In today’s news there is word from General Petraeus, the latest pawn in Game Iraq that we’re succeeding in a new surge against Al-Qaida strongholds. I say that is essentially meaningless crap. A friend of mine used to say, “crap is crap and the square root of crap is still crap.” We’re fighting irregulars in Iraq (I almost wrote Vietnam). Irregulars don’t wear uniforms nor do they have stencils on their heads that identify them as members of Al-Qaida. The liars in our fourth estate who have long been the apologists for our empire building roll out words like Al-Qaida when they’re trying to sell us on some of more of their crap. We were attacked on September 11, 2001 by members of Al-Qaida who were not from Iraq, but from Saudi Arabia. We don’t attack the Saudis because they own us with our addiction to oil. We attack our own stooge in Iraq that we installed with CIA assistance and we call him a danger to world peace. Osama Bin Laden the alleged bad boy for 9/11/2001 is still at large and neither George Bush nor any member of his administration has any plan or desire to capture him. He’s too useful. He’s like Roe v. Wade. If the Republican controlled judiciary and executive branch ever overturned Roe v. Wade there wouldn’t be this clever wedge issue they’ve devised. Likewise if bin Laden is still at large he’s still useful.
Lately I’ve noted from what little news I listen to there is a drum beat for war with Iran. Noted Chickenhawks like Joe Lieberman and William Kristol are calling for an invasion of Iran. I like it when cowardly wannabe soldiers like those two are advocating for a war they don’t have the stomach for. Bill and Joe were Vietnam eligible and somehow managed to avoid service. How did that happen? Can you imagine the carnage from an invasion of Iran? Let’s see, Iran retaliates and our soldiers in Iraq, undermanned and over-extended already are facing not just Iraqi irregulars, but the entire Iranian army and enraged Iranian citizens. I have to believe that our forces in Afghanistan would be imperiled as well.
I don’t think such a move would be good for the entire middle east. I’m suggesting that war mongers be collected up and put on the first plane to Baghdad and be given a weapon and sent on the next patrol outside the green zone. Wouldn’t it be a gas to see Brit Hume, Bill Kristol, Bill Bennett, Joe Lieberman, Shawn Hannity, Tim Russert et al in fatigues actually participating in the day to day carnage they helped sell?
In more positive news I see that the Democrats are actually calling for fuel efficient cars. That’s a novel idea don’t you think. We’ve had an energy emergency for over thirty years. We’ve had a number of Republican and Democratically controlled regimes and no coherent energy policy nor a move toward realistic fuel economy standards. We have had an endless line of deceitful politicians and their energy company lobbyists telling us we ought to raise speed limits and own more SUVs. I remember when gasoline was 35 cents a gallon and the minimum wage was $1.85. If all remainded proportional from back then the minimum wage in the United States should be $16.38/hour. When was the last time you heard one of the corporately controlled talking heads come up with numbers like that? It won’t happen. Sit back and drink your “kool-aid” served up on Fox, CNN and the like and remember to get to your second job on time.
This is a most unpleasant article, but what is even sadder, it that it is closer to the truth than anything else reported lately. I was a kool-aid drinker in the beginning because I trusted Bush as an honorable man, a God-loving man, a patriot, who only wanted what was best for America, but then He burst my bubble with his anti-American and pro-Mexican attitude. I really feel betrayed by Bush and just about everyone in our government.
Hey Don, ever thought of running for office? Now is a good time. The country is anti-government.
Not at all interested in running for office, because I’d expect the system to work like it used to and there is no way that it can. One person cannot make a difference. There is no real choice in American politics. Hillary Clinton, Obama etc are going to stay the course in Iraq and elsewhere. They will continue to push for meaningless immigration policies and there will be no reform of the health care debacle. The system is so broken that honest folks like Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich and Senator Gravel can’t get a word in edgewise on the corporately controlled debates.
Sixty-nine percent of the American people want us out of Iraq and we can’t get that done because we don’t have enough elected representatives who truly represent us. The immigration issue that you speak of is another mis-direction play. The corporations want the cheap labor and they don’t really want border control because if we really had border control we’d have to start paying real Americans a living wage to do nanny jobs and the like. Bush and Congress are at a variance with their own supporters on most issues and it’s all glossed over each day in the media. Listen to who the get interviewed each week on Meet the Press etc. When was the last time they interviewed Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul and we got more than soundbite coverage. You have to watch The Daily Show or C-SPAN to see real interviews with folks who don’t regularly drink the “kool-aid”.
I find it very sad to see “My Country ’tis of thee” being destroyed everyday in front of my eyes. The media covers Paris Hilton while our soldiers are being killed and maimed in Iraq. When was the last time you saw a critical piece on the plight of our soldiers and their families. What about the tragedy of poor military health care? Why no coverage of alternatives to endless war? Why don’t we hear about House Resolution 1673 to establish a U.S. Department of Peace.
Wish I didn’t agree with you. Misery loves company – I’d say the same conditions apply in Canada,the United Kingdom and Australia at a minimum, best I can figure.
There does seem to be some ability to get ‘real news’ out for a window in time and I’m using it. To that end I’m using my blog as another ‘information nexus’ to people and groups trying to make sense of a rotten situation.
Feel free to come and browse whenever you feel like it : I’ve been at this for a while now.