September 11

Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s Memoir: Confirmation Of An Evil Man With No Apologies Or Regrets!

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Former Vice President Dick Cheney, arguably the most powerful Vice President in the history of the nation, and also the most controversial and despised, is coming out with his memoir of his life working as Chief of Staff to Gerald Ford, significant member of the House of Representatives from Wyoming, Secretary of Defense under the first President Bush, and Vice President under the second President Bush.

Cheney, regarded as a war criminal for his support of water boarding, considered torture under international law, has no apologies for that and still endorses it as a method to use with terrorist suspects, despite the condemnation of most civilized Americans, including Senator John McCain, himself a victim of torture methods while a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

He also is getting revenge on all he worked with, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former CIA head George Tenet, and former National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He revels that his memoir would “have heads exploding all over Washington” , with a broad smile on his face, making him look the equivalent of what we imagine the devil might look like!

This disgraceful, mean spirited man was once considered mainstream, until September 11, when he seems to have gone maniacal, changing in his whole outlook and relationships with others in a way that makes one wonder if he is certifiably mentally ill!

The tragedy is that his legacy harms the image of the United States overseas, and nothing will make him look as a decent and honest man, considering his great gaining of wealth from a corrupt corporation, Haliburton, even while he was Vice President. This man who evaded the draft in the 1960s has become the image of the man who is always looking for another place to bomb and invade. And of course, he recklessly shot a friend in the face, and never apologized for that either!

Cheney does not deserve our respect; rather, our disdain and condemnation, and he will go down as one of the great villains of America’s long history!

And what he represents will not help to improve the image of the man who took him on for the Vice Presidency for two terms: President George W. Bush. Bush will have a lot to answer for in history, not the least this monster he gave too much authority and power to because of his own inadequacies!

And to think, George W. Bush should never have been President if only the Florida vote count had been finished fairly, except for unconstitutional intervention by the majority Republican Supreme Court, denying Vice President Al Gore his rightful win for the Oval Office!

Twenty One Years Ago Today, The World Changed For The Worst!

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On August 2, 1990, Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein attacked and occupied the oil nation of Kuwait, presenting a threat to Saudi Arabia and all of the Middle East, and to the world’s petroleum supply.

President George H. W. Bush created an international coalition centered around the United Nations to demand that Iraq withdraw, but when that failed, in January 1991, the Persian Gulf War ensued, with it being won in six weeks, successfully removing Iraq from Kuwait, but failing to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

Saudi Arabia agreed to allow US forces into their nation, angering Muslim nationalists throughout the Middle East, who hated the thought of Christian troops in the holy land of Mecca and Medina, and Islamic terrorism now became a major threat to the United States and the Western world, with the development of various groups, including Al Qaeda under Osama Bin Laden.

This intervention led long term to September 11, to the invasion of Afghanistan to overcome Al Qaeda, and the later intervention in Iraq, overthrowing Saddam Hussein, but leading to a long bloody civil war engulfing American forces, and taking attention off Afghanistan.

Here we are today, with American troops in Iraq, although not in combat, and war continuing in Afghanistan, our two longest wars in American history, and effectively bankrupting our economy, causing massive expenditures in fighting terrorism and defending US interests in the Middle East, and promoting the loss of civil liberties through the Patriot Act, and the inability to deal with the many domestic problems our country faces.

So on this 21st anniversary of Iraq going into Kuwait, one can see the long range deleterious effects of this short lived war, with damaging impact that threatens the supremacy of the United States domestically and in foreign affairs in 2011!

The Heights And The Depths Of The Presidency: From Bin Laden Assassination To The Debt Ceiling Crisis!

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The American Presidency is a glorious office, and also a burden beyond belief!

It has aged its occupants dramatically, often undermined their health, and made them know the greatest heights and the lowest depths of emotions!

A President can be a hero one day, and in a short time, be regarded by many Americans as a loser and bum!

Witness the travails of Barack Obama, who, exactly three months ago, was being hailed for having accomplished the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, the greatest strike yet against the terrorism that led to September 11.

But witness now the great anger and loss of support, to the lowest point so far of his Presidency, over the Debt Ceiling Crisis, although Obama does rate higher than either the Democrats or Republicans in Congress.

Three months ago, it seemed as if Obama was unbeatable for a second term in the White House, but today, he is seen as extremely vulnerable and has alienated much of the progressive base of his own party.

So a President must enjoy the high moments, as he will certainly suffer through the low periods of his Presidency. And Barack Obama has shown great evidence of how the job has worn at him, as his hair has turned noticeably grey in 30 months in office.

One has to wonder why anyone would want to be President, considering the burdens of the job, and yet, there is always a mad dash by those who wish to hold that high office!

The Bush Apologists In Full Swing: Blame Clinton And Avoid Giving Full Credit To Obama Regarding Osama Bin Laden

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The Bush Presidency was when September 11 occurred, and everyone knows that George W. Bush was on vacation in Crawford, Texas, and did not pay attention to the memorandum warning of the intentions of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda to attack America in a short period of time.

The Bush apologists went to work after September 11, placing a large share of the blame on Bill Clinton, because he had not resolved the threat of Al Qaeda during his administration.

Now that President Obama hasa accomplished the goal of eliminating Osama Bin Laden, after the Bush Administration had over seven years to resolve the issue and failed, Bush apologists are trying to take a lion’s share of the credit for his demise, pointing out the effects of waterboarding on gaining information as to his location, even though there is no proof that using torture actually worked. They have tried to give Bush the major credit for setting up the conditions for the successful mission, even though it occurred more than two years after Bush left office.

In both ends of this story, there is a refusal to take responsibility by Bush and his apologists for the failures, instead blaming Clinton and avoiding giving full credit to Obama.

This is an attempt at rewriting history, and taking Bush off the hook on the whole disgraceful matter of September 11.

Fortunately, intelligent and knowledgeable people KNOW that Bush is responsible for the failures in 2001, and has no right to ANY credit for the success of 2011!

Bin Laden Award Money: Who Deserves It Now That Bin Laden Is Gone?

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The US government offered $25 million after September 11 for the capture or death of Osama Bin Laden, and now that Bin Laden has been assassinated, the question is what should happen to the money.

Since no individual directly brought about the end of the Bin Laden hegemony, and since people in the military cannot be awarded the money ethically, since they were doing their duty as Navy SEALS, it seems appropriate that the money go to the September 11 responders, those firefighters and police officers and others who helped rescue survivors at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and who, in so many cases, suffered grievous injuries or illnesses.

It does not seem appropriate for the relatives of those who died to receive payments, as they have already been awarded financial damages.

It is proper that those who gambled their lives and health to help retrieve live victims and clean up the struck sites in New York City and Arlington, Virginia, over a period of months be thanked by financial payments that honor what they did, in the name of patriotism and nationalism!

The Multi Tasking President In His Prime: One Week In Barack Obama’s Presidency

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Everyone knows that the American Presidency is a tremendous burden, with the occupant of the Oval Office having to deal with so many issues and problems at the same time, that he MUST be able to multi task with great skill.

So is the case of Barack Obama, who in one week, did the following:

1. Had Hawaii issue his official Certificate of Live Birth to silence his critics, which now have dropped dramatically, according to public opinion polls.

2. Toured Alabama and other states that were victims of the worst tornado destruction in decades, and was praised for the quick federal response to the natural disaster, as compared to Hurricane Katrina uncer President George W. Bush

3. Traveled to Florida to witness the Space Shuttle launch, which was unfortunately delayed, but also to visit Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, wounded in an assassination attempt in January, who was there to witness her husband, Mark Kelly, the captain of the shuttle crew, begin the space mission.

4. Performed great standup comedy at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, including teasing of Donald Trump, who has been bad mouthing Obama for the past month, including on the “birther” controversy.

5. All of that week, and even earlier, Obama was planning the raid on the compound in Pakistan to eliminate the Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, the most daring action by a President in many decades!

And in the past week since, Obama has also visited the site of Ground Zero and commiserated with the families of victims of the World Trade Center, and also visited the Navy SEALS who were engaged in the most delicate operation possible, the attack on the Bin Laden compound and retrieval of the body of Bin Laden after he was killed.

This period of the last week of April and first week of May, a two week period, will go down in history as one of the most momentous periods in the history of the nation!

Al Qaeda Website Admits Death Of Bin Laden: One Conspiracy Theory Destroyed!

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Imagine thanking Al Qaeda and having them applauded for something positive!

The terrorist organization has admitted on its website that Osama Bin Laden is dead!

That is a big relief in the sense that we don’t have to spend inordinate amounts of time debating whether what happened last Sunday is true or a fabrication of the Obama Administration to end the issue, and give Obama a political victory for 2012.

Of course, some loonies out there who wish to exploit the issue for monetary gain will still try to claim otherwise, but it is good that the conspiracy theory is nipped in the bud!

However, we should not be sobered by this as far as the threat of Al Qaeda is concerned, as materials gathered at the compound where Bin Laden lived are clear in the late terrorist’s plans to continue to attack America and the West, with apparent plots to attack the railroad network on the tenth anniversary of September 11.

Even without Bin Laden, Al Qaeda remains a threat, and we will need to continue to be on the alert in the future, not let our guard down, and be particularly concerned on the upcoming September 11, when we mark ten years since the dastardly event that changed all of our lives forever!

Obama Action On Bin Laden Proof John Kerry Was Right In 2004 Campaign Stand On War On Terror

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In 2004, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the Democratic Presidential nominee, was trashed by the Bush Administration and Vice President Dick Cheney for his assertion that defeating terrorism was based on law enforcement, rather than constant military intervention!

Kerry said intelligence gathering and law enforcement, in cooperation with other nations, was the way to fight terrorism, rather than create military clashes with other civilizations.

Kerry also said that we should look at terrorism as a nuisance, not as a constant threat to everyone on a daily basis. If we militarize the struggle against terrorism, we will be involved in endless military confrontations, he declared! Instead, we should work to improve relations with the Islamic world!

Instead, we have spent four trillion dollars and lost 49,000 men, dead and wounded combined, in fighting an endless war against terrorism, which cannot be won by military strategy alone, as shown by the failures in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The last decade did not have to be a decade of war, causing our tremendous national debt. We did not need to overreact as we did, and this will always be the condemnation that the Bush Administration deserves!

We live in a world now more unsafe than it was on September 12, 2001, and if we had had President Al Gore or President John Kerry, that would not have been the result, and we would not have to be considering destroying Medicare and Medicaid, and denying children educational needs, and damaging the environment, and the denial of civil liberties that was brought about by the Patriot Act hysteria right after September 11!

So although losing the Presidency, we owe gratitude to Senator John Kerry for his vision and wisdom, not appreciated by his countrymen in 2004!

Republican Lies And Deception After Bin Laden Is Killed Under Obama’s Watch

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It is amazing how the Republican leadership feels a need to promote lies and deception in a moment of great triumph for President Obama!

They have to put in the concept that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and others working under the last administration were responsible for providing information that helped Obama accomplish a goal that Bush could not achieve in more than seven years.

They try to claim that “enhanced interrogation techniques”, meaning torture including water boarding, were responsible for information that led to the successful mission. But it is clear that is a total fabrication, meant to justify the Bush Administration’s violation of international law and the laws of war!

Also, it is clear that George W. Bush, himself, had dismissed the importance of finding Bin Laden within less than a year after September 11!

It is also clear that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and General Tommy Franks, in charge of the Afghanistan invasion in 2001, chose not to pursue Bin Laden at Tora Bora when we knew he was there in the months after September 11, allowing him to get away and live in hiding for nine and a half years!

So for the Bush loyalists to claim that Bush and his administration deserve credit for what has happened is totally without substance, and it is time for the Republicans to give full credit to the courage and brilliance of Barack Obama, who has accomplished the greatest single victory by his actions since John F. Kennedy accomplished the solution of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October, 1962!

A New Attitude On American Muslims Needed After Death Of Osama Bin Laden

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Now that Osama Bin Laden has been removed from the scene, it is important that our politicians, news media, and the American people reassess their attitude on American Muslims as part of American society.

The Islamic faith is as divided as Christianity is, and while it is important to remember there are extremist and radical Muslims, including those who have attempted unsuccessfully to commit terrorist acts on American soil, that does not mean we should stereotype or scapegoat the vast majority of American Muslims, who are just as patriotic and committed to our democracy as any Americans of other ethnicities.

The hate mongers must be condemned, at the same time that our intelligence agencies must be thorough in their search for those rare Muslims in America who wish us ill!

But let’s remember that it was not only Christians and Jews and Hindus and Buddhists who died on September 11, and in the various terrorist attacks worldwide since September 11, and even before that date. It is clear that it is actually Muslims who have been the greatest number of victims worldwide, because of the murderous intent of Al Qaeda and its supporters as led by Osama Bin Laden.

Just as any other minority group, American Muslims can and will be assimilated into America, with always, however, a watchful eye on those who choose to commit crimes in the name of their God, and working to stop them before they succeed, and putting on trial those who are apprehended, in the most strict terms possible!