Who are We "Securing?"

At the end of last summer, I took a trip to Philadelphia's Old Town. Being a student of American politics, I was eager to look upon Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's house and walk the cobbled streets where our founding fathers once tred.

Things always happen, whatever those "things" may be, when you least expect it. And sure enough, this happened during my visit. Before I get into that, however, let me set the context of my mental state. I was brought up being told (and believing) that this is the land of the free, that all men are created equal, that we should live free or die, and that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights....

So here I am, in what some may call the birthplace of American constitutional and political thought, in line, to see the Liberty Bell but what I see first are armed Wackenhut security guards and signs that say I am not allowed to chew gum or bring inside water bottles. I'm not kidding. And the building you're going into is not some pristine, richly-decorated, top-of-the-line visitor center. It is a very nice, light-filled building, however, and the flooring is slate tile while along the east side are picture and storyboards behind plexiglass. At the end of this rectangular building, behind guideropes that the Park Service meticulously monitor for those trying to stick a camera under, is the Bell itself. So, why no gum? Why no water bottles allowed? Why armed Wackenhut guards standing beside Park Service employees?

I fully understand making sure people don't put any part of their body under or past the ropes - it's a national treasure we're protecting. However, no gum? no water bottles? It was over 90 degrees outside that day - and yes, they were also doing full searches of our backpacks and belongings. Sweet land of liberty and the free? Methinks not.


After this experience, which really upset me quite a bit, I ended up on the banks of the Delaware River at one of the riverside parks and there was a U.S. Naval vessel docked there, the name of which I do not remember. In any event, to the left here is a picture of it. What is not shown, to the left of the ship on land, is a barricaded perimeter set up with a, I'm guessing, 24-hour guard watch. The soldier paced the area armed with an M-16. However, notice what is, or what is not, on the right side of the ship - any type of defensive protection! I didn't get a picture of it, but there were two guys on jet skis going up and down the river. What would be to stop them from getting close to this ship? What is there to stop them from having explosives on their skis and driving right at it? I would hope the land guard wouldn't be responsible for that area as well. So, why this lack of security - in this era of a "Global War on Terror" now that "everything has changed" in our post-9/11 world?

Moreover, why is there this serious lack of security around a U.S. Naval vessel at the same time I have Wackenhut guards (with guns!) as well as the Park Service officials "guarding" me with requests to search my private person, take out my gum and trash my water bottle? All I'm trying to do is view a symbol of the "freedom and liberty" that this country tells the rest of the world it has.

Water, Water Everywhere?

A friend of mine a number of years ago once commented on the fact that I had let water run from the tap while cleaning the counters. All he said was, "you know, if that was beer, people would never waste it like that."

I've thought about that statement many times: from the knocked-over beer bottle when my roommate said, "whoa, that's alcohol abuse" to every time i force myself to turn the water off while washing my face ( I'm reluctant to get the faucet all soapy - how ridiculous!). Yet I feel it's true that if beer came out of the tap it would be a different story. People would be quite agitated, and probably a lot more conservative, if it was Sam Adams running down the drain instead of water.

Where did this mindset come from that water is a never-ending supply of the basic ingredient of life? Was there ever a time when it wasn't acceptable to let the faucet run and waste water?



All too soon, the people of the United States (and the other countries of the world like us) will come to realize that our grandiose way of life and living is unsustainable. Democracy Now recently devoted time on its daily news program discussing the documentary Flow: For Love of Water. Flow discusses the fact that we're running out of water and how its privatization is only making matters worse. Democracy Now has a transcript of the segment, found here.

A few excerpts from the documentary are quite striking: "This notion that we'll have water forever is wrong. California is running out. It's got 20-some years of water. New Mexico has got 10, although they're building golf courses as fast as they can, so maybe they can whittle that down to five," "We're treating the water resources of the planet with contempt, which is just so stupid, because we depend on them. We need water to live. We will only survive for a day or two if we don't have water," and "You know those movies where there's the comet coming at the earth, and all of a sudden the governments of the world say, "Gee, we're not -- our differences aren't so big anymore, because we're about to all die"? That's really where we are. There is a comet coming at us. It's called water shortage."



What is sad about the state of our water situation is it barely makes a blip on the mainstream media's radar. There are certain stories that make national attention, however, these are played off as something happening to only a few states and mostly due to the mismanagement of the water or debates and disagreements about how much to use for wildlife.

For example, the water negotiations between Alabama, Georgia, and Florida have failed as of Saturday. "The talks appeared to unravel further in recent days, with Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue saying the water problems facing Florida and Alabama are not as critical as Georgia's and accusing the other states of approaching the talks without the same urgency as Georgia." However, "Florida and Alabama argue that Georgia hasn't adequately planned for growth. The extra withdrawals, they argue, would damage the environment and dry up river flows into their states that support smaller municipalities, power plants, commercial fisheries and industrial users like paper mills."

According to the New York Times here and here, "To support growth...Albuquerque will virtually abandon 40 years of pumping ground water out of the regional aquifer and replace it with surface water from the Rio Grande," which "is no longer strong enough to reach the sea."



And there are many more examples of water shortages in the United States. In Orme, Tennessee, they are living off of three hours of water a day, "the Great Lakes are shrinking. Upstate New York's reservoirs have dropped to record lows...and in the West, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is melting faster each year." All that is here.



One would think that the most precious combinations of elements in our solar system running out, the one's without which we die in two days, would cause more care and concern. Well, never fear, the growing water shortage does attract attention and demand action - and people are doing something about it - making money off it. Now if you'll excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth and need a glass of water.

To be free or not to be free

So much hot air comes out of not only President Bush, but the Democratic and Republican members of Congress as well. Who needs oil? Just stick a few of these hypocrites in the trunk of your car bla-bla-blabbing away and zoom! off you go.

Hot air? Hypocrites? I'm speaking in reference to this never-ending stream of talk about freedom and liberty and democracy. How we're bringing it to the Middle East; how we have so much of it; how we're the standard-bearer of it all. How so full of shit it all is.

Recently, there was Burma. I talked about it and our pathetic reaction here, here, and here. This week, we've had Pakistan instantly lose what little democracy they had. And why? Of course the leader who staged a coup to get into power, General Pervez Musharraf, said that it's "because the courts were hampering his efforts against extremist groups, such as by ordering the release of suspects held without charge." That's here.

However, the timing of his abolishment of freedom and liberty came at quite an ironic time. General Musharraf "suspended the constitution on Saturday ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on whether his recent re-election as president was legal. He ousted seven independent-minded Supreme Court judges, put a stranglehold on independent media and granted sweeping powers to authorities to crush dissent."

What he did was to order the arrest of freedom, liberty, and democracy because the court system was about to rule on whether he could remain president! If his argument about protecting the country and "democracy" from extremist groups was really true, then why would you shut down newspapers, television stations, and arrest hundreds of lawyers? While that bothers me immensely, it's to be expected from a egotistical thug who gained power in a coup. What is not to be expected is the supposed "greatest nation on earth" to stand idly by in a corner sucking its thumb asking for the General to please not do that. At least American hypocrisy is great.

"Pressed on whether the US backed the anti-Musharraf demonstrators, as it had recent anti-government protests in Myanmar [Burma], Perino replied: "Let me put it this way: We certainly support the right to free speech, and freedom of expression and freedom to assemble."" So, the Bush Administration supports people assembling, expressing, and talking about how their democratic rights were taken away, but says nothing about those rights actually being taken away! How nice.

It is interesting to note that Deutsche Welle reported the other day that "since 2001, Musharraf has received nearly $11 billion from Washington and $150 million continue to flow in each month. Of this, only 10 percent goes to economic and social projects. The rest goes to the soldiers."

Who cares about SCHIP and giving poor children health care with that money - or fixing the hundreds of bridges that are structurally deficient in this country. "Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told Congress on Wednesday that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is an "indispensable" ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism and that "partnership with Pakistan and its people is the only option."" What has he done that has made him so "indispensable?" (Besides suspend their constitution twice, the initiation of a police state and the ending of democracy this week?) Where's Osama again?

Hypocrisy. Lies. Distortions. Saddam was our friend. We invaded Iraq to bring "democracy" to a population that was not in the streets protesting for it, yet we totally ignore two countries with citizens actually in the streets protesting and being arrested calling for democracy...

Sorry State of Affairs

The Democrats were elected to end the war. They have not and will not. This is part of the problem with a two-party system. I am not ideologically aligned with the Republicans and I'm maybe half-way aligned with the Democrats. I don't respect either party - so who am I to vote for? Many people share this sentiment, including Greens, Libertarians, and Constitutional party members. Back to the war and Democrats: they say they do not have enough votes to stop the war - and I have yet to know about one instance where a reporter has called them on their bullshit. Not one reporter... save Paul Krugman here:

"But the truth is, Democrats have all the votes they need to stop the war — if they are willing to use the power given them by the Constitution to block the supplemental funding bill unless it includes a deadline for bringing the troops home. As Norm Ornstein told me: “Whatever the White House sends to the House is constitutionally merely a suggestion.” The prerogative to bring a funding bill to the floor rests entirely with the majority — which, in case Democrats have forgotten, is theirs. As for the Senate, Democrats there would only have to find 41 votes to block the supplemental funding bill."





I can't say this enough: if you have not read 1984 by George Orwell - GO READ IT!! It will help highlight the ways in which our liberties and freedoms (that we take for granted) are being "legally" taken away from us.

Why do I bring this up? Because the Bush Administration is trying very hard to get the American people supportive (through terrorizing us) of a war with Iran. The same methods used to scare (terrorize) its own citizens into a war with Iraq are being used again. Bush and Co. say that Iran could develop a nuclear bomb in a few short years. However, "the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Sunday he had no evidence Iran was working actively to build nuclear weapons and expressed concern that escalating rhetoric from the U.S. could bring disaster." You can read the full article concerning Mohamed ElBaradei, who leads the International Atomic Energy Agency here.






This is a very good example of profound slavishness to the Bush Administration's hatred of regulation, fairness, and objectivity. "Ms. Nord, the top official for consumer product safety, opposes provisions that would increase the maximum penalties for safety violations and make it easier for the government to make public reports of faulty products, protect industry whistleblowers and prosecute executives of companies that willfully violate laws."





If we do not take action on this like, yesterday, life as we have come to know it is going to be radically altered - probably forever. And it won't be pretty.

"Humans are changing the Earth's climate so fast and devouring resources so voraciously that the survival of the world's ecosystems and of humanity itself is at stake, a new UN report says. The 570-page Global Environment Outlook, published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), paints a dire picture of planet-wide death and degradation. With more than six billion people, Earth's population is now so big that "the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available," the report warned, adding that the global population is expected to peak at between 8 and 9.7 billion by 2050."

It's laughable to the point of insanity that our country is hyper-focused on immigration, gay marriage, and abortion rather than the fact that we are destroying that which gives us nourishment and life.





The United States has military troops in about 135 countries around the world. If that's not the tentacles of empire, I don't know what is. How many countries have troops in our country? How many foreign militaries have bases in our country? That's why I must applaud Ecuador for being fair and balanced in this regard.

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.

Central Office Matrix

Year after year, our prisons grow. More and more of our fellow citizens are behind bars - many of them with only minor infractions, yet they are now neighbors of gangs, rapists, and murderers. How does this make them better? Effectively shut out of society and thrown into an even more violent place - how can we even imagine that upon release, they're going to be better? Sounds pretty crazy to me.

Even crazier when you see that locking people up doesn't stop crime. Hell, even killing people to show that killing people is wrong doesn't work. People are still killing each other.

But check this out. Beautiful. Now, who knows if it will work or not. But, at least they're trying something new because it is quite obvious that locking people up (we have more people in prison than any other country in the world) does not work.

We used to be a forward thinking nation, we use to rise above. What happened? Our bridges are falling down, our own kids can't find the U.S. on a map, our President is a C student, New Orleanians drown and we watch it on TV.

Educate, learn, teach, repeat.

One of my biggest pet peeves is lying. Whether it be from family, friends, teachers, or government. You know, even more so if the lie is from teachers or government. This is because we heavily influence our children about justice and truth and the American way and how great we are because of it. So, what does one do when you find out that the American way is lying; is deception, and anything but total justice?

While growing up, I was taught that Christopher Columbus was a great guy. I mean, we close the banks and government and get a holiday because he discovered a land that people had already discovered and that I don't even live on! He must be swell! Let's just not teach our children that he stole a bunch of people and enslaved them back in Spain; on plantations in the Caribbean, and that his crew beat, raped, and killed countless others. Why are we teaching an outright lie and celebrating a disgusting criminal?

Fast-forward to today. If we can't believe the "truth" about Columbus, what else is out there that we've been lied to about? Why are we told over and over again that we support democracy and justice and liberty; but continually act to deny those enlightened freedoms to other people?

Here are some examples, since our C-student of a President got confused with his Iraq is like Vietnam speech last week:

Vietnam: We invaded because the South Vietnamese were going to become communist. By voting for it. Democratically.

Democracy: We don't have one according to Presidential candidate Edwards who last week said, "Real change starts with being honest - the system in Washington is rigged and our government is broken. It's rigged by greedy corporate powers to protect corporate profits." (p.s. democracy is not voting for a President every 4 years).

Socialism: We live in a partly socialist country already. A very, very simplistic explanation of socialism is when everyone in a community helps pay for things that benefit everyone. Some examples are roads and schools. So, why is it so bad?



Truth is painful. It has wounded me deeply to find out that my country - the one I've been taught to view as the best in the world - tortures people, celebrates a rapist and enslaver, tested toxic chemicals on its own military, plotted the death of a hundreds by blowing up a Navy ship to get public support for war, invaded a country because they were going to vote in a way we didn't like...

Until the light of day is shone upon truth - none shall be free. Educate yourselves; knowledge is power - it's harder to walk all over a smart person. Teach someone what you've learned.


Here's some books to start out on:

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins

American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips

A Preface to Economic Democracy by Robert Dahl