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.

Star Wars

I was watching Star Wars and couldn't help but notice Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's (Darth Sidious) rise to power through the declaration of emergency powers and how he commandeered the armed forces ran with many parallels to W. Bush control of the United States.

Sen. Larry Craig

Article.

With all the news lately (see Sen. Foley), it appears members of the Republican party are associated with homosexuality. I would have never though the religious right would have supported homosexuality, since it is strictly forbidden in the Bible, but it seems to be the trend lately.

Gorbachev Blasts Bush Indirectly

Article.

Bill Maher: The Decider

On HBO. This was hilarious. Good to watch to get some laughs in.

This guy looks familiar

Article of serial killer.
This guy looks like a guy that gave me a hard time at a public restroom stop some years back. He was such as asshole, I felt like kicking his ass on the spot.

One torturer receives punishment

Article.

If you torture one person, you get lethal injection. If you order the torture of hundreds at Guantanamo and countless other camps such as secret CIA prisons, then you are worshipped as a hero by the Republican Party. Hi W.

Where is the justice?

A Deal was made

Article
Deal: Libby does not say anything incriminating against Cheney or W., in exchange a pardon.

Veterans: Be careful what you say, the military still owns you

Article. I wonder why Iraq war veterans haven't been more vocal or make statements against the war. Didn't the Bush administration use to say that if soldiers were unhappy, why haven't more said anything?

The Bush administration is playing with the general public's lack of knowledge that military owns you including what you say 24x7, if you have been a soldier in the last 8 years. Soldiers are often given direct orders as to what they can say and are warned of repercussions if they say something the commanding officer doesn't want.

CIA Secret Assasination Plots, Wiretapping, Mind Control Experiments ...

Article.

Drugs such as steroids can impact your judgment

Article.

Does Hypnosis Work?

I am often asked this question. My observations are that hypnosis works on very dumb people and it works very well. All the hypnosis that the Bush public relations minions do, work very well on the 29% of the population that ardently support him no matter what he does. They continue to believe what he says. Imagine a person stabbing you in the belly with a knife and taking your money. He says he is doing it in the interests of national security to protect the country. The 29% would actually believe him. It doesn't matter what he does to you, it what he says that counts. Now think of a situation where a serial killer is caught and there is overwhelming physical evidence against him in court. He says, "I didn't do it." The same 29% would believe him. So yes hypnosis does work.

V for Vendetta

A satire of the Bush regime.

Fox News Slanders Dr. Mercola

I feel for Dr. Mercola. It seems that people who do the right thing will face personal attacks, criticisms, slander, and other problems because there are so many assholes in this world. I figure it is part of life - whether you do good or bad -- there will be assholes working against you because they can't get a free ride from you. This includes many employers who underpay and overwork their employees.

The links are below:
Video1
Video2

Scandal

Article.

Anti-depressants the Cause of Killings?

Article.

Makes you wonder if W. Bush and Cheney are on it?

Their views seems so far disconnected from reality and they have no remorse for the things they've done, that it seems very likely they are doing drugs or anti-depressants.

Key difference: Bush and Serial Killers

The key difference is if you have a lot of money and power and you kill for personal profit, then you can continue doing so and don't need to go to jail.

Virginia Killings

I don't know why they are making such a big deal out of it. Bush is responsible for more innocent deaths and killings than any other serial killer in history. Why isn't the spotlight on Bush? Why is he still running around freely? Shouldn't he be behind bars?

Donating Money

Article.

Sexual Abuse

Article.

Failure of the Criminal Justice System

Article. The failure of the criminal justice system is sad. Innocent people are punished for crimes that did not commit. They serve lengthy jail sentences while the real criminals go free.

Iraq Troop Escalation

What does a 4 star General who successfully managed the Iraq Gulf War think about troop escalation? Would it help? Watch here.

A Job Well Done

Article.

China

Why does Bush only threaten war with small countries? Why doesn't he threaten war with China for their aggressive action? Bush is like one of those schoolyard bullies who picks on kids much smaller than him, taking their lunch money for personal profit, talks about being tough but refuses to face kids his own size even when they slap him on the face.

The President who cried wolf

Article.

Vitamins and Nutritional Supplements are Healthy for you

I've been taking vitamins and other nutritional supplementation for over 18 years. If you take a look at my picture, taken when I was 34 (I am now 36), you can see I look much younger than my age. Nutrition, diet, exercise, and supplementation are very important to health. And I also switched to eating a lot of organic foods in the last 6 months. I rarely, if ever, take prescription drugs because nutritional and herbal methods were available and are much safer. Unfortunately there are members of Congress bought out by the pharmaceutical companies, and she is a Democrat, to wipe out the availability of health supplements and organic foods so that people will become sick easier and have to resort to dangerous prescription drugs instead when they need help. Stop this nonsense if Bill 3156 of the 109th Congress ever gets reintroduced into Congress.

Oppose HR 3156 (109th Congress) Dietary Supplement Access and Awareness Act

Introduced by Susan Davis and co-sponsored by Waxman and Dingell gives the FDA the ability to ban vitamin and nutritional supplements.

Please remember to vote to remove all members of Congress who support Codex Alimentarius. They know what they are doing is wrong but they don't care because they are being well paid by the big pharmaceutical companies. They are like George W. Bush. They don't care what they do to this country as long they profit out of the situation.

Why allow such an easy procedure to remove nutritional supplements from the market but not such an easy procedure for removing prescription drugs?

Health Freedom USA (Bills from 109th Congress -- last year -- no longer active but may be introduced again)
Thoughts
Mercola Link 1.
Mercola Link 2
Mercola Link 3.

To Kill

To kill one person out of anger, one is considered a murderer. To kill 3-4 out of hate, one is considered a serial killer. But to kill thousands of people out of personal profit, one is considered a Hero to the Republican Party. Alas, our President George W. Bush of the United States of America. The key is to be able to sell it to the public as "democracy", or some other grand vision. The morals are kind of screwed up. It is not surprising that the Republican Party is religiously supported by the religious right. Their morals are pretty much aligned with one another.

Will 21,000 more troops help?

We had more troops than this in Iraq within the last couple of years and that didn't help. So why is Bush asking for more troops when he knows that 21,000 won't solve it? This is a key strategic move by Bush to have the public commit to the finishing the war. Then a few months later, he'll ask for more troops and on and on. This tactic is taught in sales: first ask for something insignificant to get commitment, then once you have them hooked, get the whole shebang!!

The second reason is that justifies the war for him. Remember this war was never properly justified. It was sold on false grounds of weapons of mass destruction. Now that no tangible proof can be found, they are reselling it as something else ... creating democracy. These are all sales tactics. Now once this war is justified, we can't go back. It will be a full commitment in the future, and possibly a draft for many not including the rich.

Tell the public what they want to hear so Bush can continue to provide corporate welfare for his buddies. I'm sure he gets kickbacks in non-traceable offshore accounts. "It's all for the big bucks ... I mean democracy."

McCain

McCain is losing his chance for the 2008 Presidency by acting like Bush's lap dog. He thinks that by kissing ass to the President, it will give him a shoe in for the 2008 Presidency.

One can only look and laugh :P

Taxes

If it weren't for taxes, most of us would be rich by now, or at least much better off. Let's take a look at what we pay
Federal income tax 30-40%
FICA tax (about 7%)
Medicare tax (about 1.5%)
Sales Tax (3-11%)
Real Estate Tax (maybe another 5-10%)
Other property taxes (cars in some states)
State income tax (10% in some states)

Add all these taxes up and see how much of a paycheck you have left?

We are being robbed by the IRS and Bush Administration to line the pocket books of Bush's friends (ie. Cheney and other defense contractors). That is the reason why we are poor. Federal income tax is not being paid to support schools. Our schools are supported by real estate taxes. Our roads are supported by state taxes. The federal income tax is used to rob and keep the middle class in slavery. The money goes into financing the rich, such as Cheney, to make them richer.

Helping the Poor

I have been seeing articles and news about the poor this Christmas season. Whether they should be helped or not is a personal choice, most of it based on personal beliefs. However what I find interesting is that many of these people will help serve food on Thanksgiving or give Christmas presents to the poor while during the rest of the year they live a lifestyle that does not lift a finger to help the poor. They talk about it a lot but the action is so little. It really is a dichotomy how people will say or do something just to make them feel better while not doing anything else. These poor people still live on the streets and do not have a reliable meal the other 363 days of the year. Where are these alleged helpers during this time?

Lip service seems to be a common theme in America. They talk reams and reams of words and sometimes get very emotional but yet their actions speak louder than their words. What have they done to get these poor people off the streets? It's like the person who gives a dollar to the homeless man while going on and living his life totally opposite the rest of the time. Do they realize that giving a dollar will not help get the man off the streets?

This is really no different than the person who goes to church on Sunday and acts good during service and a few hours afterward just to wash away the guilt for all the things they do during the week. They lie, cheat, steal, and ruin people out of pettiness and then Sundays they go to church. Somehow they believe this makes them a good person? Somehow they believe they are not going to hell. It is true the Jesus forgives one for their sins but someone who acts unChristianlike during the rest of the week and goes to church on Sunday and then start their cycle of pettiness again on Monday is not going to Heaven. There is no sincerity. Jesus can tell the difference between a phony Christian and real Christian. I have had the pleasure of meeting a few real Christians but these people are far and few in between.

Racism

When most people think of racism, they think of news headlines about white people saying derogatory names to black people but most of these people don't realize what its like to grow up in a black neighborhood. Our family was not wealthy, my parents worked hard to make ends meet. Growing up in black neighborhoods and going to black dominated schools, I was often made fun of by the black students. They called me derogatory names and made funny sounds trying to imitate our language, and they do many more things than that which I won't mention here. This happened on a regular if not weekly basis. Black people want to be treated with respect but they do not treat others with respect. I've even worked with most of them working for the Houston Urban League when I was in high school mowing lawns and trimming bushes. Most of them were lazy and constantly made excuses why they shouldn't work, all the while being paid on the clock. I grew up in a family with a strong work ethic and did more work than most of them combined. Their main trait is that they complain and refuse to do work. If black people want to be treated with respect, they need to be respectful to others.

While there are number of fine black gentlemen whom I had the pleasure of working in my professional field, there are also a number of fine white gentlemen in the world too. I don't see the black people complimenting them when they talk about racism. I will talk about the fine black gentlemen whom I have worked with. Their personality are often a joy to work with and they are usually socially savvy. They are often funny and witty. They overcame the ghetto mentality and developed a good work ethic as well as developing into fine human beings learning to take responsibility for themselves.

James Baker and Iraq

NY Times.

The Road to Reliable Elections

NY Times.

Irag Study Report

CNN. Full Report.

James Baker is finally bringing some decency and integrity back into the Republican name.

A Must See Movie

A compelling movie about the IRS, Our Big Brother, and how our 2006 election was rigged. Watch online now, courtesy of Google.
Movie.

The Draft

This guy is worse than the Republicans and he is just as bad a liar. Article. Members of Congress have always found ways to exempt their children from the draft. This guy is such a horrible liar that his reasoning, and intelligence, is along the lines of W. Bush.

I don't mind re-enlisting and found often thought about it. I like combat and war for the right reasons. I'm not re-enlisting for a bullshit war.

First Order of New Congress

1. Settle the issue of the Iraq War.
2. Revoke all privileges granted by the President during his Presidency such as warrantless spying, and return our freedom to us, ie.civil rights and civil liberties
3. Ethics reform.
4. Remove from Office, the President and Vice President.
Impeachment of George W Bush requires only a majority vote in the House. Removing him from office requires a two-thirds vote from the Senate, which is impossible with the allocation of Democratic senators at only 51 seats.
Though the Democrats can easily pass laws, the President can easily veto each law. It would require a two-thirds vote of each chamber of Congress to override the President's veto, which is not likely to happen since the Republicans still occupy a good portion. While progress was made during Tuesday's election, the President still holds power and can veto any Democratic laws passed through Congress. Of course, the President will look bad vetoing good legislation but doing bad things has never bothered W. before.
The victory in Congress for the Democrats is a good one but certainly not enough to stop the Presidential abuse of power other than noise making. The Democrats need 290 seats in the House and 67 seats in the Senate to override the President's vetos. Tuesday's elections was not enough of a landslide victory to give the Democrats enough power to take back control of the country so the items on this list are not doable. For now they can only prevent ridiculous Republican legislation from passing into law. Either the people have not spoken loud enough, or the votes were fraudulently counted so that more Republicans falsely won than really happened.

Vote

If you are tired of the Republicans KKK tactics to prevent non-Republican voters from voting, vote Democrat or Independent. The Republicans strategy to prevent non-Republicans from voting remind me of the stuff I read in textbooks over a century ago. People say that the United States has grown so much since but sadly that is no longer the case thanks to the new Republican Party which has been taken over by the new KKK. You have to wonder who at the high level is masterminding these tactics in the Republican Party? Remember to videotape all illegal activity and give it to the news agencies. Don't just call 1-888-DEMVOTE to report activity by the Republican henchmen.

Take our Country Back Today!

It's Voting Day: Nov. 7

If you disapprove of the president and the way he is running the country, remember to vote Democrat or Independent. Let's remove Bush and his corrupt gang of Republicans from office. Long live our New Country. It's time for a change.

Is flouride in drinking water really safe?

Link 1.
Link 2.
Secrets to brushing teeth.

I use Arm & Hammer Advance White Dental Baking Soda and Peroxide toothpaste.

More on the FDA

Video.

Thoughts on the FDA

Video.

Terrorist plot foiled

It's really interesting that when terrorists, who are about to attempt a massive plot, get caught, they are not caught by the United States under the brilliant direction of George Bush. Article. With all the billions of dollars Bush authorizes for the war on terror to fund this business associates, it's quite interesting that terrorists are caught by Britain. I don't see them spending the trillion dollar budgets that Bush authorizes for the war on terror, yet they do a a pretty darn good job.

The Bush Administration now claims that it "has been tracking this terrorist cell for months." Well if that is the case, wouldn't they have been arrested in the United States? Duh! Obvisouly they don't want to look stupid and incompetent by saying they know nothing about it. All Bush had to do was call Britain's Tony Blair and ask, "Can we get some credit too? I don't want to look like a fool. You know how it is." Tony Blair probably responded, "I don't know ... but I can sure give you co-credit. Say I need a few favors myself ..."

Israel's "war" with Hezbollah a good idea

I think it's great that Israel is standing up to Hezbollah and demanding the return of its citizens. Since the Munich incident in the 1972 Olympic Games, the PLO has continued to pick on the little nation of Israel. You can read about it here. If someone broke into your home and kidnapped your family members, you'd want justice, wouldn't you? You would want to know that your home was safe from such future attacks. You'd want your family members back. And you would want justice for the crimes they committed. It's about time Hezbollah and the PLO were told to stop. Israel may be a small nation but its fighting spirit is huge. I honor them for protecting their rights and sovereignty. It's a clear sign that Israel will not be putting up with the continued abuse. The PLO has never taken the responsibility for its actions. This is no exception. Just as in regular civilian law, criminal behavior will be punished. In regular society, criminals are disarmed, their weapons confiscated, and they are jailed until they "reform". This is no different than Hezbollah and the PLO continuing to commit crimes against Israel. They must be disarmed, prevented from any more criminal behavior, and most of all, Hellzbollah leaders must be tried for their crimes just as anyone else would be if they commited a criminal act.

Israel will be a great ally for us against the war on terrorism against Iran and Syria.

Independence Day

Independence Day is the day to celebrate the birth of our Freedom sinced in July 4, 1776, by our Founding Fathers. That was the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of Freedom for America.

American values are based on the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution which defines our freedoms and birthrights. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of justice. Freedom from persecution. These documents set the path for the American way of life.

Now the Republicans have destroyed that. Bush and the Republicans have marked the ending of Freedom for America.

It is shameful that the Republicans are committing our troops for more killings. Murder is not an option. Bush and the Republicans Policies in Iraq are dangerous, reckless, and shameless.

The Republicans acting the most idiotic never served in the military or conveniently dodge the draft like the cowards they are. They run like cowards the first chance they get and send other people’s children to do the tough work in Iraq. When there’s something to lose, its never the cowards, it always the brave soldiers that die.

Republicans, Don’t Run Like Cowards. Go over to Iraq and fight like a real man. It’s about time you stopped striking yellow.

Republican’s “Good for Nothing” strategy. Let other people risk their lives and do the work of real man while they sit back and use others like “Good for Nothings”.

Declaration of Independence

American values such as Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as stated in the Declaration of Independence have been seriously challenged since Bush and the G.O.P have taken office. They have constantly violated our unalienable rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. These rights include the Right to Privacy, Freedom of the Press, and Right to a Jury Trial. It's ironic that Bush would say immigrants should learn American values when he is the one that hasn't learned it.

Let's look at Amendment 6. "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense." How many times has this been violated since Bush took office? People have been kept in jail cells for years without knowing the charges against them or any hint of a trial.

Let's look at Amendment 4. "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." Now think about Bush's NSA phone tapping program and the Patriot Act. How many things have been searched through the Patriot Act without a court order?

Amendment 1. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of the Press. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Now the Republican Congress is threatening reporters.

I quote this from the Declaration of Independence, "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

The Declaration of Independence is worth reading in whole. It's only one page of writing.

Situation in Iraq: Knowing Your Enemy

Read here. 72% of U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq say U.S. should leave by end of 2006. Read here.

World's #1 Terrorist

Read here to see the World's #1 Terrorist. Terrorism has got to stop. Unfortunately the Republican "feed the terrorists" Strategy continues. Look what the Republican "feed the terrorist" Strategy is doing to our soldiers. If it weren't for their strategy, we wouldn't be in the situation we are today.

Sounds like serious Spy work in progress

First the Veterans information were stolen. Now this.

Was Kerry the True Winner of the 2004 Presidential Election?

Read here.

With this rigged system, is there a chance that a Democratic President will ever win again?

If the votes were truthfully counted, Kerry won Ohio (20 electoral votes) and New Mexico (5 electoral votes). The final electoral college vote would be Kerry (277) vs. Bush (261). Was this election stolen from him? John Kerry is the rightful President of the United States.

Make no mistake, this was a coup d'etat by the Bush Administration.

Bush Sr. wanted Rumsfeld replaced

Read here.

Can Democrats really win November elections if voting is fixed by Republicans?

Jeb Bush and Republicans in five states left a loophole in the computer system so that voting results can be easily altered at their discretion.

Washington Post.

Read how the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) September 2005 report states that

* Some voting machines did not encrypt cast ballots or system audit logs, and it was possible to alter both without being detected.

* It was possible to alter the machines so that a ballot cast for one candidate would be recorded for another.

* Vendors installed uncertified versions of voting system software at the local level.

* Access was easily compromised and did not require a widespread conspiracy. A small handful of people is sufficient to steal an election.

-- CounterPunch

DVD: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

I just viewed this DVD tonight. Quite interesting.

Investigative Reporter Greg Palast goes into detail and provides concrete evidence how
1. The 2000 Presidential vote count in Florida was "rigged" and how Al Gore was the rightful winner of the 2000 Presidential election
2. How George W. Bush avoided the Vietnam draft with the help of his Congressman father
3. W.'s link to Enron's Kenneth Lay
4. Saudi Families massive money contributions to the Bush Family prior to the Iraq War
5. W.'s financial connection to the Bin Laden family and how he prevented the FBI from investigating the Bin Ladens' prior to 9/11

Greg Palast also has a book out on the topic. I assume it provides more details.

Pleasing Dick Cheney: The Job of Congress?

According to recent statements by Dick Cheney, Arlen Specter ruined a lot of built up good will between them by questioning Dick Cheney's methods of lobbying. Dick Cheney thinks it is Congress' job to try to please him.

Why would we need a separate of powers if all the other branches job were to please the Executive branch?

The only thing one can get from pleasing Dick Cheney is to be considered a laughing stock by the rest of the country. Just look at W. for evidence. :) Building up good will with Dick Cheney means running around and being his gopher boy. Since Dick Cheney has no morals, you have to question yourself if you want to be led by someone without morals or ethics? What happens to you when he's done with you?

Theft of military personnel data from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Whoever stole this list knows that can it be sold to countries that are doing espionage against us. It can identity key members in the military, including rank and contact information so that they can be bribed or eliminated, if necessary.

Identity theft is the least of their problems.

For the sake of argument, let's say some country wants to invade the U.S. The first problem after taking over the country is the insurgency. Who would most likely be insurgents? Military and ex-military personnel. Data that was stolen. They would target them for extermination.

The G.O.P. and W. have failed US citizens in security measures.

Estate Tax Repeal

I think estate taxes should be repealed. I think income taxes should be repealed. But first, let's start with income taxes.

How do we balance the budget you may ask? BY CUTTING SPENDING ON UNNECESSARY WARS. I've covered this before here.

Let me be clear, I support this only if they pass legislation to repeal income tax first. We should not be taxed ... period.

Local Hero

CNN.

They should all be prosecuted

MSNBC.

Congressman William Jefferson should be prosecuted and the evidence seized legal. Why? Because Congress as a whole has done nothing to stop the government from invading our civil rights and liberties. They only *care* and make noise now that they realize they could be next. Are they serving the interests of the people or their own?

William Jefferson should be prosecuted for the fact that evidence points to fact that he is very likely guilty. It is amazing that members of Congress who had ignored how many times the President violated the U.S. Constitution now make a big fuss. It is likely that ones who are making a big fuss likely to be guilty of bribery and corruption and need to be investigated themselves. I mean they didn't care about rights unless they were on the line. It seems obvious they are guilty. The number of people in Congress, both Democrat and Republican, that have been bought out by wealthy Capitalists and corporations is pretty high for them to be fearing investigation. If they were innocent, there would be nothing to fear. It again proves the point that this is not a government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is a government of the Capitalists, by the Capitalists, and for the Capitalists.

I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican because I can't stand the corruption of both sides of the parties. I believe in the original vision of our Founding Fathers.

Our Founding Fathers had envisioned a Democracy. Much of that changed with the coming of the Industrial Age in the late 1800's and taxation. When the United States was created, there was no income tax. It wasn't needed. Now that taxes are collected, Capitalists want that money for themselves and they are willing to pay politicians millions in order to get the billions.

In the time of George Washington and other Founding Fathers, this never happened because there was no income taxation and no wealthy Capitalists controlling the country and perhaps the world. Their design of democracy did not take into account the checks and balances for these things. Any democracies we set up such as Iraq will have same corruption problems, at best.

The American Revolution started because Americans like being taxed by England and not getting anything for it. "No taxation without representation" was their cry. Yet today we have the same issue. Our representatives do not represent us or our interests and yet we are taxed and heavily at that.

"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people." -- Abraham Lincoln

* Capitalists is defined here by dishonest businessmen who seek to cheat and defraud to achieve their fortunes. I certainly applaud honest businessmen.

Democracy and Votes

NY Times.

Jeb Bush runs Florida and part of the GOP so those laws shouldn't be surprising. He is just another flavor of W. Bush. Imagine what would happen if he were to become President.

That Sucks

MSNBC.

You can't even do the right thing on your job. Prosecutor Richard Ceballos wrote a memo questioning whether a county sheriff’s deputy had lied in a search warrant affidavit. Just questioning it cost him a demotion and a job promotion.

Bush Now has control of the Supreme Court now that Alito (Bush's pick) is on the bench. The purpose of this ruling is for anyone who wants to make a stand for what they believe in, can lose their job. That includes Generals who are still active duty and leaks by CIA officials . Bush's government is trying discourage leaks about their wrongdoings.

The important point is this not a Democracy where law is upheld. It is a totalitarian system where whoever has been bought out at the top can punish anyone below who tries to uphold the law. That is the real meaning. That is not a democracy.

Happy Memorial Day Everyone

The Illusion of a Democracy

From early childhood through the high school years, we are sold on the illusion of a democracy. People often believe this is what the United States is about and many are proud of it. I for one was. It was certainly a great democracy in the days of our Founding Fathers like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. Unfortunately now, it is used a selling point in order to invade other countries. "We must set up a democracy in Iraq." A democracy, huh? Well ideally that would sound great but under the current administration and Congress, we are fast approaching a totalitarian government. It has constantly violated our Constitutions rights and underlying principles of this country. The idea of a democracy is representation of the people in government. Currently what we have is representation of wealthy corporations in the Republican Congress. Citizens are no longer represented effectively except that every now and then, we'll seem something rare. Our tax dollars, which is a considerable size of our paychecks, at least 30-40% seems like a lot to me, are spent to support wealthy corporations and conduct wars on their behalf under the illusion of democracy.

Money buys power. Money buys representation. Congressmen are not allowed to touch our tax dollars directly but can influence legislation and approve of wars that send our tax dollars to corporations. Why would they do this? Well for one, these wealth corporations have a way of influencing and paying Congressmen millions of dollars for their assistance. Money rules the world, it buys legislation and votes. You may say that Congress is only the U.S. and not the world, but is it not true that the U.S. almost controls the world and decides that on its own. Never mind the false illusion of the United Nations, the United States when it wants to starts a war. This is done with false evidence and allegations. Look how we got in the war with Iraq claiming they had weapons of mass destruction and links to Al Qaeda. None of this has proven to be true. If the money from wealthy corporations like Halliburton and other oil companies are enough to influence the president and his decisions, where is a democracy and representation of its people stand?

Are we really setting up a "Democracy" in Iraq? Do we even live in a Democracy? Yet this is a good selling point .

Erase all money trails

Business Week article.

Interesting how Bush passed this law so that it can be used to exclude how Halliburton's (Dick Cheney's company, NYSE: HAL) accounting from showing WHERE THE MONEY WENT. This makes the hundreds of billions of dollars sent to Halliburton untraceable. One has to wonder how much of the federal budget allocated to Halliburton and other defense contractors flow back into Bush and Cheney's pockets. There's no way to trace it now. Bush made sure of it.

I have been saying for a while now how Bush and Cheney were profiting from the war with hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Now Bush makes it official the money can't be traced to him and his family.

Bush likes war because he and his friends profit from it. The excuses for startting a war of course is for national security ... obviously. The more money the Bush family and friends have, the easier it is to control the world when he is no longer president. Money rules the world. Start lots of unnecessary wars. Make lots of money for Bush.

Imagine that without this law, Halliburton could be scrutinized for Fraud and Conspiracy just like Enron. Of course W. knows he doesn't want Cheney end up like Enron Chiefs Lay and Skilling. With enough investigation, legal evidence may even point to W.

Bush Regime may prosecute Reporters

Article. Now the Bush Regime finally admits they use the phone tapping for other purposes than what they claim. We knew this all along. We knew Bush as lying all along when he said it would be used for just tracking Al-Qaeda and terrorists. This is all part of the Bush totalitarian regime where they seek any reason they possibly can to prosecute those that have a voice against Bush. I knew this all along and stated it from the beginning. It's good they finally admit it so that the rest of the public can see what Bush is about. Of course the GOP will most likely back the phone tapping program and confirm Hayden to continue the phone tapping as director of the CIA.

The Fuhrer used the same rational of "national security" to get total control of Germany. The thing nowadays is that you have to prove it is national security and not just a bogus line in the US Federal Courts. That means they have to prove beyond a "reasonable doubt" that the reporters are undermining the country and not just provide some bogus theories without proof. Of course, that is the way our ForeFathers like George Washington designed the Constitution and Bill of Rights. However, we won't likely be seeing those days anymore as the Bush Regime has done a coup d 'etat on the country and they are backed by the GOP.

See if the judge presiding over the case is a Bush backer, especially if he was appointed by Bush, then the reporters are toast. Besides the Feds have been known to strong arm judges to do their bidding. This country under the Bush Regime is not based on real laws but on totalitarian control and submission to his control.

Realities of War ...

For those who are interested in the realities of war, oneshould watch 'Black Hawk Down'. It is on cable this weekend on the FX channel. War is nothing like the stuff you see in 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Power Rangers'. This movie accurate portrays what real combat is like.

This movie is based on real life events and is an example of what happens when you don't send enough troops to control an area. The soldier suffer the consequences. Keep in mind that these soldiers were Rangers and Delta Force. Still they suffered heavily even with their expert training mainly because the area they were in was not secured with enough troops. Had regular infantry units been sent in, the casualties would have been many more. Now think about what's happening in Iraq.

If there aren't enough troops to control an area, they should be withdrawn.

Like I said ...

Congress is just show and tell. Pretending to be upset with the President and his decisions. It looks like from all indications they will be confirming Hayden as director of the cia just as Bush wants. It's quite obvious the GOP still ardently supports the President regardless of what bad decisions he makes whether it be Iraq or anything else.

N.S.A. Phone Tapping Program

"Like the N.S.A. database on 200 million American phone customers that was described last week by USA Today, this program may have more to do with monitoring "traitors" like reporters and leakers than with tracking terrorists." -- NY Times

Are we living in a Dictatorship?

Dictatorship, in contemporary usage, refers to absolute rule by a leadership (usually one dictator) unrestricted by law, constitutions, or other social and political factors within the state.

Congress will make a big fuss about The President acting unrestricted by law but it is all just for show and tell. Does it change anything? Is Bush still doing what we wants?

I remember in high school, my fellow students were saying how dumb the German people were to be led by the charismatic speaker Adolph Hitler and didn't do anything to stop him when they found out he was up to no good. People often think they are smarter than others but when they are put in the same place, they don't do any different. Closer to the end of Hitler's reign, the German people knew what was happening, but they chose to imagine that everything was okay and their leader was not leading them into hell. There's still a 31 percent of the U.S. population, according to Polls, who still believe in this fantasy too about Bush.

The German people knew they couldn't stop him. Here in the U.S., at least people are vocalizing their discontent but what has this changed? Is it going to stop Bush's dictatorship leading us into constant war as The Fuhrer did and ruling the country as he wishes?

Catholicism worked for him

CNN.

I did say this was going to happen ...

W. wants Bush Dynasty to continue. My prediction, then and now is they'll use the CIA and warrantless eavesdropping to blackmail qualified people from running against him while keeping Jeb's secrets safe with W. Then they'll let the people with low chances of winning go ahead and run. They also blackmail Congressmen into supporting Jeb as well. You need the neo-gestapo (CIA, warrantless searching, holding people without sufficient evidence, torturing and holding people illegally without trial) so that the Bush Dictatorship Dynasty continues.

FBI up to old tricks again

NY Times Article.

"In Defense of Donald Rumsfeld"

Rumsfeld's Defenders

I didn't get a chance to read the WSJ Op-Ed article by 4 retired generals named "In Defense of Donald Rumsfeld". I have enough trouble paying bills while buying a beautiful new 3,400 square foot home. I can't afford to subscribe to every news service. So I am responding based on quotes of their Op-Ed article freely available on CNN. Here.

So I did a quick check, and found out that Lt. General Thomas McInerney was an Air Force General. This is quite interesting. An air force guy telling Army and Marine Generals how to conduct land warfare. I think it is outside of his area of expertise. And to be honest, I don't know how much dealing he had with Rumsfeld while he was in service. From what I can ascertain, he retired long before the Iraq war, so I can only ascertain the General is commenting out of thin air.

Maj. Gen. Buron Moore, U.S. Air Force is also retired U.S. Air Force. Where do these Air Force guys come from telling Army and Marine Generals what real land warfare is about and that Army and Marine Generals don't understand asymmetric warfare like the Air Force guys do. ha ha ha This has got to be some kind of joke.

Maj. Gen Paul Vallely, he is retired Army so I'll take him seriously. He seems well qualified to speak on guerilla warfare given his experience in Special Operations for 15 years. He is a graduate of the Infantry School, Ranger and Airborne Schools, and Jumpmaster School. Nevertheless, he was never General while working under Rumsfeld while Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense so he doesn't really know what it is like to work under Rumsfeld's "leadership (or lack thereof)". He is only conjecturing.

Personally, I question Paul Valley statements that the dissenting Generals don't understand asymmetric warfare when in fact the Generals had strongly suggested a plan in dealing with the aftermath of Iraq, which was ignored by Rumsfeld. This is where all the asymmetric warfare has occurred and properly addressed by the dissenting Generals. Paul Vallely claims Rumsfeld "understands" asymmetric warfare and the dissenting Generals didn't. If you look at the facts, you can see that Rumsfeld had no plan for asymmetric warfare. And the dissenting Generals expected asymmetric warfare and wanted a proper plan for it. I am really disappointed at Paul Vallely. I would have expected more intelligence from someone trained in Special Operations Metholodogies.

Lt. Gen. John Crosby, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Couldn't get much info on his background. Training and Doctrine is not the same as Infantry or Combat, so commenting on guerilla warfare is outside his area of expertise. It would be like a General from Medical division giving comments on warfare.

Here's some interesting articles:
Article.

San Francisco Chronicle.


Now for the dissenting Generals

Lt. General Gregory Newbold, U.S. Marine Corps. He was the military's top operations officer before the invasion of Iraq. He wrote, "[The decision to invade Iraq] was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions -- or bury the results." "I retired from the military four months before the invasion, in part because of my opposition to those who had used 9/11's tragedy to hijack our security policy."

General Shinseki, who commanded the NATO peacekeeping force in Bosnia, testified before Congress in February 2003 that peacekeeping operations in Iraq could require several hundred thousand troops, in part because it was a country with "the kinds of ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems." Rumsfeld had him replaced [for dissenting].

As early as 1998 (when neoconservatives began agitating for the removal of Saddam Hussein), General Zinni was warning that "a weakened, fragmented, chaotic Iraq" could be "more dangerous in the long run than a contained Saddam." And in 2002, as the war drums beat louder and louder in Washington, General Zinni warned that invading Iraq could create more enemies for America in the Middle East, stretch the American military too thin, strain relations with allies and cost billions of dollars for reconstruction. -- NY Times


General Zinni, who as commander of CENTCOM had prepared contingency plans for the possible fall of Mr. Hussein, also recommended that if an invasion of Iraq were pursued, it should rely upon "overwhelming force," and that a comprehensive plan for reconstruction be adopted before the war. His outline of such a plan (dealing with the protection of infrastructure, the sealing of borders, political fallout and an assortment of economic and social issues) was dismissed at the Pentagon, the New Yorker writer George Packer has reported, on the grounds that its assumptions were "too negative."-- NY Times

And finally a statement from Colin Powell:
"Serious mistakes [were made] in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Baghdad," Colin Powell, former secretary of state and Joint Chiefs chairman, said in a speech last week. "We didn't have enough troops on the ground. We didn't impose our will. As a result an insurgency got started, and it got out of control." -- CS Monitor

Rumsfeld's Pentagon Memo

NY Times Article. The only problem with the White House's story is that active duty Officers are *NOT* allowed to speak their mind publicly. There would be serious consequences to their career, some of which is legal, since the government owns active duty Officers.

In fact, it's in the best interest of those who are still active duty to play the game and play nice to the White House, because you never who what could happen to you if you don't. One thing about the military I didn't like was that they OWN YOU 24/7 ... LEGALLY. They own what you can say and do ... on and off the job. Basically by joining the military, you waive all rights given to U.S. citizens. It's a pretty big sacrifice. I was told by my superiors in the military that "Freedom isn't Free. You have to give up your freedom so that others may have it."

You are not free to speak your mind to the public until you are retired or discharged from the military. And even when you are discharged, you are given a DD 214 if you served less than 8 years. This means you can be recalled at any time even if you only signed for 4 years. It is not advantageous to speak your mind publicly but some do so because they believe very strongly in what they do and are willing to risk the consequences to do so.

Also there is the issue of how many Officers are in the Infantry division? There are a lot of other Officers in other branches who do not deal directly with combat and wouldn't have much to comment on in combat given their experience. Also how many Officers actually deal with Rumsfeld? Usually only the Generals in combat related fields work with Rumsfeld, lower Officers have to get their others from their proper chain of command.

It's Tax Time Again

Make sure to pay all your taxes so that more U.S. soldiers can be killed, more innocent lives sacrificed, more illegal wars are started, and to fund welfare to corporations while justice and economic programs in our country are a joke.

Young Officers Leaving Army at a High Rate

NY Times Article. If they don't believe in what they are doing or what the war is about, there is no point in staying. When I joined the Army, I actively sought combat in the Special Forces branch, but I wasn't going to stay if I didn't believe in what I was doing.

When I found out the the top 2 people in my chain of command is Donald Rumsfeld and George W. Bush, I said to myself, "This is a joke."