August 9, 2013

Is all hatred irrational, unhealthy, and counterproductive?

If someone or some group/organization intentionally with coordinated planning causes the deaths of thousands of innocent lives and great harm to our country, is hate not the natural and appropriate human emotion in this circumstance?

The administration of Bush/Cheney ignored dire warning of an impending terrorist attack on American soil, then exploited 9/11 to launch an unprovoked war against a nation that had nothing to do with it. The American people stood behind the president in the wake of a national tragedy, then he and his administration manipulated the public's fear, anger, and patriotism in a war of choice based on a pack of LIES. I think it is entirely accurate and fair to characterize this as the most egregious betrayal of public trust by a president in our nation's history.

More than 5000 American soldiers died, and perhaps a million Iraqis (sectarian violence & bombings continue today). Our treasury was drained while their cronies got rich(er). Bush entered office with a healthy economy and a budget surplus, and left it in shambles. His administration approved torture and other war crimes that brought shame upon our nation while he divisively proclaimed you're either with us or you're with the terrorists.

I hate them for what they did to the country I love, for all the innocent people they killed, and for all the people still suffering (physically, emotionally, economically) as a result of their premeditated crimes.

I hate that they have escaped justice and in fact enjoy wealth, privilege, and the honors that come with the prestige of their office.

I hate that We The People are becoming more and more accepting of this, and that I'm told to let it go already!

I will not let it go until justice is served.

Why? Because when crimes in high places go unpunished they receive tacit approval, and the probability of future crimes by our government in our name is greatly increased. If you don't care about what happens to these criminals, you should at least care about their victims and the next generation that will be victimized by the failure of the American people to insist that we live up to the principles our country ostensibly stands for.

Hatred need not be a blind, consuming, rage. Put in its proper place with clarity of thought and purpose, hate can provide sustained motivation. I am not the Tea Party. Facts, reason, and logic prevail. I would not Hate if I did not also Love the people and the principles which I believe are perpetually endangered while we let the horrible crimes of Bush/Cheney go unpunished and we become more and more accepting of it. Nothing to see here folks, move along!

No, sorry. Passion is required here. Suppression of rational human emotion for crimes against humanity is counterproductive. Real change is absolutely necessary.

I wish I could believe John Lennon. All You Need Is Love. We need that more than anything, to be sure. Our love must be stronger than our hate, and both governed by our rational mind. And I do say both.

August 7, 2013

Yes, she did.

Anyone who didn't know the IWR would make war with Iraq a certainty is either fooling themselves or simply wasn't paying attention.

The November mid-term elections hadn't taken place yet, and both the House AND Senate are needed to pass this kind of authorization.

Voting for something horrible just because the next Congress might pass it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Ever hear of a principled stand? The lead-up to the war in Iraq and that vote in particvular is when our country REALLY NEEDED Democrats to stand up and show some REAL LEADERSHIP. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate that the Democratic Party is strong, principled, and shows superior judgment in critical matters.

Democratic leaders like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry demonstrated horrible judgment, and let us down when we needed them the most.

Since then I have refused to support any Democrat in a primary who voted for the IWR.

But this did not stop me from going to Cuyahoga, Ohio in November 2004 to help get out the vote for John Kerry. We have two choices for president, and one of those choices is orders of magnitude more unacceptable.

If Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee for president in 2016 I will support her.

But I hope for someone with better judgment in critical matters.

August 2, 2013

"All governments lie."

IF We The People ARE the government, then We are lying to ourselves.

But that's a big IF.

Franklin said we have a Republic IF we can keep it, but it's pretty evident we're losing it (if we haven't lost it already).

Who are we losing it to?

We're losing it to the same elites of wealth & power who have suppressed the common people throughout history ...
... be they kings, popes, fascists, etc, they are oligarchs of one stripe or another.

But in America We The People still have POWER, IF we can overcome the polarization of The People engineered by the Powers That Be through propaganda and manipulating a lot of common folks (Red State America) by playing on their fears, their prejudices, and their faith.

There will ALWAYS BE oligarchs of one stripe or another trying to hoard for themselves the lions share of riches & resources. It is part of human nature. It is up to We The People to overcome the propaganda and the fear and the hate that divides us.

A House (or a People) divided against itself cannot stand (up for our own common interests). That is what the oligarchs have engineered and that is what they are counting on.

We have much more in common (in terms of economic interests) with the common folk brainwashed by Fox News & RW talk radio than either of us have with the likes of the Koch brothers.

But as long as we're bitterly divided and at each others throats, We The People have no chance at reclaiming the Republic bequeathed to us.