'Lapdog' Hardly Covers It

MacChrystal and his band of merry-makers knew they had a journalist with the- they just figured this journalist would be like all the others, that is to say, the truth would be hidden from the public and the falsity conveyed.

Out of the dozens, or possibly hundreds, of 'embedded' journalists in Afghanistan, not one had reported the truth to those of us at home. The possibility of such a thing happening simply did not exist in MacChrystal's brain. He knew all about how to leak and talk to the press to undermine Obama's stated policy goals, he was no babe in the woods when it came to the press- he simply hadn't met a reporter who considered telling the truth more important than maintaining 'access' to the rich and powerful.

Shows how much we know.

Stolen, Not Created

A kind of Republican fantasy, that "free enterprise" created the wealth we see around us, has become a dangerous insanity. We did not create this wealth- we stole it. That is to say, we stole an entire continent and murdered almost all of the original owners.

In every other part of the world, the previous owners had to be accommodated in some way. In Europe layers upon layers of ownership and obligation needed to be purchased, bought off, and ameliorated. In South America the native peoples were displaced initially by European technology too weak to exploit the continent, and by the time technology grew strong, South American oligarchies defended the backwards economies they ruled.

This subject could be, and has been, elucidated at great length, but the key facts are these- America grew wealthy during the 19th century because we stole an entire continent, without let or hindrance, and had two oceans to protect us from the threat of war, and the cost that entails.

Hoist on Own Petard

The tea-partyin' anti-immigration freaks seem not to have understood one thing- you can't issue papers declaring people to be illegal immigrants, so the alternative is to issue papers declaring people to be 'legals'. IOW, a national ID, which comes complete with black helicopters on the border. Or maybe just an identity chip injected into every 'real' citizen.

And now they're doing it again. The healthcare bill enacted by Congress includes funding for people who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions, coverage which can be administered by the state, or by the federal government. And the states that just hates the federal program the mostest are refusing to administer their own programs, leaving it up to the federal government to do the work.

Well, the liberals tried to give the states a role here. If the teabaggers prefer big government, so be it.

Does The Word 'Omniscient' Ring Any Bells?

I was reading recently about the Pope, who allowed a priest- a priest who had molested over 200 children during 30 years- to finish his life, as a priest, so he could keep his respect.

So much wrong here. Does this Pope really believe God doesn't know what the priest did? Do they think they're slipping one over on old Saint Peter? In fact, assuming they both exist, wouldn't God and Saint Peter both be a bit angry that this impostor would show up with forged ID and a fake uniform, seeking entrance to Heaven?

Just sayin'. Namely, I'm just saying that this Pope and his henchmen are the real atheists here. Nobody would be more surprised than this gang to find out there really was a God. The only good thing I can say about any of this is that it leads to a continued weakening of Catholic belief- and that's a good thing.

There You Have It

In the aftermath of the passage of the House bill on healthcare reform, Republicans are again showing they do not intend to bow to the will of the majority. Just as they did in Minnesota, dragging out Al Franken's victory for almost a year, just as they did in Washington state in our last gubernatorial elections, with their fraudulent quibbling, and just as they did in Miami in 2000, when a hired mob of suited thugs attacked the public offices and shut down the vote count, their philosophy is plain- "the power is theirs, they stole it fair and square, and they intend to keep it".

Last year, in a development shocking to observers of the Supreme Court, the Court reached out to consider matters that had not been brought before it, and then overturned almost a century of established law. Republicans are hoping the Court will do even more of this!

These are powerful established forces that have enjoyed a half century of reaming the American public and concentrating the national wealth in their own hands- to the extent that 5% of them own half of it, and half of us own nothing. With their newfound success in raising easily controlled (and apparently mindless) flashmobs, progressives can anticipate anything up to and including another coup such as the 2000 election. It's not going to be pretty.

Segregation- Still Alive

In my post of March 8 I alluded to the problem of marijuana prohibition in a sense that seriously ignores the big picture. The big picture is that the "War on Drugs" is actually the continuation of segregation by other means.

Michelle Alexander, in a post post at Common Dreams, connects the dots, and much more ably than the Blogger editor here will allow me to do.

With the limited patience that this wretched editor will allow me, I'll note that the cowardice of our Democratic legislators, so fearful of seeming "soft on drugs", is matched by the prohibitionism of Liberalism. Taken together, it's a toxic sludge that mandates helmets for bicycle riders but won't support their rights to a portion of the road.

In 1964 we were the leading nation in the world. We've now slipped to around number 38, but only time will tell if we can arrest the slide there.

Never A Word of Thanks

In the decades that have passed since Vietnam, every responsible American has admitted it was a mistake- but none have thanked the protesters who sparked the discussion and kept the controversy alive, finally leading to withdrawal.

In fact, in the agony of "defeat", America turned on the 'dope smoking hippies' who dissented, and for the past 40 years has been throwing them in jail for smoking dope. In the process, huge social catastrophes, huge budget deficits, and the total erosion of our liberties have occurred.

It now seems that legalization will only occur when a majority of the people think of Vietnam as "history", and view prohibition in terms of whether it makes sense- at which point, prohibition will end.

For a few years those flower-power hippies were a thin line between the USA and a yawning chasm of moral and fiscal bankruptcy. The war on marijuana remains as an ongoing campaign against human rights and fiscal sobriety. It's time to call a halt.