The Pledge

I pledge allegiance to Dick Cheney and the MegaCorps of America
and to the Republicans for which they stand, one Nation under W,
unaccountable with Liberty and Profits for Oligarchs.

How’s that, Dick? If we all sign an oath of loyalty and pledge our allegiance to
Commander W - our virtuous and strong yet compassionate (but not too sensitive)
fearless leader -will he save us from the Shadowy Evildoer Terrorists?

NOT!

Actually, it is elected officials who swear to represent the interests of the citizens
and protect the Constitution - The Law - of the United States. W and the gang are
not doing a very good job at either. Look and you will see record national debt,
record deficit, record trade imbalance, record skewed tax cuts, record pork spending,
record wages of wars of choice, record outsourcing of jobs, more poverty, less
medical coverage, aging infrastructure nationwide, record Boomer retirement looming -
the economy is a mess mostly bolstered by a record housing bubble. W says it is
the best economy in 20 years. Does he ever stop lying?Do you honestly think
this Gang would willingly do anything that might hurt the bottom line of the top tier?
Do you really think W is smart enough to turn it all around? There is no evidence
for that intelligence either!

George W Bush hears a voice in his head. He thinks it is (an angry) God speaking
through him. I would not want to bet my country on that - God is not incompetent!
Bush is.

Maybe you think that W and the Gang are strong and ruthless, so they will better
protect us from our enemies. Actually, with a dangerous blend of arrogance/ ideology/
incompetence, they are making more people hate America then ever before -
including many of our allies. This Gang has outed intelligence agents - foreign
and domestic - and leaked secret intelligence to Israel, Iran, and Pakistan.
George Weaker Bush is not strong intellectually or emotionally. For example,
W whined weakly and wilted when asked a few semi-tough questions by an Irish
journalist. He even had to have VP Cheney chaperone him to meet with the 9/11
Commission. It was probably difficult to explain that seven minutes of helpless
bewildered befuddlement that day while a hijacked plane was heading unchallenged
for the Pentagon. How will he conjure up the courage to face John Kerry in the debates?
May I suggest:

TAG TEAM DEBATES

Just think of what a great production for the MediaCorp! Cheney can rescue Bush
from the intellectual advantage of Kerry and Bush can rescue Cheney from the
personality advantage of Edwards. A spectacular show - for one and all - that can
be almost totally devoid of any substantive dialog.

I think the lawyers John/John will win in the end against the Above All Law Gang.
I think the mask is coming off, and the People will get wise to these guys and
dump them hard. I think there will be long coat tails and more gains in 2006.
This brush with a wannabe American Emperor has been very unpleasant for
the whole world. Kerry is more intelligent and more experienced. Actually,
he has already fought in an unnecessary unpopular war based on lies - like Iraq -
then he helped lead us out of that war in Viet Nam.

The Pledge is for allegiance to the Union and the Constitution - not a politician.
The United States of America is a nation of laws. These laws must abide by
the letter and spirit of our Constitution - including free speech and the separation
of church and state. The Pledge of Allegiance should be modified as follows:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic
for which it stands, one Nation under LAW, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all.

Then let us get about the business of making that Pledge a reality......curt

Curt Reply (intro)

My name is Curt - I’m an Idea man. This blog is a place for me to offer
my perspective and opinion on some of the many things we need to
discuss and debate as a country, and even more importantly as a species.
Only the truth is sustainable and acceptable -

I aim to contribute my part to that dialog (even if nobody is listening).

I can only hope for the wisdom to know that I am not as smart as I think
I am - yet aspire to be. Mine is just one more opinion, but my particular
cerebral configuration has always seemed to be conducive to bouts of
spontaneous creative thinking. I often count on this ability to write songs.
Also, compared to most people, my Corpus Colossus seems wired to allow
an enhanced level of communication between the two halves of my brain.
Besides making me half left handed and half right handed, I believe that
this trait helps me to better see multiple sides of an issue in the context
of the bigger longer term picture. The logical part of my brain craves facts
and information, so I spend several hours a day monitoring the internet,
cable (satellite) news, books and magazines - and I have a high retention
rate. When I analyze the critical information there, the logical part of my
brain seeks truth and sustainability, while the creative part of my brain
occasionally flashes upon some insight to possible solutions/relationships.

Ideas can evolve from there.

COLINOSCOPY

There was a time, not so many years ago, when I might have actually considered voting for Colin Powell to be President Powell. He was the one Republican, with the possible exception of John McCain, I could say that about - but not anymore. However, there is a way for Powell to rescue his legacy from the cancerous W Administration - resign and shine some light on it’s inner workings by giving the whole mess a thorough Colinoscopy.

Colin Powell knew then that we should not be distracted from prosecuting the terrorist threat by invading Iraq. When he went to the United Nations and presented the Administration’s case for war, I knew - so surely he knew - that the much touted and bullet proof evidence to justify war was simply not there. Powell pitched it anyway (shame on him). Since then, he reportedly warned W about bad decisions and policies every step of the way. First, he was left out of the loop on the final decision to invade Iraq, then Rumsfeld ditched the Powell Doctrine and opted for a strategy deploying too few troops to do the job. Most of his warnings were mostly ignored - pre and post war. During the Occupation, the Resistance and now on to the Victorious Retreat Powell seems to be given more of a role.
It’s just not good enough to be a good soldier and maintain
undeserved loyalty to an unbalanced and increasingly unhinged Executive.

It is both ironic and unfair that the only apparent voice of reason in the W Administration will likely be blamed by history for helping to facilitate the huge mistakes made and high crimes that have been committed. Powell tried to warn W about dissing the UN, alienating our traditional allies, voiding international treaties and listening to disinformation from unvetted sources. He advised W about the importance of human rights and warned about abuse of prisoners. W and crew did it all wrong anyway. To whatever extent the Powell moderating influence has been marginal, I can only imagine how much worse things would be now if he had not been there. Since Powell will NOT be there if W gains his reappointment, I can only imagine how much worse a second term will be - unbridled by any constraints of facing the Voters again (who pay for everything in every
way - of course).

Look at what America has come to during the W Administration’s watch. We got hit on 9/11 because they ignored multiple explicit warnings.
Based on lies and propaganda, we invaded Iraq for greed, power and politics (not safety, morality or democracy). The US Treasury was raided
and all the money was transfered to the super rich. We are trashing the environment permanently. Civil rights and Constitutional protections are
increasingly being curtailed and dissent is surpressed. Seperation of church and state is being blurred and diversity is repressed. Elections are
increasingly prone to corruption and compliant corporate media is further consolidated. Education, Healthcare and Homeland Security suffer while every possible benefit and advantage is given to supranational MegaCorporations - who help shape the policies that award them lucrative government contracts. Now we are funding private Corporate Mercenary Armies that have no clear legal accountability. Reportedly they are on the loose around the world - committing rape, kidnapping, blackmail, torture and murder in our name - with the collaboration of our military and intelligence services. We should not become terrorists to fight terrorism - America’s National Honor and moral standing are massively diminished
and corrupted by this cancerous condition. On top of it all, we are less
safe in every way.

We sure could use a Colinoscopy.

The W Administration exhibits a unique and dangerous mix of sinister incompetence. They are a willing coalition of ruthless politics, religious righteousness, arrogant eliteism, militant ideology, nonwise intellectualism, limitless greed and an unquenchable hunger for power. They pursue their agendas with powerful friends and associates in secrecy - as much as they can get away with. When W says he wants to Change the World, he really means Control the World. Due to an incredibly incompetent lack of executive ability and excess stubbornness, the W Crusade has stalled and appears to be self destructing. We have had our graphic “My-Lai moment” - and the pictures are worth a million words. For all intents of purposes, the war - as it was being portrayed on American TV - ended with the release of those prison torture pictures. We still have not seen the worst of the pictures or heard the worst of the story, but what we have already seen is disturbingly unforgettable. This is not the true image and spirit of America - this is not the American Dream.

We need to quell the hemmorrhaging of blood, soul and treasure by purging this spreading cancer from the body politic. Regime change at home will be a major procedure - made even more difficult by the fanatical desire they have to stay in power. Colin Powell could abort the W reselection operation by telling the whole honest truth and documenting what he has seen and heard in the last four years. Lately, Powell seems to be thinking about legacy protection and damage control for his reputation -
to keep it from falling forever into the W credibility gap. His recent appearance on Meet the Press, when he did not allow his Minder to cut the questions short, was a good sign. It was nice to see him show a little spunk, but now he should completely come clean.

Hey - he could even team up with the Kerry campaign! For the common good of our Republic and the health of real democracy, that would be a truly historic heroic patriotic act. W must go so 2005 can bring renewal - our nation needs balance and healing.
........curt

(originally posted 5/23/04 at Bopnotes.com)

9/11 - What's the Difference?

We all know that being US Commander in Chief is a very difficult job. Investigating 9/11
also exposes the reality that many of the US Administrations since World War 2 have lied
about policy and failed to protect America - including in Korea, Vietnam, Iran/Contra, The
Drug War, Iraq 1- now Iraq 2 etc. Now more than ever we need wise, competent, honest
presidents at the helm for the campaign to Globally End Terrorism. Comparing leadership
skills and character traits of past, present and future leaders and their ability to protect the
security and SPIRIT of America is important in deciding who should get that difficult job next:
Clinton, GW Bush, Kerry - What’s the difference?

Clinton:
1. +worked hard on Israel/Palestine crisis with good will attempt
2. +Cabinet PRINCIPLES met about terroism issues
3. +increased attention during dangerous Millenium period averting major terrorist activities.
4. + attempted to go after bin Laden with cruise missles (and Republicans criticized) then authorized assassination
5. +launched the Hart/Rudman Commission to recommend how to better protect 21st century America
6. +had good relations with most other countries for help and co-operation
7. +began development and use of surveillance drones and other new tactics to fight terror abroad
8. -wrongly started media deregulation with AM radio (now we have Clear Channelitus)
9. -missed Oklahoma Bombing then started precursor policies of Patriot Act
10.-Federal Policing over reached domestically in such actions as Waco and the (unconstitutional) “Drug War”
11.-indiscreet - therefore was handicapped by an illegal Republican impeachment
12.+recently testified at the 9/11 Commission - to their complete and unanimous satisfaction

Some success, some failure - but Clinton clearly recognized the potential terrorist threat
and took a lot of proactive measures to counter it. He came to the right conclusion - if possible,
assassinate bin Laden. Then he took further steps to study what more could and should be done
to improve the security of America. He warned Bush that bin Laden was a highest priority concern.
Clinton would definitely have acted on the type of numerous warnings GWB got in the summer of 2001

GW Bush:
1. - blew Road Map with obvious bias for Israel - dissing Palestine officially and publicly now
2. - demoted terrorism priority to a few Deputy meetings before 9/11
3. - took vacation - had many warnings but few meetings and no action during the summer of threat in 2001
4. -let bin Laden escape at Tora Bora - diverting major resources in his haste to invade Iraq
5. -totally ignored the prescient findings and comprehensive recommendations of the Hart/Rudmen Commission
6. -insulted and alienated every country in the world, then ignored their many terror event warnings
7. -pre 9/11 decided not to arm the surveillance drones to target bin Laden - or even read the Clinton files on terrorists
8. -invaded Iraq (no WMD) and befriended Pakistan (proliferated WMD)
9. -cozy personal and business relations with a leading breeding ground and supporter of terrorists - Saudi Arabia
10.-winning in Afghanistan and “finding” bin Laden still on the back burner because of Iraq
11.-trashing the Constitution - Incorporating America - neo Inquisition - Theocrats - depleting the US Treasury - lying IS policy
12.-constant impediments and delays being imposed on the 9/11 Commission (and the many other investigations)

War President? Slacker in Chief Bush Jr apparently lacks the brains, the balls or both to face
the 9/11 Commission alone to explain his policies without holding the hand of Vice CEO Cheney.
Pre 9/11 there were so many warnings and so little follow up action taken - it makes one wonder why?
AWOL AGAIN? Too busy scheming on fat juicy Star Wars missle defense contracts and the Crusade of
Conquest in Iraq? We’ve already seen a lot more “actionable intelligence" evidence against al Qaeda
and bin Laden then there ever was about Iraq - but Iraq had good Targets and Oil. It sure would have been
a lot less costly had Bush just waited for the opportunity to assassinate Saddam Hussein instead of invading.
Of course WAR is the only effective way of feeding that Corporate-Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex
of Campaign Supporters that our tax dollars are paying for. He may sometimes be a great cheerleader, but
as a president of the people GW Bush has a record of total failure - both domestically and abroad.

Kerry:
1. + was a war hero - has seen real action and showed bravery
2. +was a war protester - stood up for truth when government was wrong about Vietnam
3. +has been a US Senator for 20 years - good on environment and anti bank corruption
4. -voted for Iraq and the USA Patriot Act - should have known better
5. -voted against Iraq funding - an obvious political play to counter anti war candidate Howard Dean
6. +would pursue better international relations - more friendship and co-operation
7. +would pursue better economic policies - and cancel upper tax cuts
8. +would respect civil rights and the Constitution
9. +would do better on Palestine/ Israel crises and Iraq
10.+better understands the threat of terrorism - willing to listen to new ideas - can express himself coherantly
11.+not a religious extremist
12.+not looking for a war

Is there any doubt Kerry is much smarter and has more wisdom then Bush? No! Honestly,
can you imagine Kerry conducting a press conference as feeble as Bush did April Fools month?
We have serious business needing serious leadership going forward. Sure, Kerry has his faults -
he is a politician after all - but he also has a history of rising to the challenge when the going gets
really tough. Kerry has the potential of possibly becoming a great president in a critical era for
America and the world. At the very least he would certainly improve our relations with the
international community, improve the economy some and improve the environment a lot.
Actually, I think he will make most of us feel like grownups are in charge again.

Electing John Kerry and the maximum possible number of other Democrats in 2004 is just the first step.
The next step will be to either reform the Democratic Party or (more likely) leave it behind and turn the
Green Party into an organized and dedicated powerful neo-progressive machine over the next four years
and beyond. In the short term, the Campaign to Globally End Terrorism must be a co-operative effort with
the world’s governments and organizations like the United Nations and NATO. Iraq and the Israel/Palestine
conflicts are also very tough first priority problems that need solutions - and that takes intelligent leadership.
Kerry would have a much better chance of making that happen. The truth is, rest of the world is not going to
respect the American People very much if we endorse by re-election GW Bush and his Administration.

On September 11, 2001 as I watched the second plane plow into the World Trade Center
on live TV, my first thought was that the world has forever changed. Since then it has been
common to hear people say that “after 9/11 everything is different.” What’s the difference?
It is really just more of the same. More lies, more greed, more war, more death, more hate,
more disease, more hunger, more ignorance, more injustice and more unsustainable policies.
When GW Bush says “we can change the world”, his is a singular vision of exerting military power
to impose “HIS” change by force. The time HAS come for sweeping and progressive change - but that will
take new leadership. In 2004 Kerry is the only electable alternative to more of the same (but likely worse).

In the longer term - to survive as a species - we must progressively evolve into an international federation of
sovereign regional States that celebrate the diversity of humanity with policies based on social justice, peace,
conservation, the sharing of resources, costs and benefits. That will require an end to the Era of Corporation
DomiNation. The People of America and all over the world must put governments in place that will allow real
solutions to happen. Ultimately, The Powers That Be cannot stop the focused Power of the People. The way
to really end Terrorism and make the whole world a lot more secure is to end the offensive semi-imperialistic
foreign policy the US has demonstrated over the past 60 years. The future Global Federation of Nations will
work together to stop violent radicals and aggressive nations early with a modern International Peace Force.
If freedom, fairness and justice everywhere were policy, and people had a real chance to pursue happiness,
not many would become terrorists.

The neocon solution of world domination is so 20th century - it ain’t gonna work - so get over it!!
Time for the human race to start taking the first steps toward growing up .....curt

(originally posted 4/15/04)

George WMD Bush

Turns out, it really does matter who the President of the United States is -
George WMD Bush is proof! Why worry about his “smash and grab”
policies and his “see Spot run” philosophies? After all, there are riches to
amass and power to engage in a world he and his friends think only they
deserve to control. Why ask questions? Why worry about what the other
6 billion people on the planet think? We can fight them all - just pay your
taxes and go to work (if you have a job) and shop a lot (charge it if you
have no cash) and be an obedient patriot (Republican). Don’t worry, the
Administration will take care of everything else. Okay, maybe that little
matter about Weapons of Mass Destruction did not pan out quite as
advertised - and things are admittedly a bit messy over there where all
that Oil is - but if you simply apply a little selective intelligent interpretation -
WMD is actually all around us.

consider:

We were all Wantonly Misled Deceptively by Wannabe Mafia Dictators
to invade Iraq as Wielders of Mock Democracy with a coalition of the
Willing Meek and Despotic. Mostly, George WMD Bush and Company
were Wussies and Military Dodgers but are now Warmongers of Mega
Devastation seeking World Military Domination.

Here at home, this Administration of White Male Dummies operates a
Whitehouse of Mental Dysfunction with a Congress controlled by ethicless
Whores of Moral Desecration committing Wholesale Monetary Depletion under
cover of Willing Media Distortion. These Wranglers of Madcow Diseases
do not tolerate much Wisdom and Mute Dissent. So crank up those Weapons
of Mass Deforestation baby, The Resident says we’re aheadin' for the Tongass
and some Old Growth - and then on to Wallop the Muddled Democrats in 2004
With Machines by Diebold for four more years of War, Manipulation and
Decimation of the Bill of Rights.

Lies? George WMD Bush said What Makes the Difference? We Must Deliver
the answer to him - no more Wallowing Mucho Deceit - W Meets Defeat
(If not - then Impeach!) We the People and Our Constitution urgently
require a different Administration and Congress.
....curt

(originally posted 1/03/04)