Limitations Of Pre-emptive Strikes And The Democrats Once Again Become Fragmented

Limitations Of Pre-emptive Strikes And The Democrats Once Again Become Fragmented   

On the surface of things, it would appear that the Bush administration has come to the ugly reality that the war in Iraq is wholly un-winnable and the long term effects on the U.S. military will greatly reduce their ability to function as an entity. For good or ill, the American forces are clearly becoming the canaries in the cave mine in the “great” experiment of the semi-new tactic that has come out of Washington, a policy of pre-emptive strikes. For those who read the Stars and Stripes, it becomes apparent that the causalities of this current war goes far behind just the 3000+ dead that have been reported. What tends to get lost in this discussion are those tens, of thousands who are coming home with missing limbs, psychological trauma, and un-explained illness and so on. And these are the ones that the US commanding  general in Iraq was looking at when he recently wrote the well documented report that stated the Iraq war is affecting our military’s ability to engage in future conflicts.  And it would seem to be this reality that has forced Washington to invite Tehran and Syria to the table during the up and coming summit surrounding the crises in Iraq.

Despite all the heretic from the hawks, they now have to face the fact that
Iran might be the only hope for the new Iraqi government to survive. For such an admission to occur, it would mean that the Bush administration has recognized that they have painted themselves into a corner and they desperately need a way out. Domestic support for the war is at an all time low. According to an ABC poll, 56% of Americans support the withdraw of US troops by March of next year. If that were not enough, the latest rounds of crack downs in Baghdad have been failures by most accounts. Throw in the attempted assassination of the Iraqi vice president, Adel Abdul-Mahdi and the infiltration of the
Baghdad’s police force by insurgence and you just start to get the picture of how dire the situation really is. Just as a side note, the tactic of having rebel forces to join the police force of the puppet government was originally used in Algeria to fight the French imperialists. It turned out that it was one of the most successful campaigns to throw out the invading western nation.

So now with Tehran at the table along with Syria, there ironically seems to be a voice of reason. I say ironically here because neither country supports the progressive route as much as they prefer not to have a destabilized nation on their borders. But, the question here really has to be how much influence they will have in this late stage of what several international outlets have called a sectarian civil war.

In Congress, there still is no Conesus on what to do about Bush’s proposed increase of American forces in Iraq. The number that is being thrown around is 21,500. Some alternative media outlets have stated that the actual number maybe larger. The Democrats first looked to block this increase in troop levels by cutting funds for the war but, because of internal battles and a slim hold on the Senate, they had no chance of passing such a bill. So the new bill has no mention of the reduction of funds to the wars. And there is some doubt if the new senate bill to roll back Bush’s war making powers to 2002 levels. The republicans have already made it clear that they will vote strictly on party lines and many of the more conservative Democrats have made it clear that they would be nerves t support such a bill.

None of this should come as a surprise when you consider that they are only party in any countries history to have such a huge win as was the case last year and still come off as being lost and defeated. But we’ll see.

Until next time.  

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Radiation Therapy May Do More Harm Than Good In Children

 

A new study has shown that radiation therapy in children can lead to a massive reduction in bone mass. In fact many children who have cancer and get regular radioactive treatments have shown to have problems similar to elderly people who suffer from a lack of calcium.  This can range from frequently broken limps to the lack of mobility. Results from these finds may force the FDA and the CDC to reconsider their stance on national standard practices concerning children’s medicine when it comes to those treatments that mimic adult therapy. The report may also lead to investigations on how any adult medications such as Prozac effect child development and possible future disorders.  

Remember it wasn’t so long ago that the pregnancy drug thalidomide was the latest controversy within the medical community. Only in that case we saw the outbreak of what was once called “flipper babies.” For those who are too young to remember this story, we saw a population of individuals being born with flipper like limbs, arms and legs growing out of the areas of the body and so on.  This is not saying that medication doesn’t have a place in the society, quite to the contrary. There are many breakthroughs that have limited epidemics world wide. However, there does have to be some restrictions on those treatments that are given to children. And this is perhaps where the FDA should come in and create a set of standards for those treatments given to the under 18 year old populations, a national medical bill of rights for children if you will. There is such a bill concerning children when it comes to their rights to go to school and having the best possible living standards based upon the income of their parents.  

Until Next Time…  

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Eat What?

One of the funnier stories that probably made little to no news came out of
Hillsborough
County in
Tampa Florida. Apparently the county’s Express way authority was trying out a filtering system out of their
Virginia office. The filter is supposed to block all obscene remarks or words from the areas on major electronic sign. The filter failed however and hundreds of locals read the message, “Eat Horse Shit.” As one could imagine more than a few people did a double take.

 

On the top of the list of those who made the biggest issue of the sign was channel 8 news of
Tampa. You can watch the clip below.

 

Until Next Time…   

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Lewis Libby And The Isolation Of The Administration

There seems to be an increasing sense that the Iraq war is quickly becoming a problem that only the
United States is willing to shoulder. Monday of this week, The British prime minister, Tony Blair announced that he will be pulling English troops out of the war torn nation. In two+ weeks, he could withdraw as many as 1,700 troops and 3000 by the end of the year. There are currently 7000 total stationed there.  The move is making things clear that the
United States could be left alone in the whole affair. Even the White House’s number 2 supporters, Australia has also stated that they will pull their 400 troops out of the
Middle East.
Denmark is also taking their own actions in withdrawing Dutch troops. One must wonder at this point what the breaking is going to be that will cripple US efforts in Iraq to the point that even the White House can longer deny this project as a total failure.

 

When we talk about the Isolation of the Bush administration we are not only talking about the subject on an international scale but, also on the domestic front. To date, Bush’s approval numbers still dragging in the 30s and Dick Cheney’s numbers are only in the twenties according to polling point dot come. While Rice’s numbers do rank higher than her co-workers, she is slipping in the polls herself. The point is that those American’s that once embraced this vile bunch now are starting to jump of their sinking ship. Much of that can be attributed to the limits of Karl Roves scare campaigns that have worked so well since 2001. In fact, the big scare that most Americans are dealing with is being underemployed. That’s not unemployed which is recorded in official record releases; underemployment is not recorded mostly due to political reasons. The department of records only measures one if they are employed or unemployed but, does not care to measure if one makes enough to survive. So if you are working in Wal-Mart making a slaves wage and paying a portion of your own health insurance, you are of no interest of any governmental office of records. But while the GOP has ignored this fact, a growing number of American’s have not and we can see the results of that in last Novembers elections. When you take into account the outsourcing of jobs, not only on the blue collar level but, also in the White collar sector, you can see that perhaps for the second time during the past 6 to 7 years, locals are more concerned about paying their morgue and sending their kids to college than they are about terrorists and gays in the military.

 

Unfortunately for the White house, they can’t shake these pressures put on them by the majority of their own voting base. In an article that can be found in the Nation magazine, reporter records remarks made by several mid-Western industry workers. In the piece, the unidentified workers said that they are fed up by
Washington’s policies and would not think twice about voting for a Democrat that would bring business back to their towns and cities. Then you have the far right wing religious sect who is also withdrawing their support for the Bush administration because they believe that
Washington has decided to take the interests of the corporate sector over that of the church.    

 

And finally, no matter the outcome of the Louis Libby trial, we were able to the dirtying of the White House laundry in public. Libby’s defense team put the outing of Valerie Plame on his former boss Dick Cheney and Louis Libby was just a scapegoat. And while the administration likes to keep those that they are forced to remove from office close to the vest for fear of retaliation, even Libby has become too toxic and will shorly take the fall for the second time in four administrations. The way that Cheney has allowed Scooter to hang in the breeze will undoubtedly bring a backlash. While Louis while probably get 15 to 20 years with five served, he will have plenty of time to do a little writing and expect the major dirt to be spilled before the end of this year. This may force the Democrats to put impeachment back on the table and may even gain support from Republican’s in the congress. Remember how fast things happened with Nixon, let’s hope that happens again.  

 

Until Next Time…

 

 

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From Bush To The End Times

From Bush To The End Times

In what has been less than a week after US generals in Iraq came out with the statement that the crackdowns throughout Baghdad has reduced the civilian death toll, more than 138 Iraqis have been killed in the last two days in nations capital alone. And today
Washington came out with a report that the rebels are have become more advanced in their tactics of fighting Western forces. This comes on the heels of the tens of thousands of troops that either have been sent over already or are on their way over now. It is curious that despite previous elections, the break down in Republican unity in the House and to some degree, in the Senate, George Bush has been allowed to move forward with the same strategy that has gotten the military machine stuck in the Iraqi war.

 

While the non-binding resolution has past in the house, there is not much chance that much will change in the White House’s decision making regarding not only the war in Iraq but, might do even less in stopping an attack on Iran. That is because this resolution is a toothless tiger that does nothing to curb Bush’s ability to move forward with his plans. In fact, there is no talk of cutting off funding for the war or the possible impeachment of the Cheney and George W. himself.  Both actions of coarse would at the very least start the reformation of the checks balances that have been stripped away for the last seven years. But, more to the point, when it comes to the later, impeachment, we would see the first signs of accountability for the very first time since the Bill Clinton sex scandal. Of course, if George W. Bush was found in a leather outfit with a bull whip and small alter boy, he would have been out along time ago.

 

This is because the religious right wing would no longer be able to support him. And this is a point that is often forgotten. Let us not forget the reason why media outlets like clear channel and the murder inc. media, which would be CBN or Christian Broad Cast Network, support the Vietnam style blood bath that is going on in the
Middle East. For these fanatics of theology, the destabilization of the region that would the down fall of Iran as a viable nation would bring the first signs of the “End Times.” That is to say, the Pat Robertsons of the world are demanding the mass chaos that is occurring as we speak. It would bring what they would perceive as the second coming and the final battle between good and evil and at the same time wipe out the, “non-believers.” And for the strongest supports of
Israel, that would also include the Jewish population as well. And despite the sudden Jewish support for the White house, of the most supportive Orthodox Jew is only a tool to the theocrats who see
Israel as the place of the final battle. So what we see here is not policy but, a plan to create a non-real situation for those who even sit on the fringe of American religious communities.  And here, we see the George factor. If you think opinion polls mean much too him, you haven’t learned much over the last six years. Unlike his dad, this Bush is run by the HL Hunt clan who also created the Barry Goldwater Campaign. So taken in this context, it is very easy to way the impeachment of Bush is so vital.

 

The question that arises here is how will the Democrats react if the Republican white steps over the final line in the sand? We will have to wait to find out.

 

Until next time…

           

 

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Last American Roar

357463_cover1.pdf357463_cover1.pdfLast American Roar, published in 2003, is a collection of my works dating back to 1999. Most of the poems deal with the subjects of drug abuse, travel, politics and the old stand by of love lost. The classic Greenwhich Village style should appeal to both young and older readers alike.  It can be purchased on most major book store websites or you can find it at lulu.com

Why The Korea Deal Is So Important

Why The North Korea Deal Is So Important

Well it seems as if the six party talks with North Korea are finally making a break through. The communist country has agreed to dismantle its main nuclear power plants in exchange of both financial energy aids. Unlike Iraq and perhaps Iran at some point, negotiations were used and may remind us of the good old days when they were first resort. There are two ironies here though. The first one is that the resolution was forged by China, the world’s fastest growing economy and the United State’s great competitor, economically speaking. The George W. Bush administration has shown little more then a great deal of hostility towards China and have show no indication that they would follow any plan that would not require a military strike against North Korea. The second irony here is that with all the criticism by the GOP towards the Clinton administration, the White house now has accepted a plan similar to that of the Democrats policy towards the tiny nation. Below is a closer look at why the change of policy can be a sign of things to come.

Apparently the lesson that has been learned in the Korea situation is that if you are an unpopular government in the eyes of the White House, the only way you will ever have any real chance to negotiate with the Bush administration is to be a nuclear power. Without this bargaining chip, countries like Iran, Venezuela and pre-March 2003 Iraq has to deal with the insane absolution of the Neo Cons. And this is extremely important when you take a look at the other nations that have made the “Axis of Evil” list, Cuba and Syria being on the top of that list. Plus let us not forget about those nations that once made up the Soviet block. The region has more than 100 nuclear silos which are mow in total decay. We do not know exactly what will occur as the security locks on these systems continue to breakdown. There is a very good chance that al east one of these missiles will be accidentally launched, the results would be disastrous. Further more, the security at many of the storage plants is pores at best and according to several reports from the area, there have been radioactive materials that have gone missing. Some within Moscow fear that the Chechen rebels were by hind the possible theft. Here at home, CIA heads believe that Al-Qaeda was behind the disappearance according to one report on expertwitnessradio.org.

The point is not who has stolen the dangerous material but, why more countries are finding it necessary to explore more severe methods of protecting itself. Remember, under Bill Clinton’s agreement with North Korea which would have the U.S. send them oil for the communist country’s promise not to create a nuclear program and it worked. That is until 2000/01 when the Bush administration canceled the program then later put them on Axis of Evil hit list. The Neo Cons un-doubly believed it could bully North Korea into giving up its nuclear aspirations. South Korea had to deal with the build up of US forces in 2003, 04 and 05. But in the end it took the cooler heads in China to hash out a deal that is similar to that of the Clinton agreement that even Washington has to agree too. So the question now becomes, is this the future of world negotiations. One could argue that any country who wants to create such a program should be allowed to, many point out that United States has more nuclear war heads than the rest of the world combined. This is true of course except for the part that promotes anyone having these dangerous weapons. It is also true that we are the only country to ever use the nuclear bombs but, at some point the talks have to go beyond who should have them and who should not and focus more on the anti-nuclear proliferation agreement between this country and the Soviet Union. How easy we have forgotten that there is a plan for the mass dismantling of nuclear weapons starting with the great state of South Dakota and on into Moscow. Reestablishing this program is where these talks have to move to if there is any real hope for real peace.

Until Next time…

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Where We Are Today

How fast the high rollers in Washington forget what it is that the American people voted for as they play politics with the lives of both those in Iraq and those American troops that are currently being sent over. The Republicans still want to wrap themselves in old glory while they ignore the voice of the voter who spoke last November and demanded that the US should withdraw from this disaster known as the Iraq war. It does not matter now. Even with the Democrats who purposed a non-binding resolution that George W Bush went on record and stated he would not allow himself to be tied to. The formation of such a resolution would seem as a bit of a cop out considering it would have no teeth and would allow the party to say that they did what everything the could do to end the war.

The Senate Democrats were unable to muster up the 60% of support that they needed to pass the before mentioned, non-binding resolution. In fact, they were only able to bring in 49% of the votes. But, with the house looking to have more success, there are already some looking to put tougher measures in the resolution that, if passed could make a real dent in the GOP’s plans to increase the numbers in Iraq and should be able to cut off any possible war with Iran. Among them is Dennis kucinich, and Bernie Sanders. The measure that the more progressive Democrats are looking to pass calls for the cutting off of funds to the war. While this would seem to fall in line with the results of the 2006 campaigns, Nancy Pelosi and other rank and file Democrats have already stated that they would not cut off funding for the war. And here is the problem.

Despite winning a huge election, they still act as a defeated party and have done everything they can to marginalize the progressive wing of the party, while letting Hillary Clinton run a muck. What we are seeing in the furthering of the same reasoning that took impeachment off the table.

Then there are the Republicans who have paid no attention to the voice of the average voter. What some may consider a tactic to silence any real demands made upon Washington by the average citizen on street, the GOP has done everything they can do to, “stay the course.” But, if any of the earlier debates regarding the Iraq is any indication, then we know the right are no where as united as they would seem. Sen. Chuck Hagel, for example supports the resolution in the Senate and was looking to be one of the crusaders to push it through, and looked as if he three other supporters from his own party on board. But, like any obedient dog, everyone in the party fell back in line and blocked the resolution from even getting debated on in the Senate. The good news for the Democrats, however, is that the Republicans have far fewer seats in the House. So some thing could get passed very shortly. The “decider,” may have to realize that he is not the soul voice in decision making regarding the war,

So that’s where we are today. Until next time…

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Immigration

There is some question regarding immigration to the United States that tends to fall short of ever making the airwaves. Who is the real inheritor’s influx of illegal migrants? The answer really is not as clear as the right or left likes to make it. The only obvious answer in all this is the more mobile financial business owners and the fortune 500. Outside of that, the answer becomes more blurry. Why? Simply because so few media outlets take an honest look at the subject. So, in an attempt to find an answer here is a closer look at the arguments on both sides and the fatal flaws of both arguments.
The basic right wing argument made concerning the subject is that the United States is under siege from Mexican’s and those in central and South America. That the workers coming from across the border are taking jobs and sucking the wealth out of the country. This is the purposed idea given to US by the minutemen project. There are several problems with this stance. The right never wants to discuss why so many immigrants are entering the country in the first place or why there would be any desire to come to a country that has shown little more than hostility to those from south of the border. When was the last time did FOX news discuss the siphoning off of the Southern hemispheres wealth through treaties like NAFTA which is little more than the extensions of globalism? There is no denying that all resource is now on the open markets. As a result, the fortune 500 has stacked a claim to everything from rice growth to global beef production. The outcome is that many farmers from China to Peru were forced to go under. As far as sucking the wealth out pf the country, well if you look at any accredited set of stats, the United States actually brings in more wealth because of illegal immigration. Most business underpays these employees that very little money is spent on this work force. While it is true that students of this group do attend public schools, it is not for free and yes, despite popular belief, the vast majority does pay taxes even on sub par incomes.
That brings US to another fatal flaw from the argument given from the right wing. “They take our jobs.” What is never mentioned here is that the minimum wage is so low. This matter because, having such a low starting point allows employers to take advantage of the fight between migrant workers and those that have spent time in this country. If, let say, we raised the bar to $10.00, there would be fewer employers looking to cut corners. Further more, white and even African Americans are looking to move out of the lower job sector. What is left of the middle class tends to be mobile economically and is able to some extent move into jobs that are out of reach to the undereducated workers. Also the Rush Limbaugh’s of the world tend to shy away from the discussion of outsourcing of jobs. This newer trend hits every sector in our economy except for the 10%. If you haven’t noticed, when Dell, or Verizon call you to pay you bill, rest assure the caller is not even in the same hemisphere as you are. Then there is the issue of the WTO and WTA but, that’s a longer discussion.
Then there is the lefts argument that all immigrants should be made legal without having to make any real adjustments to the surrounding culture. A tend to shy away from blanket amnesty. First I’m so sure that those who commit extreme crimes like, rape, robbery or other violent crimes should be allowed to remain in the country. The present reality is that all prisons in the United States are over flowing and most rational people tend to shutter at the thought of the increase of prisons being built in the country. Until the Rockefeller drug laws are over turned, the issue of over-crowing in prisons will continue but, what we do not need is to continue to feed this dysfunctional part of the system with more victims. The other problem is not demanding new residents to have some mastery of the language. By setting up free classes at community centers around the country aimed at learning English. Even a minimal understanding of allows the resident to compete is the job market and further progress in the community as a whole. By not knowing the language, we are creating barely functional cripples. Yes, legalize them but, not without a few demands.
So what is the answer? We have to look at the issue through today’s reality. If we are to really deal with the issue, we have to dissolve NAFTA and KATA to reduce total numbers. What neither side mentions it that no matter how PC we want to be, there is no getting around the fact that the growing of the total population is putting a horrible strain on our Environment which includes our natural resources that are quickly disappearing. The country is already busting at the seams in terms of compensating those who are already here. Create programs around the world that gives different governments reason to give land to the poor and destitute. For those who do decide to come here after all, set them up in an English program along with free job training. And after three to seven years check on the progress of different communities. For those who are doing even the bare minimum, legalize them and for those who are serving no purpose well….
Until next time…
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Global Warming

Global Warming

 With the battle brewing in the middle east, mostly over those who wish to control the taps on the oil pipelines, Unfortunately, there is no attention being paid to the real threat to human civilization. As I have written several times on this sight, we are heading down a very dangerous road that will undoubtedly come to meet us sooner rather than later. As mentioned in earlier reports, 1969 the University of Columbia released what was known as the “Dooms Day Report” which focuses on the exhilaration of global warming based on the numbers they were receiving during those years, along with the calculated increase of temperature change and arctic melt. When taken into proportionality, the numbers were right on target, the problem is, however, the increase in global climate change has been moving twice as fast as the report attempted to predict. For example, the intrusion of sea levels moving into major metropolis areas like mexico city and the greater part of Bangladesh were projected to occur in about 100 years to 200. Now, those numbers have receded to 50 to 100 years until such disasters are being predicted.

Much of this information can be found on Green Peace’s website or you can google, “Marshall Report, global warming,” to read what has some frantic pentagon insiders so worried. So far it appears that the first canary in the cave mine in the polar bear whose habitat decreases at an ever increasing rate. For the first time in recorded history, scientists are finding drowned polar bears who can swim for more than 100 miles. When you take into consideration that distance you can get at least some idea how serious the situation actually is. Further more, when you consider the fact that in 1998 3 miles of the arctic fell into the ocean and in 2006 more than twice that land mass has disappeared, you just get barely a taste of things to come. 

So what does that mean for US, well global warming is threatening the human population in several, including the ways it has effected our friend the polar bear. First with rising sea levels coastal areas around the world and including the United States are going to quickly disappear. But higher sea levels are also expected cause far more damage than just the disappearance of expensive ocean side real estate. If you can check out the Times magazine of July, 2001. In it you will a come across a section in an article that focuses on this very subject. In it, there is more than a little speculation about the disappearance of such locations as, Mexico City, Bangladesh, (the entire country to be exact) New Orleans and other areas below sea level. The author of that article was not putting this disaster scenario in terms of 100 to 150 years but, more in line with 50 to 75 years. And in case you were wondering where they got their information from, there was an updated study from the Dooms day report released just months before the Time article was written. The report was a collaboration of all the leading climatologists from around the world and who the UN members often go to.   

As for the the Marshall Report, you read it on several websites but this link should suffice for now. http://reclaimdemocracy.org/articles_2004/pentagon_report_global_warming.html

Also, you can go to the Marshall report blog that I placed on this website for more information. 

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