! Imagine that! Yep, old, disabled, former US Marine/Vietnam vet as a "professional" lefty!  It struck me as odd and I had to email her back for why I might be considered such. Her reply was, basically that as I am not, nor have I ever  been, a member of the elephant gang. Also, not being a member of the donkey gang plus the fact that I have been critical of Go-bomber, that I am a part of what Mr. Gibbs terms the "professional" left.
Well, OK, if that is what a "professional" lefty is, then I am such a critter. I still cannot quite accept myself as being a professional anything now days. I was a professional machinist, well I was a real journeyman machinist, having gone through a valid apprenticeship. This blog is in no way "professional" in my own opinion. I have not taken any classes on how to write except for what we may have had back in high school. Yes, they did have high school when I was a kid, and yes, I was young once.
This blog is just an outlet for my opinions and rants, it was not, nor is it intended to be "professional".
I fail to see how Go-bomber and Gibbs can be so upset with any of us who look at this administration with a critical eye and then not be in full support of it. Just what has Go-bomber done for us, the working class people?
The "stimulus" bill that passed? Just what did that stimulate? If the stimulus had been effective, I would think the economy would be better off than it is. I would think that an effective stimulus would have cut unemployment rather than seeing unemployment rise, as it has done.
Can the administration think the health care "reform" is something the working class should applaud? Why? Who benefits the most from that "reform"? Answer, the health care insurance companies is who benefits the most. What is really needed is a true national health care system. Either a Medicare for all or something like they have in Canada. What we get is more profit for the insurance industry, with little to no real benefit for the people.
Can the administration expect the working class to cheer the Wall Street "reform"? What reform? As far as I can tell is still business as usual. We still do not have anything like the old Glass-Steagal Act. The "too big to fail" banksters are still in charge of things. Just where is that "reform"?
If any of you good people who read this blog have any ideas, please feel free to comment and set me straight on these matters.
As to Mr. Gibbs saying he thinks that the "professional"left should be drug tested, well, how about the same for the entire administration? What is good for us ought to be good for them also.
Does Mr. Gibbs realize that the polls show that support for Go-bomber has dropped around 20 points since he took office? Can he really think that is because of the "professional" left and people like me? Does this administration honestly think that my little corner of the internet is why the popularity of "dear leader" has fallen?
Just why should we support this administration? Please do not come back with the very tired and very old bit as how the elephant gang would be worse. We know that already, after all, we suffered through eight years of Cheney/Shrub. We catch the crap being spewed by the right wing, by Faux Noise, and talk(?) radio. Just saying this gang is better than the last is not exactly something to be so proud about.
Mr. Gibbs objects to some of us saying that in some ways, Go-bomber is no better, and in some ways, even worse than Shrubbie was. Well, Mr. Gibbs, then why does your boss, Go-bomber, continue with the very same damn fool wars of choice? Why has he not closed Gitmo, as he promised to do within one year of his being in office? Why has Go-bomber not repealed the worst parts of the vicious "Patriot Act"? Why has he not only continued, but increased the "national security(?)" system?
How is it, that with clear majorities in BOTH houses of Congress, has Go-bomber not really pushed needed legislation? Why does he continue to cave in to the far right wing of the elephant gang? Why has he not made use of the bully pulpit of the presidency? Why does this administration allow the elephant gang to set the agenda?
What we have is not a pro-active administration, but a reactive one. Our president has done next to nothing of real benefit for the working class. And yet, his chief spokesperson demands(!!) that we all get drug tested!
No matter what Mr. Gibbs or his boss think I should do, I will continue to read and then think for myself. I will read and try to learn all I can on a wide variety of topics and then give my opinion on them. It is still a free country and the Bill of Rights still guarantees free speech. I will continue to exercise that right, among others.
If this president does something worth cheering about, then I will cheer them. Whether they do or not, I will continue to voice my opinions, at this corner and in person.
I do not accept comments I have run across from some die hard Democrats who say that Go-bomber has been high-jacked, or that he has no other options. Bull crap! In my opinion, he sold out long before he even ran for his current job.  I do not think he ever really cared about being a pro-active president in any way. In my view, he just wanted to be president to be able to say that he held that job, period. Much like what I thought and still think about old Billy Bob Bubba Clinton. For the rest of their lives, they both can say, "I was the president of the United States of America".
This president has had a clear majority in BOTH houses of Congress, and yet, he continues to cave in to the right wing elephant gang. He allows the far right to set the agenda.
In my opinion, this president has no vision at all of what he thinks the country could be or should be. Other than that we, the working class, should bow down before the "too big to fail" banksters and the war industries/oil conglomerates. We should all cheer this guy for everything he does, even though it has little or no benefit to us. He serves the ruling class of the country, just like the other "professional" politicians who populate the Congress and most every state house in the country.
While I know there are many who feel cheated by this president, those who swallowed his campaign crap and thought they were voting for real change, I don't feel that way. Early in 2008, one of my cousins emailed me that he liked what Go-bomber was saying. I asked just what it was that he said that was so "great". The reply was that Go-bomber spoke in sentences that my cousin could understand. In short, he basically said nothing, but he said it very nicely. I voted for Ms. McKinney, THAT would have been real change.
While the left rattles on and on about how the far right has "drunk the kool-aid",  they also seem to have done the same. When I hear/read them telling all that "we" MUST vote for the donkey gang, I am unsure if I should laugh or throw up. The donkey and elephant gangs are just two sides of the very same war party gang. Actually, they are the two wings of that war party. The donkey gang is just a little bit sneakier about their true motives than the elephants are.
I hope that the people wake up to this soon. This coming election, I will not vote for either a donkey, nor an elephant. As I have said before at this old corner, neither are house broken. They both tramp through the flower beds and shit in the yard. A pox on both of them. We have the option, in many states, to vote for third party candidates. If you trust a candidate from either wing of the war party, well, then do so. Just don't cry to me when that person throws you under the bus.
This country needs to end the idiot wars of choice. These wars do not make us any safer. In fact we just create more enemies for every person we kill. The country needs real, well paying jobs. We need a true national health care system that covers ALL Americans. We need to end the domestic spying and either cut back or better yet, eliminate that vile "Patriot Act". We need to seriously reform Wall Street and then put in place rules and monitors to enforce the rules to prevent more abuses by the "too big to fail" banksters.
Those are just the immediate needs of the country. To me they are the top priorities. Any other suggestions are always welcome here. But, rather than tell me, tell your representatives.
semper fi

New day, new rant

Well a few things have got this old guy set to rant again.
Lately there have been a few former military types on the Maddow TV show on MSNBC. Now, I don't watch any program on that channel very often, and when I do catch any of them, I usually don't watch the entire program. "The Ed Show" seems to be half way tolerable, at times. Ms. Maddow is still a bit fresh and new, but old Keith is just plain old boring. I say this because I remember back when he read the sports scores on the Lost Angeles CBS channel some years ago. Back before he went off to ESPN even. I never cared much for him or his "style" even then. I think he is just very much in love with himself and not worth much of my time.
Getting back to Ms. Maddow and her show. She had some guys who had been kicked out of the military under the "don't ask, don't tell" crap. To me it is very foolish to boot out anybody from the military if they are doing their job as a professional and not breaking any rules. I don't consider being gay and in the military to be breaking a rule.
Consider also, the military has been having a hard time recruiting people to their services. Some of the people who have been forced out of the military have skills that the military really needs. Skills like being fluent in Arabic or Farsi. The military needs those people. Forcing them out because they are gay is very foolish. Actually, it is damn stupid. In my opinion, homosexual people can be good troops. If they can follow orders and do their jobs, keep them as long as they want to be in the military.
Opposing views are welcome. Just do not expect to have me change my opinion. And yes, I would have served with a gay in the Marines when I was a member of that outfit. I may have done so any way. When I was in the Marines, 1968-72, there was no DADT(don't ask, don't tell). So, we may have had gay Marines, we just didn't know it. In Vietnam, all we really cared was wether or not, we could trust other Marines. We did trust each other and I don't think it would have mattered if any of the guys were gay.
Another "new" thing that gets me to laugh is the flap over the comments by Mr. Gibbs about the "professional" left. I am asking any readers the following. Is there a "professional" left in America? If so, who are among this "professional" left? Any ideas?
As I said some time back, every so often I check out the blog "Crooks and Liars". They are up in arms over this flap. I find it very, very funny reading some of the comments there on this topic.
Some sound almost like the "Tea Party" clowns to me.
Yes, I find people who are always critical of others who are, themselves, unable top take any criticisms. Funny how some on the "left" can dish it out, but cannot take it. They rant on and on about the elephant gang and the "Tea Party", yet when anybody makes a critical comment at them, they get totally freaked out and go on the war path, well, they rant on their blogs. I doubt they have the courage/guts/balls, to do much more than that. I will go so far as to say, I doubt they even email or write those who are critical of them. That would require too much effort and, they may get a nasty email/letter in return.
Yes, I do think many on the "left" are gutless wimps. Disagree? No problem. I didn't say they ALL are gutless, just a good many of them seem to be.
The idiot wars. Go-bomber and the rest of our political "leadership" are in big trouble with the current idiot wars of choice. No, they are in real serious trouble. No kidding. The last few days I have talked to some folks who don't follow events the way I and many of you folks do. They may catch a headline or three in a given day, but they don't really follow events around the world very closely at all.
Well, more than a few have come right out and asked me, just why are we still in Iraq. Now, when you have folks who don't keep up with events ask why we are still in Iraq, you know things are not going well for the "leaders". Some have even seemed to be taken aback by the fact that we are still in Iraq. No kidding. Some thought that war was over and the troops had withdrawn from Iraq. Seriously.
I have been asked what we are doing in Afghanistan also. When the regular folks wonder why we are still in these countries, it shows me that the administration and the media are failing, big time.
My reply is, as per my cynical/sarcastic way, to tell them that we are at war for one and only one, very good reason. The reason; obscene profits for the war industries. Oh, and to control access to the resources of those countries.
Iraq is not in the news much of late, which may help explain why some folks find it hard to believe we are still there. The old "out of sight, out of mind" game being played on the public. People are still being killed daily in Iraq. That poor country is not safe in any way yet. "We" have not transplanted democracy there. That never was the real goal any way though.
I do understand some how these folks cannot keep up with events. There is so much on TV to distract them. You know, important things like that Lohan gal going to jail and all. Or maybe it is the "summer" TV season or that the NFL pre-season is about to start. Important things, you know.
Iraq hardly ever gets a mention in the local newspaper now days. About the only time it comes up is if a local trooper is killed or seriously injured in that war. Then Iraq gets a mention. Afghanistan gets a bit more mention, but even then, not very often.
Well, neither war is going very well from the stand point of the "leaders", so it makes sense that it isn't in the news much. Why advertise failure?
What does make news is the miserable state of the economy. That is what folks around here are concerned with. Jobs, pay checks, things that really matter as the banksters continue to rip us off.
The country is going down and still the Fed and the administration keeps pumping money into the big banks. More "quantitative easing". That will do nothing to stimulate the economy.
Hell, if they want to get consumers back into stores spending money, just declare ALL credit card debt to be paid in full. Every credit card holder has their credit card balances reset to zero. THAT would get the people back into stores, spending again.
Or, how about a REAL mortgage negotiation plan? Try to really reset the home value to real world values and then reset the mortgage to suit? I bet that those would get people to spend again.
Old "helicopter" Ben cannot expect folks to take on even more debt. Many people are maxed out with debt. They cannot take on any more debt as they are having serious problems making the current minimum payments today.
The clowns at the Fed and Treasury still want to save the "too big to fail" banksters. They tell us how the banks having this money is good for us. We can go apply for new loans. How can we get any more loans? We are buried under crushing debt, and all these idiots can come up with is for us to borrow more? And this is the best(??) our "leaders" can do?  That right there tells me we are in very serious trouble. Oh, they say, the "market" is up. Big deal! The stock market is no longer any gauge of the working class economy. When companies lay off workers, the market goes up. The market is all about profits, greed, NOT the workers or decent wages. Wages are to be cut to the bone. That is what drives up share prices, increases profits.
The country is in serious trouble and the "leaders" don't seem to have a clue about how to fix things.
We need to elect people who want to help America. We need to stop electing those who care more about other countries than our own. We need to rebuild the infrastructure in America, before we go running around the world, making other people be "like us". Also, before we make others "be like us", we need to ask them just what they DO want from or of us. Not everybody wants to be "like us".  Good for those who do not want to be like us. All people should be allowed to be as they choose to be. We have no right to make anybody be like us. We also need to get our own country in order before we go around getting others places "in order". There is something in the Christian Bible about this. I remember a parable(?) about making sure your house is spotless before you criticize your neighbor for his/her messy house. IF, and it is very big IF, America thinks of itself as a Christian nation, we had best start to put that story into practice, now.
semper fi

Some possibilities and some more disgust.

Well I actually found an article that gives me some encouragement. I have read many articles by Mr. Garcia. I always find him to be a very intelligent person. In my opinion, he would make an excellent teacher. His latest article is well worth your time to read. It can be found at the following link;www.counterpunch.org/garcia07272010.html.  He has captured my feelings about the old donkey gang even better than I have done. Well, he does it so nicely, politely actually. This old former Marine would most likely cuss the donkey gang for a few weeks before I got to being half way polite to them.
That is another reason I like Mr. garcia, he is so polite when telling the politicians off. A skill that I am trying to acquire. Somehow it is so mush better to stay polite while you shred the opponent/target.
It is up to us people. WE need to be the engine of change in this country. WE have to decide to stop the blind support of the status quo. If we want things to get better, then WE have to work hard at making things better. WE have to email, write letters to, and make actual phone calls to the current Congress critters and demand real change.  If enough of us actually do this, the critters will take notice.
The disgust comes from Mr. Roberts. No, he is not why I am disgusted. It is the subject of his latest article. Yes, the Afghanistan war "leaks".  In truth, it is not the leaks that is the problem. As Mr. Roberts states, it is the damn war that is the problem. It is the continuing of the idiot wars of choice and NO explanation of just what the hell we are doing in either war.
What is the goal in Afghanistan? What would "victory" look like in Afghanistan?
So far, we have not been told the answer to either of those questions. Personally, I think we are in the current damn fool wars for the obscene profits made by the war industries and the "too big to fail" banksters and oh yes, the oil giants. BP makes a huge amount of money from selling fuel to the US military. Yes, even though the blown well in the Gulf of Mexico is still not capped and maybe leaking still/again, the company is making nice profits from supplying fuel to the idiot wars.
If you want another view of the war in Afghanistan and the "leaks", please follow this  link;www.counterpunch.org/roberts07282010.html
The subtitle of Mr. Roberts article says it all. Deaf, dumb, and blind. No kidding, just like the story of old Nero fiddling as Rome burned. It looks as though our politicians, up to and including Go-bomber, are just fiddling away as the country breaks down.
We are fighting these damn fool, idiotic wars of choice with borrowed money. The thing is, our national credit card is maxed out. We are, as a country, broke. Flat broke. States are cutting budgets to the bone, the infrastructure is crumbling all around us, and yet we keep spending money we don't have to continue these damn fool wars. this is madness people. It goes way beyond foolish. It even surpasses stupidity. I'll go so far as to call it criminal.
semper fi

Just ranting

OK, I admit it, I am getting old. Also very tired, tired of having to deal with physical pain every damn day. Tired of needing pain meds to manage each day. Big deal, there are many people in this world who are way worse off than I am.
What has really got me pissed off of late has been the attitudes of a seemingly majority of the "left" in the old US of A. I check in at the web site "Crooks and Liars" every day or so. The prevailing attitude there and some other "left" leaning web sites is that no matter what, we all need to vote for the donkey gang this coming November. Well, my reply to that is, bull shit! Absolute bull shit in fact.
Why would any sane human being just blindly vote for the donkey gang?  They are not very much better than the elephant gang. I see them as being just the "opposite" sides of the very same coin. It used to be said that there was "not a dimes' worth of difference" between them. I don't see that much difference. True, there may be some members of either party who do not follow the "party line" totally, but between the two parties, there is very little difference today. In my opinion, they have both sold out to the big money interests. The "too big to fail" gang has bought both the donkey and the elephant gangs. Lock, stock, and both barrels.
If the donkey gang really cared about the working people, as they supposedly once did, why, when they had majorities in BOTH houses of Congress AND the presidency, didn't they push for and get a real national health care plan? Why are they going along with the idea that "entitlements" (read Social Security and Medicare for starters) need to be cut, while they make permanent the Shrubbie tax cuts for the super rich? Why do the donkey gang continue to vote ever more monies, that we don't have, for the damn fool wars of choice we are bogged down in?
An article today at Counterpunch really set me off on this. It has been bothering me for some weeks now, but the article by Mr. Brain Foley really got me to vent on this. The article is great and I highly recommend it to you. Here is the link to it;www.counterpunch.org/foley07212010.html
After you read his article, let me know if you are also "spitting mad".
Actually, I have to wonder why any working class person would be tempted to send money to either of the animal gangs.
Another question, why would any working class person ever vote for either of the animal parties again? Once upon a time, it seemed as though the donkey gang cared about the working class. They once counted on support from the unions. Of course that isn't very much now days. How can the unions matter now that most of those jobs have been sent off shore? Fewer union jobs means fewer union members and that means less political clout for the unions. Well, that was a pretty "easy" way to break those unions wasn't it? Yes sir, just send all those high paid, skilled union jobs to Pakistan, India, or some other country with very low labor rates. And where are the donkey gang members in all this? Please, you should not have to ask, remember, Billy Bob Bubba pushed for and got NAFTA! Yep, a "democrat" got that "free trade" bill pushed through Congress and he signed the damn thing. And now they want us to give money to that "party"?  Do they really think we are that damn stupid?
There are alternatives to the animal gangs. You can vote for a third party candidate. I do not think that such a vote is a "throw away" vote. I also do not believe that Nader "cost" Gore the 2000 election. Gore and his "pal" Joe lost it themselves. And then they didn't even fight for a true recount. Looks like they really didn't want to win that bad after all. Just how I see it.
A good start to making a change in the old US of A might be over at the following web site.www.uspvp.org. They have a very interesting proposed amendment. Well worth looking into.
Some how things must change in our country. We are broke. Our infrastructure is falling apart. We have high unemployment. Most of the skilled jobs have been sent off shore. The political clowns in D.C.want to cut Social Security and Medicare among other social programs. They want to make the tax cuts for the rich that W. Shrub signed as permanent. They keep spending borrowed (!!) monies on idiotic wars of choice that do not make us safer. They funnel obscene amounts of money into the "too big to fail" banksters who caused the economy to collapse. And they keep trying to scare us all with new "terror" threats.
We are bombing people who have never had any intention of harming us. We kill by remote control people who probably could not have found the US on a map, let alone have any ill feelings towards us. Oh, they hate our guts now, because we killed members of their families. Hell, if some foreign army killed your family members, you'd hate the country who sent those troops also. America is the invader in Iraq and Afghanistan and we are fighting those idiot wars with borrowed money! Just like the oil disaster in the Gulf, paying for these wars will fall to our great grand children and maybe even beyond that generation.
We are spoiling our own nest, killing and maiming people who never had any ill will towards us before we invaded their countries. We are damaging the ecology of the planet and yet the "liberals" say we need to elect more "democrats"? WHY?
What war has Go-bomber stopped? What prison in Cuba has he closed? (He did make that a campaign promise to close Gitmo.) How will anybody except the insurance companies benefit from the health care "reform"?  How long will these "democrats" continue to spend borrowed money on useless wars?
Do not tell me how the elephant gang is the "war party". BOTH the elephant AND the donkey gang are the war party. America does not have a "peace party", we have two wings of one war party.
My suggestion, if you get a letter asking you for money for either the elephant or the donkey gang, don't send any, of course. However, do NOT throw the return envelope away. Nope. Send it back to them, empty. That way they have to pay the return postage. Sending them an empty envelope at their expense is just about what they deserve. After all, they give us empty promises each election cycle. Maybe we should return the favor. Just my opinion.
semper fi

It just gets worse

More disgusting things have come to light recently.
First off, the report that a "new record" number of suicides by our military personnel has been reached. Yes, our own troops are killing themselves in ever growing numbers. Part of the reason for this is undoubtedly due to the extreme stress of multiple tours in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. Being in a war zone, the constant heightened state of being alert to the dangers at all times, the snipers, the road side bombs, the not knowing who is friend or foe among the local population takes a huge toll on the troops. It was much the same in Vietnam. Even if we had had a "score card" it would have been near impossible to tell the "friendlies" from the "bad guys".
The internet may have some bit to add to this. No doubt the troops log on and check the news sites. While the military may try to limit the sites the troops have access to, it isn't all that hard to get past the fire walls and get to any web site the wish. I am sure that the troops have figured out that they are being lied to by the government. They do come home after their tour is up. No doubt they make use of the unrestricted access to the net when they are in the states between tours in the wars. Oh, they see the "support the troops" bumper stickers, but that isn't really very much. It does not mask the truth, that more and more Americans are beginning to see both the Afghan and Iraqi wars as useless.
How do you keep fighting a war that has limited or no support from the majority of the people back home?
War is not at all "pretty" or in any way "fun". No matter what the new CentCom commander may say or have said, war and killing/shooting people is NOT fun. No way, no how. If shooting/killing other human beings is in any way "fun", the person who sees it as such, is in my opinion a totally sociopath. Having been in a shooting war in Vietnam, I do not see how anybody can say that it is "fun" to shoot other people. It is what one does in war, but it is not "fun". To say that shooting/killing another human being is "fun" is beyond disgusting and the person who thinks it to be "fun" is in serious need of mental health intervention.
The "rules of engagement" also must contribute to the stresses the troops endure. They are told to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. Good idea, as the deaths of the innocent does not endear the troops to the local populous.  The thing is, when the troops are attacked, they don't have the time to always figure out who the "good guys" are from the "bad guys" who just attacked them. This is true of sniper attacks or a road side bomb (IED).  When you are in a fire fight, you don't have the luxury of making that decision. You just shoot at anybody in the field of fire. \War is nasty and brutal.  The "best laid plans" never go off as planned.
In war, you see and do things that no human being should even dream of. The memories do not ever go away either. Memories last a life time and not everybody is able to live with them. You see humanity at its very worst in war. The things one sees are beyond any decent imagination. It is a real challenge to live with those memories of what you see/do in war. Not everybody is able to put the past behind them and get on with life. The troops who go off to war on their first tour in the war zone never come back the same people. War changes a person almost beyond recognition. Go to war and I promise, you will never be the same person again.
When they come home from the war, family and friends do not, cannot, understand why their loved one is so very different. It is because of what they have seen/done.
I still believe that if more people in America were able to see the real results of war, the dead and dying, and the smells of war, they would not be so free and easy with allowing themselves to be lead into such a damn miserable mess as war by the supposed "leaders" ever again. We in America have been and still are, very insulated from the realities of war. The last time there was a real war in America, it was 1861-1865. Americans have not known war the same way much of the rest of the world has since then. The old saying "out of sight, out of mind" comes into play here. We do not see war up close and personal. Even the TV "news" does not come close to showing us war today. During the Vietnam war, there was footage of some fighting on the evening news. No more. In fact, we don't even have photos of the caskets returning the dead.  True, Go-bomber has loosened the "rules" regarding such photographs, but how often do you see this on TV?
War is vile, nasty, and should not be gone into unless we are attacked in force. The events of 9/11 do not justify an all out war. What should have been done was to use special forces troops and gone in after the supposed perpetrators with small groups. We should have used diplomacy and more of a police type tactics. Going in with guns blazing and full combat regiments was the wrong thing to do. Of course it was not meant to capture or kill bin-Laden. Both of the current damn fool wars of choice were, I am convinced, meant to be for the huge, nay obscene, profits of the war industries. The "too big to fail" banksters make obscene profits from wars. Even the companies that make socks and underwear make money from war. The troops need clothing you know.
General Smedley Butler had it 100% correct. War IS a racket. There is big money in war and until we eliminate the obscene profits of war, there will be more wars of choice. More useless killing and maiming of fellow human beings. Less real peace in this world, more conflict, more death and destruction. More misery. More suicides among the troops and other victims of war.
If you support the troops, really support them, you would demand that they ALL come home, now. These wars are doing nothing at all to make the country safer. The wars are putting us all more at risk of retaliation. Even the recently dismissed General McChrystal said that for every militant we kill, we create ten more new enemies.
If we want to end the suicides of our troops, we need to end the goddamn useless wars.

One more topic for this rant. You may be aware of the video out on the net of "Bibi" Nutty-yahoo telling some "settlers" how he was able to manipulate Clinton into thinking that he would actually honor the Oslo accords. This is just the most blatant example of the low regard the Zionist entity has for America and our "leaders". That this continues to be the norm for our government is outrageous. That the "news" media in America is a constant cheer leader for the Zionist entity is beyond disgusting.
"We" are being lead to our destruction by the  worst elements of the Zionist right wing. What they want, we give, no questions asked, no limits. This is certainly the tail wagging the dog.
A comment on one web site discussing this video asked a very good question. Since we are in Iraq and Afghanistan to defend Israel, why don't they have their troops in these wars zones? The British, Australians, and other allies have troops in the war zones, why not the IDF?
It was the Zionist entity and their supporters here in the US who cheered on these wars. It was the Zionist entity that demanded that Saddam be removed. Why aren't there IDF troops fighting along with American and NATO troops?
Nutty-yahoo says he will always put the interests Israel first. When will the "leaders" of America put American interests first? It is in no way in American interests to be at war in Iraq or Afghanistan.  It is not in American interests to be at war with Iran either.
Link for the video and commentary at;http://realityzone-realityzone.blogspot.com/2010/07/netanyahu-leaked-home-video-2001-with.html
When will Americans wake up to this truth that we are being used and abused by the Zionist entity and their supporters? When will American leaders put America and American interests first?
America, where are you now? We need your help to fight the monster.
semper fi

Oh joy, not

I have read two articles that I want to share with all who stop by this old corner. I don't know if you all check the Counterpunch web site, but I do every day and found two that I think are very important.
The first is by former US Senator James Abourezk. After you read the article you will probably understand why he is now a former senator. The number one "rule" in US politics, do not ever be critical of the Zionist entity. His article is at; www.counterpunch.org/abourezk07122010.html
The second article is by Jonathan Cook. Mr. Cook is a writer and journalist who is based in Nazareth, Israel. The article is at;www.counterpunch.org/cook07132010.html
While both are very important, my opinion, it is the second that causes me the most worry. It is about the remote control machine gun system that the Zionist entity uses on the Gaza border "fence". Notice, they use young women as the operators of this weapon system. Partly they do this as they seem to have a shortage of men for the combat units. Also, it keeps the women safe from getting shot or physical harm.
To me, it just makes killers of the young women. Killing, by remote control or in person, is still killing. The system uses a video monitor and a "Play station" type joystick. Just like the typical video game in most homes today. Yes, killing real people has now been reduced to a damn video game. While this system is only in use by the Zionist entity now, no doubt other militaries (the US included) are no doubt wanting to get such a system themselves.
In case you were curious, they have a remote control armored vehicle being used on the border with Lebanon and are developing a remote control ship for naval use.  War is fast becoming a total video game.
This is just killing made easy. No muss, no fuss. And, you can be home in front of the TV set in time for supper!
Of course it will be very hard, if not impossible, to stop this sort of thing. The generals and politicians will tell us that these vile systems will "save lives" of our military. This may be true, but what they will never do is to stop the senseless damn killings. They will not end the useless damn fool wars. Too much profit there to stop.
It is up to us, the people of this world to demand that our "leaders" stop these damn fool wars of choice. We must demand and end to these idiot wars and demand that our so-called leaders live in peace with other people.
The only people I know who have been to war who are in favor of more war are few and then only if our country is invaded. The only people I know who are for war are those who either never wore a uniform or if they did, they were never in a war zone in combat.
War is not pretty. It is nasty, vile, dirty, and a total waste of people and resources. War does only one thing, it destroys.
General Smedley Butler said that war is a racket. How very true. War has big profits for those who make the weapons and all the rations and other gear for the troops. He also said that there are only two reasons for war. One, to defend OUR homes. Two, to defend the Bill of Rights. He was right in the 1930's when he said these things. He is still right today.
War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!
Wake up America, end war now.
semper fi

Still here, still disgusted

Well, I am still here, still disgusted. Damned disgusted to be honest.
Again, I ask you all to not call the mess in the Gulf an oil spill. It is NOT a "spill". It IS a disaster. We will be dealing with this disaster for decades to come folks. If you don't think so, do a Google search on the oil spill in Brazil ten years ago. The mangrove swamps there are still dead zones. Oh, and every so often they still get oil washing up on the shore around Valdez, Alaska. Thanks loads Exxon.
Of course BP is telling us all lies about the mess and how much oil has spewed into the Gulf. They need to lie. How so? Well, they might be fined according to the amount of oil that gets into the Gulf from this well.  Since nobody really knows just how much crude has spewed into the Gulf, it is to their advantage for BP to lie, that is under-count/estimate, the amount of oil that has leaked(?) from this well.
Now this all supposes that the law will actually be enforced here. The law has a penalty for such oil "spills" or blown wells. It is an amount of money per barrel of oil that gets into the water. The fine is about $4,300.00 per barrel. Not exactly a small fine even if they had only "lost" a few hundred barrels. This could cost old BP well into the Billions of dollars. Not so good for the old bottom line, even for a multinational oil company.
As I said, it all supposes that the law will actually be enforced. Any bets that it will be? Call me cynical, but just look at the Wall Street gang. They, with their derivatives and other junk "investments" caused the economy to tank, yet instead of getting punished for their own misdeeds, they got a huge government bail-out. We, the tax payers, get the bill for that. So, now tell me, do you honestly think that BP will have to pay a big fine?  Why, it could cause them to go bust. No doubt it will soon be made known that BP is also "too big to fail".
Well, maybe not. They could file for bankruptcy and sell off bits to other huge multinational oil giants. Profits and bonus checks for the investors and the top management. Just like the big banksters. And guess who gets the bill for it all? Aww, shucks, you already knew the answer. Yep, the tax payers. See how predictable life in the old US of A is? The super rich just keep getting richer and the rest of us pay for their mistakes, clean ups and all.
All this AND, we still keep fighting two, count them, two, useless damn fool idiotic wars of choice that we can never "win" in any way.
Notice how the Congress critters refuse to pass any extension for unemployment benefits, A Senator from the elephant gang even voted against any sort of benefit for homeless veterans. Yes sir, "we" cannot afford to help the regular people who are in dire need. BUT, we can still always find the cash to keep the damn fool wars going full bore. Priorities? Congress don't need no stinking priorities.  The new motto, well actually the one they have been using for many years, "Damn the common folks, keep the wars,er,um, uh, profits flowing!"
Also, keep pumping obscene amounts of cash into the racist gang running the Zionist entity. Starving Palestinians? What Palestinians? Remember, it was dear sweet Golda who said "there is no such thing as a Palestinian". This is the gang who want to go and bomb the crap out of Iran now. Hell, we can't kick butt in Iraq or Afghanistan, how will "we" fight the Iranians also?  No doubt "we" would have to resort to using nukes, again. Yes people, America is the ONLY country to ever use a nuclear weapon in a war.
On the subject of war, why not bring back the draft? This "volunteer" military is being worn out, and fast. Being as the country is damn near flat broke, we can't really afford many more of the Blackwater mercenary types. As it stands now, the "volunteer" military is fast becoming the employer of last resort. So, bring back the draft.
For one thing, the draft would surely energize the dormant peace movement. The way things are now, only a very small segment of the population has any direct connection to these damn fool wars. The draft, to include women, "equal rights" you know, would make the military much more "democratic". The middle class and even some upper middle class folks could get drafted and then there would be bloody hell raised here in the US of A for sure. Just look back to the Vietnam war. It was the draft that really got many of the protestors out into the streets to protest that damn fool war.
Personally, I'd rather they just end the damn wars and bring all the troops back home. Since that is not going to happen, no way Go-bomber will let that happen, his masters would not allow it, bring back the draft and give everybody a "chance" to serve. Since these idiot wars will go on for years to come, I'd like to see some of these "brave" neo-con clowns and other "patriot" types have their "opportunity" to serve their country. Hell, you see/hear the neo-cons, Faux Noise talking heads, and their "tea party" pals spouting off how much they "love" America. Let them get drafted, sent to the war zones and they can chant "USA!, USA!" all day long. More likely, they would be in the streets demanding an end to the wars. See how much faith I have in our "heroic" chicken hawks?  Yep, none at all.
In my personal opinion, only those who have never been in a war are so "gung-ho" FOR war. Having seen war up close and all too personal, I think the people who are pushing for these wars and more wars need to get first hand experience of just what war really is. Let them spend a few months out with the grunts, humping around carrying all the gear the rest of the troops carry. Let them have first hand experience of being in a fire fight. Let them see, first hand, just what an air strike or artillery strike does to people. Let them get ALL the sights, sounds, and smells of war.
Do not misunderstand me here. If this country is ever invaded, I WILL be out with my weapons fighting the invaders. Just like what the Pashtuns are doing in Afghanistan. Just like what the Iraqis are still doing, only a bit more quietly than the Afghans are doing. Just like the Iranians will do if "we" attack them.
Go-bomber will keep these damn fool wars going, and going. Just like the Energizer Bunny. Useless wars without end. For obscene profits for the super rich. Keep a close watch on Iraq. Our combat troops are due to start leaving Iraq next month. Yes, August of this year, we are supposed to bring all combat troops out of Iraq. Any bets that will happen? No doubt that is just like the 2011 Afghan withdrawal, it is probably "conditions based". Of course you all know what that means. Yep, the "conditions" will "require" the troops to stay, "just a little bit longer". And no, it will NOT be in any way like the Jackson Brown song, "Stay". It will be much, much worse. Bloodier also.
Some day, I would like it to be in my life time, people around the world will wake up to the fact that people are people. Regardless of what religion they follow, no matter their skin color, no matter their creed, no matter any other "differences" they may have. We are all human beings. We all have the very same needs; food, clothing, and shelter. We all have the same basic desires also. We all want to provide those basic needs for our families. We want a decent home for them, decent jobs for ourselves and our children. We want our children to get a good education and at least as good a life as we have had, hopefully a better one if possible. I also think that we would all like to live in peace and friendship with each other. I know I sure as hell want to live in peace with my fellow human beings. Oh, and maybe a few cats and a dog or two also.
Imagine, we could have such a world, IF we want one. It won't be easy getting there, but nothing worth having ever has been easy to get. We sure have our work cut out for ourselves folks.
semper fi