I've been sitting here at my computer, half staring at the monitor and half looking through random websites and articles I've saved. Nothing has motivated me to write today - nothing of substance anyway.
I mean, we have Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker telling a Senate Committee that they have no idea when things will be better or what "better" will even look like. But as soon as they see it, they'll begin bringing my step-brother, many high school and college friends, and the rest of our troops home. Idiots and bad news - not going there today.
This guy here, Dr. James Hansen is the head of the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York and he is "call[ing] for a sharp reduction in C02 limits.Hansen says the EU target of 550 parts per million of C02 - the most stringent in the world - should be slashed to 350ppm. He argues the cut is needed if “humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilisation developed”. Bush says joining the Kyoto Protocol which aims to lower CO2 in our atmosphere, would be bad for the economy. But now we're in a recession, so the economy sucks and the air I breathe is still polluted.
Ok, I lied. I guess I did have two things of substance on the top of my mind. But I was short about them. Now...onto some fun things!
This is funny: The End of the World
Good engineering, but this can't be safe, I'm sure.
A canoe made out of used chopsticks is here.
" Einstein@Home is a program that uses your computer's idle time to search for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars) using data from the LIGO and GEO gravitational wave detectors. Einstein@Home is a World Year of Physics 2005 project supported by the American Physical Society (APS) and by a number of international organizations."
It's all about perspective: Sidewalk Chalk Guy
Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Lies We Love
One of the biggest things I have learned about my country, and what so many seem to shrug off by saying, "that's just the way it is," is that what matters most - above health and human wellness, above happiness, above morality and care for out neighbors -- is profit.
The fogginess surrounding my thoughts of a country that has not only held up the enlightened ideals forged over two hundred years ago by men of heart and soul, but carried them forward into ever new and promising visions of "certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," is only growing more dark and dim.
What is the reason NASA has chosen not to release a study to the public about airline and air traffic safety (which shows twice as many bird-strikes and near mid-air collisions)? "A senior NASA official, associate administrator Thomas S. Luedtke, said revealing the findings could damage the public's confidence in airlines and affect airline profits." (Emphasis is mine).
In other words - people may demand something be done! In the meantime, they just might take the train. If something must be fixed, that's going to cost money. And if less people fly, that's less money the airlines (and corporations like Boeing) make. Our safety doesn't matter as much as profits, so NASA won't tell us the truth in order to protect bottom lines. Countries that put their citizens (the true holders of governmental power) first are great countries. At least it's something we used to be.
Remember, President Bush vetoed the S-chip bill that would have given health insurance to poor children. He said that $35 million was too much money to spend on something like this. Thankfully, today he came to his senses and asked Congress for $46 billion - with a B - for war. "To date, Congress has already provided more than $455 billion for the Iraq war, with stepped-up military operations running about $10 billion a month."
In saying why he vetoed S-chip, "Mr. Bush argue[d] that the expansion is too costly..."
Kudos to Rep. David Obey (D-OH), here.
We're all in really big trouble. Everything we use runs on oil: our cars; the machines that make our cars; the trucks and ships that get our cars and good to the stores; the machines that make the machines that make the ships and trucks; the combines and harvest our food, the plants that process our food - everything. Our entire life-support system is based on oil.
As if undermining out life support system wasn't enough; we're REALLY stabbing ourselves in the back with this: "...an alarming new study finds that warming signals are stronger, and happening sooner than expected, due to increased human emissions of carbon dioxide and an Earth less able to absorb them."
P.S. Glenn Beck is an idiot.
The fogginess surrounding my thoughts of a country that has not only held up the enlightened ideals forged over two hundred years ago by men of heart and soul, but carried them forward into ever new and promising visions of "certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," is only growing more dark and dim.
What is the reason NASA has chosen not to release a study to the public about airline and air traffic safety (which shows twice as many bird-strikes and near mid-air collisions)? "A senior NASA official, associate administrator Thomas S. Luedtke, said revealing the findings could damage the public's confidence in airlines and affect airline profits." (Emphasis is mine).
In other words - people may demand something be done! In the meantime, they just might take the train. If something must be fixed, that's going to cost money. And if less people fly, that's less money the airlines (and corporations like Boeing) make. Our safety doesn't matter as much as profits, so NASA won't tell us the truth in order to protect bottom lines. Countries that put their citizens (the true holders of governmental power) first are great countries. At least it's something we used to be.
Remember, President Bush vetoed the S-chip bill that would have given health insurance to poor children. He said that $35 million was too much money to spend on something like this. Thankfully, today he came to his senses and asked Congress for $46 billion - with a B - for war. "To date, Congress has already provided more than $455 billion for the Iraq war, with stepped-up military operations running about $10 billion a month."
In saying why he vetoed S-chip, "Mr. Bush argue[d] that the expansion is too costly..."
Kudos to Rep. David Obey (D-OH), here.
We're all in really big trouble. Everything we use runs on oil: our cars; the machines that make our cars; the trucks and ships that get our cars and good to the stores; the machines that make the machines that make the ships and trucks; the combines and harvest our food, the plants that process our food - everything. Our entire life-support system is based on oil.
As if undermining out life support system wasn't enough; we're REALLY stabbing ourselves in the back with this: "...an alarming new study finds that warming signals are stronger, and happening sooner than expected, due to increased human emissions of carbon dioxide and an Earth less able to absorb them."
P.S. Glenn Beck is an idiot.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Living in an Alternate Universe
That's how I feel lately. Like I'm living in an alternate universe. Everything I was brought up to believe in has been used and exploited, at the expense of people's lives and freedoms, so that a few powerful, rich white men can maintain their exploitative dominance.
For instance, while growing up I was imbued with a sense that pollution was not just wrong, but immoral and that we as a society were actively cleaning up our lakes, rivers, and air to right our wrongs. As a kid and into my young adulthood, it gave me a sense of pride in the U.S. and made me want to give back to society. To paraphrase from my fraternity's guidebook of brotherhood activities, "the situation in which I find myself must make sense to me if I am to be a contributing member to my country and to transmit the country, not only not less, but greater than it was transmitted to me."
What a detriment to us all - especially children and those not yet born - that President Bush doesn't have the same moral compass. And we wonder why our children (and adults) are so apathetic and Bowling Alone. "The Bush administration signaled...that is has no intention of taking enforcement actions against [power plant pollution] for the same kind of Clean Air Act violations in the future." The full story is here.
I've been thinking that Bush and company like where the Iraq war is at. Even though the war is a horrible, disgusting mess, there's really not much more that can go wrong. The fact that mistakes keep being made; simple ones, easily fixable ones - and yet nothing happens aside from blunder after blunder after blunder, I've concluded that this all must be part of the plan. Because, in reality, the guys who started this war have only enjoyed immense amounts of power and profits. (At the start of the war in March 2003, oil was at $35 a barrel - today it is over $88 a barrel).
For instance, while growing up I was imbued with a sense that pollution was not just wrong, but immoral and that we as a society were actively cleaning up our lakes, rivers, and air to right our wrongs. As a kid and into my young adulthood, it gave me a sense of pride in the U.S. and made me want to give back to society. To paraphrase from my fraternity's guidebook of brotherhood activities, "the situation in which I find myself must make sense to me if I am to be a contributing member to my country and to transmit the country, not only not less, but greater than it was transmitted to me."
What a detriment to us all - especially children and those not yet born - that President Bush doesn't have the same moral compass. And we wonder why our children (and adults) are so apathetic and Bowling Alone. "The Bush administration signaled...that is has no intention of taking enforcement actions against [power plant pollution] for the same kind of Clean Air Act violations in the future." The full story is here.
I've been thinking that Bush and company like where the Iraq war is at. Even though the war is a horrible, disgusting mess, there's really not much more that can go wrong. The fact that mistakes keep being made; simple ones, easily fixable ones - and yet nothing happens aside from blunder after blunder after blunder, I've concluded that this all must be part of the plan. Because, in reality, the guys who started this war have only enjoyed immense amounts of power and profits. (At the start of the war in March 2003, oil was at $35 a barrel - today it is over $88 a barrel).
- Debate on troop withdraws is on hold. (Democratic front-runners say they won't pull out troops)
- $592 billion dollar, 104 acre U.S. embassy in Iraq. (Why so big and permanent if we're not staying?)
- Gen. John Abizaid (Ret.), the former CENTCOM Commander, said about the Iraq war: "Of course it's about oil, we can't really deny that."
Which brings me to this:
"Iraq is 'unwinnable', a 'quagmire', a 'fiasco': so goes the received opinion. But there is good reason to think that, from the Bush-Cheney perspective, it is none of these things. Indeed, the US may be 'stuck' precisely where Bush et al want it to be, which is why there is no 'exit strategy'. Iraq has 115 billion barrels of known oil reserves. That is more than five times the total in the United States. How will the US maintain hegemony over Iraqi oil? By establishing permanent military bases in Iraq. Five self-sufficient 'super-bases' are in various stages of completion."
Must Read Articles---------------------------------------
1. Qwest CEO Not Alone in Alleging NSA Started Domestic Phone Record Program 7 Months Before 9/11
2. More on what happens to people who demonstrate for democracy in Burma. Too bad the U.S. doesn't care.
3. I like my food natural. No chemicals, pesticides, or insecticides and definitely not genetically modified. Looks like I won't be drinking anything Anheuser Busch makes.
"Rice used by Anheuser-Busch Cos. to brew Budweiser beer is tainted with an experimental, genetically engineered rice strain, according to an analysis released yesterday by the environmental organization Greenpeace."
2. More on what happens to people who demonstrate for democracy in Burma. Too bad the U.S. doesn't care.
3. I like my food natural. No chemicals, pesticides, or insecticides and definitely not genetically modified. Looks like I won't be drinking anything Anheuser Busch makes.
"Rice used by Anheuser-Busch Cos. to brew Budweiser beer is tainted with an experimental, genetically engineered rice strain, according to an analysis released yesterday by the environmental organization Greenpeace."
Monday, October 01, 2007
And so it goes...
I kept hoping that the world community would do something about Myanmar. Isn't this exactly what we're told, over and over again, that this is what the United States fights for? Isn't this why we have the United Nations and peacekeeping forces? Wasn't the fourth (or fifth or sixth) reason for invading Iraq to bring democracy to a people who really really wanted it?
I don't remember any Iraqi's holding demonstrations in the streets of Baghdad. I don't remember thousands of Imam's peacefully protesting Saddam's government. Yet this past week we've had a military junta killing journalists while having destroyed over 3,000 villages and forcefully relocating people. In addition, today it was reported that "thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle."
Why don't we see a Colin Powell up in front of the UN showing samples of satellite photo's like these? Here is a population literally dying for democracy - and the world's "leaders" only action is to say how bad it is. That's like a teacher standing on the playground watching a bully beat up someone while all they do is say how wrong the bully is acting.
In one of my recent blogs, I was wrong in saying that oil was a reason we weren't doing anything about Myanmar. It's because of oil that we aren't doing anything:
"Diplomats and analysts say Myanmar's resources, including natural gas and oil fields that foreign companies are vying to tap, make many nations reluctant to impose economic sanctions or other measures as punishment for the bloody assault on pro-democracy demonstrators."
MUST READ ARTICLES -------------------------------
1. More "progress" from the Iraqi government.
"Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is orchestrating a campaign of persecution against political rivals "even worse" than Saddam Hussein's reign of terror, his predecessor has claimed."
2. Money. Profits. Definitely more important than morals, values, or human life.
" For the time being, General Dynamics has the best of both worlds: strong demand for jet aircraft, and healthy sales of combat equipment even with a troop reduction in Iraq."
3. We used to be great once. What the hell happened?
""If we were to strike Iran it should be accompanied by an effort at regime change ... The US once had the capability to engineer the clandestine overthrow of governments. I wish we could get it back," he said."
4. Whoops...sorry. We still are great at selling weapons. And number one at locking people up.
"The United States maintained its role as the leading supplier of weapons to the developing world..."
5. I wish we would do something like this here.
"A landmark case upholding the citizen's right to non-polluted air could lead to local governments inGermany
6. Leaving out history here.
How come we write this: "Iran and the U.S cut off diplomatic relations in 1979 after Iranian militant students seized the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days." ...which is true and accurate, but leave out the fact that we overthrew their democratically elected government in 1953 and that that's a big part of the reason leading up to hostage taking?
I don't remember any Iraqi's holding demonstrations in the streets of Baghdad. I don't remember thousands of Imam's peacefully protesting Saddam's government. Yet this past week we've had a military junta killing journalists while having destroyed over 3,000 villages and forcefully relocating people. In addition, today it was reported that "thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle."
Why don't we see a Colin Powell up in front of the UN showing samples of satellite photo's like these? Here is a population literally dying for democracy - and the world's "leaders" only action is to say how bad it is. That's like a teacher standing on the playground watching a bully beat up someone while all they do is say how wrong the bully is acting.
In one of my recent blogs, I was wrong in saying that oil was a reason we weren't doing anything about Myanmar. It's because of oil that we aren't doing anything:
"Diplomats and analysts say Myanmar's resources, including natural gas and oil fields that foreign companies are vying to tap, make many nations reluctant to impose economic sanctions or other measures as punishment for the bloody assault on pro-democracy demonstrators."
MUST READ ARTICLES -------------------------------
1. More "progress" from the Iraqi government.
"Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is orchestrating a campaign of persecution against political rivals "even worse" than Saddam Hussein's reign of terror, his predecessor has claimed."
2. Money. Profits. Definitely more important than morals, values, or human life.
" For the time being, General Dynamics has the best of both worlds: strong demand for jet aircraft, and healthy sales of combat equipment even with a troop reduction in Iraq."
3. We used to be great once. What the hell happened?
""If we were to strike Iran it should be accompanied by an effort at regime change ... The US once had the capability to engineer the clandestine overthrow of governments. I wish we could get it back," he said."
4. Whoops...sorry. We still are great at selling weapons. And number one at locking people up.
"The United States maintained its role as the leading supplier of weapons to the developing world..."
5. I wish we would do something like this here.
"A landmark case upholding the citizen's right to non-polluted air could lead to local governments in
6. Leaving out history here.
How come we write this: "Iran and the U.S cut off diplomatic relations in 1979 after Iranian militant students seized the U.S. Embassy and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days." ...which is true and accurate, but leave out the fact that we overthrew their democratically elected government in 1953 and that that's a big part of the reason leading up to hostage taking?
Friday, August 31, 2007
Oh the Humanity
It does not matter if you are Asian; Japanese, Chinese, or from Hong Kong. It does not care if you are American; North or South, Peruvian, or an Eskimo. There is no difference between a German, an American, a Russian, or an African. Every single one of us is human.
A human being.
We're trying to be better. But war does not discriminate hate it prescribes it for us all. Like ripples caused by throwing a pebble into a pond, those waves at the epicenter are largest. Those at the center of this war are having their souls drenched in gasoline and set on fire. Our fellow humans are in hell and here is what hell does to people.
What kind of humanity lets this happen? If any country came into ours and caused this, in no way, shape, or form would it be seen as liberation, democracy, or freedom. Maybe that's not really why our government, and those who agreed with this disgusting pre-meditated homicide, invaded. Do drunk-with-power, arrogant, selfish "leaders" care about anything besides their stock price?
From my August 8th post:
I can't help but think of the scene from Fahrenheit 9/11 where Blaine Ober, the president of a company that makes armored vehicles, said, "Unfortunately, at least for the near term, we think it's going to be a good situation. Er, a dangerous situation. Good for business, bad for the people."
A human being.
We're trying to be better. But war does not discriminate hate it prescribes it for us all. Like ripples caused by throwing a pebble into a pond, those waves at the epicenter are largest. Those at the center of this war are having their souls drenched in gasoline and set on fire. Our fellow humans are in hell and here is what hell does to people.
What kind of humanity lets this happen? If any country came into ours and caused this, in no way, shape, or form would it be seen as liberation, democracy, or freedom. Maybe that's not really why our government, and those who agreed with this disgusting pre-meditated homicide, invaded. Do drunk-with-power, arrogant, selfish "leaders" care about anything besides their stock price?
From my August 8th post:
I can't help but think of the scene from Fahrenheit 9/11 where Blaine Ober, the president of a company that makes armored vehicles, said, "Unfortunately, at least for the near term, we think it's going to be a good situation. Er, a dangerous situation. Good for business, bad for the people."
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Democracy and Representation Part I
Growing up, I learned that we live in a democracy. I was taught that one of the reasons the Revolutionary War was started was because our voices weren't being heard in England.
No taxation without representation.
In other words, unless I have a say in how I am governed, I do not consent to you governing me. Like Thomas Jefferson said, government is the servant of the people. We pay their salary, they are supposed to do what we the people want. We are their bosses. They work for us.
What happens when this breaks down? What happens when people in government go out of their way to prevent representation? Actively and deliberately throwing a dark blanket over those who want their voices heard. Didn't Stalin do this? Didn't the Taliban do this? Didn't all of those people we say are so bad and so anti-democratic and so full of hate for our freedoms do stuff like this?
How do we explain to our children, and each other, that we're fighting in Iraq for their democratic liberties, for their right to be represented, when we don't have that right ourselves? This White House manual, finally released under the Freedom of Information Act, bluntly shows Bush does not care about representation nor what others have to say, and will suppress it at all costs.
We do not live in the land of the free anymore. Yes, a lot of things changed since 9/11 - one of the biggest being the slow and steady destruction of our constitution and way of life.
What kind of democracy says that if anyone pulls out a sign or says anything against White House policies, they are to be shouted down by "rally squads." What kind of a democracy writes this:
Sadly, I know a lot of people won't see anything wrong with this. The president needs to be safe, they'll say, or protesters always disrupt speeches. This guidebook says nothing about disruption or safety, however. It's all about opposing viewpoints.
--- (continued)
No taxation without representation.
In other words, unless I have a say in how I am governed, I do not consent to you governing me. Like Thomas Jefferson said, government is the servant of the people. We pay their salary, they are supposed to do what we the people want. We are their bosses. They work for us.
What happens when this breaks down? What happens when people in government go out of their way to prevent representation? Actively and deliberately throwing a dark blanket over those who want their voices heard. Didn't Stalin do this? Didn't the Taliban do this? Didn't all of those people we say are so bad and so anti-democratic and so full of hate for our freedoms do stuff like this?
How do we explain to our children, and each other, that we're fighting in Iraq for their democratic liberties, for their right to be represented, when we don't have that right ourselves? This White House manual, finally released under the Freedom of Information Act, bluntly shows Bush does not care about representation nor what others have to say, and will suppress it at all costs.
We do not live in the land of the free anymore. Yes, a lot of things changed since 9/11 - one of the biggest being the slow and steady destruction of our constitution and way of life.
What kind of democracy says that if anyone pulls out a sign or says anything against White House policies, they are to be shouted down by "rally squads." What kind of a democracy writes this:
"If it is determined that the media will not see or hear them and that they pose no potential disruption to the event, they can be ignored. On the other hand, if the group is carrying signs, trying to shout down the President, or has the potential to cause some greater disruption to the event, action needs to be taken immediately to minimize the demonstrator's effect."
Sadly, I know a lot of people won't see anything wrong with this. The president needs to be safe, they'll say, or protesters always disrupt speeches. This guidebook says nothing about disruption or safety, however. It's all about opposing viewpoints.
--- (continued)
Monday, August 20, 2007
What about upgrades?
How's this for an upgrade? I'm always looking for ways to consolidate all the gadgets, appliances, and the like into one nice, neat package. This is nice, this is neat, and after a few hours my work will definitely be more creative!
Just one thing - will it automatically notify the beer company when I'm low and place an order?
One of my friends, who is in the Army, received a letter from one of her friends; a pilot over in Iraq. He talked about how great things were going, especially north of Baghdad. (He failed to mention the car bombs killing over 400 people). I have also talked with other people who are under the impression that things are really great and that the media just isn't reporting the good stuff. However, all of these people only point to broad generalizations about what "good" things are happening over there - without ever really naming anything. (Yes, some good things are happening - but not near enough to counteract the enormous amount of horrible disasters happening).
When you bring up the fact that women are prostituting themselves to buy food for their children, hardly any water or electrical supply, millions of refugees, and that the Iraqi people have said time and again that they would like us to leave, well...these things don't matter.
What matters is if we "cut and run" and don't "fight them there" then they are going to "fight us here." Leaving Karl Rove's pedantic talking points aside, lets look at a few things.
If we were doing the right thing ( like we did by going after Osama in Afghanistan ) then why does the rest of the world disagree? Is it because they get the full picture.? The media in their countries, before, during, and after the war, analyzed the WMD claim and found it severely lacking. Every major media outlet in this country argued for war in Iraq and believed everything the government said without question. How is that any different than State-run media?
(State-run media: when what the government says and does is taken as fact, truth, and the right way of doing things without question.)
Speaking of without question. When a public health expert went to Afghanistan to document reconstruction programs, he found many of them unfinished. When he tried to report this to the Pentagon, they didn't want to hear it. ""I was brought aside and they told me, don't tell that story," Warner said. "I said why not. And they said well, this is one of our success stories."" The whole story can be found here.
I grew up in a very pro-military family; my father was in Vietnam as well as one of my grandfathers, my other grandfather was in World War II. I went to military school for high school. But then something happened. I began to read reports (and articles and books) about how our government would make sailors line up on the deck of ships, spray them with chemicals, and then test them to see what happened. I read about Operation Northwoods, which is where members of our government wanted to get the American public to back a war with Cuba. How did they propose to do this? One of the ways was to blow up a ship. A Navy ship. Our own, manned Navy ship.
WTF??!!
And you want me to trust the government? You want me to believe that we went into Iraq and invaded a country that did nothing to us because they had WMDs? Wait, I'm sorry, it was for regime change. Wait, sorry again, it was really because of Iraq's violations of U.N. resolutions. Wait...read this and pick your own reason - just like Bush and Co. did.
For an on-the-ground report of the situation in Iraq - don't just take my word that things are bad. Take Buddhika Jayamaha, Wesley D. Smith, Jeremy Roebuck, Omar Mora, Edward Sandmeier, Yance T. Gray, and Jeremy A. Murphy's words here. They know better than I.
The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, wrote in a book recently that he was told by the U.S. that if he did not cooperate with us after 9/11, we would bomb him back into the stone age.
We weren't kidding. We're liberating Iraqi's from the 21st century and ruining our military in the process.
Drugs are bad kids, mmmKay? Stay away from Drugs. Hugs not Drugs. War on Drugs. Drugs are bad kids, mmmKay?
But some drugs are good you say. They take my pain away. They sure do. But they also mask the symptoms - like Prozac. It doesn't end your depression - it puts it in a closet where it's not dealt with and where it festers and grows. What we need to be doing is actually treating the causes of our ailments - not masking them with a pill that makes a select few people disgustingly rich at our expense. (While outlawing and imprisoning people who use an all-natural plant that takes pain away, too).
Why don't we start by getting rid of all the chemicals in our food? Lessen our stress levels by giving us more vacation days, socialized health care, more and better access to top-notch day care for our children. Let's face it, Americans are fed-up and stressed out and the result is that we're losing it. Just like our national infrastructure, our bodies need continual maintenance, care, and up-keep to be happy and healthy human beings. I don't care what Bush says, health care is NOT an emergency room.
Give me health care where i can get preventative care, help me attain a life less stressful where I can exercise and play in the middle of the day and not be stuck in a building behind a desk for 8 1/2 hours. Give me security and the dream of a world better for our children - and I'll give you my vote. Hell, I'd even work for your campaign!
Just one thing - will it automatically notify the beer company when I'm low and place an order?
One of my friends, who is in the Army, received a letter from one of her friends; a pilot over in Iraq. He talked about how great things were going, especially north of Baghdad. (He failed to mention the car bombs killing over 400 people). I have also talked with other people who are under the impression that things are really great and that the media just isn't reporting the good stuff. However, all of these people only point to broad generalizations about what "good" things are happening over there - without ever really naming anything. (Yes, some good things are happening - but not near enough to counteract the enormous amount of horrible disasters happening).
When you bring up the fact that women are prostituting themselves to buy food for their children, hardly any water or electrical supply, millions of refugees, and that the Iraqi people have said time and again that they would like us to leave, well...these things don't matter.
What matters is if we "cut and run" and don't "fight them there" then they are going to "fight us here." Leaving Karl Rove's pedantic talking points aside, lets look at a few things.
If we were doing the right thing ( like we did by going after Osama in Afghanistan ) then why does the rest of the world disagree? Is it because they get the full picture.? The media in their countries, before, during, and after the war, analyzed the WMD claim and found it severely lacking. Every major media outlet in this country argued for war in Iraq and believed everything the government said without question. How is that any different than State-run media?
(State-run media: when what the government says and does is taken as fact, truth, and the right way of doing things without question.)
Speaking of without question. When a public health expert went to Afghanistan to document reconstruction programs, he found many of them unfinished. When he tried to report this to the Pentagon, they didn't want to hear it. ""I was brought aside and they told me, don't tell that story," Warner said. "I said why not. And they said well, this is one of our success stories."" The whole story can be found here.
I grew up in a very pro-military family; my father was in Vietnam as well as one of my grandfathers, my other grandfather was in World War II. I went to military school for high school. But then something happened. I began to read reports (and articles and books) about how our government would make sailors line up on the deck of ships, spray them with chemicals, and then test them to see what happened. I read about Operation Northwoods, which is where members of our government wanted to get the American public to back a war with Cuba. How did they propose to do this? One of the ways was to blow up a ship. A Navy ship. Our own, manned Navy ship.
WTF??!!
And you want me to trust the government? You want me to believe that we went into Iraq and invaded a country that did nothing to us because they had WMDs? Wait, I'm sorry, it was for regime change. Wait, sorry again, it was really because of Iraq's violations of U.N. resolutions. Wait...read this and pick your own reason - just like Bush and Co. did.
For an on-the-ground report of the situation in Iraq - don't just take my word that things are bad. Take Buddhika Jayamaha, Wesley D. Smith, Jeremy Roebuck, Omar Mora, Edward Sandmeier, Yance T. Gray, and Jeremy A. Murphy's words here. They know better than I.
The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, wrote in a book recently that he was told by the U.S. that if he did not cooperate with us after 9/11, we would bomb him back into the stone age.
We weren't kidding. We're liberating Iraqi's from the 21st century and ruining our military in the process.
Drugs are bad kids, mmmKay? Stay away from Drugs. Hugs not Drugs. War on Drugs. Drugs are bad kids, mmmKay?
But some drugs are good you say. They take my pain away. They sure do. But they also mask the symptoms - like Prozac. It doesn't end your depression - it puts it in a closet where it's not dealt with and where it festers and grows. What we need to be doing is actually treating the causes of our ailments - not masking them with a pill that makes a select few people disgustingly rich at our expense. (While outlawing and imprisoning people who use an all-natural plant that takes pain away, too).
Why don't we start by getting rid of all the chemicals in our food? Lessen our stress levels by giving us more vacation days, socialized health care, more and better access to top-notch day care for our children. Let's face it, Americans are fed-up and stressed out and the result is that we're losing it. Just like our national infrastructure, our bodies need continual maintenance, care, and up-keep to be happy and healthy human beings. I don't care what Bush says, health care is NOT an emergency room.
Give me health care where i can get preventative care, help me attain a life less stressful where I can exercise and play in the middle of the day and not be stuck in a building behind a desk for 8 1/2 hours. Give me security and the dream of a world better for our children - and I'll give you my vote. Hell, I'd even work for your campaign!
Friday, August 17, 2007
It's Not Over Till It's Friday
Or that's just when the fun begins. ;)
And I'm proud to be an Earthling. This is sweet.
Kudos for Krugman!
And I'm ashamed, angry, and scared to be an American. How many more steps closer do we have to get to a fully-actualized police state before people turn off their iPods and pay attention??!! This, too.
I'd like an extra-helping of Dictatorship to go along with my police state, please. Oh, and do you have any Constitutions I can wipe my $$$ with?
Mind you, this a 25% increase. Who needs money for Walter-Reed or bridges or schools or roads. This is definitely worth it.
I grew up in an extremely dysfunctional and abusive "family." ....I can only begin to imagine what a childhood in Iraq would be like. This is what we've created. We've really liberated them haven't we? Sad, sad, sad...
Give me Saddam or give me raids on my house, fear of car & mosque bombings, hardly any water & electricity, sheer terror from midnight commando raids on my city, bombs, missiles, guns, grenades, blood, blown apart bodies? Sad to say, but I'd say give me Saddam.
Maybe one day our "leaders" will recognize that societal conditions created this. Can you imagine what kind of crazed, f-ed up people we're creating in Iraq right now? And the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons....
I need a vacation. One of these days. And $4 million. Anyone wanna help me out?
And I'm proud to be an Earthling. This is sweet.
Kudos for Krugman!
And I'm ashamed, angry, and scared to be an American. How many more steps closer do we have to get to a fully-actualized police state before people turn off their iPods and pay attention??!! This, too.
I'd like an extra-helping of Dictatorship to go along with my police state, please. Oh, and do you have any Constitutions I can wipe my $$$ with?
Mind you, this a 25% increase. Who needs money for Walter-Reed or bridges or schools or roads. This is definitely worth it.
I grew up in an extremely dysfunctional and abusive "family." ....I can only begin to imagine what a childhood in Iraq would be like. This is what we've created. We've really liberated them haven't we? Sad, sad, sad...
Give me Saddam or give me raids on my house, fear of car & mosque bombings, hardly any water & electricity, sheer terror from midnight commando raids on my city, bombs, missiles, guns, grenades, blood, blown apart bodies? Sad to say, but I'd say give me Saddam.
Maybe one day our "leaders" will recognize that societal conditions created this. Can you imagine what kind of crazed, f-ed up people we're creating in Iraq right now? And the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons....
I need a vacation. One of these days. And $4 million. Anyone wanna help me out?
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