Staying the Course - Appeasing Aggressive Americans?

I was amazed when I read what made it through the House and Senate, this week. I thought, with mid-term elections just around the corner: political suicide. As I've read the reports, I just really don't understand. Last week, I gave the President credit for being smarter than we have considered him, but how dumb does Capitol Hill think the voters are? Or, is this the party strategy to appeal to the raw aggression of the American people? How did we get so barbaric? I thought the number of the one bill was interesting: 6166, now it's just figuring out who really is #1 in this scenario.

Both of these pieces of legislation have been in the news from the judicial branch of our government. Anybody remember the judicial branch? The Supreme Court said tribunals were out and interrogations had to comply with humanitarian laws. The Senate and Congress said the President can decide.

Warrantless wiretapping was determined to be unconstitutional. The Senate and Congress said the President can do what he wants.

If the Representatives really think more aggressive measures will win their election, what kind of people do they represent? Just who do our representatives think they are representing? And I noticed the interesting term; rebellious, was used as an adjective for the Republicans that were attempting to stand up to the present administration and disagree with his ideology. I have to watch my terms now, since the word "hostilities" is used in a very vague and generalized fashion, in the new bill addressing what is not torture. With this vast ambiguity also comes the good news that the interpretation of definition is left entirely to the discretion of the President. I personally think it's heading toward stomping all over free speech, but I could be wrong, maybe it's simply going to obliterate it, entirely. So many of our freedoms seem to simply be "marked for deletion." And these people that just agreed to this think the American public wants four more years of their representation?

I've been kind of chuckling at the religious right for some time now, but it's gotten so far out of hand that without a score card, I can't tell what is the "high road" and what is "jihad." But back to my observation. They continue to shout and whine about persecution, while they are the ones that back the party that is making more laws against any kind of expression. So aren't they really setting themselves up to be persecuted? If you do that, is it really persecution at all? I'm really very tired of their hateful whining. They haven't minded keeping their religion to themselves to make their paychecks. As a matter of fact, work was never a religious issue until they had to go to classes to be nice to people that didn't have their beliefs. Hmmm.

So since it all defies logic, this has me wondering what the real plan is . . . I mean somewhere is there some political strategist telling these desperate politicians, "Don't worry boys, this is going to work." Why was disagreeing with the present "stay the course" administration called rebellious? Why does the present administration keep saying "stay the course" while they continue to change and reinterpret the guidelines? And I guess my biggest concern is the voter. Are Americans really aggressive enough to want more years under these legislators and more of these laws? How much legislation for law abiding citizens is needed? How many laws will it actually take to stop those that have no regard of the law and do not live under all these laws that are being passed? Does any republican realize, only American citizens have to live under the authority of the totalitarian privilege that has been grant by the Senate and House? Are there enough Americans to actually carry the majority in continuing this annihilation of our Bill of Rights? I guess the first Tuesday in November we'll find out just how many Americans are still wanting to stay this ever changing course?

go not up, for YHVH is not in your midst, and ye are not smitten before your enemies; Holy Bible

He's Smarter Than He Gets Credit For

You know, I think our President is a pretty smart man. I'm not saying I agree with him, but intelligence and agreement are often apples and oranges, even though his loyal followers would disagree with me. And if he isn't making all these decisions and they aren't his ideas, he has the intelligence to be listening to the ones that are thinking this stuff up. Let's consider some of his major decisions, of late. First, he managed to talk big and bluster about being an ally to everyone and all about anti-terrorism without ever getting personally involved in Israel and Lebanon. It's like he's everybody's friend, well everybody that owns oil! After the last five years, I really don't know how he pulled it off, but he did. Now, don't you wish we had elections every November to keep these gas prices in check. I did a bit of research and discovered that the oil prices last year were not as high as this year, yet gasoline was astronomical last fall. This year, however; people need to be able to afford to drive to those voting precincts. And speaking of voting precincts, I have read and heard about the photo ID required for voters. Now, I really don't see how this is addressing the illegal alien situation, but it certainly does connect a driver's license with most voters and we know most people that have a driver's license buy gasoline. See, there is a streak of brilliance running through these seemingly disconnected circumstances. I must address the comment that Hugo Chavez made the other day. I don't believe our President is the devil. He's not popular enough to be the anti-Christ. I personally believe he is a son that is doing the will of his father. The Middle East is in an absolute uproar and the foundation for the new world order is taking shape.

I always share a passage of Scripture at the end of my blogs and today it is a line of a prayer from one of the Psalms. I guess it is up to each of us and the world leaders to determine between themselves and their Creator, just which side of this prayer, they stand.

Deliver me, O YHVH, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.

Ok, what were we doing?

As always, I'm trying to keep up with the news, just as fast as they spin it out. What happened to the news? Of course, it's fall of 2006, midterm elections just around the corner and you can just smell it in the air, can't you? Every time the wind shifts on Capitol Hill, there is another issue thrown at Congress and another issue tabled or shelved. These poor politicians, every one of them, just have no idea what the public will vote for or against, so what's a poor politician to do these days?

I did want to mention all those that are still grieving over 9/11, I am truly sorry for your loss and the ongoing reminder of the pain you feel. For those of us that have had more private losses, the pain does begin to subside with time, but for this politically charged event, the reminders are so brutal.

I remember when I heard the Taliban had been eradicated, and now I'm hearing they are back and doing more damage to American troops than when they were in power. Saddam Hussein continues to be on trial for old leadership decisions. Be they good or bad, doesn't every country live with their leader's decisions for years to come? Why was his government considered an ally when all this was going on? Wouldn't we like to ask our leaders at the time what they were thinking, by having such an ally? We still can't find Bin Laden, but he keeps in touch. What kind of nonsense is this? I've read more internet forwards about Clinton's responsibility for Bin Laden being loose, but no one has produced videos from that time frame. How is it that we can get mail from him, and his henchmen, but have no idea where it comes from? Please, with all our technology to trace everything imaginable, we can't trace a video? I'm not buying it. Now, what's all this about the recovery of Wall Street? Where? My portfolio isn't worth what it was four or five years ago. And with big layoffs like Ford and huge losses from airlines and the other auto manufacturers, how would the stock remain valuable?

In an economy that is based upon perpetual motion, a connection is still required. In a war on terror, so called elusive preventions just really aren't very convincing. But I would have to say, the place that I just completely lose all line of logic would be "staying the course" when it isn't working and we have lost sight of what we were doing . . .

Where there is no vision, the people perish . . .

Remember the HulaHoop? - it's all in the timing of the SPIN

As you are aware, I don't usually agree with our President on issues of national security. It's not that I'm trying to be disagreeable, it's just that fear is his best tactic and fear is against my religion. So, while we still have freedom of religious expression and free speech, I'm blogging. I cannot hold it against him, to use what works, I mean that is basic Politics 101. If the people respond "positively," do it or at least promise to do it! His consituents like to fear, they equate it with "cautious wisdom," and they like to incite fear. Look at this for a moment. He has obtained and maintained the loyalty of many doctors, nurses, preachers, and members of the religious right. And they all have their control issues and warnings of fear. I can't listen to the radio for more than 15 minutes without some advertisement about some scary illness that you should be checked for. Fear, plain and simple. If people weren't fearful, doctors really couldn't make a living. Back when they just sewed up limbs from accidents and delivered babies at home, they lived like the rest of the people. It was preventitive screening that really boosted the lifestyle of the doctors. Preventitive Screening / Pre-emptive Strikes, all to avoidwhat might happen . . . Now, nurses are a different matter all together. Most of them are nurses because they didn't become something else, or they wanted to make money in mid-life. How's that for the foundational thinking for a compassionate caregiver? Actually, it was a position and title that didn't really require a degree, so . . . Ah, but the money and the control and the insider status with the gods of our society just drive them to come in to someone's room and comfort with fear.
And have you ever heard a preacher or the religious right open their mouths without mentioning hell, the devil, and the arch enemies of our Christian nation? I've actually seen the scripts they give their young people to teach them so they include those fearful words of condescension in their delivery of "good news."
And these are the constituents that must be continuously mentally massaged, and our present administration can do it!
I read the comment from his interview about the toughest part of his job. That is connecting the war on terror to Iraq. Know why that is the toughest part of his job? Because the only people that buy that story are the ones that fit into the above mentioned groups. The rest of us watched Saturday night live when Dana Carvey was imitating Bush 41 and doing the church lady. Did you know "stay the course" is a traditional family mantra? We know about these fear tactics. He's working on getting Congress to pass laws regarding fear tactics with detainees that the Supreme Court can't touch or undo. He knows what works, and speaking of Congress, he knows he's got to rally the voters back to their fear and idolatry to keep the Congress that they've all been complaining about for the past four years. But, in the words of the faithful followers, "it could be so much worse."
One last bit of perfect SPIN timing is 9/11, just 6 weeks before elections. There is now the preview of the new Manhattan skyline and the movie and a TV mini-series. A centrifugal force, however; is required to maintain SPIN, wich brings me to my final point. Former President Clinton has made the news regarding the TV mini-series, asking the network to be truthful. Now is that a hoot or what? The man that had to debate the meaning of "is" wants someone else to just tell the truth. Our politicians are just priceless, well I suppose the lobbyists could shed some light on that statement, but you know what I mean. The timing, it's all in the timing. And just like the hula-hoop, the timing of the spin determines the durration and maintains the circular motion. Because without spin, it simply and quickly falls.
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Are Statistics Like Comparing Apples to Oranges?

I heard this morning that the unemployment statistics are in; and the percentage of unemployment is down. Well, let me tell you what I can plainly see around me. I'm guessing if you figured the percentage of accurately compared issues when compiling statistics, we'd need an entirely new criteria for which to figure. We might even have to discover a different word for the procedure. Just what would be the statistics for accurately compared issues? I am not going to present a national database here, just my little circle of awareness. I happen to be aware of a number of men and women that simply are not in the statistics and are not employed in the regular sense of the word. Many are simply not working. I know men that have taken early retirement, due to the downsizing of companies and the outsourcing of jobs. They are not counted in the unemployment statistics. I know men that just simply won't work and they are not considered in the unemployment statistics. I know men and woman that can do everything but; go to work and they are on disability. They also are not included in the unemployment statistics. I am aware of men that have had their own businesses and due to the questionable economy, have simply had to close or go out of business, and sadly they are not included in these figures called unemployment statistics. While I heard this morning of the 118,000 new jobs last month, I didn't hear a word about the Big 3 and their plant closings and layoffs. They didn't repeat the story about Radio Shack's e-pink slips. And there is simply no longer mention of all the young people that are just too busy with the game boys to ever enter the work force, or even want a driver's license. I think the saddest information missing in the unemployment statistics are the number of men and women that have simply exhausted their unemployment insurance without finding employment. They are just no longer part of the statistics. And then there are those that have changed careers. It breaks my heart to hear men talk about their old factory days and their "building a new factory" hopes, while they fill serving dishes and bus tables at the "all you can eat" buffets.
there is wrong on wrong, deceit upon deceit . . .