Take Your Time Mr. President

I've been very busy with work and home and have not had time to post, but I have to take a moment and discuss a blog entry I read on the The Huffington Post. It is by Tony Blankley, a columnist for the Washington Times. Tony is one of the four regulars on Public Radio International's "Left Right and Center", a political talk show. I believe he is intelligent, thoughtful and generally one of the spokespersons for the Republicans/Conservatives that I can tolerate.

However, after reading this, "To Die for an Exit Strategy", I have to comment. Click on the title link to read the article for yourself or click here.

Essentially, Mr. Blankley's criticizing Mr. Obama for his recent decision to require an "exist strategy" from the military commanders in concert with the discussions around additional troop deployments. For several weeks now, the discussion in the media has been "How many?" Some said if he doesn't send 40,000 additional troops, he's not taking this seriously. Some said we don't need any. Some said something in-between.

Additionally, the usual Republican mouth breathers like Dick Cheney castigated the president for "dithering". Of course, Mr. Cheney and his ilk would think nothing of sending another 40 thousand or 100,000 thousand to fight. That's part of their collective consciousness. I would be incredibly surprised if a rational thought came out of that crowd.

These people haven't read history. If they had, they'd have realized that many people have attempted to subjugate the Afghan countryside and its people and have failed to hold it. From Alexander the Great, to the Mongols, to the British to the Russians, and now us. We have been there for 8 years, and still have not seen the original objectives attained: Democracy (real), Mullah Omar (remember him?), Osama Bin Laden captured (remember "dead or alive"?, heckuva job there Georgie), the Taliban wiped out. All efforts have failed.

Now this president, 10 months into his presidency wants to take some time and think through the problem. Think through the problem. Wow, there is an interesting thought. Now, this president wants a viable exit strategy to get out of this morass before committing additional troops. Remember, we've been there over 8 years now. We are past the halfway point of our engagement in Viet Nam. It's starting to look more and more like that fiasco of 30 years ago.

Mr. Blankley thinks that in the words of George M. Cohan, "we won't come home til it's over, over there". The lyrics are from that old patriotic song "Over There" that Cohan wrote for World War I. He thinks soldiers will fight on and on if we just tell them it's what we believe in and what we need to do. Fair enough. Some soldiers are engineered to obey orders, however ridiculous and short sighted they may be. That is their job. However, it's not our job. These kids need us to cut through the Bull Shit that people like Mr. Blankley spews and say "Enough!". I hope he's not trying to use this as a political tool and simply has a straight policy argument with the administration. I fear otherwise, as these Republican sharks sense some blood in the water. Oh, and to Mr. Blankley and Mr. Cohan: It's really never "Over, Over there" is it?

Mr. President, take your time and think this through. No US Soldier should be ordered into combat without clear objectives, and yes a clear exit strategy. To do otherwise is dangerous and costs lives. You owe this to your forces and you owe it to the country.

Mr. Blankley, for all your erudition, your article sounds like the clap-trap coming from Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh. I thought you were better than that. Evidently not.

regards,

Dennis

Hunger in America

Please click on the highlighted link to go to FeedingAmerica.org's information about Hunger Action Month. The site will provide information on how you can help 1 in 8 Americans who will face hunger issues today.

People going hungry in this country seems almost impossible. Our country is one of the wealthiest on the earth, with signficant assets both monetary and agricultural. We shouldn't have a hunger problem in this country.

But, as John Adams said, "Facts are stubborn things", and the fact is we do have a hunger problem in this country. It is a serious one at that. Below are some statistics from the USDA that you will find, as I did, disconcerting.

Hunger and Poverty Statistics (source: US Census Bureau, Carmen DeNavas-Walt, B. Proctor, C.Lee Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007; USDA Mark Nord, M.Andrews, S.Carlson. Household Food Security in the United States, 2007; Rhoda Cohen, M.Kim, J.Ohis. Hunger in America 2006. Feeding America)

Poverty - defined as a family of four with a median income of $21,800 or less.

• in 2007, 37.3 million people (12.5%) were in poverty
• in 2007, 7.6 (9.8%) million families were in poverty
• in 2007, 20.3 million (10.9%) of people aged 18-64 were in poverty
• in 2007, 13.3 million (18%) children under the age of 18 were in poverty
• in 2007, 3.6 million (9.7%) seniors 65 and older were in poverty

Food Insecurity - defined as: where people lack the basic food intake to provide them the energy and nutrition for fully productive lives

• In 2007, 36.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 23.8 million adults and 12.4 million children.
• In 2007, 11.1 percent of households (13 million households) were food insecure.
• In 2007, 4.1 percent of households (4.7 million households) experienced very low food security.
• In 2007 Households with children reported food insecurity at almost double the rate for those without children, 15.8 percent compared to 8.7 percent.
• In 2007 Households that were more liekly to experience food insecurity were households with children (15.8%), households with children headed by single women (30.2 percent) or single men (18 percent), household with income below the poverty line (37.7 percent), Black non-Hispanic households (22.2 percent) and Hispanic households (20.1 percent).
• In 2007, 6.5 percent of households with seniors (1.7 million households) were food insecure (low food security and very low food security).

There is a strong correlation between nutrition and health. Eating the correct foods helps boost immune systems and reduce the amount of infection and illness we experience. Think of not eating. Not only is there malnutrition occurring, where in children, it is extremely harmful to their development, the ability to ward off even the most basic viruses and bacterial infections is reduced.

Food is a basic requirement for all of us. Some of us (like me) eat too much. Some can't get enough to survive. All in this country. We have to rethink our approach to our basic responsibilties to each other. Why is it more appropriate for us to spend $1 Trillion dollars fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and we aren't spending the same amount of money on health care and hunger prevention? Think about that for a minute. Do some research and realize that basic diseases like influenza kill upwards of 30 thousand Americans every year. How many people did the terrorist kill last year? Looking at it from a cold (and morbid) perspective, the cost-benefit of fighting disease versus fighting Osama Bin Laden is fairly clear.

We need to pay attention to those around us we often ignore due to our busy lives. Children, Old people, families are sinking into levels of abject poverty I can't even imagine. I've not paid attention to this and I'm ashamed of myself for it. No more. This blog site will be paying particular attention to hunger issues in this country going forward. I believe we all can make the lives of our fellow Americans much better if we just make a small effort to understand and help with the hunger issue today. Go to www.feedingamerica.org. Contact your local food bank. Donate during food drives at your work or church or school. It's surprising how much good you can do with little effort and money.

No one in this country should be hungry. Let's fix that problem.

Tell me what you think,

Regards,
Dennis

Thank You Senator Kennedy

Much has been said and written about the late Senator Edward Kennedy in recent days. Since his death on Tuesday, an outpouring of primarily fond remembrances and tributes have come forward from presidents, colleagues in the congress, members of the Kennedy family, and finally the American people.

It's impossible to say something that hasn't already been said about the Senator in terms of tribute. So, I won't attempt to glorify the man nor point out his faults. I like to think of him at work, where regardless of victory or defeat, he was in the arena making his case for whatever cause was being discussed. The picture on this post is the way I want to remember him; as the people's advocate.

One of the reasons I am a Liberal is Ted Kennedy. Senator Kennedy pushed for programs that would invariably cost himself and people in his wealth level money. The reason he did this was not because he necessarily wanted wealth distribution, he certainly enjoyed the privilege of wealth. I think he did it because he was thunderstruck by the plight of the people in this country who are wanting. Whether he was arguing for civil rights, women's rights (thanks to his efforts and many others, because of Title IX, my daughters can compete in athletics in school and university), and his self proclaimed "Cause Of My Life", national healthcare, Mr. Kennedy seemed to always be on the side of those who were in need. I think Mr. Kennedy had an innate sense of fairness and this showed up time and again as exemplified in 2007 when he was on the floor of the senate roaring his displeasure at the time it was taking to consider an increase in the minimum wage.

A good but flawed man, he worked very hard for his principles, his constituents and honestly, for people he never even knew. I'll close this post with an excerpt of the eulogy he did for his brother Robert. I think it is just as fitting for Teddy.

"My brother need to be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."

Thank you Senator Kennedy.

Cut The Crap Already

I've had it with you "protesters" who are disrupting all the town meetings where health care reform is being discussed. Look at the picture to the left. This moron is holding a picture of our president with a fucking Adolph Hitler mustache. Implication made: Obama = Hitler. Okay, first of all, these dumb asses have been claiming Obama is a socialist. Now you say Obama = Hitler. Idiots. Hitler was not a socialist. He was a fascist who utilized the corporations to fund his maniacal plans. Pure and simply, the analogy doesn't work. You want to use Stalin if you are attempting to paint Obama a socialist, which he clearly isn't. You dumb and moronic people you. Comparing our president with Adolph Hitler is more than insulting. It shows an enormous amount of ignorance on the part of the person who makes the comparison. No president in the history of this country compares to Adolph Hitler. None. For an American to actually make this comparison is reprehensible.


Your bloviating gas bags such as Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of corrupted gene pool who have a voice on TV or radio fan the flames of fear by using lies to get the rest of our idiotic population terrified of "death panels" and "Government interference in Medicare".



God, how stupid you people are. If you genuinely believe this drivel, you need to get a remedial education in history and governance in this country. You also need to do the background research on Obama and understand this is a man of deep conviction for helping people. How in the world does this translate to Obama being Hitler? The irony here is that Hitler was a devout believer in the "master race". Obama would be an abomination to Hitler in that he is mixed race. Obama likely would have been sent to one of Hitler's camps because of his genealogy.


The Republican members of Congress who are supporting these slack-jawed morons who show up at these events for the sole purpose of disrupting civil discourse and debate are pussies. They hide behind "don't deprive these people of their first amendment rights" as a reason not to criticize a group of stupid, vacuous, ill-mannered, ill-informed, fools who unknowingly are a front to the corporate lobby who is desperately trying to kill health care reform because it would reduce their profits.



It is absurd to think that Obama or anyone would support "death panels" that would deny coverage because of age. Wait. Maybe it's not so absurd. Insurance companies have been doing this for years. However, no where in any of the written legislation does it say anything about "death panels". No where. Not one sentence. Even Newt Gingrich, the saint of the right wing had to walk this back when challenged by George Stephanopolous recently on television. Newt tried to insert his view of what might happen in the legislation. In other words, he made it up! He lied. Not surprising since it seems all the Republican leadership does anymore is lie.

Health care reform has been sorely needed in this country for decades and is consistently killed not by people who have a better way of providing health care but by people who stand to lose profits if health care is reformed. As "Deep Throat" told Woodward and Bernstien in the WaterGate mess.. "Follow The Money". Follow the fact the Health Insurance lobby is spending over $1.4M per DAY to fight reform. Ask yourself why? Why would Health Insurance companies spend so much to fight reform that would provide coverage to everyone? Well, dip-shit, the answer is: They don't want to cover everyone! They want to be able to deny coverage, revoke coverage, raise rates and lower coverage caps. Why, you might ask? You morons. Because it eats into profits.



If any of you mouth breathers who actually support not reforming health care were denied coverage for yourself or a loved one for a pre-existing condition or denied coverage because your insurance company didn't want to pay for the treatment and still believe that health care reform is a bad thing, then fine, say what you want, when you want. But. If you are currently covered with good health care insurance and want to deny it for others because you might think it could impact yours, then Fuck You, you selfish bastards.



You idiotic, horses asses.

And In The End, The Love You Take is Equal To The Love You Make

With apologies to Sir Paul, It was Forty Years Ago Today....

August 8, 1969, the cover photograph for "Abbey Road", which is my 2nd favorite Beatles album (the first being Revolver) was taken. While this isn't a political post, I think it's important to note the last album of the most important rock and roll group ever assembled. "Let It Be" was released later, in 1970, but it was recorded prior to the Abbey Road sessions which found the four musicians back with their favorite producer, George Martin. According to Martin, he initially refused to work with them again because of all the enmity that had surfaced. Paul cajoled him and the others back to the studio and the result was a terrific album full of variety and new sounds.

The Beatles were probably the most variable of the power-house bands of the 60's and 70's. Their ability to change and set new paths regarding popular music was unrivaled. Yes, Brian Jones messed with the sitar prior to the Beatles, but Harrison took it to places unheard of. Listen to "Love You To" off of the Revolver track or "Within You Without You" on their masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper. This was like nothing that had come out of a rock and roll record ever. That's just one example. The experimentation with reverb, back-tracking, incorporation of orchestral music into classic guitar band songs set the stage for the Pink Floyd's, Led Zeppelin's and U2's yet to come.

Abbey Road is one of my favorite albums because of the unique variety of the tracks on the record. "Something", arguably George Harrison's best song and the first non Lennon-McCartney Beatles song to make number 1, is on the album as is "Here Comes The Sun", another terrific Harrison composition.

The songs on the album range from bluesy "Oh Darling!", to funky "Come Together", to zany "Octopus's Garden", which was Ringo's song on the album. The B-Side of the album starts with the aforementioned Here Comes the Sun and Because, then a 16 minute medley of fast and hard rock, excellent harmony and very bizarre word pictures describing "Mean Mr. Mustard", "Polythene Pam", and some chick who came in through the bathroom window.

The final-full song on the album is fittingly called the "The End". It is at the tail-end of the medley on the B-Side and features some scorching guitar licks from George, Paul and John with a pounding drum solo by Ringo. It seems as if they were telling all of us, "This is It, and we're going out with a bang!".

There are other Rock and Roll albums that are better. Dark Side of the Moon comes to mind as does the Joshua Tree or Led Zeppelin IV, but I think Abbey Road is one for the ages.

regards,

Dennis