The Stupidity of Hostility

OCCUPY WALL STREET!

I attended Occupy Phoenix. I took pictures. It's great to see so many people get involved, right here in supposedly conservative Phoenix. Mainstream Americans have taken our majority for granted, but we've realized we can't. The corporations and banks have a MAJORITY OF THE MONEY, and it seems that has meant more than people.

Many millions of Americans, including myself, have spoken out, organized, marched, and demonstrated for peace, opposing needless and destructive wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and covert actions overthrowing democracies, subverting foreign governments, and supporting right-wing dictators in Latin America and other places throughout the world.
Since the American Revolution, America has fought only two unavoidable wars: the Civil War and World War II. The history of US foreign policy has, for the most part, been nothing to be proud of. We should, however, take pride in our right to speak freely and oppose the wrongdoings, and protect and defend those rights when they are challenged.
We should be alarmed and protest when anyone who is working for peace and justice is threatened, harrassed, or arrested by officials in our own government. These documents show that US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and the FBI have blatantly violated the very rights they have sworn to uphold, targeting at least two peace activists in Minneapolis. Write your Congressman.

COX INTERNET TOOK MY SPACE AWAY!
But I got a new one.
--Captain Rat

---

Arizona Issues, 2012

For my view of the issues, and links to two other blogs analyzing the propositions, follow the above link

---

The Secretary of State issues a booklet, the General Election Guide, which has 160 pages this year. To be a well-informed voter, you need bright light, good eyes, or a strong pair of reading glasses. Despite its thickness, the print is small and the pages are the cheapest possible newsprint. No doubt the state intends to save money while fulfilling its legal requirements.

If you need large print, or Spanish, or both, you have to call one of several phone numbers, or visit www.azsos.gov. If you can't read the booklet, there's a number to call to hear it read to you. If you do that, I hope you don't have to pay by the minute.

Still, it's important to understand what we're being asked to decide, whatever you have to do to get the information.

--cosmic rat Oct 13, 2012

---

DO NOT NEGLECT TO VOTE.

The polls are trending toward an Obama victory. Do not let this make you overconfident. The Republicans are putting every obstacle they can in the way of probable Democratic voters. It is an ugly, ruthless tactic, showing no respect for democracy or ethics, but if you are a voter who faces such obstacles, fight back. Don't assume your vote isn't needed. Find out what you need to do to vote, and do it. Help others in the same situation. Even if you have to stand in long lines and wait, it is worth it, not only for the vote itself, but to prove you can't be denied your most important right as an American citizen.

Not only do we need to re-elect the President by the widest possible margin, but each and every seat in the Senate and the House is important. It looks like an increasingly good chance we can win some of those too.

Elizabeth Warren should be able to beat Scott Brown in Massachusetts, especially after his mindless attempt to attack her racial identity.

Richard Carmona, a man with a truly impressive list of accomplishments in service to his country, could well defeat the inane Flake in Arizona.

Claire McCaskill in Missouri is running against the infamous Akin whose outrageous and wrong denial of a raped woman's right to end her unwanted pregnancy should horrify even Republicans. What voters should remember about Akin is that, though many Republicans condemned his extreme position, many of them are not far from his beliefs, and that threatens women's rights throughout the country.

In Texas, the Democrat Paul Sadler faces a Republican who wants to abolish the Department of Education. Just on that issue, Cruz, the Republican should be soundly defeated. Of course, Texas has had some odd views on education, attempting to use it to feed children propaganda, not facts, but there are many intelligent people in the state as well.

In Virginia, the Republican, Allen, favors privatising Social Security. If Tim Kaine, the Democrat, wins, that dangerous and unpopular idea may well be defeated along with Allen. Why Republicans foolisly want to harm the most successful and sound government program in America is a mystery. Social Security will be fully funded for years, and only requires small adjustments to make it last many decades beyond that.

Any voters whose district has a Republican Representative should do their best to oust him or her. The House has been the main obstacle to any job-creating legislation since 2010. There has been steady job growth nevertheless, but the pace could be quickened with Congressional support.

Do NOT become complacent. We have far more than re-electing the President to do

-cosmicrat September 27, 2012

Some Thoughts on Economics

Ideological economics theories polarize and divide, while neither extreme would solve our real-world problems.

Let Us Alone?

A selfist wrote, speaking to the 'the government': Leave us alone. We don't need you to make it better.
Of course you don't. For YOU, it already IS as good as you can imagine.

ARIZONA'S POLITICAL DESERT

If someone were to ask whether Arizona is full of political corruption, I might answer with the question, Is the state run by Republicans?
The answer to both questions is, of course, YES. It's sort of like asking if the Pope is Catholic. I am a long-time resident of the Phoenix area, and I love the beauty and climate of Arizona and many of the people, but Republicans and conservatives have done serious social and economic harm here, and it should be put right..

Oil: Last Century's Energy

Remember when 20th Century sounded modern, or at least current? It was an exciting 100 years, but it's in the past now. Much of its technology, as wonderful as it was then, belongs in the realm of nostalgia.
Oil, sucked from deep underground, has been extremely useful in powering everything we do. We Americans use more of it than anyone else, though others are catching up:

Whose Economy Is It?

We need not wonder why our economic system is dysfunctional. We are letting the animals run the zoo. We have the mistaken notion that an economy exists for the use of private enterprise to conduct activities for profit. Though private enterprise is a useful and necessary part of the system, it does not own the economy, nor should it be allowed to run it.
In this article I examine why our economy doesn't work for us, and what we might do about it. It will not be easy to take back our government and our economic system, but the most important step is to realize that we must.

BEWARE THE REPUBLICAN ECONONOMY LIES

Stop letting their deceptive propaganda work against the people!
Iran and Venezuela
There is news that Iran and Venezuela may cooperate on a deal involving Russian missles. Some have expressed concern that missles in Venezuela could reach US territory

This is the a predictable confluent result of two US erroneous and shortsighted foreign policies, both of which created unnecessarily adversarial relationships.

As we know, our original problems with Iran were created when we assisted the British in overthrowing Iran's democratic government to save their oil interests. Then we proceeded to sell the Shah nuclear power technology, supplying technicians and fuel. After the Iranian revolution, even well after the hostage situation was resolved, the US not only did not resume technical assistance and fuel supplies but pressured most other countries and the IAEA itself to refuse. As a result, we lost our opportunity to participate in and monitor their nuclear power program, we created distrust and ill will, and left Iran no choice but to enrich their own fuel.

Regarding Venezuela, it should not need mentioning that we have a well-deserved reputation for meddling in or overthrowing Latin American governments that resist American companies' one-sided exploitation of their resources and labor. The time for treating the continent as a collection of semi-colonial subsidiaries is past, as the popular Chavez government in Venezuela should remind us. Yet, rather than accept Venezuela's need and desire to reduce poverty and improve its citizens' lives, we treat it as an adversary. malign it, and seek to cause it economic harm.

So, we should not be surprised that these two nations may cooperate. Obviously, neither nor both together are any real threat militarily, except to deter an attack on either country by the US.

We can look to a future in which more Latin American nations form alliances with one another to protect their national sovereignty from US interference. Brazil and Bolivia are no longer allowing Washington to dictate either their domestic or foreign policies. Other nations as well are concerned about the right-wing coup in Honduras, which the US originally criticized, not admitting it was aided by the CIA, and by subversive attempts to influence Brazil's elections.

It seems there is a sort of inertia in foreign policy that makes it difficult to change until long after change is needed, even by a President who one might think would recognize that need. A greater effort must be made to call attention to continued American destructive foreign policies and demand they be corrected.

Temporary Setback
A well-funded, continuous, and intense program of propaganda can be devastating to its target, especially when there are unsettling economic conditions.

This is the key to understanding the results of the midterm election on November 2, 2010. Considering the resources and ruthlessness of the opposition, Democrats actually did fairly well, retaining control of the Senate and defeating some of the House challengers.

In some cases it helped that some of the teaparty=sponsored Republicans took positions so extreme as to make traditional conservatives hesitate.

For those who are somehow not aware, the teaparty "movement" did not originate spontaneously as a "grass roots" trend. It was created by professional organizers funded by corporate money from the Koch brothers, oil billionaires. Since its first strategic target was health care reform, insurance companies were no doubt involved as well. Its purpose was to create the appearance of widespread popular opposition to health care reform from some of the very people who would benefit from reform.

Propagandists know that once this illusion is created, a certain percentage of the public will be conviced to join it, giving it every appearance of a real movement.

In case anyone has the impression that propaganda is something only Nazis and communists do, remember that in its commercial form, propaganda is called advertising. Political propaganda is nothing new in America. It was used effectively to get the public to accept entering World War I, even after Wilson had promised to keep us out, and there was no real need for our involvement.

Anti-communist propaganda has been used for the last century, intensified after World War II, when the USSR changed from ally to adversary, and the Cold War was born. Communism was an easy target, exemplified by Stalinism, with its lack of political freedom. However, such propaganda efforts hit more than a specific foe, but conflated soviet communism, democratic socialism, and even political liberals who only want to humanize capitalism.

This is why, inaccurate as they are, accusations of 'socialism' are effective weapons in a society that has been exposed to propaganda for several generations. Propaganda seldom relies on truth to be effective. Any statement repeated often enough, especially by anyone well-known, with access to broadcast media, will gain a number of believers.

There are interesting times ahead, but not necessarily a disaster for progress. We have achieved a great deal so far, and our task now is to preserve it, and to use our voices to add as much intelligence as we can to the public discussion.
--Cosmicrat, November 12, 2010

MIDTERM ELECTION, 2010

Eight False Things The Public KnowsPrior To Election Day

The Right-Wing Teabaggers' Backup Plan: VIOLENT OVERTHROW
These people do NOT believe in democracy. They are trying to use democracy with their constant misleading and false propaganda, but they will sell America out to the corporations who are funding them at unprecedented levels. They don't CARE what the people want or need. They want to END civil rights, religious freedom, a woman's right to choose, Social Security, Medicare, and health care reform.

ARIZONA REPUBLICANS TO REJECT:

Arizona Governor: Jan Brewer
Surrounded by lobbyists in both her governing and campaign offices. Flat-out lied about headless bodies in the desert, and later lied about whether she stated the original lie. Twisted the truth about balancing the budget. Made up an assertion about the majority of immigrants being drug mules. Continues to pretend job creation is due to her leadership rather than federal stimulus. Continues to dodge debates.
VOTE FOR TERRY GODDARD

Arizona Attorney General: Tom Horne
Banned for life by Securities and Exchange Commission for lying to investors; lied in multiple filings on behalf of his law firm with the Arizona Corporation Commission by hiding his past bankruptcy (disclosure is required by law); lying in current campaign cycle about Democratic candidate Felecia Rotellini’s impressive record

Arizona Treasurer: Douglas Ducey
Failed to pay his taxes on time for three of the last four years until the day after his campaign kick-off event; delinquent on filing his company’s basic corporate paperwork; failed to fill out personal finance disclosure forms properly; his flawed business model at ColdStone Creamery bankrupted numerous franchisees and left taxpayers holding the bag for $53 million in unpaid federal loans.
VOTE FOR ANDREI CHERNY

Arizona Secretary of State: Ken Bennett
Close to lobbyists and corporate special interests. Of the supporters listed on his website, more than 60 are paid special-interest lobbyists. Suspended public disclosure rules in order to keep 492 lobbyists from getting fined. The CEO of an oil company, Bennett as Senate president forced through a law that let his own company off the hook for spilling toxic chemicals and passed the cost for clean-up on to the taxpayers.
VOTE FOR CHRIS DESCHENE

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction: John Huppenthal
Says one thing and does another, to an extreme. Claims to have a record of improving Arizona schools, but under his watch as state Senate Education Chairman, Arizona schools were cut to the bone and are now 49th in the nation in per-student funding. Opposes early childhood education, as evidenced by his vote to send First Things First to the ballot for repeal. Opposes all-day kindergarten, saying it is pathetic public policy and Arizonans only support it because of brainwashing.
VOTE FOR PENNY KOTTERMAN

Arizona State Mine Inspector: Joe Hart
Assumed office in 2006 without the required underground mining experience and then had mining lobbyists and his Republican pals in the Legislature quietly change the experience requirements so he would qualify this time around in in 2010.
VOTE FOR MANUEL CRUZ

It's Just Justice, Not Rocket Science

It amazes me that the people most likely to invoke the Constitution in their rhetoric are so often the same ones who advocate violating it when it protects the rights of an accused whose "type" they especially hate. And, when we defend our Constitution (not the alleged actions of the accused criminal), we are accused of sympathy for the crime.

Is it not possible to apply enough logic and reason to realize that two different things are actually NOT the same thing? In a Constitutional government based on the rule of law, the law is to be applied exactly the same way to everyone. No exceptions, no changing the rules to suit the public opinion of the person being tried.

Sometimes I wonder how we have kept our freedom this long when there are citizens either unable or unwilling to understand the principles of our system of justice. Incidentally, that was the Miranda Decision, not the Miranda Act. It was a Supreme Court decision that came about because suspects were in fact being deprived of their right not to self-incriminate and their right to an attorney by being misinformed or not informed of those rights. Note Amendments 4, 5, and 6 http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

It should also be remembered that the Bill of Rights did not invent or create the rights it enumerated. These were considered to be the natural rights of a free person, which existed before the USA and its Constitution were created.

If all that seems just a little too complicated to comprehend, then perhaps we could all remember the last 6 words of the Pledge of Allegiance: "with liberty and justice for all.".

On the Road to Universal Health Care

It has been a long, strange trip. We aren't quite there yet, but we've finally reached the first main rest stop. We can, and should, celebrate for a bit, relax, and then take a look at the map and plan the rest of the route.

The law we have achieved thanks to extremely hard work by both Congress and the President is a very good and necessary set of provisions. We will find that more is needed, primarily a public option to reduce the cost of insurance and of health care as a whole

But an important part of this victory is that to win it, we, the people through a majority of our Congress took on major corporations that have been throwing huge amounts of money into propagandizing the people and outright buying Senators and Congresspersons, determined to prevent reform and to protect their profits at any cost.

We have all at times despaired at the level of big-money corruption that has often thwarted the will of the people. What makes it harder to fight is the way they use their money to delude people. But what we have found that even though they will even resort to threats and inciting violence, we can overcome them. Yes, we can.

We needed to know that-- to prove it, because to make the changes required in many other areas like financial institution regulation, environmentally friendly energy sources, and even foreign policy, we must face huge corporate and banking interests.

The following link is a summary of Health Care provisions I suggest everyone read it so you will understand when a Republican lies to you.

A Non-ideological Summary
Regulations placed on the practice of capitalism are indeed not "socialism" any more than traffic laws are anti-driving. In both cases the purpose is to enable all the safe enjoyment of the activity without harming others.

Nor are social programs that ameliorate the harm done to the general public by inadequately controlled capitalism, or by its negative side-effects-- programs which may enable the continued use of the capitalist mechanism without destroying the society of which it is a part-- they are not socialism either. Some of them may have been ideas stolen from socialists, but used for a different purpose: not to replace capitalism, but to SAVE it.

It would be intelligent of the practitioners of capitalism to understand that a healthy and prosperous general population is to their enterprises' long-term advantage, but they think only as far as their next bottom line.

We need to find ways to protect our government from the corporate corruption, so that it will have the ability to protect us.

Iced Tea
It seems the teabaggers are proposing the restoration of literacy tests for voting. They imagine, I suppose, that they would reduce the number of poor and minority voters.
The ironic thing is that if the literacy test covered anything more advanced than "See Dick run" (and I hope he doesn't), many of the teabaggers would probably fail.
When the Vice Governor of South Carolina orates that poor people are like stray animals- if you feed them they'll breed, it is easy to see just how hateful and inhuman the right wing can get.
And just how far from American values have they gotten when they can actually criticize an accused suspect being read his Miranda rights? Never mind the fact that doing it right has actually gotten more information than they otherwise would have-- this is the United States of America, and justice is not optional.
It's not easy to imagine the combination of ignorance and absolute selfishness being widespread enough to seriously impair progress, in a country where education and information are so available to all.
But dysinformation and selfist propaganda has big money on its side, and that will get worse.
I recall a line from a Jim Morrison song: "They've got the guns, but we've got the numbers..."
But we have to make the numbers count.

ELECTIONS ARE COMING and we're under attack. We've got to stop the forces of darkness.
Do you think I'm exaggerating? Not a bit. These are extremists who are playing on the dissatisfaction that comes with recession and unemployment to try to destroy the progress we've worked so hard for. Don't sit this one out! It is not Someone Else's Problem. It's OUR problem!
Democrats, liberals, and progressives:

We elected Barack Obama enthusiastically, not just as the only alternative to the disaster waiting to happen that John McCain and Sarah Palin would have been. Our enthusiasm was based on a strong hope of a serious and long-needed alteration of the way America related to the rest of the world, and a hope for laws and policies that would protect all Americans from the greed and influence of corporate power.

We also elected as many Democrats as possible to help get this done. Those of us who were realistic knew that none of this would be easy, and that the new President and Congress faced unprecedented problems, most of ithem the direct result of the incompetence and malfeasance of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, though some of the economic disaster was the culmination of the policies begun by Ronald Reagan.

Nevertheless, some of us were disappointed at the continuation of the Afghan war, a conflict just as pointless as the one in Iraq. We are disappointed that Guantanamo is not yet closed, and that too few war crimes have been prosecuted.

Still, despite an extreme and heavily corporate-funded full-scale attack by the right wing, the record of achievement of Obama and Congress has been impressive. Not everything; not perfect, but better than any other President has done in so short a time.

Now that right-wing attack threatens to cripple further progress. Under normal conditions, the extremists running as Republicans wouldn't stand a chance, but 10 percent unemployment is not normal conditions. That figure, last seen during the Reagan administration, makes enough people nervous and unhappy that they listen to any opposition, no matter how untruthful that opposition may be.

We know that unemployment can't be fixed overnight. We know it is the result of a Republican caused recession. And we know that Democratic policies will improve the economy sooner than Republicans would.

But because the economy isn't fixed yet, more people will believe lies because they are looking for someone new to blame.

Regardless of any disappointment we may have, this is no time to abandon the cause of progress. The alternative is not just lack of progress, it is regression: going backward. Backward into the bigotry of yesteryear, the authoritarian control over our private lives; the cold disregard for the needy; the loyal service to corporate wealth.

Two years is not nearly enough time on which to base a judgment of a President and a Congress, especially not in the middle of a recession, and not when we are being attacked with ever dollar and every lie the Republicans can muster.

We still have the structure of a government of and by the people. The extent to which the people are not in control is exactly as much as we fail to care, fail to act; fail to vote.

We, the normal, sane Americans who WANT our country to progress, prosper, and contribute to a better, more harmonious world for all-- we are the majority. We have the numbers to go to the polls and save our ideals from being derailed.

Let's do it.

-cosmic rat, October 27, 2010

Congressional candidates NOT to vote for, and some positive recommendations

Dump McCain-- vote for Rod Glassman for Senator

We've watched Jan Brewer lie to our faces on national TV. Vote for Terry Goddard for Governor

ARIZONA'S INDECENT PROPOSITIONS

Arizona Proposition 106: HELL NO! Insurance companies want to destroy health care reform. THEY WANT TO PROTECT THEIR OBSCENE PROFITS

Arizona Proposition 107: HELL NO! This is a fraud.

This proposition is NOT FOR equality, it is an attack on equality!
It is an attempt to ban all affirmative action programs. It will block progress toward equal opportunity for minorities in education, employment, and small business.

Arizona Proposition 109: Another fraud. We already have the right to hunt and fish. This opposes wildlife preservation efforts. Vote NO.

Arizona Proposition 113: NO! Its purpose is to make it harder for workers to unionize.

In another attempt to deceive voters, they are saying "save our secret ballot". This is not about your election ballot! Nobody wants to change that. This only about employees voting whether to have a union. In that situation, the "secret ballot" is only a ploy making it easier to intimidate and discourage workers from choosing to unionize.
This proposition is intended to block the national Employee Free Choice Act if it is passed by Congress
It is already hard in Arizona. Don't make it worse.

Arizona Proposition 301: Raid the Land Conservation Fund-- NO!

Jan Brewer lied when she said she balanced the budget; now she's still trying to balance it by grabbing the Land Conservation Fund, set aside by voters to preserve Arizona's natural beauty and specifically to fund our schools when any state lands are sold. Don't let her!

Arizona Proposition 302: Raid the Childhood Health & Development fund NO.

To be born in Arizona should not mean a second-rate childhood. Arizona continues to rank near the worst in education. First Things First, funded by cigarette taxes, helps prepare children to get the most out of school.

---

EDUCATION AND POLITICS
Recently I heard it mentioned that voters in the blue states were, on the average, better educated than those in the red states. Intuitively, that seems obvious, but I decided to correlate some hard data that would show it true beyond a doubt.

Sure enough, the statistics show clearly that states voting Democratic had a better educational rating than those with Republican majorities.
Here is the Election-Education Table

BEWARE THE REPUBLICAN ECONONOMY LIES

AMERICA UNDER ATTACK

More Political news

A CASE OF KIDNAPPING
When I first heard the story of the Haiti kidnappers' arrest, I thought "Well-meaning but stupid." But after a few more facts came out, I realized they were not well-meaning at all, and they fully deserve being arrested, tried, and if found guilty, imprisoned.
Taking advantage of a disaster, pretending to "help", and snatching children in order to impose their particular brand of Christianity on them is an even more heinous act than kidnapping for ransom.
Secretary of State Clinton has rightly said, "It is a matter for the Haitian courts to decide." That it is.
No doubt the kidnappers, seeing that at first Haiti was virtually without government and police after the earthquake, thought they could get away with their crime amid the chaos. In effect, they were looters of the worst kind, stealing not food or even objects, but human beings.
Christianity has a long sordid history of forcing its beliefs on others, fomenting wars to convert the conquered, conducting inquisitions, and, even in the US, kidnapping children to brainwash them. Despite the First Amendment, that was systematically done to American natives. Not long ago a local government in Texas tried to confiscate the children of a Mormon sect.
Religions that follow their own best principles usually do good, not harm. Because religion is by nature irrational, its adherents are also vulnerable to those who would twist its preachings into offensive and often deadly kinds of action.
I hope that a lesson is learned from that crime, that no nation, no culture, no matter what emergencies or problems it may have, takes lightly the insult of preying on the minds of their children.
--cosmic rat 02--06-2010

STATE OF THE UNION, 2010
Many things can be said about the list of issues President Obama addressed in his speech, but I have the following overall impressions:
It is clear that the President is a man who cares very deeply and strongly about the people of the United States and of the world of which we are a part. Even those who disagree with his approach should admit that to themselves, if not aloud. Barack Obama does not shout his feelings. He speaks calmly, clearly; with reasoned arguments, as a President should, but that does not disguise his dedication to serve well the people who elected him.

Considering the array of problems the President faces, it is hard not to think of fables in which a ruler or a god offers a brave knight a great prize to do an impossible task- to slay a dragon, or rescue a princess from a powerful evil captor.
The problems in our reality are not insurmountable, but the pace of solution demanded by the impatient makes them even harder to overcome.
We Americans have learned that we are not guaranteed a good President. When we are lucky enough to have elected one, I hope most of us can also learn to appreciate him, and be just a little more patient when his task is to move a mountain he didn't create.

We're Just too Principled Sometimes
Leftist revolutionaries may have theorized that the end justifies the means, but peaceful democratic progressives have almost always rejected that notion. Unfortunately the radicals of today, the right-wing minority have adopted it enthusiastically.

It is tempting at times for liberals to try to match that ruthlessness, but we never actually do, which is why, despite a clear majority, we get so little done.

A MOVIE REVIEW
I am often amazed by what seems to be a cinematic competition to spill the most blood and portray monsters both human and alien that seem to take great joy in dismembering and/or eating people. I wonder if they have actually run out of ideas, or they assume this is what we want to see, perhaps to desensitize ourselves in order to face real life

House Hunting in the West Bank
Our Jerusalem correspondent finds that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's argument for allowing continued construction in settlements contains layers of deception.
Gershom Gorenberg | June 4, 2009

---

---

GO AHEAD, CALL ME A SOCIALIST! Jul 4, '09 7:43 AM No matter how carefully we progressives define our position on American political issues, the cement-brained right-wingers are going to call us socialists. They see the world as either/or, not both/and. You're either one of them or the complete opposite.

In the interest of being precise, we often attempt to explain that, no, here's the socialist position, here is ours, and they are not the same. It's not actually being defensive, but it sounds a bit that way. And it allows the right wing to continue labeling socialism as a bad thing.

It is not a bad thing. It isn't even all ONE thing. In general it is a lot of ideas from many different thinkers whose purpose is to address the harmful effects of capitalism and the greed that drives it. Many of those ideas have proved valuable and effective in many nations around the world.

Any time an economic theory becomes an ideology with rigid, religious-like adherents, problems result. It becomes too difficult to change what doesn't work and try new ideas. This is a problem with capitalists today, and has been a problem with socialism as well.

Most democratic governments are comprised of several political parties, of which socialists are one or two. The result is usually a compromise that employs the most useful features of capitalism and socialism without too much concern over labeling them. But in arriving at a balance it is important to start with the views of both ends of the political spectrum.

We don't have that in the US the socialist label is avoided. It is the victim of over a hundred years of propaganda that associated socialism with communism of the totalitarian variety that resulted in the Russian Revolution, resulting in generations of unreasoning fear. Witch hunts and inquisitions ruined many lives over no more than unfounded accusations.

Just as we've made progress in reducing racism, sexism, and many other prejudices, we need to learn to speak and think calmly and rationally about politics and economics, and stop putting shock values on labels.

To do that, we on the progressive side, a growing majority of Americans, need to stop being afraid of being called socialist. The right-wingers are going to call us that anyway, so we might as well learn to like it. Embrace it. We may not be ideological socialists, but I'd bet we all approve of Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, the Minimum Wage, all ideas begun by socialists.

And now, years late, after millions of Americans have needlessly suffered and died because they could not afford health care, could not afford health insurance, or couldn't get insured at any price, all due to the insane non-system that allows insurance companies, drug companies, and medical providers make obscene profits by bleeding the sick of every dime they can.

A large majority of Americans want universal health care, and still there is a struggle with lobbyist-corrupted Congressmen and a highly funded lie and distortion campaign.

Yes, national health care is also a socialist idea, one so basic and vital that every other developed nation in the world has adopted it in various form, and is much better off and healthier because of it.

So, if someone calls you a socialist, smile and say "thank you". If a socialist calls you a capitalist, that's all right too. Today, July 4th, declare independence from labels. --COSMIC RAT

---

---

CHRISTIAN DOMESTIC TERRORISM May 31 2009

Does anyone still doubt the threat OF DOMESTIC TERRORISTS after today's church assassination of the doctor in Wichita?

So far the anti-abortion extremists' crimes have been less spectacular than the Muslim variety, but this is because their terrorism is aimed not at an entire nation but specifically at doctors and other health care workers who provide abortions for women who choose them.

They hope to frighten others into abandoning their principles and giving in to the extremist demands. No one wants to live in fear of being stalked by a religion-crazed killer, though most dedicated health care professionals will courageously continue, no doubt with precautions.

The use of a lone assassin makes it harder to determine whether there is an organized group involved. It is worthy of note that immediately after the murder was reported, some people were expressing approval for the crime. At the very least there seems to be a number of anti-abortionists who are inciting others to carry out their deadly intentions.

Anti-abortionists like to call themselves "pro-life" That is deceptive. They are NOT pro-life. Obviously, what they are FOR is imposing on everyone their own extremist belief that a fetus is the same as a human being.

What they are AGAINST is the concept that a woman is a fully equal human being with human rights that include the right to control her own body and decide for herself whether to reproduce.

It is this theocratic authoritarianism for which they are willing to kill in an attempt to force it upon the rest of us.

I sincerely hope that there is a thorough nationwide investigation designed to root out all who advocate, incite, or plot murders like that committed today, Sunday, March 31, 2009.

Nature of Morality

Morality has a biological basis, and is found in other social animals. The survival and welfare of the group as a whole is vital to individual survival, so it is not surprising that those with an inherent inclination to have concern for and cooperate with others would be more apt to survive themselves and reproduce.

If one were to write the Genetic Commandments, there might be three: (1) Thou shalt not kill one another, lest there be no one left to help when the saber-toothed tiger cometh. (2) Thou shalt not do things likely to piss others off and make them likely to violate rule #1. (3) Thou needeth friends, so be one.

Of course no one needed to write these down, until religion-inventors decided to take credit for common knowledge, then add supernatural embellishments.

---

---

HEALTH CARE

There is no valid argument for keeping the status quo regarding health care in the US. Those opposing a national health care plan are representing those who are reaping huge profits from inequitable dispensation of medical care. Their arguments are based on myths and outright lies.

The actual facts are clear and have been available for many years. Not only are we, as a nation, paying much more for less health care, but the quality of health care is dependent primarily on the level of income.

Examples of effective, fair, and efficient systems are present in several major countries. Since we are behind most of the world on this issue, we do have the advantage of learning from the successes of other nations.

---

---

NOT JUST THE WAR

As most Americans know, the unjustified invasion of Iraq is only one of the Bush administration's many crimes. To have caused the deaths of nearly 4000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis is bad enough, but the President has attacked our Constitution as well, and continues to do so. .

Ending the occupation is very important, but at the same time we need to repair the damages to the Bill of Rights and our system of justice, and prevent any more damage. .

The administration has concocted a plan to place control of domestic spy satellite technology entirely within the Executive branch. All requests for access by Federal, state, and local governments would go an agency within Homeland Security for permission. In order to pretend that rights to privacy are being protected, another agency, also within the Executive branch, is assigned to review the decisions of the first agency. .

Congressional hearings have been held about this plan, and several Democrats have expressed concern and alarm. They have pointed out the obvious, that this plan has no real safeguards, and that any potentially invasive use of the technology must have Judicial oversight: a warrant should be required, based on Probable Cause, just like physical searches and phone taps. Congressional oversight is needed too, to report to the American people how this technology, paid for with tax dollars, is being used. .

There are many legitimate and beneficial uses for spy satellites: assessing assistance needs in natural disasters, forest fire detection, locating lost or stranded people in remote areas, and many scientific and educational applications. We need to make sure that concerns for secrecy about capabilities do not prevent these uses. .

Congress needs to act on this issue in the very near future. We already know that the Bush administration is not to be trusted. Spy satellites are dangerous tools in the hands of those who do not respect human rights or human life.
--captain rat
September 15 2007

Not All Alike

Just electing any Democrat won't be enough. Although they all say they want to end the occupation, not all of them understand that the changes needed are much broader and deeper than that. Not all of them have the integrity and the will to oppose the corporate interests to put the government back into the hands of the American people.

When Barack Obama said he would meet with the leaders of nations like Venezuela, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea, he showed that he understands the need and value of communication and diplomacy, and that he knows that such countries do not need to be considered enemies merely because they disagree with US policy, nor because they object to our past and present attempts to control the rest of the world.

Hillary Clinton, when she disagreed on this issue, showed that she just doesn't get it, or that she intends to go along with the corporate interests, putting profit ahead of principles.

The next President needs to realize that if we are to have a 'War on Terror', then the United States of America needs to stop terrorizing. We need to stop the intimidation, stop undermining foreign governments, promoting coups against their leaders, supporting repressive dictators, and perpetrating economic injustice. What especially angers people in areas victimized by the US is that we claim to stand for freedom and justice for all, but we often do the opposite.

A President should know that being the most powerful nation on Earth does not mean we have to push other nations around. It does mean we can lead by positive example, and that we should be able to retain all of our Constitutional rights without fear.

We are not a nation of cowards. Time after time, whenever there is an emergency, Americans rise to the occasion, risking their own lives to save others. Yet Bush repeatedly tells us that we should be so afraid of terrorists that we should give up our freedom and privacy; that we should allow our government to imprison without trial and torture human beings, people who are only suspects; people who are not convicted of any crime.

It is important to know that the invasion of Iraq was not just a tactical error, not just badly done, but that it was fundamentally wrong, and absolutely inexcusable. It was allowed because enough of Congress believed the lies our President told. Even if the lies had been truth, it was wrong because it was an unprovoked attack, contrary to any sense of justice and fairness. The President sent American servicemen and women to kill and die, not for the honorable purpose of defending our country, not even to defend an ally from being attacked, but for the illegitimate purpose of furthering Neoconservative goals of world domination.

Those who would preside should know their history well. They should be teachers as well as administrators, revealing the truth to the people, not trying to cover it up. There is a good reason why attempting to hide a mistake is considered worse than the mistake itself. If we continue to pretend that we never acted wrongly in the past, we will continue to do harm in the future.

America does not need a cheerleader or a salesman. We need to know what is wrong, and then we need to fix it. We need a leader who follows principles, law, and the Constitution, not one who looks for a way around them.

FOURTH TO THE UNKNOWN

It was a quiet 4th of July in Glendale Arizona, and that is unusual. True, it was a Wednesday, and recently celebrants have been discouraged from firing guns into the air, but that has never stopped a multiplicity of joyful explosions before.
It is not that Americans don't remember and revere the meaning of Independence Day, and the freedom and justice for which our founding fathers fought. Rather, I think, more and more we are beginning to realize that freedom and jusice in America are part of history, but no longer part of current reality.
The ideas we have always celebrated, that all men are created equal, that we formed a government of laws, not of men, that our rights are inalienable, and that if we fight, it is for a just and honorable cause, now bring sad memories of times past when we could believe they were true.

In the last 6 years we have seen and heard a few too many things. We've seen our freedom, our rights, our system of justice chipped away, or twisted beyond recognition. People have been held without trials and tortured, Many of them turned out to be innocent. We've seen our government attack, defeat, and occupy a foreign nation for no good reason, killing hundreds of thousands of their citizens and thousands of our own soldiers. We've heard our President and other tell increasingly obvious lies, break laws, and violate the Constitution, without suffering consequences. We've seen a President, who believes in no mercy for ordinary people, commute the sentence of a perjurer who was formerly a part of his administration.

That simple act, minor among his many transgressions, is perhaps symbolic of much more. It shows contempt for justice and for the people.
Government of the people, by the people, and for the people? No, the people have lost control. The will of the people is being ignored.

Yes, we elected new Congresspersons, and many of them are doing what they can. And of course in the next election we can elect even more, and a new President. But there are two problems with that. First, a lot more damage can be done between now and the next election. And second, we don't know yet if we can elect a President that will make a real difference.

Not only do we need to end the occupation of Iraq, stop our belligerant foreign policy, and restore the Constitution and respect for human rights, but we must also eliminate the means by which control has been taken away from the voters: secrecy.
Nothing a government of the people does should be secret from the people. And when there are secret operations they must have secret funding. This need has grown far beyond the unspecified allocations by Congress for the agencies involved. Much of that has been obtained from involvement in illegal drugs and weapons smuggling. In addition, one must wonder about the extent of corporate financing, since many of the covert operations are done for corporate benefit, and the open conflicts that often result are a boon for military weapons and equipment manufacturers.

While there is a need for intelligence agencies, their purpose must be only to uncover secrets and provide accurate information, which the people have the right to know. When they covertly interfere in foreign affairs, they become a tool too dangerous for a free and democratic nation, a tool that can be used without the people's knowledge for anything and by anyone who can fund them.

Secrecy is the key that allows those with money to corrupt democratic government and use its agencies for their own ends, with little possibility of being discovered until years later, if at all. Without official secrecy, money can still corrupt, but these crimes are much easier to investigate, stop, and bring to justice.

I hope we can elect a President, and more members of Congress, that understand the need for real changes.

PRETENDING NOT TO NOTICE

If millions of Americans are aware of the incessant, insidious lies about the Iraq occupation and mideast foreign policy coming from George W. Bush's mouth, then most Democratic Congressmen must at least have a clue. Many of the more aware and idealistic of them must be furious, yet they speak only of the most obvious offenses in public. The rest, for the time being, they are pretending not to notice.

The world watched the news of the results of the historic diplomatic meeting with Iran. Though no one expected real diplomacy from the American delegation, the totally insulting and offensive approach of our so-called diplomats was still shocking. One does not promote better relations with a sovereign nation by scolding their leaders like children, nor by issuing accusations and orders. That was a blatant provocation

Most of us know about how many American lives have been lost in this occupation. But how often do we think about how many Iraqis have been killed? Estimates range from 65,000 to 650,000. Do we ignore them because they're Iraqi? We're killing them, and because we're there, some of them are killing each other. Are they our enemy? We supposedly invaded to depose Sadaam, and to bring democracy to Iraq. We've ruined their lives and caused the deaths of large numbers of their friends and relatives, Should we be surprised they resent us and want us to leave? How many more of them do we need to kill?

Naturally we think about our own tragedies first, but the Iraqis didn't ask us to invade, nor to purposely create chaos and civil war in their country. If it was another country doing this, what would we think of them? But, it's OUR government. Should we pretend not to notice?

FOCUS

When you're drowning in a sea of words, you have to get your head above them and concentrate on the facts.
The appropriations bill with withdrawal timelines is a worthy bill, which, of course, Bush has promised to veto. What we fail to understand is that HIS VETO DOES NOT MATTER. Congress, with a simple majority in the House, can say, Take it or leave it- if you want funding, accept and follow the timelines for withdrawal. Otherwise, there will be no funding. The ball is in your court!

This is no time to back down. As it is, the timelines are a compromise. There is no reason to stay in Iraq a minute longer than it takes to move the troops and equipment out.

We are not fighting a war there. We are occupying a country that we defeated for no good reason, and whose people do not want us there. That is not hard to understand. The lies and obfuscation from Bush and other Republicans do not change that.

Beware the Adversarial Mindset

Not just the neocons, who enthusiastically seek excuses to attack smaller countries, but Democrats as well can be vulnerable to the Cold War mentality that sets up scenarios wherein the US must oppose and/or control other countries. There is a mounting propoganda campaign designed to convince Congress and the people that Iran should be punished or even attacked because it is refining nuclear fuel.

The first question must be, What gives us or anyone the right to order Iran what to do inside its borders? The second question is How much are our attempts to bully Iran contributing to their determination to defy us?

Warmongers will point to the fact that the UN passed sanctions against Iran over the nuclear issue. The UN has allowed itself to be manipulated into that position. Since the Bush administration simply ignored the UN's wishes regarding Iraq, which hurt its credibility, this time members decided to go along, since they can't control what Bush does anyway. However, Russia has already decided to partly ignore the sanction rules, and it's unlikely that Iran will give in anyway. Sanctions will lead to shortages and hunger for the people of Iran, and they will know the US is to blame.

There is no logic to the position of trying to stop Iran's nuclear program, whether they intend to develop weapons or not. We did not stop India or Pakistan from developing theirs. We certainly aren't offering to give up ours. We are not only trying to intimidate a soveriegn nation, we are insulting it, deeming it unable to handle an 'adult' weapon responsibly. Is it any wonder they defy us?

Iran's government may have its faults, and no doubt we would be more comfortable if they eschewed nuclear power, but belligerence will only make the situation worse, not better. If we are to make the world freer and more humane, we need to learn the value of extending respect and friendship to other countries

Congress is struggling to end the Iraq occupation, and if it stands firm with withdrawal timelines, it will succeed, but we must also guard against attempts to force yet another, even more disastrous war.
~~captain rat 4/11/2007

Failing to Learn

The Bush administration has adopted the tendency to fail to learn from history and made it a firm policy. Perhaps you may remember that Osama Bin Laden got his start when the US funded jihadists to combat the USSR in Afghanistan. Well, now Bush and company are supporting Abd el Malik Regi a leader of Jundullah, an organization closely associated with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, to carry out guerrilla attacks in Iran in an attempt to destabilize its government.

Jundullah, which means 'Army of God', has been implicated in a plot to attack the US Embassy in Karachi, and has carried out other anti-US attacks in Pakistan, where he is based. His funding comes indirectly, of course. Perhaps the new method of dealing with terrorists is not to fight them but to hire them to attack others we don't like. Actually, it is not new, but it is now a little clearer what Bush's position is: we are not fighting terrorists in general, we are only opposing the ones we don't find useful, and which ones are which may change without notice.

The CIA and JFK
Sometimes it takes a while to learn what history really is. Information about the JFK assassination that happened when I was in high school is only now beginning to come out with deaths of some of the spies involved. CIA operatives like E. Howard Hunt, Cord Meyer, David Atlee Phillips, William Harvey, Frank Sturgis, David Morales, and Antonio Veciana, while it may never be proved, were part of the plot, or knew of it in advance. The motive? First, they believed that Kennedy was going to try to normalize relations with Cuba. Second, Kennedy had an affair with Cord Meyer's wife.

--captain rat April 9, 2007

History Happening Now

As valuable as the study of the past is in understanding the present, it is also important to pay attention while history is being made.

For one thing, some of the events unfolding are so incredible that if you only read about them later, you'd hardly believe it. For example, regarding the current investigation into the Bush administration's attempt to subvert justice by firing US Attorneys, its officials have offered to answer questions by Congress as long as they don't have to tell the truth. Yes, after 6 years of telling endless lies to the American people, Bush and his co-conspirators have now announced their INTENTION to lie.

Such a proposal is so outrageous that some may be thinking that it cannot possibly mean what it clearly says. But it does. They don't want to testify under oath because they believe they cannot afford to tell the truth.

Here we have an matter that is serious, but relatively a side-issue, compared with election fraud, falsifying reasons for a war, torture and other civil rights violations, etc. But it seems the Bush administration thinks it is serious enough to refuse to tell the truth. Or, perhaps it has all been planned as a distraction.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the Bush administration is incompetent in making foreign policy and in being Commander in Chief. He is now in the position of opposing the will of the American people-- not just ignoring it, but having been told what he must do, still says he will do the opposite.

The guidelines in the approriations bill are a moderate comprimise, far more moderate than most of us would have chosen. If he vetoes it as he has threatened, then he gets no funding. He is threatening to reappropriate military funds himself in defiance of Congress and the Constitution. He may very well end up giving Congress no choice but to impeach him.

At the end of a recent speech, Bush clearly characterized Muslim nation as a threat to THE CIVILIZED WORLD. He weakly tried to rephrase that to 'The Developed World'. Bush's attitude is obvious. Is it any wonder why he cannot negotiate diplomatically?

Bush continues to obfuscate with platitudes and the usual false phrases. He speaks of 'ENEMIES'...In case it isn't clear by now to everyone, we have CREATED our enemies. When we become an enemy, those who resist our invasions, our meddling, our economic warfare, covert support for assassinations, coups, and dictators, those people are called our enemies.

Once we realize that, it becomes apparant that sometimes the best way to eliminate an enemy is to stop fighting him. Get out of his country. Show him respect. Leave him alone.

Robert Gates: Anything But the Truth

Robert Gates has a long history of twisting intelligence to fit an agenda. When he speaks of Iran, (or anything else) count on misrepresentation or outright lies.

Gates began his CIA career in 1966. His speciality has been that of an intelligence analyst, not an operative. His reputation has been of one who would edit the information provided to him so that it serves the agenda of his superiors. By emphasizing some facts and omitting others, he could insure that the desired conclusions were drawn. He learned this dubious skill well while working under CIA director William Casey.

This has not always been standard operating proceedure in the CIA. Most intelligence professionals are far more dedicated to accuracy and truth. However, those who took the 'tell the boss what he wants to hear' approach tended to get the promotions.

Under Casey and Gates' leadership, the fall of the Soviet Union actually seemed to come as a surprise because he consistently spun intelligence to portray the USSR as a stronger threat than it was. When Reagan accused the Russians of encouraging violent terrorist acts, Gates obediently supressed information that they actually discouraged such behavior as counterproductive.

Gates participated in secret contacts with Iranian officials in 1980 to DELAY release of the 52 hostages then held in Iran, to benefit Reagan's political campaign. Once elected. Reagan used Israel to transfer arms to Iran to fulfill his end of the bargain.

Gates was also involved in arranging arms sales to Iraq, in accordance with Reagan's tactic of keeping both sides even to prolong the Iran-Iraq war.

Also fully aware of the Iran-Contra deal, he has managed to cover his tracks well enough so that many of his activities could not be proved, despite convincing evidence.

There are real and potentially lasting dangers to the tactic of letting bias and ideology determine the 'facts'.

In 1986 the USSR was in much the same position in Afghanistan that we are now in Iraq, and Gorbachev was trying to find a way to end their occupation. He propsed to Reagan an agreement to pull Soviet troops out in exchange for the US to stop sending arms to the rebels. Reagan, determined to make the Russians look bad, refused.

So Gorbachev escalated instead. Among other events this led to a legendary battle between 200 Soviet troops and 50 followers of Osama Bin Ladin. To the simpleminded Reagan, anyone who fought communists had to be our friend. He ignored the warnings of the Russians against the dangers of extreme Islamic fundamentalism.

So Reagan, through the CIA, provided Afghan Islamists with billions of dollars in military aid. Recruits picked by Bin Ladin were flown to the US for CIA training in terrorist tactics.

Much ado is being made about alleged Iranian intentions to develop nuclear weapons. However, when Pakistan was becoming a nuclear power, we pointedly looked the other way, despite the fact that the Pakistanis also assisted North Korea and Libya in their weapons development as well.

It is important to realize that issues and accusations on the international level are no more than cardboard background props for the power plays performed to determine the dominance of one nation or another. What is a non-negotiable demand in one instance may be a minor issue in another, regardless of the objective relevance, or lack of it.

Though it is much like a game to the powerful elite, the effects on the game-pieces on the board-- the soldiers and civilians of the world, are all too real.

Both students and teachers of history should avoid idealizing any leader of the past. Each of them should be credited with his or her achievments, but these should not excuse their mistakes and wrongdoings. The fact that the nation managed to survive and recover from them does not mean we should emulate them.

And merely because the international politics of force, intimidation, bluff, and adversarial hostility has not yet destroyed the world, does not mean it's a good thing.

The people of America need to take the lead in instituting a new style of foreign policy, one of openness and honesty, with priorities of peace and justice for all. We must extend respect and cooperation in order to receive it.

It will do little good to change Presidents unless we carefully select one who will take such an approach, one with the courage and determination to maintain it.

THE POWER OF WORDS

The truth will set us free. We'd like to think so, anyway. But we must not underestimate the power of twisted words and phrases that confuse debate and confound thought. The purveyors of war and authoritarianism are adept at deceptive semantics. To expose the trickery, we, too, must become cunning linguists.

Nothing captures the essence of neocon tactics as well as Orwell's 1984. If you have not read it, do. If it has been a while, re-read it.

It is amazing to actually see a simple and straightforward word like WAR change its meaning. It is emotionally painful to see a word like patriot twisted into meaning someone so fearful of attack as to be willing relinquish liberty. One of the favorite phrases used to justify torture and other human rights violations is They don't play by the rules. OF COURSE they don't play by the rules. No criminal of any sort plays by the rules. That's why we call them criminals!

The rules exist, not as a favor to those guilty of a crime, but to PROTECT THE INNOCENT. We have seen what happens when the government fails to follow the rules. When we hear a President or any politician trying to make us forget why the rules, also known as the Constitution, exist, we should become alarmed. When a President lies openly and deceives us with words or by acting in secret, we should become angry, especially when the result is an eroding of our freedom and thousands of needless deaths.

Adolph Hitler knew that a lie, repeated often enough and loudly enough, could be accepted as truth. Hitler transformed a democracy into the most deadly and destructive dictatorship that had ever existed. He achieved the power to do that by using words.

We need to remember and understand that history, and to avoid the assumption that it can't happen here. We also need to know and understand more recent history to know the motivation of those who are portrayed as our enemies. Meeting their hostility with more intimidation and aggression will only escalate the conflict. The only long-term solution is to recognize what of our policies, whether planned or blundered, have angered nations and people enough to want to stand up to or attack a far more powerful entity, and to correct our past and present errors. To treat other nations and other people as fairly, humanely, justly, and respectfully as we ourselves would want to be treated is not an act of weakness. It would not be done because we are afraid of them, but because it is the right thing to do.

We must rid our own government of the influence of the greedy exploitative corporate interests as well as the authoritarians driven by the love of power.

The President has said we can't afford to fail in Iraq. That, of course, is a lie on more than one level. If transforming a stable country into a chaotic and violent one is not a failure, then what is? The failure began with the invasion and continued even while the predictably easy military victory was carried out.

It should be noted, of course, that a weakened Iraq and subsequently Iran, was the unproclaimed purpose of the neocons, as influenced by the PNAC world view.

What we, the people, cannot afford is to fail to be vigilant and informed about what our government is doing both at home and abroad.

History: Know It and Use It

It would seem obvious that those who seek to be part of government should be avid students of history in order to be able to recognize and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. It is equally obvious that many of them are not.

That makes it even more important that we, the voting public, learn and remember history, especially that of the last 20 to 30 years. Too many, even after living through it, seem to have forgotten, or were unaware of the events as they were happening. We must also remember that, even though we see ourselves as fully informed by a free press, many end up with an incomplete and one-sided view of what happened. We cannot expect to be fed all the news, or all sides of the stories,by the corporate-controlled media.

We no longer have an excuse for ignorance. Though one would once have to go to libraries and bookstores to do research, history and current events are now instantly available on the internet.

We now have Bob Gates as Secretary of Defense. It would be optimistic to expect Gates, or any Bush appointee, to take an especially enlightened approach to Iraq.

GATES, IRAN, AND NICARAGUA

Gates, as CIA deputy director for intelligence (1982-86), was involved in the outrageous Iran-Contra plot during the Reagan administration. Reagan, of course, was ultimately responsible, but Poindexter, North, and Gates were co-conspirators. The Contras were CIA-assisted guerrillas trying to overthrow a democratically elected government in Nicaragua. Congress cut off the money for that offensive project, but Reagan then proceeded to secretly fund it by selling arms to Iran at inflated prices, and by large-scale drug-smuggling operations.

For those who wonder why some foreign leaders and informed Americans say that the US is guilty of State Terrorism, this operation was one of the reasons.

Not only did the US fund the Contras, who attacked villages, health clinics, and noncombatants as well as bridges and power generators, but CIA operatives directly committed sabotage by mining harbors and burning oil tanks, and advocated assassination of selected police officials, judges, and tax collectors.

In 1986 Nicaragua brought the matter to the International Court of Justice, which found the US guilty of unlawful use of force, and ordered billions of dollars in reparations. The US ignored the court.

Of course, the CIA does not call actions they do or sponsor 'terrorism' They call them 'PSYOPS' (psychological operations) in a 'UWOA' (unconventional warfare area)

CUBA

Cuba has also been the victim of a long history of terrorist acts funded and encouraged by the US, including the bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people, and a series of bomb attacks on nightclubs and other tourist spots designed to harm Cuba's important tourism industry. The Cuban-American terrorist organizations are given training and funded through such agencies as National Endowment for Democracy and the US International Development Agency as well as the CIA.

SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS

Since 1946 the US has operated a training center for foreign nationals. Originally located in Panama, called the Latin American Training School, Ground Division, it was moved to Ft. Benning, Georgia in 1984 and renamed School of the Americas. It students mainly come from Latin American countries and are trained in counterinsurgency tactics. Its students, according to a UN Commission report, have become some of the most brutal and deadly violators of human rights in Central and South America. In 2001 it was renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, or WHISC, and due to negative publicity it was ordered to offer courses in human rights and democracy, which are largely ignored. So far, Congress has been unable to abolish this center.

IRAN

Especially relevant to the Middle East situation is the 1953 US and British-sponsored overthrow of the democratically elected government of Iran, Operation Ajax, which installed the Shah. The motivation was to prevent nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, later renamed British Petroleum.

That bit of history is unmentioned by those who professed confusion and outrage when 63 Americans were taken hostage after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. We, along with the British, had held their entire country hostage for 26 years. They held some Americans for about 15 months, partly because they suspected we intended to again crush their revolution as we did in 1953.

The primary point in the agreement to release the hostages was a US pledge to never again interfere in Iran's internal affairs. Obviously, Bush does not feel obliged to keep that pledge.

Imagine how the Iranians, the Cubans, the Nicaraguans, and the people of several other countries we have likewise manipulated feel when an American President has the nerve to condemn terrorism.

Perhaps we can imagine, because by now our minds have been fully boggled by the absurdity of the endless string of lies that same President has told us, the American people.

Regarding Gates, he really doesn't matter. If he's up to his old tricks, or even if he's learned from his own past mistakes, it all needs to stop. It is up to the new Congress to make it stop, by using every tool at its disposal, including cutting off funds and impeachment, if necessary.

CREDIBILITY

When a publication, a journalist, or an individual is said to have credibility, it refers to trustworthiness; a reputation for telling the truth. But too often in foreign relations, politicians use the word 'credibility' to mean inspiring fear in other countries that we will wield our military or economic might to impose our will upon them.

This is not how most of us seek to live our personal lives, or conduct our businesses, or run our organizations or local governments. We know that honesty, integrity, and treating others with respect and courtesy will help positively influence others, leading to cooperation in which everyone benefits. In America, we the people ARE the government. At least, we're supposed to be. Do we want our government representing us to the world in ways that we would consider criminal and antisocial in one another? We may love our country for many reasons, but how can we be truly proud of it if it behaves no better than a teenaged street gang? And it's not just about pride. If we can't be trusted, if we disrespect smaller nations, intimidate them, steal from them, and even invade them, what kind of treatment-- what kind of respect, will we get in return? The kind we are getting now. We are feared, but also despised, and resented. There is no real, lasting security in that. And there is no hope for true peace.

IRAQ: THE FIRST STEP

Rather than pretend that we can now have any positive effect on the chaos in Iraq, what we need to do is first issue a complete and unreserved apology for the invasion of Iraq and for the subsequent disastrous occupation. Then, we should announce our withdrawal at all possible speed, acknowledging that our presence is only contributing to the discord and violence. We should offer reparations in the form of money and material to help rebuild the still-unfinished infrastructure.

There is no way to know for sure what effect our withdrawal will have on the level of violence. We should consider: [1] How much violence do we think we're preventing by being there? [2] How much are we causing by being there? This would include not only that of the resistance against us and the government we have created there, but that between sects or other factions motivated by suspicion that the other side is cooperating with us. As long as US troops are in Iraq, most Iraqis will have the feeling that they are not really in control; that theirs is a defeated nation. We have never experienced that; we can only try to imagine it.

Once we have disengaged it is more likely that the UN and perhaps other Muslim nations will offer assistance, to the extent that they can do so without becoming involved in conflicts.

WINNING? LOSING?

Those who speak in terms of winning and losing miss the point entirely. We defeated Saddam's Iraq militarily, twice, easily. But you don't WIN an occupation. When the people of a country want self-determination, the only right thing to do is to leave and let them do it. The only alternatives are to destroy them entirely, or fight their resistance forever.

TRAINING?

There is also much talk of training Iraq's army and police. What is meant by 'training'? It would appear that skill in using weapons is not the issue. The 'problem' is that they are not doing what we want them to do. We are asking them for loyalty and obedience to a government they may or may not accept as legitimate, which makes them targets of a variety of factions, one or more of which may include their friends and families. Training, then, means indoctrination into a way of thinking that is advocated by their American conquerors, and which will increase the danger that they face. It should be no surprise that this is not going well.

OUT NOW!

While the Baker report is valuable in its assessment of failed policies and in advocating the use of genuine diplomacy, it is wrong in believing that any benefit could come from further US involvement in Iraq.

THE ARIZ. ZONE

Arizona is certainly not in the vanguard of supporters of freedom and social justice, as some of the results below will attest, but there is some hope for improvement. After all, it is growing fast, and most of those who are moving here are at least intelligent enough to leave a cold place and come to a warm one. No longer is the majority composed of mostly ranchers and retirees.

Arizonans have a political legacy of confused conservatism derived partially from reverence for Barry Goldwater, while failing to that Goldwater himself was much more a libertarian than a Republican, a man who opposed both authoritarianism and dishonesty, and partially from a desert mentality that translates a sense of scarcity (which is psychological, not based in reality) into defensive and mean-spirited selfishness.

As a result, funding for education, health care and social welfare is inadequete, though plenty of money can be found for police departments and sports facilities. Our Democratic governor, Janet Napolitano, who won easily her second term, is in a constant struggle with a Republican legislature as she tries to improve schools. We need new legislators. The growing population should have the power to elect them. In addition, businesses who require educated workers seek to locate in well-educated states, a fact which provides an economic motivation to those who are unmoved by humanitarianism.

Perhaps it is because of many years of underfunded schools that so many voters seem not to understand the principles of American liberty and justice, evidenced by the votes regarding immigrant workers' right to bail and to equality in civil suits. There seems to be a perception that the Constitution protects only the rights of the priveleged, not all human beings. With that point of view it is easy for a nonsmoker to deny smokers' rights, or for an English-speaker to refuse translation to a Spanish-speaker.

At least Arizonans have a solid grasp on one of the Bill of Rights, the Second Ammendment. The right to bear arms is solidly supported here, as it should be.

Though the focus now is rightly on national politics and its international effects, it would behoove us to prod our state into the twenty-first century as well.

The AZ Proposition Results

100 Passed 78 to 22 Denial of bail to aliens accused of felonies
101 Passed* 51 to 49 Property tax increase limitation
102 Passed 74 to 26 No punitive damages awarded to aliens in civil suits
103 Passed 74 to 26 Use of English only in official actions
104 Passed* 59 to 41 Allow more municipal debt in public projects
105 Failed 71.5 to 28.5 State land conservation plan 1
106 Failed 51 to 49 State land conservation plan 2
107 Failed* 52 to 48 Prohibit recognition of any civil union outside marriage.
200 Failed* 67 to 33 Automatic lottery entry for voting.
201 Passed 55 to 45 Extreme statewide smoking ban
202 Passed* 65 to 35 Minimum wage $6.75 per hour
203 Passed 53 to 47 Cigarette tax 80 (or .8) cents per pack
204 Passed* 62 to 38 Humane treatment for pigs and calves.
205 Failed* 71 to 29 Voting by mail only.
206 Failed 57.5 to 42.5 Moderate statewide smoking ban
207 Passed* 65 to 35 Protection from eminent domain and zoning misuse
300 Passed 71.5 to 28.5 Deny adult education and child care to aliens
301 Passed 58 to 42 Deny probation for possession of speed.
302 Failed* 52 to 48 Raise in pay for legislators.

ELECTION 2006 in ARIZONA

Arizona voters can do a great favor to the nation by replacing Senator Jon Kyl. He has long been one of those senators you never notice, except for his odd surname, but he has been quietly been functioning as a Bush rubber stamp, backing the Iraq disaster.

He also confessed (actually, bragged) in one of his own campaign ads that he actually HELPED WRITE parts of the "PATRIOT" Act, one of the most heinous attacks on the Bill of Rights in American history. We in Arizona, both liberal and conservative, normally take our liberty very seriously. Anyone who values freedom and the Constitution should be offended by Jon Kyl, who also opposes women's reproductive rights.

We must realize that neoconservative is not at all the same as conservative. The authoritarianism, the military aggression, the irresponsible spending, the dishonesty, and the disrespect for the Constitution are not conservative qualities by any definition.

Jim Pederson seems both intelligent and responsible, and should prove to be a great improvement as an Arizona senator.

In Arizona and throughout the nation we need to defeat every Bush supporter we can. At stake is American Constitutional freedom and peace throughout the world. Bush has said 'I am the DECIDER', but when it comes to human lives and human rights, he is the DESTROYER.

19 ARIZONA PROPOSITIONS
100 NO to denying the right to bail to undocumented immigrants.
101 YES to limits on property tax increases.
102 NO to denying equal rights in civil suits to undocumented immigrants.
103 NO to discrimination against non-English speaking Americans.
104 YES to allowing cities to borrow a little more money for improvements.
105 NO to the weak version of state land conservation.
106 YES to the better conservation plan.
107 NO to discriminating against gays.
200 NO to the voter lottery.
201 NO to violating the freedom of smokers.
202 YES to the minimum wage.
203 NO to 80 cents per pack cigarette tax.
204 YES to protecting pigs and calves from abusive treatment.
205 NO to voting by mail only. Too insecure.
206 YES to the more reasonable smoking law.
207 YES to protection from eminent domain and zoning abuse.
300 NO to denying undocumented immigrants language education and child care.
301 NO to denying probation to nonviolent drug users using speed.
302 NO to pay raises for AZ legislators.

See my 360 Blog for details on these.

PATRIOTISM

It seems that many Americans want to be patriotic, but some of them have forgotten what patriotism means. It has been quite a few years since the American Revolution, after all. Over the years, manipulative politicians have tried to redefine it for their own purposes, so the confusion may be understandable.

The original patriots were not fighting for an established nation. They were fighting for ideas, like freedom and independance. In the years after they won, the set about building a government that could preserve the liberty for which they had fought.

What they achieved was a nation to be truly proud of, not because it was big and rich and powerful-- it was none of those things then-- but because it had a Constitution that would transcend the era they lived in, to preserve and expand freedom for future generations.

The nation was not created to keep other people out or to enforce everyone in it to conform. The Constitution and its Bill of Rights sought to guarantee that no religion could be imposed on the people, and that each person would have the right to speak, write, and think freely without fear.

So when I hear people say that patriotism depends on what foreigners we hate, what language we speak, or what religion we accept, I am deeply saddened. When I hear it said that to be patriotic, I must give up the liberty that the founding fathers tried to ensure, and that I should support foreign invasions to impose our government's will on other nations, I know something is very, very wrong.

Those who won the Revolution and wrote the Constitution knew that if you want to have freedom, you have to extend freedom to all. The liberty we enjoy requires tolerance for others, whether he happen to like them or not.

They also knew that the greatest danger to freedom was not from other nations, but from within, from power-hungry politicians who would try to mislead the people and, to control them, gradually take away their rights.

It is true that, while we have no official religion, Christianity has had considerable influence on America; some positive and some negative. It does have some very good things to say about how we should treat one another.

But it is no surprise that those who use religion to promote hate and prejudice seem to overlook all those good ideas. They also forget that the religious freedom we all enjoy depends on mutual tolerance. Trying to force beliefs on others only results in discord and less freedom for all.

It is frustrating to see many people being distracted from the real problems we face by such minor issues as who can come to America and work, what language they speak.

We should be concentrating on the attack on our Constitution by the so-called neoconservatives in Washington. We should be outraged that they have named the 'Patriot' Act a set of laws that is the most unpatriotic legislation in recent history.

Those who worry about the cost of medical care and education for families of immigrant farmworkers should consider the 300 billion dollars spent so far to invade and occupy Iraq, an action that was clearly unneeded and harmful to the US as well as Iraq.

Priorities anyone?

--Captain Rat 10/08/2006

LEAVE IRAN ALONE

For some time there has been suspicion expressed that the Bush administration may be planning an attack on Iran. The most compelling evidence that suggests this is the propaganda emanating from Bush himself, accusing Iran of intending to build nuclear weapons, and of supplying Hezbollah with weapons. This reminds one very much of the false accusations toward Iraq before invading it.

Even if all the accusations were true, military action would be an extremely bad idea, tactically as well as philosophically. As we have seen before, though, that doesn't mean Bush and his cohorts would not try it.

It appears that the accusations may be false or greatly exaggerated. This should come as no surprise, given Bush's record of lies. Iran's president has stated that his country is working toward peaceful nuclear power, and that it does not want nuclear weapons. There is no real evidence to the contrary.

Regarding arming terrorists, it is important to determine if Iran's government has done this, or whether nongovernmental groups within Iran might have. We have seen that the governments of Lebanon, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are not in full control of militant Muslim groups within their borders. If the US would drop the bogus nuclear issue and attempt to normalize dimplomacy with Iran, it is possible that we could work toward control of any such activity, which may well be in Iran's interests as well as ours.

The president of Iran does have a strong bias toward the Palestinians, but has not actually threatened to intervene. It is pointless to threaten and try to intimidate such a country for its views; we are only worsening our relations with Iran and other Muslim nations.

Especially, we must beware of more Bush administration deceptions designed to gained support for yet another war.

LESSONS OF THE AFTERMATH

The important lessons we have learned in the last 5 years did not come on September 11, 2001, but from what has happened afterward. They were not easy to learn, nor were they pleasant.

It is not truly surprising that those who consider themselves our enemies would attack us, though the attack itself may have been unexpected. What brings real shock and dismay is the fact that our elected leader has used that attack, and the fear and anger it caused, to manipulate us into supporting and allowing him to pursue his own agenda.

The Bush agenda, and that of his fellow neoconservatives, has little to do with protecting us from terrorists. In fact, terrorism works to his advantage, to maintain our fear and anger and appeal to our worst instincts. Their real goal is to turn America into an empire; to use our superior military power to subjugate the rest of the world.

They envision a modern version of the Roman Empire, or the British Empire, with unchallenged control of world resources. It is the ultimate merger of corporate economic power and military/political power.

We have heard the propaganda about bringing democracy to the Middle East. The purpose of that tactic is not to improve the lives of the people, but to create governments that are weaker, more divided and more vulnerable to our economic control.

As for American democracy, they seem to believe it would only get in their way. Since America would always have enemies, we would continue giving up our rights to protect our security.

It is interesting that Bush is using the word fascist to apply to Muslim extremists. Perhaps even ironic.

War and Peace

Learning nothing from the disastrous failure of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Bush Administration continues to attempt to control the world through force and the threat of force. There are those who believe that because the United States has a far superior military capability that it should use it to make the rest of the world behave in accordance with American interests.

The problems with that approach have become increasingly obvious. While we may easily defeat another nation, it is not so easy to defeat the people. When we wage an offensive war without provocation, as we did in Iraq, we make bitter enemies of those whose countrymen we kill. When we threaten a foreign government, the response will be defiance. Meanwhile we lose the respect of much of the rest of the world. European and other nations who have had multiple wars fought on their soil appreciate the value of peace, and of using genuine diplomacy to engender and preserve peaceful relations.

America's excessive use of force did not begin with the current President, though his actions have been extreme. Our government has supported and encouraged military actions by revolutionaries, counter-revolutionaries, and despotic governments all over the world. The effect of these interventions, in addition to the death and destruction they usually cause, is usually detrimental to the people involved, The US aim has been to remove obstacles to our economic exploitation of the region.

Though we claim to believe in liberty and justice, our government has often sown authoritarianism and economic oppression abroad. We must understand this in order to understand the motives of some of those who would attack us. That is not to say we should condone or excuse their violence, any more than we should condone the misdirected and unnecessary violence of the Bush administration. But, we would be foolish to pretend that we don't know why our country is resented, feared, and hated by millions of people.

The more we kill, destroy, and intimidate, the more enemies we create. If we want to stop terrorist attacks against us, we must cease using offensive military force and threats of force, directly or by proxy against other nations and people. We must stop using our economic power offensively to meddle in other nations' internal affairs.

--captain rat
August 2006

JULY 4, 2006

Bushist propagandists like to accuse those who oppose needless harmful wars and the greedy, power-seeking politicians who wage them, of being unpatriotic.

Such accusations are not only untrue, they pervert the very meaning of the word patriot. It is no wonder that many of us may think, If patriotism means supporting a government no matter what it does wrong, then we don't want any!

By simply reading a few of the words of the original American patriots, we can easily see what patriotism really means:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

Note the use of the word ALL. These patriots proclaimed an ideal that we are still struggling to reach 230 years later. Far from advocating blind loyalty to a flag, a set of borders, or a head of state, they define government as legitimate only so long as the people agree to it.

It follows from that that the people must be free to know what their government does, free to debate its rightness, free to protest its wrong actions, and have the power to change it. Those who defend and exersize these freedoms are the true patriots, not those who wave flags, suppress minorities, and ignore despotism and corruption in our politicians.

MORE BUSH LIES