Oh, yeah - right. We’ve made the world so much safer in our War of Terror. Is anybody keeping tabs on the blossoming insurgency around the world? Spain, Britain, and now India.
What we should’ve done is leave off our arrogant “Ameria Is Best” bullshit and worked with world leaders on a comprehensive solution toward world peace. Instead we go to war. Twice.
Can you believe this? “Scooter” Libby is charged with lying. That’s like saying “Don’t get caught breathing,” to our Repugnant Party, so natural, so imbued in the political mentality is willful fabrication. If being caught in a lie is criminal, most of America is guilty. Business – especially sales departments – thrive on the fabrication of reality. Surely we have enough evidence to include governments in general and this administration in specific, as a cadre of liars. As if we need further evidence, we only need notice the White House reaction to the indictment.
Our Favorite Shrubbery ™ came to his defense, of course, not that our president had any clue what was going on – it’s not like he actually makes any decisions, anyway. Old George just blinked into the camera like a Tasered Florida schoolchild, reading off cue cards.
While some members of the Lefty Elite are clambering for the Hollywood premiere of “Rove in Chains”, we already have the scapegoat, and the real decision makers will scrape by on this one. Mark my words. Really: to be caught out for lying is really pathetic considering the magnitude of the allegations, the time and taxpayers dollars wasted in this case. If that’s the best Mr. Fitzgerald can do this late in the game our dreams of karmic retribution are over. About the best we can hope for is a ninth-inning rally while the bases are loaded against us.
It is time to come out of the cupboard? No, not closet, that’s a different issue. I mean the cupboard I hide in during bowl games, march madness and – yes – the World Series. Forgive me for being a spoil sport (pun intended), but I cannot get excited about the corporate- fueled hype surrounding the battle of the bulging, steroid-enhanced biceps that occurs thrice a year as the team sport seasons close.
Let us examine the reason behind professional sports as matters stand in the twenty-first century: Pools of investors buy a Team; other investors, as unrelated corporate entity, buy a Stadium; together they have a singular goal – to enhance investor share value. To accomplish this, the sign talented young people who own a passion for the Game, pamper them, feed their egos, and generally treat them as demigods. Then there’s my personal issue with players salaries.
Professional sport salaries are as inflated as the hype, as untenable as the illusion of spectacle surrounding the whole industry. The hyperbolic value that is placed on whether Team A wins over Team X, fed through the feedback loop of paper-pushing news media, exacerbated by the unanswerable frustrations of Joe Sixpack, echoes with its own intrinsic emptiness. None of this has import.
I’m not saying this because I grew up in a family stigmatized by Chicago Cub fandom. Not at all. I say this as I read new reports about war, genocide, political corruption and the dissolution of the American Way; all the good stuff in the news these days. If we had but ten percent of the wasted money poured into the gaping maw of Professional Sports, Inc., and diverted it into (insert name of favorite global charity), we could be building a better world for our children by addressing hunger, disease, illiteracy or any other rampant social ills our highly mechanized, ultra-technological global society cannot find in their hearts or pocketbooks to conquer.
So as I stretch my cramped limbs, blink in the light outside my cupboard, hearing reports of how a Home Team swept the World Series and I yawn: Big Deal. Now we can get back to life, and shake ourselves of the self-indulgent illusion of fandom. As Buddhist say to maintain their perspective: “Will it matter in 100 years,” I say will it matter next year? If the answer is “No,” then it does not matter today, either.
Go, Sox.
Grand gestures of sweeping political reforms. National Security. Irrational exuberance combined with frantic urgency. A government unable to govern.
These are the ingredients in the latest unearthed evidence of ongiong rectal coring of the American people. Unisys corp has been bilking the governmet everywhere it can to swell a billion-dollar contract until it bursts. A few days ago we learned that a division of a division of Halliburton is using illegals to performs the jobs union electricians whould be doing, likely charging union scale, we now see how others are diverting up the Nationa Debt into corporate coffers.
This, my friends, is the crux of the Republican agenda: Maximizing shareholder value. (insert rhetorical question here) Who pays for this?
Tax cuts and more tax cuts.
Removing corporate accountability controls through legislation.
Two (count ‘em) wars.
Growing government in the guise of national security.
Outrageous spending.
No-bid Contracting by the billions.
Cronyism.
Incompetence.
Tally it up, folks - it’s your money on the line. Impeach Bush!
The NRA, with it’s huge lobbying system, won a hollow victory yesterday. Hollow in that whatever laws are enacted today can be revoked tomorrow. Let them who love their weapons dance in the street waving their M-16’s like Hamas militants; our nation is never very far from violence in the streets at the best of times. These are not the best of times.
Hollow again, because the most powerful weapon ever created is replicated in all countries everyday. This weapon is so insidious, so dangerous, that the entirety of human history is replete with stories of the damage this weapon causes. From as far back as humans have recorded, this weapon has maimed, murdered, and committed boundless atrocities, and yet never have the powerful addressed this problem. The weapon is?
The human mind: Nothing that man can create can rival the unparalleled destructive propensity of the human mind. The overwhelming majority of people cannot control their minds, cannot understand that to comprehend the inner workings of their consciousness is, in fact, the highest calling attainable to humanity. The simple act of knowing how our untamed minds can adversely affect ourselves and others, and the accompanying heart-felt desire to improve our own lives through taming our minds, can achieve wonders. This, more than any weapon, ideology or cultural bias, can transform the world.
Guns aren’t the problem. The problem is people.
George Bush and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas are meeting today. These guys have a lot in common: both are representatives of a minority faction desperately holding on to power any way they can; both are doomed to fail in their political goals. Both Men have ascended to power riding the backs (and pocketbooks) of extremist organizations within their own countries. Both men are hated by a majority of citizens within and without their regions of influence.
Among a variety of subjects, Mr. Bush will try to convince Mr. Abbas to allow candidates from Hammas into the government. Hammas, as you know, is the premier hate group within the Palestinian controlled territories. The sole purpose and the reason for being of Hammas is to abolish the Israeli State with as much bloodshed as possible.
President Abbas has tried, so far unsuccessfully, to pacify Hammas in order to fold them into whatever future there may be for Palestine; Hammas refuse to be marginalized. Perhaps they understand that to compromise their untenable position is tantamount to failure. Extremism cannot compromise.
That Mr. Bush thinks Hammas is just a bunch of good-old-boys is evident of his pressing for inclusion. This is like wanting American senators to represent the neo-Nazi movement. Based upon the usual “America is Best” hyperbole, the assimilation of Hammas is, as is most of Mr. Bush’s policies, fatally flawed. For billions of people worldwide, America is not “Best.” If that were the case we wouldn’t have to force democracy at gunpoint in trouble regions. See yesterday’s post on Liberia as example.
America should leave Israel to deal with its own solution. This cannot possible be as murderous, infantile, and crude as America’s ongoing War on Terror.™ Until and unless we learn to clean up our own transgressions, we have no place forcing a leader of a depressed people, a leader of a small population of extremists, to follow our lead.
Now, if we would only stop selling guns to the Palestinians…
When did we attack Liberia? They’re having a democratic-styled election there and we haven’t even forced them into it. That’s now how it’s supposed to go…
First, thousands of people are supposed to die through starvation, brutality, and mismanagement. Next, a series of political coups occur that causes immense collateral damage among the populace. Last, The US of A, in a blizzard of Deus ex machina and righteous fury, depose the tyrant and save the day.
Run the credits…
That’s not what’s happening in Liberia. They don’t play by those rules. True, they did receive America’s backing for independence, but it was way back in the 1800’s – well before our holier-than-thou push for global Americanization-cum-Democracy. They’ve had their problems, most notably the 1989 attempted coup led by Charles Taylor (I knew a guy by that name once) that, after three years, remained unsuccessful due to an international force of West Africans. Charles Taylor became president and acted as the nations legally elected thug, skimming millions off neighboring Sierra Leone illicit diamond trade. Nevertheless, they managed to maintain their own republic for over 150 years without the aid of Captain America, and today they are having another election: All by themselves.
Can they do that?
I want to believe. You know, when I read press releases from the US delegation at the UN, I truly want to believe that they are concerned about Africa. What a relief it would be to know our leaders are addressing human rights issues, using our status in the world to aid the less fortunate and working hard creating a policy of fairness, based on Christian ethics and values, toward a sector of humanity that needs our help. When Dr. Cindy Courville speaks, I want to believe she has every qualification to make sound decisions on behalf of Mr. Bush’s administration and that our president will act in harmony with her sage advise. I hope that Mr. Bolton can steer the United Nations to form a policy of forgiveness and understanding for past mismanagement of monetary aid in favor of the families that are suffering.
Wouldn’t that be nice? However, reality has a nasty way of intruding on our wishes. John Bolton, our new, highly critical ambassador to the UN, along with such unlikely allies asRussia,China and Algeria, has blocked testimony of a special advisor to Kofi Annan regarding the human rights abuses in Sudan. He said there are “other steps that the council should take… other than talking.” Bold language, but empty: In a movie script, one would expect those words to be followed up with an ingenious solution. Not so, here. John Bolton offers no remedy, just empty words. One newspaper wonders what he’s playing at. While violence is escalating, the US is bandying words about, blocking the voices of dissent.
I want to believe, I really do. Wouldn’t life be more comfortable at the gas pump if we were all comfy with the notion that the good old US of A has the best interests of mankind at heart, just like the press releases say? I want to believe, I do, I do, I do…
GALACTIC SENTINAL NEWSLETTER - WANT AD:
Planet for Sale: CHEAP!
Green, wet planet up for sale: One slightly used, still pretty, planet, profuse with life, available for immediate ownership. It could be garden paradise with a little TLC. Available resources for renovation from several neighboring planets provide exceptional value. Proximity to nearest star a plus for solar energy buffs! Package includes one moon, diverse landscapes and views, a unique geography of scattered continents with plenty of room to grow. Call now: this deal won’t last! 84-29837-00201
INTERPLANETARY REAL ESTATE BUREAU - NOTICE:
In response to a recent advertisement for the sale of a “garden paradise” planet, the IREB posts a general BUYER BEWARE notice upon the sale. The planet in question suffers an infestation of a semi-intelligent, viral life form. We believe this virus is dangerous. Any contact may have deleterious effects. The Bureau has suspended the sale contingent upon an investigation by IHO.
SPIRAL ARM NEWS AGENCY EVENING NEWS ITEM:
A survey team of Intergalactic Health Organization scientists has crash-landed on a highly contested planet inside the newly opened Outer Spiral. The so-called “Garden Planet” is under investigation of contamination. The IHO team’s last broadcast came from the planet surface, tight-beamed from their dying ship, included coordinates in a local desert on the Northern hemisphere of the planet. A rescue effort is already underway…
INTERPLANETARY HEALTH ORGANIZATION – MEMO:
“Garden paradise” planet preliminary results:
At the request of IREB, IHO began an investigation of an alleged “garden paradise” planet for sale by developers inside the newly opened Southern Outer Spiral Region. Said planet, believed to be infested with a hitherto unknown form of bipedal, mammalian viral life form that seems to have infiltrated most of the available areas of the planet. This virus shows highly aggressive behavior and is capable of reproducing at an alarming rate.
Theories abound within the IHO regarding this unusual disease, ranging from a new form of intelligent life to a uniquely adaptable planetary blight, and further study is necessary.
IHO recommends quarantine of the solar system surrounding the planet, a scan of the other planetary bodies within the solar perimeter, and a detailed study of the planet itself so we can understand the possible vectors and devise immunizations against the virus before further contact. Although preliminary reports suggest the virus to be constrained to this one planet, we call for a scan of all holdings of the developers’ assets for signs of contamination: we cannot ignore the possible dangers of allowing a spread of this unknown disease into the galaxy without knowing a cure.
SPIRAL ARM NEWS AGENCY EVENING NEWS ITEM:
A coalition of real estate developers entered a lawsuit against the IREB alleging unlawful restrictions of a small area of the Southern Outer Spiral. The legal battle centers on concerns of the safety of the region. Recently, and IHO probe team disappeared in a planet surface in the region, and the subsequent rescue team has not broadcast for the past two cycles. IHO spokespersons have not been available for comment, but the coalition of developers has been loudly proclaiming foul play. The IREB issued a statement yesterday stating the need for caution in the contested area due to a hitherto unknown blight, which the IHO teams are investigation. The developers claim such health concerns a fabrication, although no reasons are given to back that claim…
IREB – PUBLIC NOTICE:
The Interplanetary Real Estate Bureau, acting on concerns expressed by the Health Organization, hereby forbids the sale of any planets, moons, or systems, whole or in part, contained within the Southern Outer Spiral Region until further notice. Developers may contest this ruling by contacting IREB. We strongly recommend cessation of fly-by prospecting, and limit data gathering of the sector to robotic craft. This area is under quarantine due to a threat of viral contamination. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of applicable laws.
The Washington Post has a nice summation of the unraveling of the Bush Administration. I find it enjoyable to watch as justice is being served - albeit modestly - to perpetrators of deceit. While I understand that American-styled politics is fundamentally flawed, I can only chuckle inside at watching some of the benefactors of the Clinton Impeachment Roadshow get their own.
As they say: “No One Died When Clinton Lied.” How much more impeachable is wanton warmongering, obstruction of due process and hoodwinking a nation into a quagmire that is costing the lives of American youths and destroying a whole people overseas. While we busy ourselves with knocking down congressmen, lobbyists and advisors like bowling pins, the kingpin will soon stand alone. That’s okay; he’s not going anywhere… Yet.