Rep. Pete Stark (California) has a way with words. And, acoording to a CNN Poll, 88% of those polled agreed with him. (Click 'read more' for the whole story and a link to watch the video)
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Showing posts with label political. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political. Show all posts
Friday, October 19, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
LTG Ricardo Sanchez
Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez has joined the ranks of the retired who have now found their courage and their voice. Convenient. Where was his voice when it would have counted, when it might have made a difference? It was silent. Was the hope of a fourth star pinned to his shoulder worth his silence regarding the situation(s) in Iraq? No.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Whew!!
I stopped at a local watering hole on the way home. It was hot and a cold beer sounded good. The tavern was dark and cool, and nearly empty. I took a seat at the rear of the narrow bar, close to the television. CNN.
In just a few minutes, as if some unheard signal had sounded, the bar began to fill. I assumed it was the ‘just off of work crowd’. The stools and tables filled up quickly.
“Mind if we sit with you?”
I looked up to see a young couple, drinks in hand.
“Sure. Have a seat.”
They dropped down on the chairs opposite me and introduced themselves. After a few moments of awkward small talk their eyes turned to the television. Wolfe Blitzer in the Situation Room.
“So, what do you think of this war?” I asked.
“We support the troops.” the young woman replied.
“What’s that?”
“We support the troops.” she repeated, her partner nodding in agreement.
It’s a phrase I hear a lot, but don’t understand. “What does that mean?”
They stared at me, wide-eyed, but silent.
“I mean, specifically, what does it mean when someone says they support the troops?”
Silence.
“Well… Regardless of, you know… Regardless of what someone thinks about the war, you still have to support the troops.” the young man answered. This time the young lady was nodding her agreement.
I decided to nod in return. “But, what does that mean?”
Silence. Their faces flushed slightly as they looked at one another then back to me.
“Just curious.” I sipped at my beer.
“Do you support the troops?” the young lady asked, a bit defensively.
“Yes. I do. I definitely do.”
The woman’s eyebrows arched high on her forehead and she gave me a look that reminded me of the look my Grandmother would give me when I was a child. It was a combination “I told you so/There you go then” look. And, of course, if was accompanied by another slow nodding of her head.
“That’s why I think they should come home. Tomorrow. If not sooner.”
They stared at one another then back at me. They both frowned.
“You agree, don’t you? I mean, you said you supported the troops. Right?”
“I don’t know about that.” The young man looked thoughtful. “I mean…” He sighed.
“When we say we support the troops we mean that they should be given everything they need.” the woman interjected.
“Right.” the young man said.
“I agree. And what they need most is to come home.” I replied.
The young man grinned. “Just like that, huh? Just pack up and leave?”
“Pretty much.” I signaled the bartender for another round.
“But if we just leave… All those soldiers would have died in vain.”
“Soldiers never die in vain.” I replied. “They die following orders. They die defending themselves and their fellow soldiers. They die fulfilling their oath. They die doing what their country has odered them to do. But, they never die in vain.”
“But if we just… leave, then… What was the point of going over there in the first place?”
“Exactly. Good question. What was the point of going over there in the first place?” I asked.
“Oh, well…” He waved his hand in the air as if shooing a fly away. “I don’t get into politics. One side says this the other side says that…” He sighed again. “It’s confusing.”
“You can’t tell who’s telling the truth.” the young woman chimed in. “It is confusing. It gives me a headache.”
“I know.” I replied. “That’s why I think we need to bring our troops home now. Until we figure it out.”
“You know, I don’t think we’ll ever know the truth; never figure it out. It’s politics, you know?”
“Well, we can’t leave them there forever.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s depressing.” the young lady remarked.
I noticed an iPhone jutting up from her purse. “So what do you think of the iPhone?” I asked.
“I love it!” she exclaimed.
“It is fantastic!” her partner agreed.
They pulled their phones out and showed me the features. Their fingers moved quickly and I watched as they showed me pictures, browsed the internet, and tried to teach me about the operation of the sleek, shiny phone.
“It is impressive.” For some reason I began to grow depressed.
Three thousand six hundred plus Americans are dead. Tens of thousands wounded, maimed. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens dead. Twelve billion dollars a month spent on a war to which many are, sadly, indifferent.
I sipped at my beer and watched the young couple show me yet more features on their phones. It is a pretty slick gadget. I shook their hands, settled up with the bartender, and headed for home. I watched the pedestrian traffic as I strolled through the City. There was little that indicated we were a country at war, or that our government was spending us into an economic disaster. When did we become so casual, so cavalier, about something as devastating as war?
I thought of a blog post by a young soldier in Iraq. Basically, he just described his day. Tired, hot, always on edge. Never enough sleep. Scared and wanting to come home. Fiercely proud of his fellow soldiers and hoping no more buddies would be killed or injured. A hell of a situation to send a young man into. A hell of a situation to keep him in while we try to decide what we should do.
If Chelsea Clinton or the Bush girls were there, or even one of Romney's sons, would they still need to think much longer about what to do or how to do it? Doubtful.
We have abused those courageous enough to serve. Our government has abused them and betrayed them, and we as a nation have allowed it to happen. By our silence and indifference and fear we have allowed an ignorant cowboy and his cronies to have their way. We have allowed them to run roughshod over the Constitution and our civil liberties, wage war, and destroy our standards of morality by illegal imprisonment and the use of torture.
We should all be ashamed. But we should also all stand up and, finally, say “Enough.”
In just a few minutes, as if some unheard signal had sounded, the bar began to fill. I assumed it was the ‘just off of work crowd’. The stools and tables filled up quickly.
“Mind if we sit with you?”
I looked up to see a young couple, drinks in hand.
“Sure. Have a seat.”
They dropped down on the chairs opposite me and introduced themselves. After a few moments of awkward small talk their eyes turned to the television. Wolfe Blitzer in the Situation Room.
“So, what do you think of this war?” I asked.
“We support the troops.” the young woman replied.
“What’s that?”
“We support the troops.” she repeated, her partner nodding in agreement.
It’s a phrase I hear a lot, but don’t understand. “What does that mean?”
They stared at me, wide-eyed, but silent.
“I mean, specifically, what does it mean when someone says they support the troops?”
Silence.
“Well… Regardless of, you know… Regardless of what someone thinks about the war, you still have to support the troops.” the young man answered. This time the young lady was nodding her agreement.
I decided to nod in return. “But, what does that mean?”
Silence. Their faces flushed slightly as they looked at one another then back to me.
“Just curious.” I sipped at my beer.
“Do you support the troops?” the young lady asked, a bit defensively.
“Yes. I do. I definitely do.”
The woman’s eyebrows arched high on her forehead and she gave me a look that reminded me of the look my Grandmother would give me when I was a child. It was a combination “I told you so/There you go then” look. And, of course, if was accompanied by another slow nodding of her head.
“That’s why I think they should come home. Tomorrow. If not sooner.”
They stared at one another then back at me. They both frowned.
“You agree, don’t you? I mean, you said you supported the troops. Right?”
“I don’t know about that.” The young man looked thoughtful. “I mean…” He sighed.
“When we say we support the troops we mean that they should be given everything they need.” the woman interjected.
“Right.” the young man said.
“I agree. And what they need most is to come home.” I replied.
The young man grinned. “Just like that, huh? Just pack up and leave?”
“Pretty much.” I signaled the bartender for another round.
“But if we just leave… All those soldiers would have died in vain.”
“Soldiers never die in vain.” I replied. “They die following orders. They die defending themselves and their fellow soldiers. They die fulfilling their oath. They die doing what their country has odered them to do. But, they never die in vain.”
“But if we just… leave, then… What was the point of going over there in the first place?”
“Exactly. Good question. What was the point of going over there in the first place?” I asked.
“Oh, well…” He waved his hand in the air as if shooing a fly away. “I don’t get into politics. One side says this the other side says that…” He sighed again. “It’s confusing.”
“You can’t tell who’s telling the truth.” the young woman chimed in. “It is confusing. It gives me a headache.”
“I know.” I replied. “That’s why I think we need to bring our troops home now. Until we figure it out.”
“You know, I don’t think we’ll ever know the truth; never figure it out. It’s politics, you know?”
“Well, we can’t leave them there forever.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s depressing.” the young lady remarked.
I noticed an iPhone jutting up from her purse. “So what do you think of the iPhone?” I asked.
“I love it!” she exclaimed.
“It is fantastic!” her partner agreed.
They pulled their phones out and showed me the features. Their fingers moved quickly and I watched as they showed me pictures, browsed the internet, and tried to teach me about the operation of the sleek, shiny phone.
“It is impressive.” For some reason I began to grow depressed.
Three thousand six hundred plus Americans are dead. Tens of thousands wounded, maimed. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens dead. Twelve billion dollars a month spent on a war to which many are, sadly, indifferent.
I sipped at my beer and watched the young couple show me yet more features on their phones. It is a pretty slick gadget. I shook their hands, settled up with the bartender, and headed for home. I watched the pedestrian traffic as I strolled through the City. There was little that indicated we were a country at war, or that our government was spending us into an economic disaster. When did we become so casual, so cavalier, about something as devastating as war?
I thought of a blog post by a young soldier in Iraq. Basically, he just described his day. Tired, hot, always on edge. Never enough sleep. Scared and wanting to come home. Fiercely proud of his fellow soldiers and hoping no more buddies would be killed or injured. A hell of a situation to send a young man into. A hell of a situation to keep him in while we try to decide what we should do.
If Chelsea Clinton or the Bush girls were there, or even one of Romney's sons, would they still need to think much longer about what to do or how to do it? Doubtful.
We have abused those courageous enough to serve. Our government has abused them and betrayed them, and we as a nation have allowed it to happen. By our silence and indifference and fear we have allowed an ignorant cowboy and his cronies to have their way. We have allowed them to run roughshod over the Constitution and our civil liberties, wage war, and destroy our standards of morality by illegal imprisonment and the use of torture.
We should all be ashamed. But we should also all stand up and, finally, say “Enough.”
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Wake up.
Perhaps instead of asking the Candidates what they will do, we should ask what they have done. Do the Senators and Congressmen need to be President before they get to work? What have Clinton and Obama done while in the Senate to address the issues they discuss now on the campaign trail?
It is an enormous mistake for Democrats to assume the last election was simply a message sent to Republicans - it was a message to all self-serving 'public servants'. Granted, I voted against Republicans during the last election. But I intend to vote against certain Democrats in the upcoming election (Pelosi being chief among the Dem's who will not get my vote). Americans are just sick to death of our inept government (Republican and Democrat alike).
At times I feel like I'm living in a foreign country. Where has America gone? We have no [mainstream] free Press, diminishing civil rights, and an economic disaster [if not collapse] looming on the horizon; yet all I hear are politicos debating the same issues they've been debating for decades. How can anyone take any of them seriously?
George Bush and Company have done almost irreparable damage from which I'm not sure we can ever truly recover; damage both domestically and internationally. These are, indeed, dangerous times we live in, and it's high time we held our elected officials accountable for both their actions and inaction.
It is an enormous mistake for Democrats to assume the last election was simply a message sent to Republicans - it was a message to all self-serving 'public servants'. Granted, I voted against Republicans during the last election. But I intend to vote against certain Democrats in the upcoming election (Pelosi being chief among the Dem's who will not get my vote). Americans are just sick to death of our inept government (Republican and Democrat alike).
At times I feel like I'm living in a foreign country. Where has America gone? We have no [mainstream] free Press, diminishing civil rights, and an economic disaster [if not collapse] looming on the horizon; yet all I hear are politicos debating the same issues they've been debating for decades. How can anyone take any of them seriously?
George Bush and Company have done almost irreparable damage from which I'm not sure we can ever truly recover; damage both domestically and internationally. These are, indeed, dangerous times we live in, and it's high time we held our elected officials accountable for both their actions and inaction.
Running on empty
I recently shared my frustrations regarding the (mainstream) Press and the Bush administration with Helen Thomas, the incomparable UPI Journalist and White House Correspondent. Thought I'd share her response.
"Everything you say is true and more so; but I honestly believe the people will wake up and the shamed press will begin to do its job again; we have been taken by the pigmies; the right wing talking heads and a president who could care less about the u.s. constitution, but I believe there is always hope and we should all be in the streets again; bush has had an easy ride. To this moment he will not say why he went to war, killed so many people, because whatever the reason it is unacceptable-don't despair but I agree we're running on empty now" - helent
Truly, she is wise beyond her years.
"Everything you say is true and more so; but I honestly believe the people will wake up and the shamed press will begin to do its job again; we have been taken by the pigmies; the right wing talking heads and a president who could care less about the u.s. constitution, but I believe there is always hope and we should all be in the streets again; bush has had an easy ride. To this moment he will not say why he went to war, killed so many people, because whatever the reason it is unacceptable-don't despair but I agree we're running on empty now" - helent
Truly, she is wise beyond her years.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Democracy
So, is Democracy dying in America? I wonder.
When did we (America) become so - complacent? Indifferent? Uncaring? It frightens me sometimes. Really, it does. I truly think our country may be broken - and possibly beyond repair. (Not that anyone is really trying to repair it.) The Democrats in D.C. are equally as bad (and culpable) as the Republicans. Both are self-serving; more concerned with reelection than doing their jobs. I think the only difference between the two parties - that I can see - is that Democrats sex scandals usually involve women.
When did we (America) become so - complacent? Indifferent? Uncaring? It frightens me sometimes. Really, it does. I truly think our country may be broken - and possibly beyond repair. (Not that anyone is really trying to repair it.) The Democrats in D.C. are equally as bad (and culpable) as the Republicans. Both are self-serving; more concerned with reelection than doing their jobs. I think the only difference between the two parties - that I can see - is that Democrats sex scandals usually involve women.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Journalism
C-Span's recent broadcasts of Bill Moyer and Dean Baquet were interesting and thought provoking. The broadcasts were also depressing. The future of a 'free and unbridled Press' seems bleak. Of course, I'm referring to 'old media' - internet reporting seems the logical progression and is without restriction (at least at the moment).
As a younger man - part of the generation who opposed the Viet Nam war, received the right to vote at 18, and fought for Civil Rights - I valued the investigative, fact based, unbiased reporting of dedicated and ethical Journalists. That was when 'news' actually was news and not packaged entertainment or propaganda disguised as news. And news consisted of, as [Dragnet] Joe Friday would say, "The facts, M'am. Just the facts."
I fear for the younger generation. They have grownup without the advantage of a true free Press - also, diminishing civil liberties and an apathetic, self-serving government.
(Continued at the expanded blog - see blogroll.)
As a younger man - part of the generation who opposed the Viet Nam war, received the right to vote at 18, and fought for Civil Rights - I valued the investigative, fact based, unbiased reporting of dedicated and ethical Journalists. That was when 'news' actually was news and not packaged entertainment or propaganda disguised as news. And news consisted of, as [Dragnet] Joe Friday would say, "The facts, M'am. Just the facts."
I fear for the younger generation. They have grownup without the advantage of a true free Press - also, diminishing civil liberties and an apathetic, self-serving government.
(Continued at the expanded blog - see blogroll.)
Monday, February 12, 2007
News Brief
Three thousand one hundred and twenty-three members of America's Armed Forces have died in Iraq as of today. Sadly, the day is not yet over.
President Bush's budget includes increasing fees/charges/co-payments for medical care to Veterans. Amazing. Disgraceful, shameful, but amazing. How does one justify cutting medical benefits and care to Veterans during a time of war?
President Bush's budget includes increasing fees/charges/co-payments for medical care to Veterans. Amazing. Disgraceful, shameful, but amazing. How does one justify cutting medical benefits and care to Veterans during a time of war?
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
(if only)Georgie Porgie had a pie(chart)...
King Georgie never seems to tell the truth. Thankfully, there are still some who will.
“To help pay for nearly $2 trillion in tax cuts over the next ten years, the budget cuts Medicare by $252 billion over ten years without reinvesting those savings in Medicare or other health program improvements, and imposes net legislative cuts of $28 billion over ten years to Medicaid. Meanwhile, appropriated funding for the Department of Education is cut by $1.5 billion below the 2007 level, the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency is cut by $509 million, and the budget imposes $4.9 billion over ten years in new fees on veterans.”
(Source: Congressman Mike Honda - 15th District - California)
“To help pay for nearly $2 trillion in tax cuts over the next ten years, the budget cuts Medicare by $252 billion over ten years without reinvesting those savings in Medicare or other health program improvements, and imposes net legislative cuts of $28 billion over ten years to Medicaid. Meanwhile, appropriated funding for the Department of Education is cut by $1.5 billion below the 2007 level, the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency is cut by $509 million, and the budget imposes $4.9 billion over ten years in new fees on veterans.”
(Source: Congressman Mike Honda - 15th District - California)
Monday, February 5, 2007
Will the real George Bush please stand up - and go away.
"We have to control spending." he said. "Give me $2.9 Trillion Dollars. Plus, $285 Billion more for the war."
Perhaps Chicken Little was right. The sky is falling. Time will tell. Meanwhile, it's becoming painfully obvious that the Emperor (Georgie Bush) truly has no clothes - or scrupples, honor, integrity, honesty - *Heavy sigh* Alas, what would Jesus say?
Perhaps Chicken Little was right. The sky is falling. Time will tell. Meanwhile, it's becoming painfully obvious that the Emperor (Georgie Bush) truly has no clothes - or scrupples, honor, integrity, honesty - *Heavy sigh* Alas, what would Jesus say?
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Florida - The tragedy may be yet to come.
The destruction in Florida was startling; almost unbelievable. Mother Nature can be merciless. One can only hope the citizens of the four counties in central Florida will receive the assistance they need. I say 'hope' with just a touch of sarcasm. The State is still waiting for the assistance it requested back in December.
Of course, the Govenor spoke with President Bush - who assured Jeb's replacement that federal help would be provided. Hmm... If the Floridians are standing in line behind the citizens of New Orleans, they could be in for a very, very long wait.
You remember New Orleans, right? Katrina? (If only the Fed's did.) Of course, in defense of the Government, we are busy destoying/rebuilding/destroying/rebuilding Iraq. I guess America will just have to wait. Hmmm... It's the 'compassionate consevative's' way, I guess.
Of course, the Govenor spoke with President Bush - who assured Jeb's replacement that federal help would be provided. Hmm... If the Floridians are standing in line behind the citizens of New Orleans, they could be in for a very, very long wait.
You remember New Orleans, right? Katrina? (If only the Fed's did.) Of course, in defense of the Government, we are busy destoying/rebuilding/destroying/rebuilding Iraq. I guess America will just have to wait. Hmmm... It's the 'compassionate consevative's' way, I guess.
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