WHY ARE 100,000 TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN IF ONLY 100 AL-QAEDA ARE THERE?? WHY IS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THAT STUPID??
Our common cause:
Our common cause is to save lives, ours and theirs, from dying for nothing in a useless war and occupation
--both of them.
Secondarily our common cause is to save the cause of liberty in our own country and save our country
from moral and financial ruin.
Our common cause is to save lives, ours and theirs, from dying for nothing in a useless war and occupation
--both of them.
Secondarily our common cause is to save the cause of liberty in our own country and save our country
from moral and financial ruin.
Do you know why they haven't killed or captured Osama bin Laden yet?
Because doing so would end the larger effort...........what larger effort is that, you ask? Their effort at
propping up the military-national-security-industrial-welfare-complex...........that's what the faux WOT is all about.....to give a purpose where none exists. Faux WOT for what? The reality, folks, is that one of Osama bin Laden's stated objectives was to draw the U.S. into a long-protracted war and financially bleed the United States slowly to death. And our great United States Federal Government, idiots that they are, are giving to Osama exactly what we wants by remaining in Afghanistan which is bleeding us financially and morally. Don't give the terrorists what they want.....get out of Afghanistan!!!! The Afghan war is lost. Staying in Afghanistan gives both comfort and aid to the terrorists by giving them what they most want: to financially and morally bleed America dry. Bring the troops home now!!!!!!! Don't give the terrorists the gift of American financial ruin.
Because doing so would end the larger effort...........what larger effort is that, you ask? Their effort at
propping up the military-national-security-industrial-welfare-complex...........that's what the faux WOT is all about.....to give a purpose where none exists. Faux WOT for what? The reality, folks, is that one of Osama bin Laden's stated objectives was to draw the U.S. into a long-protracted war and financially bleed the United States slowly to death. And our great United States Federal Government, idiots that they are, are giving to Osama exactly what we wants by remaining in Afghanistan which is bleeding us financially and morally. Don't give the terrorists what they want.....get out of Afghanistan!!!! The Afghan war is lost. Staying in Afghanistan gives both comfort and aid to the terrorists by giving them what they most want: to financially and morally bleed America dry. Bring the troops home now!!!!!!! Don't give the terrorists the gift of American financial ruin.
"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak."
~John Quincy Adams
~John Quincy Adams
"Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty."
~George Washington
Any person willing to risk placing the needs of their country or their world, as they see it, before their own needs can lead their fellow citizenry in a new direction. You must first believe in yourself, you must have faith in your own sense of self-empowerment and you must trust your fellow citizens to see the rationale of the principled stand you take by choosing to make up their own minds to follow your cause. So whatever cause is dear to your heart, I know you can make a difference. So just do it.
Stop placing your faith in politicians to change things and start placing faith in yourself to change things.
My sense of duty, honor and country compel me to speak out. You can too. There is nothing to fear. You own this government, you pay for it, it is yours. You should never fear the government, however, you should participate in it----that is the way a democracy works. If you work all day, obey just laws (not all laws are just...where there is no victim, there is no crime) and participate in democracy in your evenings and weekends by speaking out, getting involved and voting actively in every election—local, state and federal, like I do, well, then I have good news for you, my fellow Americans: You are a model American citizen in a functioning democracy. Yes, you can. Yes, I can. Yes, we can.
Why is the First Amendment first? It is first because it is the most important amendment of them all.
If Free Speech was always pleasant to hear, never challenged anything and was never rude or upsetting, then it would be Limited Speech wouldn't it? Free Speech is sometimes unnerving, upsetting and difficult to listen to, difficult to absorb and sometimes rude but that is also what makes it Free Speech.
If we oppose Tyranny to be visited upon our lives at home in America, then we must also oppose Tyranny to be visited upon the lives of others abroad!! There's no such thing as bombs of benevolence. End the war!!! A principled patriot opposes war. A principled patriot extols liberty. A principled patriot thinks for himself. A principled patriot is willing to risk putting the needs of his country before his own. A principled patriot tells the truth. Try to be a principled patriot, we each have flaws, but we can try.
Stop placing your faith in politicians to change things and start placing faith in yourself to change things.
My sense of duty, honor and country compel me to speak out. You can too. There is nothing to fear. You own this government, you pay for it, it is yours. You should never fear the government, however, you should participate in it----that is the way a democracy works. If you work all day, obey just laws (not all laws are just...where there is no victim, there is no crime) and participate in democracy in your evenings and weekends by speaking out, getting involved and voting actively in every election—local, state and federal, like I do, well, then I have good news for you, my fellow Americans: You are a model American citizen in a functioning democracy. Yes, you can. Yes, I can. Yes, we can.
Why is the First Amendment first? It is first because it is the most important amendment of them all.
If Free Speech was always pleasant to hear, never challenged anything and was never rude or upsetting, then it would be Limited Speech wouldn't it? Free Speech is sometimes unnerving, upsetting and difficult to listen to, difficult to absorb and sometimes rude but that is also what makes it Free Speech.
If we oppose Tyranny to be visited upon our lives at home in America, then we must also oppose Tyranny to be visited upon the lives of others abroad!! There's no such thing as bombs of benevolence. End the war!!! A principled patriot opposes war. A principled patriot extols liberty. A principled patriot thinks for himself. A principled patriot is willing to risk putting the needs of his country before his own. A principled patriot tells the truth. Try to be a principled patriot, we each have flaws, but we can try.
Build bridges, not walls and remember that every strong bridge is anchored in the rock-face of commonality...what we share in common is the key to building enduring bridges. There is no requirement to be against the war, you can just be a patriot against the war and that is enough. Resist the extremes. Ideological rigidity is our disunity if we let it. Unite in common purpose against the war. We are all Americans together.
"Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides."
~Rita Mae Brown
Inform and Educate:
~Rita Mae Brown
Inform and Educate:
Please do your part as a good citizen--share these websites—send them to all your friends and family.
http://www.amconmag.com/
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/
http://www.lewrockwell.com/
http://www.reason.com/
http://www.cato.org
http://www.fff.org
http://www.antiwar.com/
http://www.wikileaks.comhttp://www.wikileaks.com (the best way to disinfect is to shine light upon the filth)
http://www.bradleymanning.org/
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2010/090210c.html
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
~John Adams
http://the-diplomat.com/
http://www.consortiumnews.com
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.thenation.com
http://www.buzzflash.com/
http://www.salon.com
http://www.truthout.com/
http://www.motherjones.com/
http://www.alternet.org/
http://www.thinkprogress.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
http://www.democracynow.org/
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/
http://www.fpif.org/
http://jstreet.org/
http://www.truthdig.com/
http://www.dailykos.com/
http://www.tomdispatch.com/
http://www.counterpunch.com/
http://www.veteransforpeace.org
http://www.ivaw.org
http://honeste--djoftruth.blogspot.com/2006/10/websites-to-help-you-stay-informed.html
Did you know that the American system of jurisprudence (that’s means our justice system) considers a corporation to be a full-fledged person, a citizen and a human being with full protections under the US Constitution Bill of Rights? Did you know that? Sound ridiculous, right? That’s because it is ridiculous. But it is extremely dangerous too because the recent Supreme Court ruling, Citizens United, that gave corporations unfettered access to buy-off our elections was based upon their right to ‘Free Speech.’
In reality, a corporation is not a citizen, not a person, not a human being....neither is a union. What does this mean? It means that corporate entities have a right to do business by making money but they should have no Bill of Rights protections because these protections were conferred solely upon human beings at the foundation of the Republic. So despite the justice-system corrupting this principle, to be a human being, one must have a beating heart and we all know that a corporation does not have a heart. The question we must ask of our country is are we going to be a country of, by and for the real people or of, by, and for the fake, made-up, fantasyland people that the judicial system corruptively created?
http://freespeechforpeople.com
http://www.movetoamend.org
http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/political_reform/proposed_constitutional_amendments.html
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/08/27-8
http://freespeechforpeople.com
http://www.movetoamend.org
http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/political_reform/proposed_constitutional_amendments.html
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/08/27-8
Artists protesting creatively and non-violently………….I LOVE IT!!!!! FOMENT CREATIVE DISSENT!!!!!
Why are we in Afghanistan?
According to General Petreaus, we are halfway through the war since it will take another decade to complete? Hmmm, how many Presidents will be booted out of office between now and then? 2? 3? I mean, you do understand, that I don’t care how many seats in Congress get replaced and how many Presidents we turn-over if that means bringing the troops home and ending these stupid wars…….I don’t give a rat’s ass about building some singular-ideological movement, I care about ending the wars and if that means the Democrats lose both houses of Congress, well that’s an acceptable loss. (A loss only because most of the anti-war support currently resides in the Democratic Party, however, this support can be broadened over time to include the Republican Party). Ditto for the Presidency in 2012. What I most care about is building bridges between the Left, the Right and the Center to build a mass, non-ideological anti-war movement that both parties are accountable to. Get it?
Simply being against the war should be enough for Progressives to join together with Libertarians: Build bridges, not walls…………the Left is not evil, the Right is not evil, the Center is not evil…….because ‘good and evil’ constructs are typically bullocks anyway……..both are simply two unique, equally valid yet different political ideologies, but understand that there exists more than two political viewpoints even though our two-party system fails to reflect the reality of multiplicity. How do we open the system to more than two parties? Think Instant Run-Off voting.
“Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes. And armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended. Its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manners and morals, engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."
~James Madison
Let’s truncate that quotation, shall we.
“No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."
~James Madison
The Russians learned it. I learned it when I was on active duty. The politicians should have learned it from Vietnam but they rarely learn anything. What is it? That despite all of the great technological advances in warfare—planes, tanks, smart-bombs, computers, orbiting satellites—no technology or great military power can effectively, over time, contend with sustained, committed guerrilla warfare. Guerilla warfare is now and always has been the Achilles heel of great military powers and Empires alike. It is the most potent tactical methodology by which powerless countries level-the-playing-field and overcome the forces and technologies of powerful countries. It is nearly, virtually undefeatable.
As I said before and I will say again, anything Andrew Bacevich writes is a must read:
Kudos, bravo and hats off to you Colonel…..thank you for writing about this topic which needs attention:
‘New American Moment’, eh? Almost sounds like ‘Project for the New American Century’…..read: NEOCONSERVATIVE. And we all know how much credibility the neocons have…..zip, zippo, nada, zero.
There are those in the AIPAC lobby as Philip Giraldi notes below who do often seem to favor perpetual war and zero-tolerance criticism of Israeli policy……….two positions I could never adhere to………but we need not follow them because we can together create a third way, a more moderate way and as I think about that alternative way, I look to follow the lead of JStreet. The Bipartisan Policy Center is a pro-war think tank, folks……..it is not objective, it is a feature of the War Party (which includes both Republicans and Democrats……….the tentacles of the Military-Industrial-Complex reach deep into both parties, folks). With JStreet, you can be pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-tolerance and pro-justice and that’s why I like JStreet.
On bringing peace to the Middle East:
This is a must, must, must read by Tony Kushner and Alisa Solomon:
This article really explains the significance of the protest by Israeli theatrical artists refusing to perform in Ariel since Ariel is not part of Israel.
Promote hope not skepticism:
Good job B’Tselem, bravo indeed:
Good video about Rabbi’s for Human Rights:
I really, really, really, really, really liked this article below:
Bravo Rabbi Eric Yoffe, Bravo indeed, sir!!!!!!
Why does the war on Iraq continue?
Want to reduce Military-Industrial-Complex influence? Then reduce the number of bases in the world:
On 9/11:
Here is an example of some really creative, non-violent action…..moving Tony Blair’s book to the ‘Crime and Horror’ section....how fitting and funny……strange thing is, I didn’t know poodles could write books.
On tolerance:
This is a must read……….thank you Adam Weinstein for a truly remarkable and well-written article:
Hoooorahhh!!!! Bravo to the veterans speaking out in favor of the American value of tolerance:
You should be more careful, Mr. Gingrich, because all of your ‘African’ references that are designed to tap into racist hatred simply for cheap political gains in November is very dangerous. That creates the potential for racial violence and I am surprised that Republicans are not criticizing you harshly for it. Maybe that’s because they have resolved to become a regional, racist party.
On the First Amendment: Bigots have a right to express themselves under the First Amendment and we have a right, and I would argue in fact, a duty, to use our Free Speech to harshly criticize bigotry and hatred. Stand up against hate. Advance tolerance.
A little humor goes a long way:
On Media Irresponsibility:
On torture and the recent miscarriage of justice by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals:
On the effects of torture on soldiers:
And on closing Guantanamo:
Why? Need I say more?
Whatever budget cuts the Pentagon proposes, push them to cut it twice as much…..we must start to restrict reliance on the military economy because it and the notion of perpetual war…is simply too corrosive to democracy. And our Constitutional democracy, the Republic, is the only option anyway. Take notice that last sentence is not a question, rather it is a command, and you Feds, WILL OBEY IT. Get it?
On challenging the whole undemocratic concept of the ‘Unitary-Executive’:
The Executive branch should be aggressively challenged because when the Office of the President begins to subvert the Constitution by declaring itself empowered to assassinate American citizens abroad, then it is clear the power of the Executive Branch is beginning to border on electable-dictatorship (FYI….the euphemism for electable-dictatorship is called the ‘Unitary-Executive’). There must be checks and balances for the Republic to survive. The legitimacy of government resides in the Republic and not in the Empire.
Net neutrality is the key to keeping Free Speech free:
Those of us who understand that holding former public officials accountable by prosecuting them for past crimes such as the war on Iraq, torture, rendition…etc., helps prevent future officials from committing such crimes should also understand that in absence of such prosecutorial accountability, the alternative way to demand accountability and transparency is to use the power of Free-Speech to constantly remind people of the crimes that were committed by perpetually continuing the national conversation about it. Free Speech is the people’s way of enforcing some semblance of checks and balances. Speak out to inform and make people aware of crimes committed by officials or armies.
On the war-crime of killing innocent civilians in war:
Here is one Army Colonel that needs to be prosecuted….he is out of control: Lt. Col. Ralph Kauzlarich:
Veterans for Peace video regarding Bradley Manning and Specialist Ethan McCord
Veterans for Peace poetry………..I so, so, so love poetry:
Killing civilians is a war crime:
Just in the interest of complete honesty and disclosure, I feel compelled to share this with you……in my last posting, I offered some references to Judaism that make sense to me. And in fact, I do have Jewish roots in my family, however, in the interest of complete disclosure and honesty, I must tell you that I am not ‘offically’ Jewish, not yet. That is, while I was and consider myself still am on a conversion track to Judaism, although sort of wandering in the wilderness for the time-being, that according to Israeli law, I am not officially Jewish because I have not yet cemented my conversion. There are a number of basic tenets of Judaism that I find very appealing and I feel cosmically drawn to Judaism for reason I cannot explain (for that matter, I also find Buddhism very appealing too but I have no relatives that were Buddhists) and I do intend to cement my conversion at a time of my choosing. That said, I come to Israel in my own way, that is, while I find a wide array of principles of Judaism very appealing, I also find some particular issues like the continuing Israeli Occupation at odds with those principles and so my speaking out against the Occupation is also my way of reconciling my admiration of Judaism with developing my personal connection to the state of Israel that is encouraged as part of my conversion. I come to Israel in a way that makes sense to me. I am a principled patriot in the country of my birth, the United States, and so when I come to Israel, metaphorically speaking, (since I have already been to the land of Israel twice) I come to Israel as a principled patriot and not as an uncritical, unthinking sunshine-patriot automaton. I come to Israel in a way that makes sense to me; I come to Israel in my own way.
"To remain neutral in situations of injustice, is to be complicit in that injustice."
~Desmond Tutu
Now I’m going to say something you may or might not like, but I tell it like it is, the unvarnished truth:
In reference to the quote above, this is why I often say, that if you are not actively protesting or writing or doing something to oppose unjust, needless wars where good troops and innocent civilians are dying for nothing, then I advise you to please look down and inspect your hands because, in my view, they are soaked in blood. If you are not protesting, then you are complicit in the countless deaths of others…..you cannot simply escape by saying the ‘government did it’ because unless you opposed the government doing it, then I think you are complicit in the act of what the government did. The reason why this country gets so jacked sometimes is because good, middle-of-the-road, moderate citizens succumb to ambivalence and fail to get involved or at least speak out or find other ways to log their protest. If they simply did their duty as citizens and got involved or at least voted consistently in every election as is your basic duty as a citizen, I think our country would spend a lot less time getting jacked-up by a bunch of power-hungry narcissists that seem to comprise the War Party. Please, my fellow citizens, I implore you to vote consistently and to get involved even if just a little, in fact I beg you to please get involved and to please speak out. Help me bring the troops home alive. Can you place your country and your world before yourself? I know it isn’t easy, but being a good citizen is rarely easy.
“We must do what is right, not what is easy.”
~Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York
These postings sure are all over the place, aren’t they? Kind of like a mosaic motif or a jazz composition, all over the place yet fused into a single harmonious composition. This free-form, raw, non-editor interfering writing is like jazz to me: a cacophony/collection of ideas, reflections, thoughts and commentaries all fused into a single composition with an overarching theme.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
~Margaret Meade
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
~Margaret Meade
"We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history."
~Sonia Johnson
Little puny people like us taking on the big, Goliath, military-industrial-complex dominated, War-Party-run, U.S. Federal government….ever read the story of David and Goliath? My oh my, such a great story.
Wage Peace!!!
posted by Eric E. Johansson |
7:56 AM
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