2010 Mid-Term Election Message

2010 Elections

Pardon Us! (Well, Why the Heck Not?!?!)

I’m sure that guys like Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld, Doug Feith, David Addington, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Armitage, Richard Perle, John Bolton, Alberto Gonzalez, etc., etc., are at least thinking this sentiment. And, some are probably counting on it , too! A veritable rogue’s gallery of Bush conspirators and constitution shredders could conceivably get away with torture and other war crimes, because the buzz is that President Bush might issue a “blanket pardon” for just about all involved . . . even before any charges are levied. Heck, the Scooter might even make history, as the only man to be convicted in a government scandal, who then had his sentence commuted, by George W. Bush , and then also be pardoned for his part in the government sanctioning of torture and other war crimes, by (who else?) George W. Bush! Wow. What a distinction. I bet his family will be SO proud of him!

I think that most people would agree that pardons should be used very judiciously. Blanket pardons are highly suspicious and generally not ethical. (Unless they cover folks who violated some kind of unjust “law”.) But, guess who else this blanket might cover up? Duh-bya, hisself! For President Bush to pardon himself would make a total farce of the Office of the President, and would be his final abuse of power, and slap to the face of the American people. But, then again, we’ve gotten pretty good about turning the other cheek. Haven’t we???

I wonder. Is the United Nations obligated to honor the pardons issued by the President of the United States? Does anybody know? Despite the fact that they were initially set up as a puppet for the U.S. and U.K., they have been acting – in the last couple of decades – more as the independent international organization that they were always purported to be. Which is probably why the right-wingers can’t stand the U.N.! (Hey, they’re no longer playing the game!) But, we’re not talking about minor infractions here. We’re talking about torture! We’re talking about war crimes, being perpetrated by . . . the “good guys”! WE are are supposed to be above such things. WE are supposed to know better. Oy! No wonder we’ve lost the trust and respect of much of the free world. Obama certainly has his work cut out for him.

As much as the mere idea of a blanket pardon might be a travesty of justice, to people of good conscience, here’s what I think. Bush WON’T issue one. Why, you might ask? Why should he, might be the more relevant question. This is the United States of America. A traditionally most forgiving nation. And, one that seems to have a combination of: attention deficit disorder, and a VERY short memory. Anything that didn’t happen within the past month or two is ancient history. Right? Plus, despite popular support, most sitting politicians, and pending ones (Barack Obama, for one) are generally unwilling to put the country through the kind of intense drama that a Watergate, or Iran-Contra type hearing would present, especially considering the numerous hardships this country is currently facing. Here’s another reason for you. The utter arrogance of the George W. Bush administration. We didn’t do anything wrong! Executive privilege, yo! Little people have to obey the laws . . . not us. This has been the prevailing attitude for the past 7+ years. Why mess with a good thing?

As a final note, here is something for all of you to consider. The municipality of Dubai is NOT a member of the ICC (International Criminal Court). Nor does the United States have an extradition treaty with Dubai. It’s the ultimate, safe haven, neutral-zone for the highest flying crooks. Duh-bya, Dickie, Donnie and company, along with all their corporate crony/crook friends, who have raped and pillaged this once wealthy nation, have a very comfy sanctuary to retire to.

If you listen closely, you can almost here ol’ George saying . . . one more time: Bring ’em on!

YUR

Obama’s Economic Inheritance . . .

and some final(?) words on this campaign.

Barack Obama has certainly inherited what, in all likelihood, could be the country’s biggest economic mess, in all of U.S. history.  Perhaps even greater than when FDR had to deal with the Great Depression.  At least back then Americans were much more humble about the work they WOULD do, and the U.S. could compete industrially.  These days just about everything can be produced cheaper on foreign soil.  Much/most of the service industry has been outsourced to countries like India and the Philippines.  And, banking and other financial jobs are dwindling faster than Michael Bloomberg can renege on term limits!  We certainly can’t ALL join the Military, or mercenary firms like Evergreen, DynCorp, Blackwater, etc.  We can’t all be doctors, lawyers, teachers, or various civil servants, either.  We’re going to have to develop new industries, such as renewable/alternative energies.  Environmental and infrastructure projects are desperately needed, and . . . I don’t know what else, BUT it’s not going to be easy, and it’s NOT going to happen overnight. 

I wouldn’t begin to blame this entire mess on George W. Bush, because this has been a long time coming (Asian countries becoming industrialized, de-regulation going back as far as the Reagan years, NAFTA, etc, etc.).  But, unfortunately for Duh-bya, it has all come to a head under his watch.  I definitely DON’T like just about ANY of his policies (foreign or domestic), but he really didn’t do much to remedy the growing situation, either.  He’ll very likely be remembered as a 21^st Century version of Herbert Hoover, in this regard.
 
John McCain’s “time” was back in 2000, when he was still a (real) maverick.  He was cheated by the Neocons, who had hijacked the Republican Party, back then.  And, I feel he was very likely set up to fail this time, by those very same people.  It definitely didn’t help that his campaign was centered on essentially continuing the Bush doctrine.  Staying the course in Iraq, and favoring Big Business and the rich, over the middle and poorer classes, was clearly a recipe for failure.  And, no matter how gracious and deferential he’s been to her, I refuse to believe that Sarah Palin was actually John McCain’s choice.  Maybe Karl Rove thought he really could manipulate the masses – one more time – with this bizarre, unknown, extreme right, storybook character . . . or maybe he knew there was no way John could possibly win with her.  We might never know . . . unless Karl writes a tell all book some day.  And, I kinda doubt that.
 
The vast majority of Americans desperately wanted a clean break from the failures of nearly 8 years of the Bush/Cheney administration’s lying and bullying mentality.  They longed for a return to diplomacy and civility, and a departure from the politics of fear.  Barack Obama best expressed/represented those ideals.  We’re just going to have to be realistic in our expectations with Mr. Obama.  He’s just a man . . . not a messiah.  No one should expect miracles.  It’s going to take a lot of hard work and patience to turn things around.  I think we’re going to see greater international cooperation with President Obama, and I think that will be the key to righting this ship.  I think this time we really need, and we finally got, an actual “Uniter“.  Only time will tell, but (renewed) hope springs eternal!  (How audacious of US!)

YUR