Thing's are really getting strange. I've seen Mike Huckabee on Jon Stewart's Daily Show a few times and he (Mike) always comes across as a pretty reasonable guy; I'm not going to agree with him on very many issues, but hey! That's the world we live in. Then...
Then I listened to him on several of his Rupert Murdoch's sanctioned fOX nEWS broadcasts, and Man! He (Mike, again) was swinging for the fences! Such a cHRISTIAN demeanor! Mike's not even trying to be reasonable, or fair (the fOX logo); he's just opening his mouth, saying anything that comes into his mind, and THEN, later assessing what he thinks his base will believe in. (The old canard: the general is sitting in a cafe as a mob runs by; he leaps up. "Where are you going?" Asks his friend, "There go my troops; I must lead them!" he answers).
Joe Kline, in News Week did a wonderful job of documenting Huckabee's recent mouthings. I rarely do this but, to paraphrase only slightly:
"Mike Huckabee has said that President [I ADDED THE HONORIFIC, President, Mike didn't] Obama... was raised in Kenya, sympathized with Mau Maus' anti colonialism all because he wasn't a boy scout and there were no Rotary Clubs there, only madrasahs...". Wow, Mike that's amazing! The facts are: President Obama was raised in Hawaii, not Kenya. He was raised by his (WHITE) Kansas Republican grandparents. He was a boy scout. There are plenty of Rotary Clubs in Hawaii, and as for anti colonialism sentiments; The Tea Party folks, one assumes, also sympathize with anti colonialism; last I heard, that's what The Original Tea Party was all about. But never mind the facts; make up stuff if it serves your purpose.
What we, the rationally thinking people, must remember is that; 51% of rEPUBLICANS don't believe that Obama is an American citizen. And, some 50 % of the GOP voting public don't believe in evolution, or planet earth more than 6,000 years old, or likely that the earth is a sphere that circles the sun in a galaxy in an immense universe.
I can't imagine where the GOP's votes are coming from. Apparently, their dream ticket is an amalgam of Huchabee's truthfulness, Gingrich's family values, Ann Coulter's compassion, and Mitt Romney's consistency (health care and abortion) and religion [sorry, Jesus just did not walk around Utah, ever]. At some point these kinds of beliefs have to matter, at least unless you're willing to disregard all religious belief.
That's something that I fervently wish we could do. After all, any and all religions are equally ridiculous (See: http://somelightsomeserious.blogspot.com/2009/10/if-you-think-that-belief-in-god-should.html). But oh boy, can they cause troubles for us all.
I give up.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
WAR WITHOUT END
The other night when I came home and learned that "we" had invaded Libya, I ranted (my poor wife). I couldn't really believe it. I ranted because sometimes it's impossible for me to express my dismay thoughtfully; especially when my government has become too stupid to believe. Especially with respect to my gOVERNMENT's response to Libya.
It is hard for me to fathom the domestic widely heald belief that the "United States of American" is a peace loving nation. This nation is involved in THREE Middle Eastern Wars. All of them against Muslim countries (Jerry Falwell, the cHRISTIAN bigot, is so happy in Heaven [if it exists]). And at least two out of three of the wars are against countries with lots of OIL (Dick Cheney is so happy where ever hypocrital oil billionaires hang out). Maybe, if we hadn't STARTED two out of three (and some might argue that it's three out of three [at least after the initial "payback part" was over]) of these wars... AND maybe if any of these wars were against any of our geographically nearby neighbors (who might conceivably have actually transgressed against us in any substantive way)..... Just maybe, one or two of these three wars might be justified on some insane level. But really, think about it; probably not even then. There really aren't any good wars anymore.
I've always said; If it's fossil fuels YOU (spelled U SA) want; we should invade Canada and Mexico. Both countries have plenty of fossil fuel energy resources. And we can take those countries easy (I believe that we already have). These countries are NOT 9,000 to 12,000 miles away. I could WALK to the border of Mexico and/or Canada and shoot as many people as I want to with a hand gun (if I so chose). Compare that to flying a C 137 halfway around the world just to get there; before you get to shoot at somebody. We have spent more than a trillion dollars in the Bush/Cheney/Oil War in Iraq and what do we have to show for it? Libya, apparently. Not counting 5,000 dead American service people, 50, 000 more of our veterans who are now missing some numbers of arms, legs, eyes, faces and other (personally) important body parts. And not to mention (but I will) tens of thousands of sanely functioning human minds and psyches that can and will integrate into a non war society.
I'm at a loss. I thought that I wanted to live out my life in these western Virginian scruffy Appalachian mountains. But I'm beginning to wonder if that isn't really a viable plan for me. My gOVERNMENT seems to be insane. It is embarked on a path to WAR WITHOUT END. It is apparently the official USA Government policy. How many other countries have been at war against non neighboring countries in your life time? There seems to be a downside to being the "only global super power". It's the only power that can't be at peace. The USA is the most war like country in history.
If you think that you will ever see your country not at war, if you think that your children will ever see their country at peace; if you think that your grandchildren will ever see this country not at war; then you are deluded.
I am thinking about moving to.... GOD! I DON'T KNOW WHERE I MIGHT GO!
It is hard for me to fathom the domestic widely heald belief that the "United States of American" is a peace loving nation. This nation is involved in THREE Middle Eastern Wars. All of them against Muslim countries (Jerry Falwell, the cHRISTIAN bigot, is so happy in Heaven [if it exists]). And at least two out of three of the wars are against countries with lots of OIL (Dick Cheney is so happy where ever hypocrital oil billionaires hang out). Maybe, if we hadn't STARTED two out of three (and some might argue that it's three out of three [at least after the initial "payback part" was over]) of these wars... AND maybe if any of these wars were against any of our geographically nearby neighbors (who might conceivably have actually transgressed against us in any substantive way)..... Just maybe, one or two of these three wars might be justified on some insane level. But really, think about it; probably not even then. There really aren't any good wars anymore.
I've always said; If it's fossil fuels YOU (spelled U SA) want; we should invade Canada and Mexico. Both countries have plenty of fossil fuel energy resources. And we can take those countries easy (I believe that we already have). These countries are NOT 9,000 to 12,000 miles away. I could WALK to the border of Mexico and/or Canada and shoot as many people as I want to with a hand gun (if I so chose). Compare that to flying a C 137 halfway around the world just to get there; before you get to shoot at somebody. We have spent more than a trillion dollars in the Bush/Cheney/Oil War in Iraq and what do we have to show for it? Libya, apparently. Not counting 5,000 dead American service people, 50, 000 more of our veterans who are now missing some numbers of arms, legs, eyes, faces and other (personally) important body parts. And not to mention (but I will) tens of thousands of sanely functioning human minds and psyches that can and will integrate into a non war society.
I'm at a loss. I thought that I wanted to live out my life in these western Virginian scruffy Appalachian mountains. But I'm beginning to wonder if that isn't really a viable plan for me. My gOVERNMENT seems to be insane. It is embarked on a path to WAR WITHOUT END. It is apparently the official USA Government policy. How many other countries have been at war against non neighboring countries in your life time? There seems to be a downside to being the "only global super power". It's the only power that can't be at peace. The USA is the most war like country in history.
If you think that you will ever see your country not at war, if you think that your children will ever see their country at peace; if you think that your grandchildren will ever see this country not at war; then you are deluded.
I am thinking about moving to.... GOD! I DON'T KNOW WHERE I MIGHT GO!
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