The results aren't officially in yet, but there are some
clear winners and losers in the Iraqi elections on Sunday.
THE WINNERS:
The winners are the Iraqi People, and the Shia of Iraq, and especially Sistani. But also Muslims in the middle east, in general.
The world is finally seeing some "good Muslims." The ones who want to stand in line to vote, and run their country responsibly and without dictatorships, or outside interference.
Suddenly, Iraq is seen as a nation of well eductated people, with real skills and talents, and "family values." And not some kind of medievel storyland of backward and supertitious barbarians.
The Iraqi people are seen as brave and patriotic, thanks to Dubya and the Neocons. And also, rational and responsible in their political views. To many, the Iraqis are fully capable of handling their own affairs. That, is the real outcome of the Sunday elections.
AND THE LOSERS:
The losers are Dubya and Sharon and the ultra-right Likud Party in Israel.
But, how so?
Somehow, the Neocons don't really seem that happy about the Iraqis pulling off this election in a rational and patriotic way.
Mr. Kristol on Fox News seems rather subdued about all of these suddenly "nice Muslims" in Iraq.
And, Mr. Negroponte, on the PBS News Hours tonight, was, well, tentative and not very overjoyed or happy with the results. His response to "when do US forces leave Iraq" was answered evasively.....almost reluctantly.....and as if something was wrong with that question!
Dubya invaded Iraq for all the WRONG reasons.......true.
But, the consequence was to release the Iraqi people from a Cold War Era dictatorship that was, for the most part, imposed by the US for geo-political purposes. So, in a way, removing Saddam was simply reparations for prior wrongs by the West in the region.
But, by humanizing the plight of the Iraqi people for the whole world to see, Dubya has made Iraqis into Heros of Democracy. Good Muslims in effect.
But "victimhood" was a label usually reserved for Israelis and Jews in the middle east? Until recently.....
That ended yesterday. Can there be two sets of victims? Jews and Arabs..... Or can we all be victims now?
In truth, Sistani "duped" Dubya into having an early election, and Sistani, and the Iranians, would not take NO for an answer on one man one vote and ASAP........remember?
Sistani was really the one pushing this election, and Sistani and his Shia made sure this election "worked!" And it did....!
So now, what reason does Dubya have for staying in Iraq?
What reason does Sharon have for staying on the West Bank?
The Iraqis have "proven" that they are brave, patriotic, rational, intelligent and fully capable of democratic government. And perhaps, given the chance the Palestinians can do the same?
But having Nice Arabs serves no purpose for Israel, where West Bank annexation is the real name of the game.
And, Nice Arabs don't help the Neocons control the oil fields of Araby.
Alas, there is NO JOY in Washington or in Israel tonight.......
Postscript: I'm expecting someone to "stir the pot" a little in Iraq soon,......just to keep reasons for "the occupation" going. This thing is just turning out a little too perfect! ............ And besides, the "wrong people" are winning. ....Understand?
Monday, January 31, 2005
SCAM DOGS LOOT IRAQ.
Condi says there are 140,000 trained Iraqi secuirty forces.
Some others say it's about 4000 or less!
Wassup?
In the NYT link in the title, it is claimed that US money was being dished out without verifing who or what it was going for! About $8 billion worth......
Salaries and Jobs were just made up! And the money was paid out.......no questions asked!
DO THE MATH.....THE MISSING IRAQI SECURITY PERSONEL ARE IN THOSE NUMBERS......
IRAQ IS A SINK HOLE FOR AMERICAN MONEY NOW.....AND ALLAWI AND HIS GREEN ZONIANS, AND PERHAPS EVEN SISTANI, KNOW HOW TO FLEECE A GULLIBLE "INFIDEL" SUCKER!!
All Muslims do.......!
Some others say it's about 4000 or less!
Wassup?
In the NYT link in the title, it is claimed that US money was being dished out without verifing who or what it was going for! About $8 billion worth......
Salaries and Jobs were just made up! And the money was paid out.......no questions asked!
DO THE MATH.....THE MISSING IRAQI SECURITY PERSONEL ARE IN THOSE NUMBERS......
IRAQ IS A SINK HOLE FOR AMERICAN MONEY NOW.....AND ALLAWI AND HIS GREEN ZONIANS, AND PERHAPS EVEN SISTANI, KNOW HOW TO FLEECE A GULLIBLE "INFIDEL" SUCKER!!
All Muslims do.......!
THE YANKEE GO HOME ELECTION!
Many Iraqis voted in yesterday's election because
they were told that voting would cause the Americans to leave faster!
Television ads in Iraq showed a long line of dusty US tanks and other vehicles heading toward the top of the screen and by implication OUT OF IRAQ...... Perhaps having the line of tanks going toward the bottom of the screen would have implied ENTERING IRAQ....? Still the message was clear:
IF YOU VOTE THE AMERICANS WILL LEAVE.
SO THAT IMPLIED PROMISE BY ALLAWI AND HIS GREEN ZONIANS, PLUS THE DECREE BY SISTANI THAT IT WAS A RELIGIOUS DUTY TO VOTE CAUSED MANY IRAQIS TO FLOCK TO THE POLLS.
The real issue is will the hopes be dashed by Neocon Plans for permanent US bases inside Iraq?
Remember one rational for the invasion in the first place was to Exit the Holy Lands of Saudi Arabia and thus placate the Osamaites who felt the "infidels" were occupying the "holy places" of Arabia...... And the Neocons desperately want US military bases in the region to secure the oil fields just in case, and also to protect Israel during the coming annexation of the West Bank, which is almost inevitable. Sharon's "Gaza Pullout" being merely a head fake to "give" the Palestinians "a state" even while the Lukudnics annex the West Bank into "Greater Israel."
IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THE HOPES OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE FOR A QUICK END TO OCCUPATION WILL BE DASHED.
THE HOPE OF THE NEOCONS SEEMS TO BE THAT A NEW POLITICAL CLASS IN "DEMOCRATIC" IRAQ CAN BE BOUGHT OFF WITH CASH FAIRLY EASILY.
WHO KNOWS.....MAYBE EVEN SISTANI HAS "HIS PRICE?"
AND IF THAT HAPPENS, THEN THE RADICAL ISLAMISTS WILL CONTINUE THEIR FIGHT AGAINST IRAQ'S "NEW MASTERS" AND THE WEST UNABATED.
Everyone knows that even in democracies the people get what the elites want to give them.....not necessarily what they voted for!
Take Dubya & Co. The Republcian "Bubba Base" voted for more gay bashing and to stop abortion. But the "bait and switch" hit fast.....now it's all about trashing Social Security and cutting taxes even more!
SO, THE ELITES ALWAYS "WIN."
For forms of government let fools contest.....that government that picks up the garbage on time.....is always BEST!
they were told that voting would cause the Americans to leave faster!
Television ads in Iraq showed a long line of dusty US tanks and other vehicles heading toward the top of the screen and by implication OUT OF IRAQ...... Perhaps having the line of tanks going toward the bottom of the screen would have implied ENTERING IRAQ....? Still the message was clear:
IF YOU VOTE THE AMERICANS WILL LEAVE.
SO THAT IMPLIED PROMISE BY ALLAWI AND HIS GREEN ZONIANS, PLUS THE DECREE BY SISTANI THAT IT WAS A RELIGIOUS DUTY TO VOTE CAUSED MANY IRAQIS TO FLOCK TO THE POLLS.
The real issue is will the hopes be dashed by Neocon Plans for permanent US bases inside Iraq?
Remember one rational for the invasion in the first place was to Exit the Holy Lands of Saudi Arabia and thus placate the Osamaites who felt the "infidels" were occupying the "holy places" of Arabia...... And the Neocons desperately want US military bases in the region to secure the oil fields just in case, and also to protect Israel during the coming annexation of the West Bank, which is almost inevitable. Sharon's "Gaza Pullout" being merely a head fake to "give" the Palestinians "a state" even while the Lukudnics annex the West Bank into "Greater Israel."
IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THE HOPES OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE FOR A QUICK END TO OCCUPATION WILL BE DASHED.
THE HOPE OF THE NEOCONS SEEMS TO BE THAT A NEW POLITICAL CLASS IN "DEMOCRATIC" IRAQ CAN BE BOUGHT OFF WITH CASH FAIRLY EASILY.
WHO KNOWS.....MAYBE EVEN SISTANI HAS "HIS PRICE?"
AND IF THAT HAPPENS, THEN THE RADICAL ISLAMISTS WILL CONTINUE THEIR FIGHT AGAINST IRAQ'S "NEW MASTERS" AND THE WEST UNABATED.
Everyone knows that even in democracies the people get what the elites want to give them.....not necessarily what they voted for!
Take Dubya & Co. The Republcian "Bubba Base" voted for more gay bashing and to stop abortion. But the "bait and switch" hit fast.....now it's all about trashing Social Security and cutting taxes even more!
SO, THE ELITES ALWAYS "WIN."
For forms of government let fools contest.....that government that picks up the garbage on time.....is always BEST!
Sunday, January 30, 2005
IRANIAN CATCH-22
The Iranians want the bomb because they fear
the Americans will invade. The Americans want to invade because they fear the Iranians want the bomb.
A perfect Catch-22....for needless war.
But, as Friedman points out, Dubya & Co. are now Busted, Disgusted and can't be Trusted---around the world their credibilty is all but gone.
So, American Imperialism "on the Cheap" just won't fly---unless the Chinese keep buying US Bonds. The Bank of China is Dubya's latter day Rothchilds Bank...... Every Imperialist needs a good banker!
But if the Iraqis today taught us that 6000 years of civil government can teach you a thing or two;
Perhaps Europe's "diplomacy" and the Chinese Banks can combine to keep the Neocons at home for a while?
In any event "optional war" is no longer an option.......for Dubya & Co. And for that the world should be thankful.
the Americans will invade. The Americans want to invade because they fear the Iranians want the bomb.
A perfect Catch-22....for needless war.
But, as Friedman points out, Dubya & Co. are now Busted, Disgusted and can't be Trusted---around the world their credibilty is all but gone.
So, American Imperialism "on the Cheap" just won't fly---unless the Chinese keep buying US Bonds. The Bank of China is Dubya's latter day Rothchilds Bank...... Every Imperialist needs a good banker!
But if the Iraqis today taught us that 6000 years of civil government can teach you a thing or two;
Perhaps Europe's "diplomacy" and the Chinese Banks can combine to keep the Neocons at home for a while?
In any event "optional war" is no longer an option.......for Dubya & Co. And for that the world should be thankful.
NINE BILLION MISSING IN IRAQ!
A pull out of US troops from Iraq? NO WAY!
With NINE BILLION MISSING IN IRAQ.....THE NEW RULERS ARE STARTING RIGHT WERE SADDAM END!! See link.
Too many Iraqis are having way too much fun with US TAXPAYERS MONEY NOW!
But, hey, Wolfie was right.....?
With NINE BILLION MISSING IN IRAQ.....THE NEW RULERS ARE STARTING RIGHT WERE SADDAM END!! See link.
Too many Iraqis are having way too much fun with US TAXPAYERS MONEY NOW!
But, hey, Wolfie was right.....?
WOLFIE WAS RIGHT!
Ain't democracy grand? Wolfie was Right!
But democracy is a raucous and unpredictable form of government! Just look at the US for proof. And the neo-fascists in Eastern Europe. And the ultra-nationalists and anti-semites of Russia......
Sometimes bigots and fascists can ACTUALLY win democratic elections! Opps......we're not supposed to know that.
This is perhaps why Mr Kristol was a bit down today. Having an enemy who is EVIL INCARNATE makes his job so much easier. Perhaps this is why Brooksie is wandering in the Garden of Good and Evil nowadays....
What if Sistani or Allawi of the"Green Zone" start to support Palestinian demands? And you know they will. They will never believe that Sharon is a "man of peace." No Arab will.
It seems that this entire "democracy adventure" was just an attempt to DELAY the inevitable conflict about the West Bank and, yes eventually, the Temple Mount...... After all, it all begins and ends on the Temple Mount doesn't it?....The Alpha and Omega of Zionism.
OR;
Do your really believe that Dubya and the Neocons are "hot for democracy" in the Western-supported Dictatorships of Araby!?
Solve the West Bank Crisis---and we can all go home, and quit pretending that Dubya really "cares" about the plight of the Muslims and Arabs in the middle east.
And think of the money we'll save.....by not spending a fortune in US tax dollars fixing the ancient Baghdad Sewer System!
But democracy is a raucous and unpredictable form of government! Just look at the US for proof. And the neo-fascists in Eastern Europe. And the ultra-nationalists and anti-semites of Russia......
Sometimes bigots and fascists can ACTUALLY win democratic elections! Opps......we're not supposed to know that.
This is perhaps why Mr Kristol was a bit down today. Having an enemy who is EVIL INCARNATE makes his job so much easier. Perhaps this is why Brooksie is wandering in the Garden of Good and Evil nowadays....
What if Sistani or Allawi of the"Green Zone" start to support Palestinian demands? And you know they will. They will never believe that Sharon is a "man of peace." No Arab will.
It seems that this entire "democracy adventure" was just an attempt to DELAY the inevitable conflict about the West Bank and, yes eventually, the Temple Mount...... After all, it all begins and ends on the Temple Mount doesn't it?....The Alpha and Omega of Zionism.
OR;
Do your really believe that Dubya and the Neocons are "hot for democracy" in the Western-supported Dictatorships of Araby!?
Solve the West Bank Crisis---and we can all go home, and quit pretending that Dubya really "cares" about the plight of the Muslims and Arabs in the middle east.
And think of the money we'll save.....by not spending a fortune in US tax dollars fixing the ancient Baghdad Sewer System!
NEOCONS, BROOKS SUCK LEMONS IN IRAQ!
Today Iraqis taught us that 6,000 years of civil government
can teach you a thing or two!
And alas, many Neocons, like William Kristol, of the Weekly Standard, and David Brooks, of the NYTimes looked like they were sucking lemons today! Hey guys, why such wan expressions and tight smiles at the---NEW DEMOCRATIC IRAQ?
Indeed, the terrorists, (whoever they are), were relatively quite.
Perhaps they were following the Maoist Rule; Never Attack your potential supporters? After all, most of the violence has been targeted at US Forces, and their "collaborators," and not at common Iraqis, per se. True, there has been collateral damage on all sides.
Mostly the feared Insurgent Attacks didn't happen.....despite David ("Good vs Evil") Brook's grim proclamations that children's heads would be cut off today.....well, so far so good!
And Mr Kristol today had that rather sickly smile that you often see when "The Arabs are Winning."
Indeed, the entire Israeli Lobby in the US may have been dealt a blow by these elections!
Since there will be MANY MORE CREDIBLE AND DEMOCRATCALLY ELECTED MUSLIM LEADERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST NOW----TO CRITICIZE ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK!
Hmmmm....could that be the reason Mr. Kristol seemed so "subdued" today?
And Brit Hume on Fox this morning looked like he was the recipient of a "Chinese Curse." He GOT exactly what he wanted! ....to wit: A NEW DEMOCRATIC AND CREDIBLE IRAQI POLITICAL CLASS IN IRAQ.
But then,....why did the Neocons even want democracy in the middle east to begin with?
Probably because they saw that the old Cold War Era Washington-Backed Autocracies were crumbling before the threat of RADICAL ISLAM AND OSAMA.
PERHAPS, A MESSY AND RAUCUS DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS BETTER THAN A RADICAL ISLAMIC THEOCRACY...........? ANYDAY!
Oddly enough, this may be just the beginning of Neocon troubles!
The BIRTH OF A DEMOCRACY in Iraq could threaten ALL "WESTERN-BACKED" AUTOCRACIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.....!
THE HOUSE OF SAUD COULD BE NEXT, AND EGYPT TOO.
THEN JORDAN AND KUWAIT, AND THOSE QUAINT LITTLE "BOUTIQUE" STATES IN THE LOWER GULF.
EVEN SYRIA AND LEBANON COULD BE SWEPTED ALONG EVENTUALLY .......IN THE DEMOCRACY TSUNAMI!
BUT ALAS, WITH "DEMOCRACY HAPPENING" IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
THE ISRAELI LOBBY IN THE US, AND SHARON IN ISRAEL, MAY HAVE EVEN LESS JUSTIFICATION FOR THEIR PLANNED ANNEXATON OF THE WEST BANK----AND THE CONTINUED DENIAL OF PALESTINIAN RIGHTS!
THE MUSLIM WORLD WILL HAVE INCREASINGLY MORE DEMOCRATIC SPOKESPERSONS FOR THE "ISLAMIC PARADIGM" IN THE WORLD ORDER.
TO BE SURE, A DEMOCRATIC PARADIGM OF ISLAM! BUT NOT NECESSARILY A PRO-ISRAEL WORLDVIEW.....
CAN THE ISRAELI ULTRA-RIGHT HANDLE ALL OF THIS WONDERFUL NEW "ARAB DEMOCRACY?"
AND ALL OF THESE SUDDENLY---"NICE MUSLIMS?"
Who really won today? Democracy to be sure.
But the Neocons seemed a bit "subdued" and "oddly reflective," HAVE THEY LOST THEIR "EVIL ARAB" STEREOTYPE, AND THEIR "CAUSUS BELLI" IN SUPPORT OF A GREATER ISRAEL ON THE WEST BANK?
No wonder Brooks and Kristol were sucking lemons today....
can teach you a thing or two!
And alas, many Neocons, like William Kristol, of the Weekly Standard, and David Brooks, of the NYTimes looked like they were sucking lemons today! Hey guys, why such wan expressions and tight smiles at the---NEW DEMOCRATIC IRAQ?
Indeed, the terrorists, (whoever they are), were relatively quite.
Perhaps they were following the Maoist Rule; Never Attack your potential supporters? After all, most of the violence has been targeted at US Forces, and their "collaborators," and not at common Iraqis, per se. True, there has been collateral damage on all sides.
Mostly the feared Insurgent Attacks didn't happen.....despite David ("Good vs Evil") Brook's grim proclamations that children's heads would be cut off today.....well, so far so good!
And Mr Kristol today had that rather sickly smile that you often see when "The Arabs are Winning."
Indeed, the entire Israeli Lobby in the US may have been dealt a blow by these elections!
Since there will be MANY MORE CREDIBLE AND DEMOCRATCALLY ELECTED MUSLIM LEADERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST NOW----TO CRITICIZE ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION OF THE WEST BANK!
Hmmmm....could that be the reason Mr. Kristol seemed so "subdued" today?
And Brit Hume on Fox this morning looked like he was the recipient of a "Chinese Curse." He GOT exactly what he wanted! ....to wit: A NEW DEMOCRATIC AND CREDIBLE IRAQI POLITICAL CLASS IN IRAQ.
But then,....why did the Neocons even want democracy in the middle east to begin with?
Probably because they saw that the old Cold War Era Washington-Backed Autocracies were crumbling before the threat of RADICAL ISLAM AND OSAMA.
PERHAPS, A MESSY AND RAUCUS DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS BETTER THAN A RADICAL ISLAMIC THEOCRACY...........? ANYDAY!
Oddly enough, this may be just the beginning of Neocon troubles!
The BIRTH OF A DEMOCRACY in Iraq could threaten ALL "WESTERN-BACKED" AUTOCRACIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.....!
THE HOUSE OF SAUD COULD BE NEXT, AND EGYPT TOO.
THEN JORDAN AND KUWAIT, AND THOSE QUAINT LITTLE "BOUTIQUE" STATES IN THE LOWER GULF.
EVEN SYRIA AND LEBANON COULD BE SWEPTED ALONG EVENTUALLY .......IN THE DEMOCRACY TSUNAMI!
BUT ALAS, WITH "DEMOCRACY HAPPENING" IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
THE ISRAELI LOBBY IN THE US, AND SHARON IN ISRAEL, MAY HAVE EVEN LESS JUSTIFICATION FOR THEIR PLANNED ANNEXATON OF THE WEST BANK----AND THE CONTINUED DENIAL OF PALESTINIAN RIGHTS!
THE MUSLIM WORLD WILL HAVE INCREASINGLY MORE DEMOCRATIC SPOKESPERSONS FOR THE "ISLAMIC PARADIGM" IN THE WORLD ORDER.
TO BE SURE, A DEMOCRATIC PARADIGM OF ISLAM! BUT NOT NECESSARILY A PRO-ISRAEL WORLDVIEW.....
CAN THE ISRAELI ULTRA-RIGHT HANDLE ALL OF THIS WONDERFUL NEW "ARAB DEMOCRACY?"
AND ALL OF THESE SUDDENLY---"NICE MUSLIMS?"
Who really won today? Democracy to be sure.
But the Neocons seemed a bit "subdued" and "oddly reflective," HAVE THEY LOST THEIR "EVIL ARAB" STEREOTYPE, AND THEIR "CAUSUS BELLI" IN SUPPORT OF A GREATER ISRAEL ON THE WEST BANK?
No wonder Brooks and Kristol were sucking lemons today....
Saturday, January 29, 2005
BUSHIES NEW GROOVE: TALK IS CHEAPER!
Ahhhh....the Soft Power of lowered expectations!
What Dubya & the Neocons have discovered is the total idiocy of their hubris and unilateralism!
These guys actually believed that they could invade Iraq; and be greeted "with flowers and candy" from the citizens of Baghdad!
NOW THEY'RE IN UP TO THEIR NECKS! WAR CRIMES MAY HAVE BEEN COMMITED. AND SOMEBODY MAY HAVE TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.
OUR NEW FRIENDS, THE "DEMOCRATIC" SHIA, COULD EVEN CALL FOR "REPARATIONS" ONCE THE DAMAGES ARE TOTALED.
AND OUR OLD EXILE BUDDIES LIKE CHALABI AND "CURVEBALL" HAVE CRAWLED BACK INTO THE WOODWORK!
WHAT THE BUSHIES ARE--IS NOT "COMPASSIONATE AND SOFT"
RATHER BUSTED, DISGUSTED AND CAN'T BE TRUSTED!
Like some homeless guy sleeping on a park bench.....the Neocons have decided to "get friendly" fast!
BECAUSE BEING SHUNNED AND AVOIDED, LIKE SOME KIND OF "GEO-POLITICAL BUM," OR DIPLOMATIC OUTCAST, IS NO FUN FOR BUSH & CO!
And please note, DIPLOMACY AND TALK IS MUCH CHEAPER!
BUT WAR IS VERY EXPENSIVE!
Always a factor, now that Dubya "blew" the Clinton Surpluses on ILL-PLANNED WARS AND TAX CUTS!
But, "Democracy is on the March!" Oh Please.......!
Chaos on Parade is more like it....
Dubya, and his Bubba Republican Supporters, are on a "learning curve" now......but alas, the rest of us are picking up their tuition!
My suggestion?
LESS WAR AND MORE EMPHASIS ON THE REAL DOMESTIC PROBLEMS.
NO. NOT "GAY MARRIAGE!"
RATHER, THINGS LIKE:
RISING POVERTY, MEDICAL INSURANCE COSTS THAT ARE KILLING OFF BUSINESS AND JOB GROWTH, MEDICAID AND MEDICARE----
AND IF THERE IS STILL ANY TIME OR MONEY LEFT.....THEN PERHAPS SOME "TWEAKING" OF SOCIAL SECURITY.
What Dubya & the Neocons have discovered is the total idiocy of their hubris and unilateralism!
These guys actually believed that they could invade Iraq; and be greeted "with flowers and candy" from the citizens of Baghdad!
NOW THEY'RE IN UP TO THEIR NECKS! WAR CRIMES MAY HAVE BEEN COMMITED. AND SOMEBODY MAY HAVE TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.
OUR NEW FRIENDS, THE "DEMOCRATIC" SHIA, COULD EVEN CALL FOR "REPARATIONS" ONCE THE DAMAGES ARE TOTALED.
AND OUR OLD EXILE BUDDIES LIKE CHALABI AND "CURVEBALL" HAVE CRAWLED BACK INTO THE WOODWORK!
WHAT THE BUSHIES ARE--IS NOT "COMPASSIONATE AND SOFT"
RATHER BUSTED, DISGUSTED AND CAN'T BE TRUSTED!
Like some homeless guy sleeping on a park bench.....the Neocons have decided to "get friendly" fast!
BECAUSE BEING SHUNNED AND AVOIDED, LIKE SOME KIND OF "GEO-POLITICAL BUM," OR DIPLOMATIC OUTCAST, IS NO FUN FOR BUSH & CO!
And please note, DIPLOMACY AND TALK IS MUCH CHEAPER!
BUT WAR IS VERY EXPENSIVE!
Always a factor, now that Dubya "blew" the Clinton Surpluses on ILL-PLANNED WARS AND TAX CUTS!
But, "Democracy is on the March!" Oh Please.......!
Chaos on Parade is more like it....
Dubya, and his Bubba Republican Supporters, are on a "learning curve" now......but alas, the rest of us are picking up their tuition!
My suggestion?
LESS WAR AND MORE EMPHASIS ON THE REAL DOMESTIC PROBLEMS.
NO. NOT "GAY MARRIAGE!"
RATHER, THINGS LIKE:
RISING POVERTY, MEDICAL INSURANCE COSTS THAT ARE KILLING OFF BUSINESS AND JOB GROWTH, MEDICAID AND MEDICARE----
AND IF THERE IS STILL ANY TIME OR MONEY LEFT.....THEN PERHAPS SOME "TWEAKING" OF SOCIAL SECURITY.
Friday, January 28, 2005
IRAQ LOCKED DOWN FOR WHAT?
The NYTimes story in the title link makes Iraq look like it's preparing to be invaded! And not on the eve of its much touted "election."
Curfews! Roads Blocked! Airport closed! All driving of cars banned! Check Points! Jets flying overhead! Military vehicles racing about! Blast Barriers! Barbed Wire!
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION??
Wouldn't it have been better to have A LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OF ALL PARTIES IN INTEREST FIRST!
AND, I MEAN "ALL PARTIES" ----INCLUDING THE ONE'S THAT DUBYA & CO WANTED TO BANISH INTO THE POLITICAL WILDERNESS AND WHO ARE NOW THE ONES CAUSING THE "INSURGENCY."
ALSO NOT TO STACK THE DECK IN FAVOR OF THE US BACKED "EXILE GROUPS," AND OTHER FOLKS LIKE "CURVE BALL," WHO DUPED DUBYA WITH FALSE INTELLIGENCE ABOUT SADDAM?
Somehow, Dubya seems to be putting the cart before the camel in Iraq...... During the American Revolution our LEADERSHIP did the ground work first.....then the people were asked to vote on it.
The description of Iraq on the Eve of the Election reads like it's on the Eve of Destruction!
If I were an Iraqi in Baghdad, I'd spend Sunday in my basement, under a solid table.....just in case....
Curfews! Roads Blocked! Airport closed! All driving of cars banned! Check Points! Jets flying overhead! Military vehicles racing about! Blast Barriers! Barbed Wire!
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION??
Wouldn't it have been better to have A LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OF ALL PARTIES IN INTEREST FIRST!
AND, I MEAN "ALL PARTIES" ----INCLUDING THE ONE'S THAT DUBYA & CO WANTED TO BANISH INTO THE POLITICAL WILDERNESS AND WHO ARE NOW THE ONES CAUSING THE "INSURGENCY."
ALSO NOT TO STACK THE DECK IN FAVOR OF THE US BACKED "EXILE GROUPS," AND OTHER FOLKS LIKE "CURVE BALL," WHO DUPED DUBYA WITH FALSE INTELLIGENCE ABOUT SADDAM?
Somehow, Dubya seems to be putting the cart before the camel in Iraq...... During the American Revolution our LEADERSHIP did the ground work first.....then the people were asked to vote on it.
The description of Iraq on the Eve of the Election reads like it's on the Eve of Destruction!
If I were an Iraqi in Baghdad, I'd spend Sunday in my basement, under a solid table.....just in case....
REFERENDUM ON ALLAWI IN IRAQ?
The importance of the elections in Iraq for Bush & Co. can not be overstated, but, fear not, I'll spend the next few days trying to do just that nevertheless:
To the extent that the Iraqi Election is NOT an exercise in ETHNIC and RELIGIOUS REVENGE, it may become a referendum on Mr. Allawi's supposed Interim Government.
Allawi is, of course, the Destroyer of Falluja to many Iraqis.
True, the actual destruction was done by Americans, but Allawi "ordered them to do it." Because you see, the Americans are really "Allawi's Puppets" in Iraq now. LOL...... They do what Allawi tells them to do...... Anyway;
If Allawi uses his considerable financial backing from the Americans and other "exile groups" to get a place at the table this Sunday, the insurgency might continue unabated.
After Sunday, however, it is VERY probable that Allawi will NOT be the only politician in town anymore.
Allawi, blessed by the Americans through the UN, will have some SUDDEN COMPETITION. And some explaining to do. And from people who can actually go outside the Green Zone!
And, that competition will likely call Allawi to account for his INTERIM GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES:
Not only in Falluja, but also regarding the rise of the insurgency, the lack of security and public utilities even now, and the continued insult to Iraqi pride by the American occupation forces.
In truth, Iraq is a strange and wild place. A place that is VERY hard to govern, as the American Military are finding out. Middle Eastern Muslims are not like Middle Western Americans......to say the least.
Ultimately, we may find that Saddam was doing the best he could in a bad situation! But, before you FLAME that statement, let's wait till AFTER this election......no one knows what will happen on Sunday, perhaps nothing, muddling through is humanity's strong suit most of the time.
Probably the best case scenario for Iraq after Sunday would be for the "new government" to ask Dubya and his Liberators to leave....ASAP. That act alone would "turn the burners down" in parts of the Middle East that hate Dubya or want only Jihad with America.
IN SHORT, FOR IRAQ TO WIN ON SUNDAY, AMERICA AND BUSH MUST BE SEEN TO LOSE. (That's the odd way many in the middle east think).
BUT, AN ALLAWI "WIN" ON SUNDAY WILL ONLY ENFLAME THE INSURGENCY EVEN MORE.....
THE BEST CASE SCENARIO WOULD BE FOR AMERICANS TO START PACKING......LET THE SHIA AND SUNNI MULLAHS MEET AND ORGANIZE THEIR LOCAL SECURITY FORCES, "WITH UNIFORMS" THIS TIME......THEN, LET THE IRAQIS FIGURE IT OUT.....WITHOUT AMERICAN CONVOYS RACING AROUND SHOOTING PEOPLE WHO "LOOK FUNNY."
REMEMBER, ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL....EVEN IN IRAQ.
BUT IF DUBYA SUDDENLY GETS THAT ODD GLEAM IN HIS EYE FOR HIS "PRECIOUS"---THE OIL FIELDS OF IRAQ---?
OUR STORY IN IRAQ COULD BECOME VERY "TOLKIENSQUE" INDEED.....
Stay tuned.....
To the extent that the Iraqi Election is NOT an exercise in ETHNIC and RELIGIOUS REVENGE, it may become a referendum on Mr. Allawi's supposed Interim Government.
Allawi is, of course, the Destroyer of Falluja to many Iraqis.
True, the actual destruction was done by Americans, but Allawi "ordered them to do it." Because you see, the Americans are really "Allawi's Puppets" in Iraq now. LOL...... They do what Allawi tells them to do...... Anyway;
If Allawi uses his considerable financial backing from the Americans and other "exile groups" to get a place at the table this Sunday, the insurgency might continue unabated.
After Sunday, however, it is VERY probable that Allawi will NOT be the only politician in town anymore.
Allawi, blessed by the Americans through the UN, will have some SUDDEN COMPETITION. And some explaining to do. And from people who can actually go outside the Green Zone!
And, that competition will likely call Allawi to account for his INTERIM GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES:
Not only in Falluja, but also regarding the rise of the insurgency, the lack of security and public utilities even now, and the continued insult to Iraqi pride by the American occupation forces.
In truth, Iraq is a strange and wild place. A place that is VERY hard to govern, as the American Military are finding out. Middle Eastern Muslims are not like Middle Western Americans......to say the least.
Ultimately, we may find that Saddam was doing the best he could in a bad situation! But, before you FLAME that statement, let's wait till AFTER this election......no one knows what will happen on Sunday, perhaps nothing, muddling through is humanity's strong suit most of the time.
Probably the best case scenario for Iraq after Sunday would be for the "new government" to ask Dubya and his Liberators to leave....ASAP. That act alone would "turn the burners down" in parts of the Middle East that hate Dubya or want only Jihad with America.
IN SHORT, FOR IRAQ TO WIN ON SUNDAY, AMERICA AND BUSH MUST BE SEEN TO LOSE. (That's the odd way many in the middle east think).
BUT, AN ALLAWI "WIN" ON SUNDAY WILL ONLY ENFLAME THE INSURGENCY EVEN MORE.....
THE BEST CASE SCENARIO WOULD BE FOR AMERICANS TO START PACKING......LET THE SHIA AND SUNNI MULLAHS MEET AND ORGANIZE THEIR LOCAL SECURITY FORCES, "WITH UNIFORMS" THIS TIME......THEN, LET THE IRAQIS FIGURE IT OUT.....WITHOUT AMERICAN CONVOYS RACING AROUND SHOOTING PEOPLE WHO "LOOK FUNNY."
REMEMBER, ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL....EVEN IN IRAQ.
BUT IF DUBYA SUDDENLY GETS THAT ODD GLEAM IN HIS EYE FOR HIS "PRECIOUS"---THE OIL FIELDS OF IRAQ---?
OUR STORY IN IRAQ COULD BECOME VERY "TOLKIENSQUE" INDEED.....
Stay tuned.....
DEMOCRACY OR BREAK UP IN IRAQ?
The zeal of the Shia and the Kurds for the coming election in Iraq could be a prelude to a break up, not a unified state.
Neither the Shia nor the Kurds can "rule" in Baghdad or in the so-called Sunni Triangle.
That just won't happen....the 51% rule of democracy simply doesn't apply in Iraq, and you only have to look at recent US national elections to see how difficult it is for 51% to "rule" the other 49%.
THE REAL CONSEQUENCE OF THE SUNDAY ELECTION WILL BE:
DO THE SHIA MAJORITY ASK THE US TO LEAVE IRAQ IMMEDIATELY?
OR, WILL THE SHIA SEEK TO "USE" THE US MILITARY FOR THEIR OWN POLITICAL PURPOSES?
MY HUNCH IS THAT THEY WILL TELL DUBYA, THE NEOCONS AND THEIR "ARMY OF LIBERATION" TO SCRAM
---AND DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT!
CLEARLY, THE NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT OF SISTANI WILL NOT WANT TO BE SEEN AS A US PUPPET ----OR A "TOOL OF THE ZIONIST OCCUPATION!" THAT'S FOR SURE!
NO IRAQI OUTSIDE THE GREEN ZONE CAN AFFORD TO TAKE THAT POSITION.
But, whether Dubya can buy off Sistani with promises of MORE BIG CASH PROJECTS, at US taxpayer expense is other matter.
Does Dubya still dream about controlling the oil fields of Iraq?
Alternatively, If Sistani says "Scram" will the Neocons become the Champions of Minority Rights! And start advocating for the Sunni "facsists!"
THAT WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE FLIP-FLOP!
THE COMING ELECTION COULD SHIFT THE CENTER OF POLITICAL GRAVITY OUT OF THE GREEN ZONE;
AND THAT MIGHT VERY WELL BE THE FINAL CHAPTER IN DUBYA'S ILL-PLANNED AND DISASTEROUS--- "CONQUEST OF MESOPOTAMIA........."
A FUTURE HISTORY OF THIS DISMAL AFFAIR MIGHT BE CALLED:
"AND THE FOOLS RUSHED IN....!"
http://www.nytimes.com/
Neither the Shia nor the Kurds can "rule" in Baghdad or in the so-called Sunni Triangle.
That just won't happen....the 51% rule of democracy simply doesn't apply in Iraq, and you only have to look at recent US national elections to see how difficult it is for 51% to "rule" the other 49%.
THE REAL CONSEQUENCE OF THE SUNDAY ELECTION WILL BE:
DO THE SHIA MAJORITY ASK THE US TO LEAVE IRAQ IMMEDIATELY?
OR, WILL THE SHIA SEEK TO "USE" THE US MILITARY FOR THEIR OWN POLITICAL PURPOSES?
MY HUNCH IS THAT THEY WILL TELL DUBYA, THE NEOCONS AND THEIR "ARMY OF LIBERATION" TO SCRAM
---AND DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT!
CLEARLY, THE NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT OF SISTANI WILL NOT WANT TO BE SEEN AS A US PUPPET ----OR A "TOOL OF THE ZIONIST OCCUPATION!" THAT'S FOR SURE!
NO IRAQI OUTSIDE THE GREEN ZONE CAN AFFORD TO TAKE THAT POSITION.
But, whether Dubya can buy off Sistani with promises of MORE BIG CASH PROJECTS, at US taxpayer expense is other matter.
Does Dubya still dream about controlling the oil fields of Iraq?
Alternatively, If Sistani says "Scram" will the Neocons become the Champions of Minority Rights! And start advocating for the Sunni "facsists!"
THAT WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE FLIP-FLOP!
THE COMING ELECTION COULD SHIFT THE CENTER OF POLITICAL GRAVITY OUT OF THE GREEN ZONE;
AND THAT MIGHT VERY WELL BE THE FINAL CHAPTER IN DUBYA'S ILL-PLANNED AND DISASTEROUS--- "CONQUEST OF MESOPOTAMIA........."
A FUTURE HISTORY OF THIS DISMAL AFFAIR MIGHT BE CALLED:
"AND THE FOOLS RUSHED IN....!"
http://www.nytimes.com/
Thursday, January 27, 2005
BOILING FROG SYNDROME?
You know it's getting bad when the mega-rich at Davos start talking GLOOM AND DOOM! See link in title.
Perhaps we are nearing the end of the FREE TRADE AND GLOBALISM that has defined the world since about 1982?
Things peter out....ideas go stale. It's time to start thinking about the declining middle classes and those who work for less that a living wage in America, and around the world.
And the BIG SECRET? All of this is good for the mega-rich! It's time to pull the plug on the GREED MACHINE. It's time for a whole new mojo about what the economy is and what it does. For example, the economy keeps people busy and gives them a sense of self-worth. You didn't know that did you? You thought it was all about PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICENCIES. And, lowering costs, and lowering costs again..... Maybe you should bookmark this page!
A Recession is when the middle class goes broke.
A Depression is when the rich go broke.
THE RICH IN DAVOS ARE TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING!
Perhaps we are nearing the end of the FREE TRADE AND GLOBALISM that has defined the world since about 1982?
Things peter out....ideas go stale. It's time to start thinking about the declining middle classes and those who work for less that a living wage in America, and around the world.
And the BIG SECRET? All of this is good for the mega-rich! It's time to pull the plug on the GREED MACHINE. It's time for a whole new mojo about what the economy is and what it does. For example, the economy keeps people busy and gives them a sense of self-worth. You didn't know that did you? You thought it was all about PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICENCIES. And, lowering costs, and lowering costs again..... Maybe you should bookmark this page!
A Recession is when the middle class goes broke.
A Depression is when the rich go broke.
THE RICH IN DAVOS ARE TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING!
FRIEDMAN, THE ENABLER
Friedman writes in today's NYTimes:
"There is nothing that the Europeans want to hear from George Bush, there is nothing that they will listen to from George Bush that will change their minds about him or the Iraq war or U.S. foreign policy. Mr. Bush is more widely and deeply disliked in Europe than any U.S. president in history. Some people here must have a good thing to say about him, but I haven't met them yet."
Yet any number of people in America have acted as ENABLERS for Dubya to reach this sorry state. Including Mr Friedman.
Friedman, hoping for Israeli victory, and/or annexation of the West Bank has backed a war that most rational people knew from the start would be a disaster.
Indeed, when Rummy's "tongue-less" dancers failed to materialize in Basra strewing flowers, I knew this was not going to be a cake-walk. (Actually I wrote the first "Who lost Iraq?" posting about 12 hours after the invasion started! See blog)
Then, Greenspan caved on the nutty tax cuts, and the wild spending during Dubya-One, and now the deficits are through the roof.
This was all so obvious, yet Mr G too acted as an ENABLER for Dubya's odd and misguided notions.
ALAS, WE ARE ALL LIKE CHILDREN IN A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY NOW.
SOME OF US ACT AS ENABLERS, OTHERS AS VICTIMS.
NO ONE WANTS TO STAND UP TO THE "OLD MAN" AND TELL HIM THE TRUTH AND PROTEST THE DAMAGE HE IS DOING.
BUT IF THOSE WITH THE BULLY PULPITS AND BIG SOAP BOXES HAD DONE THEIR JOBS PROPERLY,.....NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPEN.
And that includes Friedman....who apparently is still afraid to "speak up"---rather today letting those "kooky" foreigners do the talking even now.
But, who would go against the Pentagon Lukudnics? Who would challenge the Neocons?
Few in the liberal east coast media even dared.
And now we're stuck with "them" for four more years..... IT BEHOOVES THE MAJOR MEDIA TO START DOING THEIR JOBS AGAIN. MAYBE SOMETHING CAN BE SALVAGED FROM THIS WRECKAGE EVEN YET.......
"There is nothing that the Europeans want to hear from George Bush, there is nothing that they will listen to from George Bush that will change their minds about him or the Iraq war or U.S. foreign policy. Mr. Bush is more widely and deeply disliked in Europe than any U.S. president in history. Some people here must have a good thing to say about him, but I haven't met them yet."
Yet any number of people in America have acted as ENABLERS for Dubya to reach this sorry state. Including Mr Friedman.
Friedman, hoping for Israeli victory, and/or annexation of the West Bank has backed a war that most rational people knew from the start would be a disaster.
Indeed, when Rummy's "tongue-less" dancers failed to materialize in Basra strewing flowers, I knew this was not going to be a cake-walk. (Actually I wrote the first "Who lost Iraq?" posting about 12 hours after the invasion started! See blog)
Then, Greenspan caved on the nutty tax cuts, and the wild spending during Dubya-One, and now the deficits are through the roof.
This was all so obvious, yet Mr G too acted as an ENABLER for Dubya's odd and misguided notions.
ALAS, WE ARE ALL LIKE CHILDREN IN A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY NOW.
SOME OF US ACT AS ENABLERS, OTHERS AS VICTIMS.
NO ONE WANTS TO STAND UP TO THE "OLD MAN" AND TELL HIM THE TRUTH AND PROTEST THE DAMAGE HE IS DOING.
BUT IF THOSE WITH THE BULLY PULPITS AND BIG SOAP BOXES HAD DONE THEIR JOBS PROPERLY,.....NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPEN.
And that includes Friedman....who apparently is still afraid to "speak up"---rather today letting those "kooky" foreigners do the talking even now.
But, who would go against the Pentagon Lukudnics? Who would challenge the Neocons?
Few in the liberal east coast media even dared.
And now we're stuck with "them" for four more years..... IT BEHOOVES THE MAJOR MEDIA TO START DOING THEIR JOBS AGAIN. MAYBE SOMETHING CAN BE SALVAGED FROM THIS WRECKAGE EVEN YET.......
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
IRAQ'S SURREAL ELECTION!
Since Dubya's re-election I feel like I'm trapped in some surreal Fellini movie. Everything just seems so totally odd, nonsensical, wierd and out of wack. It's almost unreal what the Red State Bubbas have pushed us into with their ignorance.
Take the Iraq Elections.
The Iraq Ballot is secret...no problem there.
The candidates are also secret....no one knows who they are! Hmm.....?
And here's the real kicker, The Polling Places are also secret!
But don't worry---because on election day? NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE A CAR; SO NOBODY CAN GET TO THE SECRET POLLS ANYWAY! Even if they did know where they were. Are you following this so far? Good.....
BUT MILLIONS WILL VOTE! HONEST! DUBYA SAYS SO.
OF COURSE, FIRST THEY WILL HAVE TO FIND THE POLLS! THEN WALK THERE ON FOOT!
AND GET THROUGH "CHECK POINTS" (ALWAYS DANGEROUS) THAT WILL BE MANNED BY THE "IRAQI POLICE" WHATEVER THAT IS!
BUT DON'T WORRY. THE AMERICANS WILL BE "HIDING JUST AROUND THE CORNER" IN CASE OF TROUBLE.
And Millions of Iraqis will gather to vote and honor Dubya;
Even though the road to the Baghdad AIRPORT is still to dangerous to drive on! ANYDAY!
Oh, But Don't Worry! The Airport will be closed on election day! That helps? ......I guess?
Now, assuming the secret ballot for secret candidates to be cast in secret polling places comes off without a bloody massacre of some kind, either by Iraqis on Iraqis, or by Americans and/or Iraqis on each other, or visa-versa;
The Shia majority will "win".....by sheer force of numbers, because the Sunnis aren't voting anyway!
But, what exactly do they "win?"
The VICTORIOUS SHIA may perhaps "reveal themselves" to the voters after the election.
But, they dare not go into Sunni Areas or Kurdish Areas; AS DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED LEADERS----ON PAIN OF DEATH BY CAR BOMBING, OR WORSE.
So, will the "democratically" elected Shia can take their places behind he barred wire and blast barriers in the Green Zone, with the "exile groups" and other supposed US Puppets?
Tell me again.....why EXACTLY are we in Iraq? And why are we forcing these Iraqis to have an election when everyone knows the results won't be worth the paper they're written on?
And was that really ANOTHER $80 BILLION from the US taxpayers that Dubya wants?
DOES ANY OF THIS START TO SEEM A LITTLE SURREAL?
TRUTHFULLY, SOME DAYS DON'T YOU JUST WISH YOU COULD WAKE UP--- AND DUBYA AND CHENEY AND WOLFIE AND RUMMY WOULD JUST BE A BAD DREAM......
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, DON'T YOU?
AND MAYBE, IN THE REAL WORLD, AL GORE OR KERRY WOULD BE BALANCING THE BUDGET, AND STARTING UP OUR NATIONAL HEALTH CARE PLAN, AND TAXING THE PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT THE MOST FROM THE SYSTEM---INSTEAD OF THOSE WHO ARE POWERLESS AND LEAST ABLE TO PAY?
DON'T YOU WISH THAT WAS OUR REALITY TODAY.....?
INSTEAD OF THIS KOOKY WAR, BY OUR FOOLISH LEADERS, WHO ARE BANKRUPTING THE NATION WITH SCREWBALL NOTIONS THAT NO ONE WHATS TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH.......
DUBYA WANTS THIS ELECTION ON THE 30TH.....READY OR NOT.....
BUT, WILL IT REALLY MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL?
I DOUBT IT...... REMEMBER IRAQ ISN'T OHIO!
OR IS IT!?
Postscript: Democracy starts at Home.
Take the Iraq Elections.
The Iraq Ballot is secret...no problem there.
The candidates are also secret....no one knows who they are! Hmm.....?
And here's the real kicker, The Polling Places are also secret!
But don't worry---because on election day? NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE A CAR; SO NOBODY CAN GET TO THE SECRET POLLS ANYWAY! Even if they did know where they were. Are you following this so far? Good.....
BUT MILLIONS WILL VOTE! HONEST! DUBYA SAYS SO.
OF COURSE, FIRST THEY WILL HAVE TO FIND THE POLLS! THEN WALK THERE ON FOOT!
AND GET THROUGH "CHECK POINTS" (ALWAYS DANGEROUS) THAT WILL BE MANNED BY THE "IRAQI POLICE" WHATEVER THAT IS!
BUT DON'T WORRY. THE AMERICANS WILL BE "HIDING JUST AROUND THE CORNER" IN CASE OF TROUBLE.
And Millions of Iraqis will gather to vote and honor Dubya;
Even though the road to the Baghdad AIRPORT is still to dangerous to drive on! ANYDAY!
Oh, But Don't Worry! The Airport will be closed on election day! That helps? ......I guess?
Now, assuming the secret ballot for secret candidates to be cast in secret polling places comes off without a bloody massacre of some kind, either by Iraqis on Iraqis, or by Americans and/or Iraqis on each other, or visa-versa;
The Shia majority will "win".....by sheer force of numbers, because the Sunnis aren't voting anyway!
But, what exactly do they "win?"
The VICTORIOUS SHIA may perhaps "reveal themselves" to the voters after the election.
But, they dare not go into Sunni Areas or Kurdish Areas; AS DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED LEADERS----ON PAIN OF DEATH BY CAR BOMBING, OR WORSE.
So, will the "democratically" elected Shia can take their places behind he barred wire and blast barriers in the Green Zone, with the "exile groups" and other supposed US Puppets?
Tell me again.....why EXACTLY are we in Iraq? And why are we forcing these Iraqis to have an election when everyone knows the results won't be worth the paper they're written on?
And was that really ANOTHER $80 BILLION from the US taxpayers that Dubya wants?
DOES ANY OF THIS START TO SEEM A LITTLE SURREAL?
TRUTHFULLY, SOME DAYS DON'T YOU JUST WISH YOU COULD WAKE UP--- AND DUBYA AND CHENEY AND WOLFIE AND RUMMY WOULD JUST BE A BAD DREAM......
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, DON'T YOU?
AND MAYBE, IN THE REAL WORLD, AL GORE OR KERRY WOULD BE BALANCING THE BUDGET, AND STARTING UP OUR NATIONAL HEALTH CARE PLAN, AND TAXING THE PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT THE MOST FROM THE SYSTEM---INSTEAD OF THOSE WHO ARE POWERLESS AND LEAST ABLE TO PAY?
DON'T YOU WISH THAT WAS OUR REALITY TODAY.....?
INSTEAD OF THIS KOOKY WAR, BY OUR FOOLISH LEADERS, WHO ARE BANKRUPTING THE NATION WITH SCREWBALL NOTIONS THAT NO ONE WHATS TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH.......
DUBYA WANTS THIS ELECTION ON THE 30TH.....READY OR NOT.....
BUT, WILL IT REALLY MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL?
I DOUBT IT...... REMEMBER IRAQ ISN'T OHIO!
OR IS IT!?
Postscript: Democracy starts at Home.
SAP HIRING, SBC FIRING
And so it goes....American Companies seem to be "losing it" globally these days. And our "four more years" of Dubya & Co are just starting.
"Stupid Chic" just doesn't translate well from "Texan" to the other
world languages!
It should also be noted that the strong suit for American Business in the past has been the power of it's BRANDS. And to a great extent American Companies have only their FORMER GOOD NAMES to bank on.
All other advantages of cost, education, creativity, stable government and currency are gone!
I fear that "American Business" is soon going to be reduced to a "gummed label" on a box from China! No wonder US job growth is so punk! It's not the news that counts, it's the trend. And nearly everything worth having in global business is migrating out of the US.
Really all we have left in the US is:
THE AMERICAN CONSUMER: IN DEBT, UNDER-EDUCATED AND/OR UNDER-EMPLOYED AND OFTEN POORLY PAID.
Alas, that is a thin reed on which to base the future.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050126/earns_sbc_2.html
"Stupid Chic" just doesn't translate well from "Texan" to the other
world languages!
It should also be noted that the strong suit for American Business in the past has been the power of it's BRANDS. And to a great extent American Companies have only their FORMER GOOD NAMES to bank on.
All other advantages of cost, education, creativity, stable government and currency are gone!
I fear that "American Business" is soon going to be reduced to a "gummed label" on a box from China! No wonder US job growth is so punk! It's not the news that counts, it's the trend. And nearly everything worth having in global business is migrating out of the US.
Really all we have left in the US is:
THE AMERICAN CONSUMER: IN DEBT, UNDER-EDUCATED AND/OR UNDER-EMPLOYED AND OFTEN POORLY PAID.
Alas, that is a thin reed on which to base the future.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050126/earns_sbc_2.html
SLAVERY COMES IN MANY FORMS
In the NYTimes today, Kristof concludes regarding Asian Sex Slavery: ".... you'll realize that talk about sex "slavery" is not hyperbole - and that the shame lies not with the girls but with our own failure to respond as firmly to slavery today as our ancestors did in the 1860's."
In truth, the world is FULL OF SLAVES today. SLAVERY COMES IN MANY FORMS.
There are WAGE SLAVES IN ASIA. BUT THERE ARE ALSO WAGE SLAVES IN AMERICA TODAY!
The point is that it's not only sexual exploitation that's the root of all evil.
It's money and greed and power.
AND REMEMBER, THE GREEDY RUN THE WORLD TODAY.....
Few women would choose the "sex trade," or the "sweat shop" if they had other opportunities.
Much of the Drug Trade is caused by: A POLITICS AND ECONOMICS OF DISPARE, around the world that causes some people to just "give up," and seek their pleasures on the dark side.
To be sure, some "choose" their lifestyle, but for most it's imposed on them from the outside, and higher up.
We have a GLOBAL MAFIA STATE setting the world agenda now, but some people have not quite figured that out yet. But they're slowing finding out.
Today The Pentagon assists in the Afghan Heroin Trade. And US puppets run the Afghan "democratic" narco-state.
Asia is the ultimate OWNERSHIP SOCIETY today. And Dubya & Co are using the "China Model" for what comes next in America!
OWNERSHIP WITHOUT OPPORTUNITY IS ONLY SLAVERY BY OTHER MEANS.
In truth, the world is FULL OF SLAVES today. SLAVERY COMES IN MANY FORMS.
There are WAGE SLAVES IN ASIA. BUT THERE ARE ALSO WAGE SLAVES IN AMERICA TODAY!
The point is that it's not only sexual exploitation that's the root of all evil.
It's money and greed and power.
AND REMEMBER, THE GREEDY RUN THE WORLD TODAY.....
Few women would choose the "sex trade," or the "sweat shop" if they had other opportunities.
Much of the Drug Trade is caused by: A POLITICS AND ECONOMICS OF DISPARE, around the world that causes some people to just "give up," and seek their pleasures on the dark side.
To be sure, some "choose" their lifestyle, but for most it's imposed on them from the outside, and higher up.
We have a GLOBAL MAFIA STATE setting the world agenda now, but some people have not quite figured that out yet. But they're slowing finding out.
Today The Pentagon assists in the Afghan Heroin Trade. And US puppets run the Afghan "democratic" narco-state.
Asia is the ultimate OWNERSHIP SOCIETY today. And Dubya & Co are using the "China Model" for what comes next in America!
OWNERSHIP WITHOUT OPPORTUNITY IS ONLY SLAVERY BY OTHER MEANS.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
BBC REPORTS GLOOM
GLOOM or MORE JOY?
BBC votes for gloom! So stay tuned......because as Brigham Young said: THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4203867.stm
BBC votes for gloom! So stay tuned......because as Brigham Young said: THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4203867.stm
BLIND SQUIRREL FINDS NUT!
Today's market rally was one of the "pop and freeze" sort, which means you could buy it, but, alas, you couldn't participate in it......because it was all over by 9:45AM!
Call it a Zombie Rally from the Land of the Undead....or maybe a Short Covering Squeeze Play, with a little help from the Market Masters? Or perhaps blame the ever popular "technical factors?" Or possibly the G-Man called out "Plunge Protection!" It's been dismal enough for a little action by the Fed and it's Shills.
In any event, no one is claiming to have had an "Hosanna Moment" today nevertheless.
All the "bad stuff" is still there, and it's just as bad or "badder" than it was yesterday.
So, while this market is hanging around like a 90 year old with money: the trend is surely down.
Dow 10000 will not go down without a fight though....but still, like the 90 year old with money---it will go down....., eventually.
EVEN A BLIND SQUIRREL FINDS A NUT EVERY SO OFTEN.
Today is just another good opportunity to short the DIA and the SPY.....perhaps the market masters can levitate the averages until the traditional SUCKER FLUSH-- after April 15th.....or perhaps not.
But, If Winter comes, can the Spring Sucker Flush be far behind?
And I surely won't plunk fresh money into the game, before the Iraqi Elections are done, on the 30th of January.
A lot of things can happen in Iraq this week, but most of them are bad for the markets.
Call it a Zombie Rally from the Land of the Undead....or maybe a Short Covering Squeeze Play, with a little help from the Market Masters? Or perhaps blame the ever popular "technical factors?" Or possibly the G-Man called out "Plunge Protection!" It's been dismal enough for a little action by the Fed and it's Shills.
In any event, no one is claiming to have had an "Hosanna Moment" today nevertheless.
All the "bad stuff" is still there, and it's just as bad or "badder" than it was yesterday.
So, while this market is hanging around like a 90 year old with money: the trend is surely down.
Dow 10000 will not go down without a fight though....but still, like the 90 year old with money---it will go down....., eventually.
EVEN A BLIND SQUIRREL FINDS A NUT EVERY SO OFTEN.
Today is just another good opportunity to short the DIA and the SPY.....perhaps the market masters can levitate the averages until the traditional SUCKER FLUSH-- after April 15th.....or perhaps not.
But, If Winter comes, can the Spring Sucker Flush be far behind?
And I surely won't plunk fresh money into the game, before the Iraqi Elections are done, on the 30th of January.
A lot of things can happen in Iraq this week, but most of them are bad for the markets.
GREENSPAN'S GORDIAN KNOT
Will it make any difference who replaces Greenspan given the current state of things in the US?
The massive US structural problems are being competely ignored, except for an occasional side statement by the G-Man every once in a while.
But then, Greenspan follows up with: "The imbalances will be "self correcting?"
What exactly does that mean? It sounds like a Doctor saying: The patient is now "cured." Because he's dead!
Greenspan's experiment in Bubblenomics seems to be coming to a disasterous end now. His "new idea" was to keep the punch bowl filled to overflowing all the time---NO MATTER WHAT. And we had some nifty bubbles to show for it....and lots of paper asset inflation and probably a little real "growth" too..
The person Greenspan most reminds me of is JOHN LAW of bubble-fame back in the 1720's. The damage Law did to the economy of Europe in the 1720's took 100 years to reverse. As to a replacement? Strawman, Patsy, Stooge, Fall Guy, Hack, or Lunatic what difference will it make?
The damage has been done. The US economy has been looted. Elvis has left the building........and Greenspan has left us with a New Gordian Knot.
Who will pull the sword from the stone now? We desperately need a NEW KEYNES to cut this Greenspanian Knot?
........Perhaps Krugman from the NYTimes? Nah.....
The massive US structural problems are being competely ignored, except for an occasional side statement by the G-Man every once in a while.
But then, Greenspan follows up with: "The imbalances will be "self correcting?"
What exactly does that mean? It sounds like a Doctor saying: The patient is now "cured." Because he's dead!
Greenspan's experiment in Bubblenomics seems to be coming to a disasterous end now. His "new idea" was to keep the punch bowl filled to overflowing all the time---NO MATTER WHAT. And we had some nifty bubbles to show for it....and lots of paper asset inflation and probably a little real "growth" too..
The person Greenspan most reminds me of is JOHN LAW of bubble-fame back in the 1720's. The damage Law did to the economy of Europe in the 1720's took 100 years to reverse. As to a replacement? Strawman, Patsy, Stooge, Fall Guy, Hack, or Lunatic what difference will it make?
The damage has been done. The US economy has been looted. Elvis has left the building........and Greenspan has left us with a New Gordian Knot.
Who will pull the sword from the stone now? We desperately need a NEW KEYNES to cut this Greenspanian Knot?
........Perhaps Krugman from the NYTimes? Nah.....
Monday, January 24, 2005
TADPOLES, FROGS AND ECONOMISTS
One of the BIG FALLACIES in the current debate on Social Secuirty is:
ATTEMPTING TO PROJECT THE ECONOMY 50 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE.
Remember....the best economists we have today can't even get the monthly jobs number right within 100,000! And that should be child's play, compared with projecting Social Security 50 years out into the future.
The problem with the White House and Democratic projections is that no one can even imagine what the US economy will be like in 50 years! Especially, if the current level of gross incompetence is perpetuated.
For one thing, we know that by then, the trade deficit will be "corrected." And may God help us all. We know that China will be the dominant economic power, perhaps. Or at least we think so?
But, it is total bunkum to assume that we can know ANYTHING for sure about what the economy will be like in 50 years.
Who could have accurately predicted the 2005 economy in 1955!! NO ONE. Why? Because, Stuff Happens!
The economy is NOT a chart with an X and Y axis, as most economists like to portray it!
It's just not....it's very much more chaotic than that.
These "projections" for the future of Social Secuirty remind me of that old "science" factoid that:
IF EVERY TADPOLE BECAME A FROG, WITHIN 50 YEARS THE ENTIRE KNOWN MASS OF THE UNIVERSE WOULD BE FROGS!!
NOW, AM I REALLY SUPPOSE TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THAT?
ALAS, POOR TADPOLE!
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, STUFF HAPPENS!! IT REALLY DOES....
ATTEMPTING TO PROJECT THE ECONOMY 50 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE.
Remember....the best economists we have today can't even get the monthly jobs number right within 100,000! And that should be child's play, compared with projecting Social Security 50 years out into the future.
The problem with the White House and Democratic projections is that no one can even imagine what the US economy will be like in 50 years! Especially, if the current level of gross incompetence is perpetuated.
For one thing, we know that by then, the trade deficit will be "corrected." And may God help us all. We know that China will be the dominant economic power, perhaps. Or at least we think so?
But, it is total bunkum to assume that we can know ANYTHING for sure about what the economy will be like in 50 years.
Who could have accurately predicted the 2005 economy in 1955!! NO ONE. Why? Because, Stuff Happens!
The economy is NOT a chart with an X and Y axis, as most economists like to portray it!
It's just not....it's very much more chaotic than that.
These "projections" for the future of Social Secuirty remind me of that old "science" factoid that:
IF EVERY TADPOLE BECAME A FROG, WITHIN 50 YEARS THE ENTIRE KNOWN MASS OF THE UNIVERSE WOULD BE FROGS!!
NOW, AM I REALLY SUPPOSE TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THAT?
ALAS, POOR TADPOLE!
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, STUFF HAPPENS!! IT REALLY DOES....
GOING (FOR) BROKE IN IRAQ!
The new spending requirements for Iraq could have given most Americans reasonably priced health insurance. Relived American Industry of the burden of even increasing medical insurance costs. And re-build OUR INFRASTRUCTURE to make American Businesses more competitive globally.
But no. It's all wasted now on Wolfie and Rummys debacle in Iraq. And there's more coming!
Is it that important that Sharon and the Lukudnics get the West Bank?
Should the American public really pay the price for the Israeli ultra-right's notions about a Greater Israel in the middle east?
Dubya is going for broke in Iraq! But saddly he already is!
But no. It's all wasted now on Wolfie and Rummys debacle in Iraq. And there's more coming!
Is it that important that Sharon and the Lukudnics get the West Bank?
Should the American public really pay the price for the Israeli ultra-right's notions about a Greater Israel in the middle east?
Dubya is going for broke in Iraq! But saddly he already is!
HOW TO WRITE A COLUMN
1. Try to tell the real truth, and avoid spin as much as possible.
2. If you have a"hidden agenda" or bias, reveal it as soon as possible. Honesty is the best policy.
3. Show people. Don't tell them.
4. Assume your reader is as intelligent as you are.
5. Avoid quotes from folks pushing an agenda....or at least have the decency explain their agenda, so no one will think they are really unbias commentators.
6. Read more books, less newspapers.
7. Assume everyone is lying especially politicians and people with a monetary interest in the outcomes.
8. Keep it short and simple. Thesis, Support, Conculsion. Keep it snappy and strive for simple eloquence....always the best kind. Avoid useless padding.
9. Dont just repeat conventional wisdom. Mob Thinking is rampant in editorial circles these days. Everyone is after the same idea. Boring!
10. Remember no body reads or cares what you write anyway. So none of it matters in the long run....you're just filling "white space" on the page, so your boss can sell advertising.
2. If you have a"hidden agenda" or bias, reveal it as soon as possible. Honesty is the best policy.
3. Show people. Don't tell them.
4. Assume your reader is as intelligent as you are.
5. Avoid quotes from folks pushing an agenda....or at least have the decency explain their agenda, so no one will think they are really unbias commentators.
6. Read more books, less newspapers.
7. Assume everyone is lying especially politicians and people with a monetary interest in the outcomes.
8. Keep it short and simple. Thesis, Support, Conculsion. Keep it snappy and strive for simple eloquence....always the best kind. Avoid useless padding.
9. Dont just repeat conventional wisdom. Mob Thinking is rampant in editorial circles these days. Everyone is after the same idea. Boring!
10. Remember no body reads or cares what you write anyway. So none of it matters in the long run....you're just filling "white space" on the page, so your boss can sell advertising.
GREENSPAN'S BLUE PLATE SPECIAL
The 64 Trillion Dollar question these days is who controls the dollar: The Fed? Or, the Bank of China?
While Greenspan may do the cooking at the DOLLAR CAFE, the rest of the world has to eat it! So far, China has been chowing down like a pig! While the Eurolanders have been sniffing and walking out!
Still, if the kitchen is filthy and ingredients are bad, sooner or later even China will find someplace else to eat!
The proof of the pudding could be if the G-Man raises rates substantially this year. Perhaps, all will be forgiven and forgotten, if you can get a 6% ten year bond. But alas, there is always the resulting bond plunge, which will alienate the OLD CUSTOMERS; even as new ones show up for some "fine dining" at the Dollar Cafe.
Like any business it takes two to tango: THE OWNERSHIP & THE CUSTOMERS.
STILL IT MAY BE TIME FOR GREENSPAN TO REVISE THE MENU AGAIN!
http://www.thestreet.com
While Greenspan may do the cooking at the DOLLAR CAFE, the rest of the world has to eat it! So far, China has been chowing down like a pig! While the Eurolanders have been sniffing and walking out!
Still, if the kitchen is filthy and ingredients are bad, sooner or later even China will find someplace else to eat!
The proof of the pudding could be if the G-Man raises rates substantially this year. Perhaps, all will be forgiven and forgotten, if you can get a 6% ten year bond. But alas, there is always the resulting bond plunge, which will alienate the OLD CUSTOMERS; even as new ones show up for some "fine dining" at the Dollar Cafe.
Like any business it takes two to tango: THE OWNERSHIP & THE CUSTOMERS.
STILL IT MAY BE TIME FOR GREENSPAN TO REVISE THE MENU AGAIN!
http://www.thestreet.com
IRAQ'S FEDERALIST PAPERS? MIA!
SHOW ELECTIONS IN IRAQ, FINE? But Where are the Iraqi "Federalist Papers?"
Consider:
One of the key events of this year will be the coming elections in Iraq.
So much of the Bush presidency is invested in this one event, that the election outcome could set the tone for the next four years.
Clearly, big mistakes have been make.
The biggest mistake might have been trying to have an early nation-wide election at all!
What is needed in Iraq today is not necessarily pure one person one vote Jeffersonian democracy; but rather, REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT!
And, alas, now that seems to be lost with the threatened Sunni boycot.
The current SHOW ELECTION demanded by Washington will be dangerous, and insulting to many Iraqis;
BETTER TO HAVE HAD A SERIES OF LOCAL AND TRIBAL CAUCUSES.
THESE LOCAL ELECTIONS COULD THEN FEED INTO REGIONAL CONGRESSES, AND THEN ON UP TO THE FEDERAL LEVEL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE.
PLAINLY PUT, IRAQ IS NOT READY FOR A NATION WIDE POPULAR ELECTION YET. EVEN AMERICANS DON'T ELECT THE PRESIDENT DIRECTLY! WE STILL HAVE AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE SYSTEM. THINK ABOUT IT.....
THERE ARE SERIOUS REGIONAL AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATED OUT AT THE LEADERSHIP LEVEL FIRST,
AND THEN "SOLD TO THE PEOPLE" IN THE PROVINCES IN THE SAME WAY OUR "FEDERALIST PAPERS" WHERE USED TO SELL THE NEW CONSTITUTION TO AMERICANS IN 1789.
In truth, America and Iraq are quite similar in that regard. American states after the Revolution saw themselves as "indepentant sovereigns," mini-states joined by convenience into a temporary federation. BUT NEVER AS A SINGLE NATION!
THE NOTION OF A SINGLE NATION CALLED THE "USA," TOOK A CIVIL WAR TO SETTLE MANY YEARS LATER!
AND IT'S TOTAL FOLLY TO EXPECT IRAQIS TO HAVE MORE SOPHISTICATION IN MATTERS OF FEDERALISM THAN WE HAD IN THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF OUR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT.
So, whether the upcoming Iraqi Elections solve anything, or just make matters worse is an open question.
But one thing seems clear:
THE SAME PEOPLE WHO GAVE US THIS "HAMFISTED" ILL-PLANNED INVASION AND OCCUPATION;
ARE PROBABLY THE VERY ONES WHO CAME UP WITH THIS SCREWBALL IDEA OF A NATION-WIDE ELECTION IN IRAQ AT THIS POINT.
IRAQIS DON'T NEED JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRACY NOW! BUT THEY DO NEED REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL LEADERSHIP
IRAQIS NEED THEIR OWN VERSIONS OF OUR MADISONS, PAINES, HAMILTONS, FRANKLINS AND OTHER WRITERS OF OUR "FEDERALIST PAPERS"-----TO EXPLAIN AND DEBATE THE WHYS AND WHEREFORES OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO IRAQ TODAY......
THIS VOTE ON THE 30TH OF JANUARY IS WAY TOO EARLY TO BE AT ALL MEANINGFULL.
IT'S REALLY AN EXERCISE IN "FAST FOOD" DEMOCRACY TEXAS STYLE!
NECESSITATED BY DUBYA'S HAMFISTED "IMPERIALISM ON THE CHEAP!"
But, if it gets American soldiers out of Iraq one day early----it will be worth it to most Americans.
BECAUSE MOST AMERICANS JUST WANT THIS IRAQ MESS TO BE OVER!
Consider:
One of the key events of this year will be the coming elections in Iraq.
So much of the Bush presidency is invested in this one event, that the election outcome could set the tone for the next four years.
Clearly, big mistakes have been make.
The biggest mistake might have been trying to have an early nation-wide election at all!
What is needed in Iraq today is not necessarily pure one person one vote Jeffersonian democracy; but rather, REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT!
And, alas, now that seems to be lost with the threatened Sunni boycot.
The current SHOW ELECTION demanded by Washington will be dangerous, and insulting to many Iraqis;
BETTER TO HAVE HAD A SERIES OF LOCAL AND TRIBAL CAUCUSES.
THESE LOCAL ELECTIONS COULD THEN FEED INTO REGIONAL CONGRESSES, AND THEN ON UP TO THE FEDERAL LEVEL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE.
PLAINLY PUT, IRAQ IS NOT READY FOR A NATION WIDE POPULAR ELECTION YET. EVEN AMERICANS DON'T ELECT THE PRESIDENT DIRECTLY! WE STILL HAVE AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE SYSTEM. THINK ABOUT IT.....
THERE ARE SERIOUS REGIONAL AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATED OUT AT THE LEADERSHIP LEVEL FIRST,
AND THEN "SOLD TO THE PEOPLE" IN THE PROVINCES IN THE SAME WAY OUR "FEDERALIST PAPERS" WHERE USED TO SELL THE NEW CONSTITUTION TO AMERICANS IN 1789.
In truth, America and Iraq are quite similar in that regard. American states after the Revolution saw themselves as "indepentant sovereigns," mini-states joined by convenience into a temporary federation. BUT NEVER AS A SINGLE NATION!
THE NOTION OF A SINGLE NATION CALLED THE "USA," TOOK A CIVIL WAR TO SETTLE MANY YEARS LATER!
AND IT'S TOTAL FOLLY TO EXPECT IRAQIS TO HAVE MORE SOPHISTICATION IN MATTERS OF FEDERALISM THAN WE HAD IN THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF OUR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT.
So, whether the upcoming Iraqi Elections solve anything, or just make matters worse is an open question.
But one thing seems clear:
THE SAME PEOPLE WHO GAVE US THIS "HAMFISTED" ILL-PLANNED INVASION AND OCCUPATION;
ARE PROBABLY THE VERY ONES WHO CAME UP WITH THIS SCREWBALL IDEA OF A NATION-WIDE ELECTION IN IRAQ AT THIS POINT.
IRAQIS DON'T NEED JEFFERSONIAN DEMOCRACY NOW! BUT THEY DO NEED REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL LEADERSHIP
IRAQIS NEED THEIR OWN VERSIONS OF OUR MADISONS, PAINES, HAMILTONS, FRANKLINS AND OTHER WRITERS OF OUR "FEDERALIST PAPERS"-----TO EXPLAIN AND DEBATE THE WHYS AND WHEREFORES OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO IRAQ TODAY......
THIS VOTE ON THE 30TH OF JANUARY IS WAY TOO EARLY TO BE AT ALL MEANINGFULL.
IT'S REALLY AN EXERCISE IN "FAST FOOD" DEMOCRACY TEXAS STYLE!
NECESSITATED BY DUBYA'S HAMFISTED "IMPERIALISM ON THE CHEAP!"
But, if it gets American soldiers out of Iraq one day early----it will be worth it to most Americans.
BECAUSE MOST AMERICANS JUST WANT THIS IRAQ MESS TO BE OVER!
Saturday, January 22, 2005
DEFEATED WE STAND!
Tom Friedman's Sunday column comes as close to admitting defeat in Iraq as anything I've read yet.
Defeat is never easy. And someone should be held to account for this disaster. But making lame excuses and finding people to blame isn't the answer either.
First, it's true the Eurolanders hated this war, and don't like Dubya much either.
But Friedman says that THEY don't have a Plan B for Iraq. But Tom, THEY don't need a Plan B! Because they never agreed with Your Plan A in the first place!
And, if this is really a war between progressive Islam and fascist Islam---? I need to buy a program because I can't tell who'se who now.
Apparently, the Secular Sunnis are fascists now, and the Fundamentalist Pro-Iranian Shia are the "progressives?" Help me out here.....?
And, if we were so intent on a progressive and secular agenda for modern Islam?
Why didn't we invade Saudi Arabia;
Where the 911 criminals actually came from, instead of Iraq, which was, mostly, secular, tolerant and very very inert! With Saddam passing his time writing poetry and reading trashy American Romances!
Now, Iraq is: OSAMA'S PLAYGROUND!
A VERITABLE DISNEYLAND FOR JIHADISTS!
Iraq is a live fire war game, unlike anything Osama could ever hope for in his Afghanistan camps.
Iraq is the ultimate terror training camp. All thanks to Wolfie, Rummy and Cheney---but with a lot of help from friends like Friedman!
My advise to Friedman is:
1. Admit you were wrong about the war. Just do it! You'll feel a lot better, and it might straighten out your thinking a bit.
2. Hope the elections will provide an opportunity to "declare victory." And a "new democracy" in Iraq. Mission Accomplished! Wolfie was right! etc.
3. Then, get out fast, without doing anymore damage! Perhaps, regroup in the southern gulf region in one of the smaller boutique states.
4. And, tell Wolfie it's time to cancel HIS CRUSADES! And bring our Christian Soldiers home now!
Postscript: But the little "Condi Bash" was a nice touch though....sorta required reading on this board...I suppose.
Defeat is never easy. And someone should be held to account for this disaster. But making lame excuses and finding people to blame isn't the answer either.
First, it's true the Eurolanders hated this war, and don't like Dubya much either.
But Friedman says that THEY don't have a Plan B for Iraq. But Tom, THEY don't need a Plan B! Because they never agreed with Your Plan A in the first place!
And, if this is really a war between progressive Islam and fascist Islam---? I need to buy a program because I can't tell who'se who now.
Apparently, the Secular Sunnis are fascists now, and the Fundamentalist Pro-Iranian Shia are the "progressives?" Help me out here.....?
And, if we were so intent on a progressive and secular agenda for modern Islam?
Why didn't we invade Saudi Arabia;
Where the 911 criminals actually came from, instead of Iraq, which was, mostly, secular, tolerant and very very inert! With Saddam passing his time writing poetry and reading trashy American Romances!
Now, Iraq is: OSAMA'S PLAYGROUND!
A VERITABLE DISNEYLAND FOR JIHADISTS!
Iraq is a live fire war game, unlike anything Osama could ever hope for in his Afghanistan camps.
Iraq is the ultimate terror training camp. All thanks to Wolfie, Rummy and Cheney---but with a lot of help from friends like Friedman!
My advise to Friedman is:
1. Admit you were wrong about the war. Just do it! You'll feel a lot better, and it might straighten out your thinking a bit.
2. Hope the elections will provide an opportunity to "declare victory." And a "new democracy" in Iraq. Mission Accomplished! Wolfie was right! etc.
3. Then, get out fast, without doing anymore damage! Perhaps, regroup in the southern gulf region in one of the smaller boutique states.
4. And, tell Wolfie it's time to cancel HIS CRUSADES! And bring our Christian Soldiers home now!
Postscript: But the little "Condi Bash" was a nice touch though....sorta required reading on this board...I suppose.
THE SPEECH REVISITED...AGAIN, BUT FOR THE LAST TIME, REALLY!
Most presidential speeches are policy statements with a few quoteable lines thrown in.
But, Dubya's speech was an amorphous mass of "quoteable lines" in search of a policy statement!
There is bad news and good news about THE SPEECH, which has been the Big Yada this week.
The bad news is that the speech is already mostly forgotten! And the good news is that the speech is already mostly forgotten!
Alas, the grim uncertainty of the Iraqi Elections loom large. If the Shia win, will they ask the "Green Zone" puppets to leave as soon as possible? Or perhaps, to come out from behind the barred wire and blast barriers and meet the people?
The crap shoot that this election provides for Dubya & Co. can not be overstated. (But don't worry I will!)
Because;
It's possible that when the dust settles on January 30, the "new government" will tell both Alawi and the US military: "Thanks, now scram!" We'll "handle it" from here. And the peace and quite that could result just from not having US Military convoys on the roads is considerable.
Or put another way, the Neocons might just need a whole New Mojo in a few days!!
And wouldn't that be interesting......? Gee, Dubya might just "have time" to tackle the Health Care Crisis after all! Ya think?
But, Dubya's speech was an amorphous mass of "quoteable lines" in search of a policy statement!
There is bad news and good news about THE SPEECH, which has been the Big Yada this week.
The bad news is that the speech is already mostly forgotten! And the good news is that the speech is already mostly forgotten!
Alas, the grim uncertainty of the Iraqi Elections loom large. If the Shia win, will they ask the "Green Zone" puppets to leave as soon as possible? Or perhaps, to come out from behind the barred wire and blast barriers and meet the people?
The crap shoot that this election provides for Dubya & Co. can not be overstated. (But don't worry I will!)
Because;
It's possible that when the dust settles on January 30, the "new government" will tell both Alawi and the US military: "Thanks, now scram!" We'll "handle it" from here. And the peace and quite that could result just from not having US Military convoys on the roads is considerable.
Or put another way, the Neocons might just need a whole New Mojo in a few days!!
And wouldn't that be interesting......? Gee, Dubya might just "have time" to tackle the Health Care Crisis after all! Ya think?
VIVA LA SPONGE!
The best way to defeat the Religious Right is to just let them keep right on talking!
Wm Jennings Bryan, during the infamous MONKEY TRIAL, had the snake in Genesis "bouncing around on his tail"
That is---"before God made him crawl on his belly for eternity;" after Eve fingered the probably innocent snake at the infamous "Tree of Knowledge" Affair!
Go figure? It's really sad to have to attack stupidity at this level, but what can modern thinkers do?
Stuff that will pass "in church, " often sounds ridiculous on the "news," or in a public forum.
You have to feel sorry for these saddly confused religious folks really........but still....what can you do!
VIVA LA SPONGE!
Wm Jennings Bryan, during the infamous MONKEY TRIAL, had the snake in Genesis "bouncing around on his tail"
That is---"before God made him crawl on his belly for eternity;" after Eve fingered the probably innocent snake at the infamous "Tree of Knowledge" Affair!
Go figure? It's really sad to have to attack stupidity at this level, but what can modern thinkers do?
Stuff that will pass "in church, " often sounds ridiculous on the "news," or in a public forum.
You have to feel sorry for these saddly confused religious folks really........but still....what can you do!
VIVA LA SPONGE!
AS THE GLOOM GATHERS.....
As the Gloom Gathers on Wall Street and in Washington, we could soon see the first serious corrections for the markets in some time.
I'm talking about a 100 or 200 point drops in one day. Almost all rational and irrational arguments for stocks have finally been exhausted.
And, a seemingly perfect storm of gloom is on the horizon. The start of the Bush Two term is off to an uninspiring start....and the public is increasingly nervous about WHAT COMES NEXT in Iraq, the middle east and with the economy.
Clearly, the Bush Agenda is to wack the poor and working classes HARD!
AND THAT ALAS, WILL NOT HELP CONSUMER CONFIDENCE......EVEN AS THE G-MAN IS NOW ON A HURRY-UP AUTOPILOT WITH HIS "MEASURED" RATE HIKES--TO DEFEND THE DOLLAR AND DEAL WITH THE "TWIN" DEFICITS.
SO, THE ENDING FOR THIS STORY SEEMS INCREASINGLY OBVIOUS NOW.
ONE BY ONE THE BEAMS AND RAFTERS ARE ROTTING OUT FROM OUR WALL STREET HOUSE OF PAPER.......AND THE ONLY HOPE FOR INVESTORS IS TO BUY "HARD ASSETS" AS CHEAPLY AS POSSIBLE.
......AS THE GLOOM GATHERS EVERYDAY.
This is not a Dow that deserves to be above 10,000. ~~~It's really just that simple.
I'm talking about a 100 or 200 point drops in one day. Almost all rational and irrational arguments for stocks have finally been exhausted.
And, a seemingly perfect storm of gloom is on the horizon. The start of the Bush Two term is off to an uninspiring start....and the public is increasingly nervous about WHAT COMES NEXT in Iraq, the middle east and with the economy.
Clearly, the Bush Agenda is to wack the poor and working classes HARD!
AND THAT ALAS, WILL NOT HELP CONSUMER CONFIDENCE......EVEN AS THE G-MAN IS NOW ON A HURRY-UP AUTOPILOT WITH HIS "MEASURED" RATE HIKES--TO DEFEND THE DOLLAR AND DEAL WITH THE "TWIN" DEFICITS.
SO, THE ENDING FOR THIS STORY SEEMS INCREASINGLY OBVIOUS NOW.
ONE BY ONE THE BEAMS AND RAFTERS ARE ROTTING OUT FROM OUR WALL STREET HOUSE OF PAPER.......AND THE ONLY HOPE FOR INVESTORS IS TO BUY "HARD ASSETS" AS CHEAPLY AS POSSIBLE.
......AS THE GLOOM GATHERS EVERYDAY.
This is not a Dow that deserves to be above 10,000. ~~~It's really just that simple.
IN DEFENSE OF BROOKSIE
IN DEFENSE OF NYTs DAVID BROOKS:
Great Job from this morning's posters at the NYT readers forums! This mornings postings are well thought out, carefully written, insightful, and best of all true. A refreshing change from the sad babel of the demented Neocons sometimes found on the NYT boards!
Brooks bashing is great fun! Keep up the good work....
But Brooks is really that rare bird in American Politics--A CONSERVATIVE INTELLECTUAL. (True, some might say, pseudo-intellectual conservative, and some pseudo-conservative intellectual)
Most conservatives don't even try to rationalize their postions, because they can't. For most conservatives IT'S ALL ABOUT ME! MY MONEY. MY RELIGION. MY TAXES. MY UNINFORMED "BELIEFS" AND PREJUDICES. MY KOOKY CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
So, the pharse "conservative intellectual" is really an oxymoron.
But Brooks at least makes an attempt to prove that all conservatives are not morons, and conversely that all morons are not conservatives! And, it's the thought that counts.
True, most of what he writes is pure drivel, and the rest is mostly unforgivable twaddle.
But, we should all praise him for his efforts! At least, he tries to "play in our sandbox!"
And liberals should rejoice! If Brooks is the best they can throw at us......?
SOONER OR LATER, WE'RE GONNA WIN THIS POLITICAL ARGUMENT!
Great Job from this morning's posters at the NYT readers forums! This mornings postings are well thought out, carefully written, insightful, and best of all true. A refreshing change from the sad babel of the demented Neocons sometimes found on the NYT boards!
Brooks bashing is great fun! Keep up the good work....
But Brooks is really that rare bird in American Politics--A CONSERVATIVE INTELLECTUAL. (True, some might say, pseudo-intellectual conservative, and some pseudo-conservative intellectual)
Most conservatives don't even try to rationalize their postions, because they can't. For most conservatives IT'S ALL ABOUT ME! MY MONEY. MY RELIGION. MY TAXES. MY UNINFORMED "BELIEFS" AND PREJUDICES. MY KOOKY CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
So, the pharse "conservative intellectual" is really an oxymoron.
But Brooks at least makes an attempt to prove that all conservatives are not morons, and conversely that all morons are not conservatives! And, it's the thought that counts.
True, most of what he writes is pure drivel, and the rest is mostly unforgivable twaddle.
But, we should all praise him for his efforts! At least, he tries to "play in our sandbox!"
And liberals should rejoice! If Brooks is the best they can throw at us......?
SOONER OR LATER, WE'RE GONNA WIN THIS POLITICAL ARGUMENT!
Friday, January 21, 2005
BUSH'S FOUR FREEDOMS
Since it's all about abstractions this week, compare Dubya's "Four Freedoms" with FDR's.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH: For Dubya this means the right of the rich to spread Big Lies about their opponents. Swift Boat being the most recent example, but the entire Washington Special Interest Lobby is the best case. Corporate accounting and securities fraud are also protected under this "Freedom." Let's call it the wealthy elite's FREEDOM TO LIE!
FREEDOM OF RELIGION: For Dubya this means using the chruch as a "political cell." And the "Confusion of Church and State." And also, the right to bomb and kill those who are the children of a "lesser God." Call this the FREEDOM TO ESTABLISH AN HYPOCRITICAL STATE-SPONSORED PSEUDO-RELIGION, PRIMARILY AS A MEANS OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONTOL BY AND FOR THE ELITES.
FREEDOM FROM WANT: Freedom from want and provision of a "healthy life" was key to FDR. Dubya, the ultimate Anti-FDR, calls this the Freedom to Starve and Get Sick; so that the Republican rich can keep ALL of the money that they stole from the economy, with the help of their "friends" in Wall Street and Washington. Dubya opposes meaningful national health care, but yet would deprive the injured poor of their day in court for nearly any reason. CALL THIS THE FREEDOM TO STARVE IN THE NAME OF PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF THE ECONOMY. Or, THE FREEDOM OF ELITE PROPERTY OWNERS TO CONTROL ALL ASPECTS OF SOCIETY. This almost harkens back to the Medievel System of Land and Class, which we fought two bloody World Wars in the 20th Century to abolish!
FREEDOM FROM FEAR: For Dubya it's the FREEDOM TO FEAR EVERYTHING! Dubya owes his re-election to Osama and Co. Dubya's record could never stand the light of day. ONLY BY PERPETUATING THE EVIL DARKNESS OF UNNAMED FEARS CAN DUBYA "STAY POPULAR" WITH THE MASS OF PEOPLE. Dubya's "leadership" is right out of some Sci-Fi DYSTOPIA of the 1960's! Today America is a troubled and lost society in constant fear of "the evil one."
So, let's sum up:
DUBYA RELIES ON BIG LIES, IGNORANCE, SUPERSTITIONS AND STATE ENCOURAGED QUASI-RELIGION AND RELIGIOUSITY, ALONG WITH FEAR OF STARVATION AND UNSEEN "EVIL ONES" TO PERPETUATE HIS SAD DYSTOPIA ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!
PERHAPS, THE ONLY THING WE REALLY HAVE TO FEAR IS FOUR MORE YEARS OF DUBYA AND CO, ITSELF! ......YA THINK?
FREEDOM OF SPEECH: For Dubya this means the right of the rich to spread Big Lies about their opponents. Swift Boat being the most recent example, but the entire Washington Special Interest Lobby is the best case. Corporate accounting and securities fraud are also protected under this "Freedom." Let's call it the wealthy elite's FREEDOM TO LIE!
FREEDOM OF RELIGION: For Dubya this means using the chruch as a "political cell." And the "Confusion of Church and State." And also, the right to bomb and kill those who are the children of a "lesser God." Call this the FREEDOM TO ESTABLISH AN HYPOCRITICAL STATE-SPONSORED PSEUDO-RELIGION, PRIMARILY AS A MEANS OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONTOL BY AND FOR THE ELITES.
FREEDOM FROM WANT: Freedom from want and provision of a "healthy life" was key to FDR. Dubya, the ultimate Anti-FDR, calls this the Freedom to Starve and Get Sick; so that the Republican rich can keep ALL of the money that they stole from the economy, with the help of their "friends" in Wall Street and Washington. Dubya opposes meaningful national health care, but yet would deprive the injured poor of their day in court for nearly any reason. CALL THIS THE FREEDOM TO STARVE IN THE NAME OF PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF THE ECONOMY. Or, THE FREEDOM OF ELITE PROPERTY OWNERS TO CONTROL ALL ASPECTS OF SOCIETY. This almost harkens back to the Medievel System of Land and Class, which we fought two bloody World Wars in the 20th Century to abolish!
FREEDOM FROM FEAR: For Dubya it's the FREEDOM TO FEAR EVERYTHING! Dubya owes his re-election to Osama and Co. Dubya's record could never stand the light of day. ONLY BY PERPETUATING THE EVIL DARKNESS OF UNNAMED FEARS CAN DUBYA "STAY POPULAR" WITH THE MASS OF PEOPLE. Dubya's "leadership" is right out of some Sci-Fi DYSTOPIA of the 1960's! Today America is a troubled and lost society in constant fear of "the evil one."
So, let's sum up:
DUBYA RELIES ON BIG LIES, IGNORANCE, SUPERSTITIONS AND STATE ENCOURAGED QUASI-RELIGION AND RELIGIOUSITY, ALONG WITH FEAR OF STARVATION AND UNSEEN "EVIL ONES" TO PERPETUATE HIS SAD DYSTOPIA ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!
PERHAPS, THE ONLY THING WE REALLY HAVE TO FEAR IS FOUR MORE YEARS OF DUBYA AND CO, ITSELF! ......YA THINK?
Thursday, January 20, 2005
THE SPEECH
Hokum and Bunkum on steroids. Platitudinous Drivel worthy of a High School Valedictorian. Twaddle from the Land of Faerie. All together forgetable Rhetorical Gibberish. And, Hypocritical Sermonizing of the worst sort.
Dubya should stop payment on the check to whoever wrote this mess.
I've read the speech several times to see if I'm missing something, alas, I'm not.
Add to that the Bush Record for pathological lying in public.....and well....it's going to be a long long four more years.
What will the US look like the next time an Inauguration is held? I'm afraid to even speculate.
Dubya should stop payment on the check to whoever wrote this mess.
I've read the speech several times to see if I'm missing something, alas, I'm not.
Add to that the Bush Record for pathological lying in public.....and well....it's going to be a long long four more years.
What will the US look like the next time an Inauguration is held? I'm afraid to even speculate.
DUBYA'S DYSTOPIA RENEWED
HERE'S THE SPEECH.....NOT ONE WORD ABOUT THE DOMESTIC AGENDA, OR IRAQ .....KEEP 911 ALIVE IS THE MESSAGE FOR THE NEXT TERM:
On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.
At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical - and then there came a day of fire.
We have seen our vulnerability - and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny - prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder - violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.
America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time.
So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.
The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.
My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people against further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve, and have found it firm.
We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.
We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.
Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty - though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.
Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.
Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.
The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."
The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.
And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.
Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:
From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.
A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause - in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives - and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.
All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself - and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.
America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home - the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.
In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance - preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.
In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character - on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before - ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.
From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?
These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes - and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.
We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" - they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.
When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.
May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.
On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.
At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical - and then there came a day of fire.
We have seen our vulnerability - and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny - prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder - violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.
America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time.
So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.
The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.
My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people against further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve, and have found it firm.
We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.
We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.
Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty - though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.
Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.
Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.
The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."
The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.
And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.
Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:
From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.
A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause - in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives - and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.
All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself - and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.
America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home - the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.
In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance - preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.
In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character - on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before - ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.
From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?
These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes - and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.
We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" - they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.
When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.
May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.
REPUBLICANS WANT MORE CANDY!!
It's pretty hard to argue with Republicans these days, because Dubya has spend the last four years: GIVING AWAY THE CANDY STORE.
Clinton nearly got a hernia doing the macro-economic heavy lifting, often against his party's wishes:
Ending Welfare "as we knew it," and NAFTA were acts of political courage for which Clinton has recieved little credit.
Then came Dubya: And Dubya essentially spent his entire first term giving away the hard won Clinton Achivements! Giving away the Candy Store!
Now, the Republican faithful are in total ecstasy!
And yes, they want EVEN MORE CANDY!
It's hard to argue with tax cuts. I want candy! But why not just cancel ALL TAXES. I want more candy!
Amazingly, I think the Bushies would seriously consider NO GOVERNMENT as an viable option.
Hey Babe, it's "Freedom on the march!"
THIS IS WHAT COMES FROM HAVING A MEDIA THAT REFUSES TO CRITICIZE REPUBLICAN CHILDISH THINKING!
THE OBVIOUS FALLACY IN THE REPUBLICAN "GOSPEL OF GREED" IS THAT IF YOU GIVE THEM WHAT THE WANT---NO TAXES, NO GOVERNMENT CONTROL, NO SENSE OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST, ONLY THE PRIVATE GOOD MATTERS, LOOT, POLLUTE AND SCOOT-----
SOONER OR LATER? EVERYTHING COLLAPSES!!
WHY REPAIR THE ROADS!! WHY CARE FOR THE SICK AND THE POOR!!
WHY HAVE ANY TAXES AT ALL!! AFTER ALL TAXES DISCOURAGE HARD WORK, RIGHT?
Tonight the Republican Bully Boys will party hardy............hoping that in a pinch more neo-fascist political hype can save them from their folly.
While the Republican Credit Card Imperialists sing "I want Candy" tonight?
The rest of us can only look on with total disgust---and the sad knowledge of what's really coming---just down the road.
MOURNING FOR AMERICA STARTS NOW.
Clinton nearly got a hernia doing the macro-economic heavy lifting, often against his party's wishes:
Ending Welfare "as we knew it," and NAFTA were acts of political courage for which Clinton has recieved little credit.
Then came Dubya: And Dubya essentially spent his entire first term giving away the hard won Clinton Achivements! Giving away the Candy Store!
Now, the Republican faithful are in total ecstasy!
And yes, they want EVEN MORE CANDY!
It's hard to argue with tax cuts. I want candy! But why not just cancel ALL TAXES. I want more candy!
Amazingly, I think the Bushies would seriously consider NO GOVERNMENT as an viable option.
Hey Babe, it's "Freedom on the march!"
THIS IS WHAT COMES FROM HAVING A MEDIA THAT REFUSES TO CRITICIZE REPUBLICAN CHILDISH THINKING!
THE OBVIOUS FALLACY IN THE REPUBLICAN "GOSPEL OF GREED" IS THAT IF YOU GIVE THEM WHAT THE WANT---NO TAXES, NO GOVERNMENT CONTROL, NO SENSE OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST, ONLY THE PRIVATE GOOD MATTERS, LOOT, POLLUTE AND SCOOT-----
SOONER OR LATER? EVERYTHING COLLAPSES!!
WHY REPAIR THE ROADS!! WHY CARE FOR THE SICK AND THE POOR!!
WHY HAVE ANY TAXES AT ALL!! AFTER ALL TAXES DISCOURAGE HARD WORK, RIGHT?
Tonight the Republican Bully Boys will party hardy............hoping that in a pinch more neo-fascist political hype can save them from their folly.
While the Republican Credit Card Imperialists sing "I want Candy" tonight?
The rest of us can only look on with total disgust---and the sad knowledge of what's really coming---just down the road.
MOURNING FOR AMERICA STARTS NOW.
REPUBLICAN SING ALONG: I WANT CANDY!
I Want Candy
I know a guy who's tough but sweet
He's so fine, he can't be beat
He's got everything that I desire
Sets the summer sun on fire
I want candy, I want candy
Go to see him when the sun goes down
Ain't no finer boy in town
You're my guy, just what the doctor ordered
So sweet, you make my mouth water
I want candy, I want candy
Candy on the beach, there's nothing better
But I like candy when it's wrapped in a sweater
Some day soon I'll make you mine,
Then I'll have candy all the time
I want candy, I want candy
I want candy, I want candy...
I know a guy who's tough but sweet
He's so fine, he can't be beat
He's got everything that I desire
Sets the summer sun on fire
I want candy, I want candy
Go to see him when the sun goes down
Ain't no finer boy in town
You're my guy, just what the doctor ordered
So sweet, you make my mouth water
I want candy, I want candy
Candy on the beach, there's nothing better
But I like candy when it's wrapped in a sweater
Some day soon I'll make you mine,
Then I'll have candy all the time
I want candy, I want candy
I want candy, I want candy...
EMBRACING THE COMING TRAIN WRECK!
Today the world embraces, with total hopelessness, the prospect of having to deal with Bush & his handlers for four more years.
There is a sense of gloom and doom that resembles 1939.....everyone knows what's coming, but everyone is hoping it won't happen.
America has become a proto-fascist state in the eyes of most of the world. Almost utterly friendless.........in a hostile world.
The general public was manipluated by the Rovian Republicans with their Three "R"s of Religion, Racism and Hate Radio.
Yet Friedman, etal, have done a disservice by persistantly supporting the ill-planed war catastrophe in Iraq. And encouraging another war in Iran will be the last straw for the middle east.
While the "swing kids" of Iran are wonderful and all that....they are not a causus belli for another war. Because once the bombing starts those same swing kids will be as anti-American as the "nice Shia" in Sadr City were and even are to this day.
Israel is in greater danger now than ever because of Bush's slavish support of Sharon and the Likudnics West Bank Annexation Plans.
And the Bank of China is apparently the sole support of the dollar now.
Any "bond panic" that results from Dubya's screwball notions, at home or abroad, could end this little experiment in Neocon Imperialism quickly!
The only hope for those outside the Religious Right now is to have no hope.
THE SLOW MOTION TRAIN WRECK CONTINUES!
JUST STAND BACK AND ENJOY THE SHOW.
There is a sense of gloom and doom that resembles 1939.....everyone knows what's coming, but everyone is hoping it won't happen.
America has become a proto-fascist state in the eyes of most of the world. Almost utterly friendless.........in a hostile world.
The general public was manipluated by the Rovian Republicans with their Three "R"s of Religion, Racism and Hate Radio.
Yet Friedman, etal, have done a disservice by persistantly supporting the ill-planed war catastrophe in Iraq. And encouraging another war in Iran will be the last straw for the middle east.
While the "swing kids" of Iran are wonderful and all that....they are not a causus belli for another war. Because once the bombing starts those same swing kids will be as anti-American as the "nice Shia" in Sadr City were and even are to this day.
Israel is in greater danger now than ever because of Bush's slavish support of Sharon and the Likudnics West Bank Annexation Plans.
And the Bank of China is apparently the sole support of the dollar now.
Any "bond panic" that results from Dubya's screwball notions, at home or abroad, could end this little experiment in Neocon Imperialism quickly!
The only hope for those outside the Religious Right now is to have no hope.
THE SLOW MOTION TRAIN WRECK CONTINUES!
JUST STAND BACK AND ENJOY THE SHOW.
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