Our president has not shown himself to be a political brawler, nor even courageous, nor perhaps even principled. You can argue that the last comment is unfair, that his principles ARE to give everything to Wall Street and the world's richest CEOs, and toss his own base, and 98% of his own country under the proverbial bus. If that's the case, he's been very effective so far.
Still, it galls this Obama supporter and '08 donor to see him so absent recently.
Take Egypt. First, he was on the side of the protesters. Then, when it looked like Mubarak might hold on, he flopped, and threw his support behind a "gradual" reform process - one that didn't scare Israel and kept military contractors happy. Then, when Mubarak made support impossible with his rambling speech (which showed that he's probably in the early stages of dementia), he backed the protesters' call for Mubarak to step down, and for the VP (Suilimann, the torture guy) to take over with the military. Bold, very bold.
Now, I don't have to be objective, because I'm a crank, not a journalist. I can take an opinion on Obama, and stick to it, ignoring any facts I want. I don't have to see the other side of the argument. But in Egypt, there is a case to be made that Obama played it correct. That although he didn't come out strong and demand Mubarak and his government cave in to the protest, and seemed to coddle the dictator when Glenn Beck was yelling about the coming global caliphate, it seems that behind the scenes the Pentagon was working the cell phones with the President's blessing. Our generals, who trained with Egyptian generals, were talking continually. And when Mubarak didn't concede gracefully, Obama had our guys call and put the word to the Egyptian army that he had to go. The implicit threat was that billions in military aid, some of which the Egyptian generals siphon off to themselves, would go away. If that's the case - credit where credit is due - that was a bit of a "chess-master" move.
I just wish he'd chess-master it up where I think it really counts. Two issues where Obama has once again come up limp when we need him strong: Curveball and Wisconsin.
Curveball, if your memory is longer than the last Superbowl, was the Iraqi informant that told the Bush Administration about mobile chemical weapons labs that Saddam Hussein had in Iraq. And actually, your memory only needs to last about a week, 'cause Curveball's been in the news for the last few days. He has given an interview in which he said: "I lied, because I wanted shit." (Not an actual quote - but the gist of it.)
That summuma bitch made up, out of whole cloth, the main reason that the Bush Administration used to go to war. A war that killed over 4000 Americans and untold numbers of Iraqi men, women and children, and has currently rendered millions of Iraqis homeless. So, we should hate him. Here's the rub. This story has brought to mind stories from 2005, notably in the LA Times, that explained how German Intelligence Service, as early as 2000 (take note here - BEFORE 911), told our intelligence services that Curveball was crazy. He was a mentally unstable chemical engineer in Iraq who was fired by the Iraqis because he was nuts. He told stories to the Germans because he wanted asylum in Germany.
Here's the key part: the Germans were CRYSTAL CLEAR when communicating with American intelligence operatives who wanted to talk to Curveball after 911. They said "this guy's crazy. He's full of shit, and you should not believe what he says." Now, the asshole himself says: "yeah, I was full of shit, and you shouldn't have believed what I said." And yet, Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld selected him to be their reason to go to war. Colin Powell is now trying to do damage control for his reputation by dredging up this story, and claiming that HE was duped by this Curveball fellow, and implies that he was also duped by the Administration to put his credibility on the line.
First off, Powell please...you knew. You were and are a smart fellow, who was the commander of Operation Desert Storm - you know that theatre of operations. You chose to be a good soldier for the Bush Administration, and sold the case for war to the UN and the American People. Fuck you, Colin, and shove your damage control up your ass.
Second off, the war criminals in the Bush Administration KNEW that Curveball was full of shit. They didn't care. They were counting on the American media and the American people being so stupid, and/or so docile, that they could create out of whole cloth a reason to go to war, and that we wouldn't know better, or care. This was war on a whim, and many, many thousands died as a result. And, my grandchildren will still be paying the bill to Saudi Arabia and China. No no no...this was a war crime, and a horrible wrong perpetrated on the American people, Iraq (especially!) and the world.
And this leads to Obama. Can you, for the love of all things sweet and spicy, look back for a change. C'mon Mr. President, hold these fuckers accountable. 4000+ dead American soldiers, sailors and airmen. Hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis. There has to be SOME accountability for the powerful in this country. Government war criminals, Bush Administration lawyers that enabled torture, a Justice Department that was used as a political arm of Carl Rove, and most recently - Wall Street CEOs that committed massive fraud on the American taxpayer...hold someone powerful accountable!
As a nation, we lead the world in incarcerations. We jail more of the folks, per capita, than any other industrialized democracy on earth. Weed, crack, heroin, petty larceny - jails packed to the brim. Steal billions, start an unnecessary war that kills hundreds of thousands, kidnap people, then hold them indefinitely without habeus corpus, and then torture them - write books and make millions on the lecture circuit. This is a big reason why we Americans feel that our government doesn't represent us anymore. The Tea Party is a symptom of this, and they are the tip of the spear. As we look at ourselves as Americans, and juxtapose it to the events in Egypt and Tunisia, we realize that we too have a ruling elite, and that they are fucking us, and getting away with torture and murder. How long until we Americans are filling a civic square demanding our President's departure? Well...
...look no further than Wisconsin.
Thousand of Wisconsin citizens are filling the public areas around the capital in Madison, Wisconsin. They are demanding that their newly elected Republican governor stop his assault on the public employee unions. This Republican has proposed a law that strips teachers and other public employee unions of the right to collectively bargain. He is, essentially, killing the unions. No other interpretation. He did, by the way, exempt the police and firefighters' unions. Hmm...why did he do that? Oh yeah, they ENDORSED him in the November election. Teachers, janitors, other many and myriad public servants did not endorse him, so they are to now lose their ability to freely assemble and bargain for fair wages and working conditions. Corrupt much?
Which brings us to President Obama. Mr. President, with respect...where the fuck are you? Why are you not on the capital steps in Wisconsin? Why are you not standing for American labor? Why are you not standing up for the average American working stiff? The only logical answer is that he is not on our side.
To be fair (which I have already stated I feel NO OBLIGATION to be), the President did state that the Governor's proposal was an attack on labor. He said basically that he was against it. Wow, how bold. But your presence in Wisconsin would put actual pressure on the governor to do the right thing. It would do good for the working public servants of Wisconsin and America. But you flew to Oregon instead - to visit an Intel plant.
President Obama, in light of the events in the Middle East, Americans who pay attention are tuned in to the idea of how a ruling elite can crush the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the people of a nation. Now, in the Wisconsin capital, a similar event is happening. If you, as president, are the representative of all the people, you need you to stand up for the working families against the interests of the powerful.
By the way, do you know why Wisconsin is in a budget crisis? Because their asshole Republican governor gave tax breaks to the rich. Unions will be crushed because the rich and powerful want it so. Obama, where art thou? Won't you help working Americans?
Do we hold our breath, and see if you will show up late in Wisconsin, like you showed up late in Egypt (figuratively)? No, anyone paying attention will not hold their breath.
You, Mr. President, have had it in for unions your entire tenure. The GM deal was tough on unions, but at least they were at the table. You followed Rahm in thumbing your nose at unions when they supported the Democratic challenger in Arkansas (by the way, how did that strategy work out for you? How bad did your candidate lose to the Republican? 20 points, or was it closer to 30?). After losing, you bashed organized labor for not just handing money to you. And your education policy basically does what Republicans have tried to to for decades: decertify teacher unions.
You have shown, by your actions, that you favor the top 2%. And that is what Americans paying attention see - our DEMOCRATIC president favors the top 2% over the remaining 98% of Americans. By your actions you make yourself a despot, akin to Mubarak, though not alike. (Notice here how I sound a lot like Glenn Beck. That is fucking disturbing! The question here, dear reader, is: am I insane, or are things that bleak?) I was an Obama supporter in 2008, and it pains me to say this. Not because I was wrong, but because I believe now that Obama is vested fully in a political system that has been fully corrupted by the obscene wealth of the top 2%.
He is part of the establishment, and the establishment no longer works for the American people, it works for, and is directed by the oligarchs. These oligarchs are now at work in the states, and will, state by state, dismantle all public largesse for the people. This largesse, that is, public dollars, will then flow to the top 2%, making them richer and more powerful.
Speaker of the House John "Boner" recently said of his proposed budget cuts, that if they cost American hundreds of thousands of jobs, "so be it." Nice. What an asshole. But it's hard to separate President Obama from him, who says some things sympathetic to the average American, but whose actions align with the elite in the proverbial ivory tower. And from that tower, instead of "so be it," they seem to say in unison to the American people a quote from a member of the French elite from over 200 years ago: "let them eat cake."
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Sharia Law USA via GOP
Alan Greyson was criticized recently by George Will, for being a cancer on the American body politic. His apparent vitriol in his last campaign, which included calling his opponent "Taliban Dan" for his Republican foe's stance on women's choice. Thank goodness that such a dirty political fighter as Greyson lost his seat to a multi-millionaire Republican suck-bag. Imagine...calling Republicans the Taliban!
What Greyson said, he said in October. Now, a little over three months later, Republicans in the House are asking for, well Sharia law in America - to an extent. In one bill, the abortion restriction for federal money is being extended not just to rape, but to "forcible" rape only. That's it, "forcible" rape as defined by the men of the Republican party.
So...incest? Nope, no abortion for you if you rely on Medicare, Medicaid, any government insurance or even a health savings account. Statutory rape? Forty year old dude impregnates your middle school daughter? Nope. Date rape? Nope. Hows about a woman who is drugged, then raped? Hey, no force was used, so fuck no! No, that rapist has to use force. How much? I'm sure they'll find some Republican men to decide.
In another bill, doctors are being given the right to refuse any abortion procedure under any circumstance, even if the life of the mother is in immediate danger. The current law states that if a doctor has religious objections to abortion, he has to stabilize the woman, and facilitate her transfer to a doctor who is not such a fundamentalist fuck-ball that he can be bothered to save her life. This bill would do away with even that requirement. The doctor would be allowed, in adherence with his religious beliefs, to stand there and watch both woman and baby die.
Suffice it to say, there is no male equivalent to these draconian restrictions. Men do not face these circumstances, in large part due to the prevailing biology of our species. We can't get pregnant, so we do not face this circumstance. But to give a doctor the power of life and death based on his or her on religious prejudice over one gender only is insane in a 21st century democracy.
If Congress redefines rape for the purposes of abortion, won't that also make its way into the criminal courts, and make it much harder to prosecute rapists? And, to let Congress redefine rape because of the far right's religious viewpoint is strictly from the Taliban playbook. Take the sharia law requirement for proving rape. There are cases in Islamic courts all the time that go like this. If a woman claims she has been raped, she must have four male witnesses. If she doesn't, since she in the course of seeking justice for the rape admitted that she had sex, she is punished for adultery. I can hear the Alabama judge now: "He slipped you rohipnol, and then fucked you in the club's men's room while you were passed out over a urinal? That's not rape anymore, according to Congress. Now get out of my courtroom you dirty slut. Bailiff, wipe down that chair!"
By the way - show me where in the Bible it says not to have abortions. Abortions are mentioned in the Old Testament, but are not prohibited. No, as usual, this is a bullshit social issue used effectively by Republicans to divide and conquer. But the real biblical issue underlies this, and should have all women in the streets with torches and pitchforks - the taking of their bodies by men as property. Women as chattel, is at the root of this. That women will have less rights over their bodies, less protection from the law, less privacy with their doctors and a lesser level of care from the medical system than men shows how much less a person the Republicans consider women.
Yes, Alan Greyson was closer to the mark than even his supporters knew. The GOP wants the Christian version of sharia law here in America. They want women to revert to the status of property, and to deny them sexual safety and reproductive liberty. They are the worst.
What Greyson said, he said in October. Now, a little over three months later, Republicans in the House are asking for, well Sharia law in America - to an extent. In one bill, the abortion restriction for federal money is being extended not just to rape, but to "forcible" rape only. That's it, "forcible" rape as defined by the men of the Republican party.
So...incest? Nope, no abortion for you if you rely on Medicare, Medicaid, any government insurance or even a health savings account. Statutory rape? Forty year old dude impregnates your middle school daughter? Nope. Date rape? Nope. Hows about a woman who is drugged, then raped? Hey, no force was used, so fuck no! No, that rapist has to use force. How much? I'm sure they'll find some Republican men to decide.
In another bill, doctors are being given the right to refuse any abortion procedure under any circumstance, even if the life of the mother is in immediate danger. The current law states that if a doctor has religious objections to abortion, he has to stabilize the woman, and facilitate her transfer to a doctor who is not such a fundamentalist fuck-ball that he can be bothered to save her life. This bill would do away with even that requirement. The doctor would be allowed, in adherence with his religious beliefs, to stand there and watch both woman and baby die.
Suffice it to say, there is no male equivalent to these draconian restrictions. Men do not face these circumstances, in large part due to the prevailing biology of our species. We can't get pregnant, so we do not face this circumstance. But to give a doctor the power of life and death based on his or her on religious prejudice over one gender only is insane in a 21st century democracy.
If Congress redefines rape for the purposes of abortion, won't that also make its way into the criminal courts, and make it much harder to prosecute rapists? And, to let Congress redefine rape because of the far right's religious viewpoint is strictly from the Taliban playbook. Take the sharia law requirement for proving rape. There are cases in Islamic courts all the time that go like this. If a woman claims she has been raped, she must have four male witnesses. If she doesn't, since she in the course of seeking justice for the rape admitted that she had sex, she is punished for adultery. I can hear the Alabama judge now: "He slipped you rohipnol, and then fucked you in the club's men's room while you were passed out over a urinal? That's not rape anymore, according to Congress. Now get out of my courtroom you dirty slut. Bailiff, wipe down that chair!"
By the way - show me where in the Bible it says not to have abortions. Abortions are mentioned in the Old Testament, but are not prohibited. No, as usual, this is a bullshit social issue used effectively by Republicans to divide and conquer. But the real biblical issue underlies this, and should have all women in the streets with torches and pitchforks - the taking of their bodies by men as property. Women as chattel, is at the root of this. That women will have less rights over their bodies, less protection from the law, less privacy with their doctors and a lesser level of care from the medical system than men shows how much less a person the Republicans consider women.
Yes, Alan Greyson was closer to the mark than even his supporters knew. The GOP wants the Christian version of sharia law here in America. They want women to revert to the status of property, and to deny them sexual safety and reproductive liberty. They are the worst.
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