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Painful Echoes of the Pasts That Haunt Us
[This difficult but important essay comes to the DCP from the pen of Charles E. Anderson, who served in Iraq with the Marine Corps' Second Tank Battalion during the invasion of Iraq. During his nine-year career in the military Anderson served in infantry, armor, and medical units; he currently resides in Hampton, Virginia, and is an active and outspoken critic of the failed policies and procedures that have needlessly claimed the lives of so many thousands of soldiers and citizens in Iraq.]
On November 19, 2005 a roadside bomb took the life of a Marine outside the Iraqi town of Haditha. What followed by all accounts was a blood bath. A squad of Marines moved into the town of Haditha and opened fire. Eighteen Iraqi civilians, including small children, were killed, some in their homes.
Whether the incident was instigated by Iraqi insurgents or Marine leaders is unclear. What is clear is that at least eighteen innocent civilians lost their lives and the lives of all involved, Iraqis and Americans, will never be the same. On December 20, 2006, four of the Marines were were officially charged with murder and four officers were charged with failures in investigating and reporting the incident.
Nearly a year ago, when I first learned of the events that occurred at Haditha, I immediately thought of a cadence my platoon used to sing while running at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina:
Bomb the village kill the people
Throw some napalm in the square
Do it on a Sunday morning
Kill them on their way to prayer
Ring the bell inside the school house
Watch the kiddies gather round
Lock and load with your 240
Mow those little ****ers down
The alleged war crimes committed at Haditha were not the misdeeds of defective warriors. Nor is it likely that they were committed by Marines suffering from "personality disorders." Their actions were the result of conditioning, on both the training field and the battlefield. Through cadences like this as well as field exercises soldiers and marines are taught to defend ourselves and our comrades at any cost. This concept is open to interpretation. The battlefield taught them that they could trust no one. It taught them that fighting this enemy was like fighting a ghost. It taught them they had to kill first if they wanted to survive. When they felt attacked and enraged at the death of their friend. They likely "snapped" and went on a rampage and if found guilty may pay with their lives. However, those who are ultimately responsible will never be held to account.
This is not the first time an incident like this has transpired, nor is it likely to be the last. In its findings on the My Lai Incident, the House Armed Services Investigating Subcommittee found:
In a war such as that in Vietnam, our forces in the field must live for extended periods of time in the shadow of violent death and in constant fear of being crippled or maimed by booby traps and mines. And added to this is the fact that this is not war in the conventional sense. The enemy is often not in uniform. A farmer or a housewife or child by day may well be the enemy by night, fashioning or setting mines and booby traps, or giving aid, comfort and assistance to the uniformed enemy troops.
Under such circumstances, one can understand how it might become increasingly difficult for our troops to accept the idea that many of those who kill them by night somehow become "innocent civilians" by day. Understandably, such conditions can warp attitudes and mental processes causing temporary deviation from normality of action, reason, or sense of values. And the degree of deviation may vary with each individual.
The Bush Administration and the U.S. Congress did not study history or they would have understood that the above statement could just as easily be applied to Iraq as it can be applied to Vietnam. They failed to evaluate the situation in Iraq before committing troops to an unconventional war where the enemy is elusive and often not defined. They failed to properly train the military to operate in the environment they were sure to face on the ground in Iraq. They failed to create a sustainable operations plan that would not send troops to Iraq for multiple tours of duty. In short, they did everything within their power to ensure that the physical and mental strain on these troops would be immense.
At best, this Administration and this Congress can be considered un-indicted co-conspirators in what has been termed the My Lai of the Iraq war. At worst, this Administration and this Congress are just as guilty of these crimes as if they had pulled the trigger themselves. Yet, it is the Marines who will carry the scars of Haditha and the Iraq war on their consciences for the rest of their lives. Regardless of the outcome of this trial, there will never be justice for the lives and the innocence lost at Haditha.
Charles E. Anderson
Hospital Corpsman Second Class (FMF/SW) USN Ret.
Otter, thanks for sharing.
This kind of conditioning mentioned in the article is something I have experienced at the Marine bases where I work - through propaganda, through Fox News, through "recommended book list" that crucified LBJ's behavior in Vietnam while glorifying W's similar behavior in Iraq, and so forth. It reminds me of state-controlled media in dictatorships.
Some things I've seen on the Marines' vehicles:
"Kick their a$$ and take their oil"
"Give WAR a chance"
"Muslims - didn't they mastermind 9/11? BUSH/CHENEY!"
Oh, btw... I hope everyone's Christmas weekend was wonderful, and everyone is gearing up for a great new year ahead!
I'm planning to ring in the new year at CodePink and Global Exchange's peace party in San Francisco. Link for your information only (no endorsement implied):
http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=1311
Ally
Happy Holidays from the U Village Apple Store.
This is a bustling island of yuppie consumerism - the frat and sorority kids. I don't know why I even came here, except free use of computers right now.
Have fun in SF!
These are from several mailings, but I just included those r/t the middle east or other exploding related problems involving clash of civilizations, such as in Somalia.
Biden Vows to Fight Any Iraq Troop Boost
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606R.shtml
Senator Joseph Biden, the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he will fight President Bush if the administration decides to send more US troops to Iraq.
Iran's Oil Revenue Running Dry, Analysis Shows
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606T.shtml
Iran is suffering a staggering decline in revenue from its oil exports, and if the trend continues income could virtually disappear by 2015, according to an analysis published Monday in a journal of the National Academy of Sciences. With its oil industry crippled, Iran's economic woes could make the country unstable and vulnerable.
Military Considers Recruiting Foreigners
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606A.shtml
The armed forces, already struggling to meet recruiting goals, are considering expanding the number of noncitizens in the ranks - including disputed proposals to open recruiting stations overseas and to put more immigrants on a faster track to US citizenship if they volunteer - according to Pentagon officials.
Court Upholds Death Penalty for Hussein
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606B.shtml
An Iraqi appeals court today upheld a death sentence for Saddam Hussein in a decision that could clear the way for Hussein's execution within 30 days, Iraqi officials told news agencies.
Six More US Soldiers Killed in Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606D.shtml
The US military on Tuesday reported the deaths of six soldiers in three separate roadside bomb attacks in Iraq.
Hundreds Disappear Into the Black Hole of the Kurdish Prison System in Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606E.shtml
The Kurdish prison population has swelled to include at least several hundred suspected insurgents, and yet there is no legal system to sort out their fates. So the inmates wait, a population for which there is no plan.
Sara Daniel | The President's Challenge
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606G.shtml
More than 20,000 Jews still live in Iran. In spite of Ahmadinejad's anti-Semitic provocations, his aggressive rhetoric has not yetconvinced Iranian Jews to leave the country.
Ethiopian Planes Bomb Islamist-Held Airports in Somalia
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606H.shtml
An Ethiopian fighter jet strafed Mogadishu's airport Monday in a show of force that took the growing conflict in the Horn of Africa to Somalia's capital for the first time. Four more Ethiopian fighter planes then attacked a second, intensely guarded military airport west of Mogadishu, witnesses said, where Islamist forces are said to store their heavy weapons and ammunition.
US Deaths in Iraq Exceed 9/11 Count
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606J.shtml
On Tuesday, the US military announced the deaths of six more American soldiers, pushing the US military death toll since the beginning of the Iraq War in March 2003 to at least 2,978 - five more than the number killed in the September 11 attacks in New
York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
British Soldiers Storm Iraqi Jail, Citing Torture
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606K.shtml
Hundreds of British and Iraqi soldiers assaulted a police station in the southern city of Basra on Monday, killing seven gunmen and rescuing 127 prisoners from what the British said was almost certain execution. Infiltration of the Iraqi police by militia members and criminals has been rampant. The jail, run by police that US and British forces have been training in Iraq, highlights
the lack of progress in training Iraqi security forces.
Thomas D. Williams | Generals Promote Christianity Inside the Pentagon
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606L.shtml
Thomas D. Williams writes, "Where does freedom to practice religion inside Pentagon offices with high-ranking Defense Department officers, congressmen and other ranking federal officials stop?"
Jeff Cohen | Inside TV News: We Were Silenced by the Drums of War
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606M.shtml
Jeff Cohen writes: "For 19 weeks, I had appeared in on-air debates almost every afternoon - the last weeks heavily focused on Iraq. I adamantly opposed an invasion.... In October 2002, my debate segments were terminated. There was no room for me after MSNBC launched Countdown: Iraq - a daily show that seemed more keen on glamorizing a potential war than scrutinizing or debating it. The show featured retired colonels and generals resembling boys with war toys as they used props, maps and glitzy graphics to spin invasion scenarios."
Troop "Surge" Plan for Iraq Meets Growing Opposition in US
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122606N.shtml
The idea of having more American soldiers go to Iraq does not sit well with the public, and signals that emerged from Capitol Hill Sunday indicated the White House may face a very uphill battle if, as expected, it embraces the proposal to pour up to 30,000 new troops into Iraq.
Merry late Christmas everyone. Sorry I didn't make it yesterday.
Santa bought me a new house.
And paint by the gallon.
I love those elves!
Good argument made at http://www.thepremise.com
...whether you call an increase in troops a surge or an escalation you’re effectively giving credence to the idea of increasing troops on the ground in Iraq. In effect, both positions assume an increase, which means the average American is going to discern the following two choices:
Increase troops via a surge
Increase troops via escalation
This is what happens when you get cute with language instead of focusing on the issue itself. And it’s all completely unnecessary given that there are two excellent bipartisan arguments against increasing troop deployments in Iraq. First, we don’t have frontline troops available to take on the mission. Second, the enemy can simply fall back and wait out an eventual and inevitable draw-down in American forces. But becasue there’s nothing sexy about stating the obvious we get word-play instead.
----Christy
Welcome back - hope you have computer access now!
May I please make a request or offer a suggestion?
Yesterday I heard the MOST BEAUTIFUL SONG called "Be The Light" that would have fit in so beautifully with yesterday's thread header and theme.
Alas, I just sat down to add it to yesterday's thread in keeping with the theme, and it had been closed already. We used to leave the threads open for a couple of days in case anyone catching up wanted to add a comment or two, or information along the lines of the thread topic.
Would there please please be any chance we could do that again rather than closing them so soon?
Sorry this is a bit off topic, and also I hope everyone is having a great holiday season!
I believe that the primary reason that Democrats took control of both Houses of Congress was the general publics intolerance of corruption at the National level. Of course, everything else didn't hurt either, but we should look to each and every State Party to take on this corruption at the local level to gain State Senate and House seats, and possibly Governorships.
The House cleaning is not over, and the following is an example of what I am doing via my State Blog (listed on Lefty Blogs for Arizona, a very, very powerful tool).
You see an example here:
http://theliberalgambler.com/WordPress/?p=298
Furthering the corruption meme down into State Legislative races, will only benefit our Party and our mission of reaffirmation that the Republican Party is indeed "infected", not only with a bereft of ideas, but with this culture of corruption right down to the local dogcatcher!
This is a relatively easy action to take, only requiring a bit of research and message promotion.
(Cross posted on the forum as well)...
Our freedom is in serious jeopardy in this country, please continue to take action!
TY Dianne,
But as far as my comp goes, I am still on the kids start up.
No email, I can not even access it from Bell souths home page, and there is some damn adult control on here that won't let me on certain adult content websites like my own.
I can't even get a message to Rossi.
She probably thinks I'm in Gitmo or something.
Christy
I have Rossi's somewhere. Mine doesn't work properly either - I have to go through Comcast homepage but I think I can get into my old address book. I'll let her know if I can. Yeah she may think that! ;)
Some families travel to Iraq to see where their loved ones died, as some families did to Vietnam. It's very selective what they see, hear and are told, and sometimes they can take away some meaning from it. Even when the news is positive and there was some good, it seems like a hollow victory for them. That's my interpretation of some of the "feel good" (about what?!) stories I'm reading. I don't think that's the interpretation I'm supposed to be taking. I think I'm supposed to think the media is hiding all the good things happening in Iraq. Call me a cynic but I don't believe that.
http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/122606/D8M8DVRO0.shtml
I also read at Crooks and Liars that John McCain's youngest son is finishing basic training and may go to Iraq. Did the poor kid ever have a chance? 18 years old, wearing military issue glasses, supposed to be from one of America's longest lines of servers in the military. Well poor kid, in more ways than one. Sad.
US President George W.Bush said he was saddened by Brown's death. "For half a century, the innovative talent of the 'Godfather of Soul' enriched our culture and influenced generations of musicians," Mr Bush said in a statement.
-- Give me a break! Trying to imagine him doing a dance - maybe the Funky Chicken .. or The Monkey.
Mr. Bush, you make us barf.
Please shut up, before we barf on you.
Can we impeach him now?
PLEASE.
Good evening from Phoenix... have not been online for a few days while traveling with the fam, but wanted to wish you all best wishes during this holiday season.
Have been missing my DCP brainfeeding tube!
R.I.P. James Brown
Mornin Monkey.
Got any good poetry laying around?
Do share.
Posted by: Christy at December 26, 2006 09:37 PM
My Soul is Marching On
The shining stars are sunk in darkness deep,
The weary sun is dead at night,
The moon’s soft smile doth fade anon;
But still my soul is marching on!
The grinding wheel of time hath crushed
Full many a life of moon and star,
And many a brightly smiling morn;
But still my soul is marching on!
The flowers bloomed, then hid in gloom,
The bounty of the trees did cease;
Colossal men have come and gone,
But still my soul is marching on!
The aeons one by one are flying,
My arrows one by one are gone;
Dimly, slowly, life is fading,
But still my soul is marching on!
Darkness, death, and failures vied;
To block my path they fiercely tried.
My fight with jealous Nature’s strong,
But still my soul is marching on!
(Dubya better keep his trap shut re: the godfather of soul considering he doesn't have one...)
My comp crashed and I lost about ten works I did since I last backed up the file.
Man, that sucks. I had some good ones going lately.
I do have Richard Scarys Best Reading Program though.
And a file labled Alligator Alphabet.
I miss my old computer.
Posted by: monkey at December 26, 2006 09:50 PM
Wow, that is beautiful.
Thank you.
Where is it from?
Charles E. Anderson
Hospital Corpsman Second Class (FMF/SW) USN Ret.
Posted by Rick Albertson at December 26, 2006 10:50 AM
Thanks Charles and thanks Rick. This would not have been easy to write but very important at this time.
Can we impeach him now?
PLEASE.
Posted by: Christy at December 26, 2006 09:26 PM
Again, Christy, I am with you on this issue. Whilst the Lunatic-in-Chief is at liberty to make decisions regardless of opposition to those decisions, the world is in extremely dire straits. We are all in appalling danger.
Iran's oil revenue has dried up apparently (Posted by: DiAnne at December 26, 2006 06:31 PM). The L-i-C will certainly want to liberate that oil, I'm sure. Why is he still in a position where he can simply multiply his current catastrophes ten or twenty-fold, while no-one throws him in some dungeon out of harm's (and our) way.
Can't he be sent to Guantanamo as an enemy combatant? He's far more dangerous to Americans than anyone in there it seems. *No charges* translates as *can't torture a confession out of him/them*. Guantanamo seems to be the most fitting place for him in the current circumstances. Conspiracy to kill Americans? Yep. He wouldn't hold up to much torture. You'd have a confession within seconds. One of those "no-brainer" drowning techniques perhaps.
I'm serious. While the entire government - Democrats, Republicans, Independents - leave him at his current post he will continue to order the killing and maiming of innocents on all sides. If there is just ONE guilty person who dies - then to the L-i-C, the masses killed for the ONE are justified.
Americans - the world - will not be safe from the Bush lunacy until he is gagged and bound and unable to make one more appalling decision. Can we allow him to continue his illegal ways to the end of his reign? Seriously? Can we? Whoever took impeachment off the table - that person is as guilty as Bush for every death and injury that happened since the impeachment opportunity was waived.
Of course Cheney would follow the L-i-C's commands, so he would also need to be impeached. And so on down the food chain.
Arianna Huffington's lead piece today was about James Brown.
This is one day late, but I'll always remember that James Brown died on Christmas Day.
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Pitch up your reindeer. Uh!
Go straight to the ghetto.
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
And every stockings you buy,
The kids are gonna love you. So, Uh!
Leave a toy for Johnny.
Leave a dog for Mary.
Leave something pretty for Donnie.
And don't forget about Gary.
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Tell him James Brown sent you. Ha!
Go straight to the ghetto.
You know that I know that you will see
Cause' that was once. Me.
Hit it! Hit it!
You see mothers and soul brothers.
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Santa Clause, oh lord, go straight to the ghetto.
And every stockings you buy,
The kids are gonna love you.
So, pick up a stocking you find.
You'll know they need you.
So, I'm begging you Santa Clause,
Go straight to the ghetto.
If anyone wanna know,
Tell him James Brown told you.
So, Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Never thought I realized, I'll be singing a song
With one of you. My!
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Don't leave nothing for me.
I have you. Can't you see?
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Santa Clause, the soul brothers need you.
So, Santa Clause, tell him James Brown sent you...
(fade)
Christy:
Paramahansa Yogananda.
I think you'll like this link: http://www.poetseers.org/
Hi Monkey.
Am glad you're travelling with your family. We miss you here too.
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person on the planet who believes talking can achieve far more than any bombs and brutality. With the Lunatic-in-Chief's refusal to discuss anything with whoever is on his current hate list, I guess we'll never know if it might prove successful.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/timor-pms-plea-to-osama/2006/12/26/1166895296704.html
Timor PM's plea to Osama
Brendan Nicholson
December 27, 2006
EAST Timor's Prime Minister has sent a Christmas-New Year message of peace to the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden
In it, Jose Ramos Horta has urged bin Laden to forgive Christians, just as said he had forgiven the Indonesians who invaded East Timor.
Mr Ramos Horta was one of several world leaders asked by the BBC to send a Christmas-New Year message to an individual or a group of their choosing.
"It occurred to me that a man who is one of the most feared and detested on earth by some and admired by others might tune into the BBC and hear my message," he said yesterday. Mr Ramos Horta said he had no illusions that his message would change bin Laden, but thought there was a chance bin Laden would listen and "maybe, just maybe, my message would touch his conscience".
Mr Ramos Horta's message was broadcast on December 23.
In it, the Nobel peace prize winner said: "On this occasion, when we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, my words, words of peace, are sent to my brother somewhere in the mountains, in the caves of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Osama bin Laden."
Mr Ramos Horta went on: "Yes, there are some differences between yourself, my brother Osama bin Laden, and myself.
"The differences are that while you seem to have a profound resentment towards those who had done centuries of harm to Muslims, and today to Palestinians — I do understand these grievances — and yet I fail to understand why you carry this resentment, this anger onto attacking innocent civilians — and that includes also Arabs and Muslims who do not share your vision of Islam.
"I come from a small country, East Timor, that was invaded by the largest Muslim country in the world. I lost brothers and sisters, yet I do not hate one single Muslim, I do not hate one single Indonesian."
Mr Ramos Horta said: "I beg you to re-think and extend your love, your solidarity, your friendship, the same ones you feel about Palestinians, extend to the rest of the world, extend to Europeans, to Christians.
"You will then win them over that way, more than through hatred and violence."
The formerly oldest living president has passed away.
http://cbs4.com/topstories/topstories_story_227195601.html
Woz
Horta - or someone - ought to urge Bush to do the same thing.
After 9/11, I saw in the prayer book at a hospital where a Muslim woman wrote "I believe your God and my God are the same" and then she wrote some more messages about peace and hope and signed it Anonymous.
Kind of a brave thing to do right then right there because it's a big Navy place with a war ship a few hundred yards away.
We can dream.
Probe of Bush Policies in the Works
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1223-01.htm
Report of what was in the Boston Globe, having to do with the Massachusetts delegation and pending Congressional investigations about what happened when the Executive Branch proceeded for 6 years without any real Congressional oversight.
What could happen? What about delegations from other Dem-dominated states with members on powerful committees - who want to know what the hell happened over the past 6 years and why.
Pelosi & Conyers - Smarter Than Impeachment
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_061225_pelosi_and_conyers__.htm
I have received this from a trusted friend here in Seattle and we are discussing it via email as a group. I have sent it on to another little "think tank" with people on-line from Minnesota and Oregon tonight. I want to know what y'all think.
Dare we dream? Should we move in this direction? What is the best game plan? Is this feasible? Is it possible?
Former President Gerald Ford Dies
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706Z.shtml
Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of Richard Nixon's scandal-shattered White House as the 38th and only unelected president in America's history, has died, his wife, Betty, said Tuesday. He was 93.
They really shouldn't say "only unelected president" - what about W 2x?
Dare we dream? Should we move in this direction? What is the best game plan? Is this feasible? Is it possible?
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 01:11 AM
There is one person, still alive, who has extremely damaging first hand accounts of some illegal actions of the Bush Regime. Jesselyn Raddack wasn't even mentioned in this piece. If these people haven't even bothered with Jesselyn, then it seems to me that they'll blow hot air and not much more. Don't forget - this piece is available to the Lunatic-in-Chief's personnel. They could read it to him. Forewarned - forearmed - and all that. Yes - he needs to be OUSTED! SOON! But this just seems like a whole lot of mish-mash leaving thousands of holes in each minute of operation. It can't work/succeed. Way too many variables.
They really shouldn't say "only unelected president" - what about W 2x?
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 01:14 AM
Exactly!
Horta - or someone - ought to urge Bush to do the same thing.
Posted by: DiAnne, 4 decades James Brown fan at December 27, 2006 12:36 AM
Agreed DiAnne, except that you can send the letter to the Bush but the Bush wouldn't get it - if he could read it.
Pelosi & Conyers - Smarter Than Impeachment
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rob_kall_061225_pelosi_and_conyers__.htm
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 01:11 AM
As near as I can tell, it's a pretty daydream in prose form.
We have nothing whatsoever to indicate the Dem leadership will come to any consensus on any investigations. All we have is the blanket statement of Pelosi and Conyers that 'impeachment is off the table.' Other than the news in passing that committees will do some investigations, we have no concrete words by anyone that Congress Critters will get the top two criminals and their cohorts booted out of office.
I'm afraid we're stuck with them for two more years for sure. And, depending on how their war is going by the end of '08, we may face cancellation of the '08 elections and martial law and a published dictatorship after that (not just the *technical* dictatorship as currently mandated in the MCA '06).
Until/Unless our Congress Critters and their leaders face that ugly fact/truth, they will not move for impeachment, and their investigations will be superficial, at best, nor will they voluntarily remove the top criminals from office. I'm afraid it will take massive riots by the citizens of this nation (aired in Lamestream Media, no less!!!) to get the criminals out of office, and for the Congress Critters to finally listen to their constitutents.
As things stand right now, I think the war will escalate and spill over to Iran and maybe other countries, thanks to this "surge" in the number of troops to conveniently be sent to the region, ostensibly to Iraq to quell the civil war there. No good whatsoever can come from an increase in troops or Bu$hCo's war spilling over to other countries, just as no good can come from leaving Bu$hCo in office.
So, while it's nice to imagine various scenarios to get Bu$h, Cheney and their evil minions out of office, nothing whatsoever is going to happen until or unless our Congress Critters go through the detox process and stop drinking the "bipartisan cooperation" kool-aid and go through cult-thinking deprogramming so they stop believing the string of lies coming from the mouths of the "leaders" of this country.
Nice try with the prose daydream on the part of that particular author, however....
We are all in appalling danger.
Snip
Americans - the world - will not be safe from the Bush lunacy until he is gagged and bound and unable to make one more appalling decision. Can we allow him to continue his illegal ways to the end of his reign? Seriously? Can we? Whoever took impeachment off the table - that person is as guilty as Bush for every death and injury that happened since the impeachment opportunity was waived.
Posted By Woz
You know Woz, I keep hearing this scream in my head every time I read about it or try to...keep up.
It is not an angry scream or one of sadness. It is a scream that is 100% fear.
I look at my countrymen gathered around at their various life intersections and I just want to scream at them 'RUN! ARM YOURSELVES! HIDE! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! RUN RUN RUN!"
I stand there instead and just pretend like I am calm and that everything will be ok.
At this point, we all are just standing here PRETENDING that it is ok. We are all just going on with our lives and desperately pretending that what is happening will not destroy everything we know and love.
Me and my man just bought our first house in life and it is a wonderful and damn near perfect place for our kids to finish growing up. God, I love my man, him too, damn near perfect. Six years together and every day gets better.
On Christmas day I spent much of it alone in the new house putting custom color paint up, and I was standing there looking at my new wall filled with Morning Sunshine and I realized I have waited all my life to get to that moment.
And while I was standing there the radio gave a quickie news flash about the 'troop surge' that is being tossed about, and I stood there looking at that wall and thought, ' I would have rather gotten an impeachment for Christmas."
I have waited my whole life and I would give all of it back to impeach that son of a bitch.
What good is a stupid house when my nation is destroyed...?
When I move my kids in there, I will do so under the pretend notion that I can protect them there.
And my countrymen will go on about their lives also pretending they are ok, and safe, and that it will all work itself out.
I am not sure how much longer we can go on like this.
"Can we allow him to continue his illegal ways to the end of his reign? Seriously? Can we?"
The answer is no, we can not let him continue. We also can not stop him today, or tommorrow or anytime in the near future.
So instead we pretend it does not matter, that the danger has receeded or hidden itself away. We do it even as we feel the fear. Even as we sense the danger, we simply pretend like it is not real, that it will not come to its' logical conclusion.
I am so sick of pretending.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061227/ap_on_re_us/james_brown_funeral
James Brown's body to lie at NYC Apollo
Bush Hires Lawyers to Prepare for Congressional Probes
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706K.shtml
President Bush is bracing for what could be an onslaught of investigations by the new Democratic-led Congress by hiring lawyers to fill key White House posts and preparing to play defense on countless document requests and possible subpoenas.
Democrats Seek to Use Oil Cash for Renewables
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706M.shtml
House Democrats, in the first weeks of the new Congress, plan to establish a dedicated fund to promote renewable energy and conservation, using money from oil companies.
Interior, Pentagon Faulted in Audit
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706N.shtml
The Defense Department paid two procurement operations at the Department of the Interior to arrange for Pentagon purchases totaling $1.7 billion that resulted in excessive fees and tens of millions of dollars in waste, documents show.
Norman Solomon | Announcing the P.U.-litzer Prizes for 2006
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706O.shtml
Norman Solomon writes: "Competition has been fierce this year for the fifteenth annual P.U.-litzer Prizes. Many can plausibly lay claim to stinky media performances, but only a few can win a P.U.-litzer. As the judges for this uncoveted award, Jeff Cohen and I have deliberated with due care. And now, the winners of the P.U.-litzer Prizes for 2006 ..."
I quit playing "Let's Pretend" a very, very long time ago. And I thank all the stars there are that the people I am close to do not pretend that life today is anything other than it is: a mix of beauty and birth, death and loss, hope and times when hope is buried and perservence takes its place until hope returns.
For all those who so desperately wish for nothing else but for impeachment to be "the" front and center issue come January, please, have at it. Start a movement, make it happen. Put boots to the ground and get the job done. If you have the evidence to procure an impeachment, please, please, PLEASE send that evidence to your politicans.
The collective "we" spoke on November 7, 2006. There will be forward movement. There has always been forward movement, not as fast as any one individual might wish, but I think it's an exercise in "pretend" to think that an entire nation can move as fast as any individual might want it too. Maybe in a dictatorship, we could. In the meantime, American voters put their feet to the street and voted and come January, we hold our elected officials' feet to the fire and demand that our government act legally and lawfully with oversight and control and investigate and gather evidence while they also deal with the overwhelming international situation and the desperate domestic situations and the frightening environment situation and maybe, if we're lucky, the minimum wage issue and healthcare. Oh, and stopping stop-loss, and Afganistan, and Iraq, and the massive refugee relocation. Um, the Gulf Coast, too.
Ain't no pretending about anything.
Seriously, there ain't no pretending about anything.
Even my family members who oh-my-gawd-voted-Republican don't want to see any more death in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"She had some horses.
She had some horses she loved.
She had some horses she hated.
They were the same horses."
~~Joy Harjo
We will do this thing: we will end this war: we will help repair what we destroyed: we will acknowledge the refugee situations: in short, we ARE taking our country back. There is much work to do. There is ALWAYS much work to do. Not much need today for bullhorns.
Well I laid in bed reading "Bitchy Bitch" comic books by Roberta Gregory from Fantagraphics. She and Lynda Barry are both homegirls. If this is what retirement will feel like, I'm ready!
(The clinic closed for a week so I was forced to take a vacation)
The internets is good.
DiAnne
Thanks so much, I was really starting to worry have been leaving lots of messages for her but have had no answer at all. At least now I know that sheis alright, I was just about to phone her, but was not sure she had the samenumber, if she had moved into her house.
Thanks again and all the best for the New Year, I will try ringing her onthe phone number that I have and see if it works. Please wish everyone allthe best from Down Under.
Again thank you very much.
Peace Rossi
So I take it some of you don't think there will be investigations?
I hope there will. What happens if someone is subpoenaed and they don't go? They're in Contempt of Congress. But what are the practical implications of that?
Did everyone who read the Conyers/Pelosi piece also read the one about the Massachusetts delegation - from the Boston Globe? Because if that is only the Massachusetts congressional delegation, what of the ones from all the other blue and purple states? What of the changing-of-the-guards in terms of who constitutes the committees? Now I know the Democrats are also beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups. & that the public has little faith left in the Legislative Branch and hasn't a clue what to do about the other branches. Are we going to write off Congress? I know they called me this morning and I said I was busy. Now I wish I'd given another ten bucks.
TY Dianne OMG thank you.
I would have called her first myself but her number was on my comp. Her street address too.
Man this comp sucks.
Rossi if you see this yes my number is still good, but if I don't answer it I am working on the other house.
And I have fallen deeply madly in love with a color named Steamed Spinach.
I know, I know, but its' lovely.
Oh, and I love you too. I miss you.
Plans for investigations are already underway. DiAnne, write off Congress? I don't think so! I think the results of November 7 not only called for a change of guard, but called for accountability (come January) as well. ("Sounds like a focus group" lol)
November 7, 2006 is what it's ALL about. It was a massive "This is what democracy looks like" moment.
We stole the fire. We own the fire. We *will* clear the underbrush. We *will* plant new seeds.
This article appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Apologies if it's already been posted here.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/george-no-shame-in-changing-your-mind/2006/12/27/1166895359516.html
Memo George: there's no shame in changing your mind
Adam Hochschild
December 28, 2006
DEAR Mr President,
Your interview in The Washington Post made headlines across the US last week because you continued to talk about "victory" in Iraq — a hint that you might increase the number of American troops there.
But it caught my eye for a different reason.
After expressing some "befuddlement" at the suggestion that you do not read books, you explained that the most recent book you read was King Leopold's Ghost, about the plundering of the Congo a century ago. This pleased me because I wrote that book.
I just talked for awhile to a Republican. He said this administration is so far from fiscally conservtive - that he grew up thinking of Democrats as tax and spend liberals, but that he is outraged at the billions allocated for the mess in Iraq. He said it's scary that we're so in debt to the Chinese.
We agreed that alot of politics now is infotainment and image, that the business magazines are the best place to get "just the facts" and that both left and right talk radio pretty much "preach to the converted." I told him this administration is ruining the traditional Republican party and that's why alot of Independents who left the Democrats after the Clinton scandal or went over to Reagan went back to vote Dem this last 2006 election. He agreed. He felt Obama and Clinton are sucking all the air out of the room from other Democrats and most media presentation is on their image, not their programs. We both agreed we were dreading 2008 because it would be a big free-for-all with no incumbent and a bunch of people with competing images and confusing programs. & we agreed that there ought to be a bipartisan effort in the next 2 years to clean up the mess.
He agreed that the Executive branch had gone unchecked for 6 years with virtually no oversight. We actually agreed on quite alot. He also said we're going to have to fund our own retirement because the government certainly isn't going to do it for us. I told him about my two uninsured bothers and their famlies. I agreed with him that insured are subsidizing uninsured who turn up out of desperation at Emergency rooms, & then I showed him the magazine from my professional organization about how every damn year we have to narrowly avert caps and ceilings that would curtail to an inhumane degree what can be done for, for example, a stroke patient. & how I preferred working for a nonprofit because we actually do better not having to depend exclusively on the government or exclusively on private money.
I know very few Republicans and those I know are so because of family ties and tradition. They are not happy.
Some good food for thought here.
Ally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Robert Parry | The GOP's $3 Billion Propaganda Organ
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706A.shtml
Robert Parry writes: "The American Right achieved its political dominance in Washington over the past quarter century with the help of more than $3 billion spent by Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon on a daily propaganda organ, the Washington Times, according to a 21-year veteran of the newspaper."
This is not surprising!!!!!
Hussein Execution: Baath Party Threatens to Retaliate
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706B.shtml
Saddam Hussein's Baath Party threatened Wednesday to retaliate if the ousted Iraqi leader is executed, warning in an Internet posting it would target US interests anywhere.
This is for those who want to argue about what if anything Congress will or can do. I'll wait and see.
Democrats Will Soon Get a Say on Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706C.shtml
After years of playing a marginal role in the Iraq war, congressional Democrats plan to move quickly next month to assert more control and undercut any White House effort to increase troop levels.
He's supposed to be on the ranch preparing SOTU and about what to do in Iraq.
Bush Hires Lawyers to Prepare for Congressional Probes
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706K.shtml
President Bush is bracing for what could be an onslaught of investigations by the new Democratic-led Congress by hiring lawyers to fill key White House posts and preparing to play defense on countless document requests and possible
subpoenas.
More on Congress .. can this really happen? Time is ripe with finally some awareness and recognition of global warming and that Iraq has meant hundreds of billions down a rathole.
Democrats Seek to Use Oil Cash for Renewables
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706M.shtml
House Democrats, in the first weeks of the new Congress, plan to establish a dedicated fund to promote renewable energy and conservation, using money from oil companies.
Saddest of all, also at Vets for Peace:
Reservist Due for Iraq Is Killed in Standoff With Police
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706L.shtml
Army Reservist James E. Dean had already served 18 months in Afghanistan when he was notified three weeks ago that he would be deployed to Iraq later this month. The prospect of returning to war sent Dean into a spiral of depression and on Christmas, Dean barricaded himself inside his father's home with several weapons, threatening to kill himself. After a 14-hour standoff with authorities, Dean was killed yesterday by a police officer after he aimed a gun at another officer.
Ok, visiting Arizona, I see way-hay too many Dubya stickers.
Just wondering, but does living in the desert mean you HAVE to support a deserter?
Cactass
Monkey
Arizona has the fastest growing population in America, mostly Hispanic. They need to realize if they don't vote Dem they will vote against their own interest. Perhaps the Dubyaness has to do with the rich old people who move there for the sun. Nationally though, the elderly are some of the most reliable and Dem voters. If you go to the Phoenix airport, beware of the section that has actual rocking chairs in the waiting rooms! You will see alot of bluehairs with Marge Simpson hair. Scary!
I know DiAnne posted this above, but I am putting this on a top three "must read" list for today:
Robert Parry | The GOP's $3 Billion Propaganda Organ
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122706A.shtml
Robert Parry writes: "The American Right achieved its political dominance in Washington over the past quarter century with the help of more than $3 billion spent by Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon on a daily propaganda organ, the Washington Times, according to a 21-year veteran of the newspaper."
Excerpts:
The Times, in turn, has targeted American politicians of the center and left with journalistic attacks - sometimes questioning their sanity, as happened with Democratic presidential nominees Michael Dukakis and Al Gore. Those themes then resonate through the broader right-wing echo chamber and into the mainstream media.
Washington Times articles are routinely cited by C-SPAN, for instance, without explanations to viewers that the newspaper is financed by an ultra-right religious cult leader, a convicted tax fraud and a publicly identified money-launderer. Most American listeners just think they're getting straightforward news.
~~~~~
Though primarily allied with the Republican Right, Moon has tossed money to some African-American ministers to gain favor with a key Democratic constituency.
Moon's multi-billion-dollar political investments, in turn, have shielded him from sustained scrutiny since 1978 when he was identified by the congressional "Koreagate" investigation as part of a covert Korean influence-buying scheme. As a result of those findings about his finances, he was convicted in 1982 of tax fraud.
Ironically, however, as Moon implemented the influence-buying blueprint exposed by the "Koreagate" probe - investing in U.S. media, politicians and academia - he became an untouchable. He founded the Washington Times in 1982 and quickly put it into the service of Republican power.
President Ronald Reagan hailed Moon's publication as his "favorite newspaper"; it even helped raise money for the Nicaraguan contras; and President George H.W. Bush invited its editor Wesley Pruden to the White House in 1991 "just to tell you how valuable the Times has become in Washington, where we read it every day."
Washington Times defenders argue that the newspaper is independent of Moon's religion and doesn't proselytize for his faith.
But the argument misses the point because Moon's organization is only a religious entity on one level. More substantively, it is an international conglomerate with investments in fishing, restaurants, gun manufacturing, tourism, banks, real estate and media.
Since its finances often operate on the shady side of the law, Moon's organization requires, most of all, political influence for protection.
Similarly, Moon's operation is not really "conservative" in the normal sense of the word. While it has worked with everyone from right-of-center Republicans to neo-fascist organizations, it also has joined forces with the reclusive communist leaders of North Korea when that was to Moon's advantage. [See Consortiumnews.com's "Moon, North Korea & the Bushes."]
~~~~~
Over the past half dozen years, it has often been hard to distinguish between the fawning coverage of George W. Bush from the Washington Times and from the Washington Post. Both major Washington dailies bought into Bush's false claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction with almost no skepticism.
Currently, the Washington Times seems inclined to continue serving as a leading defender of Republican power and thus of President Bush. Calling itself "America's Newspaper," the Moon-financed Times also has championed the cause of anti-immigration activists, another hot-button issue on the Right.
But the Times and other right-wing news outlets risk a credibility crisis as more and more Americans turn away from the Bush presidency and are turned off by the right-wing rhetoric demonizing citizens who have objected to Bush's policies.
Nevertheless, history will surely record that Moon's $3 billion-plus investment succeeded in buying a remarkable degree of Washington influence - and legal protection - for his dubious political/business/religious empire.
The extraordinary rise of Sun Myung Moon also tells a cynical story about how "respectability" is just one more Washington commodity that can be purchased with enough money.
{For more info, click on link (it's a fairly long article)... Moon's bio is included, and info about his theology connected with the Unification church, how it went from a minor Korean sect to WA DC and major political influence for the extreme rightwingers, including into presidential politics, money laundering, and a long list of other crimes... Yikes!}
Posted by: monkey at December 27, 2006 03:16 PM
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 03:20 PM
I also need to add that many of these new red Arizonans are former Californians who left the state due to its "browning" - AKA arrival of nonwhites.
California turned blue ONLY because these Neanderthals left in enough numbers.
There are still many of them left over in California though, especially in the southern half and the inland areas.
kj:
Chop wood, carry water.
first there is a mountain,
Otter
Currently, the Washington Times seems inclined to continue serving as a leading defender of Republican power and thus of President Bush. Calling itself "America's Newspaper," the Moon-financed Times also has championed the cause of anti-immigration activists, another hot-button issue on the Right.
Posted by: NonnyO at December 27, 2006 04:11 PM
WRONG, WRONG, and WRONG.
The Washington Times CLEARLY has said that illegal immigration helps America, by keeping labor affordable (and hopefully, breaking up those pesky left-leaning labor unions).
If there is one immigrant who must be stopped at any cost, it's Reverend Moon.
The Democratic Party must demand that the South Korean government will dearly pay for the insolence of Reverend Moon in American politics. The two nations are in sneaky FTA negotiations in recent months, and we must make it clear to the Koreans: no free trade with us unless you take this bastard back.
Posted by: NonnyO at December 27, 2006 04:11 PM
One more note: in 1978, South Korea was a fascist dictatorship that needed a friendly right-wing leader in the US for its protection.
Jimmy Carter saw this and tried to cut US troops in South Korea. The fascists, many of whom now have moved to the US, responded by supporting Reagan and the two Bushes. (John Yoo would be the ultimate example of this.)
The goal of the Korean-American fascists, Moon included, is to make the US a fascist wonderland worthy of serving (in the image of their own old fascist state), and to make South Korea its 51st state.
Some of their websites:
www.newright.org (New Right Foundation)
www.hannara.or.kr (Grand National Party - a political party beholden to our Republicans)
When I go to the CodePink New Year's Eve Party in San Fran, Cindy Sheehan and Medea Benjamin will be there. They have just come back from a visit to South Korea to oppose the expansion of a US military base there - a base wanted only by the New Rights and the Grand Nationals (and the Korean-Americans), not by the average people of the two countries.
Given a chance, I'll be sure to de-brief Benjamin and Sheehan regarding these entities and their political power, to let them know what they were going up against.
Posted by: Otter at December 27, 2006 04:45 PM
We do chop, we do carry. :-)
The mountain most definately shifted in Missouri... which not only changed the landscape, but perspective. Just a report from this cell, you know. @;-)
It's *still* a beautiful day. (She said, sick with a cold/sore throat)
BTW, had some great, engaging conversations with the conservative members (nearly all) of my family, deep in the heart of red Hoosierland, this past week. Did a LOT of talking about our mutual friend (the one who goes by the nickname "real deal"). Not one disagreement.
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at December 27, 2006 05:04 PM
Take along either a copy of the entire article and/or something with the URL for the full article. It's rather long and involved, but by the end of the article it's the close ties are noted between Moon and the Bushistas - particularly Poppy Bush who seems to garner huge speaking fees from Moon's organization.
By the end of the article all the little hairs on my body were standing out straight... the Moonies are a front for fascism in all its ugly forms - and worse, world fascism.... reminded me, too, of Orwell's 1984....
Then I harkened back to the paragraph that Moon's paper is often quoted with a straight face on C-SPAN....
Posted by: NonnyO at December 27, 2006 05:39 PM
I've posted it on my own blog already, thanks! I'll be sure to hand the URL over to Sheehan and Benjamin.
This is indeed scary stuff. You could literally (and justifiably) start a war against someone for doing much less than what the Moonies and the Koreans have done to our government.
Where is the outrage?
While at it, boycott Samsung and Korean Air.
Thanks for exposing the Moonies all you can, folks!
John Edwards will announce his run for President in 2008,
in New Orleans tomorrow. That will be the populist.
It's going to be a zoo for both parties right up til there are nominees, since there will be no Republican incumbent.
I plan to make a big spreadsheet with all the issues and rate each on their record and plan. No image, no consultants, no great rhetoric and not even electibility concerns til I get down what they've all done and stand for, both parties. I agree with Noam Chomsky that our elections are all about beauty, not talent (that's my reframing of his concern that the media can go on for hours about the candidates without once going through what they stand for).
And in the meantime, need to see if Congress can do any damage control about the fact that the Executive branch has run amok with no oversight for six long years.
The Culture Wars in America
- highly recommended by Kayakbiker, & cross posted also on front page at My Left Wing - nice graphics
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/27/113920/78
Comments here? & on the site if inclined?
Beings as it's almost the New Year, this is a great retrospective of what's happened since the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam til now, & thought provoking.
A graphic is sometimes worth a thousand words or more.
I plan to make a big spreadsheet with all the issues and rate each on their record and plan. No image, no consultants, no great rhetoric and not even electibility concerns til I get down what they've all done and stand for, both parties. I agree with Noam Chomsky that our elections are all about beauty, not talent (that's my reframing of his concern that the media can go on for hours about the candidates without once going through what they stand for).
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 05:47 PM
That would be wonderful. I would love to have a copy of your analysis.
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 05:47 PM
Great idea, DiAnne! I don't vote there but like to know. Hope you post it somewhere for all to see and keep up with.
Excerpts:
(Go read the rest, enjoy the graphics and the trip back through time, with implications for our future)
I read through the many comments, which I typically don't - many good ideas and quotations.
Thank God we got the criminals, and America got the Puritans!
~ Australian folk saying
Almost Cut My Hair
Almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It's gettin' kind of long
I could've said it was in my way
But I didn't and I wonder why
I feel like letting my freak flag fly
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
.. We still had a free press then (more or less) and they reported dutifully. The entire nation followed the daily body counts on the evening news, and the war became a major focus of the youth rebellion. Our peers were getting slaughtered and it made no sense at all. It eventually began to dawn on us that companies like Dupont and Bank of America were reaping huge profits from the war, and that was why America was sacrificing its youth.
I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag
Yeah, come on all of you big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds -
The only good commie is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to Kingdom Come.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Huh!
Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is War-a-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.
And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
~ Country Joe McDonald and the Fish
The Vietnam War protests became a battleground for the war between the rebellious youth and the establishment who profited from the war. The establishment left us no doubts that they were prepared to slaughter us on the streets of America to hang on to their precious little war.
For a good long while following the war in Vietnam, our nation avoided war. We had learned some painful lessons about messin’ in the affairs of others. Sadly, we failed to retain the wisdom over time and slowly began to forget what we had paid so dearly to learn, thus setting the stage for Iraq.
(snip)
We live in a world of unrelenting, and overwhelming propaganda. We are constantly lied to through every imaginable media. We are fed a sugarcoated version of reality designed by expert propagandists to keep us acquiescent of the status quo.
The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media.
~ William Colby, former CIA director
In a fit on conscience in his old age, Colby told many such tales out of school - which may be why he was discovered one day quite mysteriously dead.
The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.
~ Gloria Steinem
(snip)
These rich and powerful players are the heart of the rightwing, though a relatively small portion of it. The rest are their dupes who subscribe to the wingnut philosophy because:
They hate one race or another
They are eaten up with homophobia
They believe in American exceptionalism and brook no criticism of the USA
They think war is patriotic
They hate people of other religions
They fear change
They some day hope to be gazillionaires and so want to be in with the right crowd
Or any number of other bogus reasons
The real power elite manipulate these fools like puppets. Prayer in school, homosexual marriage, flag burning amendments, born again Presidents, and on and on goes the list of their manipulative devices. They easily fool these folks into voting wholeheartedly against their own economic interests. And they pit their dupes against the rest of us to keep us all from presenting a united front to them and thereby challenging their rule.
(snip)
In the 60s one adult could support a household. Living was relatively inexpensive, cars and houses were inexpensive, college was cheap, even people with mediocre jobs often worked a couple of years then took a year off to travel. A lot of the things we now pay for were then free.
Today, even if you have a good job, chances are you live paycheck-to-paycheck, and that more than one adult in the household works fulltime just to make ends meet. The cost of college has skyrocketed into the stratosphere, and nothing is free. Fifty million Americans are without any form of health insurance. Many have been victimized by the export of American jobs, just ask any computer programmer, and the list of exported professions is growing at an alarming rate. What manufacturing jobs we still have are on their way to China, high-tech jobs to India, and those of us not filthy rich are in the process of being reduced to peasants – and peasantry pays poorly, even in America.
(snip)
If we don’t even realize we’re in a war, we’re going to keep getting our asses kicked again and again, just as we’ve been doing for lo these many years. If you still don’t believe this is a war, just ask those who were with Dr. King the day he was shot, or someone who was beaten, gassed and jailed in Chicago in 1968, or the girl in the photograph at Kent State.
from comments:
Seems to be a combo of influences converging to keep us isolated. Our entertainment is video games, tv, indoor individual rec stuff instead of outdoors or making music or art. Kids are fat, parents are fat, we are less educated in our public schools.
Birth to grave, we are consumers of what corporations decide we are to consume as far as food, education and information goes.
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. -- Mother Theresa
We witnessed the assassinations of JFK, MLK, RFK. We witnessed the Chicago 8/7 trial and the '68 dem convention. The world was no longer a safe place.
"You can count on Americans to do the right thing after they've tried everything else." -- Winston Churchill
I think of the line from the intellectual/writer in "Clockwork Orange" in describing Alex:
"A vitim of the modern age!"
I was a fetus during Kent State...but my wake-up call was the WTO protests in Seattle. You had the Chicago DNC of '68 combined with police tactics right out of 1960s Birmingham.
First priority: health care for all. What Do We Want? Single-Payer! When do we want it? NOW!
9-11 changed everything? Well, Katrina changed it back.
The problem is that so many young people feel like their vote doesn't count. There is redistricting, campaign finance, etc. Plus they don't believe politicians will deliver what they promise during their campaigns, and for good reason.
This detachment from the democratic process is tragic indeed. To change this mentality, first we need to change the way government works.
Howard Dean said it all. We need to take our party back so we can take our country back. This isn't about rich or poor, black or white, male or female, straight or gay.
Imagination is more important than knowledge - Einstein
For example, parents today have the attitude that if schools are bad then the solution is to take out a second mortgage and send their kids to private school. As private schools become less and less affordable they will have no choice but demand change in public schools.
Declining newspaper readership and TV News viewership - isolated, these would be indicators of dumbing-down of future generations. In the context of the internet, they are a sign that the stranglehold of the elites is in the process of being shaken to the core.
those of us who grew up in the 60's saw
this disaster coming a mile away because we went through Vietnam. What happened to those in Congress who grew up then and yet still say they were fooled by Bush?
A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. - Aristotle
Mark Twain -Let me make the superstitions of a nation and I care not who makes its laws or its songs either.
"The chief weapon of the sea pirates was their capacity to astonish." Kurt Vonnegut
The Edwardian Age had the Titanic disaster that showed the inhumanity of class when it came to lifeboats - the Bu$h Age had Katrina.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. - George Orwell
Imagination is more important than knowledge - Einstein
To God: Please stop talking to George Bush.
We have no future because our present is too volatile. We only have risk management. The spinning of the given moments scenario. Pattern Recognition. ~W. Gibson
Lakoff describes and analyzes the various dynamics of the "strict father" value set, including a deep animus towards women, spouse abuse, child abuse, and other pathologies adn personaity disorders, including conservatism.
This is contrasted with the "nurturant parent" model and values, which shapes healthy individuals and more liberal political values.
Attitides towards women are very deeply at the core of theese dynamics.
"Which is more musical: a truck passing by a factory or a truck passing by a music school?" --John Cage
I wouldn't mind turning into a vermilion goldfish. --Henri Matisse
"To such thinking you have only to say 'the land you loved is doomed' to excuse any treachery, indeed to glorify it." -Tolkien, On Fairy-Stories, 1938.
If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them. -Phil Pastoret
"At this point, being honest with oneself is the highest form of patriotism." -Luigi Barzini, The Italians
"...history is a tragedy not a melodrama" - I.F. Stone
You make a living by what you get and a life by what you give. W. Churchill
"It's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction."--Mark Foley on Clinton
I was glad that Ralph Nader had the courage to stand up and say that Middle America was under attack and both political parties were funded and controlled by the same corporate agenda.
And we all know what happened to him.
Now, the left has been cowed to the extent I can expect to be trolled for mentioning the name Ralph Nader without attaching a slur.
I understand pragmatism, it is the unremitting hatred of a progressive champion of the Middle Class that I disagree with.
"The truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it, ignorance my deride it, but in the end, there it is." Winston Churchill
All politics is class-warfare.
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - A. Einstein
The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty. - John Adams
The great tragedy of Science, the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact. T. H. Huxley
"We do not torture." - George Bush during recent Asian visit
"Where cruelty exists, law does not." ~ Alberto Mora.
The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history. ~ George Orwell
DiAnne, darlin', tellin' us to enjoy the graphics don't do us squiddly-dot unless you happen to remember to include for us here the links to wherever it is that them graphics be....
http://www.msnbc.com/comics/daily.asp?sfile=nq061227&vts=122720061609
http://www.msnbc.com/comics/daily.asp?sFile=nq061226
Non Sequitur cartoons - the first one is particularly apt.
This doesn't belong here until you see who has so far scored an equal 18% - the father of Australia's so-called "worst of the worst" David Hicks languishing in Gitmo. This is rather a telling list!
Australian of the Year - Man
Who wins your vote for Australian of the Year
Shane Warne - Cricket - 9%
Barry Humphries - Wit - 5%
Todd Russell and Brant Webb - Great escape - 2%
Ian Thorpe - Swimming - 3%
Terry Hicks - Fathering - 18%
John Howard - Politics - 4%
Steve Irwin - Posthumous - 18%
Tim Flannery - Climate change - 13%
Terence Tao - Maths genius - 8%
Socceroos team - World game - 19%
oops - forgot! http://www.theage.com.au/polls/national/form.html
Posted by: woz at December 27, 2006 08:38 PM
4% for John Howard is 4% too high.
Interesting look nevertheless!
Wow this is my day. I talked for a long time to another Republican one, African-American. The reason he gave was "empowerment" - in other words, he didn't get where he was because someone helped him through a social program. It was mostly the military and isn't that a big social program. Ahem.
Anyway, I told him Bush wasn't a fiscal conervative and he said Bush is like a radical leftist Democrat. I said yes he's like a stereotype of a spendy liberal Democrat except he doesn't produce social programs and he doesn't tax. He's just bizarre.
There must be many types of Republicans - the greedy, the social climbing, the paranoid etc. I just can't fathom anyone who voted for the Monkey and his father let alone Reagan. & today it's Ford day. Maybe that's why I've had discourse with two Republicans in one day.
I did also eat three Dungeness crabs so am stuffed. I don't even know how many legs that is.
Woz
I would only be able to rate them on looks. Got photos?
Otter
The graphics were supposed to be contained in the article
The Culture Wars in America
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/27/113920/78
Wow this is my day. I talked for a long time to another Republican one, African-American. The reason he gave was "empowerment" - in other words, he didn't get where he was because someone helped him through a social program. It was mostly the military and isn't that a big social program.
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 09:36 PM
That empowerment theme is very common here, not that common among blacks, but very common among Asian-Americans in Southern California. After all, Asians are too damn superior and hardworking to be homeless or needy, according to conventional wisdom down here.
Living briefly in Northern California of course woke me out of that trance, after seeing lots of Asian homeless people in San Fran.
Leaving for the Bay Area tomorrow (hopefully). Looking forward to it!
The Culture Wars in America
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/27/113920/78
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 09:39 PM
I saw the graphics... they drew the Mann like a normal woman, and I strongly object to that.
Well, maybe I can be the only person who found support from a "Republican" today.
I simply was discussing one reason why I'm a Democrat now is due to national health care and he agreed! Some common ground...what do you know? He voted Democratic this time to get rid of the Republicans and he agrees with me on this issue.
Before you know it, he's be wearing the "Big D" too.
Sparrow
The Republicans I met today were really quite moderate but adamant about being Republican and having Republican and conservative values. On the other hand, their main reason was fiscal conservatism and they felt Bush administration had completely betrayed them on that. & neither of them, though intelligent, had really airtight arguments & they were quite misinformed about Democrats, having been schooled primarily by other Republicans.
The whole fear is that they aren't going to get theirs. I also talked to a couple of immigrants who have lived here for a long time (Vietnamese, Filipino, originally) and they thought the middle class was shrinking and that people were able to save less and that many were kidding themselves, ie. calling a 2nd mortgage a "home improvement loan" and not realizing how in debt they were. Interesting night - the rest of the mix were garden variety liberals/progressives. I went as a guest so met some people I didn't know - interesting cross-section.
Ally - Agreed 4% for Howard is too much. But hey, when you put it alongside the 18% for the father of our so-called terrorist, it's certainly the correct balance between those two men/fathers/grandfathers.
DiAnne - pictures? Nah - most are sportspeople except for the PM, the Gitmo tenant's dad and the 2 miners who survived 9 days in a goldmine cave-in up the road (20 minutes) from where I live here in Tasmania.
Hello All,
Congrats on the house, Christy! I am at my parents' house in Buffalo and I was thinking similar thoughts today--it is nice to have a home, to have those kinds of roots. But I would rather have a better future for my kids. I worry about what they have been dealt by the squandering of the wealth, resources, and values of this country.
We had cherries at dinner tonight. I tried to explain to my 80-year old mother how much those cherries *cost*, as they traveled from Chile to Wegman's. She says it's OK because she doesn't buy out of season that often. But I wasn't trying to change her habits; just remind my son of how we need to be thinking differently about food and where it comes from, and what price we pay for so much choice.
(Full disclosure: I ate the cherries. Well, they were already here....)
Thanks, Rick, for posting Charlie's piece. I can still hear Charlie sharing at Camp Democracy the horrors not only of Iraq, but of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder he suffers from every day. I found it both hopeful and sad that the awareness of PTSD is so much greater this time around. I am just so sorry we HAVE more times around.
Charlie is one of the featured Iraq Vets in the documentary "The Ground Truth" http://thegroundtruth.net/), which is a must-see and a must-share documentary. And if you will consider ordering the Camp Democracy DVD (http://campdemocracy.org/dvd), all proceeds from here on out will go to the Iraq Vets Against the War. Just sayin'...
Posted by: DiAnne at December 27, 2006 09:36 PM
Enough of the Monkey bashing already... We ain't ALL bad ya know!
(...and I just had 2 shrimp tacos and eleventeen margaritas, so my prehensil tail is ready for bidness!)
Eek eek, mofo.
Eek eek, indeed. Under the circumstances I'd have to suspect that it is, at least for the remainder of the evening, a tail towed by an idiot.
though it's all the margses' fault,
Otter
Posted by: Otter at December 28, 2006 12:02 AM
A tale told by an idiot, perhaps, or so I'm towed.
T'Killya
help! there doesn't seem to be a way to post a comment on the next (new) thread. .
mbk
Try refreshing your browser - hopefully will work now.
Well, this must have been my month, then!
Y'all know about my fundie Repub relatives. We associate with each other politely, but don't discuss politics anymore. Ahemmmm, but when they complain about the cost of health care, prescription drugs, wages being low and food prices going up, social security issues, etc. I just say (and LOVE every minute of it) "Well, that's okay, things are going to get better now after the first of the year because the Dems have taken back Congress." I just love it. Then I always add "The reason I am a Democrat is because they care more about average people's needs, and the poor, and historically have helped people more down through the years. Our middle class is disappearing and if things are not changed there will only be the rich and the very poor working class. And THEN where will you be?"
Total silence. Heh heh. (I so funny!)
(They DO understand too now that I don't conform. I come and go as I wish, and now that I have changed job titles, I can speak alot more openly in the community about politics and my stance re same.) I work with a lady who's husband is a Rush addict, so I don't talk to her about it either. I just said the above to her too. 'Tis fun.)
Posted by: sparrow at December 27, 2006 09:47 PM
I found support also, as mentioned above. Common ground, it's a beautiful thing. :-)