WHEN DO WE CARE ENOUGH?
As I listened to the "pretend" outrage this evening over former candidate John Kerry's remarks which he apparently intended as criticism of President Bush and some of his minions and then turned upside down by the President and all the "talking heads" of the Republican Party (including John Mc Cain who will do anything to curry favor with the "base") I was moved to raise a few questions.
Does anyone actually believe that John Kerry (or any other politician) would stand in front of national microphones and say (with conviction and fore thought) that all of our troops serving and dying in Iraq are "stupid"? On the other hand, Senator Kerry and those who write for him are surely less than brilliant for putting out a comment like this that could and was interpreted as a dig about our troops. My advice is to stop trying the subtle jokes and just present YOUR plan to fix this mess!
Can we "trust" the current group in power when it bombards the airwaves with their babble saying that Kerry (and all Democrats through "guilt by association") doesn't support the troops in Iraq when they absolutely KNOW that isn't factual? This is once again an example of diverting the real issue (that being the disaster in Iraq and Afghanistan) by trying to stir people up over the ill advised comments of an ex-presidential candidate or anyone else that calls our current direction into question.
At what point will "we the people" start demanding that United States military personnel stop being used as "politcal pawns" in our absurd election cycles? U.S. military personnel are NOT Republicans and are NOT Democrats (or any other political party)! They ARE however, individuals that are following the orders of their superiors and being placed in harm's way and bleeding and dying every day. They don't get the opportunity to ask if their daily mission came from a Republican or a Democrat and then decide if they will care it out. I would submit that 98% of our troops want one thing more than all others. They want to get this mess finished and COME HOME to their families and the "relative safety" of the American streets! They want their country and it's leaders to CARE ENOUGH about THEM to make the decisions necessary to get them out of the killing zone VERY SOON and stop making excuses for policy failures.
I have been shaking my head for close to 5 YEARS now as I watched and listened to the President of the United States of America (who at least in theory if not in practice is supposed to be the LEADER of ALL AMERICANS) and virtually every other Republican who gets in front of a microphone assert that any person (but especially any Democrat) who states any objection to "our" War policy (or pretty much any other policy) is, by inference, "un-American" and doesn't care about "the troops". This, to me, is not only an extreme insult to at least half of the American people but equally insulting to our troops! I would submit that a substantial number of our military personnel come from families that are not in the Republican party and have had to listen to the current administration infer that THEIR family members are un-American or unpatriotic because they have questioned the policies of this government. This CAN'T be good for morale!
I have also been shaking my head at the Democrats who have run around criticizing the "war" and other policies of the current administration without offering a viable plan of their own. I heard a Democratic leader the other day say that there isn't any point in offering "their plan" when they don't have the votes to make it happen. This postion is equally wrong to that of the current administration and shows that the Democrats are just as guilty of politicizing the "war" and an indication that they too, do not care as much about our troops under fire as they do about political posturing. If there are ideas or possible plans resting in the desks of Democrat leaders and any of those ideas could save the life of even one of our troops, bring them into the light of day and show that you CARE ENOUGH to do the right thing without concern for votes or political power.
To get to the main point of this posting I ask; "When do we care enough?"
When do we care enough to stop this insanity? Everyday this month, it seemed like some kind of numbers game as all the media became obsessed by the American body count. Would the death toll be "the most since" or would the death toll reach 100 for the month? THIS IS NOT A GAME!!! We are losing REAL PEOPLE with REAL FAMILIES and it needs to STOP! But as I've written in other posts, we "love" our numbers here in America and heck, we haven't even "lost" 3,000 troops yet. Our losses in Iraq to date are "minimal" when compared to Vietnam or Korea or WWII, so what's all the concern about anyway? We need to have five or ten or fifteen times the current number of dead Americans before "we the people" will get sickened enough to care, right? We also have the option of realizing that as horrific as our other "wars" were in the past, the numbers of death or destruction should not be a source of comparison to our current situation. We also have the option to test this "pro-life" philosophy circulating through this country and CARE ENOUGH (on both sides of the political aisle) about the NEXT dead soldier to commit ALL our resources to getting our young men and women OUT of harm's way. This will NOT be accomplished by continuing to "fight" this "war" in a manner well suited to the enemy (be they "insurgents", terrorists, or sectarian rival factions). It is not shameful for the current administration to just admit this and change the tactics. It is not shameful in a "war" situation to pull back and regroup and change the plan. If George Custer hadn't been so stubborn and arrogant he wouldn't have led all his men (and himself) into a slaughter that got all the soldiers killed.
The debacle in Iraq (and oh by the way Afghanistan as well) is bleeding the United States not only of irreplaceable human lives of our troops but also of huge financial resources and the reputation and "aura" of the United States of America as a respected and dominant country on this planet. When "fighting" a war against an enemy that shows even less regard for life than we do there is no end (a lesson we should have learned in Korea and Vietnam) because any thoughts of victory by attrition are fruitless. The statements of "winning" we hear from our President and others are meaningless if their definition of "winning" means that every last person we are fighting must either "give up" or is dead before "victory" is claimed. Once that premise is accepted as FACT there might be a chance of finding a different approach to this growing crisis. There are alternatives that can be employed (some of which may be viewed as harsh) and our troops deserve better than to be slowly killed in the streets of Iraq or Afghanistan.
"We the people" need to stand up and DEMAND that the so-called "leaders" of America stop playing politics and dividing us into "Red or Blue" or "Republicans or Democrats" and GET THE JOB DONE!!! The wounds to America and its people (many self-inflicted) are becoming so deep that very soon, even if we "win", it won't matter because we will have become a nation so filled with hate for our fellow citizens that we will have lost our sense of identity as Americans and as human beings.
It is Time To Think Again!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Friday, October 13, 2006
U.S. CITIZENS FACE YET ANOTHER ATTACK!
The "sneak attack" by the Senate in the late hours of their last session to effectively ban online poker, is yet another example of the unlimited hypocrisy our "leaders" (of both major parties) show in the quest for the MONEY. Since 48 of our 50 States currently allow some form of "legal" gambling, THIS bill certainly IS NOT about the "morality" of gambling. It is ONLY about the fact that the online poker sites are based offshore and therefore out of the financial control (i.e. taxes) of the United States. The gambling interests inside the U.S. (along with their financial support to our "leaders") have pressured your Government not to make gambling illegal but to set in motion steps that are a far bigger threat to OUR personal rights to decide for ourselves where and how to spend our money! The REAL danger here is that the U.S. Government has taken the step of ORDERING U.S. Banks, Credit card companies and money transfer firms to refuse or monitor OUR transactions on an otherwise valid credit card or bank account! Plus, this new bill even "shields" the banks and credit card firms from any legal action YOU (the customer) might attempt to take against them for assisting in this blantent infringement of our right to make our own decisions with our lives and our money. But, fear not citizens. AS SOON AS THE MONEY GETS RIGHT (meaning that the U.S. Government AND the U.S. gaming interests get "the deal" correct to gain a piece or all of the revenue, THERE WILL BE AN EXEMPTION made for online poker (just as there is now for horse racing and the lottery). In the end MONEY talks much louder than morality!
A sad aspect of this legislation (among many sad aspects) is that it had to be "added" onto our nation's new Port Security Act in order to "insure" it's passage and wasn't allowed to stand or fall on it's on merits (or lack of them).
I would ask readers to consider further what the "policing" effect could be due to the tactics used in this bill to "control" our spending habits. Why won't the U.S. Government be inclined to "order" our banks and credit card companies to stop us from paying for subscriptions or memberships to information sources that are deemed "dangerous" to our growth as "good Americans"? Why not? China already does this so it's not that big a stretch. If enough money is contributed any restriction is possible!
In the end, this legislation is more about controlling "we the people" than any concern about the morality of gambling. It is especially about the money. Our money AND the portion of it the U.S. government feels it simply MUST have is at the heart of this law as well.
YOUR freedom is under attack and you're not winning the war. It must be "Time to Think Again"!
The "sneak attack" by the Senate in the late hours of their last session to effectively ban online poker, is yet another example of the unlimited hypocrisy our "leaders" (of both major parties) show in the quest for the MONEY. Since 48 of our 50 States currently allow some form of "legal" gambling, THIS bill certainly IS NOT about the "morality" of gambling. It is ONLY about the fact that the online poker sites are based offshore and therefore out of the financial control (i.e. taxes) of the United States. The gambling interests inside the U.S. (along with their financial support to our "leaders") have pressured your Government not to make gambling illegal but to set in motion steps that are a far bigger threat to OUR personal rights to decide for ourselves where and how to spend our money! The REAL danger here is that the U.S. Government has taken the step of ORDERING U.S. Banks, Credit card companies and money transfer firms to refuse or monitor OUR transactions on an otherwise valid credit card or bank account! Plus, this new bill even "shields" the banks and credit card firms from any legal action YOU (the customer) might attempt to take against them for assisting in this blantent infringement of our right to make our own decisions with our lives and our money. But, fear not citizens. AS SOON AS THE MONEY GETS RIGHT (meaning that the U.S. Government AND the U.S. gaming interests get "the deal" correct to gain a piece or all of the revenue, THERE WILL BE AN EXEMPTION made for online poker (just as there is now for horse racing and the lottery). In the end MONEY talks much louder than morality!
A sad aspect of this legislation (among many sad aspects) is that it had to be "added" onto our nation's new Port Security Act in order to "insure" it's passage and wasn't allowed to stand or fall on it's on merits (or lack of them).
I would ask readers to consider further what the "policing" effect could be due to the tactics used in this bill to "control" our spending habits. Why won't the U.S. Government be inclined to "order" our banks and credit card companies to stop us from paying for subscriptions or memberships to information sources that are deemed "dangerous" to our growth as "good Americans"? Why not? China already does this so it's not that big a stretch. If enough money is contributed any restriction is possible!
In the end, this legislation is more about controlling "we the people" than any concern about the morality of gambling. It is especially about the money. Our money AND the portion of it the U.S. government feels it simply MUST have is at the heart of this law as well.
YOUR freedom is under attack and you're not winning the war. It must be "Time to Think Again"!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
WE DESERVE THE ANSWER!!
As the "leaders" of America parade themselves in front of "we the people" in the weeks before the mid-term elections and flood our TV's and radios with appearances and speeches in their desperate attempt to get our almighty vote, the most critical question is not even being asked.
In the days following the attacks of September 11th, 2001 and then during and since our attacks of Afghanistan and Iraq, our country's leadership has been pounding our senses with the single theme that we must "stay the course" and remain in a "state of war" UNTIL WE WIN. The "enemy" MUST be defeated.
The most critical question that is NOT being asked is; "EXACTLY what does WINNING mean?" I'm not talking about progress or the "taking" of a village or making it possible for some people to cast a ballot. The question is about the end of this "War" on terror (aka; evil). The media, the politicians, and we the people don't ask or answer that question because that would require facing a horrific reality and that might be disruptive to our daily lives.
I would propose that to actually face the question directly would force all of us to also face the reality that (as it has been throughout human history), there is NO winning in the fundamental "war" of perceived good vs. evil. That "war" has been and will be fought between all humans and all nations because "good and evil" is as ingrained into our concepts as our instinct to breathe and survive. Good and evil are nothing more than opinions and concepts and our "opinion" depends solely on our position at the time.
When our current President declared "War on Evil", he simply made the eternal battle of humanity, an official position of the United States of America. When our "enemies" declared "War on America", they simply made their "position" official. When the line was drawn in the sand the test began. Which side has the bigger guns? Which side has the better strategy? Which side is more willing to lose their soldiers? Which side is willing to do whatever it takes (literally) to win?
The ONLY question that faces the American people that really matters is this; "Are we willing and able to KILL EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the planet that wishes to harm us? Take a minute and let that question sink into your mind because everything else is secondary. All the strategy and all the "battles" and all the talk is really irrelevant. If "we" answer yes to this question, then let's get on with it and stop the policy of "killing us slowly". If "we" answer no to this question then we had better figure out how to bring this "war on evil" to an end before that option is taken out of our control.
Most Americans have grown up with the belief that in every contest there is a winner and a loser. All of our sporting contests work that way. Our previous "wars" dating back to the Revolution, the Civil War, WWI and WWII were brutally fought with the goal of winning. In each of these conflicts there came a point when the "war" came to an end and all sides accepted the conclusion. The enemies of those wars gradually got on with the future and in most cases have built alliances with each other. How many Americans in 1942 and 1943 would have accepted the idea that Germany and Japan would become major partners in commerce and peace? I would think almost all Americans would have dismissed that idea as treasonous at best. But, rational minds prevailed. Korea and Vietnam were both misguided "wars" (although never officially declared wars) that after over a combined 100,000 American deaths and hundreds of thousands more wounded, were eventually ended in a draw situation. For over 50 years our strategy has been to "contain" Korea and trade efforts have improved with the people of Vietnam and that great evil of Communism never did spread and take over the far East as our "leaders" of that era tried to convince us it would if we didn't "save" Vietnam. The "Evil Empire" that was the Soviet Union (contrary to all thinking for over 40 years) is now an ally of the United States (at least publicly) and none of us thought that could ever happen! The point is that America (and the world) have confronted many enemies and many "perceived" threats to our existence portrayed by our leaders as the worst enemy ever and we have survived in part because "winning" didn't necessarily mean the full and complete destruction of everyone who didn't like us.
The growing frustration that many Americans (and people around the world) have with our nation's current policy and direction is that we are not getting the answer to the question; "What does winning mean?" Well, I would suggest that "we the people" not only ask the question at every opportunity but that we DEMAND the answer! If our troops are going to continue to be killed (a few every day) and American families are going to be asked to accept the immense suffering created by this "war" then I believe it is way past time for the leadership (of both political parties) step up and "lead" us to a conclusion and start by answering that primary question without "spin" or any other evasive tactic that is so common.
A few other questions might be; 1) What exactly do these "terrorist" enemies want? 2) Is there anything short of mass annilation that can bring about a cessation of hostilities? 3) Can this situation be contained by any means other than military confrontation? 4) Does the American Military Industrial Complex actually control the U.S. Government enough to prevent all efforts to slow its agenda down? 5) If there is a God, whose "God" is correct and why?
I will end this post with the hope that some of you will at least think about our situation and then face the reality and the choices we have right now. We either must commit ourselves and our country to an all out effort to kill everyone (whom we perceive as even a potential enemy) OR we must develop policies and strategies to "contain" our enemies (both perceived and real) because this "evil" we are fighting will always be among us in one form or another until we finally destroy our species completely.
It is TIME TO THINK AGAIN!
As the "leaders" of America parade themselves in front of "we the people" in the weeks before the mid-term elections and flood our TV's and radios with appearances and speeches in their desperate attempt to get our almighty vote, the most critical question is not even being asked.
In the days following the attacks of September 11th, 2001 and then during and since our attacks of Afghanistan and Iraq, our country's leadership has been pounding our senses with the single theme that we must "stay the course" and remain in a "state of war" UNTIL WE WIN. The "enemy" MUST be defeated.
The most critical question that is NOT being asked is; "EXACTLY what does WINNING mean?" I'm not talking about progress or the "taking" of a village or making it possible for some people to cast a ballot. The question is about the end of this "War" on terror (aka; evil). The media, the politicians, and we the people don't ask or answer that question because that would require facing a horrific reality and that might be disruptive to our daily lives.
I would propose that to actually face the question directly would force all of us to also face the reality that (as it has been throughout human history), there is NO winning in the fundamental "war" of perceived good vs. evil. That "war" has been and will be fought between all humans and all nations because "good and evil" is as ingrained into our concepts as our instinct to breathe and survive. Good and evil are nothing more than opinions and concepts and our "opinion" depends solely on our position at the time.
When our current President declared "War on Evil", he simply made the eternal battle of humanity, an official position of the United States of America. When our "enemies" declared "War on America", they simply made their "position" official. When the line was drawn in the sand the test began. Which side has the bigger guns? Which side has the better strategy? Which side is more willing to lose their soldiers? Which side is willing to do whatever it takes (literally) to win?
The ONLY question that faces the American people that really matters is this; "Are we willing and able to KILL EVERY SINGLE PERSON on the planet that wishes to harm us? Take a minute and let that question sink into your mind because everything else is secondary. All the strategy and all the "battles" and all the talk is really irrelevant. If "we" answer yes to this question, then let's get on with it and stop the policy of "killing us slowly". If "we" answer no to this question then we had better figure out how to bring this "war on evil" to an end before that option is taken out of our control.
Most Americans have grown up with the belief that in every contest there is a winner and a loser. All of our sporting contests work that way. Our previous "wars" dating back to the Revolution, the Civil War, WWI and WWII were brutally fought with the goal of winning. In each of these conflicts there came a point when the "war" came to an end and all sides accepted the conclusion. The enemies of those wars gradually got on with the future and in most cases have built alliances with each other. How many Americans in 1942 and 1943 would have accepted the idea that Germany and Japan would become major partners in commerce and peace? I would think almost all Americans would have dismissed that idea as treasonous at best. But, rational minds prevailed. Korea and Vietnam were both misguided "wars" (although never officially declared wars) that after over a combined 100,000 American deaths and hundreds of thousands more wounded, were eventually ended in a draw situation. For over 50 years our strategy has been to "contain" Korea and trade efforts have improved with the people of Vietnam and that great evil of Communism never did spread and take over the far East as our "leaders" of that era tried to convince us it would if we didn't "save" Vietnam. The "Evil Empire" that was the Soviet Union (contrary to all thinking for over 40 years) is now an ally of the United States (at least publicly) and none of us thought that could ever happen! The point is that America (and the world) have confronted many enemies and many "perceived" threats to our existence portrayed by our leaders as the worst enemy ever and we have survived in part because "winning" didn't necessarily mean the full and complete destruction of everyone who didn't like us.
The growing frustration that many Americans (and people around the world) have with our nation's current policy and direction is that we are not getting the answer to the question; "What does winning mean?" Well, I would suggest that "we the people" not only ask the question at every opportunity but that we DEMAND the answer! If our troops are going to continue to be killed (a few every day) and American families are going to be asked to accept the immense suffering created by this "war" then I believe it is way past time for the leadership (of both political parties) step up and "lead" us to a conclusion and start by answering that primary question without "spin" or any other evasive tactic that is so common.
A few other questions might be; 1) What exactly do these "terrorist" enemies want? 2) Is there anything short of mass annilation that can bring about a cessation of hostilities? 3) Can this situation be contained by any means other than military confrontation? 4) Does the American Military Industrial Complex actually control the U.S. Government enough to prevent all efforts to slow its agenda down? 5) If there is a God, whose "God" is correct and why?
I will end this post with the hope that some of you will at least think about our situation and then face the reality and the choices we have right now. We either must commit ourselves and our country to an all out effort to kill everyone (whom we perceive as even a potential enemy) OR we must develop policies and strategies to "contain" our enemies (both perceived and real) because this "evil" we are fighting will always be among us in one form or another until we finally destroy our species completely.
It is TIME TO THINK AGAIN!
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