Since last I posted, 104+ more Americans have died fighting for "freedom" in Iraq, New Orleans has been trashed, first by a storm, next by government ineptitude, over 1000 Iraqis (those people so important to us now) have died, the "free" Iraqis still can't agree on a constitution which would include equal rights for women, Iran has moved closer to asserting itself on the nuclear world stage, the Israeli occupation of Gaza has ended, Cindy Sheehan is off the front pages, children in Darfur are still dying by the thousands, Bush is off vacation, another Bush has been arrested for DUI, September 11th has come and gone, Bill Maher continues to give face time to conservative pundits or pundit wanna bes, and a phone call from Dick Cheney can still preserve profits for oil companies by diverting resources for repairing hospitals!
What is it about the world that I am missing??
As the American KIA numbers soared in August I wondered if this was another "Tet Offensive" in the making. Sadly, the number of families receiveing "visits" from uniformed officers from the armed forces will continue until somebody says enough. The polls say that americans who oppose the continued occupation of Iraq exceeds the number of americans who support it. What kind of democracy do we live in where the elected officials don't listen to the people, or where the minority determines when enough lives have been lost in a eog driven folly? Fortunately, the offensive of early august it has not proven to be so, but at what cost to the Iraqi people. Just a few days ago, multiple bombs killed and maimed hundreds on a single day..and for what?? The American backed "parliment" still has not finished a draft of the proposed constitution, a document that was supposed to be done by August 15 or parliment was to have been dissolved and another elected. The draft is a major slap in the face to women's rights, yet we continue to send American women into harms way to fight for the "Iraqi right of self government". Why is Iraq so important, and Darfur is not?? If by now, there is any educated person who doesn't beleive that oil was the issue, they are either dillusional, or a neoconazi to the bone (and yes, I will use nazi to describe them!) As we close useless military bases in the US, we build even more useless bases abroad, and to what end?? What is the government not telling us about potential enemies that require these bases so far from home?? And who do they think these enemies are?? Surely terrorists are not going to attack a heavily armed military base in a way that requires huge investments in personnel and material, that's not the nature of a guerilla war...ask the Londoners. When are we going to acknowledge the fact that Iraq, the effort to "secure" this piece of desert, the lives lost on all sides, the squandering of resources, has less to do with protecting the average American in america than it does with "protecting" oil reserves...the dope of the American culture and profits for big business? What am I missing?
New Orleans...(suck it up, I'm from there, have family there and can speak from first hand experience)
So long neglected, used like a cheap whore by the party crowd, forgotten by social justice advocates, Louisiana drained of its natural beauty by the same oil people who now destroy Iraq for the same fix. Troubling to see government "officials" being told what a great job they're doing "Brownie" by a president who continued to vacation while the city flooded, by an administration who began pointing fingers even before they summoned help, an administration who used this tragedy as they have used every tragedy as a photo op and image builder. Wasn't it odd that the 82nd Airborne (the elite and trained fighters they are) was on patrol in New Orleans while a bunch of middle aged NG guys (just one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer my ass )from Louisiana are on patrol in Fallujah? What's that about? Another classic example of mismanagement by an inept administration in washington. And if we can lose billions in Iraq, just think what the scammers can do closer to home! I'm not exonorating the people who looted, but have you ever witnessed a breakdown of social order where people did not loot??? Why isn't the security of real assets not a part of any emergency planning? Wanna stop looting? Have enough emergency personnel to conduct search and rescue, AND maintain a presence large enough to secure places where potential looting will occur. Many people will not realize that the places most looted in NO were near housing projects where desparation is a way of life. I know, remember, I lived there. Every time I looked at footage, I could identify those red brick buildings hundreds of yards from the looted areas. And do you think the looters were the people who could afford to evacuate?? No, they were the people left behind to fend for themselves, or turned back into the city when they tried to escape by walking across the bridges into the (predominately white) suburbs. You may have seen the woman running down the street, draped with tennis shoes (many too big for her to wear), and thought what a thief she was, well get a clue, those shoes were most likely converted into dollars to get what she needed right then, or that will be used for food, and essential goods when order is restored. I heard many people say that they didn't have a problem with people looting food or essentials, but they drew the line at the arm loads of clothing and merchandise seen carried off by looters. Well, folks, the people you saw didn't have access to money in the days following the storm and flood, nor is money worth much when you need water and there is none to be had, and converting goods and merchandise into essentials wasn't far behind. These people don't have bank accounts and ATM access. And don't think that they got rich from their looted bounty. They survived until the government got to them with food and water. And if it took a pair of Reeboks traded for food to feed your kids, you would have done it too! If we just had the charity to think these things through. It wasn't the first choice of these people to shit and piss into the flood waters surrounding their homes (or in a corner of the Superdome) it was the necessity created by not having running water in their homes! The pictures you saw were also used to get you to watch a particular network. I saw troops searching a housing project (a mile from my old neighborhood) where "snipers" were firing on emergency crews...none of which were available to substantiate the "reporters" claim and on several different networks, I saw the same guy being frisked. This major sweep produced one guy??? Poor bastard was just looking out for his home. So, bush gets another photo op, blame has been placed, money will be thrown at the problem, let's see what New Orleans is like in 10 years, I'll bet no better off than it was before the storm.
The Iraqi constitution...late, misguided, and too influenced by powers outside of Iraq to make a long term difference. Iraq, without an american presense will not exist in 5 years as it existed prior to the invasion. Will there be an american presense in the new states that make up the old Iraq, you can bet on it..we will leave when the last drop of oil is drained from their sands. Democracy, freedom, liberty for their peoples mean nothing...watch and wait.
Iran...leave it alone, every country has rights, just like every person has certain inalienable rights. If any state abuses those rights or the rights of their neighbors, address the crime AFTER it has been committed. Don't assume that a state will commit a crime...that's what has us bogged down in Iraq...and that's what has a few hundred people trapped in Gitmo...no crime, just the thought that they may commit a crime. Is this is what it takes to keep us safe? Locking a bunch of people without the right of due process? Or for that matter any rights? We've created a couple of hundred Nelson Mandelas and just like Nelson, they will get out some day and they won't just go quietly.
Israel out of Gaza.....GOOD! State sponsored oppression, based on political differences, or religion is wrong. Israel is a Zionist nation, every bit as bad as any nations run by religious "leaders". It isn't like we would invade Israel for being run by rabbis, so why support a double standard elsewhere. If Zionists choose to run Israel, and it is OK with the people of Israel, fine. I just choose not to support religious states no matter what the flavor of their God in the middle east, in Utah, in South Carolina, on the Supreme Court....nowhere!
George Bush can thank his God (and the msm) for making Cindy Sheehan dissappear. Without Katrina, he would still be on vacation and Cindy would still be outside his "ranch". The press hates it when they are forced to give attention to someone or something they didn't find first. Cindy was no exception. The MSM is glad to move on, no matter how right Cindy was. Listen up cowboys..Bush only bought the place in 2000, so it isn't like his blood runs deep along the Brazos. He's not Texas, he's old East Coast snobbery, plain and simple. Give it up and sell your cowboy boots....he's a fake here too!
Starving Africans....until we export the available technology to slow the population growth in Africa, we will send food to starving Africans. We would find it disgusting, unacceptable, inhuman not to send food, so why don't we find it equally disgusting and inhuman to not send them the technology which could help them out of this vicious cycle. I can't remember a time when we haven't sent food to starving Africans, Asians, Haitians, so when are we going to "teach them how to fish" as the addage goes? Under the guise of charity, we continue to commit the greatest crimes against the most helpless people. Why?? Oh, I forgot, we can't make money in Africa or on the Africans. The last time Africans were valuable to us, we were selling them like animals. What's it going to take?? And notice, the crisis doesn't affect all africans. White South Africans don't live in shanty towns. Egypt is an African nation. Libya is an African nation. What's up with that??
It took 4 years for us to get over 9-11...kinda. Without the reps in power, it will be a distant memory in another 5-10. We never have forgotten Pearl Harbor. Can you see the difference now??
Democrats, Liberals, Progressives, whatever else they want to call themselves need to come together on one thing. They are not responsible for creating forums where the other side is allowed to counter their opinions and steal their airtime. Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc. never allow the other side to make their point, without a well rehearsed feint or response (direct from the RNC talking points memo faxed to them daily). The "left" (which I doubt actually exists) needs to just tell their side, and let the other side do what they choose. The donnybrook atmosphere of a Bill Maher "discussion" is bullshit. Jon Stewart needs to stop having RNC hacks on his show unless he is willing to take them apart. Enough of pretending to "play fair". Wake up, the other guys are punching below the belt at every opportunity. The average american is not interested in a goody goody fighter, they like the guy who wins! Wake up....it isn't about how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose!
Had Al Gore, or John Kerry walked across the stage and grabbed Bush by the throat and demanded that he explain himself, they would be president. Why is it that Bush gets away with so much?...because everybody agrees that it takes balls to try to run this crap on america, and by running his crap on america, he clearly has balls! If you're gonna have conservative dicks on the panel, Bill, don't let 'em talk, make 'em listen in front of a few million viewers...it's the least you can do to earn your big paycheck!
And finally....about Dick Cheney making a phone call to get pipelines (undoubtably owned by some buddies) back on line prior to getting hospitals' power restored...who the fuck is he anyway?? What was FEMA doing? What was W doing? Clearly this was a circumvention of the appropriate authority, wherever it was. But have you heard much about this??? Nope. Oh, so this was done to keep gas prices down in the Northeast...for whom? The gas price gouge after the storm was just that...price gouging. This wasn't about getting heating oil restored to thousands of east coast residents freezing to death in the middle of winter. It was about driving gas guzzlers. It wasn't about aviation fuel needed to conduct search and rescue, it was about gas prices and oil company profits. Had Dan Quayle done this kinda crap, would the press have "missed" it? Christ, Clinton was impeached for a blow job, but Cheney can deviate resources from emergency services and go un-noticed?? WTF?? So what am I missing?
