Greetings good people.
I want to start off this post by thanking all of you who have left comments here at the old corner. I deeply appreciate all of your comments. Yes, I said I like them all, even those that are negative.
You make me realize that I am not the only person who thinks along similar lines . Thank you, all of you good people for stopping by here.
What a country we live in, here in the USA in 2011. What a world, I could add. Of course much of why the world is today is due to the actions of America. Being the dominant country, at least militarily means that your actions go a very long way to shaping the rest of the world. And, man, aren't "we" shaping things? If only it was for the good of all people on this planet, then it could be a much better place for all of us.
As things stand, "our" actions are not making the world a better place, at least not for the working class and the poor folks. If you are among the top 2% of the richest, well, things are going quite nicely for you. This post is not about the richest people though. It is about how the working people and the poor are being affected by the USA and the government of this country.
Look around the world, how many wars is America involved in? Well, it isn't as easy to answer as you may think. Let's count them. Iraq, still an ongoing war no matter that some troops have been pulled from there. Afghanistan, still very much a hot war. Pakistan, still a drone war if not actual US "boots on the ground" war. Libya, still bombing that country along with NATO. Yemen, well, more drone warfare in that country. Somalia, more drones, so more war. Total so far, six. I have not added the "big" war yet, yes, I mean the "global war on terror". Of course Gobomber doesn't call it by that name. See, the "global war on terror" (GWOT) is what Shrubbie and "dead eye" Dick called their wars after 9/11. Gobomber prefers we call it something else. Beats me if I can remember just what he does call it now. "Kinetic military actions" pop to mind, but I believe that is what he is calling the Libya "war". Oh, stupid old me, "we" (as in the USA) are NOT at war in Libya. Nope, we are engaged in something other than war. Yes, US aircraft are bombing Libya. US cruise missiles are being fired at Libya. US munitions are being used against Libya by the US and our NATO partners. And yet, Gobomber says "we" are not at war with Libya. Well, getting bombed by a foreign military sure as hell sounds like war to this old combat vet. Of course I went to war in the Vietnam war and cannot compare that war to the current "action" in Libya. See, the world has changed since "my" war and what war is today is not necessarily what war "used" to be. Yeah, that sure seems like some sort of word game to me. How does that old saying go? "A rose by any other name........". Basically, what I am saying is that what the US is doing in Libya IS war. Gobomber and the idiot media can call it any name they choose, but it still comes down to the fact that NATO forces are bombing and killing people in Libya and I bet that the Libyans think what they are in now is war.
According to one report I read some months ago, we have covert operations going on in 60 countries. Yes, 60, and that may not be the true total. One report claimed the number was 75.
That will do for the foreign policy part of this post.
Back here in the USA things are not looking so great either. It seems that the elephant gang has declared war on the working class and the poor/disabled people of the country. That "party" is on an all out quest to gut every social program in the country, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Not only those programs, but they want to gut the rules that have kept the air and water relatively safe for us all.
Both political parties are looking out for the rich folks though. The tax cuts that Shrubbie got for the top 2% of the richest are being extended and may even be made permanent by this congress. The republicans want to eliminate the rules that control anything that does not make the rich even more rich. They oppose any regulations on the Wall Street banksters. They want to destroy all unions and even the minimum wage.
Now the fact that these cuts to the social programs is not surprising at all. No, what really gets me even more disgusted is that many of the democrats are willing to go along with the cuts. This is being done, so they claim, so that they will get the republicans to go along with raising the debt ceiling. This needs to be done by August 2nd or the government will be in default.
I am not an economist and never have claimed to be one, but from what I have learned over the past few weeks is that if the government does default it could be very bad for all of us working class and poor people.
None of this seems to bother the republicans though. They don't care about us working class folks. Why would they? We don't give them big campaign contributions, we don't have that sort of money to toss to some politician. Not that the democrats care much about the working class/poor folks either now days. Both wings of the war party are looking out for the rich folks. Why not? That IS where they get the money to keep running for office.
America is being turned into a third world country and it is being done by our own supposed "leaders". The working class and poor people have been sold down the river so that the top 2% of the very richest can amass even more wealth. The top 2% of the rich in America control 40% of ALL the wealth in this country. That group of people have seen their "share" of the wealth increase while the rest of us have had our income either fall or, at best, stay steady. This is not a healthy way for a country to be. The disparity in wealth is now even greater than it was during the great depression of the 1930's. It IS worse than it was in 1929 at the time of the great stock market crash that started that depression.
And just how do our "leaders" propose to get the country moving again? By extending the tax cuts for the very rich. By gutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. By gutting funds for the EPA and education.
The republican "plan" is for the rich to get ever richer and the working class and the poor people are going to pay for that. Yep, the republicans want the folks who can least afford even the basics to pay for the tax breaks that the rich "need" so that they can "create" new jobs for us all. Of course this is total crap. History shows us over and over that tax cuts for the rich and their corporations do NOT lead to more new jobs.
Even with that economic history, the republicans are holding the debt ceiling debate hostage to their demands that the rich get even more and the social programs be cut to pay for those tax cuts.
Gee, don't you all feel so lucky? Doesn't it give you a nice,warm feeling? Aren't you so happy that those wonderful folks, the republicans, want you to pay for the tax cuts to the rich? And, it gets "better". Yeah, the democrats look set to go along with the demands of the republicans. Do NOT expect Gobomber to say boo to them either. When has he ever shown any care at all for the working class? During his campaign, he said he would be with any picket line, any time. Well, has he ever shown up for any picket line? Has he been on the side of labor at any time since he took office? Have we ever seen Gobomber walking the picket lines with striking workers?
Of course not, and we never will. Like the majority of the politicians in America today, our president only supports/works for the richest of Americans and their corporations. The congress critters no longer care much about the working class and the poor people. Oh, they pay lip service to us and our needs, but at the end of the day, it is the rich who get their attention, any time, any place. The rest of us are seen as drags on the economy. We are just useless eaters who take up too much space. If we are not willing to work at menial jobs for less than minimum wage, we have no value to them.
I am very concerned about this "debate" on the debt ceiling. The articles I have read all say that if the government goes into default, things could get very bad here in the old USA. Just how bad, well, that seems to be the big unknown. The clowns in congress and Gobomber have until August 2nd to come to an agreement. The agreement they come to may not be very good for many of us though. Just how much will the democrats and Gobomber give away to the republicans and their rich backers? I think that that is what bothers me the most. How much will we, the people lose so that there is an agreement on raising the debt ceiling.
We are going through some very uncertain times folks. We have not seen the end of this, nor have we hit bottom yet from the financial crisis of 2008 and the bail out of the "too big to fail" gangsters.
I wish I could end this post on a positive note, but I don't see much positive just now. Hang on folks, we are in for one hell of a bumpy ride.
semper fi
16 July 2011
04 July 2011
War? What War?
By now, most of you folks know that the US and NATO have been bombing the stuffings out of poor old Libya. To most of us, being attacked by a foreign military constitute war. According to "fearful leader" (Gobomber) what we are doing to Libya is NOT war.
Supposedly, or at least according to the media and government officials (including of course Gobomber) what the US and NATO are doing is "humanitarian intervention". Shade of the Billy Bob Bubba Clinton "war" in the former Yugoslavia in the mid 1990's. See, old bad boy Gaddafi was supposedly killing his fellow citizens and "we" HAD to act to prevent genocide.
Now to any thinking, rational human being who reads any good internet news sites, this is a sham. If it is OK to attack Libya because the leader of that country is killing his own people, why then just limit "our" actions to Libya? Why are "we" not attacking Bahrain? How about Syria? Or, even the zionist entity? How about Myanmar (aka Burma)?
In all of those countries the leaders have and are killing their own citizens. Bahrain even allowed troops from neighboring Saudi Arabia to "help" put down any possible revolt by the citizens of that island nation. The zionist entity continues to kill the captive people of Gaza and the West Bank and yet, there is NO talk of any sort of US or NATO intervention in any of the above listed countries. No doubt Syria may be one of the next targets, since "we" do not like their leader all that much, see Syria is too friendly with iran and we all know that Iran is in the US target list. Who can forget McCrazy with his nasty parody of the "Beach Boys" song? Yes, the "bomb, bomb, bomb,bomb,bomb Iran" Disgusting, but Iran is still on the US target list, mostly due to the undo influence of the zionist entity and their lobby AIPAC.
The US has a very selective double standard when it comes to "humanitarian interventions". The people of the US are manipulated by the government with the willing cooperation of the major media. We are constantly told how some leaders are the very embodiment of evil, while those who our "friends and allies" are allowed to go about their abuses with not even a single word of dissent from the USA.
We have a Secretary of State telling the world, and the zionist entity in particular, that any US citizen who is foolish enough to join the flotilla trying to break the siege of Gaza, that the US will say nothing and do even less should any US citizen be harmed or killed trying to break the siege. Amazing isn't it? That "our" own government officials would tell us that by trying to actually DO something that is a humanitarian thing, we can be shot, injured, and/or imprisoned and our government will not say or do anything to help us. Now, to me, this just shows how far in bed with the government of the zionist entity the leaders of "our" country are. My opinion is that Hi-Larry has more respect and obedience to the zionist entity than she has to America and our Constitution and laws, to say nothing of international laws and the various Geneva Conventions.
The siege of Gaza is unlawful by any legal standard, yet "our"(??) Secretary of State is willing to allow that government to do as it pleases to any American citizen who tries to "run" the blockade of that impoverished people.
It all makes me wonder just what oath of office our leaders take now days. Do they actually mean it when they swear to uphold the US Constitution and the laws of the US? Did they have their fingers crossed when they took that oath? Or, did they actually swear undying allegiance to some other outfit? They certainly seem to be more concerned about the zionist entity than they are about the USA.
I remember when I enlisted in the US Marines, we all took an oath to defend and protect the US and the Constitution from ALL enemies, foreign and domestic. When I was released from active duty, I was not told that the oath no longer applied. The same was true when I got my final discharge from eh Marines. At no point was I ever told to or even asked to, revoke that oath. To many of us veterans, this means that we are still obligated to honor that oath. Maybe, in my own small way, this blog is part of my way to stand by that path, to defend the Constitution. That document has been under assault since at least 9/11. No doubt the attacks on the Constitution go back much further, but since 9/11, it seems to me that the attacks on the Constitution have become louder and from more sources than any time in the history of this country.
We have, as our president, a man who was a Constitution scholar. Funny how somebody with that background can just ignore the congress and go off and start a war with Libya. Not only has he ignored the Constitution which says that ONLY congress has the right to declare war, he has even "decided" that he does not have to follow the "use of force" restrictions that were put on that office after the Watergate mess. Gobomber has taken the "imperial" presidency that was so blatant during the Cheney/Shrub gang and run with it. And this from a man who was able to fool a large number of Americans into thinking(?) he was anti-war. We surely bought a bill of goods in 2008, didn't we? Brings to mind the old saying about a "pig in a poke".
One could say this just shows the power of advertising, which is basically what our elections come down to in the final analysis.
America, what a country.
semper fi
Supposedly, or at least according to the media and government officials (including of course Gobomber) what the US and NATO are doing is "humanitarian intervention". Shade of the Billy Bob Bubba Clinton "war" in the former Yugoslavia in the mid 1990's. See, old bad boy Gaddafi was supposedly killing his fellow citizens and "we" HAD to act to prevent genocide.
Now to any thinking, rational human being who reads any good internet news sites, this is a sham. If it is OK to attack Libya because the leader of that country is killing his own people, why then just limit "our" actions to Libya? Why are "we" not attacking Bahrain? How about Syria? Or, even the zionist entity? How about Myanmar (aka Burma)?
In all of those countries the leaders have and are killing their own citizens. Bahrain even allowed troops from neighboring Saudi Arabia to "help" put down any possible revolt by the citizens of that island nation. The zionist entity continues to kill the captive people of Gaza and the West Bank and yet, there is NO talk of any sort of US or NATO intervention in any of the above listed countries. No doubt Syria may be one of the next targets, since "we" do not like their leader all that much, see Syria is too friendly with iran and we all know that Iran is in the US target list. Who can forget McCrazy with his nasty parody of the "Beach Boys" song? Yes, the "bomb, bomb, bomb,bomb,bomb Iran" Disgusting, but Iran is still on the US target list, mostly due to the undo influence of the zionist entity and their lobby AIPAC.
The US has a very selective double standard when it comes to "humanitarian interventions". The people of the US are manipulated by the government with the willing cooperation of the major media. We are constantly told how some leaders are the very embodiment of evil, while those who our "friends and allies" are allowed to go about their abuses with not even a single word of dissent from the USA.
We have a Secretary of State telling the world, and the zionist entity in particular, that any US citizen who is foolish enough to join the flotilla trying to break the siege of Gaza, that the US will say nothing and do even less should any US citizen be harmed or killed trying to break the siege. Amazing isn't it? That "our" own government officials would tell us that by trying to actually DO something that is a humanitarian thing, we can be shot, injured, and/or imprisoned and our government will not say or do anything to help us. Now, to me, this just shows how far in bed with the government of the zionist entity the leaders of "our" country are. My opinion is that Hi-Larry has more respect and obedience to the zionist entity than she has to America and our Constitution and laws, to say nothing of international laws and the various Geneva Conventions.
The siege of Gaza is unlawful by any legal standard, yet "our"(??) Secretary of State is willing to allow that government to do as it pleases to any American citizen who tries to "run" the blockade of that impoverished people.
It all makes me wonder just what oath of office our leaders take now days. Do they actually mean it when they swear to uphold the US Constitution and the laws of the US? Did they have their fingers crossed when they took that oath? Or, did they actually swear undying allegiance to some other outfit? They certainly seem to be more concerned about the zionist entity than they are about the USA.
I remember when I enlisted in the US Marines, we all took an oath to defend and protect the US and the Constitution from ALL enemies, foreign and domestic. When I was released from active duty, I was not told that the oath no longer applied. The same was true when I got my final discharge from eh Marines. At no point was I ever told to or even asked to, revoke that oath. To many of us veterans, this means that we are still obligated to honor that oath. Maybe, in my own small way, this blog is part of my way to stand by that path, to defend the Constitution. That document has been under assault since at least 9/11. No doubt the attacks on the Constitution go back much further, but since 9/11, it seems to me that the attacks on the Constitution have become louder and from more sources than any time in the history of this country.
We have, as our president, a man who was a Constitution scholar. Funny how somebody with that background can just ignore the congress and go off and start a war with Libya. Not only has he ignored the Constitution which says that ONLY congress has the right to declare war, he has even "decided" that he does not have to follow the "use of force" restrictions that were put on that office after the Watergate mess. Gobomber has taken the "imperial" presidency that was so blatant during the Cheney/Shrub gang and run with it. And this from a man who was able to fool a large number of Americans into thinking(?) he was anti-war. We surely bought a bill of goods in 2008, didn't we? Brings to mind the old saying about a "pig in a poke".
One could say this just shows the power of advertising, which is basically what our elections come down to in the final analysis.
America, what a country.
semper fi
29 June 2011
2012? Who needs 2012, we have today
This morning, here in Alexandria, Louisiana, one of the TV channels we get had a program on the "end of the world" of 2012. Yes, supposedly the Mayan calendar says the world will end 21 December 2012.
From what little I have read on this, that "end of the world" bit is a miss-reading of that calendar. What it IS actually, is the end of a cycle. It does NOT necessarily mean that the world will end on that date. While many will undoubtedly debate this, from other news, all I have to add is, who needs 2012? We have, and seriously HAVE many other real problems right now, in 2011.
Poor Nebraska, they Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant is close to being flooded. Yes folks, the Missouri River is still rising and that power plant is in great danger from the flood waters.
Not bad enough for you? Well, just look a bit South and West of Nebraska and we get to New Mexico. Yes, the nuclear labs at Los Alamos are in the line of a raging fire. This fire is so far uncontrolled. Oh joy, there is a great deal of plutonium at that lab. Why you ask? Well, it is the main nuclear weapons lab for the US. They design nuclear bombs at that facility. Now that area is under a very real threat from the raging forrest fire in that state.
Still not enough? Well, there is still nuclear material being released from the damaged reactors in Japan. Yes, the nuclear power stations at Fukushima ARE leaking radiation into the environment. It has become so bad that even TEPCO, who owns and operates the power station has admitted that there is a major problem there.
As we all know, when the "powers that be" admit that there is a problem, we can be sure that there IS a huge problem.
Notice how the "media" as in TV "news" has little or nothing to say regarding these major problem areas. This IS the US of A in 2011, keep the public in the dark and hope the problems will go away. Or, that at least the public is kept from any real, useful information. Don't want the masses to over react you know.
Now I would never want to cause any sort of panic, but damn, the public has a right to know just what IS going on in these places. It is the physical health of ALL people that is at risk in these three places. Radiation does NOT stop at the borders. We DO know that radiation from the damaged Fukushima plants HAS made its way to the US and even to northern Europe.
An excellent source of news on these problems is at; http://enenews.com/
While it is true that we don't need detailed information on these areas, we DO need basic information. There is an evacuation order for the town around the Los Alamos labs.
So, one can see that the "2012, end of the world" deal is not needed. We humans and our "inventions" like nuclear power plants are quite capable of destroying the planet, no "out side" influences needed. Yes, when you have nuclear plants built on or very close to earthquake faults, nuclear labs in a fire danger area, or other such devices, who needs the old Mayans and their calendar?
Stay safe, stay informed.
semper fi
From what little I have read on this, that "end of the world" bit is a miss-reading of that calendar. What it IS actually, is the end of a cycle. It does NOT necessarily mean that the world will end on that date. While many will undoubtedly debate this, from other news, all I have to add is, who needs 2012? We have, and seriously HAVE many other real problems right now, in 2011.
Poor Nebraska, they Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant is close to being flooded. Yes folks, the Missouri River is still rising and that power plant is in great danger from the flood waters.
Not bad enough for you? Well, just look a bit South and West of Nebraska and we get to New Mexico. Yes, the nuclear labs at Los Alamos are in the line of a raging fire. This fire is so far uncontrolled. Oh joy, there is a great deal of plutonium at that lab. Why you ask? Well, it is the main nuclear weapons lab for the US. They design nuclear bombs at that facility. Now that area is under a very real threat from the raging forrest fire in that state.
Still not enough? Well, there is still nuclear material being released from the damaged reactors in Japan. Yes, the nuclear power stations at Fukushima ARE leaking radiation into the environment. It has become so bad that even TEPCO, who owns and operates the power station has admitted that there is a major problem there.
As we all know, when the "powers that be" admit that there is a problem, we can be sure that there IS a huge problem.
Notice how the "media" as in TV "news" has little or nothing to say regarding these major problem areas. This IS the US of A in 2011, keep the public in the dark and hope the problems will go away. Or, that at least the public is kept from any real, useful information. Don't want the masses to over react you know.
Now I would never want to cause any sort of panic, but damn, the public has a right to know just what IS going on in these places. It is the physical health of ALL people that is at risk in these three places. Radiation does NOT stop at the borders. We DO know that radiation from the damaged Fukushima plants HAS made its way to the US and even to northern Europe.
An excellent source of news on these problems is at; http://enenews.com/
While it is true that we don't need detailed information on these areas, we DO need basic information. There is an evacuation order for the town around the Los Alamos labs.
So, one can see that the "2012, end of the world" deal is not needed. We humans and our "inventions" like nuclear power plants are quite capable of destroying the planet, no "out side" influences needed. Yes, when you have nuclear plants built on or very close to earthquake faults, nuclear labs in a fire danger area, or other such devices, who needs the old Mayans and their calendar?
Stay safe, stay informed.
semper fi
23 June 2011
Words matter
Hello good people.
This war on words is starting to really disgust me. Actually, it has been bothering me greatly for the past few years. Yes, Shrubbie was the tops at butchering our language. All of us remember his many attempts at speaking that ended up as being totally unintelligible.
Well, Gobomber is even worse than Shrubbie was. How so you ask? Well, look at the news these past months. The "war" in Libya is not a war. At least according to Gobomber it isn't. For more on this war ON words, please check out Tomdispatch for his take on the way Gobomber and crew are bastardizing our language. Here is a link to the latest Tomgram;http://www.tomdispatch.com/ The article is entitled "Defining an American state of war". Very enlightening and worth your time.
Yes, I agree that "American" English is a living and evolving language. It is a very rich language that incorporates many words and phrases "borrowed" from other languages. Our language is an ever evolving thing, and that is good in my opinion. What really gets me angry is the way some folks, politicians in particular, bastardize our language. It is almost as if we ARE in the world of 1984 that Orwell wrote of. Yes, where war is peace, ignorance is knowledge, and "big brother" is always watching us all.
We need to hold these political types to take more care in their choice of words. We cannot allow them to make up new meanings every time they "decide" to do so. If this keeps on, nobody will know what any other person means whenever they speak. Words DO matter. It is how we communicate with each other. Language is very important and the meanings of wards DO matter. To allow Gobomber to get away with saying that what we are doing in Libya is anything other than war is to allow the abuse of our language to continue.
Notice how he now has us involved in "kinetic military actions". What the hell is this? Any ideas? Well, what he actually does mean is that "we" are killing people in some other country. "Kinetic military actions" indeed. It is our military going out and killing some foreign folks, either directly with ground troops, air strikes, or, most likely drone aircraft strikes. A war by any other name is still a war.
Gobomber now claims that our "mission"(??) in Libya is something other than war since "our" troops are not in any great danger. "Our" aircraft are not in much or even any danger of being shot down. In short, the Libya "affair"(??) is mostly one sided, and therefore NOT war!
Excuse me, but "our" military, whether by drone or manned aircraft is bombing the daylights out of targets in Libya. That is war, pure and simple. At the very least, is is an act of war on our part.
By allowing the politicians and the media to get away with calling this Libya war by any other term is to allow them total freedom to call anything in the world by any name they choose.
Indeed, it could soon be the day when they DO call "war" by the term "peace". Welcome to the real 1984 in that case.
Wards matter and we need to remind the political types of that fact.
semper fi
This war on words is starting to really disgust me. Actually, it has been bothering me greatly for the past few years. Yes, Shrubbie was the tops at butchering our language. All of us remember his many attempts at speaking that ended up as being totally unintelligible.
Well, Gobomber is even worse than Shrubbie was. How so you ask? Well, look at the news these past months. The "war" in Libya is not a war. At least according to Gobomber it isn't. For more on this war ON words, please check out Tomdispatch for his take on the way Gobomber and crew are bastardizing our language. Here is a link to the latest Tomgram;http://www.tomdispatch.com/ The article is entitled "Defining an American state of war". Very enlightening and worth your time.
Yes, I agree that "American" English is a living and evolving language. It is a very rich language that incorporates many words and phrases "borrowed" from other languages. Our language is an ever evolving thing, and that is good in my opinion. What really gets me angry is the way some folks, politicians in particular, bastardize our language. It is almost as if we ARE in the world of 1984 that Orwell wrote of. Yes, where war is peace, ignorance is knowledge, and "big brother" is always watching us all.
We need to hold these political types to take more care in their choice of words. We cannot allow them to make up new meanings every time they "decide" to do so. If this keeps on, nobody will know what any other person means whenever they speak. Words DO matter. It is how we communicate with each other. Language is very important and the meanings of wards DO matter. To allow Gobomber to get away with saying that what we are doing in Libya is anything other than war is to allow the abuse of our language to continue.
Notice how he now has us involved in "kinetic military actions". What the hell is this? Any ideas? Well, what he actually does mean is that "we" are killing people in some other country. "Kinetic military actions" indeed. It is our military going out and killing some foreign folks, either directly with ground troops, air strikes, or, most likely drone aircraft strikes. A war by any other name is still a war.
Gobomber now claims that our "mission"(??) in Libya is something other than war since "our" troops are not in any great danger. "Our" aircraft are not in much or even any danger of being shot down. In short, the Libya "affair"(??) is mostly one sided, and therefore NOT war!
Excuse me, but "our" military, whether by drone or manned aircraft is bombing the daylights out of targets in Libya. That is war, pure and simple. At the very least, is is an act of war on our part.
By allowing the politicians and the media to get away with calling this Libya war by any other term is to allow them total freedom to call anything in the world by any name they choose.
Indeed, it could soon be the day when they DO call "war" by the term "peace". Welcome to the real 1984 in that case.
Wards matter and we need to remind the political types of that fact.
semper fi
16 June 2011
This is a MUST read, I kid you not
Well, here we are, another day, another post.Wow, this might get to be a habit. OK, enough of my snarky comments. On to what prompted this "two-in-a-row" posting.
I was just checking my usual morning web sites, looking for anything interesting and I came across this at Think Progress. It is just too good to pass by. I will just hit the "highlights" (or is it low lights?) and put the link to the whole story here for you to check out if you wish.
First, the link; http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/16/246618/bachmann-craziest-quotes/
As you may have seen, it is about the congress critter from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann.
It is a list of the top ten craziest things she has said to date.
Here we go then, at number one; Bachmann warned that the "Lion King" was GAY propaganda.
Yep, somehow that cartoon about a lion has some "gay agenda". I can't say one way or another since I have never seen that cartoon movie. Sorry folks, you'll all have to decide that one for yourselves.
At number two; Bachmann claimed that abolishing the minimum wage would create jobs. Yeah, now it IS true that most businesses DO want to get the cheapest labor they can find, this is total crap.
At number three; Bachmann claimed that scientists are supporters of "intelligent design". Yeah, and they also believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus. No real scientist believes in that religious based "idea".
At number four; Bachmann claimed that Terri Schiavo was "healthy". Her autopsy found that the lady had suffered irreversible brain damage, but according to the Minnesota congress critter, she was still "healthy". Yeah, sure.
Number five; Bachmann likened visiting Iraq to visiting the Mall of America. I have never been, and do not plan on ever visiting that mall, but having been in a war zone, I seriously doubt she has a clue to what she is saying in that comment.
At number six; Bachmann claimed that carbon dioxide is "harmless". Yes, it IS, to trees and other plants. They take in the CO2 and expel oxygen. So, if you are a plant, then yes, CO2 IS harmless.
Number seven; Bachmann called for a congressional witch hunt. This because Gobomber had an alleged relationship with former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers. Yep, those folks were really into witch-craft. Yep, you betcha!
Number eight; Bachmann suggested gay singer should repent after getting cancer. Yes, the congress critter saw Melissa Ethridge having cancer as a "teachable moment". Yes, Ms. Ethridge is a lesbian, so.........
At number nine; Bachmann boasted about breaking the law. In advance of the 2010 census, she said that she would break the law by NOT completing the census forms.
Finally, at number ten; Bachmann claimed that Glenda Beckie could solve the debt crisis. Yeah sure, he was just going to have us all buy stock in "Goldline". Yeah, sure he can, and so much more also.
It is a rather short article folks. You might want to follow the link to get the whole deal. Looking back at my short version, I'd guess I should have said I was going to post the low lights not the highlights. With Ms. Bachmann there are NO high lights at all.
Just one further note. I stole this quote from Coyote Prime. It is a quote from Will Rogers; "There is no credit to being a comedian when you have the whole government working for you. All you have to do is report the facts. I don't even have to exaggerate." As the above truly attests to that comment. In fact, I could never make up the crap that comes from some of our congress critters. Reality, who needs fiction? Enjoy folks and thanks for stopping by again.
semper fi
I was just checking my usual morning web sites, looking for anything interesting and I came across this at Think Progress. It is just too good to pass by. I will just hit the "highlights" (or is it low lights?) and put the link to the whole story here for you to check out if you wish.
First, the link; http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/16/246618/bachmann-craziest-quotes/
As you may have seen, it is about the congress critter from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann.
It is a list of the top ten craziest things she has said to date.
Here we go then, at number one; Bachmann warned that the "Lion King" was GAY propaganda.
Yep, somehow that cartoon about a lion has some "gay agenda". I can't say one way or another since I have never seen that cartoon movie. Sorry folks, you'll all have to decide that one for yourselves.
At number two; Bachmann claimed that abolishing the minimum wage would create jobs. Yeah, now it IS true that most businesses DO want to get the cheapest labor they can find, this is total crap.
At number three; Bachmann claimed that scientists are supporters of "intelligent design". Yeah, and they also believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus. No real scientist believes in that religious based "idea".
At number four; Bachmann claimed that Terri Schiavo was "healthy". Her autopsy found that the lady had suffered irreversible brain damage, but according to the Minnesota congress critter, she was still "healthy". Yeah, sure.
Number five; Bachmann likened visiting Iraq to visiting the Mall of America. I have never been, and do not plan on ever visiting that mall, but having been in a war zone, I seriously doubt she has a clue to what she is saying in that comment.
At number six; Bachmann claimed that carbon dioxide is "harmless". Yes, it IS, to trees and other plants. They take in the CO2 and expel oxygen. So, if you are a plant, then yes, CO2 IS harmless.
Number seven; Bachmann called for a congressional witch hunt. This because Gobomber had an alleged relationship with former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers. Yep, those folks were really into witch-craft. Yep, you betcha!
Number eight; Bachmann suggested gay singer should repent after getting cancer. Yes, the congress critter saw Melissa Ethridge having cancer as a "teachable moment". Yes, Ms. Ethridge is a lesbian, so.........
At number nine; Bachmann boasted about breaking the law. In advance of the 2010 census, she said that she would break the law by NOT completing the census forms.
Finally, at number ten; Bachmann claimed that Glenda Beckie could solve the debt crisis. Yeah sure, he was just going to have us all buy stock in "Goldline". Yeah, sure he can, and so much more also.
It is a rather short article folks. You might want to follow the link to get the whole deal. Looking back at my short version, I'd guess I should have said I was going to post the low lights not the highlights. With Ms. Bachmann there are NO high lights at all.
Just one further note. I stole this quote from Coyote Prime. It is a quote from Will Rogers; "There is no credit to being a comedian when you have the whole government working for you. All you have to do is report the facts. I don't even have to exaggerate." As the above truly attests to that comment. In fact, I could never make up the crap that comes from some of our congress critters. Reality, who needs fiction? Enjoy folks and thanks for stopping by again.
semper fi
15 June 2011
Is this still really the USA?
Greetings good people. Sorry for being so long between posts here at the old corner. While much has happened since my last rant, I just have not felt up to keeping this current. I will try to stay more current in the future, but, no promises.
I guess a good "starting" place would be the joint session of congress sitting through and giving a number of standing ovations to a real war criminal. Yes, I am talking about that miserable show where in Bibi Nutty-Yahoo held BOTH houses of "our" congress in rapt attention.
First off, I have to wonder at why this clown was even allowed to set foot in this country. Yes, I know, the government of this country is totally in thrall with Bibi and the zionist entity. "We" fund that criminal enterprise to the tune of approximately $3 Billion every year.
That begs another question in my simple working class brain. Since "we" pay them in order that they remain afloat, why do "we" stand up and cheer for his speeches in our country? How many other folks who pay the bills of others do such a thing? One could even say to some extent that the US pays his salary. So, again, what "employer" cheers a speech of the "employee"? In particular when said employee (recipient of huge amounts of cash) is telling the employer that he/she MUST do even more to support said employee? It looks like a very odd relationship to put it very politely. Actually, very damn strange.
What was to me a very good sign, we have to take even very small bits of good news in the old USA these days, an article in the news that said the AIPAC gangsters had "minders" stationed in the audience during the speech by Nutty-Yahoo. Why the "need" for these minders? Well, they were there to start the applause and the "standing ovations", also to make sure that any congress critter who might foolishly "think" about not standing would be easy to point out for the cameras and therefore an easy target for shooting down in flames any chance of re-election. Yes, the congress critters DO fear AIPAC. Now that is just plain wrong to my simple way of thinking. NO lobby of any sort, composition, or funding should have that sort of power over any member of the US congress. In actuality, that is to say the way this government is SUPPOSED to work (more or less according to the US Constitution) is that congress works for the people of the USA. Yes, yes, I know full well that in truth, the congress works for the biggest donor of campaign funds. What some very smart folks have said recently though is that AIPAC may NOT be as all powerful as they seem to be. In short, some very smart people are starting to say that AIPAC may just be a "paper tiger". Now, if only there were some way to find out if that is true and then make them register as an agency of a foreign government, which IS exactly what AIPAC is in truth. Oh, that would be a happy day.
It is still amazing to this old veteran of an imperial war how "our" congress critters are so in love with the zionist entity. By outward appearances and talk, many of "our" congress critters seem to love the zionist entity above and beyond the USA.Their first loyalty looks like it is "Israel first". That alone should be grounds for removal from office. While I am on this topic, another "idea" of mine is that NO government employee would be allowed to remain as an employee (including elected office) and have dual citizenship. If you want to be part of the US government, then you MUST only be an American and nobody who has any government position could have another passport from another country. We have and have had many people in high government positions who have dual citizenship papers. Why they are allowed to hold any position in the US government is beyond my comprehension. That should not ever be allowed. Why should anybody who is an employee of the US government even "need" citizenship in any other country?
How any congress critter could sit (and stand) through a speech by Nutty-Yahoo and let him berate the US for not giving a more full support to the zionist entity without shouting "foul" is amazing. They allow, and even seem to "bask" in the presence of this war criminal. He needs to be reminded that WE, the citizens of this country, via OUR tax dollars keep that little criminal enterprise known as the zionist entity afloat with at least $3 Billion per year. How dare this clown come here and tell us that "we" are not doing enough for him and his! I say bull shit to that nonsense.
In the line of "better late than never", I give you the following. The link is to an article by Mr. Jacob Hornberger on how the US troops are NOT defending the USA. www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28246.htm
This old former Marine/Vietnam vet is in agreement with this article. If you really want to support the troops, you should be contacting your congress critter and demanding that the troops come home. We should also close ALL the US bases in foreign countries. Those troops and bases around the world are NOT defending the USA. They are defending the nations where they are stationed. Most every country in Europe is very capable of their own defense, the same applies to Japan and South Korea, Australia, and many other countries where we have our troops stationed. It is way past time to bring them all home. As I have stated many times, I would allow for the Marine guards to stay at our embassies around the world. They have a long tradition of providing security for our embassies and I recall being told during my enlistment that embassy duty was very much a "good duty" to have. So, the Marine guards can stay, but ALL the rest of our troops would come home. Yes, I would allow for the occasional military instructors to go to other countries and give them training for the equipment they buy from US companies and to maintain good relations with the militaries of other countries. I would also allow for joint military exercises with allied forces. Those exercises would be of a very limited time however, not "extended" missions.
All that "we" get from having troops all over the world is more resentment of America. Don't believe me? OK, just look at the situation in Okinawa. Yes, I refer to the cases of rape by some of our troops. Even if you put that aside, there are many other incidences of damage done by US troops to civilians in other countries while on maneuvers. I recall an incident in South Korea some years ago where US troops were in some traffic accident. It matters little as to who was at fault in these cases, it involved US troops and civilians and that is never good news.
Oh crap, the idiot "failin' Palin" is back in the news, again. Or is that still? Either way, it is not good news. Yes, it is a bit comical this time. Her "take" on old Paul Revere is quite stunning to put it very mildly. I do not recall old Paul riding around town shouting to the Brits that they "will never take away our guns". Of course I did not attend the same schools that "sister" Sarah did. For that, I am thankful. Every time this person(?) opens her mouth, she just proves to all who have a functioning brain that she is totally incompetent. That she messed up her original comments on old Revere is not the problem, the fact that she later demanded that she did NOT mess it up IS. Now, you know things are getting bad when even Faux Noise, her employer, asks her if she didn't get the Revere story wrong. Well, she didn't get it wrong and even told Faux Noise so. Wow, she is so much smarter than even the folks who employ her. Maybe soon old Rupert will step down and hand off control of his media empire to dear old "sister Sarah". Yeah, and pigs will be flying 747's.
This woman is an embarrassment. Not to just America, but to women in general and humanity. It certainly brings into question her college degree and the US education system.
What IS bothersome to me and some others is that she remains as popular as she seems to be. Have we, as a nation, become so dumbed down that this is what we like to see and hear? Has America come to such a low point? Is this insanity the kind of critter we want as an elected official?
The moronic, and I realize that calling "sister Sarah moronic may be offensive to other morons, politics she and her reich wing pals are pushing could destroy this country. Her politics are those of greed, insecurity (on a personal level also), hate, deceit, hypocrisy, laziness,ignorance, and irresponsibility. there seems to be no limit to how low these clowns are willing to take the country.
Just today, at the Think Progress web site there is this; the GOP is debating a bill that would cut funding to food banks and aid to senior citizens. I do all I can to support the local food bank. I know where they spend all their donations. They provide a very much needed service to many people around here. The country now has more people on food stamps and other forms of assistance than ever before. We need to keep the food banks funded. Yes, people in America, the supposedly "greatest country" ever go to bed each night with not having had enough food to eat. Imagine that fact! We have fellow Americans who are unable to afford food! And yet, this country sends "surplus" food to foreign countries! What also kicks in here is the supposed "Christian" nature of this country. Well, they do NOT know what is in their own book then. The New Testament has a story on this sort of mess. It tells us that before we criticize our neighbor for having a messy house we had best make sure ours is spotless first. The same applies to food aid. Before "we" send food to other countries, we should make sure that ALL Americans have enough to eat. Charity starts at home and we best get on with it.
These damn fool politicians want to cut or even end the food bank funds, yet they vote for more tax cuts for the rich. They demand that we keep sending billions ever year to the zionist entity! All this while we have citizens of America starve! What sort of "Christianity" is this? What it IS is xtianity, that is what I call it. It is a false religion that is used by many in this country to beat us who do not believe in their false gods over the head with. They try to demand that I believe in their religion and yet, they fail, absolutely FAIL, to even abide by the teachings of their own book! And then, they have the audacity, the goddamn balls, to tell me they are not hypocrites! Horse shit on that!
Again, today at Think Progress is this about another reich wing nutball. Yep, Ms. Bachman from Minnesota. This clown wants the rich to pay even LESS taxes and for the working class to make up the slack. She wants the working poor to pay MORE in taxes! Yes, less tax, no tax is she really got what she thinks(?) she wants for the rich and higher taxes for the working class and the poor folks. How is it that the people of her district keep voting for this moronic clown? Are those people brain dead? Do they just not care at all for their fellow human beings?
If you think I am being too hard on those voters, well, too damn bad. I cannot understand how any sane human being could vote for such a piss poor excuse of a human being. What sort of person votes for this clown and others like her? Do they seriously despise the rest of us? How many of them actually work for a living? Do they enjoy seeing the elderly and disabled go hungry, do without needed medicines, without decent shelter, with limited or no medical services? I am very serious in asking these questions. I fail to see how they can support such clowns and the policies they want to push on all of us and then have the audacity to claim they are followers of Christ. Bullshit! Just where in their own book did Jesus say "screw the old folks, screw the poor folks? Another example of these clowns is the governor of Texas, Mr. Perry. this jackass actually believes that the economic crisis in the US is part of "god's plan" to return us to bible principles! No kidding, this moronic jackass actually believes this shit. And he was elected as governor? Yeah, sure, in Texas, by holy crap! Even Texans should not be that damn stupid.
Also today, the members of the house are pushing for an amendment to allow the tobacco industry to run ads for cigarettes that target children. Now, I smoke, but I have been making my own cigarettes for over 21 years now. Yeah, OK, I am addicted to my smokes, but no way should they be allowed to target the kids. That has not been legal for quite a few years now. Remember the old "Joe Camel" ads? Well, they WERE trying to get kids to smoke with them. I think that if you want to smoke, that is your choice. I respect the folks who do not smoke and when I visit anybody who does not smoke, I never even ask if I can smoke in their home. Now, when they visit me, they know I smoke and I will not stop just because they are visiting me. Nobody has the right to tell me how to act in my own home. I respect your home rules when I visit you, I expect the same in return if you visit me. At the same time, I would never encourage anybody, let alone young folks to smoke. The tobacco companies should not be allowed to run ads that target kids. Of course that may change. The congress critters have received at least $290,000 from the big tobacco outfits. Once again, money talks and calls the shots in "our" government.
One last look at another reich wing nut job. Old Mitt Romney has stated that federal disaster aid to victims of floods and tornadoes is "immoral" and "it makes no sense at all". Um, I thought that Mormons were supposed to be Christians. Oh, OK, I got it, they ARE. They are just of the same variety as those who want to cut aid to seniors and the disabled. That is to say, the Romney Mormons are xtians. Now it all falls into place for me. OK, fine, we can all just go home now. No news in this, just "business as usual".
I understand that in a country with a population of some 300,000,000 people that there are bound to be a few who are playing with less than a full deck, but holy crap, why is it that so many of them seem to be running of office?
Not having any answers, I'll end this rant for now. Off to go in search of an answer or two.
semper fi
I guess a good "starting" place would be the joint session of congress sitting through and giving a number of standing ovations to a real war criminal. Yes, I am talking about that miserable show where in Bibi Nutty-Yahoo held BOTH houses of "our" congress in rapt attention.
First off, I have to wonder at why this clown was even allowed to set foot in this country. Yes, I know, the government of this country is totally in thrall with Bibi and the zionist entity. "We" fund that criminal enterprise to the tune of approximately $3 Billion every year.
That begs another question in my simple working class brain. Since "we" pay them in order that they remain afloat, why do "we" stand up and cheer for his speeches in our country? How many other folks who pay the bills of others do such a thing? One could even say to some extent that the US pays his salary. So, again, what "employer" cheers a speech of the "employee"? In particular when said employee (recipient of huge amounts of cash) is telling the employer that he/she MUST do even more to support said employee? It looks like a very odd relationship to put it very politely. Actually, very damn strange.
What was to me a very good sign, we have to take even very small bits of good news in the old USA these days, an article in the news that said the AIPAC gangsters had "minders" stationed in the audience during the speech by Nutty-Yahoo. Why the "need" for these minders? Well, they were there to start the applause and the "standing ovations", also to make sure that any congress critter who might foolishly "think" about not standing would be easy to point out for the cameras and therefore an easy target for shooting down in flames any chance of re-election. Yes, the congress critters DO fear AIPAC. Now that is just plain wrong to my simple way of thinking. NO lobby of any sort, composition, or funding should have that sort of power over any member of the US congress. In actuality, that is to say the way this government is SUPPOSED to work (more or less according to the US Constitution) is that congress works for the people of the USA. Yes, yes, I know full well that in truth, the congress works for the biggest donor of campaign funds. What some very smart folks have said recently though is that AIPAC may NOT be as all powerful as they seem to be. In short, some very smart people are starting to say that AIPAC may just be a "paper tiger". Now, if only there were some way to find out if that is true and then make them register as an agency of a foreign government, which IS exactly what AIPAC is in truth. Oh, that would be a happy day.
It is still amazing to this old veteran of an imperial war how "our" congress critters are so in love with the zionist entity. By outward appearances and talk, many of "our" congress critters seem to love the zionist entity above and beyond the USA.Their first loyalty looks like it is "Israel first". That alone should be grounds for removal from office. While I am on this topic, another "idea" of mine is that NO government employee would be allowed to remain as an employee (including elected office) and have dual citizenship. If you want to be part of the US government, then you MUST only be an American and nobody who has any government position could have another passport from another country. We have and have had many people in high government positions who have dual citizenship papers. Why they are allowed to hold any position in the US government is beyond my comprehension. That should not ever be allowed. Why should anybody who is an employee of the US government even "need" citizenship in any other country?
How any congress critter could sit (and stand) through a speech by Nutty-Yahoo and let him berate the US for not giving a more full support to the zionist entity without shouting "foul" is amazing. They allow, and even seem to "bask" in the presence of this war criminal. He needs to be reminded that WE, the citizens of this country, via OUR tax dollars keep that little criminal enterprise known as the zionist entity afloat with at least $3 Billion per year. How dare this clown come here and tell us that "we" are not doing enough for him and his! I say bull shit to that nonsense.
In the line of "better late than never", I give you the following. The link is to an article by Mr. Jacob Hornberger on how the US troops are NOT defending the USA. www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28246.htm
This old former Marine/Vietnam vet is in agreement with this article. If you really want to support the troops, you should be contacting your congress critter and demanding that the troops come home. We should also close ALL the US bases in foreign countries. Those troops and bases around the world are NOT defending the USA. They are defending the nations where they are stationed. Most every country in Europe is very capable of their own defense, the same applies to Japan and South Korea, Australia, and many other countries where we have our troops stationed. It is way past time to bring them all home. As I have stated many times, I would allow for the Marine guards to stay at our embassies around the world. They have a long tradition of providing security for our embassies and I recall being told during my enlistment that embassy duty was very much a "good duty" to have. So, the Marine guards can stay, but ALL the rest of our troops would come home. Yes, I would allow for the occasional military instructors to go to other countries and give them training for the equipment they buy from US companies and to maintain good relations with the militaries of other countries. I would also allow for joint military exercises with allied forces. Those exercises would be of a very limited time however, not "extended" missions.
All that "we" get from having troops all over the world is more resentment of America. Don't believe me? OK, just look at the situation in Okinawa. Yes, I refer to the cases of rape by some of our troops. Even if you put that aside, there are many other incidences of damage done by US troops to civilians in other countries while on maneuvers. I recall an incident in South Korea some years ago where US troops were in some traffic accident. It matters little as to who was at fault in these cases, it involved US troops and civilians and that is never good news.
Oh crap, the idiot "failin' Palin" is back in the news, again. Or is that still? Either way, it is not good news. Yes, it is a bit comical this time. Her "take" on old Paul Revere is quite stunning to put it very mildly. I do not recall old Paul riding around town shouting to the Brits that they "will never take away our guns". Of course I did not attend the same schools that "sister" Sarah did. For that, I am thankful. Every time this person(?) opens her mouth, she just proves to all who have a functioning brain that she is totally incompetent. That she messed up her original comments on old Revere is not the problem, the fact that she later demanded that she did NOT mess it up IS. Now, you know things are getting bad when even Faux Noise, her employer, asks her if she didn't get the Revere story wrong. Well, she didn't get it wrong and even told Faux Noise so. Wow, she is so much smarter than even the folks who employ her. Maybe soon old Rupert will step down and hand off control of his media empire to dear old "sister Sarah". Yeah, and pigs will be flying 747's.
This woman is an embarrassment. Not to just America, but to women in general and humanity. It certainly brings into question her college degree and the US education system.
What IS bothersome to me and some others is that she remains as popular as she seems to be. Have we, as a nation, become so dumbed down that this is what we like to see and hear? Has America come to such a low point? Is this insanity the kind of critter we want as an elected official?
The moronic, and I realize that calling "sister Sarah moronic may be offensive to other morons, politics she and her reich wing pals are pushing could destroy this country. Her politics are those of greed, insecurity (on a personal level also), hate, deceit, hypocrisy, laziness,ignorance, and irresponsibility. there seems to be no limit to how low these clowns are willing to take the country.
Just today, at the Think Progress web site there is this; the GOP is debating a bill that would cut funding to food banks and aid to senior citizens. I do all I can to support the local food bank. I know where they spend all their donations. They provide a very much needed service to many people around here. The country now has more people on food stamps and other forms of assistance than ever before. We need to keep the food banks funded. Yes, people in America, the supposedly "greatest country" ever go to bed each night with not having had enough food to eat. Imagine that fact! We have fellow Americans who are unable to afford food! And yet, this country sends "surplus" food to foreign countries! What also kicks in here is the supposed "Christian" nature of this country. Well, they do NOT know what is in their own book then. The New Testament has a story on this sort of mess. It tells us that before we criticize our neighbor for having a messy house we had best make sure ours is spotless first. The same applies to food aid. Before "we" send food to other countries, we should make sure that ALL Americans have enough to eat. Charity starts at home and we best get on with it.
These damn fool politicians want to cut or even end the food bank funds, yet they vote for more tax cuts for the rich. They demand that we keep sending billions ever year to the zionist entity! All this while we have citizens of America starve! What sort of "Christianity" is this? What it IS is xtianity, that is what I call it. It is a false religion that is used by many in this country to beat us who do not believe in their false gods over the head with. They try to demand that I believe in their religion and yet, they fail, absolutely FAIL, to even abide by the teachings of their own book! And then, they have the audacity, the goddamn balls, to tell me they are not hypocrites! Horse shit on that!
Again, today at Think Progress is this about another reich wing nutball. Yep, Ms. Bachman from Minnesota. This clown wants the rich to pay even LESS taxes and for the working class to make up the slack. She wants the working poor to pay MORE in taxes! Yes, less tax, no tax is she really got what she thinks(?) she wants for the rich and higher taxes for the working class and the poor folks. How is it that the people of her district keep voting for this moronic clown? Are those people brain dead? Do they just not care at all for their fellow human beings?
If you think I am being too hard on those voters, well, too damn bad. I cannot understand how any sane human being could vote for such a piss poor excuse of a human being. What sort of person votes for this clown and others like her? Do they seriously despise the rest of us? How many of them actually work for a living? Do they enjoy seeing the elderly and disabled go hungry, do without needed medicines, without decent shelter, with limited or no medical services? I am very serious in asking these questions. I fail to see how they can support such clowns and the policies they want to push on all of us and then have the audacity to claim they are followers of Christ. Bullshit! Just where in their own book did Jesus say "screw the old folks, screw the poor folks? Another example of these clowns is the governor of Texas, Mr. Perry. this jackass actually believes that the economic crisis in the US is part of "god's plan" to return us to bible principles! No kidding, this moronic jackass actually believes this shit. And he was elected as governor? Yeah, sure, in Texas, by holy crap! Even Texans should not be that damn stupid.
Also today, the members of the house are pushing for an amendment to allow the tobacco industry to run ads for cigarettes that target children. Now, I smoke, but I have been making my own cigarettes for over 21 years now. Yeah, OK, I am addicted to my smokes, but no way should they be allowed to target the kids. That has not been legal for quite a few years now. Remember the old "Joe Camel" ads? Well, they WERE trying to get kids to smoke with them. I think that if you want to smoke, that is your choice. I respect the folks who do not smoke and when I visit anybody who does not smoke, I never even ask if I can smoke in their home. Now, when they visit me, they know I smoke and I will not stop just because they are visiting me. Nobody has the right to tell me how to act in my own home. I respect your home rules when I visit you, I expect the same in return if you visit me. At the same time, I would never encourage anybody, let alone young folks to smoke. The tobacco companies should not be allowed to run ads that target kids. Of course that may change. The congress critters have received at least $290,000 from the big tobacco outfits. Once again, money talks and calls the shots in "our" government.
One last look at another reich wing nut job. Old Mitt Romney has stated that federal disaster aid to victims of floods and tornadoes is "immoral" and "it makes no sense at all". Um, I thought that Mormons were supposed to be Christians. Oh, OK, I got it, they ARE. They are just of the same variety as those who want to cut aid to seniors and the disabled. That is to say, the Romney Mormons are xtians. Now it all falls into place for me. OK, fine, we can all just go home now. No news in this, just "business as usual".
I understand that in a country with a population of some 300,000,000 people that there are bound to be a few who are playing with less than a full deck, but holy crap, why is it that so many of them seem to be running of office?
Not having any answers, I'll end this rant for now. Off to go in search of an answer or two.
semper fi
11 May 2011
My last (maybe) take on the bin-Laden killing
This is going to be my last take on the killing of Osama bin Laden. Well, I think it will be my last, maybe.
Since my last rant here at the old corner, I have read a few more articles on this subject and it has really got to me, again, only a bit worse.
As an American (native born) and a former US Marine/Vietnam veteran, the killing of bin-Laden has upset me greatly. The US and the allies put the high command of the Nazis on trial after the second world war. They were guilty of crimes much worse than anything bin-Laden had ever dreamed of, let alone been responsible for.
That the US president, who is supposed to have been a Constitutional scholar and something of a legal expert could call this killing "justice" really sickens me. It was in no way, no how, any sort or form of justice. Justice does NOT come from the barrel of an automatic weapon. Justice comes from a trial, in a court room, with a judge, jury, and evidence. In a trial, and by trial I mean a fair trial, the evidence is introduced and argued about by the prosecutor and the defense attorneys. The evidence is there to be presented to the jury, so they can decide the guilt or innocence of the defendant.
I am afraid that America no longer stands for, nor does it actually promote, any sense of real justice today. My (??) country is no longer that which I learned of in high school civics class way back in the mid 1960's. America has fallen back on the law of the jungle. Kill or be killed. This is NOT what America should be. It IS, however, what America is today.
May whatever god or gods that exist have pity on us, the rest of the world will not, nor should it have any for us.
America, where are you now?
There IS a monster on the loose.
semper fi
Since my last rant here at the old corner, I have read a few more articles on this subject and it has really got to me, again, only a bit worse.
As an American (native born) and a former US Marine/Vietnam veteran, the killing of bin-Laden has upset me greatly. The US and the allies put the high command of the Nazis on trial after the second world war. They were guilty of crimes much worse than anything bin-Laden had ever dreamed of, let alone been responsible for.
That the US president, who is supposed to have been a Constitutional scholar and something of a legal expert could call this killing "justice" really sickens me. It was in no way, no how, any sort or form of justice. Justice does NOT come from the barrel of an automatic weapon. Justice comes from a trial, in a court room, with a judge, jury, and evidence. In a trial, and by trial I mean a fair trial, the evidence is introduced and argued about by the prosecutor and the defense attorneys. The evidence is there to be presented to the jury, so they can decide the guilt or innocence of the defendant.
I am afraid that America no longer stands for, nor does it actually promote, any sense of real justice today. My (??) country is no longer that which I learned of in high school civics class way back in the mid 1960's. America has fallen back on the law of the jungle. Kill or be killed. This is NOT what America should be. It IS, however, what America is today.
May whatever god or gods that exist have pity on us, the rest of the world will not, nor should it have any for us.
America, where are you now?
There IS a monster on the loose.
semper fi
Some "odd" bits and a few pieces
Man, the things you run across while surfing the net.
The first one that struck me, is also a bit upsetting as well. I wonder how many people saw this and what their reactions were. Here is the link; http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/160257-netanyahu-to-address-congress-on-May-24
Yes folks, old Nutty-Yahoo is going to address a joint session of the United States of America congress.
The House Speaker, John Boehner, aka the orange man, is so "proud" of this get together. So proud in fact that he said;"It will be an honor to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu to the Capitol....." An "honor"? Really? Well, the Zionist entity is a supposed "ally" of the USA. Never mind the "incident" with the USS Liberty. No, see, that is ancient history, or, better yet, it "never" happened, no matter what you may have read or heard.
The Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Eric Cantor, said that "Israel is a vital ally bound to America by common democratic values........" Common values? Oh, like persecuting your enemies by withholding vital supplies like medicine, food, and such? OK, got that now. Mr. Cantor also said,"A strong Israel translates into a stronger America." OK, now, could he explain to old, dumb me, just HOW that works? Does anybody have an explanation of how a "strong Israel" equals a "stronger America"? Seriously, I fail to see how that works out. Any ideas?
As for me, I fail to see why Nutty-Yahoo should even be allowed into this country. Probably he gets a free pass since we all know that old saying; "birds of a feather flock together". Yep, it will be a meeting of war criminals. Old "Benny" is "one of us" and all that sort of good natured, back slapping fun. My own view is that the Zionist entity is a huge drag on the USA, both financially and politically. "We" give them billions every year and being so closely tied to that country, we suffer politically. The Arab world, among others, see the US not as an honorable neutral broker for a peace deal between Palestinians and the Zionist entity. It is so obvious a blind man could see how "we" will never be an honest broker in that matter. Again, I keep coming back to the advice of the founders about entangling alliances. Man, oh man, are "we" ever entangled with the Zionist entity. And here, all this time I thought the US capitol was Washington D.C.. Turns out that it has been TelAviv. "We" allow(??) them to basically dictate "our" foreign policies. Wonderful. Yes, I AM being sarcastic, snarky, or whatever else you wish to call it. Disgusted fits quite well also.
A side note on Libya. I got curious, yeah, I know, it supposedly killed the cat. Ah, but remember, satisfaction brought the cat back! Nine lives don't ya know. LOL.
OK, now that is out of my system, but still on the hard drive, on to my "topic". Gaddafi took power in a coup back in 1969. He has been in power for going on 42 years now. The coup took place in September according to Wikipedia, which means that IF he survives until September, he WILL have been in power a full 42 years. My point here is a small one, but I thought it worth mentioning. He is STILL only a colonel. Yep, he has NOT given himself the standard post-coup promotion. How many other people who have over thrown a government have kept their same rank? How many, who may have kept their old rank, promoted themselves at some future time? Within my limited research, Gaddafi is the ONLY person to hold power for decades without promoting himself to at least General, if not "president for life" as some African "democrats" have done. This may be another, admittedly very minor, reason to get him out of office. I mean, how dare he hold power for so long and still be "just" a simple Colonel? Maybe his ego did not need a promotion? True, he HAS been photographed in some odd looking costumes, but STILL, he has not given himself a higher rank. Maybe this is just another way he remains his own person and a true maverick. His independence and his pan'Africanism surely puts him at odds with the clowns of NATO, the IMF, and the damn World Bank. Funny how one of the very first things these "rebels" did was set up a bank. Smell any rats there? The stench is over powering.
Once again, I refer you all to Pepe Escobar and his excellent reporting for Asia Times Online. His latest is well worth your time to read. Here is the link; www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ME12Ak01.html
We can see that NATO is very, very selective in their choice of targets around the world. If you are an independent sort of leader, you are ripe for "regime change". IF, on the other hand, you are a compliant sort, your rule is safe and you are free to do as you please when the "natives" get restless, see Bahrain for example. Well, hell, the US has the Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain, the "natives" must be suppressed. Thank the gods that the Saudis were available to "help" put down the rebellion in that island nation.
The air war in Libya isn't working out quite the way NATO planners thought it would. Funny, these planners never seem to learn that wars never go quite the way they are planned to work. With the recent Iraq and Afghan wars, one would think(?) they might have figured that out by now. Of course the planners are always high ranking officers and I remember my drill instructor in boot camp telling us that officers went to school to learn how to be dumb. Also, we Marines had a saying; rank is inversely proportional to intelligence. See the following for the "air show" component of the Libya war; www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ME12Ak03.html
According to this report, the air war in Libya is also a sales pitch of sorts. This comes just after another report that stated that India is NOT going to purchase any US made jet fighters this go round. They have narrowed their choices down to the "Euro fighter" and the French made "Rafale" Wars now days are not just old fashioned shoot-em-ups, nope, they are also sales tools.Imagine the TV ads; "Buy the best aircraft in the world! The aircraft that took out the vile tyrant Gaddafi!! Of course the ad would make use of full color gun sight video and "living" color video of bombing raids to prove the point. Yes folks, there is big money in war.
and still, life goes on............
semper fi
The first one that struck me, is also a bit upsetting as well. I wonder how many people saw this and what their reactions were. Here is the link; http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/160257-netanyahu-to-address-congress-on-May-24
Yes folks, old Nutty-Yahoo is going to address a joint session of the United States of America congress.
The House Speaker, John Boehner, aka the orange man, is so "proud" of this get together. So proud in fact that he said;"It will be an honor to welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu to the Capitol....." An "honor"? Really? Well, the Zionist entity is a supposed "ally" of the USA. Never mind the "incident" with the USS Liberty. No, see, that is ancient history, or, better yet, it "never" happened, no matter what you may have read or heard.
The Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Eric Cantor, said that "Israel is a vital ally bound to America by common democratic values........" Common values? Oh, like persecuting your enemies by withholding vital supplies like medicine, food, and such? OK, got that now. Mr. Cantor also said,"A strong Israel translates into a stronger America." OK, now, could he explain to old, dumb me, just HOW that works? Does anybody have an explanation of how a "strong Israel" equals a "stronger America"? Seriously, I fail to see how that works out. Any ideas?
As for me, I fail to see why Nutty-Yahoo should even be allowed into this country. Probably he gets a free pass since we all know that old saying; "birds of a feather flock together". Yep, it will be a meeting of war criminals. Old "Benny" is "one of us" and all that sort of good natured, back slapping fun. My own view is that the Zionist entity is a huge drag on the USA, both financially and politically. "We" give them billions every year and being so closely tied to that country, we suffer politically. The Arab world, among others, see the US not as an honorable neutral broker for a peace deal between Palestinians and the Zionist entity. It is so obvious a blind man could see how "we" will never be an honest broker in that matter. Again, I keep coming back to the advice of the founders about entangling alliances. Man, oh man, are "we" ever entangled with the Zionist entity. And here, all this time I thought the US capitol was Washington D.C.. Turns out that it has been TelAviv. "We" allow(??) them to basically dictate "our" foreign policies. Wonderful. Yes, I AM being sarcastic, snarky, or whatever else you wish to call it. Disgusted fits quite well also.
A side note on Libya. I got curious, yeah, I know, it supposedly killed the cat. Ah, but remember, satisfaction brought the cat back! Nine lives don't ya know. LOL.
OK, now that is out of my system, but still on the hard drive, on to my "topic". Gaddafi took power in a coup back in 1969. He has been in power for going on 42 years now. The coup took place in September according to Wikipedia, which means that IF he survives until September, he WILL have been in power a full 42 years. My point here is a small one, but I thought it worth mentioning. He is STILL only a colonel. Yep, he has NOT given himself the standard post-coup promotion. How many other people who have over thrown a government have kept their same rank? How many, who may have kept their old rank, promoted themselves at some future time? Within my limited research, Gaddafi is the ONLY person to hold power for decades without promoting himself to at least General, if not "president for life" as some African "democrats" have done. This may be another, admittedly very minor, reason to get him out of office. I mean, how dare he hold power for so long and still be "just" a simple Colonel? Maybe his ego did not need a promotion? True, he HAS been photographed in some odd looking costumes, but STILL, he has not given himself a higher rank. Maybe this is just another way he remains his own person and a true maverick. His independence and his pan'Africanism surely puts him at odds with the clowns of NATO, the IMF, and the damn World Bank. Funny how one of the very first things these "rebels" did was set up a bank. Smell any rats there? The stench is over powering.
Once again, I refer you all to Pepe Escobar and his excellent reporting for Asia Times Online. His latest is well worth your time to read. Here is the link; www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ME12Ak01.html
We can see that NATO is very, very selective in their choice of targets around the world. If you are an independent sort of leader, you are ripe for "regime change". IF, on the other hand, you are a compliant sort, your rule is safe and you are free to do as you please when the "natives" get restless, see Bahrain for example. Well, hell, the US has the Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain, the "natives" must be suppressed. Thank the gods that the Saudis were available to "help" put down the rebellion in that island nation.
The air war in Libya isn't working out quite the way NATO planners thought it would. Funny, these planners never seem to learn that wars never go quite the way they are planned to work. With the recent Iraq and Afghan wars, one would think(?) they might have figured that out by now. Of course the planners are always high ranking officers and I remember my drill instructor in boot camp telling us that officers went to school to learn how to be dumb. Also, we Marines had a saying; rank is inversely proportional to intelligence. See the following for the "air show" component of the Libya war; www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ME12Ak03.html
According to this report, the air war in Libya is also a sales pitch of sorts. This comes just after another report that stated that India is NOT going to purchase any US made jet fighters this go round. They have narrowed their choices down to the "Euro fighter" and the French made "Rafale" Wars now days are not just old fashioned shoot-em-ups, nope, they are also sales tools.Imagine the TV ads; "Buy the best aircraft in the world! The aircraft that took out the vile tyrant Gaddafi!! Of course the ad would make use of full color gun sight video and "living" color video of bombing raids to prove the point. Yes folks, there is big money in war.
and still, life goes on............
semper fi
09 May 2011
Libya, department of corrections, my error
In my last rant I tore into the newest War in Libya. I pointed out how this war IS about oil to some extent, it is also about the 144 tons of gold that Libya holds. I also mentioned that the Wall Street gangsters along with the "too big to fail" gangsters "must" have control of that money and the oil/ I forgot to add the other main reason for this war. THat tip to Reality Zone for reminding me of my error of omission. You see, I neglected to add that the US needs an African country in which to base its newest military force, Africom. As of now, Africom is based in Stuttgart, Germany. Yes, the US military command for the continent of Africa has its headquarters based in that wonderful "African" nation of Germany. OK, enough of my snide remarks. The thing is, NO country in all of Africa would allow Africom to be based on their soil. Hence, Libya must be "liberated".
So, there we have the main reasons for the war in Libya, the sovereign fund of that nation (along with all that gold that they hold in reserve), the oil, which is always going to get the attention of the gangsters who are "too big to fail", and the fact that Africom wants a physical base IN Africa.
Now, the fact that there is also the largest aquifer under the sands of Libya and Egypt is quite high on the list of "goodies" that the "too big to fail" gangsters want to control. So far, I would put the water resource as a very close secondary want. I do this only because I have not seen much about this resource in any report yet. While I do place it in a secondary level, it could go to the first tier at any time. I have seen various reports on the net in the past few years that water and other natural resources will become items that will be fought over in the near future.
Again, the reasons for the war in Libya, gold, oil, and a base for Africom, with water a very close secondary reason. Any way you slice it, this is a war for resources. There will be many more such war in our future unless there are some very real and serious changes made in various governments. Sorry to be a pessimist, but I don't see those changes coming any time soon.
semper fi
So, there we have the main reasons for the war in Libya, the sovereign fund of that nation (along with all that gold that they hold in reserve), the oil, which is always going to get the attention of the gangsters who are "too big to fail", and the fact that Africom wants a physical base IN Africa.
Now, the fact that there is also the largest aquifer under the sands of Libya and Egypt is quite high on the list of "goodies" that the "too big to fail" gangsters want to control. So far, I would put the water resource as a very close secondary want. I do this only because I have not seen much about this resource in any report yet. While I do place it in a secondary level, it could go to the first tier at any time. I have seen various reports on the net in the past few years that water and other natural resources will become items that will be fought over in the near future.
Again, the reasons for the war in Libya, gold, oil, and a base for Africom, with water a very close secondary reason. Any way you slice it, this is a war for resources. There will be many more such war in our future unless there are some very real and serious changes made in various governments. Sorry to be a pessimist, but I don't see those changes coming any time soon.
semper fi
07 May 2011
Another day, another rant
Well, here I go again. Yes, another rant from the old guy to stir up whatever I can.
This all started with an article at Information Clearing House (a link to the site is now posted on the front page here at the right side of the screen with the other links).
The article is by Mike Whitney. While he usually writes about the economy, or whatever is passing itself off as an economy here in the old US of A, this time Mike has ventured into the realm of international politics and wars. This is not the first time he has done so, I just wanted to let you know that the majority of his articles on the Counterpunch web site are on the economy.
The title of his article says it all, "The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today". You can read this excellent article here;www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28037.htm
In his article Mike makes many very good points as to the "why" Libya is being bombed into submission by NATO. Yes, it IS about the oil under the sands of Libya, but it is also about the 144 tons of gold that Libya has on hand. This does not in any way detract from the truth of the article, I just added that fact to an already excellent article.
I emailed Mike with my reply to his article and he sent back an email that I should post my reply here at the old corner, so, blame Mike for this rant. LOL. Seriously, without his email back to me, I may have let this slide. So, here goes my reply;
Mike,
Very good article on Libya.
No matter what one may feel about old Gaddafi, he does have the right to suppress any rebellion against his rule in his own country.
If the leader of a country being a supposed "bad guy", not many countries would be immune from invasion by the supposed good guys. To use Gaddafi being on the outs as reason to remove him from power is disingenuous or worse.
Hey, Gobomber is an asshole, does that mean the USA can be invaded and him removed from office? I wish. Maybe the Swiss can invade the USA and install a better form of government here. LOL.......much as I might enjoy that, it will never happen. Why would the Swiss want to take over the shit pot that America has become? We have trashed the entire country, so even the natural resources and national parks are not worth their time to invade us now days.
All the wars of choice are based on lies. "We" are in Libya to take over their national bank accounts. They must be placed under control of the IMF and the World Bank. The Wall Street gangsters must have control of all.
What a damn mess America has made and continues to make of much of the planet.
Yes I am in a bad mood today, screw the goddamn empire.
By the "standards" the powers that be apply to Gaddafi, the ass clown governor of Wisconsin should be able to call for the US military to shoot the demonstrators in his state. Rule by force, that IS empire.
I best stop for now, too pissed off at the bullshit.
best,
charlie
Well, there it is folks. And, yes, I am still pissed off at the goddamn bullshit. I have been trying to keep my language polite here at the old corner, but every so often you reach a level where "polite" language just no longer conveys your true feelings. Some may think I should apologize for my "bad" language here today. Well, I did not mean to offend anybody, if I did, it was not by design. As for an apology, sorry, there will not be one. As the saying goes, if you are not outraged, you are not paying attention.
Every American should be outraged at these damn fool, useless wars of choice. We are NOT one bit safer due to the invasions of Iraq or Afghanistan. We are not one tiny bit safer from the drone attacks on Pakistan. We are not any safer from our government pumping billions of dollars every year into the Zionist entity. We are no safer from the use of drones and "special ops" types in Yemen, Somalia, or any other country around the globe.
The sanctions against Iran have not made America one tiny, tiny bit safer either.
The founders of the republic had it right; fair trade with all nations, entangling alliances with none. Also, we should not go in search of monsters to destroy. Had we kept to those basic ideas, the country and the entire world would no doubt, be much nicer than it is today. Imagine, a world without the bloody damn empire tromping all around invading here, bombing there. Why, there could actually be a very good chance for real peace. No, it would not be "all sweetness and light", but it most certainly could be much, much better than it is currently.
So many Americans like to say that our country is a "Christian" nation. Well, it never was nor was it designed to be, but OK, I'll give them a break on that, but ONLY if they start to practice one of the most basic tenants of their religion, that is, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. IF every Christian would act accordingly, then I will not be so critical of them when they tell me that America is a "Christian" nation.
It is way past time, so lets all get with it and shout ENOUGH!! Enough of these damn fool wars of choice. Live and let live.
semper fi
This all started with an article at Information Clearing House (a link to the site is now posted on the front page here at the right side of the screen with the other links).
The article is by Mike Whitney. While he usually writes about the economy, or whatever is passing itself off as an economy here in the old US of A, this time Mike has ventured into the realm of international politics and wars. This is not the first time he has done so, I just wanted to let you know that the majority of his articles on the Counterpunch web site are on the economy.
The title of his article says it all, "The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today". You can read this excellent article here;www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28037.htm
In his article Mike makes many very good points as to the "why" Libya is being bombed into submission by NATO. Yes, it IS about the oil under the sands of Libya, but it is also about the 144 tons of gold that Libya has on hand. This does not in any way detract from the truth of the article, I just added that fact to an already excellent article.
I emailed Mike with my reply to his article and he sent back an email that I should post my reply here at the old corner, so, blame Mike for this rant. LOL. Seriously, without his email back to me, I may have let this slide. So, here goes my reply;
Mike,
Very good article on Libya.
No matter what one may feel about old Gaddafi, he does have the right to suppress any rebellion against his rule in his own country.
If the leader of a country being a supposed "bad guy", not many countries would be immune from invasion by the supposed good guys. To use Gaddafi being on the outs as reason to remove him from power is disingenuous or worse.
Hey, Gobomber is an asshole, does that mean the USA can be invaded and him removed from office? I wish. Maybe the Swiss can invade the USA and install a better form of government here. LOL.......much as I might enjoy that, it will never happen. Why would the Swiss want to take over the shit pot that America has become? We have trashed the entire country, so even the natural resources and national parks are not worth their time to invade us now days.
All the wars of choice are based on lies. "We" are in Libya to take over their national bank accounts. They must be placed under control of the IMF and the World Bank. The Wall Street gangsters must have control of all.
What a damn mess America has made and continues to make of much of the planet.
Yes I am in a bad mood today, screw the goddamn empire.
By the "standards" the powers that be apply to Gaddafi, the ass clown governor of Wisconsin should be able to call for the US military to shoot the demonstrators in his state. Rule by force, that IS empire.
I best stop for now, too pissed off at the bullshit.
best,
charlie
Well, there it is folks. And, yes, I am still pissed off at the goddamn bullshit. I have been trying to keep my language polite here at the old corner, but every so often you reach a level where "polite" language just no longer conveys your true feelings. Some may think I should apologize for my "bad" language here today. Well, I did not mean to offend anybody, if I did, it was not by design. As for an apology, sorry, there will not be one. As the saying goes, if you are not outraged, you are not paying attention.
Every American should be outraged at these damn fool, useless wars of choice. We are NOT one bit safer due to the invasions of Iraq or Afghanistan. We are not one tiny bit safer from the drone attacks on Pakistan. We are not any safer from our government pumping billions of dollars every year into the Zionist entity. We are no safer from the use of drones and "special ops" types in Yemen, Somalia, or any other country around the globe.
The sanctions against Iran have not made America one tiny, tiny bit safer either.
The founders of the republic had it right; fair trade with all nations, entangling alliances with none. Also, we should not go in search of monsters to destroy. Had we kept to those basic ideas, the country and the entire world would no doubt, be much nicer than it is today. Imagine, a world without the bloody damn empire tromping all around invading here, bombing there. Why, there could actually be a very good chance for real peace. No, it would not be "all sweetness and light", but it most certainly could be much, much better than it is currently.
So many Americans like to say that our country is a "Christian" nation. Well, it never was nor was it designed to be, but OK, I'll give them a break on that, but ONLY if they start to practice one of the most basic tenants of their religion, that is, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. IF every Christian would act accordingly, then I will not be so critical of them when they tell me that America is a "Christian" nation.
It is way past time, so lets all get with it and shout ENOUGH!! Enough of these damn fool wars of choice. Live and let live.
semper fi
02 May 2011
Well, the bad guy is dead, do the troops come home now?
As you all know, last night Gobomber came on live TV to announce to the world that Osama bin-Laden had been killed by US troops.
I was not going to post on this matter until watching a bit of TV this afternoon and that was topic number one. Yes, even ESPN, the sports channels had to tell us about this man being dead. One "lead" story on ESPN was about the "sporting world's reaction to the death of bin-Laden". Yeah, way to go America, even the sports channels have to give a "sports world" reaction to the killing of the "most wanted man" in the world. Just why would I care at all how any sports person reacts to this? Do I get my world view from some baseball player, or maybe a football player. Yeah, sure thing.
OK, I'll try to keep any further sarcasm to a minimum.
Some people have said that bin-Laden died or was killed years ago. There have been various reports on the internet about his death off and on since his escape from the mountains around Tora Bora back in late 2001/early 2002.
Reports also claimed that the man had kidney troubles and needed dialysis. Now I have never worked in the health care industry, but I would think that it would be very difficult, if down right impossible, to cart dialysis equipment around the Hindu Kush and over the mountain passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was also supposedly a diabetic. Not exactly the sort of health troubles that would make for easy hiking over the mountain passes in that area of the world.
News reports tell us that they took DNA samples to prove that this time they really did kill bin-Laden. Also, he has been buried at sea. No doubt this was to rid any chances that his grave could become a place of reverence for his followers.
While I never did have any support for him or his organization, you did have to respect his convictions. How many members of a wealthy family would give up a soft life style and hold out in the wilds of the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan? None that I can think of, though there may be some. The respect I give him and his organization is the respect for an enemy. One lesson I learned as a Marine in Vietnam was that your enemy, while you would not be friendly with him/her, you did need to give him/her some measure of respect. When you refuse to give your enemy any respect, you are about to suffer losses. I would venture to guess that even Sun Tzu who is said to have written the book The Art of War had some measure of respect for any of his enemies. This does not in any way imply any friendliness toward said enemy. The VC had stamina, commitment, and were respected as a very worthy enemy. The same can be said of al-Qeada and Osama bin-Laden.
One more comment about this "event". Last night on CNN, they showed crowds outside the White House fences cheering and shouting what has become the standard chant of America since 9/11. Yes, they were chanting "USA! USA! USA!" In my opinion, they were just like the mindless clowns who cheered Hitler at the rallies the Nazi party held, they were much like the old Romans who cheered at those who were tossed into the arenas to face off against wild beasts, or, and this may be uncomfortable, posed for photographs at lynchings in the American South and Mid-West some decades back. Just call me disgusted with that sort of behavior. All else aside, he was a fellow human being. I would have liked for him to be captured and put on trial in a US criminal court, NOT some military tribunal at Gitmo. Of course, then, he may have said more than our(??) government would have wanted him to say. No, he had to remain a phantom or, better yet (perhaps) eliminated. Well, bin-Laden is dead now, officially dead, Gobomber has said so. Now, can we bring ALL of the troops back home?
Or would you prefer to purchase a very nice old bridge in Brooklyn?
Just my opinion of the death/killing of bin-Laden, for what its worth, or not.
For a good look at al-Qeada, Osama bin-Laden and the history of both, please check the following article;www.counterpunch.org/qadir05022011.html
semper fi
I was not going to post on this matter until watching a bit of TV this afternoon and that was topic number one. Yes, even ESPN, the sports channels had to tell us about this man being dead. One "lead" story on ESPN was about the "sporting world's reaction to the death of bin-Laden". Yeah, way to go America, even the sports channels have to give a "sports world" reaction to the killing of the "most wanted man" in the world. Just why would I care at all how any sports person reacts to this? Do I get my world view from some baseball player, or maybe a football player. Yeah, sure thing.
OK, I'll try to keep any further sarcasm to a minimum.
Some people have said that bin-Laden died or was killed years ago. There have been various reports on the internet about his death off and on since his escape from the mountains around Tora Bora back in late 2001/early 2002.
Reports also claimed that the man had kidney troubles and needed dialysis. Now I have never worked in the health care industry, but I would think that it would be very difficult, if down right impossible, to cart dialysis equipment around the Hindu Kush and over the mountain passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was also supposedly a diabetic. Not exactly the sort of health troubles that would make for easy hiking over the mountain passes in that area of the world.
News reports tell us that they took DNA samples to prove that this time they really did kill bin-Laden. Also, he has been buried at sea. No doubt this was to rid any chances that his grave could become a place of reverence for his followers.
While I never did have any support for him or his organization, you did have to respect his convictions. How many members of a wealthy family would give up a soft life style and hold out in the wilds of the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan? None that I can think of, though there may be some. The respect I give him and his organization is the respect for an enemy. One lesson I learned as a Marine in Vietnam was that your enemy, while you would not be friendly with him/her, you did need to give him/her some measure of respect. When you refuse to give your enemy any respect, you are about to suffer losses. I would venture to guess that even Sun Tzu who is said to have written the book The Art of War had some measure of respect for any of his enemies. This does not in any way imply any friendliness toward said enemy. The VC had stamina, commitment, and were respected as a very worthy enemy. The same can be said of al-Qeada and Osama bin-Laden.
One more comment about this "event". Last night on CNN, they showed crowds outside the White House fences cheering and shouting what has become the standard chant of America since 9/11. Yes, they were chanting "USA! USA! USA!" In my opinion, they were just like the mindless clowns who cheered Hitler at the rallies the Nazi party held, they were much like the old Romans who cheered at those who were tossed into the arenas to face off against wild beasts, or, and this may be uncomfortable, posed for photographs at lynchings in the American South and Mid-West some decades back. Just call me disgusted with that sort of behavior. All else aside, he was a fellow human being. I would have liked for him to be captured and put on trial in a US criminal court, NOT some military tribunal at Gitmo. Of course, then, he may have said more than our(??) government would have wanted him to say. No, he had to remain a phantom or, better yet (perhaps) eliminated. Well, bin-Laden is dead now, officially dead, Gobomber has said so. Now, can we bring ALL of the troops back home?
Or would you prefer to purchase a very nice old bridge in Brooklyn?
Just my opinion of the death/killing of bin-Laden, for what its worth, or not.
For a good look at al-Qeada, Osama bin-Laden and the history of both, please check the following article;www.counterpunch.org/qadir05022011.html
semper fi
30 April 2011
Changes and a very worth your time article
Greetings good people.
I have just read an article that I think is well worth your time to check out. It is over at Counterpunch this weekend. The link is here;www.counterpunch.org/wilson04292011.html
While it is a bit long, in my opinion, it describes much of what is and has been wrong with the US military for many years. The major obstacle is careerism and the author does a very excellent job of showing just how it has and continues to destroy the military. The old "revolving door" of military-to-defense(?) contractor. It is very well worth your time to read this article. If you want, you can follow the link at the end of it and download a book that gives even more details of Labyrinth that is the Pentagon, or as Mr. Huber calls it and I have adopted the same, the "five sided puzzle palace".
I am making a few changes to the old corner as of now. From now on, the "too big to fail" crews and the clown of Wall Street will be referred to as gangsters. In my opinion, that is just what they ARE, so, I may as well call them that. I will continue to call out the Wall Street gangsters and the "too big to fail" gangsters unless or until they stop acting as such. I doubt that will happen any time soon. So, that is change number one at the old corner.
Change number two, from now on I refuse to use capital letters when mentioning Congress. From today onward, it will be the congress critters that will be taken to task. This will continue until we the people are finally able to elect some decent, honest people to that body. No more Congress critters, from today onwards, they are congress critters. Lower case as that is what they have earned, lower case as in low class, even no class for a good many of them. I refuse to believe that any Congress person would even think of dismantling Social Security and Medicare, two programs that benefit both the common people and society at large. No, only congress people would do that and then brag about it to the people of this country. YES, some congress critters ARE proud that they want to destroy those programs.
A very good article on this is to be found at;www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/575
In that article Mr. Lindorff shows us how we CAN make a difference. Read the article and lets get the ball rolling folks. The country needs to change course, and damn soon or there won't be much left for our kids and grand kids. We the people MUST stand up for what is right for ALL of us. If you are retired and/or disabled like me, you have enough time to help out, if it only writing an email to your congress critter. It IS up to us folks. WE are the ones we have been waiting for.
semper fi
I have just read an article that I think is well worth your time to check out. It is over at Counterpunch this weekend. The link is here;www.counterpunch.org/wilson04292011.html
While it is a bit long, in my opinion, it describes much of what is and has been wrong with the US military for many years. The major obstacle is careerism and the author does a very excellent job of showing just how it has and continues to destroy the military. The old "revolving door" of military-to-defense(?) contractor. It is very well worth your time to read this article. If you want, you can follow the link at the end of it and download a book that gives even more details of Labyrinth that is the Pentagon, or as Mr. Huber calls it and I have adopted the same, the "five sided puzzle palace".
I am making a few changes to the old corner as of now. From now on, the "too big to fail" crews and the clown of Wall Street will be referred to as gangsters. In my opinion, that is just what they ARE, so, I may as well call them that. I will continue to call out the Wall Street gangsters and the "too big to fail" gangsters unless or until they stop acting as such. I doubt that will happen any time soon. So, that is change number one at the old corner.
Change number two, from now on I refuse to use capital letters when mentioning Congress. From today onward, it will be the congress critters that will be taken to task. This will continue until we the people are finally able to elect some decent, honest people to that body. No more Congress critters, from today onwards, they are congress critters. Lower case as that is what they have earned, lower case as in low class, even no class for a good many of them. I refuse to believe that any Congress person would even think of dismantling Social Security and Medicare, two programs that benefit both the common people and society at large. No, only congress people would do that and then brag about it to the people of this country. YES, some congress critters ARE proud that they want to destroy those programs.
A very good article on this is to be found at;www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/575
In that article Mr. Lindorff shows us how we CAN make a difference. Read the article and lets get the ball rolling folks. The country needs to change course, and damn soon or there won't be much left for our kids and grand kids. We the people MUST stand up for what is right for ALL of us. If you are retired and/or disabled like me, you have enough time to help out, if it only writing an email to your congress critter. It IS up to us folks. WE are the ones we have been waiting for.
semper fi
27 April 2011
More disgusted every day
Every day the country seems to go further downhill. Every day I get more and more disgusted with what passes itself as our(?) government. Every day the elephant gang keeps on trying to defend the tax breaks for the rich and the corporations.
Ah, but there IS a bit of good news. According to some reports at the web site Think Progress, some people ARE starting to fight back. At some recent town hall meetings some republican Congress critters have had to make a swift exit. More than one of them has been challenged by the "common folks". That IS good news, because it shows that some people have awakened and are tired of the outright lies and bull crap being force fed to us.
While this does make me a bit happy, I still cannot help saying "About time folks!".
My personal opinion is that the working class has for far too long been silent and just gone along. Yes, the old "go along to get along" routine that has been more or less standard practice for the working class of America in the recent past. ENOUGH! Enough of giving the entire country away, lock, stock, and barrel to the rich and the "too big to fail" gangsters. YES, gangsters, as that IS just what they are. Wall Street, of course, leads the way in the rip off of the working class. Wall Street caused the economy to collapse back in 2008. They are the ones who demanded, and the got, the huge bailouts in the fall of 2008. It was old W. Shrubbie who singed away the country to bail out those gangsters, right before the general election of 2008. While Gobomber has been a total bust, it was W. Shrub who started the ball rolling downhill for the working class and the poor in this go round. (I still hold "saint" Ronnie of Raygun responsible for the start of the economic failure of America. His tax breaks for the rich got us into our current mess and every president since him has just continued that program of giving more to the rich while everybody else gets less and less.) Wall Street made sure that they all got their standard obscene bonus pay. That is where a good deal of that "bailout" monies went to folks. NOT to "jump start" the economy, but to pay the damn bonuses of the already very rich of Wall Street gangsters. Doesn't that make you all feel some nice and warm? Does it give you a "fuzzy, warm feeling" as you watch your pay stay the same, year after year, or even go down, while prices rise and the rich get ever richer? Yeah, me too.....NOT!
One report said that representative Allen West(R-Fl) only accepted "pre-screened" questions at his recent town hall meeting. Now that makes an old radical (me) smile. It shows that the damn elephant gang is running scared and they refuse to take open questions from "we the people". My view, it shows cowardly behavior. This is not the way a republic functions folks. Pre-screened questions? This is how "our"(??) politicians are now going to "interact" with the common folks? This is beyond disgusting.
So, yes, reading that the members of the elephant gang are now getting nervous about going to the general public, it is still not enough. For far too long, the majority of us Americans have allowed the government to dictate to us. We have allowed ourselves to be afraid of the government. This is wrong people. The government should fear US. When the people are afraid of their government we end up with something like the Stalinist Soviet Union or Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy. America was set up as a republic of the people, by the people, and for the people. What we have become, through our fear of the government, is NOT a republic any longer. We are now a corporatocracy. We are now ruled by an oligarchy that is totally beholden to the "too big to fail" gangsters. We the people are ignored and some are only now just starting to wake up and talk back. Again, while this IS good news, I still say, about time. What took you so long?
Around the world, the US is still trying to take over more and more countries. Libya being just the latest war of conquest. The war in Libya is not about the oil. Libya only produces about 2% of the world total production, Saudi Arabia could very easily make up for the loss of Libyan oil. No, Libya has approximately 144 tons of gold in reserve. Libya is NOT beholden to the IMF, the World Bank, or to any of the "too big to fail" gangsters. THAT is what the Libyan war is all about. As the saying goes, follow the money.
Yes, old Gaddafi IS a odd character, you might even say a nut case. Still, he has used the money his country gets from oil sales to improve the quality of life for all Libyans. One very large improvement is the "great man made river" which brings fresh, clean water to the population of Libya. He has also invested money in projects in other African countries that have aided the people of those countries. Libya has the highest standard of living in all of Africa. I am NOT a "fan" of his though.
Syria looks to be the next target of the imperial wars. A very worth your time article is at; www.champress.net/index.php?q=en/Article/view/86507 This report shows the extent that the imperial warriors and their supporters will go to for "regime change".
Of course this "democracy" promotion is only for a select few countries. Example, Bahrain, where those who were demanding change got stomped on and quickly, by the Saudis. No democratic changes for Bahrain. Egypt was not supposed to fall either, but that one got out of the control of the masters of war. Good for the Egyptians, so far any way. We have yet to see how Egypt will play out now that they have rid themselves of their dictator.
The "Arab Spring" seems to be ending all too soon. Too bad we did not have an American spring.
So, yes, there IS a bit of good news from the US as some people are finally starting to talk back to the elected representatives. It is a start, but only a start. This needs to grow and spread across the entire country. We cannot allow the people that we elect to rule over us. The republic was set up so that those who were elected were supposed to work for us, the people, not the corporations. The Bill of Rights has been tossed aside by the "too big to fail" gangsters. We the people must stand up and demand that our rights be respected. Enough of the endless damn fool wars of choice. Enough of the rule by the corporations and the super rich. Enough of police state garbage like the "patriot act" and the military commissions act. Enough of the endless detention in places like Gitmo. Enough of the outright lies and bull shit fed to us by the government and the media. Enough of the obscene bonuses for the Wall Street gangsters. Enough of ignoring the needs of OUR country.
America is falling apart at the seams and the moronic Congress is doing all they can to cut all government spending, except for the military and the damn fool, useless wars of choice. Every chance we get, we must stand up and tell those whom we have elected that we will not just sit back and allow them to dictate to us. It is our country and we demand that we be heard. It is time to restore America and that cannot be done by cutting government spending. We need a true national health care system, like a Medicare for ALL. We need a new public works program to rebuild and repair the infrastructure of our country, like a new WPA or some such program. We need to end the damn fool wars we are currently stuck in. Bring our troops back home and put them to work rebuilding America. Close the overseas bases and bring the troops home, to stay. We need to realize that there are only two reasons for war; 1) to defend OUR homes and 2) to defend the Bill of Rights. Those are the ONLY reasons Americans should ever go to war again. We need to remember what the founders of the republic told us, fair trade with all nations, entangling alliances with none. I really do believe that we can do all this. I truly do believe that we must do this or what is left of our country will not be worth living in.
semper fi
Ah, but there IS a bit of good news. According to some reports at the web site Think Progress, some people ARE starting to fight back. At some recent town hall meetings some republican Congress critters have had to make a swift exit. More than one of them has been challenged by the "common folks". That IS good news, because it shows that some people have awakened and are tired of the outright lies and bull crap being force fed to us.
While this does make me a bit happy, I still cannot help saying "About time folks!".
My personal opinion is that the working class has for far too long been silent and just gone along. Yes, the old "go along to get along" routine that has been more or less standard practice for the working class of America in the recent past. ENOUGH! Enough of giving the entire country away, lock, stock, and barrel to the rich and the "too big to fail" gangsters. YES, gangsters, as that IS just what they are. Wall Street, of course, leads the way in the rip off of the working class. Wall Street caused the economy to collapse back in 2008. They are the ones who demanded, and the got, the huge bailouts in the fall of 2008. It was old W. Shrubbie who singed away the country to bail out those gangsters, right before the general election of 2008. While Gobomber has been a total bust, it was W. Shrub who started the ball rolling downhill for the working class and the poor in this go round. (I still hold "saint" Ronnie of Raygun responsible for the start of the economic failure of America. His tax breaks for the rich got us into our current mess and every president since him has just continued that program of giving more to the rich while everybody else gets less and less.) Wall Street made sure that they all got their standard obscene bonus pay. That is where a good deal of that "bailout" monies went to folks. NOT to "jump start" the economy, but to pay the damn bonuses of the already very rich of Wall Street gangsters. Doesn't that make you all feel some nice and warm? Does it give you a "fuzzy, warm feeling" as you watch your pay stay the same, year after year, or even go down, while prices rise and the rich get ever richer? Yeah, me too.....NOT!
One report said that representative Allen West(R-Fl) only accepted "pre-screened" questions at his recent town hall meeting. Now that makes an old radical (me) smile. It shows that the damn elephant gang is running scared and they refuse to take open questions from "we the people". My view, it shows cowardly behavior. This is not the way a republic functions folks. Pre-screened questions? This is how "our"(??) politicians are now going to "interact" with the common folks? This is beyond disgusting.
So, yes, reading that the members of the elephant gang are now getting nervous about going to the general public, it is still not enough. For far too long, the majority of us Americans have allowed the government to dictate to us. We have allowed ourselves to be afraid of the government. This is wrong people. The government should fear US. When the people are afraid of their government we end up with something like the Stalinist Soviet Union or Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy. America was set up as a republic of the people, by the people, and for the people. What we have become, through our fear of the government, is NOT a republic any longer. We are now a corporatocracy. We are now ruled by an oligarchy that is totally beholden to the "too big to fail" gangsters. We the people are ignored and some are only now just starting to wake up and talk back. Again, while this IS good news, I still say, about time. What took you so long?
Around the world, the US is still trying to take over more and more countries. Libya being just the latest war of conquest. The war in Libya is not about the oil. Libya only produces about 2% of the world total production, Saudi Arabia could very easily make up for the loss of Libyan oil. No, Libya has approximately 144 tons of gold in reserve. Libya is NOT beholden to the IMF, the World Bank, or to any of the "too big to fail" gangsters. THAT is what the Libyan war is all about. As the saying goes, follow the money.
Yes, old Gaddafi IS a odd character, you might even say a nut case. Still, he has used the money his country gets from oil sales to improve the quality of life for all Libyans. One very large improvement is the "great man made river" which brings fresh, clean water to the population of Libya. He has also invested money in projects in other African countries that have aided the people of those countries. Libya has the highest standard of living in all of Africa. I am NOT a "fan" of his though.
Syria looks to be the next target of the imperial wars. A very worth your time article is at; www.champress.net/index.php?q=en/Article/view/86507 This report shows the extent that the imperial warriors and their supporters will go to for "regime change".
Of course this "democracy" promotion is only for a select few countries. Example, Bahrain, where those who were demanding change got stomped on and quickly, by the Saudis. No democratic changes for Bahrain. Egypt was not supposed to fall either, but that one got out of the control of the masters of war. Good for the Egyptians, so far any way. We have yet to see how Egypt will play out now that they have rid themselves of their dictator.
The "Arab Spring" seems to be ending all too soon. Too bad we did not have an American spring.
So, yes, there IS a bit of good news from the US as some people are finally starting to talk back to the elected representatives. It is a start, but only a start. This needs to grow and spread across the entire country. We cannot allow the people that we elect to rule over us. The republic was set up so that those who were elected were supposed to work for us, the people, not the corporations. The Bill of Rights has been tossed aside by the "too big to fail" gangsters. We the people must stand up and demand that our rights be respected. Enough of the endless damn fool wars of choice. Enough of the rule by the corporations and the super rich. Enough of police state garbage like the "patriot act" and the military commissions act. Enough of the endless detention in places like Gitmo. Enough of the outright lies and bull shit fed to us by the government and the media. Enough of the obscene bonuses for the Wall Street gangsters. Enough of ignoring the needs of OUR country.
America is falling apart at the seams and the moronic Congress is doing all they can to cut all government spending, except for the military and the damn fool, useless wars of choice. Every chance we get, we must stand up and tell those whom we have elected that we will not just sit back and allow them to dictate to us. It is our country and we demand that we be heard. It is time to restore America and that cannot be done by cutting government spending. We need a true national health care system, like a Medicare for ALL. We need a new public works program to rebuild and repair the infrastructure of our country, like a new WPA or some such program. We need to end the damn fool wars we are currently stuck in. Bring our troops back home and put them to work rebuilding America. Close the overseas bases and bring the troops home, to stay. We need to realize that there are only two reasons for war; 1) to defend OUR homes and 2) to defend the Bill of Rights. Those are the ONLY reasons Americans should ever go to war again. We need to remember what the founders of the republic told us, fair trade with all nations, entangling alliances with none. I really do believe that we can do all this. I truly do believe that we must do this or what is left of our country will not be worth living in.
semper fi
26 April 2011
So many wars, so many questions
America now has at least three wars going on right now. If we add Pakistan as a separate war, that would make four wars going on at the same time. This does leave Yemen and Somalia on the side lines as they are not yet, and that is a very qualified yet, full on shooting wars.
YES, I do know that there have been drone attacks in BOTH Yemen and Somalia recently. Still, the US is not fully engaged in either of those countries to the best of my limited knowledge. No doubt that will change soon, given the way our(??) government seems to desire the bombing of other countries.
What has happened to America? We now have US Senators talking out loud to the general public seeking to assassinate old Gaddafi. This past weekend, Easter Sunday in fact, Senator Lindsey Graham, John McCain (aka the war lover), and their best pal uncle Joe Lieberman want Gaddafi to be killed. This is NOT the way one would expect a US Senator to act or talk, at least not publicly as we have NO formal declaration of war with Libya. It may have been some sort of norm during World War Two for an elected official to want Hitler to be killed, this is NOT that sort of conflict. What we have with libya is a United nations resolution for "humanitarian assistance". Yes, even that fig leaf has been used to go far beyond what the resolution actually does allow. In the America of today, our (??) government does as it damn well pleases, UN resolution or not. Even a Congressional declaration of war is no longer required to send our troops off to kill and die. We have, and have had for years, the "war powers resolution" passed by Congress many years ago. That unfortunate bit of legal deception allows the president to use US troops nearly as his own private military force. A declaration of war from Congress is so old hat and totally out of fashion now days. Why, back when the Constitution was actually respected by Congress and the president, such a declaration required some minimal debate and a vote by the members of Congress. Well, we can't have that now, can we? I mean, an actual vote? Where that vote would be part of the Congressional record? How very "old school". Perish the thought! Better to have the "war powers act" and let the "decider" guy just decide when and where to send the troops. Sound a bit like Caesar? Maybe more like a dictator even? Well, it sure does NOT sound like the republic I remember from my days in civics class. The way the country works has changed, and not for the better in my opinion.
There are articles all around the internet that point out that the newest war in Libya is about money, not oil as some may think. Libya is NOT a member of the BIS (Bank of International Settlements). Libya seems to have close to 144 tons of gold in their own vaults! Now, being the cynical old guy I am, that sounds like a hell of a lot of gold just waiting for the crooked banksters of Wall Street and other international banksters to grab for themselves. Add to this the fact that Libya had floated the idea of a true united Africa and using a new currency to sell their oil, the "gold dinar" and you see how NATO and the US just "had" to bomb the holy crap out of old Gaddafi. I mean, how DARE he do such things? Who does he think he is? Didn't he know that god had ordained the almighty dollar as THE world currency? Didn't he know that ALL the gold MUST be in the hands of the damn crooked banksters of Wall Street and Geneva? And a "united Africa", who the hell could have had that "dream"? Seriously! A united Africa? Why, that could mean that the industrialized nations might have to pay a fair market price for the natural resources that Africa has and are needed for things like computers and cell phones. Rather to keep the status quo and make bribe payments to petty dictators than actually help any of the working class in Africa. Perish that thought.
The truth is that Libyans have about the highest standard of living on the entire continent of Africa and one has to stop and ask what he "revolt" is all about. True, Gaddafi is a bit of a nut job, but that has been known to many for years. Why now is it so important to have him removed? What has changed in the past few years to make it so important to be rid of him now? Could it be that the banksters need that gold to cover the losses they have suffered in the crash of 2008? Could it be they need the gold to cover the losses they expect they WILL have in the near future when the entire house of cards collapses yet again?
I ask those questions because I do think the US economy is set for another big drop. We did NOT hit the bottom in the collapse of 2008. We may have come close, but there is still more room to drop even more, and I think it may be coming soon. The "adjustments" that the Fed have been making have not worked out for any except the "too big to fail" gang. The working class has had no benefit from QE2 at all. According to my friend Mike Whitney, the workers never were meant to get any benefit from the new Fed policies. It was set up to help the rich get richer, not do any good for the rest of us. Well, in that way, it has worked out. The income disparity in the US is now even worse than it was back in 1929. There is more wealth concentrated in fewer hands than ever before and it just gets worse with each passing day. Oh, but boy oh boy, look at that stock market go. Yeah, another smoke and mirrors job. Thanks a lot Ben.
As if all that were not enough, we now have "the Donald" actually in the running for president. Yep, Trump thinks(??) he wants to be president of the US. I think his toupee is in need of adjustment. It must be choking off blood flow to his brain. Personally, I think it is a stunt to hike the ratings for his "reality TV" show. Plus the fact that his "feud" with Rosy is over and he needs the publicity. The TV show ratings may have been down also. My guess, it is just something to feed his over large ego, a flash in the pan as it were. We shall see.
Having the TV is a two edged sword. On the one hand I do have access to some few good programs now. On the other hand, I have to suffer through commercials for the CNN coverage of the "royal wedding". Excuse me, but why the hell should I, as a American, give a flying crap about some "royal" wedding? I felt the same when Chuckie got married to Lady Di. Yeah, I am NOT to keen on royals of any stripe and do not understand the American fixation of these proceedings. Sure, they ARE spectacle, but we do not have a royal ruler. Well, IF we were to follow the COnstitution we don't. True, most of the recent presidents, since "saint" Ronnie any way, seem to have acted as some sort of royalty. If Nixon acted like an imperial president, just what followed him? My answer, even more of the same and worse. Looking back, Nixon could pass for a liberal today. He DID start the EPA among other things. NO, I am not trying to "rehabilitate" Nixon and I never voted for him, nor would I ever consider that. Just saying that in perspective, he wasn't as bad as those who came after his term in office. Even Billy Bob Bubba was more conservative than old Dick was.
Finally, for this post, the news from Japan is getting harder to find. I see very little to no news about the disaster at the nuclear plants in Japan on the TV news. The internet is about the only place to find any information at all. Maybe I just have the wrong TV station on when they pass along any news from Japan, but I doubt that.
In my view, what we all have in Japan is a nuclear disaster. Just as the Gulf oil disaster was NOT an oil spill, it IS a disaster. Both of these will be with us all for many years to come. The latest I have seen is that the Japanese are considering entombing those damaged nuclear plants in concrete. Sort of the way they did with Chernobyl. There is already more than enough radiation leaked into the environment to harm us for years to come. The last information from the US government that I have seen said that there is no reason to stop drinking milk or eating sea food. At the same time, the FDA said it was not checking sea food for radiation. So, the food is safe, but we are not checking the food, and we are supposed to be OK with this? Well, they also keep telling us that the sea food from the Gulf is safe now as well. Hey, that oil rig blew up one year ago, the sea has "recovered". Yeah, and I have some nice beach front property for sale just outside of Las Vegas. Oh, and don't forget that bridge in New York either.
semper fi
YES, I do know that there have been drone attacks in BOTH Yemen and Somalia recently. Still, the US is not fully engaged in either of those countries to the best of my limited knowledge. No doubt that will change soon, given the way our(??) government seems to desire the bombing of other countries.
What has happened to America? We now have US Senators talking out loud to the general public seeking to assassinate old Gaddafi. This past weekend, Easter Sunday in fact, Senator Lindsey Graham, John McCain (aka the war lover), and their best pal uncle Joe Lieberman want Gaddafi to be killed. This is NOT the way one would expect a US Senator to act or talk, at least not publicly as we have NO formal declaration of war with Libya. It may have been some sort of norm during World War Two for an elected official to want Hitler to be killed, this is NOT that sort of conflict. What we have with libya is a United nations resolution for "humanitarian assistance". Yes, even that fig leaf has been used to go far beyond what the resolution actually does allow. In the America of today, our (??) government does as it damn well pleases, UN resolution or not. Even a Congressional declaration of war is no longer required to send our troops off to kill and die. We have, and have had for years, the "war powers resolution" passed by Congress many years ago. That unfortunate bit of legal deception allows the president to use US troops nearly as his own private military force. A declaration of war from Congress is so old hat and totally out of fashion now days. Why, back when the Constitution was actually respected by Congress and the president, such a declaration required some minimal debate and a vote by the members of Congress. Well, we can't have that now, can we? I mean, an actual vote? Where that vote would be part of the Congressional record? How very "old school". Perish the thought! Better to have the "war powers act" and let the "decider" guy just decide when and where to send the troops. Sound a bit like Caesar? Maybe more like a dictator even? Well, it sure does NOT sound like the republic I remember from my days in civics class. The way the country works has changed, and not for the better in my opinion.
There are articles all around the internet that point out that the newest war in Libya is about money, not oil as some may think. Libya is NOT a member of the BIS (Bank of International Settlements). Libya seems to have close to 144 tons of gold in their own vaults! Now, being the cynical old guy I am, that sounds like a hell of a lot of gold just waiting for the crooked banksters of Wall Street and other international banksters to grab for themselves. Add to this the fact that Libya had floated the idea of a true united Africa and using a new currency to sell their oil, the "gold dinar" and you see how NATO and the US just "had" to bomb the holy crap out of old Gaddafi. I mean, how DARE he do such things? Who does he think he is? Didn't he know that god had ordained the almighty dollar as THE world currency? Didn't he know that ALL the gold MUST be in the hands of the damn crooked banksters of Wall Street and Geneva? And a "united Africa", who the hell could have had that "dream"? Seriously! A united Africa? Why, that could mean that the industrialized nations might have to pay a fair market price for the natural resources that Africa has and are needed for things like computers and cell phones. Rather to keep the status quo and make bribe payments to petty dictators than actually help any of the working class in Africa. Perish that thought.
The truth is that Libyans have about the highest standard of living on the entire continent of Africa and one has to stop and ask what he "revolt" is all about. True, Gaddafi is a bit of a nut job, but that has been known to many for years. Why now is it so important to have him removed? What has changed in the past few years to make it so important to be rid of him now? Could it be that the banksters need that gold to cover the losses they have suffered in the crash of 2008? Could it be they need the gold to cover the losses they expect they WILL have in the near future when the entire house of cards collapses yet again?
I ask those questions because I do think the US economy is set for another big drop. We did NOT hit the bottom in the collapse of 2008. We may have come close, but there is still more room to drop even more, and I think it may be coming soon. The "adjustments" that the Fed have been making have not worked out for any except the "too big to fail" gang. The working class has had no benefit from QE2 at all. According to my friend Mike Whitney, the workers never were meant to get any benefit from the new Fed policies. It was set up to help the rich get richer, not do any good for the rest of us. Well, in that way, it has worked out. The income disparity in the US is now even worse than it was back in 1929. There is more wealth concentrated in fewer hands than ever before and it just gets worse with each passing day. Oh, but boy oh boy, look at that stock market go. Yeah, another smoke and mirrors job. Thanks a lot Ben.
As if all that were not enough, we now have "the Donald" actually in the running for president. Yep, Trump thinks(??) he wants to be president of the US. I think his toupee is in need of adjustment. It must be choking off blood flow to his brain. Personally, I think it is a stunt to hike the ratings for his "reality TV" show. Plus the fact that his "feud" with Rosy is over and he needs the publicity. The TV show ratings may have been down also. My guess, it is just something to feed his over large ego, a flash in the pan as it were. We shall see.
Having the TV is a two edged sword. On the one hand I do have access to some few good programs now. On the other hand, I have to suffer through commercials for the CNN coverage of the "royal wedding". Excuse me, but why the hell should I, as a American, give a flying crap about some "royal" wedding? I felt the same when Chuckie got married to Lady Di. Yeah, I am NOT to keen on royals of any stripe and do not understand the American fixation of these proceedings. Sure, they ARE spectacle, but we do not have a royal ruler. Well, IF we were to follow the COnstitution we don't. True, most of the recent presidents, since "saint" Ronnie any way, seem to have acted as some sort of royalty. If Nixon acted like an imperial president, just what followed him? My answer, even more of the same and worse. Looking back, Nixon could pass for a liberal today. He DID start the EPA among other things. NO, I am not trying to "rehabilitate" Nixon and I never voted for him, nor would I ever consider that. Just saying that in perspective, he wasn't as bad as those who came after his term in office. Even Billy Bob Bubba was more conservative than old Dick was.
Finally, for this post, the news from Japan is getting harder to find. I see very little to no news about the disaster at the nuclear plants in Japan on the TV news. The internet is about the only place to find any information at all. Maybe I just have the wrong TV station on when they pass along any news from Japan, but I doubt that.
In my view, what we all have in Japan is a nuclear disaster. Just as the Gulf oil disaster was NOT an oil spill, it IS a disaster. Both of these will be with us all for many years to come. The latest I have seen is that the Japanese are considering entombing those damaged nuclear plants in concrete. Sort of the way they did with Chernobyl. There is already more than enough radiation leaked into the environment to harm us for years to come. The last information from the US government that I have seen said that there is no reason to stop drinking milk or eating sea food. At the same time, the FDA said it was not checking sea food for radiation. So, the food is safe, but we are not checking the food, and we are supposed to be OK with this? Well, they also keep telling us that the sea food from the Gulf is safe now as well. Hey, that oil rig blew up one year ago, the sea has "recovered". Yeah, and I have some nice beach front property for sale just outside of Las Vegas. Oh, and don't forget that bridge in New York either.
semper fi
02 April 2011
YES, the president CAN kill any of us
Well, it is now official, the president CAN kill any of us, any time he wishes.
From a report by the Center for Constitutional Rights spring 2011 newsletter, comes the following; "Judge rules the YES indeed, the US has unchecked authority to carry out targeted killings of Americans".
There you have it folks, Gobomber can kill any of us, any time he wishes to do so.
Judge John Bates said that the court had no role to play in reviewing the executive branch's actions and determining the right of a U.S. citizen not to be arbitrarily killed by his own government.
This very same Judge Bates did ask, during oral arguments; "How is it that government surveillance of a U.S. citizen overseas requires review by a judge; government seizure of overseas property of a U.S. citizen can be challenged in front of a judge; but government killing of a U.S. citizen overseas is beyond the purview of a judge?" Even the judge has a hard time coming to terms with the government position on this matter. The report goes on to say that the judge left his question unanswered.
While the case that was under review back in November 2010 dealt with the father of a U.S. citizen in Yemen that was brought by that persons father, it has far reaching implications for us all. IF the government does, in fact, have the authority to kill a U.S. citizen while in a foreign country, it is a very, very small step to hold that the same government has the authority to kill a U.S. citizen here in the old US of A as well.
Just imagine that folks. Piss off the government and rather than lock you up, they will just have you killed instead. Hey, it is much less costly and a whole lot quicker than a trial and jail time.
As it is the Gobomber administration that is arguing FOR this "authority" just who out there in America can honestly say that he is "better" than Shrubbie was?
No doubt some of the "tea party" clowns will cheer this decision. What about the rest of us? What about those of us who still believe in the Constitution and the rule of law?
This no longer looks at all like the America I learned about back in high school civics class. Who needs a dictatorship when the government can kill whomever they choose to kill?
America, what a country.
semper fi
From a report by the Center for Constitutional Rights spring 2011 newsletter, comes the following; "Judge rules the YES indeed, the US has unchecked authority to carry out targeted killings of Americans".
There you have it folks, Gobomber can kill any of us, any time he wishes to do so.
Judge John Bates said that the court had no role to play in reviewing the executive branch's actions and determining the right of a U.S. citizen not to be arbitrarily killed by his own government.
This very same Judge Bates did ask, during oral arguments; "How is it that government surveillance of a U.S. citizen overseas requires review by a judge; government seizure of overseas property of a U.S. citizen can be challenged in front of a judge; but government killing of a U.S. citizen overseas is beyond the purview of a judge?" Even the judge has a hard time coming to terms with the government position on this matter. The report goes on to say that the judge left his question unanswered.
While the case that was under review back in November 2010 dealt with the father of a U.S. citizen in Yemen that was brought by that persons father, it has far reaching implications for us all. IF the government does, in fact, have the authority to kill a U.S. citizen while in a foreign country, it is a very, very small step to hold that the same government has the authority to kill a U.S. citizen here in the old US of A as well.
Just imagine that folks. Piss off the government and rather than lock you up, they will just have you killed instead. Hey, it is much less costly and a whole lot quicker than a trial and jail time.
As it is the Gobomber administration that is arguing FOR this "authority" just who out there in America can honestly say that he is "better" than Shrubbie was?
No doubt some of the "tea party" clowns will cheer this decision. What about the rest of us? What about those of us who still believe in the Constitution and the rule of law?
This no longer looks at all like the America I learned about back in high school civics class. Who needs a dictatorship when the government can kill whomever they choose to kill?
America, what a country.
semper fi
29 March 2011
More outrage
Well, it was to be expected. Yeah, I am once again outraged at the lies, bullshit, and other crap that goes along with "our" wars. While I did miss the speech that Gobomber gave last night, I did find comments on/about it. Outrage is a very "nice" way to put how I feel about our "dear leader".
Here are some of the highlights (or low lights);
Gobomber insisted that NOT attacking Libya would be "a betrayal of who we are". Oh? Really? So, let me try to understand this. "We" are now just mad, world wide bombers now?
He also seemed to be quite proud(??) of the speed with which he started this newest war, comparing it to the "full year" it took Billy Bob Bubba Clintstone to start the Bosnian war. OK, so, the sooner "we" start a war the better? Is it the speed with which "we" bomb a place now a measure of how "good" we are?
What was NOT addressed (of course) was; the possibility of ending the war. Some officials of the administration now talk of the Libya war lasting months. Well, sure, never quit a war until all the profits have been sucked up by the war industries and the banksters. There is too much money to be made from war to end it too soon. New slogan; War, good to the last penny of profit.
Gobomber did insist that there would be "a transition to the future". Gee, no kidding? Maybe I need more education, but aren't we all "transitioning to the future"?
He also said the international community would impose(??) a strong government after Gaddafi was ousted. Oh. So "we" are going to impose a government on Libya. And here we thought that this was about letting the Libyans make their own choices. Well, fooled us all again there Barry. Nice move bud.
Yes, the new Libya war is open ended, just like Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and every other war "we" are in.
Maybe it was a good thing I went to bed without watching this speech. It did keep me from frightening the neighbors with my loud shouts at the TV. Yes, much better to calmly read off the net what was said. Yeah, with the morning coffee and all, what a way to start the day.
More "home grown" outrage courtesy of Global Research. www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13716
In this article we find that Gobomber is "mulling over" the idea of indefinite detention for US citizens. Yep, he is "thinking" about holding ANY of us as long as he wishes to. No charges, just like those poor folks stuck in Gitmo and other "black" sites around the world. The war OF terror comes home to America folks.
Again from the above linked article; he and Congress are considering criminalizing free speech on the internet. Yep, they want to make sites like the corner here illegal. Why? Because under the "cyber bullying" law, if a persons feelings get hurt, it will be a felony! No shit! A felony if your feelings are hurt by something that another person has posted. A felony?? Holy screaming crap.
Well, Homie Land Insecurity now defines a "terrorist" anybody who still believes in the Constitution. Yes folks, if you believe in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, you too, may be a "terrorist". This blog may be shut down at some future time and I may be sent "to the camps". Well, big freaking deal. I am permanently disabled, 63 and a former US Marine/Vietnam war vet. What can they do to me that might "scare" me now? IF they get away with this, it might be hard to find the manpower to guard all those they lock up. I suppose they will just hire some foreign mercenaries then. Yeah, outsource the guard duty. Hey, that is what has been done to the bulk of the good, high skill, high paying jobs that used to be the occupation of a good many Americans. Jobs like manufacturing, skilled jobs that fed many families for many years. Jobs that went off seeking the cheapest labor rates.
"Cyber terrorism" is being used to shut down, or at the very least, restrict the internet. Yes, our best source of real news is about to be censored, big time. If you want an opinion in the near future, you will be given one, by the damn government! Did somebody mention "1984"? Big brother IS watching us all.
America is broke. We are so deep in debt, I doubt even with the tallest ladder that the top of the pit we are in can be seen. "We" have dug a hole that is so deep, and yet, the bottom has NOT been reached. Just look at housing. Think that home prices have hit bottom? Think again. Check out the following article;www.counterpunch.org/whitney03252011.html
I always read the articles Mike posts at Counterpunch and other web sites. Guess you could say I am a "follower" of his. One thing I do know, I always learn something from what Mike posts. Well worth your time to check out this one in particular.
Another excellent writer/reporter is Pepe Escobar. He has a column, The roving eye at the Asia Times web site. A link to his most recent articles on the "Arab Spring" is here;
www.atimes.com/atimes/others/Escobar.html
In my opinion, for what it is worth, is an honest observer/reporter. His articles include bits of humor, or at least I find some bits of humor in many of them. No, not outright belly laughs, but a more subtle sort of humor. I "different" look at events that he reports on/about. Again, well worth the reading time.
So, here we are. Basically three ongoing wars; Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. (I count Afghanistan and Pakistan as separate even though they ARE connected.) Not counting Yemen, Bahrain, and many others where there is little or no news, we have three current wars going. Now, we add a "new" one to this mix, Libya. Now, as I said above, America is broke. Yet, somehow, "we" seem to manage to be able to borrow more money to fight a new war. There are comments floating around the net on how the Libyans will be paying for this new war. Oh, the same way the Iraq war was to be paid with oil revenues? Actually, no. The "rebel" government had been given access to the Libyan sovereign fund, to the tune of $1.1 Billion. THAT money can now be used to pay for the bombs and cruise missiles being dropped on Libya. Neat trick. Get those who are being bombed to pay for the bombs that are dropping on them. Sweet deal. No doubt the banksters are rubbing their sweaty palms with glee at this turn of events. Ah, yes, wake up and smell the blood money profits.
And some folks wonder why I am outraged? LOL.
It all reminds me of a comment I saw recently. I forget what web site I found it at, maybe Raw Story,but I am not 100% sure of that. It goes like this; We (the government "we") always seem to have the money to bomb somebody, but when asked to feed the hungry, "we" are broke.
America, what a country.
semper fi
Here are some of the highlights (or low lights);
Gobomber insisted that NOT attacking Libya would be "a betrayal of who we are". Oh? Really? So, let me try to understand this. "We" are now just mad, world wide bombers now?
He also seemed to be quite proud(??) of the speed with which he started this newest war, comparing it to the "full year" it took Billy Bob Bubba Clintstone to start the Bosnian war. OK, so, the sooner "we" start a war the better? Is it the speed with which "we" bomb a place now a measure of how "good" we are?
What was NOT addressed (of course) was; the possibility of ending the war. Some officials of the administration now talk of the Libya war lasting months. Well, sure, never quit a war until all the profits have been sucked up by the war industries and the banksters. There is too much money to be made from war to end it too soon. New slogan; War, good to the last penny of profit.
Gobomber did insist that there would be "a transition to the future". Gee, no kidding? Maybe I need more education, but aren't we all "transitioning to the future"?
He also said the international community would impose(??) a strong government after Gaddafi was ousted. Oh. So "we" are going to impose a government on Libya. And here we thought that this was about letting the Libyans make their own choices. Well, fooled us all again there Barry. Nice move bud.
Yes, the new Libya war is open ended, just like Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and every other war "we" are in.
Maybe it was a good thing I went to bed without watching this speech. It did keep me from frightening the neighbors with my loud shouts at the TV. Yes, much better to calmly read off the net what was said. Yeah, with the morning coffee and all, what a way to start the day.
More "home grown" outrage courtesy of Global Research. www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13716
In this article we find that Gobomber is "mulling over" the idea of indefinite detention for US citizens. Yep, he is "thinking" about holding ANY of us as long as he wishes to. No charges, just like those poor folks stuck in Gitmo and other "black" sites around the world. The war OF terror comes home to America folks.
Again from the above linked article; he and Congress are considering criminalizing free speech on the internet. Yep, they want to make sites like the corner here illegal. Why? Because under the "cyber bullying" law, if a persons feelings get hurt, it will be a felony! No shit! A felony if your feelings are hurt by something that another person has posted. A felony?? Holy screaming crap.
Well, Homie Land Insecurity now defines a "terrorist" anybody who still believes in the Constitution. Yes folks, if you believe in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, you too, may be a "terrorist". This blog may be shut down at some future time and I may be sent "to the camps". Well, big freaking deal. I am permanently disabled, 63 and a former US Marine/Vietnam war vet. What can they do to me that might "scare" me now? IF they get away with this, it might be hard to find the manpower to guard all those they lock up. I suppose they will just hire some foreign mercenaries then. Yeah, outsource the guard duty. Hey, that is what has been done to the bulk of the good, high skill, high paying jobs that used to be the occupation of a good many Americans. Jobs like manufacturing, skilled jobs that fed many families for many years. Jobs that went off seeking the cheapest labor rates.
"Cyber terrorism" is being used to shut down, or at the very least, restrict the internet. Yes, our best source of real news is about to be censored, big time. If you want an opinion in the near future, you will be given one, by the damn government! Did somebody mention "1984"? Big brother IS watching us all.
America is broke. We are so deep in debt, I doubt even with the tallest ladder that the top of the pit we are in can be seen. "We" have dug a hole that is so deep, and yet, the bottom has NOT been reached. Just look at housing. Think that home prices have hit bottom? Think again. Check out the following article;www.counterpunch.org/whitney03252011.html
I always read the articles Mike posts at Counterpunch and other web sites. Guess you could say I am a "follower" of his. One thing I do know, I always learn something from what Mike posts. Well worth your time to check out this one in particular.
Another excellent writer/reporter is Pepe Escobar. He has a column, The roving eye at the Asia Times web site. A link to his most recent articles on the "Arab Spring" is here;
www.atimes.com/atimes/others/Escobar.html
In my opinion, for what it is worth, is an honest observer/reporter. His articles include bits of humor, or at least I find some bits of humor in many of them. No, not outright belly laughs, but a more subtle sort of humor. I "different" look at events that he reports on/about. Again, well worth the reading time.
So, here we are. Basically three ongoing wars; Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. (I count Afghanistan and Pakistan as separate even though they ARE connected.) Not counting Yemen, Bahrain, and many others where there is little or no news, we have three current wars going. Now, we add a "new" one to this mix, Libya. Now, as I said above, America is broke. Yet, somehow, "we" seem to manage to be able to borrow more money to fight a new war. There are comments floating around the net on how the Libyans will be paying for this new war. Oh, the same way the Iraq war was to be paid with oil revenues? Actually, no. The "rebel" government had been given access to the Libyan sovereign fund, to the tune of $1.1 Billion. THAT money can now be used to pay for the bombs and cruise missiles being dropped on Libya. Neat trick. Get those who are being bombed to pay for the bombs that are dropping on them. Sweet deal. No doubt the banksters are rubbing their sweaty palms with glee at this turn of events. Ah, yes, wake up and smell the blood money profits.
And some folks wonder why I am outraged? LOL.
It all reminds me of a comment I saw recently. I forget what web site I found it at, maybe Raw Story,but I am not 100% sure of that. It goes like this; We (the government "we") always seem to have the money to bomb somebody, but when asked to feed the hungry, "we" are broke.
America, what a country.
semper fi