Can't We All just Get Along ? 1-03-2018

The Time has come to Come Together.

There are far too many Good People on the Trump Train, for Us to just write them off as "Too Dumb to ever Redeem", and far too many of Us on the Progressive, (and 'Sane" side), who seem to believe that Our superior knowledge, and Political savvy, will eventually win out over those with whom we disagree.

Just the facts that, despite his constant lies and distortions, and despite his continued support, and praise, for Putin, Erdogan, and Duterte, and regardless of how foolish he makes US appear to The World, somewhere between 30 and 38% of Voters still stand behind him. Yes, It baffles my every Brain Cell Too ?

Like most of my Friends and Family, after the shock and disgust of Election Night passed, I assumed that many of the Trump voters were much like the Brexit voters of the U.K., in that they thought they were lodging a protest vote against Hillary, and the Political gridlock of the Status Quo. Many of them have admitted, that they never imagined that a racist, sexist Con Man could ever win.

As with many such Assumptions, that one made an Ass of me and Y'all.

Philosophically, I can understand those who wanted to believe that this TV Reality star was actually going to, (Finally), do something for the "Forgotten" working Man and Woman. I can also understand, that after 30+ years of absorbing Fox News' and Rush Limbaugh's lies and slander of Bill n Hill, that many disliked Hillary intensely, and imputed only the worst intentions to her every word.

The Conservative movement has always contained an element of anti-intellectual sentiment. While learning right-wing Republicanism at my Daddy's knee, I remember asking him; "Why high profile Republicans called Adalia Stephenson an "Egg Head", all the while admiring William F. Buckley for his eloquence, erudition, and Ivy League education ? ".

His answer was weak, and insufficient, and one of my earliest memories of GOP hypocrisy.

While remaining a "John Birch Society" Republican, and a Nixon fan, I saw my Dad with tears in his eyes, when I arrived in Chicago, late on 11-22-1963. I know he had to admire Kennedy for his speaking style, his easy manner with the People and the Media, but, I never learned if he was sad for the Nation, or for the Kennedys, but I know he shared my sense of loss, and that our World had suffered a loss, and also lost our Post-War positivity.

So, My Family members and Friends who don't agree with my Progressive ideology, nor my hatred for everything Trump, I can only say that my feelings are those of a Patriot. My dislike and disgust are based on the image of a clueless bigot that he presents to the world, and especially to our traditional Allies. Imagine if you will, any American President who is Persona Non Grata in the U.K ? 

 His avarice, egomania, and complete ignorance of how Our tripartite Government functions, puts Us all at risk. His insane tweets and comments, provoking an unstable dictator with his own Nuclear arsenal, terrify me, and every other thinking person I know ! 

As I've said many times before, I was raised Conservative, and, like Hillary, I volunteered for the Goldwater campaign in 1964, so I can still access those ideas and values, But, today's Conservatives are nothing like those of Goldwater, Nixon, nor Reagan, or my Dad's generation of Conservatives.

 The best example of what I'm talking about, are the Koch Brother's created "Tea Party" Republicans who came to power in the 2010 Mid-terms. These are people with no Values nor ideology, except hatred, divisiveness, and resentment. Folks like Ted Cruz, Jason Chaffetz, Mike (Calves the size of cantaloupes) Lee, and others of that Ilk. 

The original premise of this post, is that, "We All need to Come back together and get this Nation back to a sense of normalcy. With a realization that, as the Founders stated, "WE must All hang Together, or surely, We will all hang separately".

 So, We Democrats will meet You half way, but first, you must come to understand, that there is nothing good for Normal, (not Wealthy) people that will ever come out of this disastrous Administration. 

Comments Requested !  

Observations on Life in America, a Liberal Viewpoint of Present Issues and Dangers on my 69th Birthday

 9-23-1947

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Tonight, the preeminent issue across the Media spectrum, is yet another Police Slaying on yet another Black Man, under questionable circumstance. Race is the most polarizing subject in the 2016 Presidential election. Whether the topic is Immigration Reform, Health Care, Jobs, or Income Inequality, it all works back to Race and Ethnicity.

Earlier, on an MSNBC broadcast, I saw a middle-aged, White, Trump supporter say, “We never had any racial problems in this country, until Obama got elected.” My question is, “Where in the Hell had this stupid bitch been for the past 60 years?” Maybe she’s been in that comfy little bubble of Republican Upper Middle Class, a place where the only racial question in whether to hire the local Black Lady who cleans houses, or the much cheaper Ecuadorian Lady, why does such an excellent job, but is ‘Undocumented’?

Now, for my part, I’m named for a Doctor who headed the Marion County / Indianapolis Health Department for nearly forty years. A Man who was sometimes criticized by his colleagues, because he had no qualms about serving the “Colored” community for Births and emergency Surgeries’. Someone who gave classes for Midwives, the graduates of which were given his every contact numbers in case of complications. Upon my Grandfather’s death, the wealthy black Funeral Director, Dr Flanner, (of Flanner & Buchanan Mortuaries),* built a Free Clinic near Methodist Hospital, and named it the Herman G. Morgan Health Center. (* Part of the funding came from decades of Fees my Grandpa was supposed to collect for signing every Live Birth Certificate in the City and County, a whole lot of Quarters and Half-Dollars never taken, because he considered it a “privilege” to sign such important documents.).

As his Grandson, and Namesake, I was raised to judge people on who they were, not what color they wore for skin. A ‘Colored’ Nurse named Jean, taught me how to tie my shoes, count to ten, and color between the lines. So, when she walked me out to the school bus one cold morning, and a ‘Big Kid’ said, “I knew y’all were rich, but I didn’t know you had a Nigger Nanny”, I felt no qualms about punching him in the nose !  

When I was a Junior in High School, and a Teacher told us, “White People will become a minority in America in the early 21^st Century”. A lot of the kids just scoffed, like, ‘sure Lady. That’s gonna happen !’, but I understood that the demographics pointed in exactly that direction. I heard the same thing in Sociology 101 at Foothill College, in 1969, but I hated that Sociology class, and was damned if I would study a Science, where all the terminology was in German! 

 So, here We are, it’s about to happen, and even some moderate and sane White folks aren’t taking it well. Now, on the other side of the coin, I said many times in the 70’s and 80’s, that “White People can’t even organize a Club or Group about their own interests, without it being called a Hate Group, or Racist Organization”, and that fact is still largely true, but, most thinking people now recognize the reality of, and existence of “White Privilege”, a subtle benefit that is yours, whether you come from Trailer Trash, or can trace your ancestry back to the Mayflower, like some of us can. (That’s not to imply that some Trailer Trash Whites might not have deep roots ! ).

So, here’s some food for thought for all you white folks who resent the rise and inclusion of those who don’t look like Us.

 Try to Imagine Our Nation without Our Black Citizens? Think about Sports, Entertainment, Poetry and Literature, History and Education, without the Contributions of that Irreplaceable, yet Small, (13%) of Our fellow Americans? Scary and Sad isn’t it?

The Driver

Yesterday, I had a job to do for my friend Drew Berry. Along with my old FEMA trailer cohort John, and a new friend Brian, I went up to Rockport, IL to inspect and purchase some huge Ford F-750 Heavy Duty Trucks for Drew's Underground Cable-laying business.

These trucks are basically a semi-tractor with a extended frame. Powered by the same Caterpillar Diesel engines as a semi, and having Air Brakes and 6-speed manual transmission, these big machines are a step above what I am licensed for with my Chauffeur's License, but regardless of legal requirements, I can, and have long been capable of Driving Anything.

 On the long trip back from Rockport, which is right on the Wisconsin line, I had plenty of time to think, and it occurred to me that I have always gotten an almost Spiritual satisfaction  from Driving. From Tricycles and pedal cars in the big garage at Hilltop, to the souped-up cars and motorcycles I raced on in my teens and twenties, there is some visceral thrill to be had from confident control of a motorized vehicle.

 I've often heard people say that Racers must have death wish, from the chances they take when driving Indy 500 style, "open wheel" cars at 200+ MPH, or Stock Cars on NASCAR tracks, or the Formula One cars on the Road Course tracks in Europe or South America. Now, it may seem presumptuous for me to lump myself in with these highly skilled and Professional Drivers, but, I'm merely saying that I have always understood both the risks and the rewards that motivated and sustained people who did such Driving for a career.

I thought back to those days when my brother Steve and I raced laps in that big garage while pretending to be Bill Vucovitch, Parnelli Jones, Jack Brabham, and other  Speedway Greats, and to how much we admired and envied those lucky men who got paid for doing what they loved. Those days when racing was much less sophisticated, and a lot more dangerous than today, days where every lap of every race was fraught with danger beyond what "normal" people could or would face in life, were times when I totally "got" what those men thought about the challenges versus the risks. So, long before the dangers we faced while flying combat missions, or even routine Patrols in Vietnam, I understood that only a fool is "fearless", but it's what you do in times of fear that truly separates the brave from the timid. I used to tell people that "I fear No Man,(unless he's wearing a badge or a black robe)", and that was true, and when it finally did come a time when I stood before the Bench, and had my freedom curtailed for a couple of years, I found that I wasn't afraid of that reality either, and having survived that ordeal, I had reached a place where I really didn't fear a thing. Once Again, that sounds a lot like bragging, and there are caveats here as well, for one thing, I fear Pain a lot more than death, because Pain can last for seeming eternities, while death can be quick and merciful.
* This post was written in August 2014. 

12-16-2014; Pakistani Taliban show their True Colors.

With today's horrific attack, and the slaughter of 130 or more Children, the world looks on in horror at such barbarity. While it is admittedly brutal and inhuman terrorism, and beyond the pale of even the most bloodthirsty of radical Islamist, I see some good coming from this attack. 
For years, the Pakistan Taliban has been covertly, (and overtly), supported by factions within the Pakistan's Military and Intelligence structures. The civilian populace has protested and demonstrated against Our, (USA) use of drones against Leadership and armed elements of their homegrown Taliban, and their brethren from across the Afghan border, now, as the old saying goes, "the proverbial Chickens have come home to roost". 

 Perhaps today's slaughter of innocents will finally make clear the true nature of the factions they have supported and defended for so long ? Maybe, just maybe, these civilians will realize that these Taliban are the true enemy, and that is not the West, the US, or anyone else who seeks to destroy their Nation and Society, but is instead the same monsters who shot Malala Yousafzia, and killed their children in the past, for the terrible sin of seeking an education.
Maybe, instead of directing their hatred against Us, they will choose to join the civilized World, in rejecting and destroying the ideology of hatred, and will see that the Taliban and similar groups seek to keep them in ignorance, while returning the modern world to a 17th Century state of a primitive and barbaric "Utopia", a place where They, the Taliban, have total control of every thought and action of the enslaved populace.

It is also a huge question of how the Pakistani Government will respond. The same Government who gives us the precise location of targets for Our drones, then decries the deaths that result in their press and condemns Us for violating their sovereignty. Will this attack finally bring about an open and accelerated effort to rid the world of these animals who take such actions against the most vulnerable of their citizens as their right in some imaginary war against "the Crusaders" which is what they call those Nations who only want a peaceful world for All.

I guess that We can only hope that this tragedy will, in the end, have a positive result in making a misinformed public in Pakistan understand which side represents their best hope for a future of peace and progress, and I look forward to seeing a closer, and more coordinated campaign against Terrorism between the Pakistani Government and the rest of the Free World.


One fear that all of us in that Free World have long held, is that a weak and divided Pakistan Military would lose control, and allow radical Islamists to gain control of their Nuclear Arsenal. I think this attack, and the deaths of so many Children of Army and Government personnel will insure that that fear is greatly reduced, because this obscenity against humanity should unite the Military as nothing We can do would have done.

If, this opinion seems harsh, or cold-blooded, rest assured, that like parents and people everywhere, I can't imagine the loss and grief, (and hopefully outrage) that these poor parents and relatives are feeling in the aftermath of this tragedy. I personally feel just as horror stricken as I  was on the day of the Newtown Massacre.

My greatest hope is that the Pakistanis will finally close, and destroy all the Madrassas teaching Hate in Waziristan, and the other northern provinces of their nation. The fiction that these were actual "schools", trying to educate the tribal Children, should finally be laid to rest, and people should realize that the Suicide Assassins who murdered their kids, were taught in places just like those that exist wherever Radical Islam exists, not the least of which are located in Our major Ally in the Mideast, Saudi Arabia. It's no wonder that Osama Bin Laden and the majority of the 9-11 Highjackers were Saudi Arabians.

Once again, I solicit Your Comments and Opinions on this, or any article here on my main Blog.

One More Time: No Keystone XL Pipeline !

Today, President Obama finally came out and spoke Truth to Stupidity. He will Veto any Congressional attempts to sidestep or avoid the Law, which requires the State Department and other Government agencies to approve any Foreign Project on Our Soil.

The Rethuglicans can tout this as a "Jobs Bill" all they want, but the Truth is that the Only American Jobs will be to construct the Pipeline. Those Jobs will go to Halliburton, and other established Oil Services companies already at full staffing.

A Far Better Plan, would be to pipe that toxic Tar Sands Oil no further than the newer Oil Refineries in North Dakota, then ship the much safer finished products by Rail and Truck to the Gulf Coast, where Canada can then send it to China, Mars, or wherever they want. This plan would generate Many Jobs. The Railroads would need to add Trains, and Crews to operate them. Thousands of the new, safer, double-hulled tanker cars would need to be built, as well as thousands of new Tanker Trailers, also of a new and safer construction. Those are high-paying, skilled labor Jobs, not the temporary drudge work of a few hundred Laborer Jobs that might come from building the Pipeline.
If the capacity of the modern refineries in ND is insufficient, well, there are more good jobs, both building those refineries for American Companies, and in operating those Refineries for years to come.

The low-information Fox-bots who sent another class of subtards to Congress this month, and the faithless Democrats who ran from Our President, (and Lost), will bear the responsibility for any Congressional Override of the President's Veto, and will further bear the guilt for the continuation of the "Do-Nothing" Congress doing even less.

Here's my (usually accurate) prediction. After being defeated on this horrible Pipeline project, the GOP will go back to their old ways of the past four years, ie; countless votes to repeal the ACA, constant idiots calling for Impeachment with no basis, (except "He's Black !"), and more attempts to reduce Voter's rights, continued obstruction of Immigration Reform, etc. They will use the Continuing Resolution to fund the Government, and the threat of another Shut-down in yet another failed attempt to blackmail the President into agreeing to their latest "Trickle Down" economic policies, as they've done for the past thirty years. They will protect Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest, try to lower Corporate taxes, and generally repeat the same dumb shit they've been doing for decades.

To my mind, "That's a Good Thing", because maybe, just maybe, the Voters will finally understand that the Republicans are nothing but employees of the Wealthy, will never do anything to bring the Middle Class and Working Poor into the new, prosperous Economy, and could care less about Our Country.

That's my take on this whole mess, what do You think ?  

More on 9-11-01

So, Here we are again, at another Anniversary of America's 21st Century 'Pearl Harbor'. Once again I'm recalling the emotions of that time, where I was when I first learned we'd been attacked, and how I instantly knew who the Villain was,..long before the media had figured it out._______________________________

 

 

When my (then) friend Les called to tell me to turn on CNN, that a small plane had hit the World Trade Center, I took one look at the smoke beginning to roll from the tower, and said, "Les, that wasn't a "small Plane', because I've been in that building, and only an Airliner could make that big of a hole". He said, "Who would do something like that?', and I answered, "Usama Bin Laden", and of course he asked "Who?", and I answered, "the same Asshole who blew up the USS Cole".

See, I didn't just start following Politics and the News in recent years, and I remembered back when then Senator Al Gore asked Ollie North, (during the Iran-Contra hearings), who this bad man was who had so frightened Colonel North that he spent $100,000 of taxpayer's money on Home Security systems for his personal residence. When Ollie answered "Usama Bin Laden", I went back to an article I'd just read about this former mujaheddin who was forming his own terrorist group, after being our friend and ally when we needed him to kick the Russians out of Afghanistan.

 I also knew that besides the Cole, that Usama's bunch had been behind bombing our embassies around North Africa and the Middle East. Our National Security people knew about him too, and what a danger he had become, but the Bush/Cheney junta didn't want to hear it when Richard Clarke tried repeatedly to tell them what the Clinton Administration knew, and why Clinton had been reticent to blow him away when they had him in their sights on several occasions. ( President Clinton's advisers told him that if he wasted Bin Laden on someone's sovereign soil, the Rethuglicans would say he was doing it to distract from the Blow Job scandal).

Anyway, despite what could have been done, the threat from Bin Laden was ignored, because Bush just wanted to get even with Saddam for putting a contract out on Daddy Bush, and Cheney just wanted Iraqi Oil. What happened happened, and for a few weeks there, I saw the United America, the unity and agreement between left and right, black and white, with everyone pulling together, and comforting each other, regardless of party, status or wealth. That was the kind of Nation I had been dreaming of since Vietnam, but I also knew it couldn't last. That realization was almost as tragic as the attack itself !

Now, 13 sad anniversaries later, we're facing a new threat, and cancerous growth of barbarism which metastasized from Al Queda in Iraq, and is being led by the best Generals from Saddam's Republican Guard, the force we needlessly disbanded after our invasion of a Nation that didn't have a thing to do with 9-11, and a Leader which only posed a threat to his own citizens. Had we kept the Iraqi Army and the basic bureaucracy of that government in place, and had we not destroyed so much of their infrastructure, we might have gotten out of there in a year or two, and left behind some vestige of a Democratic society. We would also have lost a lot less irreplaceable Troops, and thousands less civilian casualties. Iraq today could have been a prospering and free Oil producing nation, and a Democratic example for it's neighbors, except that the Bush Government gave no thought to an exit strategy, and only thought of how soon they could start selling stolen Oil.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and Now we need some of that Unity and Bi-Partisanship that we experienced for a moment after that first sad Day. We need to form a better, more broad-based coalition than that which joined us in the earlier ill-advised invasion. This President needs the support of Everyone, just like We gave to Bush in the days following 9-11-01.
That's my several cents worth, and I hope some of you will comment and continue this post. Thanks, and "God Bless America, Again" !

Not Another Koch-Headed Mid-Term PLEASE ! !

I won't begin this by Bragging about the accuracy of my 2010 and 2012 Election predictions, because now I don't need to ! Suffice it to say that " I told Ya so ! "

Here we are again in a mid-term primary season, and I'm hoping to God that working class Voters will pull their collective Head out of the Corporate Ass that is the Republican Party, and the gaping rectum that is it's failed Tealiban sub-party.

 

Now, I'm not as famous a prognosticator as Nate Silver, but, I'm betting that my instincts and accumulated political knowledge will trump his predictions this year.  Ol' Nate thinks that his Stat's tell him that the GOP will grab some more seats in the House, and regain a Majority position in the Senate, but my Gut tells me that the surge of enrollment in the closing days of the 1st ACA sign-up period will defy Nate's statistics, and show that the American People aren't as dumb as the Wealthy Right believes We are.

 Despite all the Billions spent by Big Health and Big Hate, and considering the 52 failed attempts to repeal 'Obamacare' , it is proving to be a blessing for folks on both ends of the Political spectrum. Case in Point, Teddy Cruz ran an informal survey on his Official Facebook page, asking his fans and constituents what they now thought of the ACA, and ( shockingly enough), the majority of respondents now had a favorable Opinion. The huge lines in El Paso and Houston, during the final days of Sign-Up are clear proof to me that both Teddy and soon-to-be Ex-Governor Perry are vastly out of touch with the majority of Texan Voters.

Another reason that I think Voters are coming to their senses, is that even a majority of right-leaning Voters, even those who don't like Obamacare, are ready for the Congress to move along. The Koch Brothers, and all the "Persons" of the Corporate Persuasion have failed to control the common sense and practicality that is inherent to the American People, and despite the barrage of TV, Radio, and Cyberspace Ad's, Surveys and Editorials they've, (Koch-Suckers & Friends), bought, I firmly believe that the Democrats will regain control of the House, increase their Majority in the Senate, then show the Nation what a Working and United Congress can achieve with a Progressive President in the White House.

Yes, I know some of you will flash-back to the 2009 / 2010 Sessions of Congress, and remind me of how little the Democrats accomplished in Obama's first two years, despite being in the majority, but let me remind you that that was a Party divided by years of opposition to Two Wars, and confused by years of kowtowing to the Bush-Cheney Junta in matters both Fiscal and Foreign ! That won't happen again !

 The Democrats are now a Party that has learned what can happen when they lose their nerve,(AKA "Balls"),now knows how to defeat the demagoguery of the wealthy Right, and are just dying to show their constituents that they remember how to get things done.

Comments and Critiques Appreciated !

What's Your Opinion of Edward Snowden's actions ?

I've been following this whole mess that Mr Snowden created for himself, and I've bounced around on what my actual feelings are this entire time. Now I've pretty much decided that he is both a Traitor and a Coward. My main bitch about this situation is with Boozer-Allen, for not vetting this little wannabe Julian Assange ! They, (Boozer-Allen), should have all their present Government contracts voided, and refund any money they have been advanced on said contracts.

These Private Sector Contractors may have saved Us from building ever-enlarging bureaucracies, but in both Wars, and now in the Security Sector, the Contractors have turned out to be more trouble than they are worth. I blame Dick Cheney, but that's another article in itself.

Now, back to Mr Snowden. The question I had to ask myself was; "Would We Liberals all have had the same High Regard we had for Daniel Elsberg, If he had run off to a foreign Nation as soon as he released The Pentagon Papers?". I don't think so, as a main part of being a "Whistleblower", is to have the courage of your convictions, and being willing to 'face the music', 'pay the piper', etc.

What I've observed about Snowden's big revelations, is that he has only "outed" what everyone who cares has known since 9-11, and those who are informed about such things were fully cognizant of Every other Nation's efforts to glean every bit of intelligence they can, both about their enemies and friends, by pretty much any means possible. Yes, the end of the Cold War probably saw a lessening of traditional espionage, and yes, the advent of the Internet was a Bonanza for Intelligence agencies in general, but what has taken Us to the point of a Prism Program, was our sudden realization, via the 9-11 attacks, that a good portion of the World's population hates Our American Guts !

In my opinion, the worst thing about electronic surveillance and collection, is that we, the USA, lost or abandoned our vast networks of "Humintell" following the fall of the USSR. Another huge failure of our Intelligence Agencies was to lose touch, and stop supporting the Mujaheddin following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. That failure led directly to the rise of both the Taliban, and to the rising power of Osama Bin Laden.

Whenever I mention OBL's name, I have a flashback to the Iran-Contra Hearings in the Senate. At one point in those hearings, then Tennessee Senator Al Gore asked Colonel Ollie North why he had installed a $100,000 dollar Security System in his home. Colonel North answered, "Because a very bad man has threatened to kill me and my Family". Smiling, Al asked North, " Just who is this "Very Bad Man", and Ollie replied, "His name is Usama Bin Laden".*

Now Folks, those hearings were held in 1987, a full 14 years prior to 9-11, 2001, and 10 or 12 years before Al Queda blew up the USS Cole,...So, can we agree that CIA, NSA, and FBI dropped that ball Big Time ? Additionally, in that 14 year span, we had the Beirut Marine Barracks, various Embassy attacks, "Black Hawk Down" in Somalia, and many other incidents that should have been instructive to Us, and made us aware that a well-funded, and highly organized entity had declared War on Us.

So, to return to Today's problem of people like Edward Snowden, and the young Bradley Manning. Now, I believe that Private Manning was offended and outraged by the actions of coalition Troops that he observed in his position in Army Intelligence, and that he thought the world would benefit from his disclosures. The hard fact remains that Private Bradley swore and oath to defend his Country, and he knew full well that he was only in a position to access such information because he had had the Background checks, and advanced security ratings to be working at that level in the first place. Manning should have gone to his Superiors, or even his Unit Chaplain with his problem, Not revealed it to a malicious, anti-American foreigner !

On the other hand, I believe Snowden is, and was, seeking Fame and Fortune. He expected The Guardian to pay him, for Foreign Governments and Leaders to greet him as a hero, and to return home at some point, as the fair-haired Boy of the Liberal Media ! Obviously, lil' Edward was a victim, a victim of Right-Wing propaganda, which told him that the Media, and All Liberals hate America, despise our Government, and will do anything to damage either. Nobody told him that the Press and Media People who travel the World, embed with Our Armed Forces, and spend time in other Nations, are some of the Most Patriotic, because, like Veterans such as myself, we've seen how the rest of the world lives, seen what freedoms we have here, and wouldn't live anywhere else on the globe but right here in the U.S.A. So, suck it Eddie, I hope you end up in The Gulag !

* I want to acknowledge that some of the background of this article was drawn from my recent re-reading of Former National Security Adviser Richard A. Clarke's excellent book "Against All Enemies" a book I highly recommend for those who want to know more about the lead-up to 9-11, and the Bush Administration's failures which took us There.

http://fb-hoosierherm.newsvine.com/_news/2013/07/05/19310251-whats-your-opinion-of-edward-snowdens-actions

My 2012 Election Prediction 7-2-2012

O.K. Friends, I've been pretty accurate in my Election predictions over my Blogging time, which dates to before the 1999 Debacle of The Hanging Chads, one I predicted that Al Gore would win by a Squeaker,.. But, I hadn't taken in to account, the fact that Jeb Bush was the Governor of an Important state like Florida. Nor, had I even imagined in my wildest dreams, that an election would be decided by a Supreme Court full of G.H.W. Bush appointees of a Conservative bent

The only reason I even predicted that Election would be a squeaker, was Gore's poor decision to try to distance himself from the most successful Democratic Administration since FDR. His avoidance of the scandals, the attempted Impeachment, and all the stained dress jokes, was a very bad decision, because while it was an effort to bring in the "Family Values" Independents, it lost him a lot of the Party base, because most Democrats at that time, would have voted to set aside the 22nd Amendment, and elected Willie Jeff to a Third term. So, a strategy meant to attract swing voters, sent that targeted demographic straight to the Bush side, and prevented what could have been a Gore landslide, (even without the state of Florida), into an unprecedented Supreme Court appointment of what I still call "The Bush / Cheney Junta".

So, with my one admitted Failure at predicting these things behind us, here's my reasoning about this year's prediction. 

With 120 Days until Election Day 2012, polls are starting to turn in President Obama's favor. In Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, Important States all, Willard Romney's former leads are dissolving. Leads based on his Business acumen, and supposed ability to run the Economy based on his business successes have disappeared. Partially, this is because of his refusal to show his Tax records, and with his inflated claims of how he saved the Salt Lake Olympics, claiming he left the Olympic Committee with a huge surplus, without mentioning that most of that surplus, and any reported profits claimed, were only there because of nearly a Billion Dollars of Federal money, (Taxpayer Money), was injected to forestall failure of those Games.

Willard's Foreign Policy skills, (or lack thereof), is another factor in his declining Poll numbers. Not only did he insult our Mother Country with his put-down of their Olympics presentation, but he also offended both The Israeli's and The Palestinians, first with his Anti-Semitic remarks regarding Israel's "Cultural Superiority", then added to that insult, by comparing  the two Nation's striking economic differences, without any acknowledgement that The Palestinians live in an Occupied Territory, and have for the past 60 years ! About the Only people he didn't offend on his first attempt at International relations, were the Polish people, and , well, they're Polish ! That was a Joke People. The Poles now have the most dynamic economy is Europe, outside of the Germans, and theirs is expanding faster than their old nemesis.
So, this failed Foreign relations venture, which was really just a Fundraising trip, turned into a massive Fail. It started with his racist comments in Australia, where a Campaign staffer said they thought that the Aussie's could better relate to Willard than to Obama, because they and Willard shared a WASP background, or as he put it, "A sense of "Anglo-Saxon" Traditions", which is to say, "Obama's a dumb Negro", which went over like a lead balloon with that audience, who's ancestors were deported to Australia for their failure to comply with the Laws and Traditions of  their Anglo-Saxon "Mother Country".

Romney Republicans Piss Me Off,...(Again)

5-25-2012 Hello Blog Friends ! Here's what's on my mind today: I'm kinda upset at the Democrats who say that it isn't "proper" for The President to use Willard Romney's record at Bain Capitol as a part of his campaign rhetoric ? Why Not ? If Romney is making his business experience, and record of successes as part of his stump speech, I believe the President has every right to use that same material to demonstrate that Romney has No connection to the Average citizen, and with Romney's support of the radical Republican Budget proposal, the Public has every Right to see just where another Republican Administration would take us.
 Yes, It would be Nice to go back to the Eisenhower Era, when the Nation was still feeling the growth of the Post-war years, and we Baby Boomers were in our Infancy, But, that's no more possible than the trips Marty Mc Fly took in the "Back to The Future" movies.
 Where Romney want's to takes Us is back to the Bush/ Cheney years, when the Wealthy had all the advantages possible, and the Welfare System had to be reborn to take care of the disintegrating middle class.
The Republicans want the Voters to see the slow growth of the economy under President Obama, and ignore the fact that the Bush years created the financial disaster that Obama faced on his first day in Office. The Truth, is that it's an amazing fact that we have any growth at all, given the Worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression.
 What Really, Really pisses me off, is that Willard has even tried to claim credit for the Auto Industry's amazing comeback, saved by the very same Bail-Out that the Repub's have bitched about since day one ! These same Idiots have tried to sell the idea that Obama-care is a mess, and a huge burden on small business, which is keeping them from growing new jobs, when every fact points to lowering Health Care costs in a more competitive environment. Another Great thing that's happened, is that Families with children with Pre-existing conditions are now being covered in Health Care Policies for the first time ever, so there will never be another Family losing everything because of Medical costs of one of their loved ones. All this, and yet most of the Benefits of so-called Obama Care don't even go into effect until 2014 !

2012, Election Year Thoughts and Opinions(See Update Below )

DateLine: 1-25-2012

Hello Blog Mates ! It seems like only a few weeks since I last updated this Blog, when in reality, it's been way longer than that, (16 months ?).

Maybe that's because Nobody took my warnings seriously, which resulted in a severe ass-whoopin' in the Mid-Term elections.

This backlash reaction to President Obama's first 2 years in office has given us the Idiot Tea-baggers who have been behind the down-grading of our US Credit Rating,(for the First Time Ever), so they are also the kernel of the "Just Say No to Everything" gridlock in both Houses of Congress.

 This time around, we are faced with the choice of giving Our President more time to deal with the crock of shit he inherited from the Bush/Cheney junta, and maybe a chance to get some actual Progress accomplished, instead of facing a right-wing road block to even the most politically neutral legislation.

Last night's "State of The Union" address was one of President Obama's better speeches, and while it was well received by most people, it was predictably criticized as a "Partisan Campaign Speech" by the Republican Presidential Primary candidates. To Me, (and most moderate viewers), it seemed like a challenge to a House divided, one which was achieved the Lowest Approval rating ever garnered by a Congress of these United States!
Obama's comments on the teamwork and sacrifice of Our Military, and how the Government should feel the same call to Duty was a deft political move, as was his asking them, (Congress), to re-engage in solving the Deficit, bringing our Tax Code back into reality, and rewarding businesses which bring their Jobs back to America.
How Any of those goals are Partisan is beyond me ?

I also don't view  his call for better limits and rules regarding Campaign Finance laws as Partisan, or Liberal, since the best efforts to fix this mess have come from Republicans like John McCain, furthermore, these PAC's and Super-Pac's, along with the misguided judges who declared Corporations to be "People Too" has been opposed by Actual People across the political spectrum. That's pretty much what's on my mind Today, but this is An Election Year, and that gets me pumped-up and ready to Blog and Battle for what I know to be The Right Thing to Do.
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The Hermanator Returns ! (5-6-2012) Update:

Hello Blog Friends ! Yes, I've been quite a Slacker in recent months, blame it on all the good games offered by Zynga Games on FaceBook !
But, it's Election Time again, and already I have been fascinated, angered, and confused by the Republican's pre-primary campaigning. Seldom in American Political history have such a wide selection of incompetents, bumblers and fools made themselves available for ridicule and scorn !.
That Perennial Candidate Mitten Romney is again on the campaign trail, and has displayed his wondrous gift for vacillation and changing with the polls and winds. Although Mitt has been considered the "front-runner" from the start, his polling has lagged behind nearly every other candidate, with a new "Non-Mitt" emerging as the top pick after each of the countless debates.
Despite his used-car salesman looks, and his constant flip-flopping, Governor Romney is undoubtedly 1 of the only 3 candidates with the intellect and experience to become President, with the other two being Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman.

(5-6-2012) Update: Here we are, with 7 long months before the General Election. Willard is pretty much The Republican Candidate now, with Santorum and Newt now resigned to being the "Also Rans", and praying for some help with their Campaign Debt,..and maybe some "Mic Time" at the Convention? 


On the Correct side of the General Election, President Obama made his first Official Campaign speeches in Ohio and Virginia yesterday. Critics are quick to point out that he has been visiting colleges and 'fund-raisers' for weeks now, and that's true, but yesterday was the first time he had used the "Forward" Slogan as part of the Stump speech.

 Judging by the loud and rambunctious University crowd at that Event, it seems as though The President is going to be able to ensure that he has the Youthful Vote securely in hand right from the Get-Go of this election season. CNN spoke with some local Campaign Volunteers who are happily picking up where they left-off in 2008. 
His ability to generate the enthusiasm of those under-40 Voters will be the key to a re-election that is closer to a Landslide than the "Sqeaker" that will result if Obama can only motivate Baby Boomer Progressives and the traditional Blue Collar base of the Party. 
It's shaping up to be a very intense and brutal battle, this Election, as well as super-polarizing alongside a deep philosophical divide that already exists  within each Party, and in the Nation as a whole.
This Point of Contention exists in every election year, and the basics are this; Conservatives believe that Liberals are anti-business, pro-socialism, less patriotic, and less "God fearing" than they themselves are. They also seem to believe that, given just one more chance, Supply Side Economics, and it's mythical companion "Trickle-Down" Will Work ! Yes, despite 30 years economic History, and practical application, they still believe that failed policy should be revived, and that The Bush Tax Cuts should be written in stone, much as the Ten Commandments.

It's that narrow minded Luddite thinking that has me convinced, that My Party, "The Patriotic Liberal Party", should be filled with clear-thinking moderates from Both Parties, and be the First Third Party to gain credence for more than one Election Cycle. I'm serious here People ! The two-party System has become too Polarized, and has cost so much time, money, and Gridlock, that it can no longer be seen as a working relationship that benefits the Nation, and Points-of-View are so far apart that no bridge of Reason can cross that Gap.  
What do YOU Think ?

Like I said, It's going to be an amazing year for Political Junkies like myself ! 

Grassroots Democrats and Progressives Arise ! (NoW)

A short Two Years after the election of Barack Obama, all those first-time Voters, ( and many traditional Democrats ), have either lost their enthusiasm for politics, or, sadly, many are "drinking the Kool Aid" of the Tea-Party nutjobs, and of those Very Same Republicans who got US in this mess in the first place.

Now, let me state that I voted for John McCain. Not because I approved of his flaky choice of a VP Candidate, but because he is a fellow Naval Aviator, and because he has been a Hero of mine since the day he arrived back on American soil. On that Momentous day, just released POW McCain refused to debark on crutches or a wheelchair, instead, he stumbled down that ramp from the aircraft, fell to his knees, and kissed the ground of the Nation he had suffered so much for. Senator McCain is also the Only Republican that I have consistently agreed with over the years.

That said, I knew that Obama was going to carry Indiana, a feat that no Democrat had accomplished since LBJ won the Election of 1964. Personally, I was rooting for Hillary to be the Dem's Candidate, and I really resented the way she was treated by the Party Leadership, especially the Rules Committee that gave 1/2 her Michigan Votes to Obama, who hadn't even run in that Huge Union State.

Back to Today: We are in danger of losing control of Congress, which will render Obama a "Lame Duck" President for the second half of his Term. This will also pretty much ensure that he won't get any further legislation passed, and will end up another "One Term Wonder", like Jimmy Carter.

These two events will almost assure that we get another conservative Republican as our Next President, in which case, all of us that are mere Millionaires and below, will pretty much become a disenfranchised under-class, and Big Oil, Big Health Care, and Big Wall Street will finish their destruction of the Our economy, and finish the sale of America's future to the Chinese, and / or the Arab Oil Countries.
The reason they call these huge Corporations "Multi-Nationals", is because they know no loyalty but to profit, and to the advancement of their own interests and fortunes. When America becomes unlivable, and falls into revolt and chaos, these folks will still have their homes on Islands they own, or anywhere in Europe, or South America, where they can live just fine with their billions on Yen, Reals, Pesos, or whatever replaces the Dollar as the International Currency !

Sound Alarmist to You ??
Well,.. If I had told you on the day President Clinton left office (with Trillions of Dollars of economic surplus), that The Bush Family's idiot son George would steal the election from Al Gore, give All that surplus money to the super-rich, and then would ignore all warnings and briefings about Usama Bin Laden, and concentrate all our intelligence gathering toward finding a reason to invade Iraq, would you have believed me ?
Well, I might not have believed those predictions myself, but, you had better believe Me this time, because I don't want to be right about this forecast, especially after it has come to pass !

So, What can we do ? Get out and Vote ! "Vote Early, and Vote Often", as the old saying goes ! LoL

If you worked for Obama's Election, if you talked to neighbors, friends and family about the importance of that Election, then you had better do Twice as much right now, because keeping the Republicans out of office Now, is just as important as putting this Administration in place in 2008. Maybe it's more important ?

100 Years in The Making !

Finally, after 46 years,( since the Medicare Program was created ), We, The People have a National Health Care Program !
I could sure have used this back when I was raising my son, and had to either lie about my income, work a second job "under the Table", or remain 'under-employed' so I would have Medicaid for my boy's Health Care.
In reality, congress has been striving to provide a national health care plan since Teddy Roosevelt's Administration. Yes, Ol' Rough-Ridin' Teddy, The man who gave us our National Parks System, also foresaw the need for more Doctors and Hospitals, and a way for America's working people to have the same quality and availability of Health Care that the privileged Class of people he came from enjoyed !

As a life-long Democrat, I will be the first to admit that LBJ's "Great Society" programs gave entitlement to welfare to millions of people who became trapped in the rules and regulations of that flawed program, and that it created 5 or 6 generations of a Welfare-addicted underclass of criminals and teen-aged "baby machines".

That program had many flaws, and they weren't really corrected until the Clinton Administration's reforms, which created "WorkFare", and pretty much ended Welfare as we knew it.
This set of programs will have it's flaws too, and the may be numerous, and costly, but they will be fixed quickly, and at Least they have made a start on reform !

What do you all Think ?