State of the Union: a pre-speech letter to the president

Dear Mr. President:

The state of the union is pretty dismal:

You have never told the truth about the real reasons we went to war with Iraq, nor have you come up with any kind of workable strategy to either repair the horrendous damage you have done to that country or to get our troops out without throwing away more lives for your failures.
You have never told the truth about the events of September 11, 2001, or explained how an administration that claims to put the safety of the American people first could have been so utterly unprepared for and inept in handling a situation for which you had adequate warning, had you been listening. You have never taken any responsibility for your failure to fulfill your duty to defend the nation; you have, in fact, cravenly attempted to blame the previous administration.

Your attorney general continues to show his utter contempt for the Constitution, the Congress, and the people, yet you have failed to remove or even admonish him. This is only one small aspect of your adminstration's massive assault on the Constitution and the "freedom" you are always blathering about but clearly don't believe in.

Almost everyone in the nation except you and the pharmaceutical industry wants Medicare to negotiate better drug prices. After doing nothing whatsoever to reduce the appalling number of our citizens without health insurance for six years, I understand you are supposed to propose a "solution" to this problem, one that will no doubt fail to accomplish much in protecting these citizens, but which is likely to be a bonanza for your friends in the insurance and health-care industries.

You have corrupted the agencies charged with protecting our food supplies and safeguarding us from dangerous "medicines" for the profit of the industries they regulate. You have made the "USDA Certified Organic" label as meaningless as all of your talk about "freedom."

You have saddled our schools and children with idiotic and dishonest sex "education" programs virtually guaranteed to produce higher numbers of unwanted pregnancies and sexually-transmitted disease infection rates.

You claim global warming is a serious problem - now, after six years of disinformation and equivocation - yet you continue to do nothing to address it.

You have corrupted our intelligence agencies and attempted to force them to reach conclusions more congenial to your pre-determined policies.

You have corrupted science education and practice in this nation in an attempt to stifle criticism of your policies on a wide range of issues and to cater to those whose faith in their own religion is so tenuous and cowardly that they know that it cannot withstand the truth, yet cling to it and attempt to force it on the rest of us.

You have destroyed or weakened protection of our forests and national parks, of our air, of our drinking water, and of our citizens' health and lives in order to increase the profits accruing to your friends and supporters in industry.

You have wasted, and continue to waste staggering amounts of money building missile defences when none of our most likely enemies have missiles, defences which do not work in any case. You have increased the hatred directed at us by our enemies and lessened the support of our friends by an arrogant and ignorant foreign policy.

You have done nothing to address the flight of jobs from this country which threatens to devastate the middle class. You have, in addition, encouraged both illegal and legal immigration to this country to fill non-existent vacancies in our job market, forcing down wages and benefits for those workers whose jobs you have not sent abroad.

One would have thought it would not be possible for the tone of political discourse to sink lower than it has been over the last decade or so, yet you and your allies continue to reach new lows in dishonest and cowardly personal attacks on those who disagree with you.

Rather than building the nation's confidence and security, you have promoted fear and mutual distrust among the electorate for your own political gain. Manufactured or exaggerated "warnings" of possible terror attacks have occurred and continue to do so reliably whenever you feel the need to push yet another questionable policy or claim, or are experiencing other political difficulties.

In short, I can't think of a single area, no matter how small or large, in which you have not labored assiduously, and largely successfully, to make this nation and the world a far worse place than it ever was before your ascent to the office of president (or was it the office's descent into the slime which you and your cronies inhabit?).

I shall not be having my intelligence insulted by watching you smirk your way through yet another speech of grotesque and disgusting dishonesty this evening. The only thing you could possibly say that would represent an honest attempt to serve the nation and the world would be your announcement that you, Mr. Cheney, Mr. Gonzales, Ms. Rice, and most of your other appointees were resigning your positions in order to plead guilty to crimes against humanity before the International Court of Justice and to multiple violations of election, perjury, and other laws before U.S. courts.

WELCOME TO REALITY, TOM!

I can't stop laughing at the often crude, sometimes obscene, but always hilariously on-target messages posted on Tom DeLay's self-serving blog before he stopped the flood (after 75 minutes, I hear).

While his actual deeds - though despicable - probably can't challenge the Bush-Cheney record, this "Christian," "pro-life" hypocrite will hopefully serve some time behind bars. One of the more knowledgeable of the posting people on his site suggested he get help from his friends on Saipan, a reference to DeLay's determined protection of slavery - including sexual slavery - on that island, which is empowered by scum like Tom to put "Made in USA" on the items produced by human chattel.

The source I read (which I have unfortunately forgotten) pointed out that "Christian," "pro-life" Tom is perfectly consistent in his stance on abortion: in the US, he is absolutely opposed to a allowing a woman the CHOICE to HAVE an abortion, while in Saipan, he is just as firmly opposed to allowing the sex slaves held by his buddies and supporters the CHOICE to REFUSE one. After all, other than a few fetishists, who wants to PAY to have sex with a pregnant prostitue?

I suppose that malice towards others is an unattractive posture, but who can avoid hoping Tom goes to jail and gets some first-hand (or whatever) experience of what it's like to have no choice about having sex or with whom one has it?

Unfortunately, like most Republicans who get caught themselves doing what they descibe as heinous crimes when some one else is the perpetrator, Tom is unlikely to go to jail at all, much less someplace where he might actually experience the joys he prescribes for others.

Do look at the messages posted to his blog and saved by a REAL patriot with a fine sense of humor and appreciation for irony:
http://tomdelaydotcom.blogspot.com/

a poem

For some reason - perhaps it's the holidays - some are now waxing poetic with "inspiring," sentimental verse lionizing the poor servicemen stuck in Iraq, as if that somehow changes the fact that they shouldn't be there at all.

Well, I can write poetry, too, after a fashion . I'm no Wordsworth, but then neither are the composers of the sappy patriotic, reality-obscuring doggeral that inspired the following somewhat less-polished opus, styled "Bush and Cheney's Salute to the American Serviceman":

you had naive visions of keeping us free
I had "other priorities": in a word, ME

while you were down huddled in some muddy ditch
I was out partying and striking it rich

you joined the service for love of the nation
but I've made you part of the new "Vietnamization"

I get to be "war president," "decider," and boss
while you get the terror, the sorrow and loss

"support our troops" say I, "don't cower and whine;
I support you to the death: yours, not mine"

don't ask what you die for, don't ever ask why
then I won't be forced to compose a new lie

let no one rescue you, don't hang up your gun
a brave guy like me would not cut and run

so, let's all deride Kerry's humorous attempt
for his words, your lives, I have equal contempt

for when you decided who should lead you in war
you rejected the hero, chose the self-serving whore

Some more thoughts on a touchy subject...

I'd like to revisit the world of modern Christianity to further consider some loosely-related issues.

To return to the issue of "faith" in Jesus. Should "faith" really mean that you completely ignore his actual recorded teachings while doing exactly as your basest inclinations dictate, in the belief that he's going to forgive and "save" you at the end? My recollection is that when Jesus talked about Judgment Day, it sounded pretty much like everyone would be judged on how they treated "the least of these my brethren," not whether they “believed” some orthodox doctrine.

I don't remember his mentioning that having others do one's dirty work would leave one innocent, yet most people seem to believe that they can somehow be good, loving "Christians," and still vote for all sorts of horrors to be visited upon faceless individuals in foreign countries, or even distant - economically or culturally, as well as geographically - parts of their own. It is this disconnect, along with the strongly American identification of morality with sex, that allows those called to show humility and mercy to vote for savage foreign and domestic policies with a clear conscience because the candidate mentions "God" or "values" or "morality" while proposing to starve the poor and nuke the dissenters of the world.

And while I'm at it, I may as well digress to talk about the popular myth that America and Americans are “the most generous people in the world.” The fact is that the United States ranks pretty much dead last in per-capita foreign aid among industrialized countries, and most Americans say we're giving way too much if asked. Besides which, most American "aid" is in the form of weapons and military training, and ALL of it goes to U. S. corporations, many of whom no doubt indulge in a little price-gouging as they always do when dealing with the U. S. government. As for private giving, I haven't seen the figures, but I suspect they're not much different from the foreign aid budget.

It seems to me like an awful lot of Christians need to read a little book by Shane Claiborne, called The Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical. I don't buy everything he says, but here is a guy who really has FAITH in Jesus, meaning that he actually tries to live as Jesus said his followers should, confident that all will turn out for good if he does. If he seems a little naive and unrealistic to you, perhaps you should re-evaluate your "faith": is Jesus the guy you love and desire to emulate, or just your "Get Out of Hell Free" card?

THOUGHT FOR THIS (OR ANY) DAY

What does it mean to say you have "faith" in Jesus, when by your actions you repudiate everything he said about living with others?

Jesus said the two "great commandments" are "Love God with all your strength..." and "Love your neighbor as yourself," and that these encompass "all of the Law and the prophets."

When asked who was our "neighbor" he told the story of the good Samaritan, choosing a member of a despised, heretical people. He also said it's no big deal if you're nice to your friends, family, and co-religionists: everybody does that.

When asked how many times one should forgive, he replied "Seventy times seven" (hint for Biblical literalists: he probably meant as many times as you are offended, not that your obligation ends with offense number 491). He also said "turn the other cheek" when struck, and "Don't resist evil," love and do good to those who would hurt you.

When asked how to pray, he said, "Don't be like the hypocrites" who pray in public and make a show of their piety, but pray in privacy, even secrecy. He often spoke harshly of those who condemned others, especially the religious functionaries of his age, saying they should work on their own faults before attacking others.

He said "you cannot serve both God and mammon." He told the rich young man, "If you would be perfect, go and sell all that you have and give to the poor and follow me, for you shall have treasure in Heaven." He said it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. He said the poor widow who gave a tiny sum of money to the temple gave more than the "generous" (and ostentatious) wealthy because it was all she had.

Finally, he said "IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS."

So just how much is the "faith" of America's fervent "Christians" worth?

Response to League of Conservation Voters NJ Endorsements

I notice you haven't endorsed anyone in my congressional district. Perhaps this is because Republican Mike Ferguson somehow managed to get a pretty high rating from some environmental groups. I see you also endorsed Republican Chris Smith, the anti-choice zealot and general right-wing nut case.

What a myopic view of environmental issues! The right-wing Republican agenda is self-destructive in itself, and especially favors the greatest of all man-made environmental disasters: WAR using modern weapons.

You might also consider that the probable number-one cause of environmental destruction worldwide is or will soon become overpopulation, Mr. Smith's choice for our future.

Finally, no matter how a specific candidate stands, destructive environmental legislation is FAR more likely to come up or be seriously considered in a Republican-controlled Congress.

It will be a cold day in HELL (a lot less likely than a HOT day in the Arctic under Republican policies) before I vote for ANY Republican any time soon!

On the president's authorization to leak classified info

A little love-note to my favorite president:

The American people are now given a glimpse of the truth at last: the leaker you promised to fire may well have been you.

This entire shameful episode should embarrass you and all your supporters. It seems to me that you owe the people of this country a full explanation of what went on, at the very least. You also owe us all an apology for the lies and evasions practiced by members of your administration with your (at the very least) implied approval. Most of all, you owe a promise to never allow such an act of naked partisan lawbreaking as blowing a CIA person's cover in order to intimidate her family into supporting your policies again, and to severely punish all those involved in this one.

I won't be holding my breath.

Strict Constructionist to Supreme Court? It's about time!

I had been feeling rather down at the state of our government. It seemed to me that it was out of control, adding new ways to encroach on citizens' privacy and freedoms daily.
At last, some good news! I hear that the president nominated, and now the Senate has confirmed, a "strict constructionist" to be associate justice on the Supreme Court. Now I know that such a judge, having strong determination to follow the "original intent" that produced the Constitution and its crowning glory, the Bill of Rights, will be an astute student of history. He will know that probably the most contentious and long-debated portion of those documents was the composition and powers of the Executive Branch, that far-sighted men feared this branch the most, that they thought an unchecked and unscrupulous president would overwhelm the power of the other branches, direct power and money to his cronies, involve the nation in unnecessary wars - well, at least we know their fears were groundless on that point - and threaten the independence of the states and the rights and privacy of all citizens.
I feel better just knowing that Samuel Alito will be a fierce watchdog to protect my Fourth Amendment Rights, to rein in the formerly out-of-control president and Executive Branch Agencies, to keep Congress from establishing Biblical Literalism and ignorance - along with selfishness and greed - as the state religion. I look forward to his first decisions on the critical issues of war and peace, personal freedom, and protection of the public from the overwhelming power and cronyism of vested interests that wait to be settled during this Supreme Court session.

SOME GOOD MAY COME OF IT AFTER ALL...

A relative working in an academic departmental office of a university reports a recent call from an eager Senatorial staffer to talk about giving tax breaks to coal mining companies which install available safety equipment to prevent tragedies like those recently in the news. His actual level of concern about miners and their safety was apparent from the fact that he had never heard of the Federal agency responsible for regulating mine safety.
But the subject of this blog is not this poor ignoramus, but the positively brilliant idea which his casually callous solution to a real problem inspired in your not-so-humble writer. And to think that this market-based solution occurred, not to Jack Kemp, or even to Dick Cheney, but to an obscure, effete member of the Liberal Elite!
Why not tax breaks for violent criminals who forgo committing mayhem against their fellow citizens? Despite the declining rates of most violent crimes, media consumers find their peace of mind constantly disturbed by lovingly detailed inflation of every criminal incident into an alarming new atrocity by the evil Liberal Media - especially Fox News - intent upon rationalizing their bleeding-heart solutions to... but, I diverge.
Just think of it: a sliding scale of seriousness for each category of personal violation with a correspondingly appropriate revenue enhancement for the erstwhile perpetrator who denies himself the pleasure! We could start with, say $2-300 for not snatching that purse so carelessly slung loosely from the carefree shoulder, all the way up to $6-10,000 for the odd rape, murder, or act of perjury about consensual sexual - sorry, my enthusiasm got the better of me.
For the low-class bandit whose annual income proves inadequate to benefit from tax breaks, or who fails to realize the benefits which may accrue to those who file tax returns, why not the equivalent of the earned-income tax credit?
I must admit that my incandescence was temporarily dimmed by the problem of determining whether one is dealing with an authentic murderous sociopath practicing genuine self-denial, or just a cheap, small-time con man trying to break into the big money. But then I realized that - where matters of money are concerned, at least - the average street thug may well be more honest and honorable than most "energy company" executives.

Some interesting words of wisdom

I was checking the quote from von Schiller which I suggest as the new motto of our country, and which appears on this page, I found some other interesting quotes on http://www.quotationspage.com.

It's simply amazing what foresight past thinkers had in predicting the problems of our age, for example, on our current "president," GWB:

• There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped. - Elbert Hubbard

And how did we come to be blessed with such a "leader"?

• Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything. - Frank Dane

Finally, may I make a suggestion for a new and far more fitting national anthem. Everyone always complains the current one is so hard to sing, and it must be, because when some one sings it at a public gathering, they usually make it an agonizing experience for the audience. The following fits the American ethos so much better, anyway:

The best things in life are free
but you can keep them for the birds and bees,
just give me Money [that's what I want]...

Your lovin' gives me a thrill
But your lovin' don't pay my bills
Just give me Money...

Money don't get everything, it's true
But what it don't get, I can't use
So give me money...

Why SHOULD God bless America?

PRO LIFE?

The following was written some time ago, but remains relevant.


While walking through a parking lot the other day, I was struck by the irony of a huge, gas-guzzling SUV sporting a "WE VOTE PRO-LIFE" sticker. In case it’s not obvious, the irony lies in the fact that hundreds of Americans and thousands of Iraqis have died, and are dying, because we as a people will not discipline ourselves to be content with mere automobiles. When a small increase in gas mileage (my recollection is seven - yes 7 - miles per gallon) would make this country self-sufficient in energy production without drilling in any wildlife refuges, the question becomes not how many miles per gallon, but - to quote Michael Moore - how many LIVES per gallon[NOTE: the info cited here is probably the result of my misunderstanding but the point remains valid].
Those TV ads that claimed smoking marijuana supports terrorism kind of lost their punch when it was pointed out that drug money is only the tiniest of drops in the ocean of oil money. Without our total dependence on our Saudi "friends," perhaps we could really take meaningful action to combat terrorism.
Then I saw the Bush-Cheney ’04 sticker, which started me wondering (again) how on earth an organization like the Republican Party can call itself "PRO-LIFE" and have millions accept the claim. True, they - or at least the current leadership - have always been green: that is, they have always favored money over everything else. But how can anyone who cuts funding for feeding and educating children, who destroys laws and regulations protecting workers on the job, giving us breathable air and drinkable water, who reduces benefits and - until there was an outcry - even combat pay for the poor and middle-class men and women risking their lives in pursuit of right-wing imperial fantasies, who flouts international law demanding humane treatment of prisoners of war, all in order to support a huge miltary so much greater than that necessary for defense of our legitimate interests as to go beyond absurdity, how can such people qualify for the title "Pro-life" ?
What has this nation come to that forcing poor women to have children that neither they nor anyone else wants - most especially our affluent Republican friends - means one is "choosing life"? I say "poor women," because - as "pro-life" Senator John McCain unthinkingly indicated about his daughter - the affluent will always have choice. Are we to destroy everything that makes this nation great in order to pretend that we are "saving the unborn"?
If the Republicans are so concerned about the "unborn," then why are they completely opposed to controlling emission of industrial toxins known to cause birth-defects? Why are they leaving these precious human beings an incredibly high and completely unnecessary debt burden? Why are they aggravating enmities, and undermining friendships all over the world in pursuit of unnecessary and unprovoked war? What is "pro-life" about the cozy relationship between the party’s leaders and the merchants of death in the arms industry?
How is always choosing cold, hard, LIFELESS cash over living beings of whatever species choosing "life"?

keep Christ in Christmas? How about Jesus in Christianity?

Am I the only one to notice that the most fervent "Christians" of today are far more comfortable quoting some sexist command from Paul or barbaric punishment from Leviticus than the words of the man himself?
It seems to me that there's good reason for this: when one removes the rules according to Paul, who never met Jesus in the flesh, and the beautiful but self-serving, anti-semitic and ethereal gospel of "John" - obviously written by some one who surmised correctly that claiming to be the otherwise unmentioned favorite disciple would get his writing farther than its message - what's left is some one who in many ways resembles a modern bleeding-heart liberal. It's obviously easier to pay lip service to him while loudly condemning others than cope with one's failure to follow - indeed, contemptuous dismissal of - such embarrassing commands as "every one who has two shirts must give one to him who has none," and "love your enemies and do good to those who hurt you."
And thus we see that the "Prince of Peace" is the "favorite political philosopher" of one who counsels and conducts pre-emptive war, that one who came "to tell the truth to make men free" is cited by those who can't seem to stop lying and undermining the freedom of those they rule, that the man who had no use for the grasping rich and the self-righteous fanatics is the now claimed as exclusive property by both.
While the Fundamentalist Protestants have essentially thrown away the bulk of the teachings actually attributed to their ticket to heaven, the Catholic right has undermined their church's attempt to avoid doing so with their indefensible rules governing sex - another subject of apparently minimal interest to the man Jesus - and birth control, their partial replacement of him by his mother and her allegedly miraculous abilities, and their overriding determination to preserve the earthly power and wealth of their institution.

Greetings!

Welcome.
Coming soon to a theater near, well, those of you who care to stop back, recent thoughts and comments on American politics. Come back to read my slams of pet peeves, my take on compassionate conservatism, and, perhaps inevitably, the shrub.

In the meantime, have a nice weekend.