Month: January 2011

The Gun Holocaust Going On In America: Some Sort Of Control Of Assault Weapons Essential!

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America is in the midst of a holocaust, caused by gun violence!

Not only have we witnessed the horrors of the attempted assassination of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the wounding of 13 people, and the murder of six victims, including a nine year old girl.

We have also seen the growing violence against police officers, with just about a dozen attacked and a few killed across the country just in the past 24 hours!

We have seen the heated rhetoric, particularly of talk show host Glenn Beck, who is ratcheting up the talk of gun violence, promoting images of shooting people in the head constantly in recent days, as he condemns those who he sees as trying to threaten Americans’ rights to the Second Amendment! 🙁

Also, the statistic that on the average, 34 Americans are killed by gun violence in each 24 hour period, makes it clear that we are in the midst of a gun holocaust!

Cannot something be done to crack down on assault weapons, magazines that allow multiple bullets in the dozens in a short time, the ability to prevent mentally ill people from gaining the ability to purchase weapons, and other tactics to lower the gun violence without taking away a person’s right to hunt or to protect oneself with a hand gun?

If we cannot do something to control and limit gun violence, then everyone of us is in constant danger, and why would anyone wish to be a police officer when the threats are so great against their longevity?

It is essential that President Obama call for some reasonable controls on guns, while not taking away the rights of law abiding Americans. If he does not do so in some form tomorrow night, then we face more tragedies like Tucson, and more police victims, and all of us are in a growing dangerous position as we go about living our lives! 🙁

New Hampshire Straw Poll And Mitt Romney: Sign Of Trouble In Midst Of Winning?

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican so called “establishment” candidate for President, who would, in theory, based on party history, be seen as the likely front runner to be the next GOP nominee, seemingly had good news this past weekend, as he “won” a New Hampshire straw poll conducted by that state’s Republican party, a full year before the New Hampshire presidential primary that, in theory, he should win handily.

But upon second thought, is his win a good sign? No, in actual fact, as the New Hampshire Republican Party has chosen a Tea Party favorite as its state party leader, and the Tea Party activists are no fans of Mitt Romney.

It is however, interesting, to notice who received votes in that straw poll in New Hampshire. Romney was way ahead with 35 percent of the vote, with Texas Congressman and libertarian and Tea Party favorite Ron Paul second with 11 percent, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty 8 percent, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin 7 percent, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at 5 percent, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint also 5 percent, and others even lower.

When only Tim Pawlenty is the other mainstream Republican who scores in the straw poll, and all the others are Tea Party favorites, that makes one realize that New Hampshire might very well become the center of a right wing radicalization of the GOP for the Presidency, with the Tea Party leader in New Hampshire making clear that mainstream Republicans are persona non grata! 🙁

If that is the case, then Mitt Romney has a lot to worry about, because if he cannot count on New Hampshire, then his candidacy is a losing cause in 2012!

Speculation About Who Will Replace Defense Secretary Robert Gates Later In 2011

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Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, first appointed by George W. Bush in 2006, and agreeing to stay on when President Barack Obama asked him to do so for the country, clearly is leaving the government sometime this year.

The appointment of his successor will be crucial, not only involving the war in Afghanistan, and the continuing troop presence in Iraq, but also the issue of Pentagon spending.

So the question arises who should be replacing Gates, and two candidates come to the forefront, although obviously a less political choice could come from within the defense establishment or the Obama administration.

The two “political” choices that come to mind are former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who was against the war in Iraq, and Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who has been a “hawk” on both Iraq and Afghanistan, and has announced he will not be seeking another term in the Senate in 2012.

It seems to the author that Hagel is the better choice, but Lieberman also carries a lot of weight in the Senate and the defense establishment.

It all comes down to whether Lieberman is willing to consider alternatives to his hawkish attitude if he becomes part of the Obama team, and is willing to leave the Senate before the 2012 election. Being so independent and stubborn can be both a positive and a negative, depending on the circumstances.

It is ironic that a Republican such as Hagel, seen as more “dovish” generally, but also a Vietnam war veteran, would probably have more opposition in the Senate confirmation process, but would probably fit in better with the President, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and other top Obama Administration figures in the so called “war room”.

Again, it may be that neither will be selected, or even want the position of Secretary of Defense, but either, if chosen, would have a dramatic effect on the budget and the war planning that always goes on in the Pentagon, as well as the political fortunes of the Obama re-election effort!

Two Presidential Speeches 50 Years Ago: A One Time Transformative Historical Moment!

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Fifty years ago this week, we saw one President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, leave office after eight years, and deliver the best, most dramatic Farewell Address since George Washington gave the first one in 1796, and only coming close to being matched by President Jimmy Carter when he left office thirty years ago and warned of nuclear proliferation and the dangers to our environment that must be dealt with long term.

We also saw the incoming President, John F. Kennedy, give, arguably, the third best Inaugural Address in American history, before or since, trailing only behind Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address in 1865 and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address in 1933.

Eisenhower warned against the growing power of the Military-Industrial complex, an issue that President Barack Obama must deal with in his Presidency, as we talk about cutting the budget, and have a bloated defense budget that does not fit the world we live in, which is no longer a Cold War world, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, a Republican appointee of George W. Bush kept on by President Obama, well recognizes as he calls for budget cuts.

Kennedy spoke to our better nature in his Inaugural Address just a few days later, fifty years ago, and asked us to work for our nation’s success, rather than ask what our country can do for us alone. He appealed to us to stop being selfish and self centered, a point well taken as we look to the future, and the thought of sacrifice, including paying more taxes if we are fortunate enough to be successful, and recognizing that we are all in the economic and social crisis we face together. We must refuse to allow those who wish to divide us to continue to enrich themselves as they poison our radio, television and cable waves with their divisive rhetoric and propaganda, really the promotion of the Big Lie technique, that the more one says something as fact, the more people who are gullible and lacking in knowledge, will believe it.

We were fortunate to have these two Presidents shape an historical moment fifty years ago, and we need to learn from what they said in their oratory, and pledge ourselves to the transformation of the nation, so that it is indeed a “government of, by, and for the people”, not just the wealthy and privileged elite who have no concern but their own aggrandizement!

The US Senate: Facing Possible Major Turnover In 2012

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The US Senate saw a major turnover in 2010, with sixteen new Senators being added to the body, 13 Republicans and 3 Democrats. Also, four incumbents lost their seats.

Now as 2012 comes on, 22 Democrats and only 11 Republicans face the challenge of running for re-election, and already three members have decided to retire–Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, Democratic Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, and Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Bill Nelson of Florida, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Jim Webb of Virginia, Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, all Democrats, and Republican Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah, Jon Kyl of Arizona, John Ensign of Nevada, and Richard Lugar of Indiana all face major challenges from the opposition party, as well as the Tea Party purists who seem to be out to defeat several Republican Senators, including Hatch, Lugar, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, and Olympia Snowe of Maine.

The Senate may be seen as a glorious and prestigious body that no one would want to leave by choice, but the struggle to win elections and hold on to seats is becoming more and more taxing, emotionally and financially, as the country becomes more divided by vitriolic opposition, so it would not be surprising if more than the three who have announced they are retiring end up leaving the hallowed body, considered the greatest legislative body and debating society in the world!

The Status Of Abortion Rights On the 38th Anniversary Of Roe V. Wade

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Today is the 38th Anniversary of the Roe V. Wade decision of the Supreme Court, giving women the right to choose to end a pregnancy in the first two trimesters.

That decision in 1973 led to furious reaction, and the formation of the Right To Life Movement, as well as the Pro Choice alternative.

Conservatives and devout Christians and Orthodox Jews have been fighting to limit the right, including banning abortions at an earlier point after conception; pushing women considering an abortion to watch a live video of the fetus; eliminating insurance coverage for abortions; preventing public financing of abortions; and requiring parental consent and waiting periods for minors.

The abortion rate has been going down, and in many states, it is difficult for abortion doctors to open and conduct their business. Also, demonstrations by Pro Life groups have complicated the operations of such abortion centers.

There have been a few high profile murders of abortion doctors over the years, and threats to many other such specialists.

The issue had been muted somewhat recently because of the economy, but now it is entering national politics, with former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, a likely candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2012, bringing up the issue by stating he is amazed that President Barack Obama, as an African American, would support abortions.

Additionally, Randall Terry, of Operation Rescue, has made clear that he will challenge President Obama for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2012, knowing full well that he cannot beat the President, but will force the abortion issue to the forefront and, at the least, attempt to embarrass the President on that issue. For good measure, he also plans to fight the idea of gay marriage and gay rights, and make it an issue in the Democratic campaign. Ordinarily, one would think that Terry would run in the Republican Party, but his plan is to run as a Democrat solely to complicate the Democratic Party race for the 2012 campaign.

The South, Mountain, and Great Plains states, basically conservative and Republican, are in a position to ban abortion rights at a pace never before seen, with more conservative legislators and many more Governors who support such bans.

But also, the key states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio have now elected legislatures and Governors bent in that direction, so the activities of the National Abortion Rights League and Planned Parenthood are meeting a fundamental shift in the balance of power.

So 38 years after abortion rights were granted by the Supreme Court, the right of a woman to control her own body and reproductive activities is under sustained threat!

20th Anniversary Of The Gulf War And Operation Desert Storm!

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It is hard to believe, but it is now 20 years since Operation Desert Storm, the six week Gulf War of the United Nations, President George HW Bush, and General Norman Schwarzkopf, dislodging Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

The war was justified, and thankfully, caused few casualties, with 148 deaths and 467 wounded, and about half a million Americans serving in the war, but many other nations participating as well.

This period of the first Bush Administration was a shining moment of leadership, and Bush rightfully has been commended for his courage and principle at this moment of history.

Since the war had limited purposes, criticism that Bush should have had US troops go to Baghdad is unfounded, but conservatives attacked him for keeping to the UN resolution, which Bush believed was inviolable.

Certainly, in the long run of history, George HW Bush will be best remembered for this moment, and plaudits go out to Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, and imagine this, even Dick Cheney, all of whom handled their responsibilities with perfection!

So this is a time to celebrate that war and thank those who sacrificed for America and the world at that point of history!

The GOP And Tea Party War On Cities And Quality Of Life In America! :(

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The Republican Party and the Tea Party Movement have declared war on American cities and the quality of life in America, with their insane call for massive cuts in spending, while continuing to promote a tax policy that will add to the already massive redistribution of wealth to the top two percent of the American people at the expense of everyone else! 🙁

When we are faced with loss of police, firefighters, sanitation workers, teachers, nurses, social workers, librarians, prison guards and other essential public service workers, and are ready and willing to add millions of people to the unemployment rolls, that is a crime against humanity, and particularly those living in cities!

When the cuts will endanger everyone and cheat the poor, the sick, the young, the elderly, and the quality of life for all of us on a daily basis, that is a crime against humanity!

When the bulk of the loss will be visited against the “blue” areas of America–with the biggest assault against New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and San Francisco, it is clear that this attack on the deficit is just a political assault by the Republican Party against Democratic strongholds!

If these and other cities and major metropolitan areas are to suffer losses that will impact everyone’s life in a massive way, then the country is not just losing temporarily, but is being fundamentally harmed for decades and generations long term!

What the GOP is trying to do, in league with the Tea Party Movement, is return America to the 19th century, to a time before this nation became an urban, modern society! The Gilded Age time of maldistribution of wealth and exploitation of minorities and immigrants is returning after decades of real progress toward social justice!

The government has been starved from tax revenue by policies of Republican Presidents and Congresses, who have been very willing to add to the national debt instead, rather than make those who have more to pay more as a part of the responsibility of success and opportunity that this country has offered them!

The “American Dream” is being destroyed by those who never have cared about the middle class, the poor, and the vulnerable in our society. They think mouthing about “Christian values” replaces real commitment to practice what one preaches.

This has all been done in the image of promoting religion but forgetting the basic teaching of Jesus Christ that we are our “brother’s keeper”.

30th Anniversary Of The End Of The Iran Hostage Crisis: Its Long Range Effect!

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On this day thirty years ago, Inauguration Day of President Ronald Reagan, the Iran hostage crisis, which destroyed any hope of President Jimmy Carter to win re-election, came to an end.

The nation was kept literally captive for 444 days from November 4, 1979 onward, as we all worried about the safety and survival of the 52 Americans held hostage at US Embassy in Teheran.

We were gripped by this crisis, and it became the constant news story for all of 1980, an obsession we could not overcome.

It created fame for Ted Koppel of ABC News, who originally covered the crisis day by day at 1135PM weekday evenings, and then expanded the news coverage at that odd hour to create Nightline, which he anchored for 26 years!

Iran became the biggest foreign policy headache of the United States, and in many ways, remains that 32 years later!

We basically were unable to resolve the issue satisfactorily as a great power, and yet Iran has continued to tie us in knots, and we still cannot figure out how to deal with the threat of this Islamic terrorist nation which has complicated our lives more than any other nation in the past three decades!

With the Soviet Union, as evil as they were, reason and measured response could work, and the Soviets had their limits.

Unfortunately, with the combination of Islamic extremism and resentment at US support in the past for the Shah of Iran, there is a concern that the Iranians today have no limits and might be ready to sacrifice themselves rather than cave in or concede in any way to the United States or other Western nations.

And by this nation getting deeply involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, ironically, Iran has become emboldened and stronger than ever before, and they clearly have no intention of compromise or concession, while the old Soviet Union was willing over time to make agreements and concession.

So in this second decade of the 21st century, Iran remains the center of strategic planning, intelligence estimates, and sleepless nights for many in the American diplomatic and military community! 🙁

Sarah Palin And Polls: All Time High Unfavorability!

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Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has reached an all time high unfavorable rating in the USA Today and CNN polls, after her disastrous reaction to the Tucson shootings and her use of the term “blood libel”, which has outraged the Jewish community and intelligent people everywhere.

The USA Today poll puts her negative ratings at 53 percent, and the CNN poll at 56 percent.

Sarah made clear on the Sean Hannity show on Fox News Channel that she would “not sit down and shut up”, and certainly there is no way to make that happen, and no one wants to take away her freedom of speech.

But, effectively, the American public is saying precisely that: Please sit down and shut up!

Since she will just do exactly the opposite, she is a gift that keeps on giving to the Democrats and President Obama, and is a burden on the GOP and the Presidential race!