TOMORROW MATTERS

BUSH'S WAR

2007-11-19T11:23:00.000-06:00

Bush’s War. Let’s look at what Bush’s War has accomplished now that we are about to celebrate the 5th Thanksgiving with Bush’s War.

Is it a coincidence that in the beginning of Bush’s War, oil was trading around $45 per barrel, now it’s in the mid $90’s per barrel. Gas around $1.90 per gallon, now, about $3.08 gallon.

Bush’s War also brought the National Debt from 8.08 Trillion dollars to now 9.11 trillion dollars. Does that sound like small government and sound fiscal policy of which the GOP claim to be their strength.

Bush’s War regarding Iraq and all the talk of progress. 07’, the most lethal year for American troops, yes! Reconciled Iraqi government, no! AQI created, yes! Unstable Pakistan, yes! Unstable Afghanistan, yes! Middle East stability, no! Iraqi deaths lower under Saddam’s rule than with Bush’s War, yes! Iraqi oil production up, no!

Bush’s War costs. Thus far, 620 billion. Projected total, 2.4 trillion. Wounded in action, 37,659. KIA, 3,871. Bush’s War cost in American world standing, priceless.

His Father used to speak of, ”A Thousand Points of Light”. Reagen used to speak of, “ The Shinning City on the Hill”. Now we are vilified throughout the world, many of our staunchest allies are distancing themselves from “Bush’s War” much the same way that the GOP candidates are distancing themselves from Bush and “Bush’s War”.

What is left for Bush’s War to accomplish? He has created more terrorist’s than he’s killed. He united the planet against us while dividing Americans. America’s rich have prospered under his tax cuts and us average schmucks are working harder than ever. Usama Bin Laden is still free and we are no more safe at home. Fire and Police departments are suffering financially, that is the true cost of , “Bush’s War”!

US integrity for sale.

2007-10-22T08:37:00.000-05:00

Iraq. Before you read any further, I would like you to pause and ask yourself…Why are we in Iraq?

Everything we’ve been told by the Bush administration has been proven to be false. There were no WMDs. We were never 45 minutes away from a ‘mushroom’ cloud. Al Queda was never in Iraq. There were no mobile biological labs.

After all these reasons for invading Iraq were disproved, the Bush administration needed further justification to continue its occupation. This set a whole new set of lies in motion. Remember how we had to fight them over there so we didn’t have to fight them here. That’s ridiculous on it’s face. After undergoing several mutations that lie has now morphed into “spreading freedom’. That’s not working real well is it!

Even if it was working in Iraq, which it’s not, we are loosing freedoms at home. Bush/Cheney et al have done to us what the terrorists could never do. Suspend habeas corpus and compromised 5 of the 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights. Once you’ve sacrificed liberty for security you have essentially put a price tag on your integrity. What’s your integrity worth? Mine is not for sale!

Bush has decided integrity and world standing is for sale. The cost so far, upwards of 600 billion dollars and counting at a rate of $3,000 per second 24/7/365! Of course there’s the human cost. Over 3834 KIA thus far with upwards of 30,000 wounded and the cost of their care. Is that enough of a cost to sell your integrity?

Now we have Bush/Cheney trying to do the same thing all over again with regards to Iran. After already selling the aforementioned integrity I ask, does Bush have any integrity left to sell? At what cost? Buyer beware!

St.Paul Mn Anti war Rally 9-23-07

2007-09-23T16:12:00.001-05:00

FunWith Dick and Jay (Leno )

2007-08-03T16:56:00.000-05:00

DUST IN THE WIND

2007-08-02T02:11:00.000-05:00

DUST IN THE WIND

Do you ever feel like that? I do. Even among our own Democrats. You know, you write a letter with your concerns to your congressman and in reply you get some ‘form’ letter in return after some computer program went through it and picked some key phrases out and returned some drivelious (made up word), talking points in an attempt to satiate you.

Let me offer the following example.

After much research I installed an outdoor wood furnace to burn what would otherwise be waste wood. My research told me it would be good for the environment and good for my pocketbook. So after 3 years, I realized it was a very good investment because my investment was to be repaid even quicker than I first calculated.

Anyway, I tried to take this even further. I started to research wind turbines. The initial investment was a scary number, about 60k for a very large turbine that would generate about (forgive my memory on this, I’m not great at electricity figures); I think it was 25kw per year (something like that). Anyway, it would have supplied anywhere from 90%-110% of my yearly consumption. Basically I thought it means free electricity in perpetuity after it paid for itself after about 16 years with maintenance etc.

My surprise came when I found out, by law that my co-op could not buy my excess electricity for the same rate that I had to pay them. I pay about 10.7 cents per kwh but they would only pay me 3.7 cents per kwh. By law! This turned my recoupment from 16 years to over 30 years.

OK, so I write my congressman, who I think is great by the way. I tell him that I definitely don’t agree with this federal law. I get a return e-mail informing me of his energy policy! What now, I don’t have 60k just laying around without accounting for it.

With respect to my congressman, I get these same form letters from my Senators and the Whitehouse.

Enough of my personal struggles and back to my point. Can anyone offer any evidence that our leadership actually reads what we are writing. I see many, many Democrats who call for impeachment of GW Bush. Where is that going? I agree with Congressman Waxman and his investigations and I hope they will lead to an investigation of this administration that will lead to an actual impeachment investigation. Does Howard Dean read the blogs or is this just a feel good tool? Do our Democratic representatives use this tool to see how we feel?

That’s why I feel like dust in the wind.

WMD vs WMD

2007-08-01T00:57:00.000-05:00

WMDs in Iraq. Lets be sure of what we speak. The actual Weapons of Mass Destruction that the Reagen and Bush1 administrations sold Iraq or the imaginary Weapons of Mass Deception that the GW Bush administration sold America , our Senate and the world to invade a sovereign nation that had nothing to do with 911.
Sen. Rick Santorum famously declassified papers on national TV to show a few hundred canisters of mustard gas found in Iraq. These weapons were old and decrepit. These were the same WMDs that America sold Saddam Husein with Reagen and Bush1 in charge of the executive branch.
Yellow cake from Niger, aluminum tubes , mobile biological labs were the imaginary Weapons of Mass Deception that GW Bush used to kill allot of innocent people. Remember , he is the 'compassionate conservative'.
If the goal was to spread democracy , I've always wondered if we were to use the same criteria to attack N.Korea, Cuba or Venezuela?
If the goal was to spread freedom , I've always wondered why we didn't use the same criteria with Russia , China or Sudan?
If the goal was to fight terrorism , I've always wondered why we don't use the same force in Afghanistan , Chechnya or Iran?
Opinions are one thing but facts still are stubborn. The opinion from the right ' kill 'em all and let God sort it out', the opinion from the left is ' lets negotiate'. The fact is 'oil is the core reason we are in Iraq'. All you need to do is look at where our military is posted worldwide.
If you haven't figured this out yet , I truly feel pity for you. Americans are dieing for 78.o0$ per barrel. Fact is , oil has never traded higher than current prices. What a coincidence? Really , what a coincidence since the Bush administration took over. At least other administrations tried to hide the connection to Americas interests in" little" wars. This bunch might as well hire the Goodyear blimp to fly over the Superbowl and say, " I'm going to SACRIFICE AMERICAN CHILDREN FOR THE WEALTHY".

NO DEFENSE FOR GONZALES

2007-07-29T11:13:00.000-05:00

BIN LADEN'S 3 MAIN OBJECTIVES

2007-07-28T16:26:00.000-05:00

2007-07-28T12:00:00.001-05:00

MITT ROMNY TELLS US TO "LIGHTEN UP"

2007-07-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but after 8 years of GW I'm not ready to 'lighten up'. I want a president who has the good of our nation at heart. Not some one who wants to double the size of GITMO. The following video shows Mitts response to a questioner who wonders why he would compare 'OSAMA ' to OBAMA'. I've had enough of presidents calling the opposite party traitors.

IF YOU AINT MAD...WAKE UP!!!

2007-07-22T16:10:00.000-05:00

POLITICS = WAR

2007-07-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

Yea, it’s me again. Look I have no problem with all of you good honest Republicans out there. I just believe you lost the way of Goldwater, you know, small government, fiscal and personal responsibility, respect for the law and American interests above party success. If I had been born 10 years earlier, I would have been a republican. I believe I could have worked with liberals, we both would have wanted the same things, nobody is pro abortion, no one wants to restrict the 2^nd amendment, we all want the freedom to participate in religion to whatever degree we want and every one supports our military.

I’ve lived through enough presidents to know that all of them had strengths and weaknesses. None was perfect. After 9-11, I was proud of GW and his response, he actually was a ‘uniter. I, like the rest of America wanted Bin Laden captured and put on display so I could buy a cup of monkey poop and throw it on him. I believed Bush.

My confidence in Bush was short lived I’m sad to say. It was evident early on that Bush was receiving bad counsel. He abandoned and outsourced the capture of Bin Laden to the same warlords we are fighting in Afghanistan now. Worse than that he diverted our resources to an ill-advised invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation that had nothing to do with 9-11.

Even if you agree with Bush on Iraq, you must admit his occupation strategy has been an absolute failure. Not to mention his domestic policy. Have you ever heard of a ‘unitary executive’ before Bush? Everything seems to be politics with this man. His claims of authority are exactly what the founding fathers were guarding against!

3632 Americans have died in Iraq, never forget!

ALL HAIL BUSH-WHAT A PATRIOT!!!

2007-07-20T01:17:00.001-05:00

I’ve never put a lot of credence in people who espouse extreme positions, either left or right. Both parties have their fair share of wingnuts and each are easily dismissed, usually by their own words their arguments implode on themselves.

Lately, left leaning extremist have argued that GW Bush and his handlers have some sort of grand plan to suspend the constitution in order to establish a fascist state. They point to things GW has said, for example- regarding the 06 elections Bush said,’ at least we allowed the elections to happen’, concerning his difficulties with the congress he said,’ my job would be easier if this were a dictatorship, especially if I were the dictator’.

These are 2 of the many examples of narcissism that are far too common in the Bush administration. I’ve always viewed these statements as incompetence, not evil intentions.

Now we have Reagen Assistant Secretary of State, Paul Roberts saying this, "Unless Congress immediately impeaches Bush and Cheney, a year from now the US could be a dictatorial police state at war with Iran." This is not a commie, hippie liberal saying that.

Among other things he is referring to is executive order 51 and a new executive order announced 7-19-07 that allows the president to freeze the assets of dissenters. Both accomplish things that terrorists could never do, suspend the bill of rights in the USA. Order 51 allows the president to suspend posse commitatus until he deems order restored after he defines what an emergency is. The new order suspends any property rights that were left unassaulted by any of his previous actions. Both, absolutely unconstitutional.

To all republicans who still support GW, I ask this: What do you think will happen to our precious 2^nd amendment if GW gets his way if there is another “emergency” situation in America?

IRAQ FOR SALE...GUESS WHO PROFITS?

2007-07-19T00:12:00.000-05:00

Where is Mr. Washington

2007-07-17T13:01:00.000-05:00

BILL KRISTOL ON THE EVE OF INVASION

2007-07-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

The following quote is from Bill Kristol on the eve of the Iraq War. All thanks to the Anonymous Libereral for reminding me. His link is on my 'blog roll to left;
We are tempted to comment, in these last days before the war, on the U.N., and the French, and the Democrats. But the war itself will clarify who was right and who was wrong about weapons of mass destruction. It will reveal the aspirations of the people of Iraq, and expose the truth about Saddam's regime. It will produce whatever effects it will produce on neighboring countries and on the broader war on terror. We would note now that even the threat of war against Saddam seems to be encouraging stirrings toward political reform in Iran and Saudi Arabia, and a measure of cooperation in the war against al Qaeda from other governments in the region. It turns out it really is better to be respected and feared than to be thought to share, with exquisite sensitivity, other people's pain. History and reality are about to weigh in, and we are inclined simply to let them render their verdicts.

HYPOCITES IN ACTION

2007-07-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

I don’t know which hypocrisy irks me most this last week, there are too many to choose from. First we have the Pope decreeing that Catholicism is the only true religion and all others are pretenders. Even saying something like that goes against the teachings of Jesus. Then we have Sen. Vitter confessing to consorting with prostitutes. He was elected largely because of his rhetoric bashing gays and supporting the marriage amendment. This is the very definition of hypocrisy. Finally we Bush claiming ‘executive privilege’ for not supplying Congress with documentation. I’m not talking about the scandals involving the fired prosecutors, the illegal wire tapping of our phones and e-mails or even his exposing a CIA agent. He is refusing to turn over documents concerning the ‘friendly fire’ killing of Pat Tillman. A true patriot and hero who was killed in Afghanistan. He is doing this to avoid political embarrassment and to cover up the propaganda machine Bush employed for political gain. What a coward.

The Roman Empire didn’t fall in a day nor did it fall because of bad leadership. It only fell after the people failed to hold their leaders accountable and accepted the fact that they were mere peons and felt they didn’t have the power over an ever increasing corrupt government. One doesn’t need to look too far back in the Bush family to find corruption, his grandfather Prescott, was a major contributor to the Nazis during the entire war, his fathers close ties to the Suadis and Bush himself in bed with big oil.

Ask yourself this question, What possible reason is there for Bush to with hold the details of Pat Tillmans death? Unless you’re trying to cover something up, there is no good reason. It’s just standard operating procedure if you’re morally bankrupt

Bush HYPOCRITE

2007-07-13T16:03:00.000-05:00

FEEL GOOD ADMINISTRATION

2007-07-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

BUSH IS A PARTISON PUPPET!!!

2007-07-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

FAKE NEWS 24/7

2007-07-09T21:45:00.000-05:00

AMERICANS COMMONALITY WITH IRAQI CITIZENS

2007-07-08T14:14:00.000-05:00

The citizens of Iraq and America historically have allot in common. As I thought about this post it troubled me just how much is history and how much is current.

Historically, we were both imperially occupied at one time.
We were both valued for our resources.
Both held rebellions.
Each suffered civil war.(concurrent for Iraq as well)
Each country had attempts by foreign nations to divide them up.
Both nations are strategically located.

Currently, we both suffer from a disappearing middle class.
We both have an increase in the unemployed.
Both nations have been victims of theoretical rhetoric.
Bush had a weak constitution written for the Iraqi's while at the same time weakening our constitution.
Both of their nations military have been decimated.
The lower class(poor) , for each nation have increased under GW's leadership.
There are less police on the streets of each nation.
Violent crime is on the increase in both nations.
Each countries majority is getting impatient with it's leadership.
Oil is at the center of each countries economy.
Oil companies dictate both of our foreign policies.
Both countries have American companies profiting from Americas invasion.
Iraq and the USA each have puppet leaders.
GW's approval ratings are only slightly different in each nation.
The authorities can search without warrant in each nation.
The authorities can eavesdrop without warrant in each nation.
The rich are getting richer in both.
Abstinence is called sex education in both based on religion.
American tax payers are funding each countries infrastructure.
American tax payers are going into great debt to support George Bush.

I could go on and on but I think any readers of this post get the message. Are we spreading democracy or are we becoming more and more like the Middle Easterners?

GW Bush is not to far removed from his Grandfather, Prescott. His business dealings helped Nazi Germany sustain their war efforts against the US during WW2. There would be no "Bush Family Empire" fortune if not for war profiteering .

As the final word I would add this: All a reasonable person needs to do is research the Bush family history to understand where their true family values lie. It's not with America,it's for profit!

Impeach Cheney

2007-07-06T13:59:00.000-05:00

OJ JUSTICE

2007-07-06T11:12:00.000-05:00

I’ve written before that it was proper to impeach Bill Clinton. Not for his act, for his obstruction of justice via lying regarding his personal indiscretions. Ironically, the cheerleader of that impeachment was Newt Gingrich who at the time was having an affair of his own. The same man who served his wife with divorce papers as she lie in the hospital stricken with cancer. Remember how ‘morally outraged’ the Republicans were.

The same Democrats who declared it unfair at the time are now calling for the head of Bush for commuting the prison time of convicted Cheney aide Libby. The same Republicans who pushed for Clinton’s impeachment for obstruction are now defending Libby for the same crime.

Both parties search for any political advantage, regardless of right or wrong. In this case, both parties are hypocrites.

Clinton and Libby are both accused of the same crime. The underlying reasons were not equal. Clinton lied to cover personal immorality. Libby lied to provide political cover to the White House. He was directed to leak information. That leak exposed an active CIA agent putting her in peril and in fact one of her overseas contacts was killed shortly thereafter.

Clintons lie was personal, Libby’s was an intentional act to help sell the lie that Iraq had WMD’s. Which lie had a bigger impact on America? Which lie got the most people killed? Which lie cost 500 billion dollars and counting? Which lie destabilized a nation of 25 million people and started a civil war? Which lie poked the proverbial stick into the Middle Eastern beehive?

Republicans like to point out that Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, (a big Clinton contributor), the irony is that Scooter Libby was Marc Rich’s lawyer during his trial.

Both parties need to stop the politics and start governing.

I call this OJ justice. Those who have money or connections have a different constitution than us peons.

A SOLID INVESTMENT

2007-07-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR GOVERNMENT

2007-07-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

JUSTICE SYSTEM IS A JOKE

2007-07-03T15:48:00.000-05:00

Bush commuted the prison time of Cheney’s chief of staff Scooter. Dick Cheney shoots a man in the face after a few beers and no ticket is issued. Attorney General fires and hires people based on party affiliation. Monica Goodling (a 33 year DOJ staffer), hires people based on which tier 4-law school they go to based on religion.

What do these seemingly small things mean?

It’s legal to lie to a grand jury. It’s now legal to drink beer and shoot people. It’s now legal to hire and fire people for their belief or non-belief in religion or ideology.

President Bush has demonstrated that the rule of law doesn’t apply. I call this the OJ defense. If you have money, power or political connections the rule of law doesn’t apply as it would with the average guy who has none of these things.

Bush and Cheney will be revealed as the most corrupt administration in U.S. history!

They’ve bankrupted the future…every tax paying citizen now owes approximately 516,000$ in private and government debt. They’ve broken the military. Perverted the Bill of Rights for political gain. Suspended habeas corpus. Bastardized the constitution. Politicized the DOJ. Ignored the Geneva Convention. Spied on U.S citizens. Turned the 1^st amendment upside down when they cleared a gay prostitute (Jeff Gannon) to actually represent the press at the morning Whitehouse press gaggle. Their legacy is the ruin of the American people and our standing in the worldview. We used to be respected; now we are vilified.

The other legacy they leave is Supreme Court justices. Abysmal. Roberts and Allito are strict constructionists. They don’t believe the constitution is a living document. If it weren’t a living document, it would not have been amendable, the black man would still be worth 3/5ths of a person

Patriot, Insurgent or Terrorist

2007-06-30T16:46:00.001-05:00

It's my belief most rational persons understand the difference between a patriot,an insurgent or a terrorist. Further examination would reveal that there is a slight variation depending on who controls the media and from which side of the invasion you're on. I also believe that any critical examination of the facts would reveal that we are creating more 'terrorists' in Iraq than what the conservative agenda would have us believe.
Just in case you don't agree with me or understand my thinking... I want to clarify it via pretend. A war game if you will. The scenario is as follows-
Two nations, lets call them Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively known as the Mud Ducks and Cheese Heads. For the purposes of this game, I'll be a Cheese Head.
OK, so after living side by side for many years with good relations. Mutual economy, tourism and inter national marriages. Slowly the Mud Ducks start to feel threatened by the Cheese Heads growing economy based on superior beer and cheese.
Instead of investing educational dollars to create better cheese and beer, Minnesota decides to invest in it's military. Lots of military. Vastly disproportionate to it's GDP. In order to do this, Minnesota has to justify to it's citizenry that the Cheese Heads are gaining an unfair economical advantage over them, they have to paint them as unfair competitors. They might have to bring in Religion to unite the base to support the continued military build up. If that doesn't unite all Mud Ducks, the leaders of Minnesota will have to convince their people that the Cheese Heads are using their beer and cheese money to buy nuclear weapons and they are determined to use them against the moral people of Minnesota so they can control the entire beer and cheese market.
As the Mud Ducks were building their military the Cheese Heads were busy making cheese and beer. Using that money to educate their children and build a nice way of life in Wisconsin.
Now the Mud Ducks have been planning their invasion of Wisconsin for weeks. They appointed the best general they had. He was raised in a very wealthy family so he never lacked for anything. His whole career was pre-annointed, even after his early failures, he was always bailed out and promoted to the next level regardless of his ineptness. His family name had influence in Minnesota and it resonated throughout the land. His name, Shrub.
Gen.Shrub wasn't in touch with the good people of Minnesota. He was in touch with the political base of Minnesota, they were called the 'Newly Controverted' , aka, the neocons. The neocons did ,unfortunately have control of Minnesota's military. Gen. Shrub used his family name and the ties that came with it to take control of Minnesota. A military coup was used successfully to displace Mn. President Pullenvy was promptly put in jail for being 'unpatriotic'. A new law that was enacted immediately after the coup.
With the dictatorship running at full speed,General Shrub was ready to launch his invasion of Wisconsin. He did so with great vigor. His plans can be surmised very simply...
Use 1/3 of the Mud Duck Navy(MDN), to control the Superior Port, 1/3 of the MDN to control the port of Green Bay and the rest of the MDN to take control of Milwaukee.On D-Day the MDA(MUD Duck Army), would control and advance on the 15 river crossings into Wisconsin, while the MDM(Mud Duck Marines) would drop behind enemy lines to take control of the airports and the Wisconsin National Gaurd Armories.
Mud Duck D-Day is here. The Mud Ducks have over whelming success. Their plan was called 'Shock and Awe', and it was stunningly shockful and awful.
The Cheese Heads were dumbfounded. Absolutely over taken and subservient. This didn't last long once Deer hunting season began.
From D-Day on I didn't like the Mud Ducks. I started to do my best to fight the invasion. After all ,I'm a good Patriotic Cheese Head. I turned from a peaceful man to a Patriot. I go out at night to do all the damage I can to the Mud Ducks. Killing the invaders comes to me like it's part of the daily routine. I'm not a killer. I do my best anyway. I disrupt their supply lines. I kill their officers. I do my part for the Cheese Heads at night, I pretend to comply with the Mud Ducks during the day. Mean time I've done much damage to the Mud Ducks. I've killed many. Wounded many and forgot more.
Somehow, after many casualties, the Mud Ducks have found me out. They come in the middle of the night and drag me out of my house in front of my 3 teenage boys. They beat the dickens out of me in front of my family and slowly I loose my life in front of my 3 boys.
Did they kill a patriot? Did they kill a insurgent? Did They kill a terrorist?
In case you haven't figured it out yet,let me ask you this. Did they create 3 more Patriots,3 more insurgents or 3 more terrorist?
It all depends on who wins doesn't it. That will be the difference between an insurgent,terrorist and patriot!

Republicans Wasting Time-Ours

2007-06-27T18:57:00.000-05:00

2007-06-26T18:11:00.000-05:00

16 YEAR OLD SCHOOLS O'RIELLY

2007-06-26T08:47:00.000-05:00

Dotcom...andments

2007-06-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

The DotCommandments
|Funny Jokes at JibJab

Drunk Presidents

2007-06-24T11:52:00.000-05:00

Sunday Morning Satire

2007-06-24T11:28:00.000-05:00

50 YEARS OF WAR

2007-06-23T22:33:00.000-05:00

NO END IN SIGHT- In THEATERS SOON

2007-06-22T18:37:00.000-05:00

2007-06-22T12:48:00.000-05:00

2 WARS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

2007-06-22T09:46:00.000-05:00

With VP Cheney stating that he has dual positions in our government, executive and legislative, and he has the constitutional authority to disavow his membership in either one depending on who is investigating his office at the time. I don't know why this hasn't been tried before, but for the fact that it's not true, still, you would think Agnew might have tried this!
As a member of the executive branch he claimed and won executive privilege for not revealing which oil company CEOs he met with to establish the energy policy for the U.S.
Now he denies his office is part of the executive branch so he has no need to cooperate with record keeping practices that apply to the President or his officers. What testicular fortitude this man has!
He can't have it both ways. Since when do citizens of the U.S. get to pick and choose which part of the constitution apply to them for convenience. So far Cheney and Bush think they are the first in history to have this double standard.
OK, we have the war on terror, the long war or whatever you want to call it. That is not the only war that Bush/Cheney are waging, and to me it's even more vital to my republic than their war on terrorism. It's the war they are waging against the constitution and the American way of life. Of course I'm talking about their perversion of the Bill of Rights. NSA wiretaps. Suspension of Habeas Corpus. Signing statements. Politicizing the DoJ. Establishing 'free speech' zones. Installing Jeff Gannon as a legitimate press representative. Illegal SWIFT bank searches. The outing of a CIA agent. Out right lying to the public. Obstruction of justice. Political hacks and cronies in positions that need professionals( Browne). Funding of faith based organizations. Violation of the Hatch Act. And on and on.
Look, I'm just an average guy who tries to pay attention. If I can think of these offenses off the top of my head, I can't wait for what slime congress will turn up, and I hope it turns up soon!
Other than overnight invasions, I can't think of a democracy that fell to fascism instantly. It seems to me that citizens of such nations gave up their rights in increments and before they could realize what happened they were subjects of a dictator. I know it sounds impossible in America today, but didn't the German citizens of the 1930's think the same thing.
The formula was easy. First tell huge lies to unite the citizens against a common enemy. Use those lies and the unity that came with them to start dissolving rights slowly, not too greedy at first, slowly. Build your political base, ostracize those in the minority to include them in the 'enemy of the state' category. Now renounce governing institutions and grab all power.
SOUND FAMILIAR

2007-06-21T20:20:00.000-05:00

2007-06-21T16:25:00.000-05:00

2007-06-17T14:02:00.000-05:00

1 MORE "BUSH" BUDDY

2007-06-16T12:20:00.000-05:00

2007-06-11T08:21:00.001-05:00

PREWAR INTELLIGENCE

2007-06-10T11:28:00.000-05:00

2007-06-09T10:41:00.000-05:00

GW SPEAKS AGAINST IRAQ WAR

2007-06-09T10:14:00.000-05:00

Retired Gen. George Washington Criticizes Bush's Handling Of Iraq War

Habeus v Terrorist's

2007-06-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

The Senate is preparing to restore the habeus corpus rights of terrorist that were formally suspended with the Military Commissions Act of 2006. I fully agree with this but I still feel we need to deal with known terrorist in a legal manner. We can't just release them if we know they will commit terrorist acts against us, especially if the reason we detained them in the first place was because they were committing terrorists acts. We must be aware of the fact that there are real bad guys out there who want to cause as much death and destruction as possible.
My answer to this is an actual declaration of war, by congress, against Al Queada and any other terrorist group that openly and publicly portends to wage war against the U.S. Why a declaration of war? I believe that this would safeguard habeus corpus and still give us the ability to hold these prisoners as 'prisoners of war'. Further this would give ligitamacy under the Geneva Conventions and we could close Gitmo. Still further, extraordinary rendition would cease because at that point we could bring prisoners to a 'real' Military Commission to ascertain their status as POWs. I know this simple, absent of nuance idea is unique, but we cannot let go actual bad guys to have them come back to haunt us.

Immigration Nation

2007-06-04T18:35:00.000-05:00

I have to argue against the current bill being proposed by GW and the many democratic supporters it has. Factually,1/2 of 'illegals' are people who have sneaked across the border from the south, the other 1/2 come from visa over stays. This only goes to the fact that the U.S. does not know who is in country or how they got here. Not even mentioning how many, I've tried to keep up with the news and the estimates range from 12-20 million undocumented aliens here right now.
As I understand it our current system puts equal limits on each country, I believe it to be 30,000...DO we need 30,000 Mexicans or Romanians? 1st let's set visa limits on what we need and who can fulfill those needs and adjust the number to our needs. This is where congress comes in.
2nd , the Executive branch has control of prioritizing U.S. Attorneys. This means that the President already has the authority to control priorities. The President has all the tools at his disposal to enforce immigration right now. Punish employers who violate hiring laws, deport undocumented citizens, enforce our borders and keep track of the visas. We have the law on the books to enforce immigration as it stands. We don't need this bill, we need leadership from the executive branch and congress.
Don't let some fool you and say that what we need is new smart cards to prove your citizenship. The Nazis used to call these 'internal documents'. Forgive my swearing, but I'll be dammed as will America, if we have to show some kind of internal passport to travel from New York to California.
Civil rights don't get taken away from you all at once, they disappear in increments. We've already had enough incremental erosion of our civil rights. This will not happen without a fight from this little man.

U.S.SOLDIERS KILLED BY LOCALITY

2007-06-04T16:17:00.000-05:00

Fathers Day, 2006 there were 2500 kia in Iraq. This Fathers Day the number will be over 3500! Think about 4000 people dead, how many living does that effect...Husbands,Wives, Sons Daughters,Mothers, Fathers,Grandparents, nieces and nephews. These people will be at a loss for the rest of their lives. America will be at a loss forever. Some of our best, gone forever, who knows what they may have added to our society? I just cringe when I hear Laura Bush say that," no one suffers more than the President and I". I believe that there are allot more people suffering more than Mr. And Mrs. Bush.

SUPPORT FOR THE TROOPS

2007-06-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

We have all read reports of equipment shortages for the troops and heard stories of families having to buy modern body armourer for family members abroad. Now we learn that it may take up to 2 years before the Army can fully deploy the new mine resistant vehicles that our troops need now. I just can't understand how it will take so long to equip our troops considering the fact that at 1 point of WW2 we were launching 'Victory Ships' at the rate of one a day. I realize that we are not the manufacturing economy we once were, but this is still America and our troops NEED this equipment NOW! I would ask anyone who reads this to support the following plan to expedite
getting the troops equipment. A nickel a gallon federal gas tax dedicated to military equipment. This is politically neutral,not that we the people should consider politics but we know the politicians will. Either party that wouldn't endorse plan would be seen as not supporting the troops. This is political suicide. I took a few minutes of my time this weekend to write both my Senators and my congressman to ask their support, won't you join me?

2007-06-03T13:45:00.000-05:00

DELUSIONAL BUSH vs. REALITY

2007-06-01T16:43:00.000-05:00

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO UNITE MUSLIMS

2007-05-31T19:26:00.001-05:00

On 5-30-07 a neocon is quoted as saying that he hopes and prays that GW bombs Iran. This man is Norman Podhoretz. His argument is flawed on so many concepts. First we have Usama Bin Laden saying that his goal is to establish a caliphate and he tells us how he is going to do this. By instigating unrest in Muslim nations he hopes to unite radicals and marginalize moderate Muslims. He invited America into Iraq and GW took the bait. UBL knows that this will not happen in his lifetime, he's looking at after life.
The current situation in Iraq has the majority Shite being funded from Iran and the minority Sunni being funded from Saudia Arabia, opposite sides of the civil war.
Iran is interested in establishing 'the Shite crescent" from Iran to the Mediterranian. They cannot do this as long as the Saudis fund the revolution of the minority in Iraq. As it stands right now , Iran is the big regional 'superpower'. However, the Saudis have all the money. Only time will tell who is gonna win this mess. It won't be the U.S.A.
The surest way to unite the Muslim world against us would be to give further incentive to gain operational capabilities or motivation to the moderate Muslims. This incentive would come from bombing Iran. This is a SURE way to unite Shite and Sunni. It will take generations to fix George W. Bushs mistakes as it is. The world may never be the same if we bomb Iran!

MORE BUSH ADMIN LIES

2007-05-31T17:17:00.000-05:00

The crimes are a changin'

2007-05-30T12:32:00.000-05:00

American War Dead in Iraq

2007-05-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

On top of this blog I update everyday the number of our American brothers and sisters who have died for GW's folly in Iraq. As I leave very early in the morning for work, I scan the radio for any war news and updates. I was saddened to hear of the deaths of 8 more U,S. soldiers on Memorial day. Even sadder when I thought of what those families will live with every Memorial day from now on.
This p.m. when I checked the count, it had gone up by 12, the number is now 3467 KIA and many thousands injured with another 107 who have committed suicide abroad and I don't know how many more who have taken their lives once home. This will be GW's legacy, hubris, arrogance, ignorance, party before nation and many fine young men and woman who pay the ultimate price for his neocon agenda. Keep our troops in your thoughts and an eye on your government!

Memoriable Day Comment From Iraq

2007-05-28T14:35:00.000-05:00

A soldier in Iraq asks in despair: Why are we here?
COMMENTARY | May 28, 2007

After watching his roommate fatally wounded in a roadside bombing, an Army private wonders why the lives of good men are being lost when the Iraqis pose no threat to us and don't want us there.

By Donald Hudson Jr.
donaldchudsonjr@yahoo.com

BAGHDAD, May 12 -- My name is Donald Hudson Jr. I have been serving our country’s military actively for the last three years. I am currently deployed to Baghdad on Forward Operating Base Loyalty, where I have been for the last four and a half months.

I came here as part of the first wave of this so called "troop surge", but so far it has effectively done nothing to quell insurgent violence. I have seen the rise in violence between the Sunni and Shiite. This country is in the middle of a civil war that has been on going since the seventh century.

Why are we here when this country still to date does not want us here? Why does our president’s personal agenda consume him so much, that he can not pay attention to what is really going on here?

Let me tell you a story. On May 10, I was out on a convoy mission to move barriers from a market to a joint security station. It was no different from any other night, except the improvised explosive device that hit our convoy this time, actually pierced through the armor of one of our trucks. The truck was immediately engulfed in flames, the driver lost control and wrecked the truck into one of the buildings lining the street. I was the driver of the lead truck in our convoy; the fifth out of six was the one that got hit. All I could hear over the radio was a friend from the sixth truck screaming that the fifth truck was burning up real bad, and that they needed fire extinguishers real bad. So I turned my truck around and drove through concrete barriers to get to the burning truck as quickly as I could. I stopped 30 meters short of the burning truck, got out and ripped my fire extinguisher out of its holder, and ran to the truck. I ran past another friend of mine on the way to the burning truck, he was screaming something but I could not make it out. I opened the driver’s door to the truck and was immediately overcome by the flames. I sprayed the extinguisher into the door, and then I saw my roommate’s leg. He was the gunner of that truck. His leg was across the driver’s seat that was on fire and the rest of his body was further in the truck. My fire extinguisher died and I climbed into the truck to attempt to save him. I got to where his head was, in the back passenger-side seat. I grabbed his shoulders and attempted to pull him from the truck out the driver’s door. I finally got him out of the truck head first. His face had been badly burned. His leg was horribly wounded. We placed him on a spine board and did our best to attempt "Buddy Aid". We heard him trying to gasp for air. He had a pulse and was breathing, but was not responsive. He was placed into a truck and rushed to the "Green Zone", where he died within the hour. His name was Michael K. Frank. He was 36 years old. He was a great friend of mine and a mentor to most of us younger soldiers here.

Now I am still here in this country wondering why, and having to pick up the pieces of what is left of my friend in our room. I would just like to know what is the true reason we are here? This country poses no threat to our own. So why must we waste the lives of good men on a country that does not give a damn about itself? Most of my friends here share my views, but do not have the courage to say anything.

Donald C. Hudson Jr. is a private assigned to the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
E-mail: donaldchudsonjr@yahoo.com

UNBELIVABLE!!!!

2007-05-28T14:09:00.000-05:00

NEWSFLASH- THE EARTH IS ROUND

SAD REALITY

2007-05-28T13:23:00.000-05:00

BUSH- CHENEY-ROVE-GONZALES- HASTERT-DELAY-
LOTT-BROWN-RUMSFELD-RUDY

Sandstorm,Al Assad Iraq April'06

2007-05-27T12:41:00.000-05:00

This is just a small example of what our troops are up against. This just doesn't happen every day in America. What kind of hell are our troops in?
Bring them home. We never had any business in Iraq in the first place. I' ll repeat for the
millionth time...IRAQ HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH 911!

BEST HOPE FOR REPUBLICAN PARTY

2007-05-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

Congressman Ron Paul represents what true republicans used to be like. If the right would adopt his non-intervention policies, I would vote republican. GW is doing exactly what he said he wouldn't do, big govt , nation building and spending out of control. It seems to me that the current republicans put party first, America second.

SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY

2007-05-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

JUSTICE FOR SOME

2007-05-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Attorney General Gonzales doesn't know who made 'the list'. Deputy AG McNaulty doesn't know who made the list. Chief of staff Sampson doesn't know who made the list. White House liaison Goodling doesn't know who made the list. They are all in denial of who made the list but they all agree that it was top department officials who made the list. The problem I have with this is that they are all top Justice Dept. officials. Who made the list? GW didn't!
All agree that a list was made but have no idea as to who created the list. The list of course was the list of United States Attorneys to be fired. How did this happen? How can this happen?
So far, all fingers point towards Karl Rove. He has an amazing ability to deflect charges of any kind. He has demonstrated this time and again. He is the corruption behind the Bush administration. He could be found in a room with a dead body, a smoking gun in his hand and he would find a way to blame it on the democrats. He is very good.
Considering the presidential race of '08, it's coincidental that his personal buddy is now the federal prosecutor in Arkansas. I'm sure that he will be fair and impartial if any reason comes to him to reopen any investigation into any activity of the Clintons. The timing is perfect. GW is a puppet of this man. It's all politics, all the time with this man. I understand that job, but what ever happened to scruples? Whatever happened to restoring dignity to the the office of the President. GW has failed to the point that even the birds have turned against him.

DIPLOMATIC WAR

2007-05-24T18:02:00.000-05:00

After watching GW Bush's press conference today it is absolutely clear that Bush is delusional. His days of cocaine and alcohol are catching up to his brain. He is clearly an angry man with no path to direct his anger except to take it out on our constitution. Invading Iraq was a clear mistake, if you believe other wise please let me know. His actions demonstrate recklessness and greed. His current policy has made a safe haven for terrorist where none existed before in Iraq. To watch GW actually say that today, 5-24-07 , that the Iraqi people are better off today than under Saddam Husein's regime is ridiculous. Husein was brutal no doubt, so why not invade Columbia, North Korea or Cuba? 19 men were on the planes that attacked us on 911. Not 1 was from Iraq. NOT ONE ! The majority were Saudis. Recent polls have shown that the majority of Iraqis want us out, another poll shows that the majority of Americans want us out. Why are we still there?
It can only be to try and save face for a failed legacy. A failed policy.A failed strategy. When you take conservatives and liberals out of your thinking, you must embrace the FACT that GW is the worst president in all of history. He his only the result of the perfect storm of theocratic beliefs and 911 merging at the same point in history. With out 911, Gw would never have been elected for a second term. With out the Christan Right he would not have won reelection. I hope that GW is just a mistake in time, and some how our nation can regain it's bearings as a way to unite all of mankind towards the goal of being a shining example to humanity.

12 WEEKS IN CRAWFORD

2007-05-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

I still can't believe some days when we wake up in the morning we have a silver spooned, draft dodging, (ex) coke user, alcoholic, lying ideologue as president.

EVIL CRAZY FEMALE DOG

2007-05-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

IMPEACH GONZALES

2007-05-21T18:04:00.001-05:00

EVOLUTION EXPLAINED in1:33

2007-05-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I had to post this just to rattle the cage of a local man who is a frequent contributer to our local editorials. He denies global warming, evolution, the belief that the world is older than 6000 years old and that there is an infinite supply of oil.

I don't know why I bother with him, but I do. I guess it's just that I don't want any children reading his thoughts and actually believing them. Freedom isn't free!

2007-05-21T16:18:00.000-05:00

2007-05-21T16:14:00.000-05:00

NO CHILD GETS AHEAD

2007-05-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

GW rammed through his no child left behind with the help of his majority in congress and some pretty high profile democrats. So far the results are stunningly bad. Teachers are now teaching to the test rather teaching how to think. It is an unfunded mandate that is merely a smokescreen for holding back the brightest and furthering the march towards uniform mediocrity.
I don't know about your school district but we are struggling. We've lost our late buses. Have fund raisers all the time. Our district is in debt big time. We are closing 2 schools. All extracurricular activities come with a price tag that my parents never had to pay in my youth. Some of our facilities are less than adequate. Teachers are leaving. Classes are crowded. From what I've read, we are not in a unique situation, this is happening from coast to coast in most every school district.
Enough whining! For a fairly liberal guy, I'm about to offer some pretty conservative solutions. I say lets get back to a spirit of competition and innovation among districts and even the states. Granted, some of my ideas will sound radical but I would not offer them unless I've studied and believe in them.
1- Lets get the Federal gov't out of education. The fed could do away with the dept of education and simply offer funds equally back to states based on the number of students in that state. This could be fairly managed by congress.
2- Students of all grades could get credit for helping with the upkeep of their own school. Age appropriate janitorial duties.Students would be given electives so that all slots(other than boiler upkeep, which could be done to a certain degree) so that both the facility and the students needs are met. This is being done in Japan,
3- We have these large schools that we don't use all year. Why not divide the whole year into 4 equal quarters and meet the needs of students for the seasons that families, sports, vacations, or other reason might require. This is currently done in the Scandinavian countries with great success.
4- Separate the genders in the classroom. Every study I've ever read supports this for logical reasons.
5-Involve the students and parents in a district wide school uniform policy. This eliminates the disparity between the well off and the low income students. Some students will wear 100$ pair of shoes, while others don't have a 100$ worth of clothes.
6-Initiate accredited programs for the cafeteria. Instead of the 'Lunch Lady' we could have a teacher run the food service class which would entail business , food prep and economics.
7- Initiate an agri/business class. Have students engage in actual food production,where practical. Students in rural areas could offset some of their own schools costs and enter into contracts to supply other schools with staples, potato's, carrots, vegetables and maybe even beef,poultry and pork. To me this sounds like a real win/win situation.
These are just a few examples of what I mean by innovative and competitive thinking. I'm sure that there are many others which would lead to more parental involvement,greater student pride in themselves and their schools and less cost to the school districts.
We often hear of reports now that say China and India are producing a combined 600,000 engineers a year while America is producing only 70,000. Further more, many of our college freshmen are having to take remedial classes just to get them up to speed to the high school education they should have already received.
This is not GW's fault entirely, although he bears much accountability. This is a societal result for varied reasons.

PRICELESS

2007-05-19T17:30:00.000-05:00

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Bush On The Most Technologically Advanced Border Patrol....Whoops!
|Funny Jokes at JibJab

GW on GLOBAL WARMING

2007-05-19T17:06:00.000-05:00

Bush Impersonater This Kid Is Awesome
|Funny Jokes at JibJab

ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECNIQUES

2007-05-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

Torture. Lets all pretend for a minute and get in touch with our animal side of our nature. As base as our human nature is, imagine you had physical control of the partner of the man who kidnapped your daughter. Lets pretend further that the kidnapper was a known sex offender. So now it's just you and his partner, all alone in the woods, all your thinking about is your daughter, she's missing, your full of rage beyond imagination. What would you do?
I imagine myself beating the man half to death if he wouldn't tell me where my girl was. So now, he is only half alive, he's completely at your mercy, and you still don't know where your daughter is. What do you do?
Knowing me, I would probably kill him. I've never been in this situation and I hope it never happens, but I do see a dark side of me where this could play out. The tragic thing is, that even after I killed him, I still don't know where my baby is and I just killed a man. I've turned into an animal at this point. Even though this is an extreme scenario, I can see it happening.
As extreme as that example was, it was still only an example of 1 man, in one situation, doing 1 thing against his nature. What happens if a society adopts this as policy?
In my view, I have just became the same as the person who kidnapped my girl. Who wins? My girl is still suffering, I didn't save my girl. All I've done is cut off one hope, one chance to at least get my girl back!
After watching the Republican debate the other night, it seems to me that you won't get the Republican nomination unless your pro- torture. In other words,' enhanced interrogation techniques'. You can watch and listen to the audience applaud the candidates endorse torture and moan for those who didn't embrace torture. Republicans still make up a large percentage of America. How did America become pro torture? How does an advanced society have 50% of it's citizens embrace torture?
After George Washington crossed the Delaware and defeated the German mercenaries, he had many prisoners, about 230 if I remember correctly. Many of his men wanted to kill the prisoners. What did the honorable GW do? He let them go, gave them marching orders to report to an encampment some 150 miles away. George Washington said(paraphrase), We will not be as cruel as our enemy, We will not become them. Guess what, every one of those prisoners marched across the wilderness, without escort or guards, reported to the prison camp and the majority of those Germans eventually became American citizens.
My point is this," If you intend to use the same evil tactics as your enemy, why fight them, just join them and give up up your morals, and quit calling yourself a civil society".
LET'S NOT IGNORE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

1 LITTLE MAN FIGHTS FOR CONSTITUTION

2007-05-17T17:26:00.000-05:00

Please bear with me, I haven't quit figured out how to post links on my blog posts,(remember,I'm a techno idiot), please use the politicicTV.com link in my time wasters link list do a search for 'Comey'. All liberals, conservatives and patriots have to watch the pain in this mans face as he testifies before the Senate. I have always held ex A.G. Ashcroft in low esteem. After viewing this testimony, I view him as great defender of our Constitution.
Deputy Attorney General, James Comey, was made acting Attorney General when Attorney General Ashcroft was stricken very ill the week before he was to certify NSA wiretaps legal for the 31st time. After a Meeting with Comey, they both agreed that the NSA wiretaps were no longer legal and they would not offer re certification.
While I was aware of this before, I never dreamed that it led directly to GW, I just assumed it came from Dick or Karl. Anyway, as the incapacitated Ashcroft lay in his hospital bed Andrew Card and Gonzales came to his bedside to get authorization that the acting A.G. refused to grant,( they needed it the next day), he rose from his bed and said 'no' and pointed to Comey,( who was at his bedside), who again said 'no, this is unconstitutional'. Comey went on to say that he wouldn't even speak to Card without a witness present.
Keep in mind that current Whitehouse legal counsel, Alberto Gonzales, was present. Of course, he his now the current A.G. This is power gone corrupt. This is exactly what the founding fathers were trying to prevent from happening from the very beginning of our nation. I submit to you that our very constitution and our nation is at risk if this sort of behavior goes unchecked.
Gonzales must go. He is a tool of GW, not Americas Attorney General which is what he is supposed to be. By the way, after Ashcroft became incapacitated and he turned his duties over to Comey, it would have been an illegal signature if he had signed those documents that Card and Gonzales tried to pressure him to sign. Card and Gonzales were taking their orders directly from GW. THIS IS CRIMINAL

IT'S ONLY MONEY (us taxpayers)

2007-05-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

Remember Paul Bemer. He was the GW appointed dictator of Iraq after shock and awe. The same man GW awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to. The same man who decided all by himself that it would be good to disband the Iraqi army and refuse Baathist employment, you know school teachers, engineers, plumbers, anyone who had to join the party under Sadam's reign to have a job.
During his tenor as Emperor of Iraq he requested and received 12,000,000,000$ cash in U.S. one hundred bills. I forget exactly the tonnage, and I can't do the math, but I believe it was 119 tons of one hundred dollar bills. Shrink wrapped, stacked on pallets and sent via military troop transport planes to Iraq. It turns out 8,400,000,000$ went missing. The remaining 3,600,000,000$ went for infrastructure, administrative costs and waste according to Henry Waxman's oversight committee. Just as a side note, most of the infrastructure built with that money is now rubble.
Alright, so what's the point of my rant if we've already spent 1/2 Trillion dollars in Iraq. 12,000,000,000$ doesn't seem like that much comparatively.
Let's get real for a minute. 12 billion is a large number. I earn more than some and certainly not as much as others. I do not 'want' for anything material, this is a privilege.
I don't know about where you live, but here our schools are hurting. We have to close buildings, cut the late bus, pay for every extracurricular activity and hold fund raisers all the time. I really have never whined about paying taxes, I know that there is government waste built into our system. I forget who said it,( maybe Goldwater), but he said," A million here and a million there of waste, and soon you're talking about real money". Well now we're talking billions.
I would gladly pay for the war in Iraq if it was the right war at the right time. GW has mismanaged this folly to the point of criminality. Not only our treasure, 3400+ lives have we paid. More than 3 times the amount of people that live in my little town. Every man, woman and child gone 3 times over. For nothing!
We could have at least saved the taxpayers some money by not paying for those flights full of cash to Iraq. We could have just transferred the money directly to Haliburton.

Amoral Minority

2007-05-15T18:18:00.000-05:00

Jerry Falwell is dead.
I'm not going to pile on and speak ill of the dead. The man was a devout hypocrite. His grandfather was an extreme atheist, his father a bootlegger. I won't convict him for the sins of his father. I will challenge his evangelical movement.
All evangelicals use the same tactic of the Blackfoot Indians and Hitler. In order to keep unity of your base you must have a enemy. Any enemy will do. For the Blackfoot, they demonized any tribe who didn't bow to them, Hitler vilified Jews. Evangelicals are a little less discerning. They vilify, Gays, Lesbians, Progressives, Democrats, Feminist, the ACLU, People For the American Way, People who believe in evolution, people who believe the world is older than 6000 years old, people who don't believe in the Iraq war involvement, Jews, Muslims , Atheists and basically any one who do not believe as they do. In other words , the majority of mankind.
Politically , Karl Rove used this tactic to unite his base to get GW elected.
Separation of church and state is paramount to free people. Evangelicals are using the pulpit primarily to bring in money to maintain the propaganda to support the hypocrisy. Secondly, to advance political positions to increase their base and thus their ability to maintain their status as money changers. The one thing the real man named Jesus ever displayed his temper about.
Besides hiding their hypocrisy behind God they will hide behind patriotism. If you don't believe as they do, you're not a patriot.
I could be wrong but I think it was Patrick Henry who said," The first bastion of a coward is patriotism". Evangelicals want conformity, not freedom.

IMAGINE

2007-05-14T15:14:00.000-05:00

OUR TIME: Yesterday,5-13-07. A US 8 man unit (with 1 interpreter) , for a total of 9 men, was ambushed. 3 American soldiers were taken away, we can only speculate as to their fate.
3 weeks ago Laura Bush was quoted as saying," No one suffers more than the president and I", concerning the sacrifices made in Iraq. These kind of statements should emphasize the disconnect between the Bush's and reality. I am a veteran and I can imagine what they are going through AS I WRITE .
Put me on record as saying that I would really like to imagine that they survived. If they did and were secreted away by which ever bunch of bad guys, AS I WRITE this, they probably wish they were dead. I find it very sad that I can Imagine what is happening to our American citizens AS I WRITE. Humans are the only species that will actually torture other organisms. I think of a kid tearing the wings off a fly, he does it just for amusement. It's my hope that none of their family members are reading this. That would tear me up. It tears me up just writing this.
I IMAGINE what is happening to our troops AS I WRITE.
AS I WRITE , 3401 American troops have died needlessly in Iraq and 3 of them are suffering IMAGINABLE conditions AS I WRITE!
I'm new to computers and blogging. I can IMAGINE what has happened to those soldiers just in the time it took me to post this. The reports are staggering! Power tools. Water boards. Simulated executions.Basically tearing the wings off flies!
Please go to the 'dead Americans' link list,(above right), and click on obleek. Each sound and icon will represent a death. This is real. Real Americans are dying and suffering AS I WRITE. Let us all think about the 3 missing Americans and what is happening to them AS I WRITE.

FLIP FPLOPPERS

2007-05-13T19:44:00.000-05:00

It really is sad that all national politicians have to ride the political winds to ensure reelection. Both parties are guilty. All candidates have words that they wish they never spoke. Votes that they wish they could take back and actions that they wish never had happened. The field of Democrats running for president are all reshaping their political view for the most part. The top 3 Republicans ought to be the dictionary definition of "Flip- Flop".
I invite you to use the 'Sunday morning news' link on the right of this blog to watch McCain's performance on Meet the Press for May 13th. Rudy and Mitt are just plain slimy politicians, they want power for the sake of power. McCain is delusional. Just watch and tell me I'm wrong.

Helan Kellar leading Stevie Wonder

2007-05-12T17:38:00.000-05:00

The irony is tragic. Bush and Cheny run around spouting sanctimonious tripe in every speech. There was never a good reason to invade Iraq and there is even better reason to extricate our troops from Iraq right now. As I write a total of 3994 troops have paid with their lives, 23,000 plus have injuries. With TBI( Traumatic Brain Injury), as the "signature injury of this Foley. Enough is enough! Withdraw from Iraq and keep up the investigations in Congress that should lead to impeachment of GW and Dick!

Diplomacy-"Texas" style

2007-05-12T17:22:00.000-05:00

The End - The best video clips are here

I need an Education

2007-05-11T20:14:00.000-05:00

Which party in power has done more for the average Joe?
This post will consist of 2 lists. 1 For Republicans and 1 for democrats. What I ask now is who passed the best legislation for the middle class, Republicans or Democrats?

I invite both views to add or subtract and I will re-edit this post after vetting.

DEMOCRATS

Medicare
Medicade
Peace Corps
Unemployment insurance
Civil Rights
Student Grants
OSHA
Workers Compensation
Marshall Plan
School Lunch Program
Woman's Rights
Minimum Wage
Child Labor Laws
GI Bill
Creating the FDIC
Creating the FSLIC
FHA(Farmers Home Administration)

REPUBLICANS

EPA
Medicare partD

You are either rich, poor or middle class. Pick your label. What federal or local tax policies helped or hurt you the most?
My view is that unless there is a viable middle class any society will fail. History has proven this time and again. We will always have the poor to some degree. We will always have the rich in context. What makes CIVILAZATION is the middle class. Business and trade is very important. What drives the economy is the middle class!
If you have a healthy middle class, society prospers. It is an automatic check on the rich and a rising tide for the poor.
Who or what has helped the middle class?

CRY HAVOC

2007-05-10T19:23:00.000-05:00

To paraphrase Shakespeare." Cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war". Think about how simple of a statement that is. It has been true through all of history. In order for those in power to retain power, they must unite the governed behind a bogyman. The Catholics used it to justify the Inquisition. Hitler used it to justify the persecution of Jews. The English used it to justify the crusades. Evangelicals use it to justify their war against gays, lesbians, liberals, scientists, democrats and those that believe the Earth is actually older than 6,000 years old!

Modern day Republicans used this very same strategy to win the 2004 elections. In order to secure their base, they had to have an enemy. Fear is a great motivator. It motivated the U.S. electorate to keep GW in the presidency in 04. Without fear, GW never would have been reelected. Fear rallied his base to the point of extremism and just barley enough Americans to stay in power. The tactics of Karl Rove worked.Now we are in the middle of a civil war. Let's hope that Americans never get duped again.

Once you cry 'havoc', you energize your people. Once you create a lie, you must stick with it if you're going to retain power. Once you lie you must continually lie or else you lose all credibility(if you had any)

ACTION WITHOUT THOUGHT,GW STYLE

2007-05-10T17:36:00.000-05:00

Oops - Part 2 - The funniest movie is here. Find it

LETTERMAN 'TOP TEN GEORGE W. BUSH MOMENTS' CORRESPONDENTS' D

2007-05-10T02:23:00.001-05:00

THE VIEW FROM THIS BLOG

2007-05-09T18:30:00.000-05:00

Blogging is hard. Time is my most critical limitation. Between running a business, raising a family and my technical limits, I'm not sure which excuse is the best for not blogging every day. I'll get better.
One thing I've noticed about allot of blogs is that most have articles, videos and mixed original postings. I figure that there are enough links to the right side of this posting to get you any where you want to go on the internet,after all, you're already there. I see many people who are selective in the articles/videos they post to try and support their views. That's understandable, from both sides.
I just feel that I will post thoughts on what I've read, my life experience, what I've learned, what I've seen and more importantly on what I want to learn more about. I have 'youthful indiscretions', adult mistakes and just plain 'boneheaded' decisions on my resume. I've seen siblings, parents and loved ones die. I've loved and lost. Found the love of my life and helped raise 8 beautiful but challenging offspring.
Anyhow, that's enough of my diary. The point is that all posts on this blog will be original, my thoughts,my words.
I'm very interested in learning from every body who wants to have a civil debate about the best path forward for this country and this planet. Just as we look back at 17th century medicine as primitive, I believe that some day mankind will look back and see that we are very primitive in the year 2007.
Pick one, we've got issues. Why can't we progress as one. Let's talk about it.

Consevatives vs Progress

2007-05-04T21:10:00.000-05:00

Have you ever asked yourself why you love America so much? I Have.
Why do conservatives and progressives seem to be so polarized? What divides us to the point that we are so full of vitriol? Why can't we come together to decide what is best for all Americans as Americans?
Gays, abortion, immigration,religion, evolution, the response to 911, education,trade policy or any other social issue! These are things that divide us.
What I ask is this: What unites us? Love of country. Respect for your neighbor.
The biggest disagreement I see between us is how our government taxes the people and how our government uses those resources. One side sees investment. The other side sees expenditure.Is there waste in bureaucracy,yes. What should we do about it? Other than the social issues I've already cited,they really bring out the extremists on both sides, I believe that moderate people of both parties have honest,fundamental disagreement on taxation policy.
One example would be education funding. Obviously I'm a Democrat. I really believe that if we invest money for educating a child, that is money we won't have to spend prosecuting and imprisoning that same child later. In every state of the union the largest expenditure is on education. Teachers usually get 40% of that money with the rest going to administration and upkeep. Both parties are responsible for that imbalance. We spend so much time bickering about how to best invest our money that we wind up with a curriculum that is a mile wide but only an inch deep.

Global Warming-Politics vs. Policy

2007-05-01T17:37:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's time to post on this debate after reading the ever increasing attacks on science. First lets do a little house cleaning. Global climate is changing, both sides of the debate agree. Most scientist believe that mankind is contributing, some scientist disagree. Climate change is cyclical by nature due to many aspects of our position in the solar system and our very planet itself.
If you disagree with the above, you should probably quit reading right now. If you don't understand the difference between weather and climate, you really need to quit reading.
Oil has been a commodity that has caused destruction in the name of war and pollution since it's first use on a large scale. Coal hasn't been the cause of any wars but the pollution and environmental destruction is vast. Entire mountains have disappeared in West Virginia and Virginia and the resulting runoff from mining has made undrinkable water for many thousands of people. While locally we have very good fishing, you can't eat very much of it because of Mercury levels that are toxic as the result of coal fired power plants hundreds of miles away,( yes I know we have many other upstream river industries that contribute toxins as well). I enjoy catching and eating fish. To me, that is at least 1 good reason to look for alternate ways to fuel our economy.
Another good reason to find alternate fuels is that allot of the money that finances terrorism comes from the American consumption of oil. In other words, we are funding our enemies both in Venezuela and the Middle East.
Whatever your politics on global warming is, I would like to think that we have reason enough to alter our ways just for the above 2 reasons. I looked into buying a 60k wind generator naively thinking I would get a return on my investment in 18 years. Little did I know that while I pay 10.1 cents per KWH (retail rate), I would only receive 3.4 cents per KWH (wholesale). This really impacted my decision to buy a locally manufactured wind turbine, without a tax incentive and being able to spin my meter backwards at times, it increased my time for payback to almost 30 years. It would increase the value of my property but I plan on dying on this piece of dirt I own. By the way I'm not a rich man, so I don't have 60k just laying around but I am a business man and I know what a good investment is.
Every 5th grader can tell you that the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand started WW1, but what they can't tell you is that this is the same time that the Orient Express was just about to be completed connecting Asia to Europe through the Middle East. The first British regiment was not shipped to Europe, it was sent to Basra, in what is now Iraq to protect newly secured oil fields. So why did I offer my little version of history? Because I would like to learn from it. Let none kid you, oil has been one resource that many nations have fought for. How many American bomber pilots died in WW2 trying to bomb Romanian oil fields that Hitler controlled? Why are we in Iraq and not Cuba or North Korea? The same reason the Brits did in WW1, for national interests, OIL!
To sum it up, I would like to eat the fish I catch and I don't want to fund terrorist. To this simple man, that's good enough reason to get on board with global warming crowd and find new ways to supply our energy needs.

TOO LITTLE ,TOO LATE

2007-04-19T18:49:00.000-05:00

GW's surge is doomed. It was ill conceived and will lead to more of 'whack a mole'. This is proving to be true as I write. While there were reports of increased security for a little while, it seems to be more the result of Sad'rs decision to reign in his fighters more than the false sense that the surge has provided more American forces in theater. Actually, stoploss and the extension of tours of our units is responsible for increased troop presence. Eventually the surge will result in a net increase of troops. The question is at what cost? The price will be paid by our troops. Baghdad just had 231 deaths the other day due to bombings. It brought sorrow to alot of people in that nation adding to the instability. Virginia Tech just had 32 people slaughtered by a madman. Imagine if that happened every day in America. It wouldn't be long before Americans were at each others throats.
It's hard for me to imagine that America elected an ideologue as president, the sad truth is we did. He put the ' permanent Republican majority' ahead of the good of the nation. Misled the nation into a civil war. Killed hundreds of thousands Iraqis citizens. Needlessly got 3300 Americans killed. Injured over 30,000 Americans. Spent almost a trillion dollars and cut taxes for the rich who helped him get elected.
Has GW destroyed or created more terrorists? If I ask you if some troops came into your house, arrested the Father and one of the sons, took them away with out trial or due process, tortured them and kept you in the dark for a long time of there whereabouts, what would you do? Would this encourage to help the occupiers or would this embolden you to fight the occupier? As a father I can tell you that if a power took my son away with no explanation and no due process, I would declare myself to be at a state of war against that entity. I say GW has created more terrorist and insurgents than he has destroyed.

Washington Politics

2007-04-05T18:31:00.001-05:00

Voting is wonderful. I feel pride every time I get the priviledge to vote on any level. What I ask on this post is this: When did an individual American start to loose s/he the intelligence to vote? Has it always been about money? If you have money to get your propoganda out to the masses you win? At what point in our history did we start falling for the ads? Has it always been this way?
Politics have always been dirty. Candidates who vow to throw no mud, usually have to throw more mud than their opponent just to survive, even if they took 'the pledge' in good faith. What are coming to? There are political machines out there who spend more time on winning than considering what is best for America! Look, I'm not naive, I know that humans run politics, and as humans we all have our best interests in mind,sincere interests from Left and Right. Why does that keep our current system from producing the best President? Reagen wasn't the best,Bush 1 wasn't the best, Clinton wasn't the best. They all fell for the human weakness and their mistakes will be judged accordingly.
GW Bush fell for an entirely different kind of human weakness, power. It's one thing to fall for the power of your nation, it is another to fall for the power of your party. I can think of no other President who so blatantly tried to consolidate power for the sake of power for his party. The great 'uniter' has been the greatest divider of all American history. He has used his political base to win, and then thrown them aside. His political machine was very effective and yet we wound up with the worst President in U.S. history. When did we become a nation of sheep and how do we keep this from happening again?

Washington Politics

2007-04-05T18:31:00.000-05:00

Oversight

2007-03-25T13:21:00.000-05:00

Is it funny, ironic or just a coincidence that after 6 years of a Republican controlled congress there has been zero oversight of the Bush administration and after only 3 months of a Democratically controlled congress we have actually had some oversight. A return to 'checks and balances' if you will. One truism is that sunlight is the best disinfectant. I don't find it a coincidence that under every rock that has been turned over by the Democrats, slime has been found. The Interior Department , The Department of Justice , the Veterans Administration, the Department of Defense , Bureau of Indian Affairs , President Bushs fund raising , FEMA , Department of Homeland Security and on and on even to include the White House.
The following are statements by either GW Bush or people in his administration , you tell me which are true... I'm a uniter, not a divider. A vote to authorize the use of force is a vote for peace. We will be greeted as liberators. My proudest day of my presidency was the day I caught a 7.5 lb. perch. No doubt , Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. We could be 45 minutes away from a mushroom cloud. Donald Rumsfield will be with me to the end. Mission accomplished. Freedom is on the march. We only use the Patriot Act to listen in on terrorist. We support the troops. I will listen to the generals on the ground. We respect the 4th amendment. We will be greeted with flowers. No American citizen will give up any rights. No child left behind. Tax cuts are good for the economy. Brownie, You're doin a heckuva job!
Of course I've paraphrased , on the whole , all of these statements have been made. Not one is true. Why should we citizens believe one word from this President?

BUSH vs AHMADINEJAD

2006-12-20T17:50:00.000-06:00

I for one find it really ironic what President Bush said at his news conference today. While most other news sources concentrated on troop reduction , I was amazed when I heard him speak of Irans recent 'Holocaust denial conference'. He went on to say , (paraphrase) that Irans President was out of step with the majority of thinkers in the world and his rhetoric would further isolate the people of Iran. Continuing he states that Ahmadinejad has a backward view of history and he is willing to say things that will hurt the Iranian people. While all this is true of Ahmadinejad. Wouldn't it be possible that he was speaking of himself? Since GW took office has America squandered whatever political capital we had in this world? Aren't we more isolated? We have further alienated our foes while at the same time pushing are allies farther away! GW is the one 'out of step with the majority of American thinkers'! GW is the one who has a backward view of current history regarding everything from science to geopolitics. He is the one who has said things(lied) ,that hurt and kill the American people. Ahmadinejad is a terrible person no doubt! We expect that vitriol from the likes of him. Do we expect our president to be revisionist? Check out todays press conference here. www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/16283093.htm

Bush is a VICTIM of his own SUCCESS

2006-12-15T17:00:00.000-06:00

Yes. The title of this post comes from the mouth of our most recent Secretary of Defense at his goodbye ceremony. Outgoing SOD Rumsfeld said something to this effect today. I don't have the quote in front of me but 'the Donald' actually said that GW Bush is a victim of his own success; the reason being- we have not been attacked since 9/11. I'm all for taking the fight to an enemy. This is what GW believes and I agree if it were to be done with just a little bit of fore thought. But to say that GW is getting trashed in the polls because of his success is beyond the pale. GW has created more ill feelings(thus terrorists) with his stubborn and ill thought invasion of Iraq. Look I don't hate GW, I do believe that he had good intentions, albeit boneheaded. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the other neocons have done more damage and caused more insecurity for America than the most contemporary situations have ever done. Gw is not a victim of his success! He and his supporters are getting exactly what they deserved when they follow bad doctrine. Unfortunately he has made America less secure and more likely to be attacked with the creation of so many people around the world that absolutely hate America because of his policies. GW is stubborn man with no intellectual curiosity who has waited 3.7 years too long to even now , finally , be pretending to listen to council other the neocon ideologues who got us into this Iraq mess in the first place. No one will miss Rumsfeld. No one should believe GW is a victim of anything other than his own ignorance.

Afghanistan Yes! Iraq No!

2006-12-13T17:41:00.000-06:00

Geopolitical consideration must be one of the most oxymoron statements of all time when it comes to American foreign policy. Can anyone answer why we spend so much energy and political capital trying to be everything to everybody and we usually wind up getting crapped on by both 'allies' and 'enemies' alike. E.G., if The U.S.A. does 'A' to China , countries X Y and Z are going enable a negative outcome B to be the result from a country like Sudan , Japan or Vietnam. Diplomacy is a good thing , what I'm asking is when does politically correct diplomacy become detrimental to America's interests? We all know that the middle east is full of 'geopolitical' rat traps. Why do we constantly insert American troops into and clandestine operatives into unstable political arenas? It's not the will of the American people. It is the will of misguided leadership. American leadership due to 'geopolitical considerations. American presidents have used the CIA to overthrow or undermine many democracies in the past for 'geopolitical' considerations. The current administration just substitutes our military for our State department. Ill conceived. Ill managed.Irresponsible. Right now we have American troops in Iraq training Sunni to kill Shite and American troops in Iraq training Shite to kill Sunni. Someone please tell me I'm wrong!!! Look, I'm not the smartest or best informed person on this planet. I fully realize the consequences of Trade, Tariff, Subsidies, Taxes, Duties, Immigration, Poverty, Transportation,Global Warming, Social issues , religious, and every other political and societal consequence. All I'm asking is this: At what point do we as human beings coalesce to realize that we are only one race? At what point do we realize that there is only one planet Earth? At what point do we realize that all of us love our children? Our Mates? Our Parents? Our Grandchildren? At what point do we quit fighting over who owns a particular piece of ground, after all is said and done that piece of ground was there before us and it will be there long after we're gone. You and I do not own this planet, we are only temporary custodians.

American Opprotunity

2006-12-08T21:43:00.000-06:00

What is you belief as far as human nature is concerned? Are we inherently good and giving, or are we basically self serving and evil? I think we have a little of both in us. Depending on circumstances we all will do what is best for our loved ones and our own survival. Politics is like this. Both major parties have been guilty of self preservation over the common good. The Democrats got what they had coming to them in 1994 just as the Republicans got what they deserved in2006. Both parties forgot that they were sent to Washington to serve. The American people let both of them know who is really in charge. Over a period of 40 years the Democrats got complacent and corrupt. The Republicans took less than 2 years to break the 'contract with America', they also went on to put on a show of partisanship unequalled in a democracy. It is true that power corrupts, and but for the grace of the American people, the Republicans were well on their way to corrupt absolutely. Even in defeat they are talking firstly of regaining their majority, not what is good for all of us. At least the Dems want to spend our taxes on Americans, average , every day Americans. It's not about creating a welfare state as is the anti Dem mantra of the Rep's. I am not naive, I don't fall for everything the Dems say about the Reps either. Both parties have strengths and weakness. I'm truly grateful that we have the final say. I believe in Americans to run our government. I believe in Americans to be the final 'check and balance'.

Are we at War or Not?

2006-12-03T17:48:00.000-06:00

You all know that I believe this 'war' in Iraq is one of the biggest blunders the U.S has ever started-it is now time to accept the fact that we broke, now we own it. Although I severely disagree as to how we got here, it is time to kick ass and take names. Everyone agrees that there is no good solution to our current position. If we broke it, let's fix it! It is time to put this nation on a 'wartime' footing. Instead of asking Americans to 'shop', it is time to ask America to go to work. During WW2, at one time we were able to launch 1 'Liberty Ship' every day, Americans actually sacrificed time, taxes and family to ensure victory. We had clear goals. The surrender of the Axis forces. Now we need a clear goal in Iraq. Control of that nation! No more politics. First we need to take control of that country from border to border. That will require sacrifice from Americans. Why can't we have a 'war' tax? Why can't we supply our troops with the best defense against IED's? Why can't this nation manufacture what our troops need? If we can't do these things, then I say we are not the 'superpower' that is being reported. We need leadership from the president! All he has to do is ask and Americans would respond. There is an end to what America will support if there is no clear direction. Please Mr. President, give us our marching orders and we as a nation will respond if we have a clear goal. Our goal should not be anything less than stability in Iraq, whatever the cost. We broke it, now lets fix it. I'm in,how about you?

DEATH OF A NATION- TWO WORDS AT A TIME

2006-11-28T15:50:00.000-06:00

CIVIL WAR! These are two words George W. Bush is incapable of putting together at the same time. My question is this... Why should America believe anything that man says? In 2000 he said he was a 'uniter, not a divider'. Two words that turned out definitely not to be true. He went on to say that was not interested in 'nation building'. Now we are in the middle of the largest nation building effort since the Marshall Plan. He talked of his 'political capitol', after the 04 elections when in fact he had just barely hung on to office with the marginal support of one state. Recently he assured the nation that the Republicans would hold the U.S Congress in the 06 elections. This was not true. I can't even recall how many two word terms he used for partisan purposes to maintain his 'permanent majority' for the Republicans. You could hardly see Karl Rove's mouth moving as GW was flapping his mouth for political gain, not for the good of the American people. One of my favorite GW two word terms was 'the pig'. Remember when he was in Germany holding a joint news conference with Angela Merkel, even after being asked about Iraq by a reporter, he went on to say that he thought he was going to be asked about 'the pig', referring to that evenings dinner. He constantly repeated ' the pig'. I was never so ashamed to be an American in my whole life. Once he was asked to describe his proudest day of his presidentcy. He went on to tell about 'the fish' he caught in his pond on his 'ranch', by his account it was a 7.5 pound perch,almost twice the size of the current world record. Talk about fish stories! I feel we have been getting 'fish stories' from a lot of our presidents , GW takes it to a whole new level. From his cherry picking of intel to his ties to big oil. Why should we believe that he has all Americans interests at heart. He will go down as one of the worst presidents in U.S. history. Leading up to the 06 election he even turned two word slams like 'cut and run' democrats into one word slams, 'defeatocrats'. Fish story! What is his problem with accepting another two word term,'Civil War'. Oh yeah, if he started using this term it would be an admission of fallacy of his Iraq policy. Today it is reported that he will ask Maliki what Maliki's plan is for stabilizing Iraq! What! It's like me breaking in to your house, starting a fight between your kids and then asking you what you are going to do about it!!! What is wrong with this man? Two words he can't say together,CIVIL WAR.

IRAQ CHOICES - SLIM & NONE

2006-11-24T14:25:00.000-06:00

What can we do now? There are only limited options and I see no scenario where Iraq doesn't end up even more chaotic than it already is. Pulling out immediately would only result in the instant slaughter of untold thousands of the Iraq people and eventually some strong arm Cleric in charge of a theocratic Iraq. "Staying the Course", will result in the gradual slaughter of untold thousands of the Iraq people and eventually some strong armed cleric in charge of a theocratic Iraq. If we were to insert more Americans into this mess(assuming we have more troops available) with the same clarity of mission as they have now, it would only result in more American casualties. Clearly the mission needs to be redefined. As it stands right now our troops are taking their orders from NATO in Afghanistan and they are getting orders from al Sader(spelling), in Iraq. Remember when our Generals cordoned off Sader City in an attempt to recover our kidnapped soldier. Maliki ordered the barricades taken down and he got his orders from Sader. It is easy to blast our President for this war, but we can't go back in time for a redo, so we have to deal with things as they are. Really messed up! If I were king for a day, my first order to our Generals would be to confiscate every gun from everyone who is not part of the coalition. Currently the Iraqi police are responsible for much of the killing and torture.My second order to our troops would be to start expanding the Green Zone,inch by inch, house by house, until all of Bagdad was secure. I know this sounds impossible ,however it would clarify the mission in Iraq. It would also define the enemy, if you have a weapon and your not a soldier in the coalition, you either give up your weapon or we'll take it from you. As a veteran I can say that is on order I could fully understand and implement without ambiguity. Why would any neighbor of Iraq be interested in seeing democracy flourish? Iraq is surrounded by Monarchy's,Dictatorships and Theocracies. Turkey may be the one exception but I don't believe any one believes that Turkey would be completely thrilled to see a western style democracy flourish considering their issues with the Kurds.As sad as it is in Iraq right now, I firmly believe that we were the ones who are responsible for this mess and we are the ones who need to fix it.The question is how? I don't know for sure, I'm not sure it can be fixed. What I do know is that the current administration has proven to be completely incompetent. They can't see the mistakes they've made and wouldn't admit to them even if they could. We must fix what we broke. We can't pull out if you agree with that and we can't keep doing what we are doing if you believe as I. The only other choice,(as bad as it is), is to go inch by inch and secure that country.

2006-11-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

What a way to start being thankful for the upcoming new year. Being computer illiterate and yet trying to start a new blog. I really wouldn't have thunk it even 2 years ago . How backwards am I?
I would like to communicate with moderate people with open minds about what is best for America. I believe a problem is merely an opprotunity to learn something by solving it.
We Americans have many issues that divide us, including religion,politics and the merger of the two called social issues. We also have real issues that are solveable with the collective backbone and brain power of Americans. Education,Energy, Crime,Pollution,Politicians, Immigration, Healthcare, Entitlement Programs, Foreign Policy, and on and on. I believe in America and Americans. The true patriots are not on the extreme of any political party. Americans will solve these issues if we don't tear ourselves apart first.
I've only so much time left on this planet. As do we all. I am mainly concerned about the America that is,and the Americans yet to come.