More Great Articles on the Net

I've just spent some time researching some issues and reading a variety of interesting articles about current events and historical record. Here are links to some of the articles I've just finished reading for your reading pleasure:

a. http://releases.usnewswire.com/printing.asp?id=69809
b. http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?emx=x&pid=105894
c. http://www.onlinejournal.com/bush/031903Burkett/031903burkett.html
d. http://www.rmbowman.com/ssn/terror3.htm
e. http://benfrank.net/blog/2005/10/27/oil_mafia_treason/ <----- This one is good reading, but even better if you have time to listen
f. http://www.middleeast.org/premium/read.cgi?
g. http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/lavon.html
h. http://www.merip.org/palestine-israel_primer/toc-pal-isr-primer.html

Some of these are relatively short while others are somewhat lengthy. However, IMHO, all are excellent -- intelligent and thought-provoking.

Enjoy!

Absolutely Unconscionable

According to the linked article http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,205378,00.html (yea, yea, I know it's Faux News), the US Senate is giving Israel an additional 10-14 days to continue destroying Southern Lebanon, in the meantime destroying infrastructure and killing not only UN forces but also innocent civilians. Rice is quoted as likening this to the "pangs of childbirth." Of course, the Bushistas say they aren't pushing for an immediate cease-fire because they want a "long-lasting peace." Say WHAT??

So, are they saying that unless they can get permanent peace they're not going to do anything? What kind of "Christian" and "family" values are these? They are espousing blood shed and death for their vision? What kind of crap is this? As I was watching Hard Ball last night, Chris Mathews was talking to Andrea Mitchell of NBC who is accompanying Condi on this trip. When asked about the administration's position, Mitchell states that it is the administration's belief that this is really a power struggle between the US via Israel and Iran via Hezbollah.

Let's be real here. Yes, Hezbollah is, so we are told, receiving monetary and military support from Iran and Syria. Israel, we know for a fact, is receiving monetary and military support from us -- in fact, we're rushing delivery of bunker-buster bombs to Israel. These bombs are the ones that use depleted uranium to help do their dirty work. It is thought in some circles that Gulf War Syndrome may be in part a result of exposure to radioactive dust.

The Bushistas want "permanent peace" in this area -- highly unlikely, as a history of at least 2,000 years indicates otherwise. That said, one would think that part of that equation would be including all the players -- certainly Syria and Iran would have to be part of this equation. However, our administration, in yet another display of piquish anger, refuses to talk to Syria or Iran. Holy mackeral.

We also need to remember that Iran signed a military cooperation agreement with Iraq almost a year ago and Iran and Syria signed a similar type agreement about a month ago.

Were it left up to the everyday person, I suspect most of us would peacefully co-exist with each other. Unfortunately, "visionary" governments, and the worst seem to be those relying on their "religious" principles seem to be the worst at fomenting war and tragedy on all of God's children.

Excuse me -- I have to go retch now.

Is the Middle East Noose Tightening?

To say that the situation in the Middle East is a disaster is an understatement at the very best. We have troops in Afghanistan and Iraq who are in great danger and with the volatility of the ongoing situation between Israel and Hezbollah with Lebanon stuck in the middle doesn't bode well for anyone.

The Bush response or non-response is difficult to fathom and I have to wonder if they have really considered all the ramifications of their refusal to call for an immediate cease-fire.

The Arab countries that are considered "allies" are those with Sunni-led governments -- Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, most notably. Iran (granted not an Arab nation, but a key player), Syria, and now Iraq have Shia-led governments. Most alarming, however, is the fact that a year ago, Iraq (which had a Sunni-led government under Hussein) and Iran signed a military cooperation agreement, and more recently, Syria and Iran signed a military cooperation agreement.

The "Unity" government of Iraq has now gone on the record saying that Iraq as an "American political experiment" is over, Maliki has asked us to leave and now a Sunni member of Iraq's governing body has asked us to leave and let them take care of their own problems.

The implications of all of these actions are very alarming, and if the Bush Cabal gives a damn about anything -- which seems doubtful -- we need to get out now -- of course, this only underscores the point that we should never have gone there to begin with.

As Scott Ritter said in December 2005 during a speech to the Commonwealth Club of California, this administration knew BEFORE hand that Iraq never had WMD -- as they claimed -- and it was never about WMD -- it was about regime change.

The Middle East doesn't hate Americans per se, they hate the constant interference of our government in its business -- whether covertly or overtly. We need to mind our own business -- we have enough problems here to fix -- without trying to fix everyone elses.

A Great Weekend!

We had a wonderful weekend. My birthday was Saturday and, of course, I am still the magical 21! I thought about where my life has led me and all the roads I took. I am satisfied with how my life has played out so far and look forward to the rest of what's left of it.

Bill had to work on Saturday so we decided to "celebrate" on Sunday since he would not have to work. Sunday was a beautiful day. We decided to go out "early" to eat at Red Lobster -- I hadn't been to a Red Lobster for years and began salivating just at the thought of seafood -- lobster, scallops, jumbo shrimp.

We had a wonderful meal -- mine was the ultimate platter or something like that with lobster, scallops and jumbo shrimp, a great garden salad, cheddar bacon biscuits (they didn't have hushpuppies), and wild rice. Bill had essentially the same except his meal had crab instead of scallops. Fortunately, we both had enough for take-home.

It was beautiful here over the weekend -- temps in the 60s (my true "comfort zone) and just a nice leisurely day!

Lost in the Sixties

I received this in e-mail today from a friend and think it's great!

LOST IN THE SIXTIES

> A little house with three bedrooms and one car on the street,
> A mower that you had to push to make the grass look neat.
>
> In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone,
> And no need for recording things, someone was always home.
>
> We only had a living room where we would congregate,
> Unless it was at mealtime in the kitchen where we ate.
>
> We had no need for family rooms or extra rooms to dine,
> When meeting as a family just one room would work out fine
>
> We only had one TV set, and channels, maybe two,
> But always there was one of them with something worth the view.
>
> For snacks we had potato chips that tasted like a chip,
> And if you wanted flavor there was Lipton's onion dip.
>
> Store-bought snacks were rare because my mother had to cook,
> And nothing can compare to snacks in Betty Crocker's book.
>
> Weekends were for family trips or staying home to play,
> We all did things together -- even go to church to pray.
>
> Sometimes we would separate to do things on our own,
> But we knew where the others were, without our own cell phone.
>
> Then there were the movies with your favorite movie star,
> And nothing can compare to watching movies from in your car.
>
> Then there were the picnics at the peak of summer season,
> Pack a lunch and find some trees and never need a reason.
>
> Get a baseball game together with all the friends you know,
> Have real action playing ball -- and no game video.
>
> Remember when the doctor used to be the family friend,
> And didn't need insurance or a lawyer to defend?
>
> The way that he took care of you or what he had to do,
> Because he took an oath and strived to do the best for you.
>
> Remember going to the store when the sky's were oh so sunny,
> And when you paid for what you got you used your very own money?
> Nothing you had to swipe or punch, or put in some amount,
> and you had a friendly cashier that actually could count?
>
> The milkman went from door to door,
> For just a few cents more than a trip to the store.
>
> The mail was delivered right to your door,
> Without the junk mail that we all deplore.
>
> There was a time when just one glance was all that it would take,
> And you would know the kind of car, the model and the make.
>
> They didn't look like turtles trying to squeeze out every mile;
> They were streamlined, white walls, fins, and really had some style.
>
> One time the music that you played whenever you would jive,
> Was from a vinyl, big-holed disc they called a forty-five.
>
> The record player had a post to keep them all in line,
> And then the records would drop down and play one at a time.
>
> Oh sure, we had our problems then, just like we do today,
> As always we were striving, to find a better way.
>
> But how the simple lives we led, still seems like so much fun,
> when the only way to explain a game, was just kick the can and run?
>
> And why would boys put baseball cards between bicycle spokes,
> And for a nickel red machines had little bottled Cokes?
>
> This life seemed so much easier and slower in some ways,
> I love the new technology but I really miss those days.
>
> So time moves on and so do we, and nothing stays the same,
> But I sure love to reminisce and walk down memory lane.

Reinstitute the Draft

Well, well, well -- so Darth Cheney declares we have to stay in Iraq and continue this war. I have a couple of questions about that:

1. I still don't know why we went there and why we continue to stay there. I still don't know what the "end-game" is -- there have been so many false reasons why we HAD to wage war on Iraq and Saddam Hussein.

2. Why does this administration insist on supporting or waging war wherever they feel like -- despite the fact that our military interference isn't appreciated in most places? I remember Reagan had a fondness for red -- but usually it was Nancy wearing a designer dress. These murderers in the White House only seem to like Blood Red.

3. Why did we enter Iraq when the leaders of the Arab countries surrounding warned the Bushistas not to? They said something about it destablizing the region further. They didn't view Saddam as a military threat to them -- if they had, they'd have done what they did when Hussein invaded Kuwait during Gulf One, also coincidentally engineered by another Bush (at least the old man did serve his country honorably).

A lot of people at "our" level of the totem pole want us out and the sooner the better. In fact, almost two-thirds of us, if the polls can be trusted, don't like the road the Bushistas are on. Curiously, Bush further slaps all of us in the face when he says he doesn't care what WE think. After all, we're the ones who will end up indentured to pay for this catastrophe. Bush, with the tacit approval and the "wink-wink, nod-nod" from his ideological sychophants in Congress are nothing but a bunch of enablers for a slightly crazy bully dressed up in a President's suit and mask.

Rep. Conyers was right to introduce a bill months ago in favor of reinstituting the draft. Of course, it was disapproved because one of the things that Conyers called for was a draft with NO exceptions and NO exemptions. Of course, our so-called "fearless" leaders didn't like that because most of those dissing us who have served our country honorably and proudly, did nothing but turn and run when it was their time to serve.

Well, it's obvious from Bush's bang-up foreign policy that we're going to be in a perpetual state of war as long as they and their bloody accomplices remain in office.

Conyers is pretty shrewd. It's a good bet that if the Chickenhawks little pampered darlings would have to serve in the Middle East this "war" on whatever it is went there for would be over with pretty damned fast. Murderers, that's all they are.

Obstruction of Justice?

Holy smokes! I just finished reading this article from the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/washington/18wire-bush.html?hp&ex=1153281600&en=f96fa57d4a3f264d&ei=5094&partner=homepage.

I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV, but does this mean what I think it does? The Justice Department was going to investigate the legality of the spying on Americans and Bush personally prevented it from happening? WHY? Was he concerned about its legality? My gut instinct tells me they are hiding a hell of a lot more than we've found about and it isn't pretty.

To quote Yoggi Berra "It's deja vu all over again." Remember when the Taliban offered to turn OBL over if they could see the evidence and he refused? Remember when he blocked an investigation into 9-11? How can we find the weaknesses in our national security if we don't find out WHY it happened in the first place?

Isn't this obstruction of justice? Why does Specter keep kissing Bush's ass? I thought the committees had the right to issue subpoenas? Why don't they subpoena every one single stinkin' one of them and demand answers? Why they just ignore the rule of law? Can I ignore the rule of law the next time I disagree with a law?

I truly hope the ACLU latches on to this one (I know they've been busy for the last 5 years), but what's a few more lawsuits?

Food for Thought

There are many interesting and informative articles and commentaries to be found on the net. Here are just a few I’ve found over the past few days:

By John Dean: http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20060714.html;
From Wikisource: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Intelligence_Identities_Protection_Act;
From Truthout: http://www.truthout.org/fitzgeraldcalling.shtml;
By Lew Rockwell: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lew-rockwell/that-death-toll_b_23418.html;
By Gary Hart: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/welcome-to-the-hornets-n_b_25061.html;
From a member of the Federal Reserve: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/07/14/cnusa14.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2006/07/14/ixcity.html;
By Lloyd Williams: http://www.counterpunch.org/williams06082006.html.

How Much Crazier?

How much crazier than this administration get? Seriously, are the people in charge right now the very best of Ivy League educations? The very best of people who have at a minimum a master's degree and in some cases Ph.Ds? Bush has an MBA (supposedly)from Yale; Rumsfeld attended an Ivy League school. Condi didn't, but she does have a Ph.D. in political science. You would think with all these hot shot degrees we would people with some semblance of intelligence and maturity in the things they say and do, but they don't, and thus we don't. I yearn for the days when America was a country I could take pride in and believe in. I yearn for the days when we had Presidents who could speak contemporaneously and intelligently at the same time. One thing I have to give Clinton credit for is that he was very intelligent, knew how to be diplomatic, and could speak for hours without tripping over his tongue. What has happened to our country? Some people say we elected them. No, we didn't. I am still, if not more firmly, of the belief that they stole the 2000 election, did the same in 2004, and will try to do it again this fall. That thought scares me to death. It will take our country, and the world for that matter, decades to recover from the damage that has happened under Bush.

Wilsons File Lawsuit

Just saw this posted at another site. Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson have filed a lawsuit against Cheney, Libby John Doe, et al for violating their rights. This is just breaking now. The site above has a pdf file (23 pages) of the complaint that was filed in court.

Hectic, Hectic, Hectic

We've had the new computer for less than a week, and I love it. Except for having to re-download and install some of the other programs I rely on, it's all set up and working wonderfully. After the HP died, and after becoming frustrated with HP Technical Support (in India), I called a local "authorized HP service" shop. They said I could bring the puter in and they should be able to fix it, however, it would take the system disc to do it. Of course, I thought I had backed it up to a separate disc, but when I opened the file, I couldn't open it. They also told me that in order to fix it, they would have to order it from HP, which would cost me around $75. The other option was that I could it order it myself and bring the hard drive and the discs in with me if I took it to them for repair. I opted for calling HP and ordering them myself which actually cost $12. How did we get from $12 for the discs to $75. I was also told by the "authorized service shop" that the reason HP didn't include the system disc was due to "copyright" reasons. When I first got a "new" computer, those discs were provided. At any rate, I was rather astonished upon buying the Gateway that they actually provide a system CD. Huh? So, of course, I am wondering what is going on? I sure don't know -- but I guess the bottom line is that you just can't trust anyone anymore.

How To Make A Flowerchild Happy

Here is how to make this hippie/flowerchild very, very happy: 1. Decide it's time to get high-speed access 2. Have your hard drive break down 3. Go to Office Depot and buy a brand-new computer I am just as a clam in a very snug shell. I had it over the weekend with a hard-drive went south. After enduring the agony of East Indian tech support that had me shedding tears of frustration and anger at "outsourcing" jobs to increase corporate/CEO financial gains it was time to just get a new computer. I'm now enjoying my new Gateway, and flat monitor that is 19 This puppy is SO big that they added a new screen size resolution that I haven't run across before. So, in between setting up the computer (which I did by myself), downloading other "necessary" programs, I'm finally finding some time to get here and share my happiness!

A Stench in the Air

Well, there's going to be a big stench in the air over Milwaukee today. Dubya is flying in today to make a political appearance today with the Republican who wants to be Governor. Funny, I haven't heard any environmental alerts for people to stay indoors. You can bet I will. Frankly, I would rather smell my cats' litterboxes than the air around here today.

What happened to justice? What happened to OBL? Bush needs to have his memory refreshed. Remember the day after 9-11 when W pranced about like a real "hero" at Ground Zero? He said we were going to go after OBL and smoke him out wherever he was, dead or alive. Fast forward several months when W said he didn't really think of OBL. WTF? I don't understand this sudden 180. Most people would not rest until they achieved justice on behalf of their murdered loved one.

I had serious misgivings about this whole "going after OBL" misadventure shortly after W announced we were "going" after him. For all his bluster and bullshi* at the time, the whole damned thing COULD have been avoided and here's how:

Bush demanded the Taliban turn OBL over. The Taliban said they would, but they wanted to "see" the evidence against him first. Maybe it wasn't a deliberate move on the part the Taliban, but it sure seemed to me that they called his bluff. W, much to his discredit, refused 'cause gosh darn it, he wasn't to negotiate with terrorists. Huh? OBL was billed as the "brain of al Quada" and the most evil person on the planet. It was the Taliban that responded -- we never heard that they were responsible for 9-11.

Anyway, THREE times the Taliban offered to turn OBL over, and three times W refused to do so. Call me a family values Christian, but I felt a surge of joy at first because I really thought that Bush would want to settle this as peacefully as possible and using diplomacy. Boy, did he fool me! Nope, the silver-spoon president was bound and determine to opt for death and not peace.

At any rate, what are we NOW to make of the disbanding of the CIA Team that was dedicated to OBL for the past few years? Guess what? One of the "witless" politically appointed cronies decided it wasn't necessary anymore. What happened? Do we already have OBL and they're not telling us? Are the deaths of almost 3,000 world citizens (not all those died at WTC were Americans) to be so contemptuously disregarded?

We have to remember that there were plenty of advanced warnings from intelligence -- both foreign and domestic -- that something big was on the horizon. They CHOSE to ignore it for the pursuit of their own ideologic agenda. We mustn't allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security.

We can NOT trust Bushcabal. They have done nothing to warrant our respect. I have been told by some that I have to respect the Office of the President. Bull! I do not have to respect the Office of the President when its occupant is the total opposite of the values that inspire respect from me.

Everything that Bush stands for, I do not. I believe in peace, treating people with respect and dignity, minding my own business, live and let live, and trying to become a better person each and every day.

What are your thoughts?

The History Channel had an interesting series on Sunday night entitled "Revolution." It was several one-hour segments about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War and those events changed the lives of many, many people. It's been a long time since I studied US History, so I relearned and also learned quite a bit watching it.

Several things really struck a resonant chord in me as I considered the events that happened all those years ago and what is happening in this country now at the hands of Bushco.
It was interesting to learn that, at that time, the Crown considered the colonies to be upstarts and also insurgents. The loyalists vs. the "freedom" fighters didn't trust each other until the British, assisted by the Hessians decided to "occupy" the colonies -- taking what they needed with respect to food, clothing and other supplies and started wreaking havoc amongst the colonists. There were also incidents of sexual assaults.

The larger point here is that these events, individually and collectively motivated a divided people to rise up and fight the invaders -- the British and the Hessians.

Now, here we are -- all these years later under the misleadership of Bushco doing the same exact thing to the people of Iraq. Is it any wonder there is an insurgency there? Is it any wonder that they want us to leave? Is it any wonder that the occupiers are being killed by the natives?

Just this morning, out of curiosity, I looked up the member countries of the UN. The countries of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran are all long-time members of the UN -- almost since its inception. I can still somewhat morally justify to myself our/UN military action in Afghanistan (although I still wonder why when the Taliban said they WOULD turn OBL over Bush didn't accept the offer). In fact, we had the support of other countries. However, Iraq is not justifiable in any way, shape or form. Iran will not be justifiable either if Bush doesn't adhere to international law.

My question now is: When will Bushco be apprehended, charged and tried for international war crimes? They are guilty of war crimes and should be treated as such and afforded the same "respect" that other war criminals are afforded.

We should send each and every one of the Bushistas who were participatory in any way in this illegal War on Iraq to Gitmo and let them bunk with the uncharged "enemy combatants" who are being detained there.

That would be KARMA.

(This was written on July 3d and appeared in today's Buzzflash Mailbag, Part 2)

There are several "stops" I make every day on the net. In fact, I actually check most of them out several times each day for news updates. It's truly amazing how much you don't hear about on TV "traditional" news shows until you check out the net.

From time to time, I will post links to sites that I like a lot or that I have just run across that are interesting for their content and humor.

Here are some:

www.buzzflash.com
www.thinkprogress.org
www.progressivedailybeacon.com
www.dailykos.com
www.capitolhillblue
www.talkingpointsmemo.com

If you know of some interesting sites, please share them. Until next time, I hope you enjoy these!

Hello, and welcome to my blog! Here's what you can expect here -- social commentaries, which can include, but not be limited to, politics, religion, cats, dogs, nature, silly stuff and whatever else I decide to write about!

Hopefully, you'll think it interesting enough to read and add your own comments -- I'll look forward to reading them! There will be fewer standards for posting -- anything is pretty much on the table, but, if it's abusive or offensive, or out of bounds as far as common decency, it will be pulled.