Friday, January 28, 2011
WHAT OBAMA FAILED TO SAY IN HIS STATE OF UNION
He failed to say that Social Security has a two-and-a-half trillion dollar surplus and that it is earned, not given away. What is called a "cut" would actually be theft from those who have paid into it over a lifetime. He needs to go on the offensive on Social Security, not be defensive. The same on Medicare. He failed to mention that it works and has the lowest operating cost of any form of health care by far. He failed to say that pensions are delayed earned payments for work already done, and that the conservative move to allow states and cities to declare bankruptcy is really a move to eliminate pensions for public employees and eliminate as much of public service as possible. He failed to say that "privatization" doesn't eliminate government, but institutes government by corporation for corporate profit not the benefit for citizens. He failed to say that we should have gratitude for immigrants -- with or without papers, educated or not -- who work hard at low pay to make possible the lifestyles of the middle and upper classes. He failed to defend the right to unionize as the foundation of fair working relationships. GEORGE LAKOFF 1/28/11
Thursday, January 27, 2011
THE DARK SIDE OF PRESIDENTS
A fan of Obama and a friend of mine sent me a series of pictures of Obama and family. She noted that Obama had a room-lighting smile. And that apparently covers all sins he committed especially the one where he, believe or not, had more people killed with drones than even President Bush. What makes Obama different from Bush is that we expected more of him. As Commander-in-Chief he could halt all wars, bring the troops home from the 800 or so bases around the globe that are not only oppressing people but also draining our treasury. How can Americans cheer on this president or any other president who think nothing of the horrendous damage done to people in other countries with killing and maiming? I have seen pictures of children without arms caused by our bombs. This to get one person, no less, the excuse to invade Afghanistan. Would we tolerate such goings on on our soil, or would we be called insurgents for fighting the invader.
As my friend responded when I said Obama’s dark side is his escalation of the Afghan war and the darkness brought to the innocent Afghans. We have read of the hordes of people who used to roam around the world killing and destroying, they were called barbarians. Well, what are we? My friend responded to me “All of us have to accept responsibility for what we do or don’t do – not just the president.” I don’t know how that statement relieves the president of his role in pure murder but there is a kernel of truth. We are passively standing by and pretending that wars are the sole responsibility of our presidents and they can do no wrong. Otherwise, why are we not in the streets on a continual basis as in some other countries demanding no more wars?
I have a recurring dream that I killed someone. I feel my heart is going to stop from the thought of my being a murderer. I just wonder do all those presidents from our dark past ever have such frightening dreams?
As my friend responded when I said Obama’s dark side is his escalation of the Afghan war and the darkness brought to the innocent Afghans. We have read of the hordes of people who used to roam around the world killing and destroying, they were called barbarians. Well, what are we? My friend responded to me “All of us have to accept responsibility for what we do or don’t do – not just the president.” I don’t know how that statement relieves the president of his role in pure murder but there is a kernel of truth. We are passively standing by and pretending that wars are the sole responsibility of our presidents and they can do no wrong. Otherwise, why are we not in the streets on a continual basis as in some other countries demanding no more wars?
I have a recurring dream that I killed someone. I feel my heart is going to stop from the thought of my being a murderer. I just wonder do all those presidents from our dark past ever have such frightening dreams?
Sunday, December 26, 2010
PROGRESSIVES ILLUSIONS: Democrats doing the Republican’s dirty work
The Clinton Years
NAFTA – Sending millions of U.S. jobs into Mexico and sending millions of Mexicans into the U.S. after destroying Mexico’s local agriculture and businesses.
GATT – Lowering tariffs worldwide but mostly in favor of the U.S.
SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAQ – Periodic bombing to distract from Clinton’s penchant for unzipping his pants for genital exposure. Killing millions of children with no apologies from our first female (gentle females?) Secretary of State with this comment when interviewed for 60 Minutes by Lesley Stahl on 5/12/96: On U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it? Albright’s response: I think this a very hard choice, but the price—we think the price is worth it. The periodic bombing had the effect of softening up Iraq for the Bush invasion.
DEFENSEOF MARRIAGE – prohibiting gays from having their marriage recognized.
DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL – destroying countless lives of gays in the military.
WELFARE REFORM – Requiring mostly women with children into poverty jobs by denying them federal aid, causing neglect of their children and driving them further into poverty.
GLASS-STEAGAL ACT (GSA) - 1933 legislation to separate investment and commercial banking activities. This was to stop speculation with banking customer’s funds. Clinton signed the repeal of this act on November 12, 1999 leading to the financial crisis of 2008, which is still devastating our economy today.
Can any amount of good legislation out of the Clinton White House make up for the lives of half million children? Can any good legislation in Clinton’s time make up for the devastation of millions of lives due to this financial debacle?
2008 and Beyond
MORE DEADLY WEAPONS -Under Obama nuclear weapons has increased by 40% larger than what the U.S. spent for nuclear weapons activities during the height of the Cold War.
OIL DRILLING – Obama could not resist Drill Baby Drill and was about to open our coasts to drilling. Despite the tragedy of the Gulf Oil Spill we may see drilling along our coasts.
DRONE ATTACKS – Under Obama instead of getting out of Afghanistan he increased drone attacks killing more people in his first 9 months than Bush did in last 3 years. As Commander and Chief, he could and should have stopped the war in its tracks and not escalate.
HEALTH CARE – Turned over our health care 100% to the very private insurance companies that caused our health care crisis. He refused to give a platform to those who wanted to suggest Single Payer instead he had them arrested. This right out of the fascist playbook.
SOCIAL SECURITY – Obama set up a Deficit Commission and appointed right-wingers from both parties whose underhanded mandate is to gut social security and Medicare (something the Republicans could not do). The commission mandate was to deal with the country’s fiscal problems. Since Social Security is legally prohibited from ever spending more than it has collected in taxes, it cannot under the law contribute to the deficit. It now has a surplus of $2.5 trillion. Letter writer, Katherine W. Rylaarsdam of Baltimore, Md. calls this a brazen attempt at grand larceny.
COLUMBIA – Where unionist are killed routinely for trying to organize. The U.S. has 600 military advisors in the country. Obama made a deal with its president to grant U.S. access to seven military bases in the country. You just gave $7 billion of your tax dollars in military aid to Columbia since 2000 and Obama is continuing the tradition.
IMMIGRATION – More deportations are taking place under Obama than any other administration, 388,000 while spending more than $3 billion more than Bush. So much for Obama being a Socialist.
PAUL KRUGMAN - a New York Times columnist and a professor of Economists and International Affairs at Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, had this to say of the Obama administration: “But progressive disillusionment isn’t just a matter of sky-high expectations meeting prosaic reality. Threatened filibuster didn’t force Mr. Obama to waffle on torture; to escalate in Afghanistan; to choose, with exquisitely bad timing, to loosen the rules on offshore drilling early this year.”
Shall we go on, now we have the brilliant idea from Obama to dismantle public education with the Race to the Top program by expanding charter schools; linking teacher’s pay to student test scores; enabling districts to dismiss entire staffs of failing schools; weakening teacher tenure; and testing and tracking student performance even more stringently.
Then there are extrajudicial killings and targeted assassinations we thought we left behind in the Bush administration only to be continued and refined under Obama.
There is just too much more to tell but this is a good start so as not to overburden my readers. As a staunch Democrat I know says: “What do you want me to vote for a Republican”. Well, my dear you could do worse. But how about holding feet to fire and establishing a third party.
NAFTA – Sending millions of U.S. jobs into Mexico and sending millions of Mexicans into the U.S. after destroying Mexico’s local agriculture and businesses.
GATT – Lowering tariffs worldwide but mostly in favor of the U.S.
SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAQ – Periodic bombing to distract from Clinton’s penchant for unzipping his pants for genital exposure. Killing millions of children with no apologies from our first female (gentle females?) Secretary of State with this comment when interviewed for 60 Minutes by Lesley Stahl on 5/12/96: On U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it? Albright’s response: I think this a very hard choice, but the price—we think the price is worth it. The periodic bombing had the effect of softening up Iraq for the Bush invasion.
DEFENSEOF MARRIAGE – prohibiting gays from having their marriage recognized.
DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL – destroying countless lives of gays in the military.
WELFARE REFORM – Requiring mostly women with children into poverty jobs by denying them federal aid, causing neglect of their children and driving them further into poverty.
GLASS-STEAGAL ACT (GSA) - 1933 legislation to separate investment and commercial banking activities. This was to stop speculation with banking customer’s funds. Clinton signed the repeal of this act on November 12, 1999 leading to the financial crisis of 2008, which is still devastating our economy today.
Can any amount of good legislation out of the Clinton White House make up for the lives of half million children? Can any good legislation in Clinton’s time make up for the devastation of millions of lives due to this financial debacle?
2008 and Beyond
MORE DEADLY WEAPONS -Under Obama nuclear weapons has increased by 40% larger than what the U.S. spent for nuclear weapons activities during the height of the Cold War.
OIL DRILLING – Obama could not resist Drill Baby Drill and was about to open our coasts to drilling. Despite the tragedy of the Gulf Oil Spill we may see drilling along our coasts.
DRONE ATTACKS – Under Obama instead of getting out of Afghanistan he increased drone attacks killing more people in his first 9 months than Bush did in last 3 years. As Commander and Chief, he could and should have stopped the war in its tracks and not escalate.
HEALTH CARE – Turned over our health care 100% to the very private insurance companies that caused our health care crisis. He refused to give a platform to those who wanted to suggest Single Payer instead he had them arrested. This right out of the fascist playbook.
SOCIAL SECURITY – Obama set up a Deficit Commission and appointed right-wingers from both parties whose underhanded mandate is to gut social security and Medicare (something the Republicans could not do). The commission mandate was to deal with the country’s fiscal problems. Since Social Security is legally prohibited from ever spending more than it has collected in taxes, it cannot under the law contribute to the deficit. It now has a surplus of $2.5 trillion. Letter writer, Katherine W. Rylaarsdam of Baltimore, Md. calls this a brazen attempt at grand larceny.
COLUMBIA – Where unionist are killed routinely for trying to organize. The U.S. has 600 military advisors in the country. Obama made a deal with its president to grant U.S. access to seven military bases in the country. You just gave $7 billion of your tax dollars in military aid to Columbia since 2000 and Obama is continuing the tradition.
IMMIGRATION – More deportations are taking place under Obama than any other administration, 388,000 while spending more than $3 billion more than Bush. So much for Obama being a Socialist.
PAUL KRUGMAN - a New York Times columnist and a professor of Economists and International Affairs at Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, had this to say of the Obama administration: “But progressive disillusionment isn’t just a matter of sky-high expectations meeting prosaic reality. Threatened filibuster didn’t force Mr. Obama to waffle on torture; to escalate in Afghanistan; to choose, with exquisitely bad timing, to loosen the rules on offshore drilling early this year.”
Shall we go on, now we have the brilliant idea from Obama to dismantle public education with the Race to the Top program by expanding charter schools; linking teacher’s pay to student test scores; enabling districts to dismiss entire staffs of failing schools; weakening teacher tenure; and testing and tracking student performance even more stringently.
Then there are extrajudicial killings and targeted assassinations we thought we left behind in the Bush administration only to be continued and refined under Obama.
There is just too much more to tell but this is a good start so as not to overburden my readers. As a staunch Democrat I know says: “What do you want me to vote for a Republican”. Well, my dear you could do worse. But how about holding feet to fire and establishing a third party.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
WHAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE WROUGHT
The Democrats were complicit, started or continued wars after WW11. The killing, poisoning of lands and the destruction of infrastructure ensued. Let's start with the only use of the atomic bomb in Japan. Then millions were killed in Korea and then in Viet Nam. Subsequently came Bush #1 who killed countless Iraqis in the first Gulf War after supporting Saddam Hussein for years even supplying him with chemical weapons against its war with Iran.
Clinton, the esteemed Democrat president continued the killing of Iraqis under the guise of sanctions, which killed over 500,000 Iraqi children. When Madeline Albright was asked on 60 Minutes (5/12/96) by Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it? Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it. Lest we forget every time Clinton unzipped his fly, to distract from his extra-marital affairs, it was to bomb Iraq softening it up for subsequent invasion by by Bush #2. By the way what concerned a lot of Americans most about Clinton: "Do you wear boxer shorts or briefs?"
In between the wars listed above American presidents went into Panama, Grenada and other forgotten skirmishes.
Now we gleefully claim “Mission Accomplished” after another few million deaths and displacement in Iraq. But the end is not in sight because we have our latest savior, President Obama, escalating the war in Afghanistan, killing even more people in that part of the world than the hated second Bush. And, of course, we are seriously contemplating a war with Iran in order to keep the military-industrial complex afloat.
Can we dispute the Reverend Martin Luther Kings’ prophetic words; “America is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” And probably for all time.
Clinton, the esteemed Democrat president continued the killing of Iraqis under the guise of sanctions, which killed over 500,000 Iraqi children. When Madeline Albright was asked on 60 Minutes (5/12/96) by Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it? Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it. Lest we forget every time Clinton unzipped his fly, to distract from his extra-marital affairs, it was to bomb Iraq softening it up for subsequent invasion by by Bush #2. By the way what concerned a lot of Americans most about Clinton: "Do you wear boxer shorts or briefs?"
In between the wars listed above American presidents went into Panama, Grenada and other forgotten skirmishes.
Now we gleefully claim “Mission Accomplished” after another few million deaths and displacement in Iraq. But the end is not in sight because we have our latest savior, President Obama, escalating the war in Afghanistan, killing even more people in that part of the world than the hated second Bush. And, of course, we are seriously contemplating a war with Iran in order to keep the military-industrial complex afloat.
Can we dispute the Reverend Martin Luther Kings’ prophetic words; “America is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” And probably for all time.
Monday, October 18, 2010
RECYCLING DELUSION
SF BAY TIMES
May 28, 2009
The earth does not have the capacity to contain the trillions of tons of waste created daily in our so-called civilized society. Extending out in the future the present accumulation of waste from electronic devices, packaging material, plastic storage containers, automobile parts, toxic batteries and other devices, we will have to consider looking to outer space for another planet where we can repeat the pattern that is destroying our present planet.
We should not delude ourselves that we will be able to recycle our way out of this predicament. Partly, because, many items are not recyclable, most people will not recycle and there are limited markets for such material. Also, to be considered the transportation costs and the pollution created by reconstituting any material.
One-solution charge high taxes on manufacturers as a disincentive in producing things our society consumes.
Denise D’Anne
San Francisco
May 28, 2009
The earth does not have the capacity to contain the trillions of tons of waste created daily in our so-called civilized society. Extending out in the future the present accumulation of waste from electronic devices, packaging material, plastic storage containers, automobile parts, toxic batteries and other devices, we will have to consider looking to outer space for another planet where we can repeat the pattern that is destroying our present planet.
We should not delude ourselves that we will be able to recycle our way out of this predicament. Partly, because, many items are not recyclable, most people will not recycle and there are limited markets for such material. Also, to be considered the transportation costs and the pollution created by reconstituting any material.
One-solution charge high taxes on manufacturers as a disincentive in producing things our society consumes.
Denise D’Anne
San Francisco
Monday, September 27, 2010
PATHETIC DESPERATION
Election after election we follow the same pattern doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Actually, this is the definition of insanity. If someone from a different party other than the two major parties enters a race and that person is superior in every respect, it is like war has been declared. All ammunition comes to the fore; one example is the mayoral challenger in San Francisco, Matt Gonzalez in the 2004 mayoral race. Now some in the local Democratic Party establishment (the Milk Club for instance) is unenthusiastic with current Mayor Newsom that it refuses to endorse him for Lt. Governor.
We switch from Democrat to Republican administrations, both locally and nationally and we now find ourselves going backward. There are some incremental victories along the way surprisingly by some Republican administrations but overall when it comes to major systemic changes, we have failed miserably.
We could not make it better even if we had the will. Our environment is rapidly deteriorating, water quality, a finite resource, is being polluted even with the manufacturing of cheese, two examples is Idaho Cheese manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis Inc. and California’s Hilmar Cheese which destroyed drinking water for thousands of residents.
Our oceans food supplies are being drastically diminished to supply our addiction to oil and exponential use of plastic packaging now chocking sea creatures. Our air quality is going downhill especially with emerging nation’s loving cars so much as to be stuck in traffic for days at a time and still inured to the inconvenience and discomfort of using automobile to get around. In fact, there are now 600 million cars on the road worldwide with an estimated doubling of car use by 2030.
If we think we can somehow escape the consequences of air pollution caused by 600 million cars all dependent on fossil fuel, well maybe we should determine the state of our cognitive abilities to absorb this information and start to dramatically change our lifestyles and thinking on what it means to have a truly happy and satisfactory life style – material comfort or comfort in our environment and others with reasonable use of the world’s resources.
O, yes, I started with our insanity of expecting the two major parties to save our butts. How about listening to reasonable voices from other than the two-party corporate duopoly. Or better still get out on streets as they do in France and other countries and say, “We Won’t Take It Anymore.”
We switch from Democrat to Republican administrations, both locally and nationally and we now find ourselves going backward. There are some incremental victories along the way surprisingly by some Republican administrations but overall when it comes to major systemic changes, we have failed miserably.
We could not make it better even if we had the will. Our environment is rapidly deteriorating, water quality, a finite resource, is being polluted even with the manufacturing of cheese, two examples is Idaho Cheese manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis Inc. and California’s Hilmar Cheese which destroyed drinking water for thousands of residents.
Our oceans food supplies are being drastically diminished to supply our addiction to oil and exponential use of plastic packaging now chocking sea creatures. Our air quality is going downhill especially with emerging nation’s loving cars so much as to be stuck in traffic for days at a time and still inured to the inconvenience and discomfort of using automobile to get around. In fact, there are now 600 million cars on the road worldwide with an estimated doubling of car use by 2030.
If we think we can somehow escape the consequences of air pollution caused by 600 million cars all dependent on fossil fuel, well maybe we should determine the state of our cognitive abilities to absorb this information and start to dramatically change our lifestyles and thinking on what it means to have a truly happy and satisfactory life style – material comfort or comfort in our environment and others with reasonable use of the world’s resources.
O, yes, I started with our insanity of expecting the two major parties to save our butts. How about listening to reasonable voices from other than the two-party corporate duopoly. Or better still get out on streets as they do in France and other countries and say, “We Won’t Take It Anymore.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)