The OWL: September 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Old Enough to Know that "LIES" don't WORK! ..

.. in the "Long-Run"

How old were you when you "figured-out" the riddle of "why" it doesn't make sense to tell lies?

The "lucky" among us, get there sometime around our late teens. Since "brat"-ism persists, today, (past the age of 35 for many), we're all plagued with the results of "mass-lying". We're all challenged to "find the lie" in a salesman's pitch; but what about the "politicians"??

Most of time, we can "tolerate" the politician's lies; that is a price we pay for having "representative" government. But in times like these, when the entire planet is recovering from deep economic breakdown, and all of the social and political pathologies that spring from it; political liars are particularly dangerous! In these times, ordinary ambition; ( necessary for any politician to "win"); produces monsters. We need only to consider the parallels between these times and the 1930's to get the point.

Then, there's the BIG LIE! The political monsters of the 1930s were particularly adept at using this technique. All Republican candidates (except one) embraced this technique, readily, in the run-up to the 2012 election. Tell a lie; over, and over, and over, .. and eventually people will behave as if its true; even when they know its NOT! Its a common failing among humans that political monsters, and religious leaders, understand very well.

My dad taught the eight of us not to engage in lying; for practical reasons! First, its very difficult to do, effectively. You constantly have to invent new lies; to cover the ones you've told. Then, it only takes the discovery of one lie to collapse the entire "house of cards". He went on to explain why lies lead to theft, and, eventually, to murder (or, wars; when the masses are involved)! Where are we, at this point, in this train of events?

The damages that attend mass-lying depend; on at what stage the liars are stopped. Hopefully, these ambitious up-start politicians who have now appeared on our Hard Right can be stopped by the voters in this country?

Stay Vigilant! "Slippery-slopes" in all directions?

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Will Our "EAGLE"; Ever, "Straighten-Up" & "Fly-Right" ??

We're Frayin' at the Edges & Crackin' in the Middle

With a spreading sense of despair, our citizens are facing, yet another, Government Shutdown (see THE OWL blog, same subject, 4/7/2011). Within weeks, we will also face, yet another, threat to Default on the Nation's Debts. Are we under attack by a foreign enemy? Yes, .. and No; that depends on whether you have paid attention to this nation's history since 1945, (the end of World War II).

These are the results of long-in-the-planning strategies and tactics of our home-grown Radical Right. We saw their face, first, in Senators McCarthy and Goldwater. Their adherents and backers have grown since, sowing dissension, confusion, and hatred. Their goal is complete and total take-over of the federal government by corporate and right-wing religious interests. Their principal animus is racial hatred.

Under the influence of this right-wing element in our politics, we have arrived at a point where both the very young and the very old among our citizens are in growing crises. Economic pressures, growing primarily from changes to our economy spawned by Presidents Johnson and Nixon, and implemented by President Reagan, came to full "bloom" in the economic collapse of 2008. The seeds were planted when we opened our doors to ex-Nazis following their defeat in World War II. Our Right Wing (primarily Republicans) has been growing in strength ever since.

Our country must stave off these current attempts to "Hijack" and "Extort" our Federal Government and get this country back on a sound economic and social footing. Then, young citizens can form new households and have both the time and the income to raise families. They have neither now.

Our ageing citizens can then live out their remaining years without fear of hunger and crippling health care costs.

Propaganda; sowing deliberate confusion and mayhem in our efforts to reform our Health Care System, has held sway in our Media. Their stories, are "touching, but sound just like a lie". Our Media, fully engaged in "sh*t-stirring for profit", has provided fuels for the fires that threaten to cripple the nation. Demagogues are coming into view, in preparation for a collapse. The general electorate has to find a way, soon, to stop this movement.

Stay Vigilant! A tiny Cabal must not be allowed to prevail!

Saturday, September 28, 2013

"REVELATIONS"

The Greatest Story (rarely) TOLD?

If you were like me, growing up; you lived in a house where you heard the Bible quoted, chapter and verse, daily. That's the problem! The chapters and the verses were selected; to reinforce a point, or highlight a circumstance. Rarely were the various biblical stories told from a beginning to an end; they were recited; as excerpts. Until now, that is.

Then, there were the movies: "Ben Hur" (1959), "Ten Commandments"(1956), and "The Robe"(1953)' all were Technicolor Productions by Hollywood, released during my teen years. More "excerpts"; re-arranged by Hollywood, so to speak.

Also, in my early life, there were the "Hell and Damnation" Preachers, in the various black Christian churches I attended. More, "scary", excerpts; in those sermons. I had a tough time matching those stories with people; like the Wassermans and Cantors, who lived, obscurely, among the blacks in my home town. The whites in Missouri, in those days, hated Jews as much as they hated us "Colored Folk". Pardon me for growing up thinking that Jews were not white.

We now have Reza Aslan's book: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. http://www.amazon.com/Zealot-Life-Times-Jesus-Nazareth/dp/140006922X

Beginning 164 years before the Common Era (BCE; formerly, BC), Reza Aslan provides a fascinating scholarly account (from non-religious sources; not from the various Christian Faiths). That was, approximately, 164 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. As I read his book, those old "excerpts" sprinkled among my many memories, "burst" into the present. The account Aslan provides fill in many "gaps" in what I thought I knew about the history of the empire(s), the people(s) and the religion(s) that have dominated events on this planet , to this day!

Stay Vigilant! This book arrives at a time when Religions rise; spreading Death and Destruction.

Friday, September 27, 2013

THE BIG LIE !!

Blame (everything) on ObamaCare

Senators Cruz and Lee, in their national propaganda blitz against The Affordable Health Care Act (ObamaCare), are craftily blaming joblessness and declining wages on that health care act. As I remember, a presidential candidate in the early 1990's (Ross Perot) warned us about coming, massive, job losses as a result of NAFTA. There was no "ObamaCare" on the horizon then. THEY (cruz & lee) ARE LIEING!!

Joblessness increased exponentially in the wake of the Republican-induced Economic Meltdown of 2008. We can understand why these "Repoobs" are doing everything they can shift the blame away from themselves, and on to President Obama. These guys (Republicans) are "up against it" at this point. They lost votes, in their own party, on the CR (Continuing Resolution) this morning.

Stay Vigilant! These next few weeks could be crucial to the financial futures for all of us!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

What "CHANGE" ??

"It's always been like that"

Don't you know people who, no matter what "changes" are being discussed, will reply:

"Oh, it's always been like that!" Frustratin' ain't it? It's a put-down; a shut-down, a denial, all wrapped into a single phrase. Even the blind, the most stupid, and those most afraid of acknowledging change of any kind; will have to admit that something is really different these days. People in that latter category deny the existence of all changes, because they are afraid they might have to change their beliefs, habits, or most cherished assumptions. Others fear that they have too much to lose by acknowledging and accepting change. Change is hard; for everybody; both, those who seek it, and those who (futilely, and dangerously) do everything to keep it from happening.

I read President Obama's speech, delivered to the United Nations a couple of days ago. You really need to read the full transcript http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/transcript-president-obamas-speech-at-the-un-general-assembly/2013/09/24/64d5b386-2522-11e3-ad0d-b7c8d2a594b9_story.html . This speech represents changes that, if they occur only in the direction of our efforts, will put on the path that will bring about all that was hoped for in 1945; when a tired (and broke) nation dared to dream of a world without global war.

It ain't always been like this! Not in my lifetime. Of all the Presidents, only Kennedy's speech on World Peace, delivered after the Cuban Missile Crisis, compares with the speech President Obama delivered. A great deal of blood and treasure have been spilled by the U.S. and by other nations in the world, since 1963. The Cold War first bankrupted, then collapsed the Soviet Union. The aftershocks of that struggle are still reverberating, and can take down this nation! That will certainly be the case if we don't find a peaceful way to stop the demagogic rise of our own Hard Right insurrectionists. These people are feeding off the fires of discontent that are burning in the wake of the 2008 economic meltdown of our economy and the 9/11 attack that shattered our false notions of impregnability.

Former President Clinton provides much needed insight into our current governmental dysfunction, when he states that there is a critical difference in what a dedicated minority can achieve, and what a diffuse majority can prevent. The observation came in his interview with Piers Morgan last night on CNN. http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/25/piers-morgan-asks-bill-clinton-who-would-make-the-better-president-hillary-or-Chelsea/ We all have to take the 2014, Off-Year, election seriously and participate fully!

Stay Vigilant! It ain't over 'til it's over!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

"UNFORGETTABLE"

How a "People" were "Served" by their MUSIC

It was when I read Frederick Douglass' Autobiography, that I first realized the power of the "sounds" that emanated from the "slave fields". Those "sounds" were carried by those slaves into their "churches"; which were, in the beginning, small gatherings in the woods. They praised a God they "borrowed" for their own uses. As the chattel slave period ended, it was soon replaced by JIM CROW government and laws; that lasted past the time when I became an adult.

Throughout my early years; through the tragedies within my family and the tragedies in the streets from JIM CROW and the Klan, I was sustained by those "sounds". When I declared my "independence" from my father in 1958, I boarded a train to St. Louis, where I purchased, at Famous and Barr, two music albums: Dina Washington's Dinah!, and Ella Fitzgerald's Rogers and Hart Songbook. Throughout my travels since, I have clung to both of them.

From the 1940's Jazz and Rhythm and Blues, through Rock & Roll (the original in the late 1940's and early 1950's), those "sounds", and those artists of, what whites then deemed RACE MUSIC, sustained me and most of the people I knew in our segregated world. The whites, later, saw the ability to make "quick bucks" from "covering" those sounds; and the world has not been the same since.

Every time I hear the "Unforgettable" duet, (the first of it's type, as I remember) of Natalie singing with her Dad, (who died in 1965, when Natalie was 15 year old); it sends shivers through me. I remember the "holy" nature of those sounds; produced by thousands of black artists, for each age group, and music segment, of interest to black citizens. Ragtime was invented in my home town by a student in one of the first colleges established in this country for black students. Just about every household on our side of the "tracks" had a piano, and most of the children who were my classmates in our segregated school were also incredible piano players. The music "saved" us in many ways.

Today, I have thousands of recordings, in various media, spanning more than seventy years. I have been fortunate in my travels to meet many of the artists (including an "unforgettable" evening in a lounge at the Hilton in Las Vegas, with Duke Ellington). I've mourned the loss of each of them as they "pass"; beginning with Dinah Washington in 1963, and Nat "King" Cole in 1965. I was able to attend live performances (performed more than 25 years apart) by Ella Fitzgerald in Washington, D.C, and, later, in Los Angeles.

I truly hope there is a "heaven"; because I look forward to meeting them and hearing them "live", once again.

Stay Vigilant! May the "sounds" continue to console and entertain.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

WHO THE HELL is(was) "HASTERT"(anyway) .. ??

(..and, where is he hiding)?

NOW we know ...; we can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Boehner is not spineless, or crazy, or devious, or weak. Congress is not lazy, crazy, evil, feckless, thieving, or craven with fear. The Citizenry can stop wandering around, mumbling to themselves, slowly going crazy with the lies, and the false equivalencies emanating from our media. It was HASTERT!, all along, not Norquist, not Ryan, not Cantor, it was Hastert, and his "Hastert Rule" , that has driven the Republican Party to the brink of destruction and our nation to the brink of total economic collapse. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Hastert

Just who in Hell was this guy?; who could do all of that? John Dennis "Denny" Hastert was the Speaker of the House of Representatives who immediately preceded John Boehner. He presided over the House between the years of 1999 and 2007. He was the compromise, "go-between" Republican choice replacing Newt Gingrich, and preceding John Boehner. Following a failed attempt to impeach the (then) President of the United States, House Republican's were "feeling their oats" and, they were beset by the likes of Tom Delay and Dick Armey, who bumped each other off in their squabble for the power of the Speaker's position.

Acting as Delay's "tool", Hastert assumed a low profile and allowed the "malfeasants" within the Republican Party to run amok, and Cheney/Bush to do whatever they chose to do in the Executive Branch of our government. Chief among their "achievements" was a collapse of our national economy; the likes of which had not been seen in our lifetimes. The rest of the "achievements" comprise a long list an are almost as malodorous.

Back to "Denny". This genius devised a "rule" that allowed all of this malfeasance to take place. His "rule" held that only a majority of the Republican majority should rule over matters of the House. All other Representatives of the people of this nation are ignored. There you have it. It was "Dennis-the-tool" who imprisoned Boehner; destroying his ability to do his job. Hastert (in- absensia) also threatened (in 2011) to prevent this proud nation from paying its bills. That threat now resurfaces; disguised as Senator Ted Cruz.

So, there you have it. To return this nation, its politics, and its governance, to sanity; we simply have to find Hastert and make him "break his spell" over Boehner.

Stay Vigilant! All-points-bulletin for "Denny" ??

Sunday, September 22, 2013

"REPOOBS" : Revisited

Is It "Worse" than we Feared?

"REPOOBS RISE?" was the title of the 25th Blog from THE OWL; written April 15, 2012. This is blog number 458. Let's revisit their wreckage? Rather than "firing on Fort Sumter", again; the descendants of those folk, who on April 15, 1861 made the first serious attempt to destroy our government, have made common cause with Corporate interests, and moved inside our government with the intent to dismantle it. Every attempt to "deal" with them has only managed to apply a "bandage for a cancerous lesion".

Since April, 2012, a Supreme Court decision; a bitterly-fought national election, actions taken in many state Legislatures imposed by ALEC, a bullying, racially-tainted propaganda war waged in our media, a coordinated war against public unions in various state-houses, a national, racially-tainted war against immigration reform for Latin immigrants, several gun-slaughters, a refusal to pay bills accrued by Congress; (the list is very long); have all come and gone without moving this country toward a resolution of ANYTHING! This bunch has damaged our reputation, as much or more, than Cheney/"W" did with their reckless wars!

The up-coming off-year election of 2014 will test whether the voters of this country have HAD ENOUGH of this "Government by Heritage Foundation and Lobbyists"! Either our laws mean something, or it's all over! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Foundation

There is little doubt remaining that a significant element of this nation is working to scuttle our Constitution and the Democratic Republic fashioned by our nations Founders. Their backers are super-religious, racially malignant, embarrassingly un-educated and misinformed, and, because of Citizens United, can tap into unlimited funding from anywhere on this planet!

The Repoobs may manage to achieve those goals that Bin Laden failed to achieve in 9/11!

Stay Vigilant! Citizens have to make a decision to take time off from watching sports, and take care to save their country! Vote this scourge out of power in 2014! If the Republicans will not exorcise this malignancy, then the Republicans must face their demise.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

"ARCHIE" and "POPE-TOO"

"A New Beginning??"

"Archie Bunker" was a racist S.O.B. who called his Liberal son-in-law "meathead". Reagan and his Heritage Backers, used that popular T.V. show as a "hammer" to destroy blue-collar unions in this country; and they also proved that "Archie" was right: Liberals can be "meatheads".

As Pope-One (raised by Nazis in Hitler Youth) fades into relative obscurity, carrying away what remains of recent Church Scandals; Pope-Too has grabbed headlines chastising the "chosen" to desist with their Anti-abortion, Anti-Gay, and Anti-Birth Control business(es). Fallen-Away Faithful in the Liberal Media are "all-a-twitter".

In the media yesterday appeared T.V. ads attacking Obamacare, paid for by the backers of the "bomb-throwers" in our House of Representatives. The ads depict "Uncle Sam" knocking on the door (so to speak) of the birth canal of a young white female. Pope-Too's message couldn't come at a more appropriate time. Just for kicks, they also have a companion ad depicting a young white male awaiting a "procto" from Uncle Sam. The Radical White Right really know how to "communicate" with their Faithful. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/creepy-anti-obamacare-ads-suggest-where-uncle-sam-wants-to-stick-it/279825/

Our "meathead" Liberals in the Media are distracted away from the core message: the "issue" from the wombs of both white women, and non-white women, have been the essential factor in the growth in wealth of Europe, the growth of Christianity in the Modern Age, and as the "use" of Diana's kids show, they are essential for PR today. Non-white females also provide the "grip" that the Christian Religion still holds on its victims, since it invented chattel slavery 500 years ago.

Perhaps Pope-Too is figuring they can compensate for the declining numbers of white Faithful by attracting the Fallen-Away back into the fold?

Events, from Syria, to Cairo, to Russia, to our House of Representatives, reveal that issues and concerns driven by various religions are the core problem in our world; not some source for solution! Just about every serious problem we face today can be traced to some indisputable "sin" created in the name of one our prominent Organized Religions! If we remain unable, or unwilling, to deal openly with this fact; given the ability and willingness of multiple factions to engage in mass killing today; we may all be doomed!

Stay Vigilant! Free your mind! God saves those who see clearly!

Friday, September 20, 2013

TRY A LITTLE "CLEANLINESS" ??

CLEAN STRETS can go a LONG WAY!!

My grandmother (the lady who would have "chastised" Oprah) taught us to NOT BELIEVE what white Christians teach their children; that non-white people are "dirty". She impressed us with the power of soap and water and needle and thread. This old practice of white Christians (invented by Catholicism, and perpetuated by Martin Luther's Protestantism) was translated into the practice of governments (local to national; and nationwide) to discriminate by color and class in their distribution of services paid from the taxes collected from their citizens. Taxation, without discrimination; Services with egregious discrimination! Small towns don't pave roads or pick up garbage equally on all "sides of the tracks". Cities, small and large, routinely discriminate in their distribution of public services; favoring those who are white and more wealthy.

The residents of these ghettos, barrios, etc., have tolerated this situation for centuries and its long past time for them to rebel!! They should hit the streets against grime and garbage as much as they rebel against being "dis-respected" by government officials. They might be shocked to find that crime, of all sorts, will decline. The dirty Cops and other corrupt officials will be deprived of their "playgrounds".

Papa Bush shifted the flow routes for drugs from over-water to over-land. The common point of entry today is our border with Mexico. The preferred route is the straightest path to Chicago. Last night, there was a mass shooting in a Chicago ghetto. Non-white citizens should stop listening to the white "talking head" and move immediately to "clean up" their streets and surroundings. Notice that, even though white kids distribute drugs in the suburbs, the Cops treat them with leniency or completely ignore them (except for those few black or brown "participants" who live there). Mayors take note!! Who knows, this might also reduce the threat of other kinds of Terrorism!

I've travelled a bit outside this country and I've noticed that places that are more steadfast in pursuing cleanliness in the public spaces (Vancouver, B.C., for example) are "safer" than those places where raw sewage is casually tolerated, within spitting distance of the houses of the rich.

Stay Vigilant! Clean up your thinking, clean up your "beliefs".

Thursday, September 19, 2013

EISENHOWER and the "TRAUMA LADY"

"Privatization" after 55 Years

President Eisenhower gave his famous speech warning us about the Military/Industrial Complex, in

1959. After 55 years, we have a tragic mass killing, by gun, of employees of the United States Navy at the Naval Yard in Washington, D.C. What's the connection? Dr. Janis Orlowski spoke to the nation about an "evil" that we must all come together to fix. http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/er-chief-after-navy-yard-shooting-theres-so

We learned that the shooter was a defense contractor, who was "cleared" for access to the Naval facility by other defense contractors. We were made aware, weeks before, that another defense contractor fled the country with state secrets; and is now in Russia (given asylum there), where he continues to "leak" those secrets. The same contractor cleared both Snowden (the leaker) and Alexis (the shooter)! The link to all of this is a practice, warned against by President Eisenhower in the late 1950s, that has grown, on steroids, so to speak, since. PRIVATIZATION, or contractor performance of tasks, formerly performed by government personnel (both military and civilian) in our Defense Department; is the practice responsible for much of what has unfolded. Gun violence, the immediate focus, also can be related to what has happened within our military services since 1959.

Other things that have occurred as this practice grew, include the transfer of security tasks to private corporations, who were employed to work side-by-side (at much greater pay for the same task) with active duty military members. Ten years after Eisenhower's warning, I was assigned a "special duty" to conduct a study to ward off "privatization" pressures from Congress to get rid of our Commissary. The study results stopped a move to force military service members to pay higher prices in the public marketplace. At that time, military members were deliberately paid much lower wages for the skills they possessed; than wages paid commercially for those skills. Most members were drafted into the military. Nixon ended the Draft in 1973. The resulting "All-Volunteer" military members have been forced to assume ever-increasing burdens to defend our nation

The growth in the Defense Budget since 1959 (normalized for inflation) will undoubtedly show that the Defense Department has grown beyond all controls, and is not only too big to manage, but cannot account for a sizeable portion of the funds they receive. Presidents Johnson and Nixon had a lot to do with setting the course that lead to what we have today. Congress has been known to "force" "privatization" on the Defense Department.

We have to wonder if the recent epidemic of rape within the military, and similar issues, are also connected to the transition of critical tasks from personnel who are commissioned and take an oath to support and defend our Constitution, to random, poorly "vetted" contractors.

Our new Defense Chief reports that he is investigating these issues.

Stay Vigilant! Can we listen to Eisenhower; at long last??

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

ROOTIN' FOR PUTIN ??

Imperialistas Return?

In the WORLD section of TIME Magazine, 16Sep13 issue, you can read: The World According To Putin. "W" met Putin, in what was the first term for both, and swooned over the sight of the man's "soul". http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-macaray/when-in-doubt_b_3916471.html But, "W" was "ga-ga" over Sharon, at that time, also. Given what "W" did (later) to Iraq, we are not surprised (looking back).

TIME cites Putin, as he enters his third term as Russia's President, declaring his objective to launch a 21st Century Russian "resurgence". It's that "man of action" that "W" admired so much, I guess.

That can also explain why so many of our citizens, on the Right and the Left, express their disappointment with President Obama. In spite of the fact that he continually "wins" against tremendous odds, our home-grown "imperialistas" would rather have the swagger than the victories. They obviously don't understand the "right man for the season" rule.

We know that over-spending, or mis-spending for Defense, actually weakens a nation. That has been offered as an explanation for the collapse of the old Soviet Union. Is there a lesson in that for US?

Given the condition of our domestic economy (traceable to Iraq and Afghanistan), and our struggles to restore our place in the global economy; I'd much rather follow the example of President Obama than that of Putin. Compare the condition of the two economies, and you might get past the Putin PR and "glamour" that so distracts too many in our Media.

The world is still a dangerous place, post-Cold-War. There's always someone looking to displace whomever is in the lead. We can see where empty-headed braggadocio, and blind hatred, lead this country (between the years of 2000 and 2008).

Stay Vigilant! "Steady as she goes"!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The BLACK & BROWN "Fix-It" PARTY??

time to "Fix" Nixon/Reagan ??

The "Trauma-Lady" was "right-on" yesterday, when she spoke from the heart to all of us about the "Evil" in our country that we must all come together to "fix". After yet another, in and explosion of mass-killings with guns; this time in Washington, D.C. at the Naval Yard, the "Trauma Lady" has seen enough!

Its long past time that we all did, what we all know we need to do, about this (check the stats on mass killings since 1990)!

Its time to "pull our heads out" and solve this at the ballot box in 2014! Thanks to Nixon and his "Southern Strategy" compounded by "Reaganomics"; we've had forty years of polluted politics that has waltzed this nation to the brink of "Brown Shirt" Europe in the 1930s! Fortunately for us, we have only one place to go to get rid of: crooked Banking and Wall Street shenanigans; a crooked Tax Code; Gun-Runners; Religious Nuts; Batista Cubans,;Lawn Jockey Blacks; Middle-East "bomb-throwers",; and White Supremacists! All of these elements have been scraped into what used to be the Republican Party and operates as the Tea Party -- a group of anarchists who have taken over our House of Representatives and brought our national government to such a weakened state that we are attracting the likes of Putin and Assad into our domestic politics!

If we drive these vermin back into the holes they crawled out of, we might: make our streets safe again; get sane immigration reform; get quality, world-class education for all of our children; stop the school-to-prison industry that feeds on our black and brown male children; put our men back to work and keep them from illicit activities in order to feed their families; return sanity to our personal relationships and our daily routines; make enough money to support ourselves; and halt the march of Corporations to enslave everyone who is not rich enough to resist! That all sounds good to me. How about you? Keeping what we have is NOT and option!

How to do it? Reverse the Nixon Curse! The Black Caucus and the Hispanic Caucus should desert the Democrat Party immediately and form the "Fix-It" Party. Sane Whites from what used to be the Republican Party and the Democrat Party are welcome to join. If we all show up at the Polls in 2014 and vote everyone out of office running as a Democrat or Republican (the smart ones will desert both the extreme Right and extreme Left), we will "work wonders" and bring back the country we all long for. The anti-abortionists have failed for decades to find a way to force more white babies.

Stay Vigilant! Write your Congress-Person. Tell Your Friends!

Monday, September 16, 2013

"Inter-Personal" RELATIONSHIP(s)

COIN of the (New) REALM ??

Looking back seven decades, I'm struck by the revolutionary changes taking place in the definition, character, and function of Inter-personal Relationships. I have spent the past half-century working on most of the leading edge technologies that have driven these revolutionary changes. We've entered a new realm, in which the "coin of the realm" is not the dollar amount of your wealth; it is the real value of your inter-personal relationships. "Friendships" on social media are NOT real relationships; anymore that "reality" T.V. is real. The human mind is not well suited for this "overload" of pretend reality we use to entertain ourselves, today. For escape, in my youth, I curled up in the warmth of our coal stove and read a book! It is becoming more rare to meet children who read anything; unless they're required to do it.

Modern communication technologies have diminished, trending toward elimination, of social distance between human beings. Because we no longer have the use of "distance" in our ability to regulate our relationships, we more readily "catch" the pathologies of others around us. Televised media alters "reality" for all of us.

We also live in a world in which the pathologies and social attitudes of the past have had centuries to become embedded in our institutions (think: religions, justice system, public education, politics, economics, etc.).

We all seek to "avoid" negative aspects of our society; but find it harder to do. Consider the one juror in the Zimmerman trial who was "pressured" by the other jurors into doing what she personally thought was "wrong". She has no where to go to get relief ,or absolution!

For those of us who have the misfortune, while we are very young, to be 'steeped' in extreme religions, or regional social attitudes, it can take extreme energy and dedication to overcome them. Because of advances in telecommunications, we can suffer on one side of our planet from religious beliefs emanating from the opposite side. The "social soup" we live in becomes more and more toxic daily.

What must be done? We first have to study and understand the differences between "information" and "propaganda". We have to invest the time and energy required to develop and maintain "real" relationships in our lives. We "borrow" relationships at our peril.

There are traditional values that still work for human beings. They work; despite whatever religious or social attitudes we "inherit". We can start with our "families", then branch out into our "communities". We "inherit" our families, but do not have to remain constrained by even those relationships. One benefit of the new telecommunications can be new ability to carefully build our interpersonal "community" of relationships; regardless of race, nationality, or religion.

Stay Vigilant! Relationships are "real" only when they are two-way; and both sides are equally nourished.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

OBAMA in the "CAT-BIRD" SEAT ??

"Outfoxin' the Buzzards and the Orioles"

Another gift from our first Black President? We get to revisit that "genius" alluded to by Harriet Beecher Stowe in her famous work from the mid-1800s. Tribes from different regions of Africa, thrown together in a totally strange land; developed, over 500 years, a totally different and new way of thought and reason. A type that many whites still don't "get".

Boxed in by the Buzzards abroad (Putin/Assad), and the Orioles at home (Congress), the cracker-mind-set (that is prominent in our institutions, domestic politics, and our print/visual media) became convinced that they "had him" this time! Ooops! One week later, and they're all singing a different tune. From "certain death" of his Presidency, to, now, a mix of carping about style, and conflicting responses to Putin's PR in the NY Times; the media and the Congress are in a dither.

What is the view, now, from the Cat-Bird Seat? First, "Putin/Assad" have had to shift, radically, their public responses to what is happening, and has happened, in Syria. The Congress is "all over the map" in their responses to President Obama's achievements in the matter. The "Haters" are more isolated and exposed. The "solidarity" of, what passes for, the Republican Party in Congress has been cracked. Their "superiority" visage has become distorted.

What was almost certain to bring global warfare a week ago, has become global support for protracted, peaceful, international conferencing on Syria and the disposal of its poisonous gas arsenal. Congress, set to pillory the President over Syria, is now beating a hasty retreat to their "old songs" about Benghazi, Obamacare, shutting down the government, etc. The "panty waists" dreaming of replacing the first Black President in 2016; are strangely incoherent and subdued.

Maybe Congress can return to sanity? Is that too much to hope for?

Stay Vigilant! This President may be on the verge of Waging Peace, at home and abroad?

Saturday, September 14, 2013

WHAT "COLORADO" (really) MEANS !!

A (domestic) "CRUZ" Missile?

There is something both new, and ominous, taking place in this country. I lived in Texas in 2003 (second time I "resided" in that state). While there, I became aware of a bizarre move by the Texas Republicans to overthrow the political structure in that state through radical redistricting. Tom Delay, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, got involved; and used Federal levers to win a state fight against the Texas Democrats in their Legislature. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Texas_redistricting

A few days ago, Dirty Money prevailed; and denied the "will of the people" in Colorado, by way of a targeted Recall of two state senators; as punishment for their votes to provide gun control. A month back, North Carolina was "bought" and turned against the "will of the people" in that state. We all know that the House of Representatives continues to refuse to acknowledge the "will of the people" of the United States, as expressed by their vote in the 2012 election. Their mantra: No jobs! No Pay Raise!

"The People", in our Democracy are steadily losing their Democracy in ways that are new, and legal.

Can WE stop this trend. Can this national movement, funded by Dirty Money, and led by "Think Tanks" in Washington, D.C. "succeed" by terrorizing our elected representatives; thereby forcing them to vote the way these guys want (think ALEC)??

Texas has now provided Senator Ted Cruz to head these operations. There is little doubt that he, and others on the Right, have begun their "takeover" of what is left of the Republican Party. Liberals in our Media look at their actions (voting repeatedly to repeal Obamacare, for instance) with derision and humor. This is no laughing matter! What we're witnessing is the demise of Democracy (as we've known it) in this country. They are demonstrating that a well-funded, dedicated minority of citizens, can "take over" parts (and ultimately all?) of this country.

Unless we act to stop them!. Fist step: VOTE in every election -- don't let these people catch you "napping". Second step: FUND the side you want to prevail ($1 each in a country of more than 300,000,000, people will over- power Dirty Money). Third: Tell Your Friends, and make sure they VOTE. Read about the way the German People lost their Democracy, at the ballot box, during the 1930's! Haven't we had enough of these "Money Boys"?

Stay Vigilant! Surely, you can miss a few games of sports to save your country ??

Thursday, September 12, 2013

PUTIN v. OBAMA ??

"Placin' yer' BETS" ?

Events, both here and abroad, are rapidly evolving in the "proxy wars" taking place in the Middle East. President Obama has shrewdly drawn out his domestic opposition, making it clear what his enemies at home are up to. He has shifted the venue from Syria to international venues like Geneva and New York (Geneva Conventions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions, and the U.N.).

A recent Poll, aside from showing that Obama has dedicated enemies at home, also shows that Syria falls low on the list of concerns of the U.S. public. The "economy" tops the list! What our "local-yokels" don't seem to realize is that the "economy" has to be "fixed" at the global level -- not the domestic level!. His performance at the G-20 reveals that Putin "gets" that. We, obviously, don't realize that the yokels who blew up our national economy are still doubling-down on their goal of destroying our economy; for everyone except their rich patrons. President Obama, with the help of the Fed Chairman, Bernanke, has done a remarkable job of reconstructing our economy, post-2008; in spite of the actions of his domestic enemies. The rest has to be done on the world stage.

Aside from their addiction to "John Wayne" fictions, there are more historic and more sinister motivations driving those who wield both dirty money and media imagery to destroy Democracy as we have known it. Our Media have welcomed both Assad and Putin; permitting them to engage in lobbying our Congress and "mind-effing" our public. The End of the Cold War has brought structural changes to Capitalism that are not known or understood by our politicians or our general public.

Lets review where we stand today. Obama has succeeded in getting both Russia and Syria to "fess-up" to having and using Chemical Weapons. He has persuaded Russia to declare their support for removing those weapons from Syria. He has shifted the focus from Syria to the International Stage -- from a Civil War, to Global (economic and military) concerns. The question of "intervening in a civil war" (for now) has gone away. Putin has had to admit lying to all of us. Putin has had to back off his unquestioned support of anythig Assad decided to do. Both Putin and Russia have had to back away from their claim that they are simply "fighting Terrorists". Iran has lost a "proxy" for its issues. We now know that the Syrian Debacle started with innocent high school students writing graffiti opposing Assad in public. Assad's over-reaction to that protest sparked larger protests that grew into proxy wars for the region and for the world.

If I were to score this fight, so far, I would score Obama 8, and Putin 1, or 2 (out of 10)! In addition, Obama has turned his home-based "Conservatives" and the dirty-money backers into a bunch of stupid snakes "chewin their tails" and spouting nonsense. Putin, and his fellow BRIC nations have had to work on their own counter to global financial forces.

Stay Vigilant! Did you catch what "Dirty Money" did to the people of Colorado yesterday? Keep an eye on Zimmerman and Omara who appear to be "joined at the hip" post trial.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

It's Hard to "CHEAT" an "HONEST" (and smart person)

Is "John Wayne" still RELEVANT??

Our President spoke last night to a cynical, scared, and weary public about the Atrocity in Syria.

Responses to his speech reveal a nation full of fear, cynicism, racial hatred, and political intrigue. The global community reflects the same sentiments. The citizenry expected "John Wayne"; while, simultaneously fearing that image, in black-face! Their confused reactions to this entire global challenge are evolving.

The "John Wayne" role; played by Reagan, and Cheney/Bush, and LBJ; is what they have become used to. Their responses to President Obama's speech last night, reflect a willingness to "paint" this President with the action of those past Presidents. Their wrath has been transferred, accordingly, to President Obama. "Diplomacy" is something both unfamiliar, and distrusted by the public. The "politicians" are having a field day as a result.

That should come as no surprise to anyone who has been awake during the past two years. The facts that this President is religiously "hated" by elements of this country; and that the citizenry feel they were "cheated" by the last President, are very much in evidence.

Shockingly, the citizens of a nation with the most powerful military on the planet, are scared to death to authorize the use of that military! What's up with that?? Race, inherently, which has be-deviled all actions of this public since this President appeared. He has set about repairing the damage of the Con Men who "screwed" this country after taking power in 2000; and this is one of the ways they "scrwed" us. It is in the DNA of this nation to "blame" non-whites for deeds committed by whites. (O'Mara proved that in Florida). That factor is also well known and understood outside this country. That element of this nation will never trust this President with the exercise of military power. This amounts to a psychological disarmament by a portion of the population. It is self-inflicted, and provides an opening to our enemies.

Second, there is a wide streak of "chicken-hawk" in the average citizen. The Cheney/Bush regime proved conclusively that the public was perfectly content to "go shopping" while letting fewer than 1% of the population do all the sacrificing, fighting, and dying in our wars; since World War II.

Third, it is also in the DNA of our citizenry to distrust politicians! What's different today is that most citizens do not see how they can "profit" from this President in the way they expected to "get ahead" under Cheney/Bush.

Nevertheless, we have to "stand-up" and "draw a line" at this use of Chemical Weapons: proliferation and use of Biological and Nuclear Weapons will be much harder to combat. Getting something for nothing is no longer in the cards; I'm afraid.

Stay Vigilant! The challenges ahead require that we "change" our ways! The weasels are out!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

OBAMA: "LEADERSHIP" (for these times) ??

The Return of the STATESMAN (to the U.S.)

Yesterday's turn of events in the Syrian Atrocity discussions, prompted me to pull out my (rare)

War Ration Book No. 3. Issued when I was 4 years old (between mid- 1943 and mid- 1944); it is full of stamps of ships and tanks. On the back, the last line of Instructions reads: "If you don't need it, DON'T BUY IT."

Yesterday, Russia (Putin) decided to pick up an option offered to him by the United States repeatedly over the past two years (most recently during a private meeting with President Obama at the G-20 meeting); and put pressure on Syria to turn its supply of poison gas over to international authorities.

Diplomacy, is beginning to work, under the pressure of a U.S. military "show of force" off the coast of Syria. The President may have found his "way out"!

According to recent polls of public opinion, the citizenry is still in its reflexive crouch, refusing to back the President's call for the military resolve needed to back up our diplomatic push. Unlike the citizens in this country during the days of my War Ration Book, most citizens of today don't want to sacrifice anything, or pay for anything. Because of these craven tendencies, Cheney and Bush got away with destroying our credibility with their War on Iraq.

This challenge to President Obama is more difficult, in certain details, than the challenge faced by President Kennedy in the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Obama has to "de-fang" a poisonous snake, without killing the snake or removing it from its position in the government of Syria (for now). THEN, he has to insure, in a short time window, that the stockpile of poisonous gas is removed safely and permanently destroyed; posing no risk to anyone. He will need all the "tools" he can muster to accomplish this, in these austere times. One "tool" that is not readily available to him is an understanding and supportive public, both at home and abroad.

In the 1940's this nation put everything on the line; against threats that were mostly in the form of large standing armies, heavy artillery, and ships and planes. They also put our country "in hock" for debts and deficits much larger than we now have (percentage-wise) today.

Going it alone, both at home and abroad, this President has shown Statesman qualities; the likes of which we have not seen in a President since Kennedy, and before him, Truman (who put FDR's visions in place).

Stay Vigilant! This may only be the first of many such "Crises" we face, as we proceed into the 21st Century.

Copyright © 2013: Williams LLC
All Rights Reserved: Williams LLC

Monday, September 9, 2013

ASSAD's (bart) SIMPSON (defense) ??

I Did'in Do It! .. An' YOU Cain't Prove It !!

Those following the events in Syria know by now that Bashar is the current face of the Assad Family that runs Syria; but not the brains. Placed, hastily, into service following the death of his father in 2000, and the untimely death of his older brother Bassel in 1994; it is reported that his mother, Anisa is the decision-maker in the family. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Assad_family

Nevertheless, it appears that Bashar is up to date on T.V. shows in the United States. He has taken his "case" against President Obama to world-wide Media and a very gullible viewing public. Utilizing strategies invented by Johnny Cochran and aped by Mark O'Mara (with a Southern twang); Bashar has concocted a "brew" of popular shows like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and The Simpsons, to make his appeal to the U.S. and global publics. The sad thing is that he may be technically correct. The Assads are sharp enough to provide Bashar Deniability, and, like that other Simpson, and Zimmerman, he is using it well. Like the Juries in Los Angeles and Sanford, those willing to believe will resonate with anything Bashar says. No amount of proof will be sufficient for them.

Moral arguments lose in this environment. Self-Interest trumps Morality. Bashar's even using Charlie Rose in his Media campaign -- now that's a low blow! Some of us alive today can remember the media campaigns of Tokyo Rose http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Rose

He couldn't "sell" this crap to the U.S. citizenry of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s, After 1980, all bets are off -- that's when just about anything became "believable" by our public. Our sense of security from all effects of these events may be as exaggerated as they are false!

Stay Vigilant! Fool them once, fool them twice, fool them once again?

Sunday, September 8, 2013

A WAY "OUT" ??

" wars and rumors of wars, ..."

The year I was born, Hitler and Mussolini were rampaging in Europe; benefitting from years of isolationism in the United States. At the start of my adult life, President Kennedy faced an inherited "crisis", and, we can all be thankful that he found his way "out".

The season returns; this time in the Middle East, and, like President Kennedy, President Obama faces a "crisis", long in the making. Russia, in the form of Nikita Khrushchev, was Kennedy's foe. Russia is one among many side players in this crisis; all of them smell a weakened United States; due largely to the activities of unpatriotic factions within our nation. These factions figure they can continue their attack on this President, no matter which course he pursues. The public, beset by the Media and trained by the likes of Cheney, Bush (W), and Rumsfeld to pursue petty personal goals, is cowering and confused.

Is this the run-up to World War III, or will President Obama find a "Way Out"? The issue in this crisis, like that for President Kennedy was "weapons of mass destruction". Unlike the fake claims made by the Cheney/Bush crowd as they strengthened Iran and further destabilized the Middle East by launching a war in Iraq; the weapons faced by Presidents Kennedy and Obama are real!

Just as President Kennedy had to "Act" (military action -- no bombing -- no "boots" on the ground); this President has to "Act" to halt the spread and further use of these weapons. Hopefully he can find a way to do so without massive bloodshed.

C-SPAN hosted Edward Djerejian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Djerejian this morning, a former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, who provided key insights into the Assad Family and the inner workings of the regime; from the time of the father, to its current leader. My age, Djerejian served in foreign affairs under eight presidents, from Kennedy to Clinton. Google the tape of that part of today's program.

The citizens of this nation, before they are pushed into some "mob think" by our Media "talking heads", would do well to hear what Djerejian has to say. We should certainly not be swayed by the chorus of political panty waists who are vying for President Obama's job!

Stay Vigilant! Inform yourselves; Pray!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

SYRIA: an "Action" PROCESS ??

Are We Becoming One (global) "Ship of Fools" ??

People, all over the world, are struggling to "sort-out" this Syria mess. The Media is all over the place, as the proponents for different "actors" in this evolution of world power "spin" their positions, in such a way that they do not lose the "grip" they have thus far achieved on us.

First, there are the global Big Money "actors" (read: Central Bankers). Then come the rest: (throw-backs to the bad guys of the 1930s; the anti-labor factions; the racists; the Neo-Cons; the anti-taxation faction; the "austerity" faction; and, the 1% versus everyone else). Overlay this with the fact that the past ten years have revealed a world of very callous, selfish, and fearful people; who are prepared to run and hide from just about everything and everyone: and, you get the picture I see.

To those who are "trigger-happy"; "Action", in regard to Chemical Weapons, automatically means old-style, heavy tonnage weaponry of past wars. The psychological and cyber warfare post- 9/11, and the War on Terror, are being shuffled to the side in the Media, as the various factions jockey and "spin" for power and position. The best way to lose a war is to misperceive the enemy!

All of this takes place as the planet teeters on the brink of falling back into a 1930s-style economic collapse. (Greece is still "out there").

At this juncture, post-Cold War, there are still Nuclear Weapons, in varying measures, in the hands of about ten nations on this planet. There are also those other "weapons of mass destruction"; Biological and Chemical weapons. This NBC threat needs to be seen as one that everyone should be concerned with! Proliferation remains alive and well.

As technology advances, the uses of these weapons shift as those seeking power (domestically and on the world stage) reach for new tactics to prevail. Our President is right in insisting at home and abroad that some "Line" (choose your own color) has to be drawn -- and damned fast! It seems to be clear only to those who oppose doing anything, that DOING NOTHING is an option! That is the whine of cowards. We saw plenty of that during the Cheney/Bush years ("just go shopping"; let others do the fighting and dying).

"Action" must have some military element to be credible. The road forward to a secure planet must be devised through an "Action" process that contains all elements (diplomatic, financial, political and military) civil societies can devise. WE MUST GET THIS RIGHT!!

Stay Vigilant! Don't be "herded" by talking heads and craven politicians.

Friday, September 6, 2013

OBAMA: (political) HOUDINI??

The Face(s) of his Enemies

Another gem from my administrivia:

Not everybody who heaps crap onto you is your enemy;

Not everybody who takes crap off of you is your friend!

This week, our first black President is learning (worldwide) who his real friends and enemies are. He is now working the crowds at the G-20 in Russia; hosted by the dreaded Putin. Assuming there are no dummies in the bunch, we will see how all of the posturing on Syria shakes out. It is announced that Obama will speak to all of us at home regarding Syria, in a televised address this coming Tuesday night. You can make your own guesses as to whom his real enemies are in the Middle East.

Characteristic of his total time on the world stage (starting with the Democrat Primary fight in 2008), this genius has periodically dug himself into a hole, only to be pounced upon by those who (for a whole list of reasons) underestimate him. He has pulled off his magic and prevailed -- through two national elections! Trying to un-Bush the weak minds of the masses here at home (in the midst of Media crap-stirring, full bore) may be his slickest feat of all -- if it works. The stakes are higher this time than at any time before. If he lets those citizens who have been "mind-effed" by Cheney/Bush to revert to type, then he (and our country) loses, big time!

Take a moment to ponder our State Department, and its new head, John Kerry. He is certainly a major change from Hillary Clinton (gender, for sure); but, he might turn out to be the first Secretary of State since George C. Marshall to make that travesty of an organization work for a better future for our country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Marshall

All of those members of our Congress (and their constituents) poised to cast a NO vote, should read that part of our isolationist history; suffered under FDR before Pearl Harbor. Most of these members turn out to be the spoiled babies of spoiled Baby-Boom parents! They have only exploited their good fortunes, and have never seriously served their country. That kind of citizen guarantees hard times in our future! We are reaping the consequences of putting too many of that kind of person in power during the Cheney/Bush era.

Stay Vigilant! Don't let those who would "paint" Obama with "Bush" WIN!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

"COMMITTING SUICIDE" inside "MAXIMUM SECURITY"

Today's Metaphor?

The Gods must be "sittin' up all night" trying to get through to us! A Bed Sheet!! Really??

South Africa (Pistorius); Ohio (prison); Florida (gated community) ? Those behind maximum security, living terrified, and those spreading terror have a lot in common. South Africa, like Florida, relies on gated communities for security.

In the case of South Africa; to enhance their "security", they are also doing everything they can to keep Mandela breathing. (Daddy Bush thought Mandela was dead already and released "condolences"). There's death, in all cases, both, in spite of , and due to "security"! Not for Zimmerman, though. He evidently seeks more "security" from his gun-manufacturing backers.

Then there's Syria. Where is "security" for those trapped inside that country (on either side of their civil war)? Where is "security" for us if we retreat behind the "isolationism" proposed by our Libertarian, Trust-Baby, politicians; who oppose any "action" by us in response to Assad. Where is the "security" for the Middle East? For the Planet? We teach our kids to stand up to bullies. Why aren't we doing that??

Stay Vigilant! These matters are far more serious than they appear on the surface!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

My "50-Year" Rule

A Yardstick for Change?

As I try to keep up with the stupendous events that surround us (and the cacophony of "crap" our Media "covers" them with), I rely on something from my Drucker class notes from the 1980s. Peter taught that major changes in human affairs happen in cycles of about 50 years in length.

Every ten cycles (half a millennium) brings stark, and permanent change. Harkening back ten cycles brings us back to 1513, about the time Cortez invaded Mexico.

Not all of us start and stop our cycles in the same year. Those who manage to "land" on the "white" side of this planet's divide, are on cycles different from the rest of us. About five hundred years ago, people of color who befell Europeans, became "property"; and have struggled to free themselves of that designation ever since. Since the time of Cortez, Western interests have benefitted from "wealth" that is ultimately traceable to the womb of a non-white woman. The entire world is struggling to escape the "property" curse; to this day! Robots are the wet dream of many of today's Capitalists; robots are hoped to become the "ultimate" in property, it appears. They can be "taught" to produce all goods and services, most inexpensively, and people will have to find "other things" to do. Until that day arrives, exploitation of "cheap labor" will proceed on this planet.

More valuable than all the gold and silver extracted in the New World; the value of that event when the sperm of a non-white male invades the egg of a non-white female may be beyond calculation! From Chattel Slavery through Colonialism, and their ghosts, that still haunt this planet; we struggle forth.

Black citizens of this country completed, last month, 50 years of "progress" in their version of that struggle. Fifty years before, brings us back to 1913; around the time of World War I, and the "New Negro" Movement, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Negro Fifty years hence will bring us to 2063. The road from here to there is strewn with some scary challenges; both here and abroad.

Stay Vigilant! Are you feeling more, or less, like a robot these days?

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Of "DADDY WARBUCKS" and "RED LINES"

The "Gravy Train" De-Rails??

During The War, in the 1940s, we kids would fight over the Sunday Comics. Daddy Warbucks was right up there with ToJo in our fascinations. The story of Daddy Warbucks, who appeared in the original comic strips in 1924, is worth reading. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_%22Daddy%22_Warbucks

Since the end of the War, the United States has played the role of some kind of "Daddy Warbucks"; to all of Europe; to Japan; to Israel; and, now we are expected to "protect" any child in the Middle East who has the misfortune to be born poor and raised outside a powerful clique. But that is what the "Military-Industrial-Complex" was intended for, I suspect.

But, NO MORE! The first black President spoke of a Red Line for "Action", if chemical weapons were used by Assad in Syria. Obviously he meant it; because Assad called his bluff, and is about to find he wasn't bluffing!

Over the same period since World War II, our National Security Structure (circa 1948), became seriously deformed. The Defense Department hogged the budgets and our imaginations and the State Department shrank to relative irrelevance. That's a very dangerous thing, because wars are the result of a collapse in diplomacy. It is still true that all wars end, only when diplomacy returns.

Post Cold War, this country, and the world, desperately need a return to an approach to world crises wherein Diplomacy takes the lead; backed up by Defense. Since everyone in the world (it seems) hitched a free ride on our "Defense" gravy-train; almost no nation, rich or poor, seriously took on the responsibility for its own Defense (except for Russia and the Soviet Union; who were really on OFFENSE).

Fast forward to this Media Age, when empty-headed "Know-Nothings" in visual, print, and audio media, mold the mass mind with the most stupendous MUSHROOMs imaginable! (Check out how mushrooms are grown, and you will understand why we can't just call it "propaganda" anymore).

Maybe Obama's "Action"; taken because his Red Line of Chemical Weapons atrocity was breached; will lead to a re-balance of diplomacy and defense. All of those free-loaders have mouths and brains, and, presumably, can take part? It's cheaper, and the freeloaders get to salve their consciences, if they have them.

Stay Vigilant! Your "Politicians" need to read this!

Monday, September 2, 2013

What THUGS Don't "GET" about "DEMOCRACIES"

How Our "IGNORANT" MEDIA Helps Them!

There is little doubt, that we're in a new chapter of the Cold War. In this chapter, one I call the Media-Wars Chapter, firepower takes a back seat to "propaganda".

I was there, in Washington, in the years 1962 through 1966, stationed at the NSA, while the Cuban Missile Crisis; the first two of the four assassinations of our leaders; the early Vietnam War and Gulf of Tonkin; and the Civil Rights turmoil(s); all happened. The Russian Embassy was featured several times in the Washington Post with stories of its "penetrations" of the NSA. Anyone in this country who still thinks Snowden is a "Hero", has "sh*t for brains"!

CNN announced this morning that Russia is sending a delegation to Congress to lobby members against President Obama. On Fareed Zacharia's show yesterday, former National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski cited a source "close to Putin" who referred to President Obama as a "monkey with a grenade". CNN reports this morning that Syria had hacked into the U.S. Marines web sites with a message that attempts to turn them against Obama and toward Assad. Our Media still follows the stupid "two equal sides" rule in their reporting. There is no "other, and equal side" to victory, or to loss!

After watching our Media assist "O'Mara's Defense" in his travesty known as the Trayvon Martin case, I'm sure our enemies think this country is wide open. Racism, poor education, greedy and ambitious media executives, greedy corporations, and wealthy citizens, all become "tools" our enemies can use.

Read Katznelson's, Fear Itself ! You will learn of the difficulties both FDR and Truman faced in the 1930's and 1940's when this country, and the world, faced eerily similar economic and political forces (both domestic and foreign). Thugs in Italy, Germany, and Japan got a five-year head start in their rampages that became known as World War II. Obama faces challenges similar to those faced by FDR and Truman.

Congress is facing challenges much larger than a petty-tyrant in Syria! We may have to restructure our National Security State once again after the ravages to it presented by 9/11, Cheney/Bush, and the increasingly obvious impact of technological changes in "communications".

Stay Vigilant! Educate yourself! Put your foot in the backsides of your "Representatives"!

Copyright © 2013: Williams LLC
All Rights Reserved: Williams LLC

Sunday, September 1, 2013

THERE IS NO "MILITARY" SOLUTION?

"Frightful" Words ??

In this, the land of "gun-nuttery"; the 'John Wayne' world-view; the "shoot first -- reason later" mentality; the words from our Secretary of State on Friday regarding Syria should strike fear. A fear that is new for us. If there is no "military" solution for Syria, our "foreign" policy is suddenly up for serious debate, and, along with it, our "domestic" policy.

The Far Right in this country, which has threatened their political opponents with being "soft on defense", and has ruled that debate since World War II, is facing its "come to Jesus" moment! It has, since 2008, demonstrated to the world (that understands and acknowledges our innate color racism far better than we do) that they will never accept, and will do anything to destroy our first Black President. It appears the world has gotten the message. Will we??

Having boxed him into a corner during the campaign of 2012, the Right Wingers in Congress got his "in your face" response yesterday. They have to "sh*t, or get off the pot!" in this game of "chicken" they have been playing over our foreign policy in the Middle East, and with Russia. We'll see whether they will "put up", or "shut up" during the next few weeks of debate in Congress.

Can we re-structure our foreign policy sufficiently to earn the trust an respect of other nations and peoples, instead of relying completely on terror and money, as we have in the past? The old approach has stitched the fabric of the mess we're in now. Foggy Bottom may have to be up-ended, for the first time in our history.

If we can't learn to "get along" (both at home and abroad), then, perhaps we have to re-institute some form of MAD, (mutually assured destruction) that served to bring the Cold War to its current state. Perhaps, in Putin's mind, the Cold War never died.

Stay Vigilant! To expect to Stay Stupid, and remain FREE, is to expect what never was, and will never be!