Why is Western Medicine and Research so remedial??

Article. It took a big research being paid lots of money and doing years of research to figure this out. This has been common knowledge for those with common sense for years. I can forecast the next big studies to release that will "shock people" will be:

1. Those who get a full sleep tend to be in better moods
2. Positive attitude affects your moods and health
3. Those who enjoy their jobs tend to be happier and well adjusted
4. Those in happy marriages tend to be well adjusted

It really does take a rocket scientist in the U.S. to figure these kinds of things out.

Divorce Courts

Pun aside from the last post. The divorce courts are often so unfair to men. Why else would a man with a good job and no history of violence do something so radical? His kid is taken away from him, his money is taken away from him. He loses a lot of rights to his kids. It's so easy to blame the man for the problem. Take a well adjusted man, take away his rights, his family, his money, and his dog, and make him work for no reason with a big cut in pay. Add in a lot of torture and mental anguish and see if a man with no history of violence will act crazy.

The courts need to change. Men have been abused by the divorce court system for too long.

Can never trust those Christian types you see working at Churches

Article.

Steve Jobs Health

Article. It's obvious Steve Jobs' health is suffering and in bad condition. The guy is so negative about everything and dishonest about the way he markets about Microsoft, of course it is eating him up inside. Back in the early 80's, when I had the Apple computer, Steve Jobs was my hero. The ultimate story of success. However since he has gone super negative with super dishonest marketing, I have since lost respect for him. He is paying the price for his behavior.

I've used the Apple computer longer than most of these Mac lovers ever put their hands on one. It is a mediocre product that is over marketed. Like any religion, people will buy into the lies of how great their god is.

The First Good Thing the Republicans Have Done

Demanding concessions from the United Auto Workers association is a must. These people are overpaid for what they do. There needs to be some concessions from them. Taxpayers aren't going to foot the bill for UAW's high pay. This must be the first good thing I've seen the Republicans do in a long, long time.

Bailout for GM

It is interesting that GM wants money before year's end ... within a month of them asking for money. Do they not keep track of their finances to know when they will run out of money ... only to find out that in one month, it will be all over. This speaks of gross mismanagement and massive incompetence at all levels. How many people are in their accounting and finance department? Does the CEO not care what happens in finance?

Ford and Chrysler seem to be doing much better keeping track of their finances to know that they'll run out of money in 3+ months from time of asking.

Personally, I think GM doesn't want Congress to look at their accounting books to see how they mismanaged funds. So everything has to be immediate ... it's an emergency. There's no time for someone to examine their books with that kind of timing.

I worked as an administrator for years that had strict policies. There would always be these lamers who would come in and request things due to an emergency and bypass all protocol. My answer would be NO. After a couple of NO's, they get used to it and stop asking for emergency processes. Congress needs to do the same. These emergency lamers were often highly incompetent in the management of their projects.

Auto Aid Plan with Czar

Article. I think the idea behind current plan is good. I disagree that the car czar would be named by Bush. He could name some corrupt individual, much like many in his administration, who overlooks problems and sweeps it under the rug. So in effect, there really is no overseer.

Another issue is that they need someone who is better at leading those companies out of a bankruptcy. The current CEOs got them bankrupted in the first place, and this is not the first time GM has asked for money from Congress. They need new leadership, otherwise the money would go to waste and the companies go bankrupt in a few years with the loans never being paid back. It's like giving a loan to people who mismanage companies to do more screwups at taxpayers expense. Just give them more money, they'll make it *this time*. (Rolls eyes). These companies need new leadership. They need to be forward thinking.

Automaker Loans

I'm requesting 1.5 million dollars in loans from the government, in order to make it through these hard economic times. Please. Please help.

Automakers

These big three automakers have refused to make gas-saving cars, make cars that break down often, and fought against environment friendly cars. It's no wonder they are out of business. Not to mention that they don't like new ideas, their upper management is mostly old school white guys. It's no wonder they are running out of business. Now they expect me and other taxpayers to foot the bill for the way they run business?? and keep it going??

Auto Makers Bailout: Why?

Why is this bailout necessary? Most of the $15 billion will go to exec bonuses and such while they still produce no results. I don't buy cars that break down often. Now it seems I and other taxpayers will be paying for bad cars anyway.

If there's any bailout, it should be to give severance pay to the auto workers. It'll be much cheaper than $15 billion. It seems some of the automaker lobbyists have handed money under the table to the right Congressional people. It is a shame what this world has come to.

And that thing about the CEO taking a $1 annual salary was a joke. Right. We know that CEO's make most of their money from bonuses and stock options. So in the end, he will still make more money than any of the auto workers. Just pure marketing ... trying to sell themselves.

If Congress is going to be giving handouts, I want them to get me a new car and a new house that's paid off. It would lessen my worries with the economic conditions.

Yahoo Service Sucks, Profits Down

This one was obvious.
Article.

Of course the reason given in the article is the economy but honestly I've been complaining how poor the Yahoo service has been. If the service is bad, people will switch to other services.

Martial Law - Oct. 1, 2008

Sounds like a plan to take control of key election centers and rig the election for November. Hmm. A second reason is to imprisonate/kill Bush enemies without a court. We had troops in our country before helping out with problems but did not have to declare martial law. Hmm..

Looks like it is safer to live in China nowadays.

McCain wants a Hottie

McCain wants a hottie, Palin, to keep him motivated for the Presidential Campaign.

McCain wants untapped female votes

It looks like from McCain's VP pick, he wants the female votes that Barack Obama is not getting. This will be a tough one for Obama.

Movie Review: Step Up 2 The Streets

A really horrid movie. The dancing was bad. The acting was bad. None of the lead characters exhibited any charm. A really bad movie. I really pushed myself to watch the first 45 minutes. Had to turn if off after that. Extremely painful to watch.

Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman reminds me of Dick Cheney, the mastermind behind the scenes. When McCain becomes President, Lieberman will run the show.

Georgia Atrocities

Georgia Atrocities.

Greco-Roman Wrestling

I've been watching a lot of Khushtov's (the gold medal winner from Russia) matches in the 96kg division and see that he is winning mostly because he has super-human strength. Some of the people he has beaten have better wrestling skills. Oh well! Strength is a big factor in greco-roman.

We'll see how the freestyle goes in the coming week. Strength is still a factor but there are more defenses against that.

Olympic Wrestling

It looks like China and Japan are whipping American women's asses in freestyle wrestling. This is a popular American sport. I can't believe the USA lost to China and Japan in those areas and in multiple weight divisions. I didn't even know the Chinese practice any kind of Western Wrestling, let alone be able to win it at the Olympic level. Asian women are tough. The matches were exciting to watch.

Watch Here.

In men's Greco-Roman wrestling, even China placed with a silver. The best America got was a bronze medal (third place). Let's hope the USA does better in men's freestyle on 08/19.

Flight Attendants

Back in the 90's, I remember flight attendants as being mostly pretty friendly outing personalities. Many of them were very nice. However since 9/11, the hiring and training requirements must have changed because now the majority of them seem to be mean and bossy. They seem to exhibit hostile personalities.

Victoria Osteen and Flight Attendant

Flight Attended alleges physical assault.

After reading the article, the following statement by the flight attendant shook me,

"I didn't want to lose my job because I felt I had to take a stand," she testified. "I felt I was no longer going to allow people to get away with bad behavior. I was very nervous about my job situation."

I have rarely seen a nice flight attendant like that. The flight attendant's statement seems ridiculous. Most flight attendants are pretty mean and nasty when they don't get their way.

As for Victoria Osteen, who knows. I don't think she physically assaulted anyone. The statement, "threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her in the left breast" seems a work of fantasy. If I know any flight attendants, after something like that, they get hostile. In fact, they get hostile over little things. Victoria does appear to have an attitude and that may be all she is guilty of.

The other statement that the attendant is suffering depression and post-traumatic stress disorder due to the incident seems ridiculous. People don't get depressed over little things like that unless they are a nutcase after money, in which case a full court-ordered psychiatric evaluation is in order. Makes me wonder if the attendants are after money. Their false accusations reminds me accusations of those on drugs with a severe mental disorder in dealing with reality. Those types seem to make up things as their reality. They should probably do a drug test on the flight attendants.

I say these things because I've met Victoria Osteen.

U.S. presence in Iraq is a major cause of the fighting

U.S. presence in Iraq is a major cause of the fighting. I guess McCain wasn't smart enough to figure this one out. It's funny that someone spends 20 years in the military and never rises about the rank of captain. McCain's excuse is that due to his injury, he was not promoted. However it is my understanding that his academic records were pretty bad and his intelligence too low. I mean, he can't even write a basic military plan. How does he really expect to get promoted.

Party boys have this problem with drinking. It deactivates brain cells. Once a party boy, always a party boy ... huh McCain? I wouldn't want someone with below average smarts to lead me into war. Sheesh, I'd be dead.

Picture of me after a long day at work

Prison Break

Can't break for another of my favorite series to start: Prison Break.

One Hot Dance Number

One Hot Dance Number.

Moving Website to militaryoperations.cc

Hi All,

I'm moving my blogspot to a new website at:
http://www.militaryoperations.cc

Unfortunately, I won't be able to move most of my old posts there so this site will stay here for archival purposes. New posts will appear on my new site.

The new website will allow searching and sorting of articles by topic and keywords. Thanks everyone.

The Dark Knight

I thought is was a pretty good movie, though dark and twisted. Heath Ledger's acting was superb. I thought the movie started off slow with a boring opening sequence. With Heath Ledger first close up talk scene with the mobsters, I thought he was the only real actor in the movie at least for another few segments in the movie. Christian Bale's character was fairly flat in this movie. His character wasn't exciting as the first movie. It seems that a few other characters came to steal the show.

McCain's Intelligence

McCain's Intelligence or lack thereof. It's not surprising. It's been my understanding that McCain doesn't know much of anything. He relies on his advisors to do all his thinking for him. Everyone does everything for him and when it is all said and done, they tell him how to think after they've analyzed all the data for him. The problem is ... his advisors can't be trusted ... look at Phil Graham, a lobbyist for the banks and mortgage companies, giving him advice. And he knew this, as it was in the news for quite some time before Phil Graham resigned.

When I vote for someone, I want that person to do the thinking, not someone else. I don't need Joe Lieberman to think for McCain.

We should send President W. Bush to War

He likes war so much, but he himself won't fight. He likes war and talks about toughness but everyone else is doing the fighting for him. Maybe if he ever experienced war, he could see first hand what it can do to men. Soldier defeated by personal demons.

I really hope that Dwyer and other people who have died in the war come back and haunt President W. Bush in his sleep.

The grandmother you can do without

Black Widow. Be careful of those church types who appear innocent and religious. Motives and method of b.s. reminds me of somebody I know.

Tony Snow Dies of Cancer

Tony Snow Dies of Cancer. It's not surprising that people who work close to W. Bush develop medical problems or develop complications in their existing medical problems. When you are lying to the public that often, responsible for the deaths of thousands of lives, while lying and pretending you are a good person, those kinds of things happen. Just take a look at Cheney's health problems. Some of these medical problems may not surface to years later but are slowly brewing in their system. It's no coincidence that Lyndon B. Johnson's false promotion of the Vietnam War through the fake propaganda spread by the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and wrongfully killed thousands of lives, led to his heart attack in 1973, nine years later. In fact, we may see John McCain developing more serious health problems, if he were allowed to continue killing innocent Iraqi civilians.

Whether John McCain believes in karma, the power of the dead, or not. It really doesn't matter. Health problems will develop. He won't live to enjoy the blood money he accumulated.

U.S. Foreign Policy is about Democracy

U.S. okayed mass executions in South Korea totalling 100,000 murders without charge or trial. Real democracy in action. The sad thing now is that people actually think the U.S. foreign policy has changed. Well it hasn't. The U.S. government just files it away as secret and suppresses the knowledge from U.S. citizens while selling the war to the American public as the fight for Democracy.

How many times are U.S. citizens going to be fooled by the same trick? Who knows what's going on in Iraq that we have not been told about.

Tai Chi

Teaching tai chi seems to be interesting for me at this point. Get paid the same as working at barnes and noble, however tai chi is something I truly enjoy.

Life isn't fair

Texas man freed by DNA after 15 years in prison. Life isn't fair that someone was sent to jail for 15 years for a crime they did not commit. Such is the justice system.

Life isn't fair that the judge made me solely financially responsible for our joint debts during the marriage and gave me no leniency on anything despite me being the one psychologically abused in the marriage. Such is the State of America. There is no justice.

Sometimes I don't even want to work anymore. Most of what I make, after paying bills and taxes, goes to my ex-wife. What's the point of working if you can't spend time with your kids and have nothing left for savings. I have standard custody, which is very limited.

Sometimes I just want to re-enlist in the Army. My persona is more of a blue collar type of guy. I don't like working in an office. I get antsy sitting all day. My parents would never let me take a blue collar job growing up (as a long term prospect). But I've always enjoyed doing it more than office work.

My mother and many other blue collar workers have the misconception that working in an office is an easy life. No, it is not. I have to rack my brains quite a bit, everyday. If you want to know what it is like working the job I do, think about working on solving complex math problems with 100 unknown variables in the system, every day, 8 hours a day and people putting pressure on you to solve it faster to hit deadlines. And they get on your case when you make mistakes. You see the fun? In addition, there a lot of office politics going on.

I don't know about you but it didn't seem like I made any more money, because it disappeared through the wife (when we were married). And now it disappears when I have to pay all the bills she racked up, the judge made me solely responsible, plus full child support. If I'm not going to have be making any money, I might as well take a job that doesn't put that much stress on my brain. A lot of people don't realize how my head hurts sometimes when I have to solve these problems at work, while totally neglecting my body during the work day. It is not an easy job, like my mother and many blue collar types think.

I rather have a job where my body is utilized and my brain occasionally needed.

Nelson Mandela no longer considered a terrorist

Nelson Mandela no longer considered a terrorist. Wow! It goes to show anyone the U.S. doesn't like can be considered terrorists. Like now! How many are fighting for the safety and stability of their country of Iraq? Yet they are all branded terrorists by McCain.

Grouchy types in the office

Generally when I am in a happy mood, I have on a happy face and where I go people generally smile and greet me first, even people I don't know, be it at a restaurant, or most places outside. I'm not even trying to meet people. They just seem to be friendly towards my energy. However when I am in the office, people clear their throat a lot when they see I have on a happy face.
It is weird. It's like most people in an office building are grumpy types. Without fail, when I am in a good happy mood, there will always be plenty of people clearing their throat in an office building, usually not anyone I work with directly.

When I don't have on a happy face and that happens a bit too. I have no problems with people clearing their throats or otherwise. It's funny.

It's funny because I finish my work faster than most people my pay grade, so I complete plenty of work and things that are often pretty complicated. I don't really like coming into the office, too many grouchy types. They need to lighten up and enjoy life a little bit. Maybe they'll be more creative and productive.

I prefer to work at home or outside when I can.

FDA Admits Mercury Fillings are Hazardous

FDA Admits Mercury Fillings are Hazardous. The FDA has finally admitted mercury fillings are dangerous to your health. I went to the numerous medical doctors years ago and they all repeated what the American Dental Association kept repeating, that mercury fillings are safe. If you know me, I didn't wait for professional liars to tell me the truth. I mean, it's possible they could be forced to tell the truth one day, but then I might be dead by then. I've been poisoned most of my life by mercury, much like Isaac Newton. I can just tell by the symptoms. I went to many medical doctors in the U.S. to help me with my health problem, but not one was able to identify it. When I told them of mercury poisoning, they looked at me like I was delusional and instead urged me to take medication to reduce cholesterol level. I lost my trust in U.S. medical doctors after this and numerous other failures on their profession.

If you know me, you know I didn't wait for answers from them. I took my health into my own hands. I've been using the Mercury Detox Protocol successfully for some time. Waiting for the American Medical Association or the American Dental Association to tell you the truth is like waiting for the neo-conservative controlled GOP to tell you the truth. There's such a conflict of interest. If they work for you, the U.S. citizen, they get paid between $160,000 and $400,000 depending on if their position is Congressman or President of the United States. If they work for the entities who work behind the scenes, they can get paid between $1,000,000 to hundred of millions. In fact, if they divert the billions of dollars sent to Iraq to their own personal funds, they can make in the billions. Of course, you know there is no accounting in the Iraq funding, so who knows where that money is actually going. It is not in the interest of GOP to tell you the truth, when it is not you the, the U.S. citizen, they are serving.

By the way, my cholesterol and mercury levels are now much reduced without the help of the dangerous cholesterol prescription drugs.

Supreme Court Gun Ruling

Supreme Court Gun Ruling. I'm certainly glad the voters are in agreement with the ruling. A lot of misinformed people think that guns create more crimes. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of the crimes are committed by people who carry guns illegally. A lot of people don't understand that no law allows a convicted felon to carry a gun ... yet they do anyway. They will blatantly violate the law regardless ... that's why they are felons. Allowing guns really protects the honest citizen and allows them to protect themselves. The honest citizens are the ones following the law.

I remember when I was back in college in Texas and there was controversy on whether the concealed handgun law should be passed. People against it said it will create crime and people for it said it will prevent crime .. because criminals intent on committing crimes know that people can carry guns to defend themselves with lethal force and will have second thoughts. Who really knew what the result would be ... though I had my guesses. Well the law passed and crimed was reduced and it stayed that way until the New Orleans residents came to Texas but that's another story. It doubt if most of them were carrying guns legally in Texas. More criminals in an area, more crime. So citizens need to arm themselves.

When I was taking the defensive handgun classes, the Humble Police Lieutenant told me that we need more people registered to carry concealed handguns. He said, during the aftermath of the Katrina disaster, that crime rate was rising and we need more people registered with concealed handguns. He firmly believed what he told me, I could tell.

Again, convicted felons are not allowed to carry handguns under any law. Most felons carry them illegally. There are occasional incidents where someone goes ballistic and goes on a college campus and shoots a lot of people. There have been no laws limiting guns in the history of the United States that could prevent this. Anyone who is not a convicted felon can buy a gun. Even with the tightest gun control laws, people can buy guns for home protection and then carry it illegally. They are doing it against the law, but if they are intent on committing a crime, they don't really care about the law. Now if honest students were allowed to carry guns and defend themselves, that would be another story.

I don't know if people know, but while taking the concealed handgun class, if the instructor senses you are a danger to society or out of control, he can write you up as having mental problems, and you may never get to carry a gun legally. It is a class in gun education, and it is better for people to take it and use a gun responsibly. I think everyone who buys a gun for the first time should be required to take such a class. It may prevent a certain number of problems.

The bottom line is that criminals are not allowed to buy or carry guns under any law, yet they do anyways because they can get their guns in the black market. The only hope is to allow honest citizens to be able to defend themselves and educate them on the proper usage.

Study: Chimps calm each other with hugs, kisses

Study: Chimps calm each other with hugs, kisses

US soldier refuses to report for active duty in Iraq

US soldier refuses to report for active duty in Iraq

Tim Russert

It's sad to hear about Tim Russert dying right in the middle of work, quite unexpectedly I presume. Though I've never seen his program, I've often think of working jobs that are too stressful for one's health. I've been thinking in the last years to work a job that is more enjoyable, and less enjoyable. What's the point of making the big bucks, if you die right in the middle of making it? Though I don't make anywhere near what news anchors make, my job pays quite a big more than minimum wage and it is stressful. I've been thinking in the last month, to just quit my career and just get a job where I meet people more, and provide service to the general public. Most of all, I don't want a job sitting down most of the day. I thought that working at a bookstore would be good.

Obama's Military VP Selection

Obama's Military VP Selection. If Obama is looking for a retired military VP, I think Colin Powell would be an excellent choice.

Congrats to Obama

Documentary: Uncovered: The War on Iraq

Uncovered: The War on Iraq

A lot of information and testimonies here that should back up what Scott McClellan says. Testimonies include those of CIA experts, military experts, counter terrorism experts, UN weapons inspectors, etc. It shows how original intelligence documents were modified and forged by the Bush administration in order to knowingly and falsely convince the American people to go to war. Worth seeing and subpoenaing those individuals.

Message to Bob Dole

Dear Bob,

Yes, if you do immoral and illegal things, chances are people will report you. I know it makes it harder to get away with things but so far no one in your inner circle has turned on you. Maybe you will die in peace one day knowing that you got away with the things you did, or maybe not.

Bob Dole on Scott McClellan

Bob Dole's statement, 'every presidential administration has "miserable creatures like you ... who don't have the guts to speak up or quit if there are disagreements with the boss or colleagues."
This presupposes 2 things:
1) That Bob Dole has dirty secrets he doesn't want people to know as well
2) That instead of listening to the message about the lies this country was told, Bob Dole chose to shoot the messenger. In fact, it doesn't even appear that Bob Dole cares about this country or the wrong direction it is headed it, that Bob Dole, a former Republican presidential candidate, is only concerned about image.

On Scott McClellan

Sometimes you have to speak up and do the right thing. I'm sure the White House has an excuse for this, as they seem to have excuses for everything.

I, for one, believe Scott McClellan. Though obviously being a press secretary, he wasn't privy to everything, including the real reasons for the continuation of the war.

Keith Olbermann Interview

Anyone who has worked deep in the Department of Defense knows that if you speak up, the government, especially the Bush administration, can make you disappear forever. It is generally not a wise thing to speak on certain issues, because you will be investigated and blacklisted early. Two, if you decide to speak up after you've been in deep, you know that the government can make you disappear, held without a trial, and incarcerated permanently in unknown locations, and without given access to the press, obviously.

This was probably the best time to do it, as the President's power is coming to a close. When you go public, in a book and with the news, you are almost untouchable from them doing anything illegal to you, at least not without major consequences.

I too would have done the same as Scott McClellan, because the President had powers almost that of a King. For my personal safety because no one else will protect me, the best time for me to speak would be at the end of his career when his power is dwindling.

McCain economic policy shaped by lobbyist

McCain economic policy shaped by lobbyist.

McCain: We are Winning the War in Iraq

After watching McCain today, I will say that least he has a good sense of humor. As far as his statement that we are winning the war in Iraq, it reminded me of Gen. Westmoreland's televised speech that we are winning the war in Vietnam shortly before violence levels erupted to new heights during the 1968 Tet Offensive. It's like "the quiet before the storm".

If I know anything about wars, I can personally guarantee that violence levels in Iraq will get much worse long before it ends. The insurgents are likely just preparing for a major attack. Of course, "foreign policy experts" take this as a win. How hilarious.

We can prolong this war for as long as we like, but if I know anything about counterinsurgency and guerrilla warfare, we will never win this war even with the draft re-enacted.

Pat Buchanan: Former Republican Presidential Candidate

Pat Buchanan says, "The Republican Party in Washington DC today are the sort of people we went into politics to run out of town. … We have become what we opposed." 07/07/2005

"the neocons, who are a small cabal, actually, not very many people, insinuated themselves into Bush’s camp, they had allies in Cheney and Rumsfeld, who are not neocons, and then they set this pre-cooked meal in front of the President of the United States, who was an untutored individual in foreign policy… They captured the President, and in so doing they captured the foreign policy, but my own belief is their time is passing." 07/07/2005

Taking a Break

I'll be taking a break from posting for a while. I am working to pay bills and am taking care of my kids. I'll post occasionally.

Watch McCain's Expertise on Foreign Policy

Video. Watch how clueless McCain is on foreign policy. McCain quickly changes his statements about after being corrected. The funny thing is the person who corrected him is also wrong. It's like the blind leading the blind.

If you want the facts, read the article below on who the Iranians are training:
Iranians Funding Shiite Insurgency

And the reason why Iran is funding them is ... should I really tell anyone ...?? I don't think most people know. The reason is Iran wants a neighboring country than is pro-Iran, much like the U.S. wants its neighbors Canada and Mexico to be friendly towards it. We, the U.S., would be funding wars if Canada or Mexico were under attack to protect our borders. This has nothing to do with radical extremism, which is something that was made up. Iran has a personal interest in protecting in borders. Iran has no reason to trust an Iraqi puppet regime of the U.S., especially after the 1953 incident. Iran has no reason to trust Israel, again due to the 1953 incident. In 1953, the U.S. installed a repressive puppet regime in Iran which killed and tortured their citizens. For Iran's own security, they are funding Shiites in Iraq.

Documentary: Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

Documentary: Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

Interesting look at fraudulent business practices of defense contractors and corrupt government officials who fuel them. It also looks at how the CACI contract was listed on the war funding as providing IT support, however they money actually ended up paying CACI for illegal interrogations. The next time Congress passes a War Funding bill, they should realize that money may not be used for what it was authorized for. They should also make stipulation that the money is actually accounted for. Right now the money, U.S. taxpayer dollars, goes into mysterious bank accounts. No one knows where.

Of course, the excuse is, "The bill is to make sure our troops get paid." It is a good selling point but very dishonest. The troops only get a small fraction of it. Most of it goes to paying private defense contractors. It's like saying Johnny the waiter needs to get paid, so the solution of the government is to buy the restaurant chain where Johnny works at. Sure Johnny gets paid, most of the money goes to making the owners becoming rich, Congress members get paid, and it's marketed in the newspapers at "Johnny Gets Paid". A true win for Johnny and the working class .. or not. And the Bill only costs U.S. taxpayers 102 million dollars, what a deal considering that Johnny's weekly pay is about $380.

Billions of dollars in Iraq Funding Unaccounted For

Billions of dollars in Iraq Funding Unaccounted For

It wouldn't be surprising to find the that money is funneling in McCain and Bush's private Cayman Island's bank accounts.

Peace Efforts in Middle East

Peace Efforts in Middle East. Funny how peace efforts start to happen when McCain and Bush are not involved. I could see how Bush and McCain's involvement can prevent peace in this world.

Documentary: Why We Fight

Why We Fight

An interesting look at American Imperialism. From the rise of the military-industrial complex as warned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, which I often refer to here as defense contractors, and how it has taken over foreign policy. It covers how the CIA recruited Saddam Hussein and funded by President Reagan, and how he was our ally in the 80's, until he got out of control and wanted more oil, which threatened our supply. A campaign was then made to portray him as the enemy.

A Soldier's Experience of the War Crimes in Iraq

A Soldier's Experience of the War Crimes in Iraq.

"War Heroes"

I think too many outsiders see that when someone has served in the military in a time of war, they are automatically called "War Heroes". Fortunately, the standard is much tougher inside the military. A War Hero is someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty to protect his men, fellow soldiers, and country. It requires courage and bravery to do more than what is required, against many odds, risking one's life in imminent mortal danger . This is an elevated level of risk that is more than is required by fellow soldiers who also have to go to combat. Medals are awarded for such acts of bravery.

A POW on the other hand, is more of a victim's role, unless of course he orchestrated a prison escape, which is not the case here. Being a POW requires mental resolve and toughness, but not necessarily the same kind of courage or bravery. Does he have the courage to do what is right?

Sen. Chuck Hagel

There has been talk that Sen. Chuck Hagel would make a good Vice Presidential candidate for Barack Obama. Perhaps. It all depends on what kinds of voters he can unite together with Barack. I don't know the full discourse of the effects because I don't have the resources to do a national poll. However that being said, I think he will bring discontented Republican voters to unite with Obama.

I haven't done any research on Sen. Chuck Hagel so I don't know what issues and policies he represents. That will determine whether he will be a hinder or help to the Obama camp.

Sen. Chuck Hagel Offering Honest Criticism

Sen. Chuck Hagel Offering Honest Criticism of Presidential Candidate John McCain.

It's a breath of fresh air to hear some honesty in the Republican ranks. I certainly appreciate his candor and integrity. Some analysts were quick to jump to the conclusion to judge his motives to be out of pure selfishness. Maybe, maybe not. It all depends if he thinks he can make a big contribution to the nation.

I think that if most Republicans had the courage to be honest and do what is right, they wouldn't be losing their seats on re-election. People are tired of the Bush-McCain lies and many Independents are smarter than to believe McCain. National poll numbers prove it. The more John McCain lies, the bigger the lead Barack Obama will have.

My personal belief on Sen. Chuck Hagel is that he is a true soldier. There is something taught in the US Army about Honor, Integrity, and Loyalty to one's country that most outsiders just won't understand. This is especially true of soldiers who won many military decorations and honors such as: Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Chuck Hagel is one of those soldiers.

Start a War right before you leave: How Immoral and Irresponsible

CNN: Israel told by White House of immiment plans to attack Iran. Can Bush be impeached, or at a minimum be charged with high treason? Especially when a Declaration of War has not been authorized. Members of Congress need to see this through.

Some thoughts on the cause of 9/11

Senior CIA Officer who ran the Counterterrorist station on Osama bin Laden speaks.

Book: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror.

Bush Out to Hurt Americans

If you take a look at a number of articles below, you'll see Bush had no interest in protecting the lives of Americans. He knowing let an imminent attack happen on 9/11, only later to justify a huge war budget. He didn't even pretend to act surprised when it did happen. I suspect McCain will let another attack happen, or even fund one indirectly if necessary, in order to justify continual wars. These people are not interested in protecting Americans. Bush want Americans to get hurt in order to justify additional Holy Wars. McCain wants to continue Bush's security/war justification policy.

Articles Detailing Prior Knowledge of 9/11 Attack.

About Iran US Relations

The United States Anti-Democracy Foreign Policy in Iran.

William Blum, author of Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower, on the United States role in torture. "

The notorious Iranian security service, SAVAK, which employed torture routinely, was created under the guidance of the CIA and Israel in the 1950's. According to a former CIA analyst on Iran, Jesse J. Leaf, SAVAK was instructed in torture techniques by the Agency.

After the 1979 revolution, the Iranians found CIA film made for SAVAK on how to torture women."

William Blum on the SAVAK

"The notorious Iranian secret police, SAVAK, created under the guidance of the CIA and Israel, spread its tentacles all over the world to punish Iranian dissidents. According to a former CIA analyst on Iran, SAVAK was instructed in torture techniques by the Agency. Amnesty International summed up the situation in 1976 by noting that Iran had the "highest rate of death penalties in the world, no valid system of civilian courts and a history of torture which is beyond belief. No country in the world has a worse record in human rights than Iran."

"When to this is added a level of corruption that "startled even the most hardened observers of Middle Eastern thievery", it is understandable that the Shah needed his huge military and police force, maintained by unusually large US aid and training programs, to keep the lid down for as long as he did."

Iraq is Bush's Holy War

President Bush inciting Biblical Context for War
Article 2.

Sen. John McCain to continue Bush's Holy War creating Islamic Jihad creating World War III, world chaos and destruction.

Israel and Palestine

The Jews and Muslims have been at war with each since the Holy Crusades and a little before that, if my memory serves me correctly. Though admittedly, my memory is getting rusty. :) Both sides are very aggressive towards each other. Both sides have done "terrorist tactics" towards each other. Personally I don't see this war ending. And don't see why the US has to get in the middle of it with American lives. If Israel needs military equipment, we can sell it to them, as we have been. The only way to end this war is for the US to totally wipe out the Palestinians completely, including killing all innocent civilians. I don't see how we even have the capability or moral right to do so. The US won't be able to wipe out an entire race anymore than Hitler was able to do so and even if we tried, the world would be totally against us for killing innocent civilians. And of course, there will be some survivors and retribution (ie. heightened terrorist attacks) against the Americans for the next one thousand years, or eternity, whichever comes last. Another problem though, is that due to their violent religion (not unlike the Christian Old Testament), the innocent civilians would one day continue the task. The war between Israel and Palestine will continue for the next thousand years. Us jumping in the middle will not end the conflict. Just leave it be, unless of course you want to send your own children out there to fight and only your children. Do not put other people's children in harm's way.

These wars have a religious undertone to them, fighting for the Holy City of Jerusalem. Religion is suppose to bring spirituality and enlightenment, but instead it is practiced as death and destruction. Funny that Islamic and Jewish Bibles from the time until Abraham are about the same God. They are supposed to be brothers, but instead kill each other.

This begs the question: is religion inherently evil? Looking at all the destruction and wars it has caused. Christianity is included in this list. Just look at the Holy Crusades, and as recent as the Iraq War. Bush: God told me to invade Iraq. On President Bush's speeches leading up to the invasion of Iraq, he mentions God, destroying evil and it moved many Christians to agree ... initially. People use religion to start wars all the time, Christianity included.

The most important question though is: Can the United States come up with a plan that will bring a permanent end to this conflict? Most likely not.

Schools and Racism

While there is some racism among blue collared whites, the most racism I experienced were with black people. It is amazing growing up in a black neighborhood and going to black schools how they constantly talked about the white man not giving them chances and easily claim racism, but being an Asian, I remember being treated pretty badly by blacks because of my race. While I was in a magnet vanguard program from grades 6-12, this was at a public school that had to coexist with regular school program. I had to attend the regular program classes for electives and physical education. While in the magnet program, I was treated fairly well and got along fine, every time I went to the regular classes, which were primarily black, they would find a reason to pick on my because of my race. I had to take martial arts at an early age for fear of my physical safety. Even then, when a black kid attacked me and I started to win, the other black kids would step in and stop the fight. However in the first minute of the fight, when I was losing, no one bothered to step in. Amazing.

When I worked in high school at Wendy's. The laziest people were the black people, they constantly complained about every little thing, and did the least work. It is amazing to see.

When I went to basic training in the Army, we had to wake up in the middle of the night to do security duty. After my turn was up, I had to wake up the next person to be on duty. Whenever it was a black person, they would not want to wake up and make excuses. I've never had this problem with anyone else. I wasn't allowed to be off duty until they woke up. They took their sweet time and were the slowest.

My parents still live in the same black neighborhood that I grew up in. Usually when I go there, there would be some black people driving next to me and making fun of me for my race. These were more often females than males.

I had to get this off my chest, as this was the environment I grew up in. If black people want to be respected, they need to treat others with respect. They also need to develop a good work ethic. They are the first to make claims of racism, and they are also the first to perpetuate racism when given the opportunity.

While I had good experiences with college educated blacks, when I had joined a small growing black church, the blue collar blacks are the most racist I have ever met. Even when I worked in the states with predominant blue collar whites, I wasn't treated poorly.

As far as maturity and development goes, the blue collared white people have matured much further.

Oh I forgot one of the reasons why I wanted to post, people ask for more money for the poor schools but my experience has been that when attending classes in the regular school, the students are very unruly and the teacher often has problems controlling the class. More books, and more money, won't make much difference, as these students are determined in class to jack around. They are not there for learning. They don't care about an education. In my experience, teachers can't control the students in the poor schools. Until that is resolved, and the students actually want to study, more money is a waste of resources.

I took 2 years of high school Spanish in the regular school. One of the black students was constantly goofing around in class and would not study during study time. At the end of the 2 years, the teacher asked him if he had learned anything, he responded, "Si". She asked if that is all he learned, he responded, "Si". While the guy was trying to be funny, and I actually liked him, he learned very little. I don't consider him to be unruly. I thought he was more of the class comedian. Very funny, but did little school work. He may even be a very successful comedian now. Who knows. Quite charismatic. The point is, under the same teacher, textbooks, and conditions, I had managed to learn quite a bit of Spanish while some didn't. It is really up to the student during study time, to study. The teacher constantly threatened to fail students who didn't study and got low grades, as a result, but she had a kind heart underneath and didn't fail anyone. She now teaches at a prestigious private school. I guess she had enough of students who weren't interested.

Students now graduate without learning to read because they don't want to. You can't blame the teachers for that. They actually try to teach, but it is up to the student if he wants to learn.

I support more money for the public magnet schools, which exist in poor neighborhoods too. I went to them. I should know. In the magnet schools, students are serious about their education and they deserve good materials. Students who are interested in a better education should apply for the magnet program. Learning to read is something that is up to the student and more money will not help.

And yes, even in the magnet program, a number of teachers were asses. Though there were some good teachers, I will always remember, who sparked my imagination and creativity.

McCain on Wars

McCain on War. Interesting that McCain addressing the crowd said, "[if elected President] ... I'm going to be asking you to serve". Interesting. Is he planning to institute the draft again? How does McCain plan to have the manpower to support all these wars?

A look at Reality and McCain

Let's look at John McCain's record on Veterans.

Republicans Red Herring Approach

Republicans, especially W. Bush and McCain, are using fear as a red herring technique to distract people from knowing the real issues. They don't want people to know what they are doing, conducting criminal activities in foreign countries through covert operations, continuing necessary wars, etc. Gen. Colin Powell has said that the war in Iraq is a revolutionary war. To distract from reality, the Republicans keep saying we have to win in Iraq to beat the terrorists to or we suffer doom. The two are a non-sequiter. The real issue is: Why are we still in Iraq? Well for one, it definitely benefits Dick Cheney's company, Halliburton, which is the primary contractor for logistical support (which is huge amount of money).

During the Vietnam War, it was said that if we lose this war, the communists will take over the world and we will certainly perish. Well, we lost the Vietnam War, and none of that has happened. Now that communism isn't much of a threat, the have to invent new enemies to justify huge budgets for wars, mostly paid to defense contractors. The new enemy are "terrorists". The U.S. Army Field Manual No. FM 3-0, Chapter 9, 37, 14 June 2001, defines terrorism as "calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear. It is intended to coerce or intimidate governments or societies ... [to attain] political, religious, or ideological goals." By all accounts, this is an exacting description of George W. Bush's foreign policies, which John McCain now backs. According to the US Army then, we are a state sponsored terrorist organization, subverting foreign governments through the CIA at first, and then escalating it to full-scale war then that doesn't work. People may think I am being funny, however I spoke with a number of US citizens who reside overseas in these or nearby countries, and they say they get verbally accosted because the local citizens know they are Americans. They view the US as terrorists, and that is a statement of fact. In order to stop foreign countries from retaliating with their attacks, we need to stop these wars and repair our image. The current Bush foreign policy is only making it worse for us.

We need someone who will help repair our image and improve diplomatic relations.

Buzzwords

During the cold war, the scare tactic buzzword for people to stop any rational thinking was communist. Today it is 'terrorist'. When Republicans have no way to explain their acts of aggression and murder, they call everyone that disagrees as supporting terrorism. It used to be called pro-communism.

Interesting idea about the no talk policy of McCain and W. Bush, when Reagan himself sat right next to a communist state supreme premier Mikhail Gorbachev. Amazing what one can achieve by discussion. Due to their talks, which resulted in friendly relationships with the USSR, we are no longer in a Cold War with them.

Bush and McCain do not want to sit down and discuss with 'the enemy'. It provides for an excuse for continuing the war, of course to make themselves richer. McCain is used to a nice rich life thanks to his wife. Besides he wants to prove to her he can make more money, by defense contractors offering him money in unnamed offshore accounts.

Common sense would dictate that talking to the other side would be the first step in resolving a conflict. It resulted in the end of the Cold War. I seriously question McCain's leadership and judgment. We would be in bigger, and bigger wars with him in place. Anyone he doesn't like, he just starts wars with ... no end in sight ... just bomb, anyone and everyone, and of course a bomb will hit us in response on U.S. soil. Who are we to blame if we elect him?

Say 'No' to War Candidates

Daniel Ellsberg, man who released Pentagon Papers.

Nixon and McCain

In 1968, when Nixon ran for the Presidency of the United States, he said, "I pledge to you, we will have an honorable end to the war in Vietnam," as part of his campaign. Of course he was the one who, when elected Preident, secretly bombed Cambodia killing countless civilians, and made the country vulnerable to the Khmer Rouger who later killed 2 million civilians.

Are we seeing a repeat?

Nixon also ordered a host of illegal wiretaps on citizens of this country, not unlike today.

President Bush takes no responsibility for his actions

Article. Who started this war again knowingly presenting false information? He takes no responsibility for his actions. We'll likely see the same from McCain "stay the course ... I have no plan but high hopes based on pure fantasy after drinking beer."

McCain has NO IDEA how to write a military plan

Drug Inducted Prediction. Oh My Goodness! John McCain has no idea how to write a military plan to win a war and he spent 20 years in the military? I honestly thought McCain was more qualified than that. And this guy wants to run the country now? Say your prayers.

McCain's Prediction

Sen. McCain's Prediction. I wonder what this prediction is based on?? Fantasy. Likely. It is also convenient that the date is 2013 and the next presidential term ends 2012. Very convenient. Either way, he won't be responsible for what happens. It doubtful he has a real plan for winning the war, like how does he plan to stop Iran from funding soldiers and equipment for the war? We can't even win a full-scale war against Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan right now. I used to know a person who constantly made promises with specific deadlines with no idea about how to go about it. There are delusional and often lead people in the depths of hell.

If we stop creating wars in other countries, maybe people will leave us alone. Now that is a great plan compared to all the resentment towards the US for creating wars in numerous other countries, first through the CIA under the direction of the President, and killing millions of innocent civilians not even to better the country, but purely to serve the interests of the US. Remember the Killing Fields and Cambodia, how the US ousted, through a CIA backed coup, of the very popular leader Prince Sihanouk, leading to countless deaths by other parties who tried to regain power. You really think citizens of those countries don't have anything against us? What if most of your family including children were blown up by the US government and you were the only that survived? Wouldn't you be angry? Prince Sihanouk was very good for his country. Unfortunately, he pointed out the covert and immoral tactics of the US, and Nixon's bombing of his people. This made bad press for the US, so that had to get rid of him. It hurt his country and his people badly, and did not help the US win the Vietnam War as promised. We did the same thing with Iran. Why do you think there is retribution now?

Most of these wars are unnecessary and unjustified. They are acts of aggression from the United States and they need to be stopped. W. Bush should be tried as a war criminal, along with anyone who continues that war.

What Bush calls terrorists are often people seeking retribution for the criminals acts of the US in foreign countries.

What we need is to come to so kind of truce with them. That we refrain from conducting criminal activities in those countries, in exchange for them leaving us alone. That is what real peace is about.

The Suffering of Soldiers

New York Times article. It's funny that the excuse by this Republicans is that these things are too costly. That is, it costs a lot to care for our soldiers, so we rather discourage them from seeking treatment, by giving on some treatment. The funny thing is that the cost of treating our soldiers is only a small percentage of the cost of funding the war, while the bulk of it goes to feeding the rich defense contractors. Yet the Republicans and John McCain still push for the war but not for the treatment of soldiers. I think it shows their true colors.

People often think that men of the military are all honorable. That is the common misperception from outsiders. I've been screwed over a number of times by ex-Marines who served in Iraq, one who was a construction manager for KB Home and one who as the Sales Manager. They went beyond lying and into the realm of fraud in what they did.

There are some good people in the military and there are some bad. Just don't assume all military men are of honor. I was recently watching tapes of torture sessions done by the Americans during the Vietnam war. I couldn't believe all the things the US were doing ... which broke the 1949 Geneva Conventions agreement on treatment of prisoners of war. It made McCain's POW treatment look like a cake walk.

I was very sad and ashamed of America's conduct in the war. And now there's Iraq.

They vote for her because of her gender

Article. It doesn't matter what the political issues are or even ethics, as long as it is their race or their sex. Certain types of voters vote this way.

Appealing to blue collar whites

From news reports, it says that blue collar whites do not vote for Obama. Early in my career, I had lived far from my hometown to work in jobs I found to be exciting at the time. To save on costs, I rented rooms from these people, who happen to be blue collar whites. I learned a lot of things. The particular guy I had rented a room from was 3-5 years older than me. He seemed like a real cool fun guy to hang with. We often hung out and joked around. Had lots of fun. He was a very mentally tough guy. He was about 40+ more pounds than me, mostly muscle. It seemed surprising that we would get along but we often man-wrestled (red-neck style) and I would always beat him usually in a very intense few moments, overpowering his strength with skill. This is no exaggeration and 100% true. I got his respect early on, so we got along very well. I had trained in the practical portions of martial arts most of my life with over 1,000 hours in many forms of combat sparring. I was used to fighting people much more skilled during practice, but I was in a part of the country I didn't know much about. We both enjoyed it. It was a manly thing to do.

Only later on, did I find out that he worked in an environment full of racism and machismo, which is typical for blue collar whites. He would tell me how racist his coworkers and especially his bosses were. They really would never vote for a black man, out of pure racism, and how they would appear to their peers if they did. They wouldn't vote for a woman either but if given the choice, they would choose a woman over a black man. He also belonged to a union, who told him how to think and behave. It was strange, because it felt like I didn't know this guy anymore.

How do you appeal to racist people? Well the most important thing to him was his job, and the union which protected it. They hated foreign workers, who they say steal their jobs. To appeal to these people, who are racist with a big factor due to reasons of job security, you would would have to show that you will protect his job from foreign workers. By not allowing illegal immigration, not increasing the number of H1 visas , and guaranteeing that the jobs will remain in the U.S., I believe you can appeal to these people. Their job security, income, and therefore their livelihood, is the number one thing they care about. I believe they will overcome the race issue, if the upcoming president can guarantee jobs remain in the U.S. On another strategic level, to get with the union bosses and chiefs, and guarantee them their jobs are protected. The union chiefs tell the blue collar whites how to think. If you get them on your side, you have the votes of the blue collar whites. Talk with a bit of testosterone, as that is normal mode of communication with them. They will not listen to calm, educated talk. Their care about the bottom line, so be direct, and get to the point.

Racism is often due to fear. Overcome their fear and you have their support.

Obama

Obama. I think that Obama will not only win the Democratic nomination but also the US Presidency as well. But there is a lot of work to do.

Promotion for loyalty

You say what Bush wants you to say to the public and you get a promotion. Article. That's how careers work in this administration. As long as you do what W. says, he will try to protect you and promote you where possible.

Advice of Acting Generals in Iraq

The advice of acting generals in Iraq, are often biased on several different factors.
1) They report to the Command In Chief of the Armed Forces, the President of the United States, and are strongly pressured to say what the Presidents wants them to say. Their advice, may or may not change, depending on who their boss, the current President is. Think about it, how often do you want to publicly say something publicly that is against your boss and undermines what he says?
2) Defense Contractors often slip money to military personnel to push things their way. I wouldn't be surprised if they slipped some money in an offshore unnamed bank account for Gen. Petraeus. There is no actual proof of this, just that this is the common way of doing business in Washington.

As a civilian, I worked under a retired two-star General for a Defense Contractor. This guy took credit for other people's work, and quick to blame others when things go wrong. He was totally self-serving. All the workers and managers around me was saying this. I was a little naive at the time and asked, "How did he get to be a two-star General, if he was such a user?" The response was, "How do you think?" And the retired Lieutenant Colonel acted more like a Sales Manager than anything else in the way he conducted himself. I think this is just the norm.

Of course, there are exceptions like Gen. Colin Powell, who are highly ethical and care about his troops and doing the right thing. A number of the other retired Generals, I think are good men, who spoke against the way Donald Rumsfeld was handling the war. There are good men in there, it's just they are the exceptions.

Hillary: Voting for Experience

Well I guess according to Hillary, if we are going to vote for experience, we might as well vote for the person with the most experience in the White House .... Dick Cheney. Yup. That's right. He has more experiencing running things in the White House ... than anyone. That alone should make a good candidate, according to Hillary. And he has more experience than anyone dealing with negative publicity in the White House. All you Hillary supporters, based on your candidate's logic, or illogic, let's rally up support for Cheney.

Returning Soldiers Suffering from Mental Disorder

Video.

New British PM

Glowing comments about W. Bush. The new British PM is either a total idiot or a major ass-kisser planning to justify more wartime in Iraq. Why does God grant us imbeciles to run the country?

Gen. Colin Powell's (retired) view on Iraq War

Article. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (retired) and 4-star Gen. Colin Powell (retired) *does not* believe the U.S. can solve the Iraq War. Gen. Colin Powell was a key strategist to the Gulf War and its success and would know.

Interesting why John McCain pretends to think we can win this war if we just "stay the course". Are the same defense contractors who are paying Bush also making contributions to McCain's campaign?

I think Colin Powell should be President, but he is too legit to be nominated by either the Democratic or Republican Party. Something about the way the U.S. political process works that the good guys never get nominated.

The Candidates

Looking at Hillary Clinton's website, other than ending the Iraq War and offering programs for alternative energy sources (which Obama also promotes), I don't see that she is going to do much of anything useful. Most of her plans are vague and undeveloped, mostly unresearched ideas filled with fantasy.

Barack Obama also wants to end the Iraq War and offer alternative energy programs, which is good. He believes in ethics and lobbying reform. You don't see much of a strategy or plan on ethics reform on Hillary Clinton's site. Or a single thing in her campaigning that would suggest she had ethics. I really don't think Hillary spends much time thinking of how to better this country but instead on how to better herself by becoming President. Between Hillary and Barack, Obama is the clear choice.

However I think John McCain has the good plan for America, other than continuing the Iraq War, if he actually plans to carry them out. He addresses some important issues facing this country though his stated plan for fixing things is like a band-aid and never addressing the real causes.

In the current situation, I would vote for Barack Obama, however if John McCain were to change his stance to ending the war, I would believe he would want to better the country instead of being another puppet for the neocons who now control the Republican party. It really hurts me to see American soldiers get killed needlessly in a war we cannot win, and that U.S. defense contractors are making a boatload of money in the process.

Sen. McCain

I watched Sen. McCain's talk today on his economic plan and say that I agree with what he says about cutting spending and corporate greed. I was a fan of Sen. McCain and Dole prior to the W. Bush administration. I might even be tempted to vote for Sen. McCain if it wasn't for his continuing to provide welfare to defense contractors. Unfortunately, one of the biggest spending costs of this nation is the Iraq War so I am not sure how much he can save on spending while still prolonging the Iraq War. I urge him to get with experts on counterinsurgency to give him the facts on the the likelihood of us ever winning the Iraq War. Most people in the military only understand conventional warfare so his knowledge of war and security is based on that. We are living in a period of unconventional warfare, because most countries do not have the manpower and technology to face the United States in open, conventional warfare. They will continue to fight for their country in ways they have a better chance of winning, and that is with unconventional warfare. While the Army Special Forces are experts at unconventional warfare at the small, tactical level. We sent so many Army Special Forces soldiers to Vietnam but still had no chance of winning. In fact, many of those soldiers lost their lives. They are not the cure all for all insurgency problems when other factors cannot be controlled. Sen. McCain needs to speak with counterinsurgency experts at the macro, or country level, to see what it would take to win this War and I tell you, it is no cake walk.

Being a General

I used to fantasize about being a 4-star General in the U.S. Army and all the things I could do for my country. I thought if I had stayed in, I could serve my country so well. Nowadays, I am a little bit smarter and realize that is a fantasy. You don't get to do what's right. You have to do what the President tells you to do, no matter how corrupt or dumb he is. It's not about doing the right thing. Unfortunately, those are the politics of Presidency and the U.S. military.

Are there military advisors who are experts at counterinsurgency? Yes. Are they being listened to? Obviously not. Just take a look at how things are being run in Iraq. Do the Generals know who to go to for advice? Probably. Would it change their handling of the war? Probably not. How do you get the job? By agreeing in private what the President asks. What if you do later do the right thing and ignore the President? You get replaced with a possibility of court-martial on false charges. There will be a list of corrupt people who never liked you falsely testifying against you with the promise of a promotion. Their dog tags will likely read one of the Christian denominations.

McCain

At least with McCain, we know two things:
1) the war will continue
2) gas prices will still be high. I don't see much of a push from him on reducing demand on oil, such as offering alternative energy programs

Unfortunately, some of us still have to drive to work. I would like to buy a vehicle on the market that uses less gasoline, if one exists, that has been mass produced so that I can get a warranty and get it fixed easily when there's a problem.

War

Why continue a war we cannot win? Well the answer is obvious, friends of the President, the Defense Contractors continue to make money as long as the war continues. Who cares if American soldiers die right? As long as Bush and Friends' make their blood money. Why does McCain want to continue? Probably because he is getting money from unknown sources. Whatever it takes to get the political contributions to win the Presidency.

FBI violated American privacies

Article.

Of course when this happened, President Bush assured us that *only* terror suspects were being investigated and no American rights were being violated. Of course I knew then Bush and the FBI were lying, just based on common sense of how the government operates. The basic rule is that government officials abuse their power for personal and private gain. They try to get as much power as they can to accomodate their personal life, ie. make money from illegal deals, while assuring citizens of the country they only use what is justified and authorized. Bush used this power to spy on any agents that try to investigate him and blackmail, harass them with whatever he can. This allows W. Bush to continue to conduct his illegal activities and profiting himself to create a family fortune.

I personally would not trust any of Bush's cohorts or who he endorses. People who supported his questionable methods, vocally or by Congressional voting for his methods, are also suspect.