Strange Bed Fellows;
It's fascinating to hear Germany condemning the Armenian blood shed during World War One when we consider that it wasn't long ago when Germany committed their own war crimes during World War Two. How quickly we forget. Our deadly enemies (Japan and Germany) during the Second World War are now our strongest allies -while our former allies (Russia and China) are now are now our opponents. We change lovers faster than High School teenagers.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Hillary Gate
Are we really ready for 18 months of concentrated attacks on Hillary as the Conservatives fire salvo after salvo in an attempt to shoot her down. It will be interesting to see how she holds up and whether the strategy will work for the R's, or back fire. Unfortunately pre-election propaganda is more about personal attacks on individuals than ration policy policy positions these days. The only people who are going to profit from all of the negative ads are the members of the media who condemn the ads on the one hand while gleefully collecting money from both parties. The media are like "enablers" who encourage bad behavior for their own financial benefit.
Are we really ready for 18 months of concentrated attacks on Hillary as the Conservatives fire salvo after salvo in an attempt to shoot her down. It will be interesting to see how she holds up and whether the strategy will work for the R's, or back fire. Unfortunately pre-election propaganda is more about personal attacks on individuals than ration policy policy positions these days. The only people who are going to profit from all of the negative ads are the members of the media who condemn the ads on the one hand while gleefully collecting money from both parties. The media are like "enablers" who encourage bad behavior for their own financial benefit.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Enough Already!
Enough already with all of these murderous religious and political wars! Sunnis fighting Shiites. Muslims fighting Christians and Jews. Conservatives fighting Liberals. It's hard to find a place on the globe where there is not some kind of deadly conflict. For a species as intelligent as we are we're acting extremely stupid. We can invent incredibly complex technology- wireless communication devices, cars that drive themselves, rockets that explore the heavens- but we can't even learn how to get along with each other. Go Figure!
Enough already with all of these murderous religious and political wars! Sunnis fighting Shiites. Muslims fighting Christians and Jews. Conservatives fighting Liberals. It's hard to find a place on the globe where there is not some kind of deadly conflict. For a species as intelligent as we are we're acting extremely stupid. We can invent incredibly complex technology- wireless communication devices, cars that drive themselves, rockets that explore the heavens- but we can't even learn how to get along with each other. Go Figure!
Monday, January 19, 2015
Martin Luther King Day!
Every year we have this reminder of slavery and our National shame- and every year Doctor King seems more relevant. . Despite our denials white Americans have never honestly faced our history of racism and prejudice. Even today many white Americans tend to think of dark skinned people as an inferior sub human species For all of our progress in many fields of endeavor we've made far too little progress in "racial" attitudes. Scientifically, we now know that skin color is related to the amount of sunlight people are exposed to. People near the Equator have dark skin to protect themselves from Solar radiation. People nearer to the North and South Poles have light skin which allows their bodies to benefit from exposure to Solar radiation. "Black" or "White" skin is determined by the Latitude of our ancestors - nothing more. Yet we cling to the concept of "racism" as if we are of different species instead of all of the same species. There is no point in fooling ourselves and pretending otherwise. Racism still exists. Whites still feel that they are different than Blacks and vice-versa. Whites and Blacks still feel suspicious of one another. We've made progress but we've a long ways to go.
Every year we have this reminder of slavery and our National shame- and every year Doctor King seems more relevant. . Despite our denials white Americans have never honestly faced our history of racism and prejudice. Even today many white Americans tend to think of dark skinned people as an inferior sub human species For all of our progress in many fields of endeavor we've made far too little progress in "racial" attitudes. Scientifically, we now know that skin color is related to the amount of sunlight people are exposed to. People near the Equator have dark skin to protect themselves from Solar radiation. People nearer to the North and South Poles have light skin which allows their bodies to benefit from exposure to Solar radiation. "Black" or "White" skin is determined by the Latitude of our ancestors - nothing more. Yet we cling to the concept of "racism" as if we are of different species instead of all of the same species. There is no point in fooling ourselves and pretending otherwise. Racism still exists. Whites still feel that they are different than Blacks and vice-versa. Whites and Blacks still feel suspicious of one another. We've made progress but we've a long ways to go.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Je suis -je suis
Millions turn out in Paris to protest religious barbarism. Finally, one Nation said in one voice enough is enough. It's a good beginning. The only thing that will ever bring an end to this senseless form of religious extremism is when the world's populations join voices in condemning the violence. Military retaliation only adds fuel to the flames of hatred. Public opinion is the only effective weapon. After every attack we must get back up and dust ourselves off and let the terrorists know that nothing they can do will cause us to give up our ideals or change the ways that we live. When the twin towers at the Trade Center in New York came down we missed an opportunity to lead world opinion against terrorism but we counter-attacked instead. It's important to understand that this Continental Islamic terrorism is bred in poverty, ignorance, and anger. Osama Bin Laden attacked the twin towers hoping to provoke a reaction that would eventually drain our economy. We played right into his hands when we went to war and we're still paying the deadly price. Once the terrorists realize that world opinion is turning against them, and that the violence is not productive they will have to change their tactics if they want a place at the table of civilization. It's time for the true leaders of one of the worlds major religion to speak with one voice- condemning the actions of the terrorists. Failing to do so the Islamic religion will lose the respect of world opinion.
Millions turn out in Paris to protest religious barbarism. Finally, one Nation said in one voice enough is enough. It's a good beginning. The only thing that will ever bring an end to this senseless form of religious extremism is when the world's populations join voices in condemning the violence. Military retaliation only adds fuel to the flames of hatred. Public opinion is the only effective weapon. After every attack we must get back up and dust ourselves off and let the terrorists know that nothing they can do will cause us to give up our ideals or change the ways that we live. When the twin towers at the Trade Center in New York came down we missed an opportunity to lead world opinion against terrorism but we counter-attacked instead. It's important to understand that this Continental Islamic terrorism is bred in poverty, ignorance, and anger. Osama Bin Laden attacked the twin towers hoping to provoke a reaction that would eventually drain our economy. We played right into his hands when we went to war and we're still paying the deadly price. Once the terrorists realize that world opinion is turning against them, and that the violence is not productive they will have to change their tactics if they want a place at the table of civilization. It's time for the true leaders of one of the worlds major religion to speak with one voice- condemning the actions of the terrorists. Failing to do so the Islamic religion will lose the respect of world opinion.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Too fracking much oil
The sudden abundance of cheap oil seems too good to be true and in fact it may be the worse thing that could happen if it causes us to move away from alternative sources of energy and makes conservation of fossil fuels seem unnecessary. Already we're hearing reports that there is enough oil locked up in shales to keep the world supplied for several more decades. The sooner we move away from fossil fuels and hydroelectric power and move toward solar and wind power the sooner we'll be able to get a handle of global warming and preserve our fossil fuels. As plentiful as these newly tapped fossil fuel resources may suddenly seem they still represent a very limited resource which we're capable of depleting within the next century. Cheap gas may seem like a good thing but in the long run we can't allow it to make us become wasteful again. Fossil fuels arenot a realistic source of energy over the long term. Now is the time to move in another direction instead of sticking our heads in the (tar) sand and pretending that we have unlimited sources of fossil fuels.
The sudden abundance of cheap oil seems too good to be true and in fact it may be the worse thing that could happen if it causes us to move away from alternative sources of energy and makes conservation of fossil fuels seem unnecessary. Already we're hearing reports that there is enough oil locked up in shales to keep the world supplied for several more decades. The sooner we move away from fossil fuels and hydroelectric power and move toward solar and wind power the sooner we'll be able to get a handle of global warming and preserve our fossil fuels. As plentiful as these newly tapped fossil fuel resources may suddenly seem they still represent a very limited resource which we're capable of depleting within the next century. Cheap gas may seem like a good thing but in the long run we can't allow it to make us become wasteful again. Fossil fuels arenot a realistic source of energy over the long term. Now is the time to move in another direction instead of sticking our heads in the (tar) sand and pretending that we have unlimited sources of fossil fuels.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Starting over all over again
It's been 2,014 times since we officially started counting the number of times we've circled around our home Star. On another planet circling another star we could easily be twice as old or twice as young. We're a truly gifted species capable of leaving our home planet as none others have so far on this earth. We and our brother and sister species literally rose from the dust. We acquired means of locomotion, reproduced, made tools, organized, grew crops, smelted metal, built vast cities, discovered and tamed fire, electricity, and gravity. We learned to communicate verbally and created alphabets for writing on paper, and electronically. We sang and made musical instruments, wrote poetry and works of literature. Movies, cars, trains, airplanes, rockets. We circled the earth in satellites and even landed on our Moon. What we've accomplished is beyond the scope of anything that could be imagined in the wildest Science Fiction fantasy. Now all we have to do is learn how to get along with each other and make sure that everyone has food and shelter. We pray to mysterious Gods to understand our purpose and guide us- then kill each other in the name of those same Gods. We allow dictators to repress people. We allow the wealthy hoard the money supply and we allow the weak to fall by the wayside. Clearly our scientific achievements far out weigh our social achievements.
We can do better and we will do better. Let's make that our resolution as the new year approaches with the rising Sun.
It's been 2,014 times since we officially started counting the number of times we've circled around our home Star. On another planet circling another star we could easily be twice as old or twice as young. We're a truly gifted species capable of leaving our home planet as none others have so far on this earth. We and our brother and sister species literally rose from the dust. We acquired means of locomotion, reproduced, made tools, organized, grew crops, smelted metal, built vast cities, discovered and tamed fire, electricity, and gravity. We learned to communicate verbally and created alphabets for writing on paper, and electronically. We sang and made musical instruments, wrote poetry and works of literature. Movies, cars, trains, airplanes, rockets. We circled the earth in satellites and even landed on our Moon. What we've accomplished is beyond the scope of anything that could be imagined in the wildest Science Fiction fantasy. Now all we have to do is learn how to get along with each other and make sure that everyone has food and shelter. We pray to mysterious Gods to understand our purpose and guide us- then kill each other in the name of those same Gods. We allow dictators to repress people. We allow the wealthy hoard the money supply and we allow the weak to fall by the wayside. Clearly our scientific achievements far out weigh our social achievements.
We can do better and we will do better. Let's make that our resolution as the new year approaches with the rising Sun.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Peace of Earth
Wouldn't it be nice if all of the leaders of world's religions developed a sudden case of temporary insanity and came together to call for an end to all of the senseless religious warfare, hatred, and killings? Almost every war that we humans have fought since our species began to occupy this planet had some basis in religion. It began with sacrifices to Gods to insure crops and guarantee the rising of the Sun. Seeing how easily we could be led to violence, generals and politicians began leading us to endeavors of conquest and mischief on bloody battle fields. Most generals and dictators, no matter how ruthless, soon learned the secret of seeking the blessing and sanction of their God before going to battle. Advances in weapon technology over the centuries only made our wars more destructive and deadly. In modern times we've seen the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the burning of "witches" at the stake. Christians, Jews, and Muslims have been killing each other for centuries. Arguments about virginity, prophets, vengeance, chastity, head covers, circumcision, sin, the after life, heaven and hell, the devil, the word of God, The Holy Trinity, and idolatry, never end- nor will they ever end until we find less deadly ways to satisfy our instinctive need to seek and please a mysterious Maker. That instinct appears to be unique to our species and what a deadly instinct it has turned out to be when misused. If the worlds religious leaders aren't willing to lead us to peace our only solution is to refuse to partake in the insanity any longer. We need not wait for our leaders to put an end to the religious violence. We have it within our power to end the violence today. So let's make that our pledge as the new year rolls in. No more arguments, beheadings, or wars about religion. Pray if you must but pray for peace and acceptance not intolerance. Peace on Earth and Good Will to All!
Wouldn't it be nice if all of the leaders of world's religions developed a sudden case of temporary insanity and came together to call for an end to all of the senseless religious warfare, hatred, and killings? Almost every war that we humans have fought since our species began to occupy this planet had some basis in religion. It began with sacrifices to Gods to insure crops and guarantee the rising of the Sun. Seeing how easily we could be led to violence, generals and politicians began leading us to endeavors of conquest and mischief on bloody battle fields. Most generals and dictators, no matter how ruthless, soon learned the secret of seeking the blessing and sanction of their God before going to battle. Advances in weapon technology over the centuries only made our wars more destructive and deadly. In modern times we've seen the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the burning of "witches" at the stake. Christians, Jews, and Muslims have been killing each other for centuries. Arguments about virginity, prophets, vengeance, chastity, head covers, circumcision, sin, the after life, heaven and hell, the devil, the word of God, The Holy Trinity, and idolatry, never end- nor will they ever end until we find less deadly ways to satisfy our instinctive need to seek and please a mysterious Maker. That instinct appears to be unique to our species and what a deadly instinct it has turned out to be when misused. If the worlds religious leaders aren't willing to lead us to peace our only solution is to refuse to partake in the insanity any longer. We need not wait for our leaders to put an end to the religious violence. We have it within our power to end the violence today. So let's make that our pledge as the new year rolls in. No more arguments, beheadings, or wars about religion. Pray if you must but pray for peace and acceptance not intolerance. Peace on Earth and Good Will to All!
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Torture
We're supposed to be the good guys- the ones in the white hats, the people who condemn forced confessions, beatings, and mistreatment of prisoners. We're the Country which has a Constitution giving everyone the right to a fair trial. We're the Country whose criminal justice system is based on Habeas Corpus- - preventing the government from holding prisoners indefinitely without bringing charges.
Now we hear reports of systematic barbaric beatings and torture of prisoners being held in Cuba and other locations. Force pumping liquids into prisoners rectums is an act of sadistic perversion done by cowards. The point is not whether this gross mistreatment of prisoners provided critical information (which it clearly did not). The point is that we're supposed to be a Country which provides international moral leadership around the globe. We're a Country that condemns war crimes and mistreatment of prisoners.
The actions of the CIA are little different from some of the brutal actions by the Nazis in their concentration camps during second world war. It's clear to any observer that our actions violate all international treaties with regard to the proper handling of prisoners of war. Our actions are war crimes by any definition and as such should be prosecuted in an International Court to the full extent of the law.
Dick Cheney convinced a rookie President Bush to invade Iraq and we've been paying the penalty in lost and ruined lives ever since. Our actions upset the delicate balance of politics in the Middle East. We invaded Iraq on false pretenses with no plan to deal with managing the complexity of political, religious, and social chaos that followed. Dick Cheney's company (Haliburton) made a fortune in Iraq working as a subcontractor for the Army and now he has the balls to claim that torturing prisoners and denying them the right to Habeas Corpus is justified? Cheney was a coward during Vietnam and managed to avoid getting drafted but he didn't hesitate for even a second before sending our young soldiers into Iraq to have their arms and legs blown off. If anyone should be convicted of war crimes Dick Cheney ought to be at the top of the list. He should be tossed in prison in Cuba with the other prisoners and left to rot. Congress needs to identify and bring the CIA employees who \tortured prisoners to trial as quickly as possible before they can hide behind any applicable statue of limitations. I"m not certain that war crimes are covered by that type of statue. After all we continue to prosecute Nazis.
If we want to continue to be the good guys in the white hats we need to step up to the plate and confess our sins and take full responsibility for our actions.
We're supposed to be the good guys- the ones in the white hats, the people who condemn forced confessions, beatings, and mistreatment of prisoners. We're the Country which has a Constitution giving everyone the right to a fair trial. We're the Country whose criminal justice system is based on Habeas Corpus- - preventing the government from holding prisoners indefinitely without bringing charges.
Now we hear reports of systematic barbaric beatings and torture of prisoners being held in Cuba and other locations. Force pumping liquids into prisoners rectums is an act of sadistic perversion done by cowards. The point is not whether this gross mistreatment of prisoners provided critical information (which it clearly did not). The point is that we're supposed to be a Country which provides international moral leadership around the globe. We're a Country that condemns war crimes and mistreatment of prisoners.
The actions of the CIA are little different from some of the brutal actions by the Nazis in their concentration camps during second world war. It's clear to any observer that our actions violate all international treaties with regard to the proper handling of prisoners of war. Our actions are war crimes by any definition and as such should be prosecuted in an International Court to the full extent of the law.
Dick Cheney convinced a rookie President Bush to invade Iraq and we've been paying the penalty in lost and ruined lives ever since. Our actions upset the delicate balance of politics in the Middle East. We invaded Iraq on false pretenses with no plan to deal with managing the complexity of political, religious, and social chaos that followed. Dick Cheney's company (Haliburton) made a fortune in Iraq working as a subcontractor for the Army and now he has the balls to claim that torturing prisoners and denying them the right to Habeas Corpus is justified? Cheney was a coward during Vietnam and managed to avoid getting drafted but he didn't hesitate for even a second before sending our young soldiers into Iraq to have their arms and legs blown off. If anyone should be convicted of war crimes Dick Cheney ought to be at the top of the list. He should be tossed in prison in Cuba with the other prisoners and left to rot. Congress needs to identify and bring the CIA employees who \tortured prisoners to trial as quickly as possible before they can hide behind any applicable statue of limitations. I"m not certain that war crimes are covered by that type of statue. After all we continue to prosecute Nazis.
If we want to continue to be the good guys in the white hats we need to step up to the plate and confess our sins and take full responsibility for our actions.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Death by Cops
It's recently been suggested that many Cops are afraid of African American males and that a scared cop is a deadly cop. If true, this is a different slant on racial prejudice than we normally associate with prejudice and it may help explain why so many African American males are being shot by policemen. Fear could even explain why a cop recently shot a 12 year old boy who brandished a toy pistol within a few seconds of the cop getting out of his squad car. Whatever the cause, the use of excessive force by cops needs to be brought to an end as quickly as possible. Too many black males are being killed unnecessarily. It's one thing to shoot an individual who is making an unprovoked attack with a deadly weapon. It's quite another to shoot someone who is unarmed and merely fleeing. Shooting someone who steals a few cigarettes, or shop lifts a beverage from a convenience store is an excessive use of deadly force and not warranted. Some police departments are reported to be instructing their patrolmen to never back down. That's the wrong message. Backing down and trying to reduce the tension should be the first priority. Killing should only be the choice of last resort when all else fails and a life in truly in danger.
It's recently been suggested that many Cops are afraid of African American males and that a scared cop is a deadly cop. If true, this is a different slant on racial prejudice than we normally associate with prejudice and it may help explain why so many African American males are being shot by policemen. Fear could even explain why a cop recently shot a 12 year old boy who brandished a toy pistol within a few seconds of the cop getting out of his squad car. Whatever the cause, the use of excessive force by cops needs to be brought to an end as quickly as possible. Too many black males are being killed unnecessarily. It's one thing to shoot an individual who is making an unprovoked attack with a deadly weapon. It's quite another to shoot someone who is unarmed and merely fleeing. Shooting someone who steals a few cigarettes, or shop lifts a beverage from a convenience store is an excessive use of deadly force and not warranted. Some police departments are reported to be instructing their patrolmen to never back down. That's the wrong message. Backing down and trying to reduce the tension should be the first priority. Killing should only be the choice of last resort when all else fails and a life in truly in danger.
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