Month: August 2010

The Growing Religious Bigotry In America Very Troubling!

Ronald 6 Comments

Religion is supposed to bring people together, promote peace and understanding, and encourage tolerance!

But just the opposite has been happening in recent years! We are seeing a nation that is, by reputation, much more devout than most European countries, demonstrating a total lack of tolerance on the part of many “good, religious people” who would claim to be close to God!

Why should it matter if someone is a Muslim, a Catholic, a Jew, a Mormon, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a mainline Protestant, a Baptist, an evangelical Christian, an atheist or an agnostic?

What makes any religious belief somehow better than other divine thoughts? We are supposed to be a nation of religious freedom, but there is apparently so much hate and suspicion, if someone in public life is of a different faith than you are!

Why should it matter that John F. Kennedy was a Catholic? Why should it matter that Barack Obama had a Muslim father? Why should it matter that Mitt Romney is a Mormon? Why should it matter that Joe Lieberman, a Jew, was a theoretical heartbeat away from the Presidency if Al Gore had won the Presidency in 2000? And why should it matter if some political candidate might doubt the existence of God or not believe in God?

We are supposed to be a nation that believes in separation of church and state, so religion should NOT be a factor in politics, and promotion of hate and prejudice towards people, public or private, based on religion is a disgrace, that undermines American democracy! 🙁

Troubles For Presidents Who Face Credibility And Legitimacy Gaps! :(

Ronald Leave a comment

The office of the Presidency is an office of power, and also, at the same time, a thankless office! 🙁

The President has great power and stature, but also faces severe opposition and a sense of not being appreciated!

He will be both loved and hated, and have his fans and his detractors!

Many Presidents will have problems being accepted as legitimate, and therefore be considered as “imposters”!

Many Presidents will leave the Presidency, and feel a sense of relief that the public spotlight is no longer on them!

The point of stating all of the above is to make it clear that Barack Obama is NOT the first President to face severe opposition and claims that he is illegitimate! It is astounding that so many Americans think he is foreign born and a Muslim, but again it is not unique to him!

Presidents who have won by close margins or in controversial times always engender conspiracy theories that they had “stolen” the election, which may or may not be true in fact! This would include Presidents John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford Hayes, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama!

Also, those who have been “revolutionary” in the sense of their religion or ethnicity have had people question their election–specifically John F. Kennedy for his Catholicism and Barack Obama for his mixed race heritage!

Additionally, Presidents who have succeeded upon the death or resignation of the President have faced controversy–specifically John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Chester Alan Arthur! By the time that Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson succeeded by death of the incumbent, that issue of legitimacy was no longer an issue, and they all won the next term as President!

But it again came up when Gerald Ford, an appointed Vice President, succeeded Richard Nixon in 1974! Many wondered if Ford had made a deal to pardon Nixon, based on his appointment as Vice President!

So it could be said that at least 16 Presidents, out of the 43 we have had so far in office, have had to deal with credibility and legitimacy issues that have tormented their time in office!

This is the best reason why every President leaves office looking much older–not just because of the responsibilities of the office and the burdens, but also for all, but more for some, the grief of patty political disputes caused by an opposition that will not let up in its attacks, with or without credibility and legitimacy gaps!

The End Of The Iraq War Has Come: Last Combat Troops Leave After Seven Years, Five Months!

Ronald 2 Comments

The end of the Iraq War has finally occurred, in the sense of combat operations! 🙂

After seven years, five months, the third longest war in US History, after Vietnam and the ongoing Afghanistan War, the American government is leaving that country at a time when political turmoil is worse than it is in this nation, and one wonders what has been gained! 🙁

We have spent $700 billion, lost 4, 415 men and women, and over 32,000 wounded, many severely in physical and mental ways! 🙁

The war was based on false intelligence, manipulation of the truth, bad motivations, and effects many of which are not yet known! 🙁

It seems to many that the winner has been the nation of Iran, which no longer has to worry about its neighbor being a counter balance to them, and Iran remains a much greater threat now than it has ever been! 🙁

The question arises as to whether Israel will decide that Iran is a threat with its development of nuclear capability, and will therefore, decide to intervene militarily as it did in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007!

And the question will arise as to how the United States will deal with such an eventuality, and whether we will decide we must intervene in any conflict that occurs, and how that will affect the whole Middle East!

So while celebrating the end of the combat mission in Iraq, we must remain sober as to the effects it has had, and will continue to have in the future! 🙁

Time For George W. Bush And Other Principled Republicans To Speak Out On Mosque Controversy!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Washington Post today has come out with an editorial calling upon former President George W. Bush to speak out against the demagoguery going on within his party, with many Republicans remaining silent as Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and others make the “Ground Zero Mosque” a political football, and in the process, are promoting anti Islamic hatred, a tremendous danger to the nation and its future!

One can criticize and find fault with Bush on a multitude of issues during his eight years as President, but one cannot fault him for always trying to make clear that our war was against Al Qaeda, not the Islamic world, a belief that President Barack Obama has continued to promote!

Bush should condemn those who use the mosque issue as a way to divide America, and promote fear and hate! If he was to do so, it would improve his image, and maybe get timid Republicans such as Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Richard Lugar, and others to come out in support of his stand!

So far, only New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and commentator Pat Buchanan, indeed a strange duo, have had the courage to speak out against the hysterical tide!

We have so many important issues to deal with, and we should not be fighting and splitting over the building of a house of worship! American ideals and principles require the end of this outrageous fear mongering being promoted by its original creator, the loony blogger Pamela Geller, in league with talk radio hosts and Fox News Channel, and endorsed by potential Presidential candidates Gingrich and Palin, who should be roundly condemned for their divisive tactics! 🙁

The 111th Congress’ Successes Are Magnificent, Greatest Since 1965-1966! The Democrats And President Obama Must Spread The Message! :)

Ronald 4 Comments

The Democratic Party has accomplished a proud record of achievements that should be enough to keep Republican gains down during the midterm election of 2010, but they have not been able to transmit these successes adequately to the American people!

It is now the job of President Obama and all Democratic officeholders and candidates to promote, hail, endorse, and defend a record unmatched by any Congress since the 1960s! 🙂

The only Congresses that could be seen as having accomplished MORE than the 111th Congress are the 73rd Congress under Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1934), and the 89th Congress under Lyndon B. Johnson (1965-1966)!

This Congress, under Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has enacted much pathbreaking legislation, but it will take years to feel the full impact of what they have done for the American people!

Among the accomplishments are the following (not an exhaustive list):

1. Passage of the largest stimulus package in history, which prevented a worst economic downturn, but may not have been enough to turn the economy around as quickly as many hoped for!
2. credit card consumer protection legislation.
3. landmark health care reform legislation.
4. Wall Street regulation.
5. tobacco regulation.
6. reform of contracting in the Pentagon, and the beginning of accountability on wasteful spending.
7. tax cuts for the middle class.
8. an anti age discrimination law.
9. approval by the Senate of two Supreme Court nominees.
10. extension of unemployment compensation after a battle in the Senate.
11. Much other legislation, including on climate change, in the House, but blocked in the Senate!

Many other initiatives were taken by President Obama outside of Congressional activity, and it should be made clear to the American people that the President and his party have worked VERY HARD to change the direction of the country, and deal with the total mess left by the Republicans and George W. Bush!

But to expect total success and a complete turnaround of years of damage in less than two years is unrealistic, so the Democrats must play hardball, and get the message out that a return to the Republican policies through an attempted repeal of the 111th Congress’s accomplishments would be counterproductive, as well as destructive, of the interests and the future of the American people! 🙁

Anti Islamic Hysteria: The New Nativism Very Dangerous For America! :(

Ronald Leave a comment

The year 2010 will, sadly, go down as the year of extreme nativism, and promotion of ethnic and religious hatred! 🙁

As if it was not enough to persecute and harass people of Latino and Hispanic heritage, now the push is on by politicians, right wing media, and other irresponsible elements to use the so called “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy to label all people of Islamic heritage in America as enemies and threats to American society! Apparently, some seem to want a holy war against Islam worldwide, against 1.2 billion people! 🙁

And if you notice who is leading the charge in this regard, it includes Christian fundamentalists and people who claim to be religious, but employ their Christian faith to cover their own hypocrisy! 🙁

Most Muslims in America are good, honorable citizens, who go about their business every day–work hard, pay taxes, obey the laws, are patriotic, serve in the military, and were victims of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center!

If we allow demagogues of the right to promote antagonism and hate against these good people, we endanger ourselves, as the alienation of these Islamic citizens could encourage lawlessness and violence by them, which already is occurring AGAINST Islamic citizens due to hysteria, and the propaganda of these right wing extremists! 🙁

The author has already stated earlier his thoughts that it would be preferable for the “Ground Zero Mosque” to be built further away from the World Trade Center site, but the disputed project is on private property and therefore legally, and based on the Planning Commission vote and the backing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, there is no legitimate way to block it!

But when Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin and other despicable politicians exploit the issue and stir up hate and emotions, they should not be rewarded with support, and it is good that others, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and commentator Pat Buchanan, have the courage to criticize their exploitation of the issue for political gain! 🙁

And the suggestion of Christian extremists that NO mosques be allowed to be built in America, as all of them are recruiting stations for terrorists, must be roundly condemned and repudiated! 🙁

It is amazing how some people who claim to believe the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and are so called devout people tied to the Bible, are ready to deny religious freedom and promote hate in the name of Jesus Christ, who himself would have been anything but a bigot and hypocrite! 🙁

What A GOP Victory In November Would Mean For America! :(

Ronald Leave a comment

Let’s just imagine a scenario where the Republican Party gains 40 or more seats in the House of Representatives and 10 in the Senate, and therefore wins control of both houses of Congress! 🙁

What would this mean? Many things, indeed, none of them good for America! 🙁 There is no special order to the following list!

1. John Boehner would become Speaker of the House, and Eric Cantor would become House Majority Leader–neither of whom have yet come up with any concept of leadership other than total opposition to anything but helping corporations avoid regulation!
2. Mitch McConnell would become Senate Majority Leader, and presides over a chaotic Senate in which Tea Party Movement senators such as Mike Lee, Ken Buck, Marco Rubio, and Linda McMahon join Rand Paul and Sharron Angle, and make one feel that Tom Coburn, James Inhofe and Jim DeMint are comparatively “mainstream”!
3. The House would begin probes of the Obama Administration, with Darrell Issa of California having the power to issue subpoenas and promote a “witch hunt” against the President and his staff!
4. Any attempt to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, if not accomplished already, will fail to be enacted by Congress!
5. Attempts to repeal the Health Care legislation will be an early order of business!
6. Attempts to repeal Financial Reform legislation will be urgently pursued!
7. Tax cuts for the wealthy will proliferate, and the estate tax will permanently come to an end!
8. Defense spending will rise astronomically, and there will be talk of war against the Islamic world!
9. There will be attempts to privatize Social Security and Medicare, and get the government out of the business of controlling the “safety net”!
10. There will be no environmental legislation, as Senator James Inhofe will continue to block any action against global warming and climate change!
11. The new Consumer Financial Protection Agency will be scaled back, and possibly face repeal, as unnecessary bureaucracy!
12. Any judicial appointments, including the Supreme Court, will be blocked or delayed!
13. No more economic stimulus of any kind will be offered, despite the fact of growing unemployment and higher levels of mortgage foreclosures!
14. Attempts will be made to bring charges of impeachment against President Obama, based on McCarthy type innuendos!
15. Education and all other social programs will be dramatically cut!
16. States rights will be emphasized, with the government only there for defense and promotion of corporate privilege!
17. Severe anti immigrant legislation will come to a vote, and the racism and nativism that exists will multiply!
18. Anti Islamic violence will be encouraged by GOP rhetoric, worsening our relations with the Islamic world!
19. The Republicans will attempt to block foreign policy initiatives by the Obama Administration worldwide, and treaties will be fought against as foreign conspiracies!
20. The country will be far worse off in both domestic and foreign policy by 2012, in ways not even mentioned above!

There are certainly many other points that could be made, but this is a solid sampling of the reality that America faces if it allows fear and hate and anger to rule the day on Election Day!

The one virtue if a GOP takeover occurs is, thankfully, the ability of President Obama to veto most legislation that calls for the wrong policies or for repeal, with no chance of a two thirds override in the Congress!

Ironically, this crisis of a Republican takeover, were it to happen, might bring out a different side of the President! It might make Obama finally stop trying to be a “nice guy” and fight in the way Harry Truman fought the Republicans in 1948!

In other words, Obama might, under these circumstances, become “Give Them Hell Barack!”

It is certainly time that the President, in this fall campaign, does everything humanly possible to get the message out to the voters: We have made fundamental changes that are for the good of the American people! There is much to do, but do not set back progress and make life worse for this nation! Give us the chance to continue our work of reforming America for the benefit of all, not just the wealthy and the corporate interests! Let us continue the expansion represented by the New Deal and the Great Society! Make America once again the land of opportunity and the beacon for oppressed people around the globe! Make us proud, instead of promoting a negative attitude about the future! In so doing, we will be continuing the true message of the Founding Fathers, who saw this nation as a unique one in world history!

The Eventual Retirement of Defense Secretary Robert Gates: Chuck Hagel As The Best Successor!

Ronald 1 Comment

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has done an excellent job under President George W. Bush in the last two years of his term, and under President Barack Obama in the first two years of his administration!

The author has, numerous times, hailed Gates’ performance, including moving toward the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, and cutting defense costs and wasteful spending, now estimated to be long term about $330 Billion! He has been willing to fight the entrenched interests in the Pentagon and try to bring defense spending under control!

But Gates had made it clear when he agreed to stay on in the Defense Department under Obama that he wanted to leave after a couple of years, and that time is fast approaching!

Gates has been a good political cover for Obama, as a Republican loyal to him and making his defense policy easier to promote, even with attacks by most Republicans on everything else the President stands for!

The question will be who can fill the shoes of Gates at an extremely crucial moment in our history, and with the political campaign for 2012 about to begin formally after the Midterm Elections of 2010 occur on November 2!

As the author has long believed and stated back in the beginning of the creation of this blog two years ago, it seems to me that the best choice to replace Gates is the distinguished former Republican Senator, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a Vietnam veteran, but also a critic of the war in Iraq!

Being a Republican, and clearly an expert on defense and with lots of credibility on the subject, Hagel would be easier to have confirmed by a Senate likely to be stronger Republican next year at the least, and possibly a majority Republican, if the midterm elections turn out to be a Democratic disaster!

Hagel would fill the job admirably, would be a voice of conscience who would tell the President what he needed to know, and would be a good communicator with the media! He is a man of principle and strong patriotism, who would work well with others in promoting the safety and security of the nation, and overcome the partisan bickering and infighting in Congress!

So when Gates announces his retirement sometime next year, Barack Obama should nominate Chuck Hagel as his credible successor! 🙂

The Final Punishment Of “Birther” Orly Taitz Over Frivolous Lawsuit!

Ronald 1 Comment

The Supreme Court did a great deed today when they rejected “Birther” Orly Taitz’s appeal of a $20,000 fine for her frivolous lawsuit in federal court over her contention that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, but rather in Kenya!

Taitz has been the most egregious promoter of hate and deception by her ridiculous lawsuit, which wasted a lot of taxpayer money, and was finally rejected!

Taitz was fined for her misbehavior and outrageous language, and appealed to Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, who rejected it, and then it was sent to the entire Court by Associate Justice Samuel Alito, so as to end the case for good!

The Court dismissed the suit, and that puts the issue to rest, except in the sick minds of Taitz and other “Birthers” who refuse to accept the reality that Obama was born in Hawaii!

At least, Taitz is being punished in having to pay the fine, and if she continues to attempt to disrupt federal courts by her misbehavior, a prison term would be very appropriate! Hopefully, she will finally shut up and go back to dentistry, although the author cannot imagine anyone wanting to have their teeth examined or treated by this nutcake whacko woman, who herself is an immigrant! 🙁 Unbelievable! 🙁

The Inscrutable Nature Of The American Voter: The Future At Stake!

Ronald Leave a comment

The upcoming Midterm Elections of 2010 for the House of Representatives, Senate, and Governorships are a topic of discussion among not just journalists and bloggers, but also every day Americans who are living through the most difficult economic times in 75 years!

Certain points seem clear:
1. There is great discontent and anger with the high unemployment rate, and the continuing housing crisis, with foreclosures at very high levels!
2. The vast majority of Republicans and conservatives are totally negative toward everything that the Obama Administration has promoted into law, and everything they advocate in statements and actions!
3. Democrats are unenthusiastic about the upcoming elections, and have lost their passion to be involved in promoting their party through activism and voting participation!
4. Independents are unhappy with the Obama Administration, but not enthused either by the Republican alternative!
5. Moderates may be unhappy with some of what the Obama Administration has done and advocated, but don’t want to go over to the right wing Tea Party activist movement!
6. Tea Party activists are zealous in their hatred of government, but it is doubtful that a large percentage of Americans believe in their cause!
7. A majority of Americans may hate the power and influence of the federal government, but at the same time want the federal government to be there to control and regulate the powerful economic forces, the corporations, that dominate their lives!
8. A majority of Americans are disillusioned about the future, and that may lead to record turnout for the elections, based upon this emotion, or could also lead to a record decline in participation, based on alienation from the whole situation existing in America!

The reality is as follows: Based upon history, the Republican Party SHOULD gain seats in both houses of Congress and in the Governorships! That would not be a surprise! The party out of the White House traditionally gains seats in a midterm election!

But the question is, will those who vote, state by state, cause a party turnover in the Congress? The answer is highly unlikely, as a gain of more than 40 seats in the House and 10 in the Senate seems extremely remote!

Will the decision be by those who vote that the opposition is the “lesser of evils”, or rather that “better to stick with those you know, than those you don’t know”?

When those who vote have time to reflect on what has happened, will they punish the Democrats for the multitude of changes brought about, or decide after reflection that a lot of good has occurred, and they do not wish to see it repealed; or will they be supportive of a more confrontational Congress that will lead to greater gridlock and stalemate?

The key question above all is not only who votes, and how many, but how rational will these voters be when they are actually voting! Will emotion and fear and scare tactics win over, or will calm reasoning about how much worse it would have been, under a different set of policies under President John McCain, take hold?

This midterm election is truly a mandate, a sense of where the American people stand! We are at a crossroads as to whether government can work, or whether we are returning to the era of 19th century states rights (Civil War) and unregulated capitalism (Gilded Age)!

In other words, are we returning to the tragic policies of the past, and wiping out all of the progress of the 20th century under Congresses and Presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon (yes, even him!), George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama?

All of these Presidents and Congresses made life better, and advanced the cause of social and economic reform, and democracy, at times when many of the states were in the other direction, and also tamed the excesses of industrial capitalism in the public interest!

To believe that we are on the cusp of a reversal of our history is something to be worried about, and to prevent this by promoting active participation in this fall’s election by those who care about preserving the great reforms and changes that the federal government has brought about in the past century!

Can America afford to return to the past? Is this what would be best for the nation’s future? The clear answer is NO! 🙁