what Democrats and Republicans really stand for...

This weekend I attended a gathering of approximately 1,000 people in downtown Albuquerque seeking to voice their opposition to mindless, unnecessary and destructive war. There were people there with all kinds of causes and chants of "this is what democracy looks like." Unfortunately, there were folks in the crowd that were all too willing to declare their support for democracy, but totally unwilling to step up to the plate when pushed.

If you've read anything I've ever written here, you understand how I detest the Democratic Party for selling out the American people and the global community to become the moderate wing of the Big Business, Uber-Wealthy, Destroy America conservative movement...and if you are new...now you know. This weekend, just when I was beginning to believe perhaps the boys and girls in blue might be able to salvage a return to humanity I was reminded just how little the Democratic Party cares about the democracy they whine about the Republican Party stiffling.

I've been a rather vocal opponent to everything this group gathered to condemn, I've helped organize a similar rally (without the assistance of many of them...it was a weekday afterall), and spoke (rather eloquently might I add...yes, I am plugging myself...what of it?) at that same rally. And being that the folks that had gathered were (theoretically) supporters of democracy in action, I thought it would be a good place to begin to gather the 3,000 signatures necessary under New Mexico law to be "qualified" as a political party for the New Whigs. Anticipating the obvious questions and concerns of peoples, I brought with me an explanation of what it was we wanted to do, and what it is we stood for. Most people were very receptive and more than willing to sign the petition (now, keep in mind, this was not asking anyone to switch their party affiliation, give money, etc...it was merely a petition that states "we desire the Whig Party to be qualified under New Mexico law"...talk about no commitment necessary). A few even discussed my positions with me, the historical significance of the Whig Party and the growing movement, my hopes and dreams for the party...some expressed concern over what might become of the Whig Party, but indicated their willingness to support the expansion of choice and democracy.

The most trouble, the outright refusal, came from a "grass roots" Democrat. Silly me, I figured someone holding themselves out to be "grass roots" and liberal would support political participation from all peoples, especially at this level. Silly me, I believed someone that theoretically wished to see much of the same policies as I enacted would be supportive of a movement with that goal in mind. But no, the concern was containing all "liberals" within the Democratic Party and strickly sticking with the two party system that has served us so disastrously. Guess I shouldn't be suprised though, these are the same people that blamed the Green Party for losing elections...

So here's a hint for the Democratic Party (even the "grass roots" ones)...if you need to stifle political participation from others that are on the side of the spectrum that you hold yourself out to be...maybe, just maybe, it is because you no longer stand for something that can be supported by your own side. I know, self-reflection is difficult and painful...but we already have one big childish party in this country, and we really don't need a second.

And then there are the Republicans, trying again to convince us they are not in the pocket of the uber-wealthy. The latest was Bush speaking out against high executive pay on Wall Street. When I first looked into his words, I was shocked, I thought, maybe, just maybe, someone had pointed out to him that a strong economy has never included executive pay so out of wack with worker pay. But I was quickly reminded that Bush and the Republican Party remain shitbags out to fuck the American people and working people across the world in any way they can, as long as it means the wealthy get wealthier.

While anyone with any knowledge of what has happened to previous economic superpowers with such severe stratification of wealth and crumbling manufacturing capabilities is explaining that such a gap between executive and worker pay is an incredibly foreboding sign...Bush is simply complaining that executives are paid to well even if they don't push stock prices up enough. That's right...take note all you not lucky enough to be in the top 20 percent of Americans on the economic ladder...his concern is that executives are paid too much for screwing you because they aren't doing enough to give even more of your hard-earned money to his rich friends.

Now, he shrouds it in talk that he thinks applies to the American people...saying executives need to do more for "shareholders." There's one slight problem though...when it comes to investment assets (the kind he wants to see increased before the golden parachute is given), the top 1 percent owns half of it in this country...add in the rest of the top 20 percent and they own 85 percent. What about stocks you ask? The top 1 percent has about 35 percent of those...add in the rest of the top 20 percent and they own around 90 percent of the stock. Add in mutual funds and the top 1 percent pulls in 50 percent...add in the rest of the top 10 (not even the top 20) percent pulling in 90 percent. So basically, he is upset that executives are being paid too much for what "little" they are doing to help the richest of the rich screw the rest of us.

Don't be fooled by his faux-populist rhetoric. Bush and the Republican Party are concerned for only one out of ten of us...and actually, those one out of ten aren't really us so much as them.

I am a visitor here...I am not permanent...

health care for Big Insurance, trickle up, and Buchanan's insight...

with all the talk of how incredibly moronic Bush's health care "plan" is something is not getting enough mention. we all know that, if everything goes perfectly according to his brilliant "plan" a whopping 3 million people might pick up insurance...great, only about 40 million more to go and you'll be there George. we all recognize only this asshole and his immoral supporters could use a population desperately in need of medicine as an excuse to give their uber-rich comrades more of your money back in tax "cuts" that are more like windfalls for those that don't need it. but what drives me nuts is that nobody seems to be pointing out that this plan basically is an excuse to transfer more of your money into the hands of Big Insurance while offering you less coverage and removing any bargaining power you may have.

here is the obvious and inevitable result of the tax incentive plan (no, it is not a tax break for the average American...if you believe that you likely still can't imagine that there actually were entire civilizations here that needed to be exterminated and/or pushed into what are basically refugee camps in order for this nation to be what it is)...employers will stop offering insurance packages. (and this is where are all the braindead sheep drones go on and on about how it won't matter because you will have money - which is funny considering he is proposing to actually tax your health plan if your employer gives you a pretty good one). and so what is left? a bunch of people that still can't afford the astronomical rates charged by the same companies that spend millions on propoganda and lobbying of "public servants" to convince the people that jury awards are the problem - conveniently leaving out that in the locales where jury awards are capped, malpractice coverage rates are increasing faster than they are in locales without caps. only now, these people will have no collective bargaining power...there will be no employer able to say "give us this for this or we walk"...because why would a heartless corporation with executives who's only concern is whether the next house will be in rio or tahiti give two shits if they lose one customer...especially when that person won't have anywhere else to turn but Big Insurance anyways. so rates will go up, and in the short, medium and long term, less Americans will have access to health care, and those that do will be paying even more for it. and in Republican (big "R") fantasy land...this is progress.

speaking of Republican (big "R") fantasy land "progress"...they now are looking to not only use need for medicine as an excuse to hand your money to the already disgustingly rich...but its time to use the inability to afford food, shelter and provide even a basic level of subsistence for your family as an excuse to hand your money to the already disgustingly rich. now it is because the minimum wage increase will hurt "small business" (don't be fooled...translated from Republican fantasy speak "small business" means fucking rich bastards that rent out the beachside home once a year) that they need to give yet another tax break to the tiny number of folks that already own half the planet. never mind that a minimum wage increase has proven time and time again (such as in Santa Fe here in New Mexico) to boost business and proceeds for true small businesses. because if you are going to be making 7 bucks an hour to feed your family rather than 5 bucks an hour...it is only fair that Dick Cheney get a few extra million of your's and your neighbor's dollars (yes...Dick Cheney is a "small business" in Republican fantasy speak).

and that's the beauty of trickle-up economics (the bullshit they drill into your head if you are studying economics in this country...friedman is god, bla bla bla...don't ever question the market, bla bla bla...simply ignore historical precedent indicative of the results of unrestrained capitalism and "globalization" in reality, bla bla bla...) it takes what little you are compensated (far below what you actually earned and are theoretically entitled to in the "free" market) and gives that to the richest of the rich. because if there was ever a sign of a "strong" and "vibrant" economy...it was severe stratification of wealth...that has never led to problems before...really...never...I swear...

which brings me to the horrifying realization that Pat Buchanan was the only member of the McLaughlin Group that was grounded in reality last week (how frightening is that?). Pat Buchanan uttered the words that anyone who has been paying attention and has any semblence of historical knowledge is well aware...we are witnessing the end of the American era. his short monologue was eerily reminiscent to a conversation I had with a friend about a year ago about how fascinating the disintegration of an empire is to witness first hand. so get over yourself, find a job in the EU, sit back and enjoy the historical fireworks...

get used to it...

dismantling America, the naked chief, revenge killing presidents, and why Obama will win...

It has been some time since anyone in the Bush Administration officially came out and declared all that is right and good and human with the American justice system to be outdated relics left over from a time when freedom was actually important (you know, that time before 3,000 people were killed in an act of mass murder...to put that in perspective, that many civilians are dying monthly in Iraq). So, to remind us just how incredibly un-American Bush and his comrades (subtle hint of authoritarian overstepping intended) are, the Pentagon put together a "how to" book on killing innocents through kangaroo court proceedings. And thank god for that, because for awhile now I have been worried that this nation might actually avoid becoming the largest Banana Republic the world has ever seen...phew [insert wipe of brow here].

Apparently it will be too difficult to actually have to prove a case with reliable evidence against suspected terrorists (and perhaps that is why, when confronted with the option of conducting a serious trial in tune with American notions of fundamental fairness the Administration has consistently decided to simply release "the worst of the worst"). Thus, we now have the Pentagon's "how to conduct a kangaroo court" which sets forth rules that will allow the government to infringe on the inalienable right of life (i.e. state sanctioned murder) by using the most unreliable evidence we know of...hearsay and that got from torture. I have gotten an express preview of the trial of the future...and here is an excerpt from the transcript...

Prosecutor: Could you tell the court your name?
Witness: Joe Confidential Informant.
Prosecutor: And how do you know the dead man walking - er defendant?
Witness: I served him lunch at a strip club five years ago in Afghanistan.
Prosecutor: And what did he tell you on that day in a strip club five years ago when it was too dark to recognize him and you were high on opiates?
Witness: He said 'death to America. I am going to insurge against America.'
Prosecutor: No further questions....

Prosecutor: And while you were driving nails through his testicles and breaking his bones, beginning with his toes and moving your way up his body, what did he tell you?
Interrogator: Well, to be fair, first we left him in a 2 foot by 2 foot room for two weeks while dousing him with freezing water in between forcing him to commit sexual acts with a marmot and repeatedly bringing him to the edge of death through drowning along with the standard hourly beatings and sleep deprivation...but through all of that he maintained he was a British citizen in the region for a wedding, so we had to get serious. But while his testicles were being nailed to the wall, and by the time we had worked our way up to snap his third rib he finally agreed to put his name on this piece of paper that indicates he was insurging against America.
Prosecutor: No further questions.

"Judge": I'm really not sure why we bothered to go through all of that...I mean, that is 20 minutes of my life I will never get back, and we all knew I am just supposed to say "guilty" and "death" here...so why did we waste the time? Anyways...guilty. Now you die.


So there you have it. Thank god for American style freedom...

The president recently commented on Saddam's execution by saying it had the feel of a "revenge killing." Well, no shit Mr. President, who would've thought that a sectarian leader who brutalized the other side would then be executed in a vengeful manner when the tables had turned? Of course, he then explained that he is not that type of man...the revenge killing type. I guess he temporarily forgot that he has signed more death warrants (by a rather large margin) than anyone else in the country. Or maybe he is right, maybe killing a black or latino who may or may not be the perpetrator of a crime against some white folk isn't really "revenge."

And it gets better, he admitted that while he watched the beginning part of the video from the execution, he did not see the floor fall away and Saddam plunge to his death. Maybe it is just me, but if someone is going to order that a couple hundred people be put to death in the state he runs, shouldn't he at least have the balls to watch an execution, just once, on video?

The Ogala Sioux have knocked yet another leg out from under the wealthy suburban white folk that are in love with Chief Illiniwek...they want the regalia the Chief wears back. So now that the one tribe that seemed to back the Chief is off-board, the argument basically comes down to this..."I don't see the Illiniwek complaining." Of course, that might just be due to the little genocide we like to ignore. Now, I used to argue in favor of the Chief, and god knows I am obsessed with my school...but at some point, you need to just admit that you are an asshole and give it up...

Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States (assuming Bush is not impeached, which he should be). Aside from being the ideal candidate for this point in American history, ironically, it will be racism that propels this man to the White House. See, every time someone asks the question "but is America ready to elect a black president?" it makes a slew of people that much more devoted to show that this country has moved beyond its shameful past (which it hasn't). For every bigoted asshole that pipes up, there will be many pushed to vote in a manner to stick it up the bigoted asshole's ass...plus, don't discount the closeted bigoted asshole vote which will likely view a vote for Obama as the ultimate "one of my best friends is black" retort.

the son of Uncle Sam smiles and shakes my hand...shakes me down and tells me that he wants to be my friend...

cancel your plans to buy land in Canada...Obama to the rescue...

Maybe, just maybe, this time it will be different. In his own words, Barack Obama...the next great leader of the United States...

As many of you know, over the last few months I have been thinking hard about my plans for 2008. Running for the presidency is a profound decision - a decision no one should make on the basis of media hype or personal ambition alone - and so before I committed myself and my family to this race, I wanted to be sure that this was right for us and, more importantly, right for the country.

I certainly didn't expect to find myself in this position a year ago. But as I've spoken to many of you in my travels across the states these past months; as I've read your emails and read your letters; I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics.

So I've spent some time thinking about how I could best advance the cause of change and progress that we so desperately need.

The decisions that have been made in Washington these past six years, and the problems that have been ignored, have put our country in a precarious place. Our economy is changing rapidly, and that means profound changes for working people. Many of you have shared with me your stories about skyrocketing health care bills, the pensions you've lost and your struggles to pay for college for your kids. Our continued dependence on oil has put our security and our very planet at risk. And we're still mired in a tragic and costly war that should have never been waged.

But challenging as they are, it's not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most. It's the smallness of our politics. America's faced big problems before. But today, our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions.

And that's what we have to change first.

We have to change our politics, and come together around our common interests and concerns as Americans.

This won't happen by itself. A change in our politics can only come from you; from people across our country who believe there's a better way and are willing to work for it.

Years ago, as a community organizer in Chicago, I learned that meaningful change always begins at the grassroots, and that engaged citizens working together can accomplish extraordinary things.

So even in the midst of the enormous challenges we face today, I have great faith and hope about the future - because I believe in you.

And that's why I wanted to tell you first that I'll be filing papers today to create a presidential exploratory committee. For the next several weeks, I am going to talk with people from around the country, listening and learning more about the challenges we face as a nation, the opportunities that lie before us, and the role that a presidential campaign might play in bringing our country together. And on February 10th, at the end of these decisions and in my home state of Illinois, I'll share my plans with my friends, neighbors and fellow Americans.

In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for your time, your suggestions, your encouragement and your prayers. And I look forward to continuing our conversation in the weeks and months to come.

we'll soon be born again...

King's Forgotten Message...

As the nation takes a day to remember one of its great leaders, one of the giants of social justice, I cannot help but think that just a few short decades since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was taken we have already forgotten one of his most compelling messages...as a society, we do, in fact, owe something to everyone; particularly an legitimate opportunity to fully experience and appreciate life and liberty and pursue happiness.

In his most famous speech, King spoke of a bad check written to blacks in America, a promise of equality freedom, liberty, justice, and above all, opportunity. In Montgomery he spoke of ending social and economic depression which the horrific racism of America only served to promote. He lectured us about the importance of providing an education that was not inferior, of marching against poverty and providing livelihood for those stuck in "broken lives in sweltering ghettos." He chastized society for the "normalcy" that left blacks "perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity."

In addressing a needless war in Vietnam he reprimanded the nation for allowing the brief moment of true hope for the poor by dismantling programs meant to ease the burden of poverty in the name of war when he proclaimed "I watched this program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad with war. And I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube." He reminded us that "America would never be free or saved from itself until the descendants of its slaves were loosed completely from the shackles they still wear" and that "a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

He spoke of the immoral "glaring contrast of poverty and wealth" reminding us of the words of John F. Kennedy in that those who make peaceful revolution impossible condemn themselves to the inevitable violent reprise. He urged the nation to take "positive action to remove those conditions of poverty, insecurity, and injustice" noting that the once such talk was met with "ridicule and denunciation as destructive of initiative and responsibility", the same arguments used today which he recognized history had already proven invalid.

A simple sentence so often ignored..."We also know that no matter how dynamically the economy develops and expands, it does not eliminate all poverty." Thus, he called on the nation to create either full employment or create incomes. He recognized the benefit to society of providing a dignity to the individual involving the placing in his own hands decisions concerning his life with the assurance that income will remain "stable and certain," providing the "means to seek self-improvement." He pointed to the problems associated with poor housing, ineffective education, and an immoral distribution of wealth that produced tens of millions of poor in the most prosperous society in the world.

Dr. King recognized it would take a powerful effort by traditionally disempowered peoples, blacks specifically, the poor generally. He emphasized the need for individuals and individual communities to continually strive towards the dream of a truly just America that lives up to her potential and her promises. Too often the elite conservative leadership wants us to only remember that half of the story, because when they can look to the individual for blame, they need not examine how they themselves are also to blame, how history and society have worked to keep the door to opportunity shut for too many people for too long. It allows us to ignore that while "communism forgets that life is individual, capitalism forgets that life is social." It allows us to ignore how racism, economic exploitation and war are "the tripple evils that are interrelated."

As Dr. King envisioned, it is time we, as a society, ensure that all peoples share in the opportunity and prosperity that America has promised. While one must make the effort to cross the mantle of the door of opportunity, it cannot be done whilst the powerful barracade shut that door. As you remember Dr. King, do all you can to see that America opens that door to all, do all that you can to see that all are provided, if nothing else, an equal chance. For when you do, you may rest assured that justice indeed will roll down upon us like a mighty river.

In the words of Dr. King, go forth with divine dissatisfaction and cause America to be reborn...

"Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds.

Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice.

Let us be dissatisfied until those who live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security.

Let us be dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family will live in a decent, sanitary home.

Let us be dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated education.

Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.

Let us be dissatisfied until men and women, however black they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not on the basis of the color of their skin.

Let us be dissatisfied until every state capitol will be housed by a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy, and who will walk humbly with his God.

Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Let us be dissatisfied until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid.

Let us be dissatisfied , and men will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth.

Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout, "White Power!" when nobody will shout, "Black Power!" but everybody will talk about God's power and human power."

and I add...Let us be dissatisfied until all can truly and fully claim enjoyment of those inalienable rights of life, liberty and the meaningful pursuit of happiness.

that arrogant prick...

I just turned on the tv in time to hear George Bush tell the Iraqi people they owe the United States a rather large amount of gratitude that apparently hasn't come fast enough for his liking. I suppose they should thank us for Saddam Hussein and the war with Iran. Or perhaps thank us for the bombing campaigns in Desert Storm which annihilated their civil infrastructure. Or perhaps a big thank you for the lack of medicine, clean water and the like they have had for the last few decades compliments of our efforts, exacerbated by the most recent war of the month. Or perhaps for the brutal civil war we have left them in with thousands of deaths a month. Yea George...thanks better be forthcoming. When will we ever learn that we are not the be all end all of civilization and everyone must thank us for showing them the light (which often comes with a big boom and a few deaths).

...and now they are reporting he is reading a book on France's efforts in Algeria. The most significant historical lesson of modern times on fighting an insurgency...and he decides to bone up on it a few years into the affair. This is supposed to be our leader...no wonder everything is so royally fucked up.

But its ok...he personally signs every letter to the families with a son or daughter or husband or mother or sister or brother coming home in a box from his misbegotten war.

Well Mr. Bush...on behalf of the Iraqis, the people of the world and the American people. Here is a message for you...albeit not quite the one you were expecting.

Fuck you.

spreading "democracy" and understanding Bush's plan...

finally, our leadership is getting serious about spreading "democracy"...because nothing says "democracy" like invading a nation, deposing its rulers, appointing new leadership after firing every civil servant there and disallowing them to help in running the country, and then remaining as an occupying force for a decade or so. unless of course, it is sending in a nominal (i.e. not enough to do anything but piss everyone involved off) increase in americans (and illegal immigrants trying to get their citizenship) with big guns against the wishes of the vast majority of americans, and, perhaps more importantly, the wishes of everyone anywhere close to the conflict into which another few ten thousands americans are being sent to kill and die. warmongering...is there anything more democratic?

well...perhaps there is something more democratic. fillibustering non-binding resolutions condemning such undemocratic and immoral action. at least that is what my "young republican primer" has taught me.

it is mindboggling how incredibly ignorant of history this administration is...or at least how much they believe they are immune to its lessons. take that speech and change a few terms and give it four decades ago...and we are on our way into the vietnam war in full. hell, go back even further and we are finding ourselves as the defenders of an empire where the sun never sets. we've got a faux-nation here...put together by the british while divying up the middle east between them and a few colonial power friends, managing to mix people that really dislike each other (on a religious level...another interesting message from history that is missed, religious hatred leads to some nasty fighting) in a nation with easy straight borders (because we all know how nations that rise on their own do so with conveniently straight borders) that is then presided over by someone not even from within those newly discovered borders and was originally promised rule of a palestine state that happened to be promised to the french and the israelis as well...a situation which led to the only person able to keep control over the country being a brutal tyrant who was very much one-sided in his approach. under the circumstances...how the fuck are 20,000 more american bodies to shoot at going to do a damn thing? well...they will do something, increase the short and long-term disaster for this nation and give the "enemy" of al quada even more room to retake afghanistan. fan-fucking-tastic.

but then I thought long and hard about the "new" plan (apparently bush is catching up with the times...because he recognizes that recycled is often as good as new...unfortunately he doesn't apply that to the environment, only to ordering death and destruction)...and I realized the hidden brilliance in it. what most of us don't realize, is that this plan "working" will not mean we "win" the "war"...the beauty of it is that through escalating the war we will unite the "iraqi" people.

the one thing that both sides of the civil war in "iraq" seem to agree on is that they hate us being there. the one thing they can get along on is that they need to take potshots at the guys with the american flag on their uniforms any chance they get. and this is bush's brilliance...if we put enough americans in "iraq" both sides will be too busy shooting at them to shoot at each other. eventually, they will combine together in a faux-nationalist spirit to drive out the invaders...succeeding where the everyone else in history has failed, uniting the people of iraq. and even if it is unification through hatred of the united states and driving an occupying force out...

on second thought. that was tried by just about every colonial power too...and seeing as how we still have brutal civil wars in the vast majority of those nations where it was tried...maybe this isn't such a good idea afterall...

wake up...it's no use pretending...

the white man's burden...

In considering just how incredibly boneheaded it is for the United States to be running around invading nations and eventually (after every other excuse falls apart) claiming it was to promote democracy and freedom, take a look at this chart put together by William Easterly in his work, The White Man's Burden, which examines the cold war interventions, the negative consequences of them and the silver lining observed by this nation. I just found it too amusing not to share.

Vietnam War (1961-1975). Effect - 58,000 American dead; communists still rule the Vietnam; one of the poorest countries in the world; millions of Vietnamese dead. Silver lining - explosion of Vietnamese restaurants in the United States.

Cambodia (1970-1973; support of pro-American military ruler; American invading and bombing). Effect - Khmer Rouge genocide; Vietnamese invasion; today one of the poorest, most corrupt, most tyrannized nations. Silver lining - Cambodian food is good too.

Afghanistan (1979 on - arming the mujahadeen against the Soviets). Effect - civil war and chaos in Afghanistan continued after Soviets withdrew; destabilization of Pakistan; former mujahadeen supported perpetrators of 9/11 attacks. Silver lining - the CIA got practice for when it had to fight mujahadeen after 9/11.

Guatemala (1954 CIA backed coup). Effect - decades of civil war and death squads; genocide against Indian population. Silver lining - market for Guatemalan handicrafts boomed in the United States.

Korean War (1950-1953). Effect - 2.5 million Koreans killed in North and South; left behind rogue state of N. Korea, the only nation that can achieve both famine and a nuclear arsenal at the same time. Silver lining - Thank God for American ally South Korea!

Iran (1953 CIA backed coup). Effect - Shah's tyranny; Khomeini's revolution; hostrage crisis; Iran still ruled by clerics seeking nuclear weapons. Silver lining - talented Iranian exiles became available to work in international organizations run by the United States.

Liberia (1945-1985, backing dictators with massive foreign aid in return for American military base and Voice of America broadcasting station). Effect - Liberia collapses after 1985 into horrific and violent anarchy under born-again warlord Charles Taylor, who also fueled civil wars in Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire. Silver lining - American television evangelist Pat Robertson could pursue lucrative business deals with Mr. Taylor.

Ethiopia (backing Haile Selassie against Soviet-backed Somalia). Effect - military overthrows Selassie and aligns itself with Soviets; two decades of civil war; Ethiopia is still one of the poorest countries in the world. Silver lining - Live Aid concert to help Ethiopia in 1985 gave valuable experience to Live 8 musicians to help Africa 20 years later.

Somalia (backing against now Soviet-backed Ethiopia). Effect - devestation of Ethiopia-Somalia with war and famine; collapse of Somali state and descent into chaos; fiasco of American intervention of 1994. Silver lining - Black Hawk Down was great book and movie.

El Salvador (1980's - backing army against Marxist rebels). Effect - 12 year civil war kills 70,000; right-wing death squads rape and murder such dangerous guerillas as American Catholic nuns. Silver lining - Salvadoran refugees became cheap housekeepers for desperate housewives.

Nicaragua (1980's - backing contras against Soviet-backed Sandinistas). Effect - civil war in Nicaragua with atrocities on both sides; Nicaraguan economy destroyed by corrupt leftists. Silver lining- Corrupt leftists thrown out in 1990 to make room for corrupt rightists.

Zaire (assassination of Lumumba and support for pro-Western Mobutu). Effect - Mobutu loots billions; collapse of state; civil war with intervention by virtually all of Zaire's neighbors; abysmal poverty. Silver lining - Needed stimulus to American and Swiss banking industry.

Angola (1975, 1980's - backing Jonas Savimbi against Soviet-backed Angolan government). Effect - government wins anyway; civil war continues after Soviets and Cubans leave and American aid ends; Savimbi is power-hungry warlord; land mines outnumber people; spectacular misery today despite great mineral wealth. Silver lining - Can't think of any.


So there you have it. We are amazingly adept at intervening and creating markets for foreign food, shady banking practices, aid concerts, Pat Robertson, handicrafts, and further "necessary" intervention. Something to consider next time you want to argue it is a great idea for us to stick our high and mighty noses into areas of the world we know nothing about.

if I ever hurt you...it will be in self defense...

in the business of murder, an all-too-telling choice, and the business of crime...

this nation has come a long way since those liberal loonies tried to give away the government's most sacred rights - like execution without trial, jailing without charges, disappearing folks, prior restraint, suppressing the vote...you know, the stuff that makes a country run smoothly and without any voice of opposition or anything like that pesky freedom to muck up the system or create wealth - now, thank god, not only can we rest easily knowing that the president will read your mail on any given day for any given reason while he listens to your phone calls and reviews how many times you checked out "perfect 10" from the local library, anyone can be imprisoned for eternity without a trial, an attorney, or even being told why, but we are officially and openly in the business of murdering people half a world away on the off chance they may be secretly harboring some ill-will towards the president and his like. seriously...who ever thought a ban on assasinations was a good thing? I mean, without nations being able to arbitrarily kill civilians and leaders of other nations, how do ever expect this world to reach its civilized potential? we've all seen how much progress the european (and now american) meddling in the affairs of other "uncivilized" peoples across the world has led to...hell, the Iraqis got to taunt and hang a man on candid camera for all to see within a month of his trial. that could not have been possible without the british (who we are rightfully heir to) hadn't arbitrarily drawn lines and included ancient enemies in one nation and then handed it over to an outsider as monarch because they had already promised him (and the french...and the jews) palestine and had to give him something. and nothing says progress like taunting a man on his way to execution. we have taught them well.

so let the kids back in the yard when a darker skinned man with a funny accent and headgear walks through the neighborhood...because his operation will no doubt be crippled by gun ships firing on suspects a half a world away. god bless america.

bush has a new lawyer...fred fielding...seriously, this is not a joke. it makes perfect sense that this president would need the counsel of a man involved in two of the best presidential scandals the republicans ever cooked up...watergate and iran-contra. there is only one logical conclusion to draw...given the complete ineptitude of this administration in covering up its bumbling and illegal activities it only makes sense that bush look to a man who obviously was too bumbling too successfully cover up illegal activities in the past. if there is one thing the jackass occupying the oval office has taught us...it is that he loves an idea that has already been unsuccessfully tried over and over. congrats mr. fielding on your new appointment...for a minute I was worried the sewage-like smell eminating from washington ethics might be dissipating...but your new boss has assured me that is not the case.

law enforcement and prison is big business in this country...which is exactly why we go about fighting crime in exactly the wrong manner. mandatory tougher sentences have done nothing but lead to higher crime rates, rampant drug use, and more violent crime. and finally folks are starting to listen to those of us and those in robes who have been screaming at the top of our lungs that draconian, racist and classist sentencing laws are un-American (assuming "American" would be defined by little things like the inalienable right to life, liberty and property...due process...you know, the stuff we are trying to get away from...but just ignore that for a moment...I've pointed it out a million times before...our sentencing laws only serve to cost you shitloads of money while ensuring that minorities stay where they belong). even republicans are beginning to jump on the bandwagon. so perhaps we will see some changes...although the president would undoubtedly write into the bill that his administration can trump the congress on everything, including sentencing...or just go around it and forego the pesky trial in the first place since habeas is dead.

we just won't be defeated...

they call it stormy monday - vol. I...

in the interest of returning to my normal life, including dumping my brain into cyberspace, and in the interest of retaining my sanity, I introduce (for my pleasure and amusement mostly) "they call it stormy monday"...a weekly installment of my short disjointed thoughts...welcome to the inner workings of my brain...

the govenator called for universal health care...in the process acknowledging what anyone that has ever paid attention already knew...it will save the state money. go figure...you help people stay healthy and the economy gets a boost...who would've thunk it...except for all the people that didn't want to hire smokers or sick folk I mean...

perhaps the right is finally remembering what made the right acceptable...leaving out the "wing"...

the government regulates how much you can be charged for car insurance...but let's health insurance companies gouge you for everything you have...and then deny your legitimate claims without recourse...

which is exactly why tort "reform" (an interesting twist that has apparently made "reform" mean "complete denial of all that has protected the otherwise helpless consumer and helped boost the american economy to epic heights") is the worst idea ever...unless you are the CEO of a major insurance company and feel like fucking over the working american...

so here is a helpful hint to all the average americans out there...the more they tell you something is needed to "protect" business, the more it will end up screwing you and your family...

whoever scheduled the bcs bowl games was a moron...college football is over...and yet the championship is tonight...and I could not care less...

on the plus side, cubs pitchers and catchers report in only one month...prepare for this to be next year...at least until may...

muddy waters was a man among boys...

and a god among men...

albuquerque got buried by a big snow storm...five days later the local school district cancelled school for the week...I know this is the desert and all, but seriously...that is just sad...

the president is going to try and increase the troop levels in Iraq...because the last time we found ourselves between sides in a civil war in a far-off land and decided escalation was a good idea it worked grandly...to the tune of a 246 plus feet of marble carved with the names of the dead...

but it's ok...because he is setting benchmarks...you know, the things that got Iraq to where it is today...nothing says good leader like refusing to rethink things...

charges against saddam hussein for slaughtering 180,000 kurds were dropped...so technically, he was never brought to justice for his worst crimes...

in the "no shit" department...Lt. Gen. Odierno claims it will take a few more years to sort Iraq out...

and more in the "no shit" department...the congressional budget office informed us all of what we all knew before it happened...the bush tax cuts ensured that those earning more than one million a year saw their taxes drop significantly more than the rest of us (many of us actually saw increased taxes since the feds cut funding to the states for a lot of necessary programs leading the states to put the squeeze on those that could not afford it...thanks asshole)...

but it's ok...I, for one, feel much better knowing that the family on the top of the hill with the enormous and elaborate gate keeping us commoners out of their sprawling complex got to keep a little more money...maybe they'll hire another one of us that lost our good factory or office job to trim their hedges once a week...job creation, ain't it grand...

the sun peaking over the eastern mountains over a new mexico landscape full of snow-capped ancient volcanos...emerging from the canyon to round the bend high above the rio grande gorge glimmering white and the sangre de cristos buried in snow...two of the most beautiful sights you most likely will never see...

is it wrong of me to find enjoyment in drug lists?

to all my friends and family...please know how much you mean to me...

to anyone and everyone...tell everyone that means something to you exactly that...

...but tuesday's just as bad...