Archive for February, 2007
The time has come for a populist perspective concerning Iran and Iraq. Today Iran’s President announced his nuclear program is like a “train with no brake”. While Bush squanders our troops and finances on Iraq, Iran has been working on it’s own nuclear weapons program. Oh I can hear the chorus from the politically correct, “what right do we wicked evil Americans have to tell a third world nation what to do”! Yes I am a liberal democrat but I am tired of:
- The overt anti-American attitude from the left and
- The covert anti-Americanism from the right.
Let’s not forget the corporate aristocracy of the right.
These folks have no problem trading our technology and jobs to China. The problem is that Iran does not have an equivalent economic or population base as China; else these parasites from the corporate world would be investing in Iran! For now they are satisfied with government contracts in serving our military in Iraq while helping China build her economic base in the east.
With Iran’s smaller economic base, corporations from second rate nations like France, Germany and Russia will have to do the investing in Iran! Makes you wonder maybe we should not always be mad at these nations. They suffer from the same parasites as we do! Only their parasites are harming our national interest in areas where “our parasites” see insufficient profit! While I am against the War in Iraq, I support the “Bush Doctrine”. I just wish George Bush would follow his own doctrines. But then how can he support his own doctrine to pre-empt attacks on our homeland when after six years in office, and despite the terror attacks of 9-11, our nation’s borders are wide open!
We cannot allow third world nations to develop nuclear weapons – PERIOD! The average middle class American turns on their TV only to see constant images of Shiites whipping themselves into a frenzy and drawing their own blood while calling this a “religious experience”! Can you imagine these people having a nuclear weapon? Even without a full grade nuclear bomb they would be capable of launching acts of nuclear terrorism using reactor materials! Besides the 77 virgins are waiting!
Our national strength lies in:
- Covert action to topple Iran’s leaders and
- “Shock and awe” technology. You know the same technology that the Cut and Run Capitalists have no problem exporting to China!
Extensive use of ground troops is not one of our strengths because this involves higher losses.
Furthermore military occupations require the use of executions. This is a fact of life that does not penetrate the minds of the diners at Vegan eateries! We don’t live in a nice world folks! Sometimes decisive action is needed. Problem is that Bush is really indecisive as militia’s should never have been allowed to form in Iraq. Now we want the Iraqis to do the job that Bush had no guts for! We should have left Iraq long ago. Iraq is not the battle field for the war on terror.
A Middle Class populist perspective demands that both the masochistic PC liberals with their “hate America guilt trip agenda” and the “Cut and Run Capitalists” who want to export our jobs and technology to the enemies of freedom, be simultaneously challenged in our political arenas!
These nut cases in Shiite Iran and Sunni Al Qaeda don’t care about running up “bad karma”. Why should they when they can get the 77 Virgins! The Cut And Run Capitalists who export American jobs and technology don’t care about the damage to our society either! They will lie down in bed with China to curb freedom on the Chinese internet. I believe that is what is termed “ethical relativism”. You know the term that is lobbied at democrats! Cut and Run Capitalists don’t care that these practices endanger our way of life. They don’t even want to identify themselves as Americans but as “Multi-Nationals”.
The time has come for America’s great Silent Majority – The Middle Class (and those who aspire to be) to take our nation back from these effete snobs of both the left and right. God Bless America!
Well actually while the British are pulling out from Iraq they are sending other troops to Afghanistan. Maybe that is a lesson President Bush should ponder. Al Qaeda is growing stronger in Afghanistan and now even in Iraq’s Al Anbar province. This was one of the first provinces our troops overran. To bad we got involved in a neo-con “Social Engineering Experiment” in Iraq.
Bush is doing a “Katrina” on the War on Terrorism! Hell I was initially for the war until two events occurred.
- No Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction where found.
- The Bush Flip/Flop concerning “nation building”. Now we are bogged down trying to build a democracy.
The real tragedy of this war is that many people are starting to believe that our nation has only two choices. We must fight to place a democratic government in Iraq or accept that we are powerless outside of our borders and in the eyes of the world.
Neither choice is correct. Every good general knows his army’s strengths and weaknesses! Given the level of troop deployment we are currently willing to use, including the “so-called” surge, then I propose the following for our national self analysis:
- STRENGTHS: Shock and awe! We can really kick butt just so long as we have a defined enemy and we don’t have to concern ourselves with the aftermath of rebuilding the nation we defeat. Place a friendly Junta in power that will give all the niceties of being pro-democratic but leave the threat of our superior military technology to kick their butt in the future if they don’t behave.
- WEAKNESS: Given the level of troops we are willing to deploy then an occupation and extensive social engineering experiment is not possible. Our society does not have the stomach to take those who oppose us and simply shoot them. This would be better left to surrogates. That is also why an extensive occupation is not desirable!
We could achieve victory in Iraq even in the current situation. The issues are:
- Is it in the national interest? Why Iraq and not Darfur with the genocide and Islamic fascism taking place there?
- Are we willing to reinstate the draft and increase the occupation force to say 600,000 troops?
- Are we willing to remove EVERY militia in Iraq as we should have done prior to turning over the government to the Iraqi’s? Yes it is our fault not al-Maliki. Did we leave SS troops in Germany?
Let’s face some “Inconvenient Truths”.
To win we are facing people who are not very nice. They use electric drills to torture their victims. They don’t care about their karma but rather the 77 Virgins! Do we have the guts to create a necktie party in Iraq? If not then maybe we should just butt out of Iraq as Afghanistan and Iran are where the danger is. Finally if Iran needs decisive action maybe our nation should return to the good ole days when the CIA with some hired cut throats could effect regime change in a nation like Iran. If non-military covert actions did not do the trick then our strength at “Shock and Awe” should be used. Mr. President, know your goal, know your ability and capacity to commit. Only then take decisive action. In the case of Iraq we won! No WMD! Want to fight Islamic fascism, why not Darfur?
If and that is important, if Iran is developing nuclear weapons she must be stopped. If we cannot do it by covert action then our superior military technology must be utilized. If Iran tries to wage war against the world’s oil resources then we must not simply attack their military but their economy without occupation. They must be blasted into the Stone Age if need be.
Liberals must face this inconvenient truth, that in war we fight to WIN. Any other objective is defeat! That is a lesson Bush, with all his bravado has yet to learn! President Bush has done a “Katrina” on this nation’s war on terror. We are in the wrong theater and we are only using half measures! Time to get redeploy from Iraq! Time to seal our borders!
I am not a member of the religious right nor am I a conservative. But I would love to see him get the Republican nomination just so the right wing will self-destruct in the November 2008 election. Aside from the fact that he dances the “flip-flop” on issues like abortion and Gay marriage, he has another problem with the religious right. Most of you reading this know he is a Mormon. That would not stop me from voting for someone if they also held my popularist democratic views. But the Christian Right will NEVER accept him. Let’s dissect the conservative movement for a moment on a religious dimension for this analysis.
- Conservatives who are atheist or agnostic. Mormonism not an issue. His issue Flip/flopping is an issue.
- Conservatives who happen “also” to be mainstream Christian or Jewish. Mormonism not an issue. His issue Flip/flopping is an issue.
- Conservatives who are Christian fundamentalists and whose conservatism flows from that religious perspective. – Serious problem here besides the flip/flopping.
Aside from the fact that Governor Romney flip-flops relative to his constituency which destroys his credibility with all three conservative groups above, the last group “Christian Fundamentalists” view Mormons as Anti-Christian. The reasons for that are deeper that you might think.
The “Christian Right” is “Christian” first and conservative second. Now I have no problem with calling Mormons “Christians”. But then again I am a liberal Episcopalian and frequent New Thought Churches and even have practiced “TM”. In the view of Christian Fundamentalists, Mormons have certain beliefs that make them incompatible with Christianity. Furthermore Christian fundamentalists would more likely vote for a Jewish candidate than a Mormon. The reason is they don’t feel “religiously threatened” by Jews. Have you ever heard of Jews claiming to be Christians? Do Jews try to convert Baptists?
Mormons have anti-Christian beliefs if you are a Baptist. Besides believing in a second set of scriptures they have further beliefs that would make a Baptist vote for a practicing Gay before they vote for a Mormon. These beliefs are:
- God has a wife who is our Mother God. And you thought Baptists were hard on Catholics for ST. Mary?
- All good Mormons who are married will one day become the God Father and Mother of a new universe.
- The God of Christianity besides having a wife was once a mortal in another universe and rose to become a God and created this universe.
- The ultimate Deity is far beyond Christianity.
- The Mormon Church is the “Only” Christian Church. That is why they keep gemological records, because if you convert, then you can sanctify the marriages of your ancestors. They will not be able to proceed to become Gods themselves but then at least they can live in paradise with this universe’s God. (The Christian God and His Wife).
- Mormons must proselytize! They do so on a massive scale.
While most of the Mormon beliefs I listed above might be off the mainstream they are a fatal to a candidate who wants to court the Christian Right. Most people only know that Mormons have a second set of scriptures. But these latter beliefs will be made known by the leadership of the Christian Right to their flocks as this election heats up. What is really funny is that Mormons have almost the same view as Baptists on social issues. But I believe you will NEVER see the Christian Right back Romney especially after the leadership of their churches speak up on these religious differences!
Just hours ago the Senate held a session concerning the Iraqi War Resolution. Senator McCain felt it was more important to attend his political campaign in Iowa! Senator McCain is a paradox. On his positive side McCain has done:
- More to fight K Street than most in Congress.
- He is a war hero and deserves respect.
- He subscribes to the “Mac Arthur Doctrine” whereby he believes you must be decisive before you commit American troops to war. Also this doctrine holds that while you may give the enemy some initial time to think it over, ultimately wars must be fought to WIN. It is wrong to send our troops without using the full technological might of our nation to achieve victory! I totally agree with him on that point. The problem is that this war in Iraq is not in our national interest!
However McCain has fallen under the spell of George Bush. We are now into this “support the troops thing” with Bush and his fellow travelers pontificating on what supporting our troops means. The problem is that polls show the troops want out and why shouldn’t they?
National Guard units have been sent on repeated and extended tours of duty. Yet our Commander In Chief never attended all his REQUIRED weekend and summer drills.
Finally let me pose this question. Let’s suppose that the polls are wrong and the troops really do want to stay there! Fact is they don’t control military policy – our nation does! I realize that in war troops have to “create” justifications to give their lives meaning in such a terrible situation. None the less the military is an extension of this nation not the other way around!
From time immemorial we males have the archetype of the Grail Quest in our psyche! It is an honorable archetypal quest and a drive to be a “Knight – Warrior”. Concurrently this is harnessed by every society, sometimes for wasteful ends. Worse by fanatical societies for evil ends! Our nation is not evil. After 9-11 decisive action was needed. Certainly there is no end to the civil wars we can send our Grail Knights to in this world. But as older Americans we must stop letting Bush harness this good archetype in our youth for his political ends. We have other fish to fry in the war on terror.
Perhaps Bush, McCain and the Democrats should send our troops to OUR BORDER to seal it up. Has anyone noticed that Afghanistan is producing record opium crops and is slipping back to the Taliban and Al Qaeda? Let’s not allow Bush to Katrina the War on Terrorists!
Today Senator Joe Biden recommended rescinding the “authorization act” that gave us this Iraqi situation! While the news media gives Biden’s measure no real hope of passing, I feel this would be a better method of dealing with the war than using the power of the purse. Gee I wonder what ever happened to the idea of “Sunset Laws” when they made the original authorization! Senator Biden has long been an advocate of creating an Iraqi Federation composed of three federal provinces, one each for the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. According to this scenario Bagdad would be inside of a “Federal District” similar to our District of Columbia! Ultimately I guess even Bagdad could be separated with the “Green Zone” being neutral. The natural resources, especially oil, would be under the national government.
Again let’s not fully blame the Iraqis for this mess! Our President who never secured our borders didn’t secure the Iraqi border! Thus we have the flow of weapons on a massive scale into Iraq and not just from Iran! We turned over the government to the Iraqi’s far too early without first securing their nation when we had control. But then again we should have never stayed there in the first place! If that were not bad enough Bush tried to “make believe” a western democracy could be built there on a shoestring. Bush turned his eyes away from the militias being formed. Did we allow a Conservative Militia in Saxony and a Socialist Militia in Bavaria to form under our occupation of Germany after the war? Because of Bush’s obstinacy many will now come to believe America is impotent militarily when in fact we simply got committed to the wrong battle field!
If we use Senator Biden’s suggestion, making a peaceful divide now while Iraq still has the chance, bloodshed can be reduced when we leave. When we leave the government of Iraq will be under the Shiites.
No nation can have segregated military units from separate religions. Then there are the Kurds who don’t speak Arabic and are happy as hell to stay home in their region. This is the one area that shows promise. They made that progress themselves BEFORE we came as they were autonomous since the first Iraqi War! The only reason they are not completely independent is that our so-called ally “Turkey” does not want the Kurds to have a nation. You remember Turkey, the nation that changed its mind the last minute and stopped our troops from entering the north of Iraq from their territory!
I think Senator Biden’s plan of a federal union should be implemented now. Political parties should be “licensed” on the condition that they have no militias and support co-existence! Democracy is not a consensus of mullahs or militias. It is not simply by voting, but requires a Constitution and respect for law!
With militias gaining access to military uniforms and even constituting army and police units there cannot be respect for a non–existent law in Iraq. Senator Biden’s “Federation Proposal” is the only answer rather than using the power of the purse to withhold funds! Concurrently Congress should do extensive hearings on how our money is being spent on military equipment and the intelligence gathering that lead to this war rather than cutting funds.
President Bush, the author of the neo-con social engineering experiment in Iraq, has just now realized that Iraq’s borders are open to infiltration. But then again so are the borders here at home.
As I said in this blog before, imagine Germany three years after her defeat and militias still roving around the country in 1948! Bush wanted to have a WW II victory on a post WW I commitment! If we defined victory as a WW I style victory and had placed a Barth Party LE (light edition) regime in charge of Iraq, we would not have the instability we have today in Iraq! Globally the creditably of our “Military Deterrent” would have been enhanced rather than “quagmired”! We would have demonstrated our “shock and awe” with the concurrent threat to rogue regimes that they too could be overthrown! Rogue regimes do not fear their replacement by a democracy but rather they simply don’t want to be replaced – PERIOD! Besides there were no Iraqi WMD and Bush stated “Mission Accomplished”!
Under Bush the issue seems to be changing to one of powerlessness. It isn’t a question of can we win in Iraq! We can! But at what price and is that price in our national interest! Listen to Bush in his recent speeches and you hear the new lexicon of “benchmarks”! Only a year ago Bush and his fellow travelers were saying such terminology gave aid to the enemy! Meanwhile Muqtada al-Sadr has crossed into Iran. Yes that is a plus for our war effort. But he should never have been allowed to have a militia nor an influence in the Iraqi government. After WW II did we allow any parties to participate in the provisional governments that were not democratic in nature themselves? We allowed no private militias! Worse we seem to want to blame the Iraqi’s! Did we hand over control to the West Germans with sectarian militias roaming the streets of Germany?
Bush wanted to create an environment for the transmission of democracy to Iraq. Instead Bush provided the learning environment of an American inner city school where bullies run the playground and there is no discipline in the class room! George Bush acted as a liberal inner city junior high school principal in his role model to create the learning environment of democracy in Iraq! So what lessons are being learned! Then since he wanted a WW II style victory on a post WW I style commitment, Bush turned his back while Iraq never had enough troops in the occupation to begin with! NO I AM NOT A HAWK!
After 9-11 we needed to take “decisive action”. Afghanistan was a good choice for that action. Maybe even Iraq if we had kicked butt then left as I mentioned above! That would have sent a powerful signal to Iran. I believe in the original Bush Doctrine. That is to take “preemptive action” against rogue nations that are developing WMD. Some would have us believe that Iraq is where we need to to take decisive action forever. Under Bush I don’t see any decisive action now taking place there nor do I want it to. But if needed we MUST use “shock and awe” to prevent rogue nations from developing nuclear weapons! Prolonged ground troop occupation in not generally needed if destruction of WMD and/or quick regime change is our mission.
Throwing sugar kisses at the enemies of America or playing the “let’s blame America” game will not cut it with the Middle Class. Nor will sacrificing our brave sons and daughters in a war that does not benefit our national interest. Islamic Fascism you say? What about Darfur? And they say the news media is pro-liberal in bias! If Bush and his fellow travelers are so concerned about our troops why do they allow the bleeding of our shock and awe technology to China? Not to mention our loss of jobs and the trade deficit. Just think how that is damaging the perception and creditability of our military deterrent.
How many of America’s middle class sons and yes daughters will die in future wars, while Bush and his fellow travelers profit from globalization! Our National Guard does repeat tours in Iraq while Bush skipped his weekend tours. The time has come for America’s Middle Class (and those who aspire to be) to reassert ourselves and take our nation back from these effete snobs! God Bless America!
