Senator Coleman About to Cross the Line
I get and read Senator Norm Coleman's
eNewsletter. His most recent one explained why he did not support the Senate's Iraq Funding Bill with the March 2008 deadline for starting the
withdrawal of troops from the slaughter.
He wrote,
"During the last week of March, we debated and ultimately passed the 2007 Supplement Emergency Appropriations Bill. Unfortunately, the bill contains language that sets an arbitrary date for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. The safety of our troops – and providing them with the tools they need for success – remains my number one concern. Setting an arbitrary timeline for withdrawal does not protect our troops, but does embolden our enemies. For this reason I could not support this bill. That is the bad news about the supplemental.
The good news is that we succeeded in including a number of provisions that are critically important for Minnesota. This bill contains $4.2 billion in long-awaited agriculture disaster relief I have been fighting for. By a vote of 51-45, we protected $50 million in security dollars to help the Twin Cities afford the necessary security measures for the 2008 Republican National Convention. And the Senate passed my amendment to allow Cass County to build a Critical Access Hospital in the city of Walker – another priority I have been working on for a long time.
The President has said he will veto this bill, which means we in Congress will have another shot at taking out the Iraq language and sending him a bill he can sign into law. As we move ahead, I will fight to keep these important priorities in the bill and will be proud to support it once we take out the language that undermines our troops. "
I responded with the following email:
Dear Senator Coleman,
I am disappointed that you did not support the Iraq funding bill, even though you attached billions of dollars of non-military spending to it.
The theory that the setting of deadlines for a pull out gives the enemy an advantage is disingenuous. The resistance has had the advantage from the start. That is why it was a terrible mistake to go into Iraq in the beginning. That is why President Bush the Elder didn't push on to Baghdad during the Gulf War.
The military adventure that President Bush the Usurper has mired us in was illegal from the start and only grows more so with each passing day.
Remember what Collin Powell said, "You break it you own it."
President Bush broke it and now wants to drag it out until he can somehow turn it into the Democrats war. He is willing to continue to kill and maim Americans and Iraqis, undermine our values around the world, and squander the wealth of our nation at the cost of our children, poor and elderly.
Bush is unable to stand up like a man of honor and accept the heavy responsibility for what he has done.
Anyone who supports his policies or actions that allow him to continue this murderous war only prolongs this disaster. It has gotten to the point that those who enable the President must share in his guilt.
Sir, you are crossing a line that separates patriots from war criminals. Please reconsider your support of this President.
The time has come to hold All of our elected officials to account for prolonging this illegal war.
What supports our troops more: bringing them home and out of harm's way or leaving them in Iraq for an arbitrarily prolonged period where they can be killed, maimed, and psychologically traumatized?
At some point, and that point is now, the excuse that "I was mislead" no longer applies. Too much has happened to permit anyone the comfort and cover of saying,"I didn't know."
We do know.
George Bush and the people that supported him broke Iraq. They own it. Now it is time for them to own the consequences and do the honorable thing: withdraw or troops and admit defeat.
Only then can we get on with the more important tasks at hand: healing our country, restoring our credibility around the world, rethinking our entire approach to how we deal with terrorism, and showing
compassion to our children, the poor, and the elderly who have suffered with the squandering of our national wealth.
John McCain, Go Away, Get Lost
At one time, I ranked Senator John McCain as one of the shining lights of the Republican Party. A man of integrity with the courage to stand up against the fascist right-wing of the party.
No longer.
At some point in late 2005 he caved in and compromised with the Evil Doers in the White House. Since then, he has carried their water.
Today on CNN, McCain said that, "Presidents do not loose wars ... nations loose wars."
For me, that was it!
When a President like George W. Bush, sends a country into an unnecessary no-win war that many people had warned against, failed to properly plan or prepare for it, underfunded and undermanned it, and then provoked the enemy with brainless statements like "Bring It On!"; yes it is possible for a President to loose a war.
Bon Voyage, John!
You just placed the blamed on a large number of Americans who did not vote for George and won't vote for you.
Go Away, John!
Your creditbility is gone and now you are just a fart in the wind.
The Republicans have got a serious problem. After 6 years of supporting the cruel policies a demented Bible thumper and almost 30 years of implementing the racist Reagan manifesto, the American people are starting to wake up and realize that the Republican Party is their enemy.
Get Lost, John!
The Republican Party's problems are yours. If you endorse and promote the same tired crap that Grover Norquist, Karl Rove, and the rest of those anti-American fascists have been engineering for all these years, then you are one of them.
I am tired of listening to your prattle.
Retire, wander off into the Arizona desert and give your flesh back to the earth. That's about all your good for now.
Child Abuse in the "Old Boys Club"
Okay, so Representative Mark Foley resigned his seat and scuttled off to hide in a treatment program, leaving the Republican house leadership to play slap and tickle with the media. it's all inside the beltway fun and games while the rest of the country clucks, clucks and clucks.
A little main street perspective is in order.
What would have happened if Foley had been a teacher in a public school?
First, the administration in his school would have called in the police pronto.
School administrators, teachers, social workers, doctors and nurses are required by law to report suspect child abuse.
Next, we would be treated to a series of TV images of the alleged offender doing the perp-walk followed by an unflattering mug shot.
Then, the police would be all over the alleged offender like bees to honey.
They would comb through his school files and computer, plow through his home, and interview friends, family members, and anyone that had any contact with him at school.
All of this in just a few days after the allegations of impropriety surfaced.
No one would ask Foley the teacher if he had it under control, take his word that he was dealing with the problem, and then walk away.
Foley the teacher might go into treatment, once he has had a court hearing, post bond, and been released from custody. The school analogy is not far fetched.
Most of the Pages for the House of Representative are far from home. They live in a dorm and take classes as part of their schedule. They work, albeit almost invisibly amongst some of the most powerful and charismatic people in America. Simply put, the House Pages are extremely vulnerable, perhaps even more so than students in a public school.
Don't the adults in the House and Senate have the responsibility, ethical and legal, to protect their young charges? There are other equally significant issues.
Law requires that certain professions report suspicions of child abuse. Doctors are one such case.
Senator Bill Frist, was a doctor before becoming a politician and used his medical background to leverage his political career. Did his responsibility to protect young people by reporting possible abuse go away when he became a Senator?
Don't the Representatives and Senators have a swearing in ceremony where they pledge to uphold the laws of the United States? Isn't pedophilia and exploiting underage kids for sexual jollies against the law? This isn't the first time this has happened and it won't be the last. That is why it is important that our legislators be held accountable now.
Finally, while
demographics on pedophilia (technically the sexual attraction to children younger than the 16 year old house pages) is not well known, it appears that up to 32% of all men have some form of physical sexual response to children. It is important to note that most men supress these feelings and do not act on them. By the way, 4% of women have a similar reaction.
It could mean however, that one-third of our legislators might find the House Pages stimulating to some degree. And anecdotal evidence indicates that there is more than one potential predator in every 400 adults in the country.
Our elected leaders are like the rest of us, with the same strengths and weakness. And, like the rest of us, they should be held equally responsible under our laws.
Hugo Chavez, Lou Dobbs, George Bush, Oh My!
The following is an email that I have sent to CNN's Lou Dobbs. It is in response to the extremely biased reporting that Lou Dobbs, among others, did concerning President Hugo Chavez's remarks in Harlem.
To Lou Dobbs,
I was appalled by your reporting on Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez.
The captions and graphics used in your report stated "The Mouth from the South" and "El Loco Chavez". This was extremely disrespectful to a visiting head of state, not to mention the worst form of tabloid journalism. I watch CNN for news, not middle school shenanigans.
Which leads to an interesting observation.
Have you considered that President Chavez's comments, intemperate as they are, may have serious elements of truth that deserve serious discussion?
President Bush is a self proclaimed alcoholic who has not gone through any reputable recovery program. Admitted, some people do successfully overcome addiction on there own, through the exercise of prodigious will power and strenuous critical self-examination. I think it is evident that George Bush has neither characteristic. If anything, President Bush exhibits all of the characteristics of the "dry drunk" which include a rigid moral compass that sees the world in stark absolute terms and the inability to accept and internalize criticism.
I am not a religious person in the currently popular fashion. But I think that, since President Bush has made his Christian faith a key part of his public persona, President Chavez's charges that President Bush is the Devil deserves discussion too.
From my modest understanding of the Old and New Testaments I believe that the Devil is referred to as the Great Deceiver. I think that is a very accurate description of George W. Bush and the policies of his administration. I won't bother you with the long list of lies and half-truths that President Bush has been caught in over his many years in politics.
Likewise, who has suffered more under Bush's administration: the wealthy or the least among us? Wasn't Christ a champion of the poor and the powerless? Just how Christian has Bush's behavior been, despite his wrapping himself in the labels of Christianity? Again, deception, this time at the heart of the religious issue.
Lou, I suggest rather than making faces at the TV camera and ranting about President Chavez, a president that you can't vote for; you should calm down and start addressing the serious questions of the emotional, moral, and ethical competencies of the president You Can Vote For.
President Chavez brought up serious issues. Rather than throwing mud on the messenger, consider the message.
Thoughts On Cuba
Castro goes into the hospital for surgery and anti-Castro Cuban Americans are ecstatic: soon they will return to their homeland and reclaim their property and privilege. The usurper Bush, sends his toady, Condi Rice out to speak to the people of Cuba to promise them
American support as they build a future democracy. A couple of days later, the usurper himself speaks to the world restating his
support of Cuban democracy and mentioning that the lost property of Cuban Americans is an issue to be resolved by the new Cuban government.
In another development, the usurper is thinking about
easing immigration rules to permit Cubans to leave Cuba and come to the U.S. in an orderly and safe fashion. This plan includes Cuban doctors who may be practicing in other countries and who would like to come to the U.S. For once, there is a sensible proactive idea from the illegal leadership.
However, taken in its entirety, all this activity is aimed at destabilizing the current situation in Cuba. Chaos in Cuba would be an opportunity for the phony president to spread more of his brand of freedom and democracy.
So far, the Cuban people have been disappointingly orderly and patient, waiting to see what happens next.
There are two things to consider.
First, the history of the Bush administration is one of inaptitude, intentional ignorance, poor planning, and even poorer implementation. The sum output of the last six years has been lost opportunities and the spreading of chaos and misery.
Anyone who puts their hopes in the Bush administration is either a fool or crazy.
Second, those Cuban Americans who live in the U.S. and dream of returning to Cuba to recover lost property and power are in the same boat as the Palestinians. They left their homeland rather than stick it out and defend their interests.
They surrendered their voices in Cuban society and after 47 years no longer have a claim. You've got stay and be part of the struggle; leaving Cuba means they forfeited their rights and property.
Finally, over the last 4 decades both the U.S. and Cuba have blown many opportunities to develop a better relationship that would have allowed Cuba to prosper and the U.S. to build a strategic partnership with a dynamic Cuban society.
Perhaps now, rather than looking for an opportunity to spread Crawford Texas freedom and democracy, we should try to reconcile. Now is the time to actively seek to create a mature relationship with Cuba, the people and the current government.
On Sunday, the 61st anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, a friend sent me this poem.
INSOMNIA, August 2005It is too early, my wife protests,
As I rise in the dark of a summer morning,
August 6, 2005,
By the European calendar,
But sleep will not come.
Sixty years ago,
But later in the day,
We listened, excited, to a new President tell us
That he was ending a war,
By attacking a military base,
The Hiroshima Naval District.
I joined in the cheering,
Not knowing then that Presidents lied
Through their teeth,
Whether their own,
As were my
Child’s teeth,
Or as false as old Washington’s
.
I pick up my hometown paper
And see
The lies innocently repeated
By victims blinded
By the fog of war.
Today, taught in their schools
Half-truths,
Misleading statements and
Lies,
Many Japanese children do not know that
Their army still hides
The Rape of Nanking --
So that they will be willing
To abet in new crimes.
Most Americans
Especially those who read their assigned texts
And daily papers,
Do not know that
The ‘Little Boy’ who spread destruction
And tortured deaths
Among the Children
Of Hiroshima
Exploded precisely where it was aimed,
Miles from the Naval District headquarters
Which it did not affect,
But in the center of the civilian city,
Where the few soldiers
Included
American prisoners of war.
Even the sycophantic
Strategic Bombing Survey
Had to conclude that
This WMD did not end that war;
Did not hasten the end of that war.
It was not intended to do either.
Pleas for surrender terms
>From a new Japanese government
Headed by opponents of the war --
As if Dan Ellsberg had been elected here
In ’72 --
Had to be denied
So that the war could be kept going.
Civilians and soldiers
Kept dying for a few more weeks
So that
The bullies could
Prove
Who were the baddest after all.
Many of the terrorists
Continue to believe
That their brutality saved lives,
Because to even suspect
Otherwise
Would be
Too painful!
War and greed
Are the twin diseases
That murdered innocence in that holocaust,
As in the first holocaust of the last century,
Carried out in the American concentration camps in
The Philipines
By U.S. Marines,
And as in the Rape of Faluja
Last year.
They are fueled by lies
We tell others
And ourselves.
As the adorable babies of Hiroshima continued to die,
As doctors pleaded for information needed to save them
Lies were piled on lies.
Lies are needed to cover lies.
We must never mention that
We condemned to death others
Who killed Guernika
On a market day
To quicken the end of a war.
The child who sees through the
Imaginary cloth
Must be silenced
In all places,
In all times
Or we will learn
That power does not come
>From the barrel of a gun
Nor wealth from
A filthy piece of printed paper,
Even if printed in pretty colors,
But from
Refusing to treat others
In a spirit we
Would not like to be treated.
No contract can bind anyone
To do otherwise.
Adolph Hitler died with the position and money
Prescott Bush and Harry Truman aspired to.
General Groves’ coat
Was covered with glorious medals,
Like Stalin’s and Chiang’s.
None left their heirs
A legacy
As rich as that left by
Penniless
Aesop
Or Hillel
Buddha
Jesus
Or Mohandas Gandhi,
Jeanette Rankin
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Or the ladies of the Rosenstrasse.
Love. truth and
And the recognition
That everything I do to the
Worst of us
I do to all,
Are not frivolous
Cosmetics,
But the only tools that
Can defend us,
Can unite us,
Can set us free.
Can save this spec of life
Lest through lust for dominance
We shall no longer be.
Copyright
Zev Aelony
