PRESIDENT JOHN MCCAIN--A DISASTER IN THE MAKING
By Schuyler ThorpeAuthor and Political ActivistAsk me
again as to
why some people want to repeat another disastrous mistake in the coming election–by voting in more of the same bellicose policies which have train wrecked our nation’s economy and worn out our military past the breaking point?
Despite recent attacks on the Green Zone and the increase in violence (plus the apparent unraveling of the cease-fire by the Mahdi army), McCain has clearly signaled that he won’t change course either–echoing Bush’s recent comments on how history will perceive his failed Iraq policy: "One day, people will look back at this moment in history and say, 'Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come.' "
McCain
himself believes that the US troop surge is ‘succeeding’–despite the ratcheting violence and the fact that we have hit another grim milestone (or two): 4,000 dead American troops and almost 30,000 wounded.
Does he care? From his recent statements: “Sen. John McCain declared Monday that "we are succeeding" and said he wouldn't change course -even as the U.S. death toll rose to 4,000 and the war entered its sixth year.”
Apparently not.
Imagine for the moment that McCain is President for the next 8 years–having won the 2008 primary by a slim margin (2016):
Iraq has descended into complete chaos by 2012; 8,200 troops are now dead–with as many as 62,000 US troops wounded; with many more raw recruits having to come and fill the gaps left behind, through an unregulated draft put into place 2 years into McCain’s presidency.
On top of that, $1.5 trillion dollars have been spent on the conflict so far (not counting the money needed to take care of our wounded troops), Malaki’s government no longer exists in the form that the previous administration had installed–forcing the current administration to take steps to ensure that some semblance of democracy still
exists in that war-torn region.
Between 160,000 to 1.2 million Iraqis have died so far and as many as three million more displaced by the war. Iran’s influence in the region is simply overpowering, but there is little that McCain can do to affect any real change with that country; after it succeeded with its uranium-enrichment program the year before.
At this stage, McCain is consistently accusing Iran of wanting to destroy the world with its phantom nuclear arsenal–while Afghanistan has collapsed into complete anarchy. (NATO left in 2011-2012–having been unable to turn the tide against a now entrenched Al-Qaeda; with the country in complete control of the warlords which now operate without fear.)
Pakistan is now no longer our ally in the war against terror; having given up its pursuit of democracy. That in turn has left Al-Qaeda a new place to call home--even as its operations have started to expand on a
global scale; instead of just isolated to one or two countries. (As many analysts were quick to point out that the Iraq war conflict has deeply inflamed anti-American sentiment abroad and given groups like Al-Qaeda the money, resources, and manpower to carry out their deadly terrorists attacks against European and American interests; and a few recent attacks here in the states.)
Public opinion has so soured over the war (with a scant 15% still supporting the administration), that they see themselves unable to connect with their representatives over the war–let alone the government that’s
supposed to represent them.
However, things at home are much worse than they were when Bush took office. The economy is still mired in a deep recession brought on by the collapse of the housing market, the credit crunch, a near worthless dollar, and $170 oil. (Not to mention nearly $7 gas.)
High energy costs have left the majority of Americans dependent on their federal government to make ends meet–rather than the now scuttled wage earners which had helped prop up many of the former middle-class Americans in years past.
Chronic homelessness and rampant poverty now grips the nation, with no end in sight.
McCain’s tax cuts for the rich and the continued war has pushed the US deficit to nearly $14 trillion dollars–as federal revenue has fallen to its lowest level in recent memory; coupled with the strain of the insurgent population of baby boomers on Social Security and Medicare (whom retired in 2008), healthcare costs which have transcended levels not seen in a generation, and the
surge of illegal immigrants into our country has put a severe strain on our country’s medical and social services. (Thanks in part to McCain’s successful ‘amnesty’ bill; pardoning many immigrants from breaking federal law and not paying their share in back taxes–while working here illegally.)
But McCain is up for re-election and he’s once again claiming that despite the high costs of lives and money, the US is “winning the war in Iraq”. (The same ploy which Bush used in his last year in Iraq.)
And this time, the
majority of the country doesn’t support or share his views. Even a larger majority of Republicans whom blindly supported Bush’s push for war during the early 2000s, don’t rush to his defense of the conflict as they did before many years prior.
But will a change in the American public’s perceptions finally end what McCain said would be a “100 year occupation” of Iraq by 2012–almost 10 years after Bush invaded that country?
It all depends on how the people in there and
now vote.
The above scenario is little less of a fantasy and more on the
reality we all face if we let someone like John McCain in the White House–based on current trends and an equally dismal future for
all Americans.
Schuyler Thorpe is an author, a political activist, and a frequent letter writer to The Everett Herald of Snohomish County. He can be reached at: starchildalpha1 at yahoo.comLabels: elections, healthcare, Iraq, Iraq war, Iraqi civilians, McCain, milestones, national deficit, President Bush, recession, troop surge
BUSH DESIRES A REPEAT OF LEBANON
By Schuyler ThorpeAuthor and Political ActivistOddly enough, Admiral Fallon’s departure represented not just a
shift in US foreign policy, but another example of how rational
minds are no longer
wanted within the US government of high-rollers and shakers.
To
disagree with Bush is inviting getting your ass fired in a relatively short order. The President has made it clear to everyone that he doesn’t brook dissidents within his own administration.
Many have questioned his policies and paid the price for it. Many prominent figures within the administration like Colin Powell have left because of such disagreements.
And what was replaced?
Neoconservative war hawks whom belie the administration’s continued beating of the war drums.
In this day and age, this administration has made it their mission to wreck as much havoc and misery on other countries in the name of freedom and democracy;
jingoistic propaganda that would’ve sounded
great during the days of the Cold War–where we actually had an enemy, and adversary, a clearly defined
threat.
But where is the fire now?
Where in the world can the United States still call itself a superpower
by standing up against such evil despotic countries suppressing their people and their rights to such freedoms and Western-style democracies and ideals?
Unfortunately, the world
today is not the same as yesterday. The USSR that I grew up with is
gone–to be replaced by a Russia that no longer has the reach it has.
As such, there are very few countries which could threaten us militarily.
Whatever possessed our President to invade Iraq on fixed intelligence and a distortion of the facts–we may never know for awhile yet. But the end results were
not what the Bush war machine
envisioned: That Iraq would be a Western bastion of democracy and freedom.
Instead, Iraq is not even a shadow of
that. The country is continuously wracked with violence.
The government we helped install doesn’t seem to get the Bush idea that it’s supposed to rule in the traditional
democratic fashion. Since 2005, the Malaki government has shown a severe
disinclination to speed up reform and institute a democratic rule of law. As a result, there has been no democracy, no freedom, no “Hail to the Chief”-type patriotism. Just a lax of
enthusiasm, a sense of urgency, or
anything that would normally instill a recently created government body.
In short, the Bush administration had sold its soul on the idea that–
if–it could remove such despotic regimes by force, democracy would soon follow.
Sadly, history has been against us every step of the way.
And the bonofide mess in Iraq was the result of such grandiose visions. But do you hear Bush harbor regret for dragging one of the world’s most powerful armies in the world through one of the
worst blunders in modern civilization?
Nope.
The way Bush tells it, we should be
glad that we removed Saddam. We should be
glad that we wasted a soon-to-be record $3T dollars, thousands of American troops, and even more innocent Iraqi lives–just so we can have an endless war, and endless occupation of a country that is about the size of California and posed virtually no
threat to this nation.
And have no democracy or resolution in sight.
But it gets
better.
How?–you ask?
With the departure of Admiral Fallon, it pretty much clears a path to Iran’s door.
A war that’s been in the making since 2001.With Iraq under US occupation and both our troops and their equipment wearing out past the breaking point, Bush and Cheney have tried their hardest to paint Iran as a growing and
visible threat to the US.
Last year, they ramped up the “World War III” rhetoric–implying that if we did nothing
now, we could be faced with Iran raining nuclear missiles down the United States.
Would be more
credible; had the Bush administration not
lied about the threat that Iraq posed to the US and the world.
With Fallon out of the way, there is little to stop Bush from launching a
third Middle East war with a crippled military. However–before anyone gets excited over that prospect–maybe we should time-warp ourselves to the summer of 2006; where Israel tried to take out Hamas using only airpower and very little ground support.
As a result of that botched conflict, Israel came away deeply embarrassed and in no better position to do anything about that entrenched terrorist organization then it was when it first attacked.
The word on the grapevine is that Bush wants to launch punishing air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities–in hopes that it would spur the overthrow of Ahmadinejad’s democratically-elected government.
But didn’t Israel try something similar against Hamas in 2006?
Just makes me wish that Bush had been paying more attention to what was going on in 2006 instead of trying to cement his failed war legacy in 2007.
Or 2008.
Then he would’ve
seen how much a fruitless exercise it would be to try and take out Iran with such limited resources at hand.
Given how he's reacted to imaginary or realistic threats to our national security, my guess would be...?
A resounding no
!Schuyler Thorpe is an author, a political activist, and a frequent letter writer to The Everett Herald of Snohomish County. He can be reached at: starchildalpha1 at yahoo.comLabels: Admiral Fallon, Hamas, Iran, Iraq, President Bush, war, World War III
TERRORISTS AREN’T THE THREAT–OUR GOVERNMENT IS
By Schuyler ThorpeAuthor and Political ActivistThanks to the bastard legislation–known as the
Patriot Act–our government is now worse of a threat to our own civil liberties than any terrorist we are supposed to fear like a scared little mouse.
The Bush administration contends that it has the
right to spy on us without any legality in place, no checks or balances, no
nothing that demands any oversight. (Kinda like the failed war in Iraq right now. Paul Bremer ring a bell?)
Because if they don’t–as Bush claims–Al-Qaeda will rain down hellfire and brimstone down on us.
Well, since the provisions of the
Protect America Act had expired 2 weeks ago…
nothing has happened.
No attack by Al-Qaeda. No nothing.
Curiously enough, Bush is silent on the matter. Where is his bravado now? Where is his righteousness that spells out all the doom and gloom–if he doesn’t get to spy on us right this very
moment?
Funny thing about law: Once it is in place, even an “above the law” President is contend to follow it–even if he doesn’t like it!
So maybe there are some checks and balances left in place–which haven’t been trampled yet by the Bush administration.
But tell that to the FBI.
Turns out they are worse gross violators of the law than the President is. Under secrecy and covert operations, this little outfit has now replaced the “Dirty Harry” of the mob and done away with being an organization which once prided itself with being thorough and fearless.
Through
national security letters, it has gone after just about
anyone it sees fit–even if they are innocent.
E-mail? Regular mail? Bank records? Everything and anything is fair game to them. It doesn’t matter if you are suspected of being affiliated with Al-Qaeda or not.
The FBI has your number. Quite literally.Director Robert Mueller says that they’ve done nothing improper and that everything is within the law.
Right.And this is the reason why the agency violated the law between 2003 and 2006–misusing the national security letter protocols on such levels that it is
beyond baffling?
Sure, it’s so easy to blame human error when overzealousness is clearly involved.
In this case–not seen since the McCarthy era–both our own government and the FBI is now treating
everyone from every walk of life as the
enemy and a distinct
threat to the nation as a whole.
Which is why they have been so adamant that we allow them to ignore the laws set forth by past administrations, the canon principles set forth by our own Constitution, and the overall definition of what a democracy should act and function like in the real world.
They need to act
above common decency and right–in order to protect us from our own worse fears.
And that…makes them a much bigger threat than any terrorist on the planet.
Schuyler Thorpe is an author, a political activist, and a frequent letter writer to The Everett Herald of Snohomish County. He can be reached at: starchildalpha1 at yahoo.comLabels: Al-Qaeda, Bush administration, civil liberties, FBI, illegal spying, Patriot Act, rights
