RicksView

politics, hypocrisy and meanness in public affairs, alligators, anti-empire-ism, occasional personal stuff

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Mr. President

Why, exactly, do "we" have the authority to determine when "we" will transfer power over Afghanistan to the Afghans?

Afghans have shown a remarkable ability to fight for the last 30, 130 ... maybe 1,300 years - why do they need us to train them?

Just asking.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

from a longer post by Marc Ambinder (The Atlantic) on Presidential golf

As for Nixon, golf seemed to accent the man's strangeness. He was not a good golfer but wanted to be, and he never could quite find the right things to say to his golfing partners. Palmer was once summoned to join Nixon in San Clemente. But it wasn't for golf. It was for a high-level strategy meeting on Vietnam at which Palmer was asked his advice on how to conduct the war.
And Palmer struggled to explain why Nixon suddenly gave up the game completely. "I liked Richard Nixon despite his quirks and apparent lack of warmth," said Palmer, adding, "I think his decision to abandon golf for political purposes revealed something fundamental about the dark side of his character, or maybe his deep social insecurities, that Mr. Nixon never permitted himself to examine."
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full post - http://us.mg6.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.gx=1&.rand=22qfrhqi45d8p

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Obama, Boehner & Weiner - unilateral war, reflexive obstruction, sex, golf

When I reflect on who has done good and who has done harm, this resolution of Weiner gone, the Tanned One playing 100 rounds of golf per year - while occupying one of the most important positions in [what is laughingly called] "our" government - and "our" Prez doing whatever he wishes militarily leaves me discouraged and disoriented. Does everyone who achieves high office go postal into the ultimate narcissism of sending other people's kids to kill and die? Life must be so different for those who have power, prestige, money - their world IS different. They do what they want. They are driven in limos where they want to go to do what they want. There are red carpets and palm trees and Yes-Men wherever they go to do what they want.

We, as a nation of human beings, did not have a revolution and then write a Constitution in order to elect a king or create an oligarchy. But that's what we have. Weiner is out because he was not tightly enough involved with - or liked within - his party, the disgraceful Democratic Cowardly Wimp Party, which sits in contrast to the Republican Maniacal Know-Nothing Party of Thieves and Liars. Boehner is in because he is a mean-enough obstructionist without ideas or morals, so he is acceptable to his party, despite his own scandals. Obama is in because he was good enough at cynically misleading us credulous sheep who longed for actual change and improvement in the government that the Bushies had left us.

Democracy.

Friday, June 17, 2011

The Prez as King

So, it is now revealed that the head of The Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice AND the General Counsel of the Department of Defense AND the Attorney General of the U.S. told Obama that it was a violation of the War Powers Resolution/Act to continue military actions beyond May 20th without Congressional authorization, and he did it, anyway.
[Charlie Savage, NYT, today]

Father's Day

It is not possible for me to imagine what Father's Day is like for people who are/were fond of - even loved - their fathers, who benefited from having caring - or even decent and fair - fathers, who are not haunted by the terror they endured from their psychotic fathers. And you parents who are valued - or at least acknowledged - by all your children ... I envy you and agonizingly regret my errors and defects that caused the separation (and loss) of some of my children from me.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Your tax $$ are building a new airbase in the Middle East, ...

... in order that "we" can more effectively bomb Yemen with drones. Did you hear about that when "we" started to build this airbase? Do you remember all the speeches and debates about WHETHER "we" should build this base?

This, again, is being done in our names, folks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/world/middleeast/15yemen.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Thursday, June 09, 2011

It's really difficult to believe -

Alabama legislature and governor have just enacted a law requiring school districts to investigate each student in order to determine whether each child is lawfully in the U.S. The act also makes it illegal to GIVE A RIDE to any illegal alien ... give a ride - really.
***

Governors of three Southern states are organizing big Pray-Ins - one in each state - to ask God to help eliminate the evils of ObamaCare and other "socialist" attributes of our government. Could we reconsider that Southern States Secession issue? Let those people go!

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The fantasy world of our leaders -

former VA governor, now head of Dem Party and candidate for Senator from VA: "Weiner should resign; there is no place for lying in government."  Uh, ... BILL FUCKING CLINTON??? Hillary backing him up, to support THEIR political careers.

I am not making this up - I swear:

Bill & Hillary - after decades, DECADES - of Bill's acting out and lying, & Hillary's toleration of/cooperation in his acting out and lying, Daily Beast reported today that they are both very upset with Anthony Weiner.

There is some part of "accepting the world as it is" that I never got.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Damn, this stuff never ends ...

Obama administration recommends Supreme Court of The U.S. not hear torture case vs. US military contractors Titan/L-3 & CACI:

This is NOTNOTNOTNOT change we can believe in.

from Ezra Klein's Wonkbook (WaPo) today

The anti-tax pledge is limiting Republican maneuvering on the debt, reports Lori Montgomery: "On Capitol Hill, Norquist has admonished Coburn (Okla.), Crapo (Idaho) and Chambliss (Ga.) for suggesting a tax option for tackling the debt: reducing credits and deductions worth an estimated $1 trillion a year. Although most of the cash would be used to lower tax rates for everyone, a portion would be dedicated to restoring national solvency. No good, says Norquist’s group, Americans for Tax Reform. Under the pledge, raising revenue in any way requires an equal tax cut elsewhere to avoid expanding the size of government...Norquist argues that equating tax breaks with spending 'is a threat to the modern Republican Party’s worldview.'"
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Why does Grover Norquist, whoever he was before he started this right-wing organization, merit any interest by readers and journalists, or merit any respect by members of Congress? Why does this guy exert a significant influence on tax policy that affects everyone who is not head of a group that he started? Coburn and Chambliss and right-wing goons - and Chambliss is lazy and hopelessly dishonest - yet they are actually under the influence of Norquist, who has no official authority but is simply a loud bully. This way of legislating, and determining public policy, is not what the Founders had in mind; and the U.S. cannot thrive under this system ... as we have been seeing for some years.