(continued) page 2

6 Nov
1) Apologize for the 1948 uninvited arrogant self entitled invasion of what was then called Palestine, and the subsequent metastatic land grabs. 
2) Make the “two state solution” a reality immediately. 
3) Remove every single Jewish person immediately from the illegal settlements gained by terrorism raids.
4) Remove all evidence of war destruction from Gaza and the West Bank to make way for reconstruction.
5) Build respectful accessible cemeteries.
6) Rebuild healthy housing for the people of Gaza and the West Bank.
7) Build a safe passage highway between Gaza and the West Bank.
8) Completely open the entire Gaza coastline and ports. Dredge if needed.
9) Remove all Jewish soldiers from the borders of Gaza and the West Bank.
10) Bring ship builders and materials to the Gaza shores to
teach ship building to the people of Gaza to reestablish fishing and general commerce.
11) Build as many as needed de-salinization plants in Gaza and the West Bank.
12) Build irrigation systems through out Gaza and the West Bank. 
13) Bring in seeds and farm machinery that are suited for Gaza and the West Bank geography/climate. 
14) Bring all education facilities, K through college, up to 2023 standards.
15)  Make all medical facilities and treatments up to 2023 standards.
16) Build alternative sources of generating electricity.
17) Build Playgrounds00 and Parks.
18) Bring in the internet, computers and cell towers.
19) Build eventual commerce between Gaza, the West Bank, and the Jewish People of the Middle East.
 These constructive necessities would eliminate unemployment and could be payrolled by US dollars that the Jewish People of the Middle East would no longer be needing for vast military protection. TOO EXPENSIVE, WHAT IS THE COST OF ENDLESS WARS

PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Palestinians and Jews

6 Nov

PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Palestinians and Jews

· If the Jewish people of the Middle East control the flow of water and electricity into Gaza, the entry of all food, medicine and fuel, the permanent complete control of all borders, the shutdown of the entire coast of Gaza, and control of the air space over Gaza; how can Netanyahu brag that they gave Gaza control over it’s territory in 2005.  If the Jewish people of the Middle East can turn these things off/closed any time they want it is in fact the Chief Rabbis of the Jewish people in the Middle East that control Gaza regardless of it’s “used car salesman” propaganda to the world. Clearly the Jewish people of the Middle East need a reintroduction to the word autonomy. Did the Holocaust not powerfully graphically illustrate the loss of autonomy?                                                       

· There have been at least seven (including now) wars between the Jewish People of the Middle East and Palestinians. Each time the Jewish People of the Middle East have seen war and dead Palestinians as the answer to preserving their young colony and colonial way of life; clearly it hasn’t worked but they are slow learners and they have an enabling Sugar Daddy to prolong their ignorance. From 1948 on, without US money, the Jewish People of the Middle East would have long since had to learn how to live with the inhabitants they swarmed. God forbid they remember the words of their elders telling of the Holocaust, of the cruelty, degradation, and hopelessness of imprisonment upon a people. God forbid they open their victim eyes and see how to make real peace for themselves and the Palestinians and rid everyone of Hamas. Take those many many many US dollars and do the following ….

The Trump Success

31 Jul

So tiresome, the incessant media question . . . “with all of the ignorant, course, foul comments made by Trump how can he continue to do so well?” This is not a question; this is a well worn media strategy to keep a marketable story kinetic. In media land it’s like Trump, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. This maneuver masquerading as a question insures an endless parade of talking heads babbling on about how unprecedented and confounding it all is. This media position; this disingenuous search for the answer is as Madison Ave. as Trump himself. The repetition from program to program broadcasts to us that there is no explanation to be had, we are hopelessly adrift in the Trump fog but we, the media, will keep up our end by continuing to book experts. The covert aspect of “the question” is that it has boarders. Permissible on air conversation is confined to Trump’s charisma, media savvy, his sculpted persona of strength and decisiveness, his blue collar language and attitudes, his fearless use of deceit. For the supporters piece the boundaries include disenfranchisement, disillusionment, stagnant wages, perverted patriotism, and plain old rage.

What is never discussed is racism, sexism, homophobia, and Christian bias. It doesn’t matter what Trump says it only matters what he projects. He constantly spawns new ways to say the same thing over and over, to reassure straight white people that they will not become a dreaded minority class; that they will always remain the ruling power in America. More than anything his supporters desperately need to hear that their whiteness will always be preeminent in the American caste system. There are millions upon millions of scared white people who can feel it, the shift. It’s been coming since the sixties and seventies. They thought they had it tamped down but beneath the boot mitosis was under way. People of color have been procreating as Jesus counselled. Also some serious mixing has been unleashed; unabashedly bi-racial babies are on the rise, why they’ve had to add a new box on the census form. The cultures of people of color have soaked permanently into main stream Americana: music, cloths, food, language, attitude, philosophies, the staples, the launch pad for life. For God sakes the TV ad folks have even bet their all mighty money on commercials featuring diversity. The white comfort of the 1950s, even for poor whites, is slipping further and further into the before time. Despite the white man’s premier military position it hasn’t knocked out anyone since World War II, even the shockingly under armed Vietcong kicked our ass. This evolution creates great confusion and fear for white folks. With the advent of the internet the white people’s control of US history is increasing being exposed to the light of day, authority over the narrative is being lost. The internet coupled with “devices” is neutering the once powerful tool of isolation. The masses can now communicate and educate at will, hell, give them a second and they’ll send you the video.

This is the very simple ugly unspoken answer to why Trump continues to do so well. May the Force Be with Us.

Power to the People

Threat Level

8 Sep

Right Left, doesn’t matter the propaganda out of DC and the media is that we must stop ISIL before they reach the homeland. “Defeat them over there” is the patriotic battle cry . (Queue the multi-racial group of little children waving little American flags). Still no mention of oil.

Defeat ISIL, like we defeated the Taliban and al Qaeda and the myriad of like splinter groups. Webster defines defeat: “ to win a victory over (someone or something) in a war, contest, game, etc : to cause (someone or something) to fail : to control or overcome (something”). After all these years of death and money thrown at the ever popular defeat strategy, how we doin’? We can easily remember when al Qaeda was billed for years as the cataclysmic threat to the American homeland, why to the very fabric of “the American way of life” (that would have to include Ferguson). History is loaded with examples that groups mutate and morph constantly. Nazis have become neo-nazis, skin heads, white supremacists, etc. Al Qaeda becomes al Qaeda in Iraq becomes ISIS becomes ISIL becomes Islamic State. Whatever. So now this iteration is the worst we’ve ever seen, oh my God . . . . until, of course, the next one in the revolving door of war. How long are we going to buy the snake oil (the lubricant) and drink the cool-aid? This cool-aid concocted and distributed here at home is the threat to poor people and our middle class. After years of applying defeat military style what’s the score, ah, conspicuously worse than before we invaded. Our predictable military response to all things that sparkle is so primitive and strangely at odds with our intense interest in such things as technology, at the very least it’s embarrassing. Time to evolve past the global pro wrestling circuit. Time to formulate a plan B; a non- military way of navigating the planet and powering our cars. Plenty of perfectly nice nations do it without being brought to their knees.

The logistics: how would it work? The dooms-dayers and war hawks never give a description of how it would work. The DC and media outlets say that in addition to being the most barbaric group ISIL is also the most well funded of the bad guys at large. Assuming for the moment that this is true, how soon before they have an air force with highly trained pilots, air craft carriers to transport it, jet fuel (not crude oil), radar and satellite communication, missiles and bombs to arm it? Regardless of the revenue stream, how soon before they build this air force for themselves? Or, how soon before sympathetic supporter(s) gift them with a fully functioning air force as described? Or, how soon before they conquer/capture a complete air force and kidnap pilots (which they would have to resist beheading)? Can you see mega masculine Saudi Arabia or Iran allowing their military to be taken over by anyone? These are countries, like all countries, with men at the top that very much like their power and will get violent to retain it. How long before ISIL can fly over and bomb us, or launch long range ballistic missiles at us from the middle east, or launch missiles from their submarines or war ships? ‘Cause they’ve had the capability for years to come to the US and do one-on bombings; place bombs in crowded places, blow up a suicide bomber, etc. We don’t have to spend billions more dollars over seas, they can do one-on bombings right now. The Arab nations that circle ISIL must be thanking Allah daily for the abject foolishness of the United States.

Power to the People

Media and Politicians: Hear the Harmony

30 Aug

The language of TV commentators and politicians: so casual and assuming about US military “strategy” in Syria, Iraq, even Ukraine. They speak with a cavalier entitlement as if our military options in other countries are like coffee choices at Starbucks. Many accept a correlation between video games and a level of desensitization to violence but what of the media’s culpability in desensitizing us to terms like “US intervention”, “military options”, “surgical air strikes” and many more. Why is it wholly unremarkable to hear these people talking matter-of-factly about bombing here and bombing there like possible moves on a chess board? These televised parleys are relegated to debates about targets, timing of strikes, what kind of munitions to deploy and very occasionally about the various benefits of bombing but never about the actual right to bomb. The right to bomb is a given in these dialogs. We feel threatened or we feel there might be a threat in the future. After all there was 911, our “never again” moment (by the way, how has that “never again” strategy worked out for the Jewish people in the middle east?) We feel a paternity toward a world filled with nations and people centuries older than our own. We feel the power of unrivaled wealth (albeit morphing). The deal is we have the biggest stick, currently. Each of these fail to support the right to bomb other countries. Additionally, we continue to be inoculated against the principal question of the right to bomb with the “US interests in the region” serum. Now that covers a multitude of sins. Who defines all of these interests and which countries they are lodged in? We were once sold the very long and expensive Vietnam War as vital to US interests, ooops, not really. There’s the oil of course and the prime military base real estate to be considered to name a few. “US interests” can dissolve foreign boarders and sovereignty and our very own Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of The Constitution. “US Interests”: a powerful term that has migrated to normal. Who in the US profits financially by these critical decisions and who loses, always the same people.

Power to the People

ISIS Crisis

23 Aug

The US, who are we? Who do we want to be? As a nation we should finally be maturing beyond this cape crusader crap. The countries that surround ISIS (besides Iraq/Syria) are Turkey, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Given ISIS’ business plan, why aren’t these wealthy countries pounding big time on ISIS? But then why should they spend their money and resources when the ever adolescent US is always more than eager to don the saggy pants, flash some bad ink and play toughest kid on the block. The US forever trying to prove its manhood to its young self, to be the quarterback hoisted onto the adoring shoulders of the world. The world that holds us in contempt. Manhood must be singled out here as there are no women anywhere in charge of any war machines. When do we ever get to move to the boring adult table where wisdom reigns and manhood is measured by how well one cares for the family, the extended family stretching from shore to shore? All this BS about being the only country that can save the world from______________, fill in the blank, is standard teenage rationalization for continuing to play the video game. We have no savior destiny; we’re a simple mortal player like everyone else doing a stretch on the planet. And where is Switzerland, Japan, Russia, Brazil, to name a very few? Why aren’t they terrified of ISIS? They are by definition infidels too, surely they need some bloody CC, conquering and converting, why do they have no skin in this game? Could a US citizen turned ISIS commando fly on home and blow some of us up, yes. Or some cop in Missouri could blow us up, dead feels dead by any hand.

Even the evil ISIS needs a trumped up excuse to rampage, God tells them to; not too original but what are you going to do, it is a tried and true classic. Reduce temptation: we could just round up ALL the Americans in Iraq and bring them home removing one excuse that we use for ourselves. Actually what are these Americans doing in Iraq anyway? What vital function do they provide toward our general welfare? We need some cost analysis on this one. Even if you pretend that their continued presence is essential to American well-being how the hell could they get any work done under these circumstances. Is their charge in Iraq now really just to stay alive? What Iraqis are they conducting official US business with these days, the woefully inept Iraqi government? Picture that, Iraqi officials and diplomatic representatives of our congress working on anything. This refusal to extract Americans from Iraq feels very much like “you’re not the boss of me”. It’s the kind of posturing that neighborhood gangs do to act out sad fantasies of gloriously defending property that someone else owns. Think we will look weak to totally vacate Iraq? Think the Lindsey Grahams and John McCains are strategically brilliant? Face saving is a childish response to adult problems. Our crumbling infrastructure and failing transportation systems actually do make us weak. Our declining educational product makes us weak. Our unemployment crisis makes us dangerously weak. The assaults on voting rights weaken the core of our ideology. And on and on. Say no to war.

Power to the People

War

9 Aug

We have no business maintaining hundreds of military bases all over the world. We can’t afford them; we can’t even provide for our own people, maintain a basic infrastructure, run a robust even steady economy. This is rudimentary budgeting: revenue/expense. What kind of men satiate their need for global recognition at the expense of their own people? This base money is desperately needed at home. You don’t think the 1% is going to pick up the slack do you? These bases provide no benefit to us and worse they breed resentment abroad. They’re official State bling. If you must calm your paranoia use the satellites, the Navy, the Air Force, hell bring Snowden back, slap him in a cubical and give him a terminal. Other countries don’t need to have bases abroad to be successful and safe in the world. These bases are obsolete strategies marinated in testosterone and egoism.

We were not elected to police the world. Sorry flag wavers, Americans do not possess exceptional wisdom. We pick and choose our world policing based on self-interests; this is not noble and we’re not fooling anyone. We are not entitled to police the world. We are not special people touched by God; within the time space continuum it’s just our turn to be powerful. So far in world history the “powerful thing” has been a slippery commodity, transitory, continually sniffing out new players to test. Global policing is ego tripping not morality in action. We need to lose the cape and get over ourselves before the universe kicks our teeth in and moves on without ceremony.

The daily news is exhausting. Blowing people and stuff up is what cavemen would have done if they’d had matches. No country can afford war, not even the wealthy ones; not in deaths, wasted money, nor destroyed cities. Global resources are diminishing for everyone, for anyone to blow them up is nuts. WWII was the last war the US ever fought which was actually connected to defense. All the succeeding wars have been bogus, loaded with propaganda and hidden agendas. The path to national security is through boring long term co-operation and respect not the centuries old tradition of competitive chest beating. Agriculture and water would be a good place to start. This is not hippy dippy pie in the sky, it is hard work. Evolution is survival and then quality of life. Say no to war.

Power to the People

Now Let’s Try The Carrot

14 Jul

“Peace in the Middle East”, as it’s called, could be had but we’d have to stop funding the occupation. We’d have to give up the scripted delusion that an occupation is in our best interest regardless of the Wall Street/K Street hype. Then we’d have to redirect all that big time “aid” money into actual aid, not just an annual wad to be gifted to the current whomever to be spent at their discretion. If we had a financial stake in Palestinian held territories, hospitals/clinics that we funded and helped build, roads, desalinization plants, comprehensive irrigation systems, seed banks, solar and wind farms, housing, etc. we sure as hell wouldn’t want anyone blowing them up. You can bet the American tax payers would lose their collective mind over blown up tax dollars; i.e. you see how we’ve protected our colossal investment to date in the area with an “Iron Dome”. This change, this positive use of aid money turned into construction, instead of destruction, would also be a huge help to the unemployment crisis in the Palestinian territories. You know, all those young able bodied men with no jobs but lots of rocks and plenty of time to throw them. As a bonus these projects would reduce the hatred coming our way from the folks in Palestine and their many watchful neighbors. Any such reduction in hate is an upgrade in our national security. You want to get rid of Hamas, try building something with the Palestinians; improve people’s lives. This is not a new concept; this is sound foreign policy. Yes there would be problems overcoming Palestinian skepticism; “you reap what you sew”, we’d have to work hard to dismantle the reputation we’ve built but we’ve taken on difficult challenges before. The hardest element is shedding a false premise, like WMDs, and replacing it with positive action. And who knows, if the Palestinians come to like us just a little bit maybe we could begin to work on that misogyny thing they’ve got going on.

Power To The People

No Divine Appointment

30 Jun

Who are we to decide anything in Iraq/Afghanistan? Why because it’s so easy to trash their chronic dictator style of governance as oppressive and unjust? So what, oppressive and unjust circles the globe. Redrawing territories, ousting leaders, medieval laws, get over it, none of our business. Unless, that is, you slip up and get honest about the oil. We have misdirected trillions of dollars away from our dire domestic needs, infrastructure, economic growth, education, you know the list, and blown it instead on private security for BP, Exxon, Occidental Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Chevron, Halliburton and others. But America is addicted to oil you say, and yes we are. Addiction is bad by anyone’s definition. What do experts say you do to eliminating an addiction, you stop using baby. Even Nancy Reagan gets it “just say no”. It’s not rocket science and not an over simplification. Many consider the US to have the most innovative people on the planet. Some alternative energy systems (solar, wind, hybrids) have already, despite all big oil efforts, been successfully introduced into our market place. Imagine the untapped potential. There’s a staggering amount of money to be made with alternative energy but we’ll have to cut the big boys loose to sink or swim, you know, capitalism style. We must stop subsidizing the big boys with corporate welfare: legal tax evasion, trillion dollar protection rackets overseas; it has destroyed their incentive, made them lazy welfare kings eating bon bons and driving Cadillacs on our dime. They have the option to take a chunk of their massive profits and retrofit their companies to alternative energy production or slip into an earned oblivion. To compete they’d have to actually work, build, invest instead of just brokering. The rest of us are constantly expected to adapt to the ever changing world usually with zero disposal income to retrofit a damn thing. The citizens will transition to alternative energy . . . . we moved from radio to TV, movie rentals to Netfix, rabbit ears to cable, land lines to cell phones, typewriters to computers, desk tops to IPads, 8 cylinders to 4 cylinders, leaded to unleaded. The list is endless. These conversions happen at an ever increasing pace. We hardly blink. We love upgrades. We’ve come to expect them. However, by in large our elected representatives are hopelessly indentured to big oil so cutting the cord will have to come from the citizens; we’re going to have to save ourselves from the ever hungry war/oil twins.

Power To The People

Iraq: The Arguments for More

20 Jun

DEBT: IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN

Why is it we owe the Iraqi/Afghani people anything?

We’ve never felt that we owed the Indigenous people of this country anything for invading their homeland, slaughtering them, diseasing them, decimating their food supplies, kidnapping their children, humiliating them, warehousing them in outdoor jails . . . to name a few.

We’ve never felt that we owed the kidnapped Africans in this country for turning them and their children into generations of slaves, selling them, trading them, raping them, whipping them, hanging them, working them, humiliating them, warehousing them in sheds . . . to name a few.

So why are the Iraqis/Afghanis so very special in our conscience? Certainly we’ve been carefully guided by our leaders for years to believe that we have a moral responsibility to do right by these countries that we’ve invaded, but why? What exactly has moved us to step so far out of character and spend gobs of our sacred money on people we don’t even approve of? Have we had an epiphany? Have we experienced metamorphosis? Have we come to Jesus? I’m not feelin’ it. I smell oil.

SECURITY: IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN

In the last ten or twelve years, globally speaking, do you feel more like a respected citizen of the planet or more like a preferred target? If you travel outside the U.S. are you perceived less like the ugly American or more like that ugly American? And how do we measure security? Women, for example, often measure personal security differently than men. Understandably it is not unusual for a woman to experience apprehension in certain situations that wouldn’t necessarily alarm a man. Young children can often be oblivious to danger and old people are often fearful of an abundance of hazards real or imaged. It’s a subjective thing. We want to feel safe, it’s primal. We want to believe that we can orchestrate safe. We do all that we can; we take the generally accepted precautions in our daily lives but simultaneously, deep in our bones, we also know that our whole existence down here is a crap shoot. How much will you believe to feel safe? I smell oil.

Power To The People