If the text looks a little strange, it will be because we are converting to a MAC-based system, and as much as we love working with the OS 10 system, we're still a little 'green'.
That said, let's jump right in!
The rest of my last rant will appear as soon as I can migrate it onto this system, edit same and upload.
For our first item, we need to enlist your support. If you've been watching the news lately, you've been hearing a lot about Iran and that country's so-called pursuit of nuclear (or as dubya would say, nucular) weapons. Alas, the little boy is crying 'wolf' once again. The last time he did, we sent troops into Iraq where we were quagmired almost immediately. Now, over three thousand young lives have been lost, countless thousands more are crippled for life and the situation in that country grows worse every day.
Now, the failed policy in Iraq is being debated in the public arena, so to divert attention, Bush and the same cabal of chicken-hawks are trying to make a case for invading Iran. Make no mistake. The Administration wants a pretext, any pretext, to send troops into Iran. And don't believe for a moment the pronouncements of the President's press secretary, Tony Snow.
Unfortunately, all this talk about Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons is a sham. Big surprise, right? It should be noted that NOT ONE of the other nations in the area are as inflamed about this issue, except Israel. Of course, it is understandable that Israel should be so distressed. Iranian President Ahmed Armedinijad has been calling for the destruction of the Israeli state for years. Now that he has become President, it seems to have climbed to the top of his agenda. But, here's the kicker:
According to Jane's Weapons Systems (the ultimate authority on all war-making systems), Iran WILL NOT, repeat, WILL NOT, have nuclear weapons capability (including a delivery system) for at least FIVE, or possibly as much as EIGHT years! You'd think that Iran would be able to nuke Israel next month to hear the administration's arguments. Nuclear weapons technology is incredibly complex. There are websites out there that claim that the specs are out there and are amazingly easy to obtain. This is a myth. Go ahead, 'google' "nuclear weapons technology" and see what you can find that has the amount of specificity necessary to actually build such a weapon. Here's where you, my dear reader comes in.
I've been emailing Joe Scarborough (on MSNBC.Com) trying to make that case clear to him. He won't reply. Now Joe IS a political conservative, so it could be understandable that he would follow the White House lead on this story. But, it goes deeper than that. If you bring out the truth (in the previous paragraph), basically, there is NO STORY there. And, of course, nuclear weapons is a big story. Make it go away and the staff has to go looking elsewhere to find something to report on. Unfortunately, the only other game in town right now is the Iraq debacle and Scarborough and company are opined that that story is just a tad stale, so to speak. Help me, please! Go on the web to: http://www.joe.msnbc.com. When you get to his page, you'll find a link near the upper right-hand corner that invites you to email Joe. Click the link, then write your own email to him urging him to not be a party to this travesty. Quote this blog if you like, but it's more important that you make him understand that there are people out here who are dedicated to telling the truth, despite the blather that the White House and the commercial networks are spinning. And, don't do this for me. I'm a pretty old guy with fewer days ahead of me than behind. Do it for your children and for their children and your neighbor's children. They're the ones who'll have to live with the consequences of an all-out nuclear conflagration. Invading Iran or striking Iran will be just the spark that will set the middle east aflame and ultimately trigger such a catastrophe.
We're aware that you may have concerns over my credibility. Some weeks ago, we did assert that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would be assassinated for allowing India to sign a nuclear agreement with the United States without objection on his part. We were, apparently, incorrect on the timing of such an assassination. We do, however, stand by our assertion that he (Musharraf) is living on borrowed time. There have been two such attempts since he ascended to power. Will the third time be the charmed? What do you think?
Which brings me to the next item. My email address has changed. Here it is: rbec4@mac.com
We hope to hear from you with your thoughts. Communication is best when it is two-way and we firmly believe in the principle that Thomas Jefferson espoused; namely that given the choice between a strong government and a weak press and a weak government and a strong press, his preference was for the strong press. Well said, Mr. Jefferson!
Next up: Stop The Presses! - Part II (conclusion)
Today is Tuesday, January 30, 2007; just 721 days until the end of the Bush Administration
Showing posts with label MSNBC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSNBC. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
FWIW - The Naked Truth
Sorry, but we teased you a little with the title. Sorry, no naked ladies here. (Actually, that was a tiny reference to my other website) Seriously, this was more of a reference to “the emperor has no clothes”.
And, in this case, the emperor is George W Bush. One has to wonder about the Chief Executive’s grip on reality. He (‘Dubya’) said it himself, “We took a thumpin’…”, referring to the November 7th elections. The Democratic Party took back control of both houses of Congress, twelve years after the Republicans drove them from the hill. In general, those Republicans who got their walking papers were supporters of the President’s Iraq policy (ok, alleged policy). To be fair, there were indeed other factors, such as corruption. Even there, one has to admire the Republican Party. The Democrats took 40 years to get to the level of corruption and influence peddling that the Republicans achieved in only 12. Other issues like Katrina and a do-nothing 109th Congress were major factors. Yet, above all, antipathy toward an administration that continually promised ‘victory…just around the corner’ then failed to deliver anything but worsening trends in a deteriorating state of civil war within Iraq sealed the fate of Republicans who tied themselves to the administration.
So, Wednesday, January 10th, the President addresses the nation on a supposed change of course on the war in Iraq. Of course, the administration had been hyping a ‘surge’ tactic almost before the ink on the Iraq Study Group report had dried.
Apparently the President didn’t get the message that the American people sent loud and clear on November. MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann observed that instead of redeploying out of Iraq, Mr. Bush appears to be trying to get this country primed for a military strike against Iran!
As of tonight, 50 out of 51 Democrats and eight Republicans in the Senate stand ready to deny the President funds for further escalation of the Iraq war.
One has to wonder if the President realizes just how close he is bringing this country to the point of all-out war in the Middle East. It is an interesting parallel to note that in Dubya’s youth, he was famous for “bringing in” so-called ‘dry holes’; that is, as an oil driller (a ‘wildcatter’ is the Texas term), he never brought in a producing oil well. Of course, it was other people’s money that was lost, not his own. If his last name had not been Bush, it would have been interesting to see how many wells he would have drilled; we believe very few.
In Iraq, likewise, this one man has ultimate responsibility for the deaths of more than 3,000 of our nation’s best and brightest. They’re not his own children, of course, and we have to wonder just how sincere this man is as he attempts to justify sending another 22,000 young people into a Viet Nam-type quagmire.
Don’t you agree that this emperor truly has no clothes? How can this one man callously disregard the sense of the American people that this is a lost cause, and that all we have done is to kick over a hornet’s nest for the sake of one man’s ego?
You should be getting angry, as I am. You should be writing to your Senators and Representatives demanding that this insanity end; that this country should take steps to regain respect before the rest of the civilized world and admit to stupidity, fear and arrogance in bringing this horrendous state of affairs into being. And then, we should seek the honorable way of removing our troops in such a manner as to allow the people of Iraq to sort out their own national goals, whatever they may be.
Dare we even hope for such a resolution? Are we enough of an honorable people to ask forgiveness of the Iraqis for all of the death and destruction we have caused?
Truly, the emperor has no clothes. And, apparently, no shame, either.
On a personal note:
We sadly note the passing of one person whom we were blessed to have met years ago. Dr. Henry Chamfield passed into rest Wednesday. I was one who was fortunate to have learned so much about the Jewish people from Henry. A true “mensch”, a genuinely righteous person, I am so much richer for having met him. Shalom, Henry.
Today is January 11th, 740 days left until the end of the Bush Administration.
Tomorrow: Thank you for the music!
And, in this case, the emperor is George W Bush. One has to wonder about the Chief Executive’s grip on reality. He (‘Dubya’) said it himself, “We took a thumpin’…”, referring to the November 7th elections. The Democratic Party took back control of both houses of Congress, twelve years after the Republicans drove them from the hill. In general, those Republicans who got their walking papers were supporters of the President’s Iraq policy (ok, alleged policy). To be fair, there were indeed other factors, such as corruption. Even there, one has to admire the Republican Party. The Democrats took 40 years to get to the level of corruption and influence peddling that the Republicans achieved in only 12. Other issues like Katrina and a do-nothing 109th Congress were major factors. Yet, above all, antipathy toward an administration that continually promised ‘victory…just around the corner’ then failed to deliver anything but worsening trends in a deteriorating state of civil war within Iraq sealed the fate of Republicans who tied themselves to the administration.
So, Wednesday, January 10th, the President addresses the nation on a supposed change of course on the war in Iraq. Of course, the administration had been hyping a ‘surge’ tactic almost before the ink on the Iraq Study Group report had dried.
Apparently the President didn’t get the message that the American people sent loud and clear on November. MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann observed that instead of redeploying out of Iraq, Mr. Bush appears to be trying to get this country primed for a military strike against Iran!
As of tonight, 50 out of 51 Democrats and eight Republicans in the Senate stand ready to deny the President funds for further escalation of the Iraq war.
One has to wonder if the President realizes just how close he is bringing this country to the point of all-out war in the Middle East. It is an interesting parallel to note that in Dubya’s youth, he was famous for “bringing in” so-called ‘dry holes’; that is, as an oil driller (a ‘wildcatter’ is the Texas term), he never brought in a producing oil well. Of course, it was other people’s money that was lost, not his own. If his last name had not been Bush, it would have been interesting to see how many wells he would have drilled; we believe very few.
In Iraq, likewise, this one man has ultimate responsibility for the deaths of more than 3,000 of our nation’s best and brightest. They’re not his own children, of course, and we have to wonder just how sincere this man is as he attempts to justify sending another 22,000 young people into a Viet Nam-type quagmire.
Don’t you agree that this emperor truly has no clothes? How can this one man callously disregard the sense of the American people that this is a lost cause, and that all we have done is to kick over a hornet’s nest for the sake of one man’s ego?
You should be getting angry, as I am. You should be writing to your Senators and Representatives demanding that this insanity end; that this country should take steps to regain respect before the rest of the civilized world and admit to stupidity, fear and arrogance in bringing this horrendous state of affairs into being. And then, we should seek the honorable way of removing our troops in such a manner as to allow the people of Iraq to sort out their own national goals, whatever they may be.
Dare we even hope for such a resolution? Are we enough of an honorable people to ask forgiveness of the Iraqis for all of the death and destruction we have caused?
Truly, the emperor has no clothes. And, apparently, no shame, either.
On a personal note:
We sadly note the passing of one person whom we were blessed to have met years ago. Dr. Henry Chamfield passed into rest Wednesday. I was one who was fortunate to have learned so much about the Jewish people from Henry. A true “mensch”, a genuinely righteous person, I am so much richer for having met him. Shalom, Henry.
Today is January 11th, 740 days left until the end of the Bush Administration.
Tomorrow: Thank you for the music!
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