The past few days I've been seriously disturbed at the discussions I am seeing regarding torture. This country is now so polarized that there are people arguing that if Bush wants to torture prisoners he should be allowed to, and arguing which tortures are ok and which are not.
It hasn't been that long ago when we (meaning the United States) were regarded as and also regarded ourselves as the good guys. We did things the right way because it was the right way. I guess in today's terminology you could say we had a moral compass. That seems to be entirely gone now, at least at a governmental level. In the past we would never have discussed what torture was acceptable because the answer would have been a resounding "none."
The current administration not only defends torture as something good, but our Attorney General wants acceptable torture methods defined as anything that doesn't cause organ failure or death. Using this definition, beatings, rapes, removing fingernails, shoving objects under fingernails, removing fingers and toes, castration (as long as blood loss is minimized) and any number of other horrors of the medieval torture chamber would be perfectly acceptable methods for U.S. interrogators to use.
Maybe it's just me, but this more than anything I can imagine, defines what is wrong with the current President and his cronies. What kind of people can even think torture justified? What is worse, according to statistics, upward of 80% of those we pick up and detain are innocent. They are people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. That means that when we torture them for the critical information we think they have, they cannot stop the torture by giving in and telling us what we want to know. They don't know anything in the first place.
Finally, what about the long term psychological and physical effects of prolonged torture? Just because the person didn't suffer organ failure or die doesn't mean they didn't suffer and may continue to suffer for a lifetime. What sort of a nation are we turning into that this sort of atrocity could ever be considered OK and acceptable? How much deeper do we have to sink before the voters say "enough is enough" and attempt to bring back this country's honor?
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Update on NIC Report
The part they declassified on the report was sort of an Executive Summary and fully supports what people have been saying about the leaked portions of the report plus a bit. It's very well-balanced and acknowledges progress as well as failure.
The sections on Iraq are, however, chilling. Essentially they concluded that for the time we are dithering around and not winning in Iraq we are allowing the radical Islamists a breeding ground and recruiting tool they never had before. The conclusion was that inasmuch as we do not decisively win in Iraq so that the terrorists leave feeling they failed, we have fueled world terrorism.
The report concludes that Al-Quaida has been weakened, which is something we knew, but that it has also splintered and decentralized and that other groups have also been created with only philosophical rather than political ties to Al-Quaida. The report stresses that this makes them harder to find and harder to stop.
The positive conclusions were that the spread of democracy and the creation of governments where people have some say and don't view their government as corrupt and oppressive would go a long way toward defusing the root cause of terrorism. It points out that most Muslims do not want a Sharia state that the radicals envision. The downside to this is that many moderate Muslims are radicalized by our presence in the Middle East and our inability to stop or even curb the violence that started when we came into Iraq.
The overall tone of the report's conclusions are chilling. They are not generally positive nor do they seem to be suggesting a solution. I can see why Bush didn't want this report out. It's not that there is anything whatever in it that should have been classified. Classification should not be used solely because the conclusions reached in a report makes a current or past administration look bad, weak, and ineffective. That is apparently why this particular report was classified.
Republicans have been quick to point out the conclusion that says it is critical to controlling terrorism that we win in Iraq. This is true. What they neglect to mention is that had we never gone into Iraq and then decided not to win there, there would be no current focus and breeding ground for terrorists as there is today. To be fair, they might have found somewhere else, but to be honest that's not what happened. So yes, it's critical we win now that we're there, but the report leaves no doubt whatever that it would have been much better for the world had we never gone in there in the first place.
Personally I am not encouraged by the conclusions of the report. I am even more discouraged that the present government found it necessary to hide these conclusions from us pretending they somehow compromised national security, which they do not in any way do. The report itself is apparently 32 pages long. I am not sure if it is being declassified. I hope so.
The sections on Iraq are, however, chilling. Essentially they concluded that for the time we are dithering around and not winning in Iraq we are allowing the radical Islamists a breeding ground and recruiting tool they never had before. The conclusion was that inasmuch as we do not decisively win in Iraq so that the terrorists leave feeling they failed, we have fueled world terrorism.
The report concludes that Al-Quaida has been weakened, which is something we knew, but that it has also splintered and decentralized and that other groups have also been created with only philosophical rather than political ties to Al-Quaida. The report stresses that this makes them harder to find and harder to stop.
The positive conclusions were that the spread of democracy and the creation of governments where people have some say and don't view their government as corrupt and oppressive would go a long way toward defusing the root cause of terrorism. It points out that most Muslims do not want a Sharia state that the radicals envision. The downside to this is that many moderate Muslims are radicalized by our presence in the Middle East and our inability to stop or even curb the violence that started when we came into Iraq.
The overall tone of the report's conclusions are chilling. They are not generally positive nor do they seem to be suggesting a solution. I can see why Bush didn't want this report out. It's not that there is anything whatever in it that should have been classified. Classification should not be used solely because the conclusions reached in a report makes a current or past administration look bad, weak, and ineffective. That is apparently why this particular report was classified.
Republicans have been quick to point out the conclusion that says it is critical to controlling terrorism that we win in Iraq. This is true. What they neglect to mention is that had we never gone into Iraq and then decided not to win there, there would be no current focus and breeding ground for terrorists as there is today. To be fair, they might have found somewhere else, but to be honest that's not what happened. So yes, it's critical we win now that we're there, but the report leaves no doubt whatever that it would have been much better for the world had we never gone in there in the first place.
Personally I am not encouraged by the conclusions of the report. I am even more discouraged that the present government found it necessary to hide these conclusions from us pretending they somehow compromised national security, which they do not in any way do. The report itself is apparently 32 pages long. I am not sure if it is being declassified. I hope so.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
The Latest Security Leak
I am looking forward to the imminent release of the full text of the latest leaked security assessment. I've already seen Bush putting enormous spin on what the leaked portions actually say, though having read them, I don't see what he sees to be honest.
The President states that people are saying that the report claims that his handling of the Iraq war has increased the threat of terrorist attacks to Americans. Unless he's reading a different report than appeared in the NY Times, that's not what I am seeing at all. What the released portion of the report are saying is that the administrations invasion of Iraq and then total mishandling of the war have increased the world-wide threat of terrorism. By extension that could be read to include the U.S. but it was not specifically saying just the U.S.
John Negroponte is quoted as saying that the report is a comprehensive assessment that highlights the importance of Iraq on the future of global jihadism. This sounds like a very accurate assessment from my point of view. The eventual outcome of the war in Iraq undoubtedly will have an enormous impact on the future of global terrorism.
What Mr. Negroponte and the President fail to acknowledge, however, is that this is true only because we invaded in the first place and then totally mishandled the war itself from that point onward, while stubbornly sticking to a plan that has proven itself to be an utter and abysmal failure. The Iraq war and the resulting insurgency are now the main focus and the main recruiting tools for the new generation of Islamic extremists. Virtually everyone acknowledges that this is true.
What is also true is that this focus would not exist had we not invaded Iraq or if we had invaded with a clear and workable plan to actually win the war once we were there. It was critical that the administration be sufficiently nimble to change directions once we were there and it became apparent that the flowers on the streets beneath our feet and the eternal fawning gratitude were not going to materialize. On this the administration has failed miserably. Stay the Course and We'll Stand Down When the Iraqis Stand Up are not war plans. They're political slogans.
So unless the full report contains something of significance beyond what we have already been shown, the press assessments are correct. Thanks to Bush's missteps and inability and will to actually win the war in Iraq, we have provided the world's terrorists with a focus for recruiting more jihadists because they have a perfect training ground in Iraq, complete with Americans to murder. It is a moot point as to whether that will eventually prove out to mean that there is an increased terror threat in the U.S. Europe and the rest of the world also count when it comes to assessing the international threat level.
Personally, my assessment is that if you give International terrorism a focus for recruitment, eventually you have also ensured that no matter how much you work to avoid it, there will one day be more major attacks here. I will read the report when it's released and comment on it here.
The President states that people are saying that the report claims that his handling of the Iraq war has increased the threat of terrorist attacks to Americans. Unless he's reading a different report than appeared in the NY Times, that's not what I am seeing at all. What the released portion of the report are saying is that the administrations invasion of Iraq and then total mishandling of the war have increased the world-wide threat of terrorism. By extension that could be read to include the U.S. but it was not specifically saying just the U.S.
John Negroponte is quoted as saying that the report is a comprehensive assessment that highlights the importance of Iraq on the future of global jihadism. This sounds like a very accurate assessment from my point of view. The eventual outcome of the war in Iraq undoubtedly will have an enormous impact on the future of global terrorism.
What Mr. Negroponte and the President fail to acknowledge, however, is that this is true only because we invaded in the first place and then totally mishandled the war itself from that point onward, while stubbornly sticking to a plan that has proven itself to be an utter and abysmal failure. The Iraq war and the resulting insurgency are now the main focus and the main recruiting tools for the new generation of Islamic extremists. Virtually everyone acknowledges that this is true.
What is also true is that this focus would not exist had we not invaded Iraq or if we had invaded with a clear and workable plan to actually win the war once we were there. It was critical that the administration be sufficiently nimble to change directions once we were there and it became apparent that the flowers on the streets beneath our feet and the eternal fawning gratitude were not going to materialize. On this the administration has failed miserably. Stay the Course and We'll Stand Down When the Iraqis Stand Up are not war plans. They're political slogans.
So unless the full report contains something of significance beyond what we have already been shown, the press assessments are correct. Thanks to Bush's missteps and inability and will to actually win the war in Iraq, we have provided the world's terrorists with a focus for recruiting more jihadists because they have a perfect training ground in Iraq, complete with Americans to murder. It is a moot point as to whether that will eventually prove out to mean that there is an increased terror threat in the U.S. Europe and the rest of the world also count when it comes to assessing the international threat level.
Personally, my assessment is that if you give International terrorism a focus for recruitment, eventually you have also ensured that no matter how much you work to avoid it, there will one day be more major attacks here. I will read the report when it's released and comment on it here.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Interesting Last 24 Hours
The past 24 hours has been very interesting as in "May you live in interesting times." It started last night when my daughter decided to take her two dogs with her when she went with a friend to run a few errands. She came home about an hour later in hysterics, stopping just long enough to drop off one of the dogs.
Seems the other one. The male, was on his way to the vet after having jumped out of a moving car that was going about 30 mph and into traffic. Fortunately he didn't get hit by any of the cars behind them. He's a mess, but is extremely fortunate. He has no broken bones, no pulled tendons, and doesn't have a concussion. What he does have is some really nasty road rash and (though we cannot see any) bruises everywhere according to the vet. He's on antibiotics and pain pills for a few days.
Today I took care of him. He's barely able to walk he's limping so badly. He's sleeping a lot. Fortunately we have a wheelchair ramp at the front of the house so he can get down to do his business without using the stairs, which are clearly beyond him at the moment.
The second interesting thing was that last week I was listening to a talk radio show where I live. The host was talking politics and it reminded me of a piece I wrote here giving advice to the Democrats. So I sent a copy of it off to his show and promptly forgot about it.
Today I got a call from his producer, praising the piece not only for its contents but also for the quality of the writing. They wanted me to come on the show for a segment. This was quite cool. First he read what I had written, then he asked me quite a few questions. After that they opened up the phone lines. The entire segment lasted about an hour. I was nervous at first, but quickly relaxed and did ok. It was nice. I guess that's my 15 minutes of fame.
I told him that the DNC had ignored my message other than to begin innundating me with requests for money. He asked if they ever did respond that I share it with him, which I said I would do. He noted, however, that both of us will probably be chipping icicles in hell before that happens.
Seems the other one. The male, was on his way to the vet after having jumped out of a moving car that was going about 30 mph and into traffic. Fortunately he didn't get hit by any of the cars behind them. He's a mess, but is extremely fortunate. He has no broken bones, no pulled tendons, and doesn't have a concussion. What he does have is some really nasty road rash and (though we cannot see any) bruises everywhere according to the vet. He's on antibiotics and pain pills for a few days.
Today I took care of him. He's barely able to walk he's limping so badly. He's sleeping a lot. Fortunately we have a wheelchair ramp at the front of the house so he can get down to do his business without using the stairs, which are clearly beyond him at the moment.
The second interesting thing was that last week I was listening to a talk radio show where I live. The host was talking politics and it reminded me of a piece I wrote here giving advice to the Democrats. So I sent a copy of it off to his show and promptly forgot about it.
Today I got a call from his producer, praising the piece not only for its contents but also for the quality of the writing. They wanted me to come on the show for a segment. This was quite cool. First he read what I had written, then he asked me quite a few questions. After that they opened up the phone lines. The entire segment lasted about an hour. I was nervous at first, but quickly relaxed and did ok. It was nice. I guess that's my 15 minutes of fame.
I told him that the DNC had ignored my message other than to begin innundating me with requests for money. He asked if they ever did respond that I share it with him, which I said I would do. He noted, however, that both of us will probably be chipping icicles in hell before that happens.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The Drums of War
In the back of my mind these days I hear the drums of war beginning to take up the beat once again. The administration is already building a case for going into Iran, either with what they call "surgical strikes" or with a full scale invasion.
I think somehow our illustrious leader imagines that we can go in and bomb one or two sites as the Israelis did in Libya and that will eliminate the Iranian nuclear program. From what I have read, we know of about two dozen nuclear sites of one sort or another in Iran. That undoubtedly means there are at least another dozen or so we don't have a clue about. The bottom line there is that we cannot actually get it all in one fell swoop.
In addition, the administration seems to believe that if they were to do this, that Iran would just roll over and play dead. That's not likely to happen with convenient targets (namely U.S. military) just over the open border in Iraq. The Iranian leader is a nutcase who believes we are coming up on the end of the world and that he wants to speed that up. This is the guy who considers it perfectly logical and sane to write dialogue on post it notes and toss them down a well and imagine that he is conversing with a long dead holy man. This is the guy we're depending on to act logically and sanely if we attack him.
There is every indication that much of what we're being fed by the administration currently is a crock, much along the lines of the WMD stockpiles and nuclear programs in Iraq before the war. The nuclear regulatory agency says that the Iranian program is years further behind than the US is claiming. So far on such matters, they haven't been wrong and we haven't been right even a single time. Much of what is being written these days also dwells on the fact that the Iranian people are not nearly as disaffected as the expatriate community would have us believe. That is the same as we discovered to our chagrin in Iraq as well.
With the midterms coming up and a presidential election only two years away, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if Bush picks another war just to see Republicans remain in power. I mean, they cannot point to anything they've done in the form of legislation that would make people want to keep them. So maybe embroiling us in yet another war would somehow do the trick. *sigh*
I think somehow our illustrious leader imagines that we can go in and bomb one or two sites as the Israelis did in Libya and that will eliminate the Iranian nuclear program. From what I have read, we know of about two dozen nuclear sites of one sort or another in Iran. That undoubtedly means there are at least another dozen or so we don't have a clue about. The bottom line there is that we cannot actually get it all in one fell swoop.
In addition, the administration seems to believe that if they were to do this, that Iran would just roll over and play dead. That's not likely to happen with convenient targets (namely U.S. military) just over the open border in Iraq. The Iranian leader is a nutcase who believes we are coming up on the end of the world and that he wants to speed that up. This is the guy who considers it perfectly logical and sane to write dialogue on post it notes and toss them down a well and imagine that he is conversing with a long dead holy man. This is the guy we're depending on to act logically and sanely if we attack him.
There is every indication that much of what we're being fed by the administration currently is a crock, much along the lines of the WMD stockpiles and nuclear programs in Iraq before the war. The nuclear regulatory agency says that the Iranian program is years further behind than the US is claiming. So far on such matters, they haven't been wrong and we haven't been right even a single time. Much of what is being written these days also dwells on the fact that the Iranian people are not nearly as disaffected as the expatriate community would have us believe. That is the same as we discovered to our chagrin in Iraq as well.
With the midterms coming up and a presidential election only two years away, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if Bush picks another war just to see Republicans remain in power. I mean, they cannot point to anything they've done in the form of legislation that would make people want to keep them. So maybe embroiling us in yet another war would somehow do the trick. *sigh*
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Family Wedding
I attended my youngest sister's wedding yesterday. Well, she's also my niece, but that's another story for another day. It was a nice wedding and was a day I am positive she felt would never actually come. She is 41 years old and has never been married. She's been in two extremely long-term relationships and has a 14 year old daughter from one of them. But she's never been married.
Yesterday two of her brothers marched her down the aisle, and my sister (her birth mother) gave her away. The ceremony itself was short and simple. Her new husband interrupted the ceremony several times to proclaim at the top of his voice that she was his best friend and how much he loved her. It was very touching. He also got down on his knees to put the ring on her finger. They were both horribly nervous and shaking by the time it was over and they were finally married.
Lisa looked pretty in her wedding dress. Her daughter was one of the bridesmaids. She looked happier than I ever remember seeing her. I made her promise me she's wait until I was at least ten miles away from the area before she threw the bouquet. One cannot be too careful.
The reception was nice, but I left fairly early. Large crowds and lots of noise get on my nerves. It was great to see my nephews and their wives and children there. However, the dogs were here alone outside, and with my catarracts I don't see as well at night as I used to, so I wanted to avoid driving after dark as much as I could. It was a long drive.
Susan stayed down there, but she and Tammy (as usual when they drink) got into a fight, so Tammy came back up here about 2:30 in the morning. I'm tired, having been awakened in the middle of the night. Given that I was here with the dogs alone, I didn't really get much sleep before then either, with them barking every time someone farted in this half of the county. Obviously, once awake I didn't get much sleep afterward either. Two nights of bad sleep now. Tonight will be three as Susan and Tammy are sure to get drunk and get into another screaming match.
Yesterday two of her brothers marched her down the aisle, and my sister (her birth mother) gave her away. The ceremony itself was short and simple. Her new husband interrupted the ceremony several times to proclaim at the top of his voice that she was his best friend and how much he loved her. It was very touching. He also got down on his knees to put the ring on her finger. They were both horribly nervous and shaking by the time it was over and they were finally married.
Lisa looked pretty in her wedding dress. Her daughter was one of the bridesmaids. She looked happier than I ever remember seeing her. I made her promise me she's wait until I was at least ten miles away from the area before she threw the bouquet. One cannot be too careful.
The reception was nice, but I left fairly early. Large crowds and lots of noise get on my nerves. It was great to see my nephews and their wives and children there. However, the dogs were here alone outside, and with my catarracts I don't see as well at night as I used to, so I wanted to avoid driving after dark as much as I could. It was a long drive.
Susan stayed down there, but she and Tammy (as usual when they drink) got into a fight, so Tammy came back up here about 2:30 in the morning. I'm tired, having been awakened in the middle of the night. Given that I was here with the dogs alone, I didn't really get much sleep before then either, with them barking every time someone farted in this half of the county. Obviously, once awake I didn't get much sleep afterward either. Two nights of bad sleep now. Tonight will be three as Susan and Tammy are sure to get drunk and get into another screaming match.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Hurt Feelings
My feelings are a bit hurt today. It has to do with my computer. About a month or so ago I mentioned I wanted to upgrade my memory. My daughter said she would check the memory to see what kind I did the upcoming weekend. She never did. I've mentioned her promise to her several times over the past month. She always says she'll do it, she never did, so I just stopped asking. Please understand it's not that I was unable to do it myself, but rather that I hate messing around inside computers, and she does it for a living.
What hurts is that she's always ready and available to help anyone else with their computer at a moment's notice. She will spend hours, and sometimes even a whole day working on her Dad's computer, her ex-husband's new girlfriend's computer, or those of total strangers she runs into in bars. She does it almost immediately and without hesitation. I have to ask and ask then she doesn't do it anyway. It makes me feel as if everyone else counts and I don't, I guess.
Of course there is an easy way around this, and it is the path I will take. I'll either do the work myself or I will pay to have it done in the future.
Yesterday I took the case off the computer and removed the memory stick. I decided that since I had no way of telling what I needed to know to get another one, I put the stick in a static sleeve and took it to the computer store with me. I got the new memory and came home. Then the fun began. I absolutely couldn't get the new memory into the computer. I struggled, scratched my hands up, broke nails, but no joy. Friends online gave me advice. I told Susan about it and she said she'd get it in when she got home.
She came home. No help. She ate dinner. No help afterward. Then she decided she had to go somewhere with her friend who needed help, while she saw me here struggling again to get the memory upgrade into the computer. I felt a bit like crying. She has time for everyone in the world but not five minutes for me. Yeah, I know, I'm feeling sorry for myself. But it does hurt.
Finally, when I was on the verge of simply giving up and returning the memory to the store the following morning, it clicked into place. I had done it by myself.
What leaves a bad taste in my mouth still is that I learned this morning that not only had I asked her, but her girlfriend has said something as had her ex-husband. They told her she should take a couple of minutes to help me out since I had wasted the better part of a day trying to do a job she could do in five minutes. There has to be a reason why she absolutely refuses to help me with anything. I just don't know what it is. It's not as if we have a bad relationship or anything. I just don't understand why. And yeah, being neglected and ignored doesn't feel good.
What hurts is that she's always ready and available to help anyone else with their computer at a moment's notice. She will spend hours, and sometimes even a whole day working on her Dad's computer, her ex-husband's new girlfriend's computer, or those of total strangers she runs into in bars. She does it almost immediately and without hesitation. I have to ask and ask then she doesn't do it anyway. It makes me feel as if everyone else counts and I don't, I guess.
Of course there is an easy way around this, and it is the path I will take. I'll either do the work myself or I will pay to have it done in the future.
Yesterday I took the case off the computer and removed the memory stick. I decided that since I had no way of telling what I needed to know to get another one, I put the stick in a static sleeve and took it to the computer store with me. I got the new memory and came home. Then the fun began. I absolutely couldn't get the new memory into the computer. I struggled, scratched my hands up, broke nails, but no joy. Friends online gave me advice. I told Susan about it and she said she'd get it in when she got home.
She came home. No help. She ate dinner. No help afterward. Then she decided she had to go somewhere with her friend who needed help, while she saw me here struggling again to get the memory upgrade into the computer. I felt a bit like crying. She has time for everyone in the world but not five minutes for me. Yeah, I know, I'm feeling sorry for myself. But it does hurt.
Finally, when I was on the verge of simply giving up and returning the memory to the store the following morning, it clicked into place. I had done it by myself.
What leaves a bad taste in my mouth still is that I learned this morning that not only had I asked her, but her girlfriend has said something as had her ex-husband. They told her she should take a couple of minutes to help me out since I had wasted the better part of a day trying to do a job she could do in five minutes. There has to be a reason why she absolutely refuses to help me with anything. I just don't know what it is. It's not as if we have a bad relationship or anything. I just don't understand why. And yeah, being neglected and ignored doesn't feel good.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Upcoming Midterms
I'm becoming much more interested in the upcoming midterms as the days pass. There appears to be a growing anti-incumbent sentiment based on the fact that the incumbents seem to be doing nothing but arguing, backbiting, etc. The American public wants to see work being done on critical domestic issues, and it's not being done.
This isn't a slam on either party individually, but on the entire political climate in this country collectively. Politicians in general have utterly lost sight of the fact they were elected to represent their constituents and to work on solving the nation's problems. They are not there to pander to special interests and big business, load budgets with pork, and take potshots at the opposing party.
My hope (and that's all it is at this point) is that the voters will go to the polls so utterly ticked off that they will toss out incumbents of both parties in record numbers. This would send a loud and clear message to those remaining to get off their dead butts and start doing the country's business or face the same fate themselves. I am totally sick and tired of do-nothing senators and representatives. I'm tired of the name calling and finger pointing.
Bush is the very worst of this bunch in that regard, but he's also gone in two years no matter what, so it doesn't matter. He talks a good game but actually does nothing but talk about it. He never provides the strong, decisive leadership necessary to make real significant changes.
Both sides need to pick issues important to them and then work with their opposite numbers to pass legislation and set the path toward solution of the issues. The issue itself is relatively unimportant as long as it's not just a lip-service issue such as flag burning, gay marriage, or one of the other non-issues that makes it appear to some people that congress is trying to "do something." I am talking real issues: Medicare, Social Security, Immigration, border security, reforming the tax code....something of this magnitude. And they must commit to not only talking about it but doing it. It might also be nice to fund the effort properly and put in safeguards so they're not just throwing money at the issue. Might also be nice to identify where cuts will be made to find the money.
In the end, I am really hoping the voters get off their hands and vote in record numbers and that a huge number of incumbents on both sides of the aisle are tossed out on their collective butts, thus sending a loud and clear message in the most forceful way possible that we expect this bunch of self-indulgent, pandering, self-important bunch of wastrels to start actually earning their pay.
This isn't a slam on either party individually, but on the entire political climate in this country collectively. Politicians in general have utterly lost sight of the fact they were elected to represent their constituents and to work on solving the nation's problems. They are not there to pander to special interests and big business, load budgets with pork, and take potshots at the opposing party.
My hope (and that's all it is at this point) is that the voters will go to the polls so utterly ticked off that they will toss out incumbents of both parties in record numbers. This would send a loud and clear message to those remaining to get off their dead butts and start doing the country's business or face the same fate themselves. I am totally sick and tired of do-nothing senators and representatives. I'm tired of the name calling and finger pointing.
Bush is the very worst of this bunch in that regard, but he's also gone in two years no matter what, so it doesn't matter. He talks a good game but actually does nothing but talk about it. He never provides the strong, decisive leadership necessary to make real significant changes.
Both sides need to pick issues important to them and then work with their opposite numbers to pass legislation and set the path toward solution of the issues. The issue itself is relatively unimportant as long as it's not just a lip-service issue such as flag burning, gay marriage, or one of the other non-issues that makes it appear to some people that congress is trying to "do something." I am talking real issues: Medicare, Social Security, Immigration, border security, reforming the tax code....something of this magnitude. And they must commit to not only talking about it but doing it. It might also be nice to fund the effort properly and put in safeguards so they're not just throwing money at the issue. Might also be nice to identify where cuts will be made to find the money.
In the end, I am really hoping the voters get off their hands and vote in record numbers and that a huge number of incumbents on both sides of the aisle are tossed out on their collective butts, thus sending a loud and clear message in the most forceful way possible that we expect this bunch of self-indulgent, pandering, self-important bunch of wastrels to start actually earning their pay.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
I Must Be Nuts
I honestly think I'm taking leave of my senses these days. I am actually looking forward to getting a puppy in December sometime. I am apparently going to have to go to other organizations, since the Golden Retriever club in my area has proven pretty cavelier and has not answered my request for information on breeders, etc.
I am not sure why the idea of a puppy appeals to me. Sure, I love puppies as much as the next person, but I am also aware that puppies have this really nasty habit of growing into dogs. And I am not all that particularly enchanted with dogs.
I guess perhaps because I am growing older, and spend so much of my time alone these days, maybe I am beginning to feel the need for some sort of companionship. I know I'm almost painfully lonely, and that is not going to change any time soon. That's as much a personal choice as it is circumstances, given my life and my experiences. I'm very severely pain adverse, and any human relationship is sure to bring even more pain than I have already suffered. I guess I am not prepared to deal with that.
I have been making lists and checking costs of dog ownership. Insurance for their health for instance. How utterly ironic that I cannot get affordable health insurance for myself before Medicare, but I can for a dog. I have researched toys, ways of aclimatizing Brisco, beds, cage training, and the ultimate obedience training at 12 weeks. I have a mental vision of the type of dog that I find acceptable, and obedient is the most important. I do not want to inflict a disaster such as Brisco on the world. I firmly believe that a trained and obedient dog that knows his/her place is a much happier dog as well.
So December creeps up on us and sometime during that month I will become the owner of a dog. I wonder if I'm prepared?
I am not sure why the idea of a puppy appeals to me. Sure, I love puppies as much as the next person, but I am also aware that puppies have this really nasty habit of growing into dogs. And I am not all that particularly enchanted with dogs.
I guess perhaps because I am growing older, and spend so much of my time alone these days, maybe I am beginning to feel the need for some sort of companionship. I know I'm almost painfully lonely, and that is not going to change any time soon. That's as much a personal choice as it is circumstances, given my life and my experiences. I'm very severely pain adverse, and any human relationship is sure to bring even more pain than I have already suffered. I guess I am not prepared to deal with that.
I have been making lists and checking costs of dog ownership. Insurance for their health for instance. How utterly ironic that I cannot get affordable health insurance for myself before Medicare, but I can for a dog. I have researched toys, ways of aclimatizing Brisco, beds, cage training, and the ultimate obedience training at 12 weeks. I have a mental vision of the type of dog that I find acceptable, and obedient is the most important. I do not want to inflict a disaster such as Brisco on the world. I firmly believe that a trained and obedient dog that knows his/her place is a much happier dog as well.
So December creeps up on us and sometime during that month I will become the owner of a dog. I wonder if I'm prepared?
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