Another Major Blow to Our Rights

First, there was the supposed preventive-strike-against-imminent-aggressors philosophy that got us into Iraq (if you believe the neocons’ spin). Look where that got us. Now, using that same, wonderful mindset, the Minneapolis/St. Paul law enforcement establishment are raiding local residences of those who are planning demonstrations in a mind-numbing display of illogical thinking that this will help minimize the protests that will happen during the Republican convention. In other words, a “Preventive Strike.” Yeah…Right.

How dumb can they be? Not only is this outrageous behavior against all principles of our Constitution and a blatant violation of our rights, it is horrible Public Relations for both cities. Are the rich, elite, upper class of 2% that control the wealth in this country is so powerful that they no longer are worried about the upcoming backlash of the population at such tactics? That or they’re dumb as a rock, and I don’t think that’s the case. The law enforcement establishment is there “To Protect and Serve” all right. Only it’s “To Protect and Serve” the status quo, the elite upper class, the multinational corporations.

I won’t go into the details of all that’s going on, but you can find them here at Glen Greenwald's blog dated August 31, 2008. He's miles ahead of me on the particulars of just about anything. I recommend that he's your First Read of the day.

I just want to add to the blogosphere one more voice expressing the total anathema I have for this egregious behavior. We have a long way to go, people, before this country goes back to what was intended by our forefathers. I hope we can find our way, but it’s looking bleaker and bleaker.

Iraq Veterans Against the War

Today, I want to write about a group of proud Americans who are standing tall against the hateful war(s) that the Bush Administration has thrust upon us for the last five plus years.

The Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) held a “Winter Soldier” convention last March in Washington, D.C. These brave men and women, along with the relatives of other soldiers who died or served, came forward to tell their tales of horror while in the war zones of both Iraq and Afghanistan.

I can’t begin to tell you the shocking stories of what these men and women endured and the tragic accounts of relatives who watched their sons and daughters come home completely different than when they left, some resorting to suicide.

Of course, the Mainstream Media virtually ignored this event. I heard that a LexisNexis search (the Mother of all media search engines) on the Convention retrieved one(!) reference - an article in a Washington, D.C. newspaper - and that was in the Metro section! Fortunately, Free Speech TV had extensive coverage so at least those who knew about it were able to see it.

Now, IVAW has taken to the streets of Denver during the Democratic Convention to try to crack through the Media blackout of their grievances. They are performing Guerilla Theatre up and down the avenues showing the public what it’s like to patrol the streets of Baghdad. They demonstrated the raiding of a house and the terror it invokes to the residents. Good for them! Independent News footage show the citizens of Denver somewhat taken aback as these veterans “patrol.” Think how the Iraqi and Afghani citizens must feel in the reality.

The IVAW has three demands that they are placing upon the Powers That Be (whoever they are/will be):

1. The United States immediately withdraw all occupation forces from Iraq. This of course means U.S. combat troops, but also includes U.S. contractors and mercenaries who are exploiting the resources of Iraq. This demand is made with the understanding that the U.S. presence in Iraq contributes directly to the instability of the war-torn country.

2. The United States ensure all veterans receive a comprehensive care plan upon their discharge from the United States Military. This comprehensive care plan must include healthcare, education, and housing, the three of which are currently unaddressed in a sufficient manner.

3. The United States Government agrees to pledge reparations to Iraq for the destruction caused since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. While it would not be feasible to meet this demand immediately, it is necessary that the U.S. Government formally agree to deliver compensation once Iraq establishes a stable government free of American domination.

This should be the demands of all the people of the United States, not just the IVAW. I wish them success and support them one hundred percent.

The "Class Ceiling"

“An intangible barrier within the hierarchy of a company that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions.” This is m-w.com web site’s definition of a “glass ceiling.”

I propose that our country has had for years a “Class Ceiling,” which I define as an intangible barrier that exists between the extremely wealthy corporations and individuals and the politicians who cater to them, versus the rest of the population. We, the people, are below the ceiling (lower and what’s left of the rapidly diminishing middle class), while the decision making processes that drive us toward poverty and further enrich the top two percent are negotiated above it by the corporations and politicians (upper class).

This duopoly of Democrats and Republicans are products of the same cloth. Look at the “workaround” the multinational corporations are utilizing to throw money at both candidates for President. Tens of millions of dollars are being spent on both conventions by companies like Qwest, Comcast, Xcel Energy (Nuclear Plants) and AT&T, which is providing tote bags with the corporation’s logo emblazoned on them. Some amounts these corporations are “donating” aren’t even being divulged.

All this is being brazenly explained as enhancing and promoting the wonderful cities of Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul. You actually think these are “political” contributions? Nah! And many of the corporate contributors aren’t even based in these cities. In the end, just as in other sponsored events, we will be inundated with corporate logos wherever the cameras are pointing. At least, the logos will tell us which corporations will be further enriched and let off the hook for any “indulgences” they may get caught at in the next four years.

So as we, the people, look up at the impenetrable ceiling, this money/policy tarantella between the multinationals and the politicos continue. Because of this ceiling we are experiencing what is a paraphrase of T. Boone Pickens current environmental comment: “it’s the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of our country.” Transferring, that is, from the lower 98% of the U.S. population to the upper 2%. This has been an ongoing process for decades, and the end is not in sight. The “Class Ceiling” appears to be made of something definitely stronger than glass.

News Worth Retching

I'm really sick of mainstream media (MSM). It continually amazes me that with all of the important events occurring in our lives, MSM resorts to trivial, no brainer items. A long time ago, I read that the average IQ is 100. I believe the MSM is catering to the lower half of that mark.

CNN's Headline News is only one half hour long. Each ensuing half hour is a repeat of the previous, including the same copywriting. Of course, a periodic “new in the next half hour” story replaces another that has been repeated a gazillion times and is now time to be retired (only to be resurrected in the “weekend wrap-up”).

I bring this up because I happened to see on Headline News this morning about a “Minute Market” type store clerk who fended off a shotgun wielding robber by repeatedly refusing his demands and attacking him, thus “saving the day,” and the obligatory follow up interview with the feisty clerk.

Off the top of my head I can think of the Iraqi War, the Afghan War, the Economy, the Gas Crisis, Russia v. Georgia, the candidates’ stands on the issues (not fluff pieces) in the upcoming Election, and Guantanamo Bay as slightly more important items than "woman beats up robber."

Headline News has maybe 22 noncommercial minutes to air the headlines minus the weather and sports. Yet, this is THE news story to take up some of this short, valuable time that could be used to inform the public of important issues confronting them?

What’s even sadder is if the clerk had been shot and killed for her defiance it would never have made Headline News, seeing as how local store clerks having been murdered during a robbery is not newsworthy on a national level.

Plus, doesn’t this somehow promote the concept that defiance should be used in the face of armed robbers? Has anyone ever run a statistic on the percentage of defiance that has been successful as opposed to the result of being injured or killed? Can’t you just see some poor zhlub watching this pathetic display on H.N. and thinking he or she is going to thwart the bad guy if a robbery ever happens in their store (“Hey, I’ll be on Headline News!”)? Of course, if he or she is killed because of the defiance, we’ll never hear it on Headlines News. Pitiful.

RFID = Invasion of Privacy

While watching the International News Net World Report yesterday, I came across an interesting “marketing” tool that I’m sure will be (for better or worse, more likely worse) very ubiquitous in the future. Major retail outlets such as Wal-Mart are trying to insert “Radio Frequency Identification” (RFID) tags in all of their items for sale. The grand idea is to have every product on the planet tagged with its own unique number which can then be tracked.

If one thinks about it, this can have very chilling consequences. Basically, consumers can be monitored 24/7. Once in place, the tags can be tracked for the life of the item, letting those who are doing the tracking follow the exact movements of the buyer of the product.

Dr. Kathryn Albrecht and Liz McIntyre have a website concerning this issue. They list many possibilities (probabilities?) that this technology can be used to invade one’s privacy and enable the corporations to track or manipulate the consumer.

What’s amazing is how the marketers are able to keep this invasion of privacy virtually out of any public scrutiny. Dr. Albrecht pointed out in the interview I saw that they have tried many times to have states enact laws making it mandatory that products utilizing this technology plainly brand their packages that an RFID is located within the product. Nowadays if there is any branding, it’s a very small tag in an obscure location. Each state they have tried to pass a law, hordes of lobbyists invade and throw major bucks around to quash the bills. Not one has passed. It makes one wonder why the secrecy? What’s so important that they don’t want us to know about?

Finally, think about how vulnerable to an illegal scan a person is. I was sent a “no swipe” credit card without asking my permission first (“Congratulations, card owner!”) making it seem that my life had just become a more beautiful thing because of their generosity and technological prowess. They didn’t deem it worth mentioning, however, that if a criminal were to obtain a scanner, he or she could scan me without my knowledge and receive my personal information such as name, address, credit card number, expiration date, etc. and utilize it to rip me off or at least the credit card company which we the consumer will pay for in the long run.

It’s imperative that this invasion of privacy be subject to public scrutiny and as closely monitored as they want to monitor us.

Georgia's Misplay

Let me get this straight. I know this is a bit simplistic, but from what I understand, the country of Georgia decided that with all the world hoopla and distraction of the Olympics, no one would pay attention to its teaching neighboring country Osettia an object lesson via military strikes. The reason was to retaliate for the Ossetia population favoring to be under the Russian umbrella instead of Georgia.

And, in the typical Russian fashion of using a sledgehammer to swat a fly, Georgia was hammered big time for its temerity. Of course, it always helps the Russian cause (as in "any excuse will do") that Georgia has an oil pipeline running through the country straight to the Caspian Sea. Good excuse for a protracted invasion, wouldn’t one think?

Also, as I see it, Georgia was under the mistaken impression the good ol’ U.S. of A. would back her play, seeing as how her President is “American Educated,” and in the past former Soviet satellite countries were wooed by us, and so forth. Oops. Big Mistake. As we can see, the good ol’ U.S. of A. Administration is very good at standing on the sidelines and dry washing its hands in anguish.

I realize it’s all more complex than this, but come on! Relying on the Bush Administration for anything is a major mistake. They are a lame duck outfit, maintaining a low profile, going through the paces, and scrambling to avoid all the investigations of its past actions coming down the pike. And now, you want them to be standing tall next to you in grand defiance of the great Red Machine?

Another disgusting piece of this sad tale is the Mainstream Media boohooing for poor old Georgia when they initiated the mess in the first place. Typically, once again they are the mouthpiece for the Bush Administration.

As in so many other cases, the worst part is all the innocent lives being destroyed, because of a group of egoistic government officials having delusions of grandeur.

The moral of this horrible tale? You fool around with a bear, and you’re going to get mauled.

What "Freedom of Speech"?

Last Thursday on GritTV, Laura Flanders had as a guest Ms. Laurie Arbeiter, an artist and activist from “The Critical Voice” organization. She told the story of her being arrested in a Senate chamber where a discussion of the expansion of the Presidency was being held. Her crime? Wearing a shirt that said, “Arrest Cheney First.” Her charge was something to the effect of “Disrupting a Senate Hearing.”

Keep in mind she was just sitting there, minding her own business, not saying a word, listening to the issues. She was summarily escorted out of the room and then handcuffed in the hallway. After this humiliating occurrence, she subsequently went to her arraignment whereupon the charges were dropped. Excuse me?

This is blatant harassment of an American Citizen who was silently objecting to what she believed was an injustice in our country. As she stated on Ms. Flanders’ show, this is a common fear tactic used by those in power to scare individuals from legally expressing their viewpoints.

Another disgusting example of this is Carol Kreck being ticketed and threatened to be arrested if she did not leave a public area simply because she was displaying a “McCain = Bush” sign. Again, minding her own business, not saying a word. Those in power are hoping that by the masses seeing what can happen to someone who peacefully disputes the status quo, no one will come forward in any manner, peacefully silent or otherwise, to challenge authority, thus letting TPTB continue their agenda without interference.

This is not the country I grew up in. This is not the country which can set an example for the rest of the world to respect. This is not the country I want for the future. Free Speech is an inherent right granted us by the Constitution, and no way is the wearing of a shirt with a message counter to the agenda of those in power a violation of that right or an excuse to illegally harass the protestor.

We've Been Had

The (neo)con men are about to leave town, not having a hand laid on them (OK, Scooter Libby, but he got a “get out of jail free card,” and he’ll be pardoned along with the rest of them). They are so good that one of the operators can unabashedly say publicly none of them are going to be held responsible: “Not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime.” – Attorney General Michael Mukasey. This heralds the setup of a very successful exit for these grifters after having fleeced the American people of billions of dollars for them and their pals.

Back in 2000, the ropers (RNC) got enough marks (The Misguided Electorate) voting for these hucksters that it allowed the “A Team” (The Supreme Court) to thrust the con artists into the most powerful positions in the world. From there it was simple. Twist the worst thing to happen to the United States since Pearl Harbor (9/11) into pushing through their agenda (See “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein), then con the marks again(!), only this time into playing their “saving the world from mass destruction” Three Card Monte Game (Nuclear, Chemical, Biological) and, finally, grossly enrich the pockets of the Multinational Corporations during the eight-year swindle. The scam still goes on to this day: “It was bad intelligence…honest!”

First, the little fish now get off the hook courtesy Mr. Mukasey. Next, the absolution will proceed upward to the big fish. Then the confidence team will ditch town extremely wealthy, free as birds, and the Sting will be complete as they leave this country saddled with an almost insurmountable debt, plus draconian surveillance and interrogation laws in place. By January 20th no one will be accountable for anything the con artists’ administration has done for the last eight years.

What a shame. The most tragic part is that none of these scoundrels will be held accountable for sending over 4,000 Americans (and counting) and one million Iraqis (and counting) to their deaths with additional millions of grieving family members. The only hope we have is if the International Courts take a very hard look at what has transpired under this elaborate con and do what’s right.

Native Americans - Screwed Again

Last Thursday (August 7) yet another injustice was done to the Native American Indian. U.S. District Judge James Robertson awarded $455.6 million as compensation for the 100+ years’ ineptitude of the Department of Interior. This is far short of the $47 billion sought.

I am appalled at the way the Native Americans are being treated regarding this matter. It has taken over 12 years just to get this far, and for the “honorable” Judge Robertson to disregard such obvious incompetence from the Department of the Interior starting as far back as 1887 astounds me.

You can find more detailed information here, but suffice to say that the Native Americans were truly shafted - Big Time. In 1887, The Department of the Interior placed in trust all monies owed the Indians for the use of the natural resources on their reservations. It turns out that no accounting was maintained over this trust - ever. According to Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet tribe and lead plaintiff in the suit, the trust fund was constantly raided by Congress over the last century plus for such things as balancing the budget.

So a century and a quarter later, Indians who had oil wells pumping in their back yard were living in abject poverty, plaintively asking where the money was that they were owed. Fortunately, Ms. Cobell became aware of this impropriety and filed a class action suit in 1996.

It is an absolute tragedy that relatively no one knows about this travesty. It barely is noticed by anyone, and certainly mainstream media is ignoring the story. I’ve been aware of this for some time, and even though I try to stay informed, it took three days for me to discover a decision had been handed down. However, at least there are those in the independent media and the blogosphere who are making noise about this egregious behavior by our government. It saddens me that Native Americans owed vast amounts of compensation are dying as this case moves so slowly through the court system.

Ms. Cobell is appealing this horrible decision, and I truly hope that in the end she and our fellow countrymen, the Native Americans, are vindicated.

Freedom of Religion?

It is my understanding that one of the big reasons our ancestors came over to this country was to flee from religious persecution. In this New World, they would be able to practice their own religion without any interference from those who did not agree with their theologies.

Flash forward to the present. The descendants of these immigrants to the New World are now viciously imposing their religious beliefs into the people of this country. What a turnaround. This is not acceptable.

What does it say about us that those running for political offices are required to believe in God and go to church regularly or they are not “qualified” to represent us? What do those criteria have to do with running the country? And this religious concept is just a given. It is tacitly understood that to run for high offices in this country you must believe in God. If you don’t, don’t bother running. Even if you do believe in God, it has to be the right one. The latest example, of course, is Mitt Romney – Mormon. Sorry, Mitt, wrong God. Gotta be your good ol’ basic Christian one. You lose.

Besides, can’t a person be of good moral fiber without the belief in a superior being, or maintaining a continual visit to some “spiritual” edifice (read church, synagogue, etc.) to prove that he is a “God Fearing” man? And shouldn’t he or she be able to hold office to help his constituency, even though he or she may be (shudder!) an atheist? The ultimate hypocrisy in all this is that most religions advocate some sort of “be kind to your neighbor” attitude. Yet, woe be unto you if you’re not of the same bent. How many great men and women throughout history have chosen not to contribute their talents and expertise to our society because of this religious duplicity?

Just who do these religious zealots think they are attempting to impose their moral standards on the country? It continually amazes me that these self-righteous cretins dare to think that their interpretation of religion is the only way, and we must adhere to their narrow-minded, bigoted sense of morality or else.

I’m not even going to go into the pure hypocrisy of the fundamentalist leaders who use poor people’s donations in order to live the high life and supposedly serve as their “messenger” to God and Salvation, meanwhile maintaining impious, sleazy lifestyles (Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, and who knows how many out there who have yet to be caught in flagrante delicto.). That’s a separate blog altogether.

Our country has a puritanical mindset. Way more conservative than other industrialized nations. How did it come to this? Logic would dictate that those coming here to the New World would hand down the story of how religious bigotry drove them here, and one must tolerate all types of spiritual thinking. I guess one must conclude that the immigrants came here not to escape the persecution from the Old World but to impose their own persecution to others in the New World. I’m sure there are scholars out there who have extensively researched this subject. This is just my layman’s take on the whole mess.

Voltaire said, “If there were no God, it would be necessary to invent Him.” My contention is, “Find your own path to peace and spirituality, and enjoy this one life we have to its fullest without forcing it on others.”

This Isn't Us!

I was watching The Bourne Ultimatum yesterday, and a line near the end of the film made me pause for a bit. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is asking CIA agent Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) why she was helping him. Her response was, "This isn't what I signed up for. This isn't us!"

Boy, Howdy, Amen! Also in real life, "this" hasn't been "us" for a very long time. When I was in high school during the middle 60s, we had a mandatory class called "Contemporary American Problems" or "CAP class," for short. This was in California, though there were similar classes throughout the country. We learned about how our government works, who was running it. We had to learn who the cabinet members were and their responsibilities, the line of succession to the Presidency, etc. It was a great class, and it helped give us "soon-to-be-adults-running-the-country" a perspective on just who we as a country were, how our country functioned and our place in the world. Today, I wonder how many high school students know who our Vice-President is, let alone who's third in line for the Presidency.

I looked at Washington, D.C. with respect. A powerful force in World Affairs, trying to be a fair and just participant in the global environment. I remember watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington with awe, getting a view of how the Senate works, respecting Congress, and how a few bad apples can be tamed into submission through the fairy tale of filibustering. Silly me!

What the hell happened? Aren't we as a "democracy" supposed to be the reasonable voice in World Politics? Of course, the sad part is that those now in power are the very ones that took the same class that I did. That were exposed to the same domestic and global mind set. They were the successors to our government. They lived through the fraud and selling of the Vietnam War, the Peace Movement ("Make love, not war!") and Watergate. What exactly did they learn from all that? Obviously, not the same things I did.

Now I look at both houses of Congress as inept, sycophantic tools to the Executive Branch and its Corporate Partners. I have absolutely no respect for them. I see nothing in the future to change my viewpoint. Until Congress can stand up and exert its authority and be regarded as a viable third member of the checks and balances that our Framers of the Constitution intended, I will consider both houses as nothing but shills for the Executive Branch. We need to excise the mealy-mouthed Nancy Pelosis and Harry Reids and their Corporate Sponsors. Our country is dangerously close to losing our democracy brand and becoming a plutocracy, possibly an oligarchy. I'm sure some believe we already have lost the democracy brand.

So, what the hell did happen? My best guess is that my peers at the time fell into the trap of the "Mr. Smith..." character Senator Paine (Claude Rains). They came into the political world full of bright ideas and missions, but the lust for money and power at any cost corrupted them. Maybe acts such as pardoning Nixon taught certain soon-to-be powerful individuals that you can get away with "high crimes and misdemeanors." To hell with the "people" of the United States...All hail the mighty Multi-National Corporations of the United States! And, sadly, there will be no Hollywood Ending similar to Senator Paine breaking down to save the day for Jefferson Smith (or our country).

The good news is that we now have the Internet. Can anyone imagine what would be the current state of affairs if we did not have this wonderful tool to utilize as a real information source and as a community watchdog? We can use it to disseminate the real truth and not be solely subjected to Mainstream Media's "Ministry of Truth."

The bottom line is that it will never be up to one naive Jefferson Smith to come to the rescue, but to all of us who live in this country savvy enough to do what is needed to realize the full potential that the U.S.A. can be.

Chevron Resorts to Bully Tactics

It appears more bad behavior is exuding from multinational corporation oil giant Chevron. It seems that the company destroyed the Amazon rain forest in the backyard of Ecuador in its eternal hunt for profits. Now the 30,000 residents living in the backyard are suing Chevron to the tune of $12 billion in damages for dumping vast amounts of toxic waste into the Amazon and surrounding area. And Chevron's response?

According to Michael Isikoff, an investigative reporter for Newsweek magazine, Chevron has hired lobbyists Wayne Berman, John Breaux and Trent Lott to pressure the Bush Administration into imposing economic sanctions against the country of Ecuador if the suit isn't dropped. To top it off, a "spokesperson" from Chevron has been quoted as saying, "We can't let little countries screw around with big companies like this." Excuse me???

This is exactly the kind of behavior that gives the U.S. a major black eye. How dare a corporation go in, destroy the land and waters of another country, and blithely walk away from it as if nothing happened! It's Chevron's mess, now they need to clean it up - to its original pristine condition.

The Government should look the corporation straight in the eye and tell them that major economic sanctions will be imposed on them if they don't restore the land they've destroyed and adequately compensate the population who have suffered from the toxic chemicals in any manner that is needed. Furthermore, Chevron will restore all the lands around the world that they've willfully contaminated and compensate the people affected. Finally, use environmentally safe procedures on any future exploration/drilling/refining activities...or else.

I believe that the name of the corporate bureaucrat who made the "screw with us" statement should be outed, his name and face plastered all over the Internet. He just doesn't get it. He, along with the three lobbyists - "Curly, Larry and Moe" - who don't give a rat's a** about human decency, should be forced to go to Ecuador and aid "hands on" in the cleanup for however long it takes. Now that would stop these "guns for hire" lobbyists taking up causes with such obvious amoral agendas - all in the name of money.

If the administration actually threatens (aka "blackmails") Ecuador, I hope President Correa is able to tell them to take a flying leap.

Speaking of President Correa, I loved what he said to the American government after they asked him to renew the lease the U.S. had with them for an in-country military base: "We'll renew the base on one condition: that they let us put a base in Miami -- an Ecuadorean base. If there's no problem having foreign soldiers on a country's soil, surely they'll let us have an Ecuadorean base in the United States." Now that's my kind of guy!

The U.S. is now looking at other countries for its base.

I want to thank Amy Goodman's in-depth interview on "Democracy Now!" for steering me onto this story. You can read the interview here.

The Real #1 Issue

This has been troubling me for a long time. I cannot believe that the number one issue in the United States is the economy and has been for months. Is our nation so desensitized that the thousands of deaths of Americans and hundreds of thousands of deaths of Iraqis are of lesser importance than monetary matters? This is outrageous!

Joseph Stalin once said "the death of one man is a tragedy, the death of a million is a statistic." Sadly, the Iraqi War is proving that statement once again. We have endured many economic crises in our history and there has always been recovery. That's the key: regardless of the causes, this one will be over (for better or worse) and we move on. The death of even one human being is permanent. One death...over...gone forever. No recovery, no moving on. Multiply that by one million, plus the families and friends of each of those million who will be permanently affected for the rest of their lives and the repercussions are beyond calculation.

How on Earth can the economy be the number one issue? I attribute it to several factors.

One, the insistence of the Bush Administration to censor the press from documenting the realities of war (the mutilated bodies, the coffins being flown home, the burials). I believe if the American people could see the realities of war up close and personal there would be such a backlash that an immediate demand for the war to end would occur. I realize this would be a difficult task, given that the mainstream media gleefully accedes to the demands of the Administration, but hopefully, the world press and independent media could get the message across to the country.

Two, the mainstream media is deliberately downplaying the events in Iraq ("Not good for the ratings"). My favorite example is CNN touting constantly "Issue #1 - The Economy" in its promos and chyron. I believe it has now become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Keep hammering to the viewers that the economy is "issue number one" and they will accept it. Can't you just envision a poller calling a CNN viewer and asking what's the number one issue? Of course, the drilling into the psyche by CNN will evoke a response of "the economy." Welcome to the Circle Game.

Three, the inurement factor. We've been there a long time and our senses have grown calloused to the whole situation. The deaths become "statistics." We begin to accept it as a normal happening in our lives. In other words, "The Permanent War."

Finally, besides censorship, the Bush Administration is purposefully downplaying the war in order to further their agenda in the Middle East without the irritation of scrutiny. It's much easier to get all the Middle East ducks in a row when no one is paying attention. Using legerdemain-like skills, have the masses watch the left hand (it's the economy, the number one issue!) while the right hand is doing the Middle East Shuffle.

I don't care what your beliefs are regarding post mortem, once an individual dies that's it on this plane. That person will never come back...I repeat, never. And for what, exactly? One living, breathing human being permanently obliterated times one million just to enhance the profits of multi-national corporations? What price oil?

So while we are all busy worrying about the "#1 issue" - the economy, one by one, more deaths are occurring. And nobody is getting it! Think of the last loved one you lost. Feel it...remember how badly it hurt. It's happening everyday to someone here and in Iraq. Every day. Right this minute. As a million times previously. We need to understand the ghastly intimacy of death, the horror, the graphic details in order to get our priorities straight. This massacre must stop. Now. It's the number one issue.

And so it begins...

I start this blog site with a fair amount of trepidation for obvious reasons. My view of our country and the world has had a dramatic turn in the last eight months. It is with deep regret that over the span of my life I've never really paid that close attention to the inner workings of our government and its behavior toward its citizens and the rest of world. As an example, I actually let the endless drone of our "bringing democracy" to other countries settle into my mindset as gospel. Iran/Contra? Panama? Whatever...

Fortunately, last November I was approached by a friend who asked me if I was watching a show entitled Democracy Now! with a person named Amy Goodman anchoring. It was on a network that I'd never noticed called Free Speech TV. That was my epiphany. I realized there was more going on than what I was getting from mainstream media.

Once I got into the habit of viewing FSTV, I found another brilliant person who presented a world view that I had never considered. His name: Noam Chomsky. My first exposure to him was the documentary "Noam Chomsky: Rebel Without a Pause," and thus started my odyssey into "The Real World." Wow! And so it went, finding more and more people in the blogosphere who were taking to task those in power for their egregious behavior. It was Mr. Chomsky who said the words that really got me interested in the world of geopolitics. He simply stated, "It's out there, all you have to do is look."

From those eloquently few words, I have been voraciously reading and watching documentaries...trying to play catch-up with the world - its past, present and future. My daily blog reads include Glen Greenwald, The Huffington Post, The Nation and Crooks and Liars to name a few. I've been commenting here and there, sorta like dipping my toes into the political waters.

I am sick and heartbroken to discover the direction our country has taken in the last several decades. Even though I still feel like I'm taking baby steps in trying to understand all that's going on, it's now important for me to begin publishing my thoughts and ideas on various subjects regarding our country. I believe the old cliche that the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step can be reworked to pertain to the blogosphere. One blogger caring for our country turns into thousands of bloggers, then into the tens and hundreds of thousands. That is why I now want to be one blogger of the many. Together, the thousands of us can help rebuild this country into one all Americans can be proud of and have world citizens respect the U.S.A. as a valued, contributing member of the planet Earth.

I am on the downhill side of my life, but I plan on devoting the rest of it in keeping due diligence on the Powers That Be. Hopefully, my one small blog will help magnify the exposure of those who would pillage our people and country in order to fulfill their own agendas. I don't have money or influence, but hopefully this blog will be one more brick to wall them up. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that a lot of my future postings will be somewhat downbeat, even a bit vitriolic considering the current situation existing in our country and the world. Whatever the tenor of the postings, I hope that the reader will understand my passion behind it.

I am in no way an insider. I have no sources that are going to impart information to me that isn't already known to the astute blogging community. All I will be able to do is re-post the information that's "out there" and write my perspectives on the same. Maybe, if enough new people do the same as I and join the already potent blogging community, we can make an even bigger difference than there is already.