It is not only the US that bin Laden gave grief to. He didn’t like Saudi royalty. He believed that Sufi’s were giving Islam a cowardly touch. Attacks on Awakening Council Members, those who changed sides in Iraq, exceeded the US deaths on 9/11.
Bin Laden thought he discovered a revolutionary method that never could fail, where the victors always died in their victory. In Spain the opportunity to be confused with Basque terrorists to affect the then upcoming election couldn’t have happen, unless they used backpack bombs on the Madrid commuter trains. But later as the police closed in they blew themselves up, and a percussion grenade armed officer as well. If bin Laden followed script and killed himself even if not succeeding in taking any of the Navy Seals with him. Or they overwhelmed a sleepy-eyed bin Laden with the latest stealth technology, how much cheering would there have been? People would have cheered seeing a photo of a drugged bin Laden being dragged to the helicopter.
Somehow I hope I have somewhat healed the feeling of some peace activists that the cheering means that America is particularly cold-blooded. To me what is totally cold-blooded is sipping a soda, while ones fingers and joy stick one is working with is spelling death on the other side of the world.
Had bin Laden followed the script, he required of others, many of those who now want to quit would have continued to feel joy when asked to go on a suicide-mission. Any who continue now just feel grim obligation.
Had bin Laden followed the script, he required of others, many of those who now want to quit would have continued to feel joy when asked to go on a suicide-mission. Any who continue now just feel grim obligation.
Reality reinvented to before bin Laden changed it when a helicopter crashed, the Navy Seals without hesitation rushed forward, on a suicide mission, the only thing different was that their life and that of the woman and children was one of their goals. But just like a fairy tale bin Laden transformed from a monster into a helpless old man, the way Saddam Hussein did with a thermometer in his mouth. Those who then condemned President Obama and the Seals calling them vicious brutes further ruined the Rambo image his followers craved for in bin Laden.
If bin Laden had lived super-hawk Cliff Stearns would still suddenly claim, any more war in Afghanistan was a waste,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/04/cliff-stearns-bin-laden-afghanistan_n_857630.htm
and perhaps India would still have told Afghan President Karzai that any agreement he makes with the in the past India hating Taliban was alright with them,
http://tribune.com.pk/story/167929/indian-pm-backs-afghan-peace-talks/
and Hamid Karzai would still have ordered NATO to stop killing civilians,
http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/06/02/karzais_civilian_casualties_ultimatum
but the peace movement would have been invigorated by Cris Stearns comments, and international peace groups would have been excited about the improvements between India, and Muslim countries like they had been in the past,
http://www.peaceproposal.com/power4.html
and the world would be on its way to preventing economic collapse.
However now a month later I wonder if the karma would have really been that good if bin Laden was in jail. In the middle east when a street vendor’s goods were seized, the vendor protested his family now facing starvation, by setting himself on fire, igniting the Arab spring,
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/printer_63050.shtml
Karma is weird. Did bin Laden have to die a failure, in order for death to return to meaning failure? I, from the way I was brought up, would like to be convinced that bin Laden didn’t have to die. However perhaps if we all try to mill over this question, instead of condemning the other point of view the world may end up with far more to celebrate.
When World War I ended the world tried to declare it “The War That Ended All Wars.” When the 2nd World War ended we tried to declare that the UN would create peace. Let’s make suicide-murder death no longer meaning success lead to at least a similar attempt. No more calling it OK when someone murders their spouse as long as they kill themselves in the process, or school kids at Columbine calling mayhem, to be victory over being ostracized.
What would Martin Luther King or Gandhi do if they were alive today. I doubt if they would sign a petition asking the US congress to end all Afghan war funding in six months.
Hamid Karzai asked the Saudis to mediate. They said, not until the Taliban renounces bin Laden,
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/02/02/us-afghanistan-saudi-idUSTRE61117E20100202\
The Taliban knows full well, that a peace conference with the US paying the expenses wouldn’t be the right sort of negotiations. Maybe Martin Luther King and Gandhi would have taken a trip to Saudi Arabia, even to Taliban Afghanistan suggesting amount other things that they appoint Hamid Karzia the Mayor of Kabul (a position jokes already claim) for a ceiling on their negotiation demands. When World War II ended besides the cheering at home, the cheering Germans impressed the GIs so much that some of the GI’s in Germany started home without orders. If the Taliban announced that they were nominating Hamid Karzai to be Mayor of Kabul, would all the US solders who volunteered for one tour of duty and are afraid of being drafted into a 4th tour of duty, continue to stay at their posts? Why are we still in a fight with the Taliban?’
Many of the people the US targeted with bombs never would have been had it been know that bin Laden was nowhere around since 2001.
Can’t we find some way to stop targeting former al Qaeda suicide want-to-be’s who change their minds, after knowing their leader didn’t even have some king of self-destruction device on the computer files. Maybe they could ask to be fitted with listening and tracking devices, that would sound an alarm if the devices became more than 6 feet from each other. Maybe the US could stop spreading bad karma by having fighters sit before computer screen sipping coffee in an air-conditioned room, operating a joy stick attached to drone aircraft as some, in a hot sticky plateau across the world, spreading fear and death from the sky. Let us cheer the Navy Seals going forward on what looked like gasoline ally by telling Obama to stop spreading bad karma around with drone aircraft.
Can we heal the feeling among those who work for a better would that all the cheering means the US is more hopeless than they
Now world, let’s do things differently from now on. UN accept Gadhafi’s lying peace proposals providing he wears a listening tracking device. If he doesn’t agree, have some brave UN posse try to serve a warrant for him to appear in court. Then Navy Seals, or the like, from France and Qatar try to arrest Gadhafi with percussion grenades, like the Spanish police did the Madrid bombing masterminds, with stun guns and with the US announcing it will get involved only if non lethal armed posse troups are all killed or held for ransom, at which point the US would send in the drones. If Gadhafi tried not to be captured and at the same time tries to not kill the stun gunned armed posses it would be a step toward a better world, instead of the bloodbath now going on in Libya in the name of peace.
The world was lucky that one helicopter failed which made rushing bin Laden into a heroically (not negative) potential suicide mission. The world is lucky that the Navy Seals because of one less helicopter was unable to force his wives and kids to leave with them, we forget President Bush wanted someone else besides the US to stop bin Laden fearing that he could possibly be more dangerous dead at the hands of the US, than alive. If al Qaeda volunteers thought it was a nasty rumor that bin Laden was unarmed they could have been inspired by his death. More than ever, believing that might makes right, trying to be even more suicidal to become even more mighty. A cautionary note bin Laden couldn’t have foreseen that karma would have caused one helicopter to crash. But he could have foreseen the computers being seized in one piece. The US government now says they never got any correct information from any top al Qaeda operator with or without torture, only figuring things out from what they denied too vehemently. One piece of faulty information was that a Taliban elder who was urging the Taliban to negotiate, was an al Qeada operative. His family is now getting a little annual compensation from the US government. How about some real compensation like the blood-money the US shelled out to the robbers trying to rob a CIA agent. Jordan had an al Qaeda operative who gave top quality information then at a meeting blew up five top CIA operatives. I am scared that the US will again be fascinated by all the good info found on bin Laden’s computer tapes and then again fall for lies that cause real harm.
Thank you everyone involved. Thank you Obama, Seals, and thank you peace movement for inadvertently ruining bin Laden’s image with his supporters, craving a Rambo leader. Thank you Rep. Cris Stearms now opposing the Afghan War. Thank you Taliban for any future small gesture in ending the war. Thank you Americans and thank you world for another opportunity to stop the US from imposing financial collapse on us all from too much US defense spending. Let’s extend the successes into something all of us can cheer about.
Richard Kane
Related documentation
http://my.firedoglake.com/richardkanepa/
http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/22-22/6044-ding-dong-the-wicked-witch-is-dead
http://integralpostmetaphysics.ning.com/forum/topics/ding-dong-bin-ladens-dead?commentId=5301756%3AComment%3A16519
Read more!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Survivalism can be Sprouts & Potatoes not Guns
As fear of economic collapse spreads, those calling themselves survivalists get listened to by more and more Americans. Ironically the hippies used to talk about survival by going back to the organic farm.
Today no one is publicly gathering potatoes and sprouts. Instead many are advocating hoarding gold which isn’t good for the money circulating, and actually in a truly desperate world, some buried bags of Raw Potatoes could be more fluid as a currency substitute than, a buried sack of Gold Coins.
Click read more for rest of article
People urging survivalist tactics could be wrong in other areas as well, but as usual only the right-wing is doing any arguing, so they keep winning the oral argument by default. Imagine 40 year ago, no earmarks and big guns being in the same package.
Today so-called survivalists not those dropping out mention that the dollar and euro are close to collapse. They urge besides guns and guard dogs a generator and a water distiller, and a hoard of prepackaged dried foods.
In a real disaster guard dogs will be shot and eaten, and no mater how big one’s gun you still need some sleep.
Why not along with one’s neighbors refill as many empty plastic bottles as possible, sprout seeds, and grow and bury potatoes. Medieval farmers had potatoes no matter how many self-appointed, tax collecting armies passed through.
In the last days of the Bush years things began collapsing, Obama chose to be a mediator, not a blamer, at first accomplishing wonders until he began to inherit the blame for things not being the way they should be.
Mayors can plant potatoes. Philadelphia (a Democratic island in a now Republican state) is particularly venerable for hard times. And now has a casino that services almost exclusively the poor. People without any money in their pocket, at all, don’t go the supermarket, and a usually honest person even if not caught might feel embarrassed to go back to the local store where they stole a peanut butter cracker. Urban gardens already encouraged by the city might start growing potatoes. Over sized pots in your windowsill or yard, will make the robbers know, despite being healthy, you likely don’t have pouches of plastic-wrapped dried food that is easy to haul away. Sidewalk grass could be gardens. The next stimulus should be stipends for urban gardens, since in an emergency they will feed the neighborhood whether they want to or not, except for the potatoes since only the planter knows when and exactly where to dig, and anyone desperate enough to randomly dig wouldn’t be in any condition to wait for any they find to cook, or bake.
Of course an intruder rather than barter could rob one of their sprouts, but since thieves tend to be lazy or totally desperate, haling away seeds and plastic storage bins is not likely instead a thief might plan to come by for more spouts later, and have to worry about the sprouts being poisoned if he pushed to hard. And as I said before potatoes are stable enough to substitute as currency.
Obama keeps preaching hope for a better world. Gore spread grim predictions while being part of an inspiring ecological campaign where individuals planted a tree, and ads glorified kids picking up litter. Churchill also inspired by talking about a grim world. Note Churchill’s inspirational book was titled, “Blood, Sweat and Tears”. President Obama stop the prosperity oriented happy talk! Like Gore, talk of the grim times ahead!
Besides predictions of a bright economic prospect repeatedly letting people down, Guantanamo not closing like Obama said he would, saps the strength of those who conclude that there is no way for ordinary folk to have their opinions heard. However, the day Obama announced plans to close Guantanamo, al Qaeda claimed a new head of al Qaeda of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, a convicted terrorist who was involved in the bombing of the Cole He earlier was granted amnesty by Yemen in return for apologizing for terrorism, and picking his own words to affirm that Prophet Mohammad doesn’t condone attacking non military targets. If the US government had exposed he was a figurehead pressured into it by al Qaeda, he could have been turned into a remotely-detonated suicide bomb. Others could be cornered as well. There is a bloodbath of Awakening Council members in Iraq of the ones refusing to make amends with al Qaeda. Obama’s problem in closing Guantanamo is not lack of will, almost anyone who was at Guantanamo could at knife point claim on the Internet to be an al Qaeda leader.
France declared war against al Qaeda in Mali building up from when it tried to rescue instead of paying ransom for French citizens held hostage. Bin Laden personally threatened to blow up the Eiffle Tower and other targets. Bin Laden is confident that victory will eventually be his since with his help the US is bankrupting itself. If Obama were to announce we are now withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and a hostage was seized some Americans would go out of their minds in anger. Conservatives. As far as showing weakness, defense spending at a bankrupting rate is a show of weakness. But it’s not yet checkmate for America.
I would like to thank Warren Buffet and the 44 millionaires who signed a pledge opposing the tax-cut extension. Under Eisenhower the tax rate on the rich was 91% then though the years it went down to the thirties. As there are more and more millionaires as the economy crumbles some hope for revolution. There won’t be revolution as long as those who don’t want it can foment hate between ethic groups like they have between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. However a touch of what Cuba has the world needs, to keep the rich at bay.
For free health care people can go to Cuba. If the government would allow Americans to take 10% of their medicare, medicaid, and prescription reimbursement with them or 10% of any welfare payments with them to Cuba, Cuba would put up with the influx of sick people even if they got less than 10% of what US hospitals get. Some Social Security recipients used to retire in cheaper Mexico taking the burden off of medicare, but crime is got in the way of more retiring there. We must cut medical costs, and health care overseas can help.
Manufacturing jobs are gone, the Internet hires toward the lowest paid parts of the world, TV monitors can be watched from overseas replacing some security guards and quality control experts without union or worker actions. An exception to the economic downturn is Australia where nevertheless unemployment is extremely high.
Obama please stop talking of economic recovery any time soon, instead like al Gore and Churchill inspire hope that America continues to function.
Meanwhile if we started taking Survivalism in a collective way, and a non-combative way, our own neighborhood could survive even if many things are going wrong elsewhere in the world. The right-wing now owns the code words that used to belong to the hippies. I believe that who owns the code words is more important than most realize.
In a previous article,
http://richardkanepa.blogspot.com/2011/01/obama-vs-churchill-blood-sweat-and.html
I had more detail of ways municipalities and individuals could save costs by way of the Internet, One’s insurance company or even state welfare departments could encourage overseas operations and prescription renewal, a few have but googleing organ donor transplants soured my interest,
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
by Richard Kane
Read more!
Today no one is publicly gathering potatoes and sprouts. Instead many are advocating hoarding gold which isn’t good for the money circulating, and actually in a truly desperate world, some buried bags of Raw Potatoes could be more fluid as a currency substitute than, a buried sack of Gold Coins.
Click read more for rest of article
People urging survivalist tactics could be wrong in other areas as well, but as usual only the right-wing is doing any arguing, so they keep winning the oral argument by default. Imagine 40 year ago, no earmarks and big guns being in the same package.
Today so-called survivalists not those dropping out mention that the dollar and euro are close to collapse. They urge besides guns and guard dogs a generator and a water distiller, and a hoard of prepackaged dried foods.
In a real disaster guard dogs will be shot and eaten, and no mater how big one’s gun you still need some sleep.
Why not along with one’s neighbors refill as many empty plastic bottles as possible, sprout seeds, and grow and bury potatoes. Medieval farmers had potatoes no matter how many self-appointed, tax collecting armies passed through.
In the last days of the Bush years things began collapsing, Obama chose to be a mediator, not a blamer, at first accomplishing wonders until he began to inherit the blame for things not being the way they should be.
Mayors can plant potatoes. Philadelphia (a Democratic island in a now Republican state) is particularly venerable for hard times. And now has a casino that services almost exclusively the poor. People without any money in their pocket, at all, don’t go the supermarket, and a usually honest person even if not caught might feel embarrassed to go back to the local store where they stole a peanut butter cracker. Urban gardens already encouraged by the city might start growing potatoes. Over sized pots in your windowsill or yard, will make the robbers know, despite being healthy, you likely don’t have pouches of plastic-wrapped dried food that is easy to haul away. Sidewalk grass could be gardens. The next stimulus should be stipends for urban gardens, since in an emergency they will feed the neighborhood whether they want to or not, except for the potatoes since only the planter knows when and exactly where to dig, and anyone desperate enough to randomly dig wouldn’t be in any condition to wait for any they find to cook, or bake.
Of course an intruder rather than barter could rob one of their sprouts, but since thieves tend to be lazy or totally desperate, haling away seeds and plastic storage bins is not likely instead a thief might plan to come by for more spouts later, and have to worry about the sprouts being poisoned if he pushed to hard. And as I said before potatoes are stable enough to substitute as currency.
Obama keeps preaching hope for a better world. Gore spread grim predictions while being part of an inspiring ecological campaign where individuals planted a tree, and ads glorified kids picking up litter. Churchill also inspired by talking about a grim world. Note Churchill’s inspirational book was titled, “Blood, Sweat and Tears”. President Obama stop the prosperity oriented happy talk! Like Gore, talk of the grim times ahead!
Besides predictions of a bright economic prospect repeatedly letting people down, Guantanamo not closing like Obama said he would, saps the strength of those who conclude that there is no way for ordinary folk to have their opinions heard. However, the day Obama announced plans to close Guantanamo, al Qaeda claimed a new head of al Qaeda of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, a convicted terrorist who was involved in the bombing of the Cole He earlier was granted amnesty by Yemen in return for apologizing for terrorism, and picking his own words to affirm that Prophet Mohammad doesn’t condone attacking non military targets. If the US government had exposed he was a figurehead pressured into it by al Qaeda, he could have been turned into a remotely-detonated suicide bomb. Others could be cornered as well. There is a bloodbath of Awakening Council members in Iraq of the ones refusing to make amends with al Qaeda. Obama’s problem in closing Guantanamo is not lack of will, almost anyone who was at Guantanamo could at knife point claim on the Internet to be an al Qaeda leader.
France declared war against al Qaeda in Mali building up from when it tried to rescue instead of paying ransom for French citizens held hostage. Bin Laden personally threatened to blow up the Eiffle Tower and other targets. Bin Laden is confident that victory will eventually be his since with his help the US is bankrupting itself. If Obama were to announce we are now withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and a hostage was seized some Americans would go out of their minds in anger. Conservatives. As far as showing weakness, defense spending at a bankrupting rate is a show of weakness. But it’s not yet checkmate for America.
I would like to thank Warren Buffet and the 44 millionaires who signed a pledge opposing the tax-cut extension. Under Eisenhower the tax rate on the rich was 91% then though the years it went down to the thirties. As there are more and more millionaires as the economy crumbles some hope for revolution. There won’t be revolution as long as those who don’t want it can foment hate between ethic groups like they have between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. However a touch of what Cuba has the world needs, to keep the rich at bay.
For free health care people can go to Cuba. If the government would allow Americans to take 10% of their medicare, medicaid, and prescription reimbursement with them or 10% of any welfare payments with them to Cuba, Cuba would put up with the influx of sick people even if they got less than 10% of what US hospitals get. Some Social Security recipients used to retire in cheaper Mexico taking the burden off of medicare, but crime is got in the way of more retiring there. We must cut medical costs, and health care overseas can help.
Manufacturing jobs are gone, the Internet hires toward the lowest paid parts of the world, TV monitors can be watched from overseas replacing some security guards and quality control experts without union or worker actions. An exception to the economic downturn is Australia where nevertheless unemployment is extremely high.
Obama please stop talking of economic recovery any time soon, instead like al Gore and Churchill inspire hope that America continues to function.
Meanwhile if we started taking Survivalism in a collective way, and a non-combative way, our own neighborhood could survive even if many things are going wrong elsewhere in the world. The right-wing now owns the code words that used to belong to the hippies. I believe that who owns the code words is more important than most realize.
In a previous article,
http://richardkanepa.blogspot.com/2011/01/obama-vs-churchill-blood-sweat-and.html
I had more detail of ways municipalities and individuals could save costs by way of the Internet, One’s insurance company or even state welfare departments could encourage overseas operations and prescription renewal, a few have but googleing organ donor transplants soured my interest,
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
by Richard Kane
Read more!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Obama vs Churchill, Blood, sweat and tears vs Hope
Winston Churchill rallied the British with “Blood, Sweat and Tears”. Obama is trying to rally America and the world with a rallying cry of “hope” that is hope for a better tomorrow, not hope that the West doesn’t collapse because western currency is no more, or a related disaster.
As President Obama was sworn into office, the entire financial market was freezing as borrowing money regardless of credit worthiness was becoming impossible. But Obama still campaigned on hope even after the Euro became in danger of collapse and a Western county that is booming economically, Australia nevertheless continues to have very high unemployment. This, as the tea party won a huge number of votes saying that the bailouts were just a waste of money. Since due to the tax compromise legislation, Obama can still be blamed as things go slowly downhill, there is the possibility of a simplistic solution seeking President in 2012.
I know the war against drugs, crime, and disease fizzled but I urge Obama to call for a war against the collapse of America and the West. Remember after Sputnik President Kennedy invigorated the US educational system. Education became patriotic. Now educational backwardness is expanding. Al Gore became spokesperson for saving the environment. Inspiring people with his gloomy predictions by getting them inspired with small projects like planting a tree or picking up litter, which public service ads turned into heroes.I urge, similar to planting a tree, that Obama ask individuals and corporations to hire one more person for one more hour a week. And TV and billboard ads interviewing common folk hiring their neighbor for an hour a week as doing something heroic. If it only succeeds in creating one less hour of unemployment, at least it will counteract people from falling for the idea that tax cuts for the well off stimulates jobs.
Click Read More Icon below
I have many other suggestions which I will discuss later, and hope I inspired people to post their own suggestions at the bottom. In this essay I will cover hard solutions that masquerade as easy answers like just setting a date, to get out of Afghanistan, ignoring some women in Kabul who don’t wear burkas and might want help leaving and other refugees Why not have France as a mediator between US and the Taliban? Also I will deal with Ron Paul whose idea is ending the Fed. It may be a good idea, but why are counties without a Federal Reserve Bank also hurting economically? And I’ll deal with the survivalists, going around telling their neighbors to buy a big gun and dog, and store up hoards of dried goods. If right wing survivalists are the only ones suggesting what to do in a total economic disaster then it gives them a greater ear. More guns and burying old gold coinage and bullion, interferers with money circulating and thus shrinks the job market. Instead of burying gold bullion, why not like the medieval peasants when Rome collapsed and armies march through, bury potatoes. Potatoes might become currency in instead of bullion in a total disaster.
People can urge their neighbors to plant weeded lots, lawns, half the community gardens could be potato patches in case thieves got the rest, community gardeners wouldn’t feel they are sitting ducks if conditions make them really need the produce, leading to a lot more community gardens.
Sprouts are healthy and if running water isn’t available a little bleach will do, even though in the long-run even a little bleach could hurt you. Thieves are more likely to ignore the seeds and plastic-covered storage containers, and since they want more later without fear of poison mixed in with the sprouts they would prefer to barter then steal. Why let the right-wing survivalist be the only one’s who keep suggesting what to do if everything falls apart?
The threat is extremely grim. Kennedy’s education is patriotic theme is gone. Students falling ever further behind in math and science. Manufacturing jobs are gone. The Internet doesn’t have unions or informal worker stoppage to make working conditions better, and hires toward the lowest paid parts of the world. Phoning, bookkeeping, some secretarial work and maybe half the security guards and quality control experts, can be replaced by TV monitors viewed from across the ocean. Adding to this is the fact that most US companies preferring to hire overseas. A disruption of the dollar could interfere with winter crops shipped from Argentina when no summer US crops were put into storage, and theoretical, if desperate thieves get in the way of food stores functioning, even worse.
Obama is a skillful negotiator. However the recent two-year tax cut extension for the well off in exchange for an economic stimulus for 13 months, instead of 13 months for both means he is slowly losing ground. Skillfully negotiating from a slowly losing bargain position.
Ron Paul, the most rational of those who scream out the danger of collapse, says our problems are caused by the Fed. I wonder what he would replace it with. He also says we have to stay out of the world’s problems. An example of what would happen if we did this is to note where this was done. President Bush decided not to attack pirates in Somalia, after Bin Laden threatened suicide-bombs if we did. Piracy got out of hand, Italy finally took charge sending out the gunboats to capture pirates. Then a US ship captain ended up in a lifeboat with pirates, after one of the passengers stabbed a pirate. The pirates phoned in their demands from the lifeboat. When it seemed they were about to kill the hostage, the US special forces shot the pirates. No one would say the US shouldn’t have saved the hostage’s life. In one incident, US paratroopers in phone contact with the crew swooped down and arrested the pirates without anyone getting hurt, far more expensive than the Italian method of fighting them. But the US then seemed to stop again. Why is America fixated on doing all or doing nothing?
If somehow the US ends its involvement in the Afghan. If while (or after) we are withdrawing from the Afghan War, a hostage incident could leave many Americans crying for blood. Bin Laden loves incidents some deadly, some with words, with a variety of countries to look important, and advertising his theories about Arab impotence, and constantly being pushed around, to become a has-been part of the world, preaching that only al Qaeda is getting in the way of constant insult of the Muslim world and of the Muslim world falling further and further behind. If the US left in a hasty non-mediated withdrawal, several women in Kabul crying about not wanting the burka, and refugee flight will be in the news, not of all the future deaths that didn’t occur.
Besides Italy, getting involved when the US didn’t, France took over the slack in what used to be French North East Africa. The US has had almost no involvement since 2004 in stopping those who swore their allegiance al Qaeda in Mali. They were making a lot of money through kidnapings and ransoms until French citizens were held and France decided to attack not pay.
Bin Laden threatened huge retaliation attacks on France, which have yet to happen. Google “France Declares War against al Qaeda”. Even if al Qaeda did destroy the Eiffel Tower, or their legislature, France wouldn’t start aiding bin Laden’s effort to bankrupt France, the way the US is aiding bin Laden’s efforts to bankrupt the US. France won’t crack down on non-al Qaeda Muslims like when the US designated Hamas a terrorist organization. And if one Sufi Muslim (very un-sufi-like) constantly called al Qaeda a death cult, France would be more conducive to letting him build a community center with a mosque in an awkward place. Most Sufis have a habit of just staying as far away from conflict as possible but Imam Rauf, who wants to build near the 9/11 site, both publicly and privately worked with the US government to counteract al Qaeda. No mater what terror attack al Qaeda pulls, France would never consider Muslims, in general, terrorists. With almost 5% of France, Islam, they know better than to react with knee jerk actions like Americans do. Perhaps the French could be the mediator between the US and the Taliban. Karzai in Afghanistan already begged the Sauds, China and Iran to mediate, why not France. I think because France has wisdom caused by experience, Obma needs to try to put France in charge of what to do in Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda killed far more Sufi Muslims than al Qaeda killed Americans on 9/11. All the lives of the Awakening Council, those Sunnis that changed sides to fight with the Americans in Iraq, are in grave danger. There is no way for the US not to be involved with trying to solve the world’s problems. However, Ron Paul other than being grossly simplistic makes some sense.
I am going to risk going back to President Bush overthrowing Saddam. Vietnam likewise overthrew Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge bloodbath in Cambodia and no one is complaining. Vietnam had no more right to do this than the US did with Saddam. But Vietnam didn’t engage in “shock and awe” and nation building. Karzai may be corrupt, but not below international standards, Obama don’t force him to look like a puppet.
The following are more suggestions that might get people thinking about getting involved in more ways than stopping the fed, or hoarding.
Since money not circulating is part of the cause of economic stagnation or downturn, one partial solution would be for the rich to be taxed less when they spend their money then when they save it. This is already part of the reasoning for some tax deductions, but it could be expanded. If some of the rich insist on working toward no taxes for the well off, rather than tax-cut extensions, it would be better to head in the direction of 100% deductions for money spent on charity or employee intensive projects. I wish Congress would junk the tax compromise bill in favor of real job stimulus tax laws.
Come on everyone join me! We are like a family riding a car with bald tires with most of the family trying not to think about it. One wanting to switch to bicycles, another to stop and stay where they are, but the rest of the family resigned to continue the drive without anyone managing to get new tires.
In case of any disaster it makes sense to store up supplies. I already mentioned potatoes and sprouts. Filling empty bottles with probably tap water is a good idea. You bury rotten potatoes in dirt buckets by the widow so a thief would know you have less tempting food storage than any still alive neighbor.
The government has announced, that in the event of a dirty bomb attack, people should stay inside or even inside their car as long a possible, rather than leave shelter. We can have some kind of survivalist training as a government stimulus program like hiring people to make the parks potato patches, and plant the sidewalk grass. As I said, for a while, potatoes could become future currency.
Now for some suggestions involving governments. Iceland is being bailed out by Europe, but it has the lowest business taxes in the world, therefore many companies make their corporate headquarters there. Raising the business tax could be made the condition for more aid. Then the US and Europe together raise the business tax to stop capital flight to where the taxes are lowest. Next the US and Europe could get together to end the loophole of offshore banking.
There were efforts with some state governments to get prescriptions filled in Canada and elsewhere. This can save a lot of money on medical costs, perhaps even individuals can get 5% kick back from insurance, or medicare if they get refills on the Internet. Maybe everyone’s second and future monthly repeated prescription purchases could be bought on the Internet and mailed, by their insurance company, medicare, and perhaps even welfare officials. Maybe insurance companies could lower the copay by getting faxes of prescriptions the doctor gave and the credit card payment of the Internet refill.
The US embargo on Cuba is hurting the US economically and the more it succeeds the more Cubans in this country send foreign aid back to their relatives in Cuba. Ending the embargo would be the right common sense image to boost the dollar’s image, even before the economic effects kick in. Some Americans took their Social Security check to Mexico where everything is cheaper and the US saved money on medicare and medicaid, but crime is getting in the way of new arrivals. Crime-free Cuba would be a perfect place to retire and no more medicare costs, and if red tape is cut, close enough for easy visits back to the US.
If the US would grant 10% of Medicare, Medicaid, SSI and welfare benefits to those going overseas, Americans in Cuba would make money from the US whenever they got sick until Cuba changed its laws to charge that amount to foreigners seeking medical care in otherwise free health care Cuba. Then the 10% adjusted up and down to the lowest point Americans would seek and get medical care overseas. Some hospitals in the US, on an experimental effort, are trying to get robots to give bedridden patients baths and to feed them, with alarms temporarily to call a human nurse if the patient starts to resist or argue with each other. It would be far more humane for sick persons to seek medical nursing care where it’s cheap rather than a future in the US where machines, not people, treat the convalescent. One way or another, a lot of money is being saved by having medical procedures done in other countries of the world, see “medical tourism” also “online pharmacies Wikipedia”, and,
medicaldiscounts.com/employers_insurance.htm
Perhaps I have stimulated others to point out ideas of their own, like all the new ideas flying around about alternative energy.
I was uneasy about thinking up a couple of suggestions that would put pharmacists out of work, but I want an open brainstorm of ideas, anything that might add to solution. So if offended any progressive please run the ideas out without them.
This article earlier disappeared from this personal blog of mine, richardkanepa.blogspot.com/2010/12/obama-vs-churchill-blood-sweat-
and.html
which may mean that right-wing hackers don’t like it, I was uneasy about thinking up a couple of suggestions that put pharmacists out of work, but I want an open brainstorm of ideas, anything that might ad to solution. So if offended any progressive please run the ideas out without them. Anyway if you like it please make a hard copy in case it disappears again, and if someone actually knows the phone number at google blogspot to talk to I would appreciate it being posted. Anyway if you like it please make a hard copy in case it disappears again, and if someone actually knows the phone number at google blogspot to talk to I would appreciate it being posted.
Post your own suggestions here or post this to sites of those making other suggestions,
Link to articles on the subject might also be posted on the comment section, alternet.org/world/149173/the_american_empire_is_collapsing,_and_americans_will_be_the_last_to_know
By Richard Kane
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
Read more!
As President Obama was sworn into office, the entire financial market was freezing as borrowing money regardless of credit worthiness was becoming impossible. But Obama still campaigned on hope even after the Euro became in danger of collapse and a Western county that is booming economically, Australia nevertheless continues to have very high unemployment. This, as the tea party won a huge number of votes saying that the bailouts were just a waste of money. Since due to the tax compromise legislation, Obama can still be blamed as things go slowly downhill, there is the possibility of a simplistic solution seeking President in 2012.
I know the war against drugs, crime, and disease fizzled but I urge Obama to call for a war against the collapse of America and the West. Remember after Sputnik President Kennedy invigorated the US educational system. Education became patriotic. Now educational backwardness is expanding. Al Gore became spokesperson for saving the environment. Inspiring people with his gloomy predictions by getting them inspired with small projects like planting a tree or picking up litter, which public service ads turned into heroes.I urge, similar to planting a tree, that Obama ask individuals and corporations to hire one more person for one more hour a week. And TV and billboard ads interviewing common folk hiring their neighbor for an hour a week as doing something heroic. If it only succeeds in creating one less hour of unemployment, at least it will counteract people from falling for the idea that tax cuts for the well off stimulates jobs.
Click Read More Icon below
I have many other suggestions which I will discuss later, and hope I inspired people to post their own suggestions at the bottom. In this essay I will cover hard solutions that masquerade as easy answers like just setting a date, to get out of Afghanistan, ignoring some women in Kabul who don’t wear burkas and might want help leaving and other refugees Why not have France as a mediator between US and the Taliban? Also I will deal with Ron Paul whose idea is ending the Fed. It may be a good idea, but why are counties without a Federal Reserve Bank also hurting economically? And I’ll deal with the survivalists, going around telling their neighbors to buy a big gun and dog, and store up hoards of dried goods. If right wing survivalists are the only ones suggesting what to do in a total economic disaster then it gives them a greater ear. More guns and burying old gold coinage and bullion, interferers with money circulating and thus shrinks the job market. Instead of burying gold bullion, why not like the medieval peasants when Rome collapsed and armies march through, bury potatoes. Potatoes might become currency in instead of bullion in a total disaster.
People can urge their neighbors to plant weeded lots, lawns, half the community gardens could be potato patches in case thieves got the rest, community gardeners wouldn’t feel they are sitting ducks if conditions make them really need the produce, leading to a lot more community gardens.
Sprouts are healthy and if running water isn’t available a little bleach will do, even though in the long-run even a little bleach could hurt you. Thieves are more likely to ignore the seeds and plastic-covered storage containers, and since they want more later without fear of poison mixed in with the sprouts they would prefer to barter then steal. Why let the right-wing survivalist be the only one’s who keep suggesting what to do if everything falls apart?
The threat is extremely grim. Kennedy’s education is patriotic theme is gone. Students falling ever further behind in math and science. Manufacturing jobs are gone. The Internet doesn’t have unions or informal worker stoppage to make working conditions better, and hires toward the lowest paid parts of the world. Phoning, bookkeeping, some secretarial work and maybe half the security guards and quality control experts, can be replaced by TV monitors viewed from across the ocean. Adding to this is the fact that most US companies preferring to hire overseas. A disruption of the dollar could interfere with winter crops shipped from Argentina when no summer US crops were put into storage, and theoretical, if desperate thieves get in the way of food stores functioning, even worse.
Obama is a skillful negotiator. However the recent two-year tax cut extension for the well off in exchange for an economic stimulus for 13 months, instead of 13 months for both means he is slowly losing ground. Skillfully negotiating from a slowly losing bargain position.
Ron Paul, the most rational of those who scream out the danger of collapse, says our problems are caused by the Fed. I wonder what he would replace it with. He also says we have to stay out of the world’s problems. An example of what would happen if we did this is to note where this was done. President Bush decided not to attack pirates in Somalia, after Bin Laden threatened suicide-bombs if we did. Piracy got out of hand, Italy finally took charge sending out the gunboats to capture pirates. Then a US ship captain ended up in a lifeboat with pirates, after one of the passengers stabbed a pirate. The pirates phoned in their demands from the lifeboat. When it seemed they were about to kill the hostage, the US special forces shot the pirates. No one would say the US shouldn’t have saved the hostage’s life. In one incident, US paratroopers in phone contact with the crew swooped down and arrested the pirates without anyone getting hurt, far more expensive than the Italian method of fighting them. But the US then seemed to stop again. Why is America fixated on doing all or doing nothing?
If somehow the US ends its involvement in the Afghan. If while (or after) we are withdrawing from the Afghan War, a hostage incident could leave many Americans crying for blood. Bin Laden loves incidents some deadly, some with words, with a variety of countries to look important, and advertising his theories about Arab impotence, and constantly being pushed around, to become a has-been part of the world, preaching that only al Qaeda is getting in the way of constant insult of the Muslim world and of the Muslim world falling further and further behind. If the US left in a hasty non-mediated withdrawal, several women in Kabul crying about not wanting the burka, and refugee flight will be in the news, not of all the future deaths that didn’t occur.
Besides Italy, getting involved when the US didn’t, France took over the slack in what used to be French North East Africa. The US has had almost no involvement since 2004 in stopping those who swore their allegiance al Qaeda in Mali. They were making a lot of money through kidnapings and ransoms until French citizens were held and France decided to attack not pay.
Bin Laden threatened huge retaliation attacks on France, which have yet to happen. Google “France Declares War against al Qaeda”. Even if al Qaeda did destroy the Eiffel Tower, or their legislature, France wouldn’t start aiding bin Laden’s effort to bankrupt France, the way the US is aiding bin Laden’s efforts to bankrupt the US. France won’t crack down on non-al Qaeda Muslims like when the US designated Hamas a terrorist organization. And if one Sufi Muslim (very un-sufi-like) constantly called al Qaeda a death cult, France would be more conducive to letting him build a community center with a mosque in an awkward place. Most Sufis have a habit of just staying as far away from conflict as possible but Imam Rauf, who wants to build near the 9/11 site, both publicly and privately worked with the US government to counteract al Qaeda. No mater what terror attack al Qaeda pulls, France would never consider Muslims, in general, terrorists. With almost 5% of France, Islam, they know better than to react with knee jerk actions like Americans do. Perhaps the French could be the mediator between the US and the Taliban. Karzai in Afghanistan already begged the Sauds, China and Iran to mediate, why not France. I think because France has wisdom caused by experience, Obma needs to try to put France in charge of what to do in Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda killed far more Sufi Muslims than al Qaeda killed Americans on 9/11. All the lives of the Awakening Council, those Sunnis that changed sides to fight with the Americans in Iraq, are in grave danger. There is no way for the US not to be involved with trying to solve the world’s problems. However, Ron Paul other than being grossly simplistic makes some sense.
I am going to risk going back to President Bush overthrowing Saddam. Vietnam likewise overthrew Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge bloodbath in Cambodia and no one is complaining. Vietnam had no more right to do this than the US did with Saddam. But Vietnam didn’t engage in “shock and awe” and nation building. Karzai may be corrupt, but not below international standards, Obama don’t force him to look like a puppet.
The following are more suggestions that might get people thinking about getting involved in more ways than stopping the fed, or hoarding.
Since money not circulating is part of the cause of economic stagnation or downturn, one partial solution would be for the rich to be taxed less when they spend their money then when they save it. This is already part of the reasoning for some tax deductions, but it could be expanded. If some of the rich insist on working toward no taxes for the well off, rather than tax-cut extensions, it would be better to head in the direction of 100% deductions for money spent on charity or employee intensive projects. I wish Congress would junk the tax compromise bill in favor of real job stimulus tax laws.
Come on everyone join me! We are like a family riding a car with bald tires with most of the family trying not to think about it. One wanting to switch to bicycles, another to stop and stay where they are, but the rest of the family resigned to continue the drive without anyone managing to get new tires.
In case of any disaster it makes sense to store up supplies. I already mentioned potatoes and sprouts. Filling empty bottles with probably tap water is a good idea. You bury rotten potatoes in dirt buckets by the widow so a thief would know you have less tempting food storage than any still alive neighbor.
The government has announced, that in the event of a dirty bomb attack, people should stay inside or even inside their car as long a possible, rather than leave shelter. We can have some kind of survivalist training as a government stimulus program like hiring people to make the parks potato patches, and plant the sidewalk grass. As I said, for a while, potatoes could become future currency.
Now for some suggestions involving governments. Iceland is being bailed out by Europe, but it has the lowest business taxes in the world, therefore many companies make their corporate headquarters there. Raising the business tax could be made the condition for more aid. Then the US and Europe together raise the business tax to stop capital flight to where the taxes are lowest. Next the US and Europe could get together to end the loophole of offshore banking.
There were efforts with some state governments to get prescriptions filled in Canada and elsewhere. This can save a lot of money on medical costs, perhaps even individuals can get 5% kick back from insurance, or medicare if they get refills on the Internet. Maybe everyone’s second and future monthly repeated prescription purchases could be bought on the Internet and mailed, by their insurance company, medicare, and perhaps even welfare officials. Maybe insurance companies could lower the copay by getting faxes of prescriptions the doctor gave and the credit card payment of the Internet refill.
The US embargo on Cuba is hurting the US economically and the more it succeeds the more Cubans in this country send foreign aid back to their relatives in Cuba. Ending the embargo would be the right common sense image to boost the dollar’s image, even before the economic effects kick in. Some Americans took their Social Security check to Mexico where everything is cheaper and the US saved money on medicare and medicaid, but crime is getting in the way of new arrivals. Crime-free Cuba would be a perfect place to retire and no more medicare costs, and if red tape is cut, close enough for easy visits back to the US.
If the US would grant 10% of Medicare, Medicaid, SSI and welfare benefits to those going overseas, Americans in Cuba would make money from the US whenever they got sick until Cuba changed its laws to charge that amount to foreigners seeking medical care in otherwise free health care Cuba. Then the 10% adjusted up and down to the lowest point Americans would seek and get medical care overseas. Some hospitals in the US, on an experimental effort, are trying to get robots to give bedridden patients baths and to feed them, with alarms temporarily to call a human nurse if the patient starts to resist or argue with each other. It would be far more humane for sick persons to seek medical nursing care where it’s cheap rather than a future in the US where machines, not people, treat the convalescent. One way or another, a lot of money is being saved by having medical procedures done in other countries of the world, see “medical tourism” also “online pharmacies Wikipedia”, and,
medicaldiscounts.com/employers_insurance.htm
Perhaps I have stimulated others to point out ideas of their own, like all the new ideas flying around about alternative energy.
I was uneasy about thinking up a couple of suggestions that would put pharmacists out of work, but I want an open brainstorm of ideas, anything that might add to solution. So if offended any progressive please run the ideas out without them.
This article earlier disappeared from this personal blog of mine, richardkanepa.blogspot.com/2010/12/obama-vs-churchill-blood-sweat-
and.html
which may mean that right-wing hackers don’t like it, I was uneasy about thinking up a couple of suggestions that put pharmacists out of work, but I want an open brainstorm of ideas, anything that might ad to solution. So if offended any progressive please run the ideas out without them. Anyway if you like it please make a hard copy in case it disappears again, and if someone actually knows the phone number at google blogspot to talk to I would appreciate it being posted. Anyway if you like it please make a hard copy in case it disappears again, and if someone actually knows the phone number at google blogspot to talk to I would appreciate it being posted.
Post your own suggestions here or post this to sites of those making other suggestions,
Link to articles on the subject might also be posted on the comment section, alternet.org/world/149173/the_american_empire_is_collapsing,_and_americans_will_be_the_last_to_know
By Richard Kane
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
Read more!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Can the US get out of a hopeless corner?
Winston Churchill is said to have preached “Blood, Sweat and Tears” though the recorded quote is slightly different then the way it’s remembered. Obama, just as inspiring an orator, preaches “Hope”. Both started out equally successful in inspiring people.
This threat was extremely grim back when Churchill inspired. We have different dangers. Manufacturing jobs are gone. The Internet prefers hiring from the lower or lowest paid parts of the world. On the Internet there are no unions or worker’s protests to make working condition better. Telephoning, bookkeeping, and some secretarial work and many security guards and quality control experts, can be replaced by TV monitors being viewed from across the ocean. The whole developed Western world is in stress, and one of the exceptions is ominous. The Australian economy is booming but with very high unemployment.
Somehow we have to set our sights on economic survival, rather than hope for the prosperous America we once knew returning any time soon. Obama constantly dances and negotiates to stop a steep decline. His input in the begriming slowed the decline considerably, though some thinkers think only delayed it. Recently a two-year tax cut exception for the well off in exchange for an economic stimulus for 13 months, means he is losing ground.
More and more people are wanting and voting for quick fixes, not only the no taxes for the rich crowd that wants the US to boom the way Australia is. Ron Paul says our problems are caused by the Fed. He is important because he is one of the few people talking about the decline seriously, besides those advocating hoarding guns supplies and/or gold. If the Fed is the problem then why are countries without a Federal Reserve System also hurting which doesn’t necessarily mean ending the Federal Reserve System might not be an improvement.
He also says we got to stay out of the world’s problems. An example of what would happen if we did this is to note where this was done. President Bush decided not to attack pirates in Somalia, after Bin Laden threatened suicide-bombs if we did. Piracy got out of hand, Italy finally took charge sending out the gunboats to capture pirates. Then a US ship captain ended up in a lifeboat with pirates, after one of the passengers stabbed a pirate. They phoned in their ransom demands from the lifeboat which weren’t being met. When it seemed they were about to kill him, US special forces shot the pirates. No one would say the US shouldn’t have saved the hostage’s life. But now the US is back in the pirate fighting like we were in the 17th century. In one incident, paratroopers in phone contact with the crew swooped down and arrested the pirates without anyone getting hurt, far more expensive than the Italian method of fighting them. If somehow the US end its involvement in the Afghan War, and let the Afghan Government and the Taliban negotiate or fight as they will, there will similar situations like with the pirates that could easily get us involved again. The financial drain ending if a cut off date is firmly announced is not the end of the story.
The US has almost no involvement since 2004 in stopping al Qaeda in North East Africa sent money or special forces to fight al Qaeda in Northeast Africa in Mali. When French citizens were held for ransom, France decided to attack instead of paying. Bin Laden threatened huge attacks of France, which has yet to happen. Google “France Declares War against al Qaeda”. Even if al Qaeda did succeed at say destroying the Eiffel Tower, or even parliament, France wouldn’t start aiding bin Laden’s effort to bankrupt the West.
Al Qaeda has killed far more Sufi Muslims than they did Americans on 9/11. All the lives of the Awakening Council, those Sunnis that changed sides to fight with the Americans in Iraq, are in grave danger. Somehow we got to figure out the right way to be involved, not how to stop being involved. If we leave in a hurry without a peace treaty some will try to flee including those women in Kabul who took off the burka. Probably far less dead bodies then year after year of war, but the press will be focused on any show trials, not all the lives saved in the long run. And there will be future provocations from al Qaeda such as the rest of the world is experiencing, with many Americans more angry at the President if he didn’t respond to the provocation than if US troops were still there. We need different responses to threats and crises.
I am going to risk going back to President Bush overthrowing Saddam. Vietnam likewise overthrew Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge bloodbath in Cambodia and no one is complaining. Vietnam had no more right to do this than the US with Saddam. But Vietnam didn’t engage in “shock and awe” and nation building. Karzai may be corrupt but not below international standards, so the US has no business acting like we are in charge of him.
I would like to see France or Russia mediate the dispute between the US and the Taliban. Afghan President Karzai already begged the Saudis, Iran and China to do so.
The above is off the subject except those claiming Obama is bought off by the military or part of a plot by the rich not to set a firm cutoff date to withdraw, totally misses the difficulties involved and helps people to fall for such theories as ending taxes will end the economic slump.
People need to get involved more with solving the economic crisis, like ordinary individuals involved with fighting global warming.
The following are suggestions that might get people thinking about getting involved in more ways than stopping the fed, demonstrating, or hoarding.
Since money not circulating is part of the cause of economic stagnation or downturn, one partial solution would be for the rich to be taxed less when they spend their money then when they save it. This is already part of the theory behind tax deductions, but talking about it might improve the process. If some of the rich insist on working toward no taxes for the rich, than rather than tax cut extensions, it would be better for more deduction even 100% deductions for money spent on charity or employee intensive projects. Perhaps Congress could junk the tax compromise bill in favor of real job stimulus tax laws.
Come on everyone join me! We are like a family riding a car with bald tires with most of the family trying not to think about it. One wanting to switch to bicycles, another to stop and stay where they are, but the rest of the family resigned to continue the drive without anyone managing to get new tires.
Now for some more suggestions to fight the drift toward collapse. Iceland is being bailed out by Europe, but it has the lowest business taxes in the world, therefore many companies make their corporate headquarters there. Raising the business tax could made be a condition for more aid. Then the US and Europe together raise the business tax to stop capital flight to where the taxes are lowest. Next the US and Europe could get together to end the loophole of offshore banking.
There were efforts with some state governments to get prescriptions filled in Canada and elsewhere. This can save a lot of money on medical costs, perhaps even individuals can get 5% kick back from insurance, or medicare if they get refills on the Internet. Maybe everyone’s second and future monthly repeated prescription purchases could be bought on the Internet and mailed to patients, by their insurance company, medicare, and perhaps even welfare officials. This, providing there is a way of making sure what they get is quality medicine. Of course that is a big if.
The US embargo on Cuba is hurting the US economically and the more it succeeds the more Cubans in this country send foreign aid back to their relatives in Cuba. Some Americans took their Social Security check to Mexico where everything is cheaper and the US saved money on medicare and medicaid, but crime is getting in the way of new arrivals. Crime-free Cuba would be a perfect place to retire and no more medicare costs and if red tape is cut close enough for easy visits back to the US.
If the US would grant 10% of Medicare, Medicaid, SSI and welfare benefits to those going overseas, Americans in Cuba would make money from the US whenever they got sick until Cuba changed its laws to charge that amount to foreigners seeking medical care in otherwise free health care Cuba. Then the 10% adjusted up and down to the lowest point Americans would seek and get medical care overseas. Some hospitals in the US, on an experimental effort, are trying to get robots to give bedridden patients baths and to feed them, with alarms temporarily to call a human nurse if the patient starts to resist or argue with each other. It would be far more humane for sick persons to seek medical nursing care where it’s cheap rather than a future in the US where machines, not people, treat the convalescent. One way or another, a lot of money is being saved by having medical procedures done in other countries of the world, see “medical tourism” also “online pharmacies Wikipedia”, and,
www.medicaldiscounts.com/employers_insurance.htm
Perhaps others could join me in suggestions to have a campaign against economic depression, like the campaign against global warming. As with picking up litter, many citizens and many employers could agree to hire, one new neighbor or employee to do one hour’s more worth of work for them, with an ad campaign similar to the pick up litter campaign. If it wasn’t for the spirit generated by the ecology movement, picking up liter or planting a tree for a healthy environment might seem ridiculous. If we get in the spirit of hiring a friend for one hour more of work will start us feeling we are doing something. And if it gets in the way of people jumping at the straw that tax cuts, for the well off, will save the economy it will at least stop things from getting worse in a hurry. Let’s get together to save our economic world. Post your own suggestions here or post this to sites those making other suggestions.
By Richard Kane
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
Maybe off the subject, I for one was really mad at what I saw as the conniving ruthlessness of the first George Bush and President Reagan, and felt that the son’s bugling around gave progressive change some breathing room. In my mind we were far closer to a dictatorship under Reagan than since. The last President Bush reached out to Muslims to join his faith-based initiatives, and constantly praised the King of Jordan and the Saudis. Anyway I have trouble seeing a scenario where Obama would be replaced by someone better, and think it more likely, if replaced, it will be by someone far worse than the second George Bush. I for one supported Obama, but far from worshiped him, expecting him to fail, by being sabotaged the way Jimmy Carter was.
But Obama’s term isn’t over. I expect him at some point to salvage some of the situation by calling for blood, sweat and tears. If Obama is replaced will likely be replaced by someone who plays on hatred of immigrants and other polarizing trends.
Read more!
This threat was extremely grim back when Churchill inspired. We have different dangers. Manufacturing jobs are gone. The Internet prefers hiring from the lower or lowest paid parts of the world. On the Internet there are no unions or worker’s protests to make working condition better. Telephoning, bookkeeping, and some secretarial work and many security guards and quality control experts, can be replaced by TV monitors being viewed from across the ocean. The whole developed Western world is in stress, and one of the exceptions is ominous. The Australian economy is booming but with very high unemployment.
Somehow we have to set our sights on economic survival, rather than hope for the prosperous America we once knew returning any time soon. Obama constantly dances and negotiates to stop a steep decline. His input in the begriming slowed the decline considerably, though some thinkers think only delayed it. Recently a two-year tax cut exception for the well off in exchange for an economic stimulus for 13 months, means he is losing ground.
More and more people are wanting and voting for quick fixes, not only the no taxes for the rich crowd that wants the US to boom the way Australia is. Ron Paul says our problems are caused by the Fed. He is important because he is one of the few people talking about the decline seriously, besides those advocating hoarding guns supplies and/or gold. If the Fed is the problem then why are countries without a Federal Reserve System also hurting which doesn’t necessarily mean ending the Federal Reserve System might not be an improvement.
He also says we got to stay out of the world’s problems. An example of what would happen if we did this is to note where this was done. President Bush decided not to attack pirates in Somalia, after Bin Laden threatened suicide-bombs if we did. Piracy got out of hand, Italy finally took charge sending out the gunboats to capture pirates. Then a US ship captain ended up in a lifeboat with pirates, after one of the passengers stabbed a pirate. They phoned in their ransom demands from the lifeboat which weren’t being met. When it seemed they were about to kill him, US special forces shot the pirates. No one would say the US shouldn’t have saved the hostage’s life. But now the US is back in the pirate fighting like we were in the 17th century. In one incident, paratroopers in phone contact with the crew swooped down and arrested the pirates without anyone getting hurt, far more expensive than the Italian method of fighting them. If somehow the US end its involvement in the Afghan War, and let the Afghan Government and the Taliban negotiate or fight as they will, there will similar situations like with the pirates that could easily get us involved again. The financial drain ending if a cut off date is firmly announced is not the end of the story.
The US has almost no involvement since 2004 in stopping al Qaeda in North East Africa sent money or special forces to fight al Qaeda in Northeast Africa in Mali. When French citizens were held for ransom, France decided to attack instead of paying. Bin Laden threatened huge attacks of France, which has yet to happen. Google “France Declares War against al Qaeda”. Even if al Qaeda did succeed at say destroying the Eiffel Tower, or even parliament, France wouldn’t start aiding bin Laden’s effort to bankrupt the West.
Al Qaeda has killed far more Sufi Muslims than they did Americans on 9/11. All the lives of the Awakening Council, those Sunnis that changed sides to fight with the Americans in Iraq, are in grave danger. Somehow we got to figure out the right way to be involved, not how to stop being involved. If we leave in a hurry without a peace treaty some will try to flee including those women in Kabul who took off the burka. Probably far less dead bodies then year after year of war, but the press will be focused on any show trials, not all the lives saved in the long run. And there will be future provocations from al Qaeda such as the rest of the world is experiencing, with many Americans more angry at the President if he didn’t respond to the provocation than if US troops were still there. We need different responses to threats and crises.
I am going to risk going back to President Bush overthrowing Saddam. Vietnam likewise overthrew Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge bloodbath in Cambodia and no one is complaining. Vietnam had no more right to do this than the US with Saddam. But Vietnam didn’t engage in “shock and awe” and nation building. Karzai may be corrupt but not below international standards, so the US has no business acting like we are in charge of him.
I would like to see France or Russia mediate the dispute between the US and the Taliban. Afghan President Karzai already begged the Saudis, Iran and China to do so.
The above is off the subject except those claiming Obama is bought off by the military or part of a plot by the rich not to set a firm cutoff date to withdraw, totally misses the difficulties involved and helps people to fall for such theories as ending taxes will end the economic slump.
People need to get involved more with solving the economic crisis, like ordinary individuals involved with fighting global warming.
The following are suggestions that might get people thinking about getting involved in more ways than stopping the fed, demonstrating, or hoarding.
Since money not circulating is part of the cause of economic stagnation or downturn, one partial solution would be for the rich to be taxed less when they spend their money then when they save it. This is already part of the theory behind tax deductions, but talking about it might improve the process. If some of the rich insist on working toward no taxes for the rich, than rather than tax cut extensions, it would be better for more deduction even 100% deductions for money spent on charity or employee intensive projects. Perhaps Congress could junk the tax compromise bill in favor of real job stimulus tax laws.
Come on everyone join me! We are like a family riding a car with bald tires with most of the family trying not to think about it. One wanting to switch to bicycles, another to stop and stay where they are, but the rest of the family resigned to continue the drive without anyone managing to get new tires.
Now for some more suggestions to fight the drift toward collapse. Iceland is being bailed out by Europe, but it has the lowest business taxes in the world, therefore many companies make their corporate headquarters there. Raising the business tax could made be a condition for more aid. Then the US and Europe together raise the business tax to stop capital flight to where the taxes are lowest. Next the US and Europe could get together to end the loophole of offshore banking.
There were efforts with some state governments to get prescriptions filled in Canada and elsewhere. This can save a lot of money on medical costs, perhaps even individuals can get 5% kick back from insurance, or medicare if they get refills on the Internet. Maybe everyone’s second and future monthly repeated prescription purchases could be bought on the Internet and mailed to patients, by their insurance company, medicare, and perhaps even welfare officials. This, providing there is a way of making sure what they get is quality medicine. Of course that is a big if.
The US embargo on Cuba is hurting the US economically and the more it succeeds the more Cubans in this country send foreign aid back to their relatives in Cuba. Some Americans took their Social Security check to Mexico where everything is cheaper and the US saved money on medicare and medicaid, but crime is getting in the way of new arrivals. Crime-free Cuba would be a perfect place to retire and no more medicare costs and if red tape is cut close enough for easy visits back to the US.
If the US would grant 10% of Medicare, Medicaid, SSI and welfare benefits to those going overseas, Americans in Cuba would make money from the US whenever they got sick until Cuba changed its laws to charge that amount to foreigners seeking medical care in otherwise free health care Cuba. Then the 10% adjusted up and down to the lowest point Americans would seek and get medical care overseas. Some hospitals in the US, on an experimental effort, are trying to get robots to give bedridden patients baths and to feed them, with alarms temporarily to call a human nurse if the patient starts to resist or argue with each other. It would be far more humane for sick persons to seek medical nursing care where it’s cheap rather than a future in the US where machines, not people, treat the convalescent. One way or another, a lot of money is being saved by having medical procedures done in other countries of the world, see “medical tourism” also “online pharmacies Wikipedia”, and,
www.medicaldiscounts.com/employers_insurance.htm
Perhaps others could join me in suggestions to have a campaign against economic depression, like the campaign against global warming. As with picking up litter, many citizens and many employers could agree to hire, one new neighbor or employee to do one hour’s more worth of work for them, with an ad campaign similar to the pick up litter campaign. If it wasn’t for the spirit generated by the ecology movement, picking up liter or planting a tree for a healthy environment might seem ridiculous. If we get in the spirit of hiring a friend for one hour more of work will start us feeling we are doing something. And if it gets in the way of people jumping at the straw that tax cuts, for the well off, will save the economy it will at least stop things from getting worse in a hurry. Let’s get together to save our economic world. Post your own suggestions here or post this to sites those making other suggestions.
By Richard Kane
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
Maybe off the subject, I for one was really mad at what I saw as the conniving ruthlessness of the first George Bush and President Reagan, and felt that the son’s bugling around gave progressive change some breathing room. In my mind we were far closer to a dictatorship under Reagan than since. The last President Bush reached out to Muslims to join his faith-based initiatives, and constantly praised the King of Jordan and the Saudis. Anyway I have trouble seeing a scenario where Obama would be replaced by someone better, and think it more likely, if replaced, it will be by someone far worse than the second George Bush. I for one supported Obama, but far from worshiped him, expecting him to fail, by being sabotaged the way Jimmy Carter was.
But Obama’s term isn’t over. I expect him at some point to salvage some of the situation by calling for blood, sweat and tears. If Obama is replaced will likely be replaced by someone who plays on hatred of immigrants and other polarizing trends.
Read more!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Can Armageddon be Stopped ie the Collapse of the West Prevented
Desperate Economy, Let’s Discuss options not Preach Solutions.
The debt is huge, manufacturing jobs are gone, the Internet hires a lot from the lower, sometimes the lowest paid parts of the world, telephoning, bookkeeping, even more than half the on site security guards can be replaced by security camera’s monitored on the other side of the world. Meanwhile as Obama slows things from getting worse people become furious at his claims that things are going to get better. Promises by those who already tried to make things better are less appealing then promises of voices that never had a change to be in charge.
Is there any site, or article other than this one that actually discusses the problem looking for answers from combining a variety of ideological perspectives, rather than preaching at each other?
Most Americans avoid dealing with the possibility of the West collapsing except those hoarding food and guns, and those with a strong ideological focus like Ron Paul who says we must learn to mind our own business in order not to go bankrupt. He also condemns the Federal Reserve, not noting that countries are in financial trouble and close to meltdown status without a Federal Reserve in their country. Others want revolution, noting how fast the rich keep getting richer, which not only hurts the rest of us but money not circulating due to those who save, not spend, interferes with the ability of commerce to circulate making it harder for people to get jobs or sell anything. Those that don’t hoard or have an idiotical axe to grind just hope ignoring the danger will make it go away.
I have several suggestions from a number of ideological perspectives which I will detail later on in this article. However one point, since money not circulating is part of the cause of economic stagnation or worse, one partial solution would be for the rich to be taxed less when they spend their money then when they save it. This is already part of the theory behind tax deductions, but talking about it might improve the process.
Come on everyone join me! We are like a family riding a car with bald tires with most of the family trying not to think about it. One wanting to switch to bicycles, another to stop and stay where they are, but the rest of the family resigned to continue the drive without anyone managing to get new tires.
Ron Paul’s desire to end involvement with other nations can be examined by looking at a place the US decided not to be involved, as in the issue of piracy. President Bush decided not to fight pirates after bin Laden’s threatened to join them in retaliation if Bush sent troops after pirates in Somalia. The result was piracy kept getting worse, but Italy did send out gun boats to capture pirates, so the example doesn’t prove whether the US shouldn’t be involved or should be involved.
Then under Obama, a US ship captain ended up in a lifeboat with the pirates, after a passenger took matters into his own hands and stabbed a pirate. The ship captain was held as a hostage for their demands, as they began to get extremely frustrated, US special forces killed the pirates at perhaps the last moment to save the hostage. Now the US is back in the pirate fighting business. In one incident, American troops in close phone contact with the crew swooped down from the sky and arrested the pirates without anyone getting hurt. A perfect conclusion except we are now closer to bankruptcy. Italy didn’t risk bankrupting their countries economy with huge expense. Later on in this essay I will point out that France got involved with fighting al Qaeda in North Africa without risking bankrupting France; but with the US it is all or nothing.
According to some, the worst crime the US did was overthrowing Saddam. However, the world cheered when Vietnam likewise overthrew the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot’s bloodbath in Cambodia. But Vietnam didn’t engage in shock and awe or nation building. The reason Saddam shouldn’t have been overthrown is that he kept the Shiites and Sunnis from fighting with each other, not that other nations had no business interfering in the domestic affairs of another regardless of how cruel their government is. However Karzai in Afghanistan is only corrupt. It is not US’s business to stop government corruption in Afghanistan. But the US believes in all or nothing.
A bit of good news concerning the possibility of the total collapse of the West is that the economies of Norway and New Zealand are soaring. Following reporting the good news might be a good place in this essay to post positive ideas in various directions that could set the ball moving toward improving things.
Iceland is being bailed out by Europe, but it has the lowest business taxes in the world, therefore many companies make their corporate headquarters there. Raising the business tax could be a condition for more aid. Then the US and Europe together raise the business tax to stop capital flight to where the taxes are lowest. Next the US and Europe could get together to end the loophole of offshore banking.
There were efforts with some state governments to get prescriptions filled in Canada and elsewhere. This can save a lot of money on medical costs, perhaps even individuals can get 5% kick back from insurance, or medicare and medicate if they get refills on the Internet. Maybe everyone’s second and future monthly prescription purchases could be bought on the Internet and mailed to patients, by their insurance company, medicare, medicare and perhaps even welfare officials. This, providing there is a way of making sure what they get is quality medicine. Of course that is a big if.
The US embargo on Cuba is hurting the US economically and the more it succeeds the more Cubans in this country send foreign aid back to their relatives in Cuba. Some Americans took their Social Security check to Mexico where everything is cheaper and the US saved money on medicare and medicaid, but crime is getting in the way of new arrivals. Crime-free Cuba would be a perfect place to retire and no more medicare costs, and if red tape is cut, close enough for easy visits back to the US.
If the US would grant 10% of Medicare, Medicaid, SSI and welfare benefits to those going overseas, Americans in Cuba would make money from the US whenever they got sick until Cuba changed its laws to charge that amount to foreigners seeking medical care in otherwise free health care Cuba. Then the 10% adjusted up and down to the lowest point Americans would seek and get medical care overseas. Some hospitals in the US, on an experimental effort, are trying to get robots to give bedridden patients baths and to feed them, with alarms temporarily to call a human nurse if the patient starts to resist or argue with each other. It would be far more humane for sick persons to seek medical nursing care where it’s cheap rather than a future in the US where machines, not people, treat the convalescent. One way or another, a lot of money is being saved by having medical procedures done in other countries of the world, see medical tourism also online pharmacies Wikipedia, and,
www.medicaldiscounts.com/employers_insurance.htm
Perhaps others could join me in suggestions to improve things that are not ideologically pure, and post them here or post my suggestions to their suggestions.
One thing glaringly missing so far in this essay is those who say simply end military spending and bankruptcy would go away. In North Africa in and around Mali there is an al Qaeda splinter that the US has yet to get involved in fighting. One can google “France declares war on al Qaeda” France refused to pay ransom and attacked instead, the war of words escalated until bin Laden himself threatening major attacks on France. So far no attacks. France’s involvement in resisting al Qaeda in North Africa might have slowed US trying to deal with that al Qaeda group there. Even if al Qaeda did make a major terror attack against France. France isn’t about to start bankrupting itself with major military expenditure or spar with non-al Qaeda Muslims, the way the US responds to an al Qaeda attack by calling Hamas a terror group.
In Afghanistan if the US leaves without a peace treaty, some women will try to flee Kabul and some of those fighting with the US might want to flee similar to when the US exited the Vietnam War. Of course nothing like when the Soviets left and the deaths went up from war lords fighting, but just as with the good news that Obama stopped or postponed a total financial collapse, the American people will be unaware of the good news if a few people die after the US leaves, despite the endless carnage if the US stays. And the President will have to deal with future provocations similar to the kidnapings of French citizens for ransom, and some in American crying for vengeance much more intensely then if US troops were still in Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda fights with a lot of people the Awakening Council of Iraq and Sufis in Pakistan have many more killed by al Qaeda then the US on 9/11. The very worse exit scenario would be US troops leaving Afghanistan as the dollar is collapsing. The peace movement’s claims that there are no al Qaeda troops in Afghanistan, but they don’t count al Qaeda connected suicide bombers. An exuberant al Qaeda might even try to seize US weapons as we leave and suicide-bomb to help them do it. Unfortunately, I believe fighting until a set withdrawal date is a poor second, but this is the main demand of the US peace movement. I wish people would instead demand that the US accept immediate arbitration if the Taliban would accept, by France, Saudi Arabia or any nation willing to mediate. Even if no nation is willing to do so, demanding this would change the spirit of the situation. At the moment every time the Afghan Karzai government has a peace Jirga the drone war gets more intense. The peace movement needs to note that during a peace gathering is not the time for drone attacks.
I realize that some of my suggestions like Internet prescription refills puts US pharmacists out of work and I would be happy to withdraw the proposal if a better mix is suggested, but any suggestion to end the path toward bankruptcy causes problems especially the supposed cost free means of saving money, simply quickly exiting the war. However, I believe if we all spread the word that our country is driving on bald tires, we will find a way to get new tires. Let’s try to have a discussion rather than a shouting match. I also realize that the Tea Parties idea of no earmarks is part of the solution not the problem, and needs to be factored into a comprehensive effort to stop the plunge toward western collapse.
Please others, add sites and links that deal with the subject of an economic meltdown in a non-ideological way. Or post these suggestions on other such sites.
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
he following are other articles on the subject, hope someone posts more,
http://www.alternet.org/story/149Anhy104/7_reasons_why_capitalism_can%27t_recover_anytime_soon_/comments/#
http://dailyreckoning.com/prediction-hyperinflationary-great-depression-within-the-coming-year/
Read more!
The debt is huge, manufacturing jobs are gone, the Internet hires a lot from the lower, sometimes the lowest paid parts of the world, telephoning, bookkeeping, even more than half the on site security guards can be replaced by security camera’s monitored on the other side of the world. Meanwhile as Obama slows things from getting worse people become furious at his claims that things are going to get better. Promises by those who already tried to make things better are less appealing then promises of voices that never had a change to be in charge.
Is there any site, or article other than this one that actually discusses the problem looking for answers from combining a variety of ideological perspectives, rather than preaching at each other?
Most Americans avoid dealing with the possibility of the West collapsing except those hoarding food and guns, and those with a strong ideological focus like Ron Paul who says we must learn to mind our own business in order not to go bankrupt. He also condemns the Federal Reserve, not noting that countries are in financial trouble and close to meltdown status without a Federal Reserve in their country. Others want revolution, noting how fast the rich keep getting richer, which not only hurts the rest of us but money not circulating due to those who save, not spend, interferes with the ability of commerce to circulate making it harder for people to get jobs or sell anything. Those that don’t hoard or have an idiotical axe to grind just hope ignoring the danger will make it go away.
I have several suggestions from a number of ideological perspectives which I will detail later on in this article. However one point, since money not circulating is part of the cause of economic stagnation or worse, one partial solution would be for the rich to be taxed less when they spend their money then when they save it. This is already part of the theory behind tax deductions, but talking about it might improve the process.
Come on everyone join me! We are like a family riding a car with bald tires with most of the family trying not to think about it. One wanting to switch to bicycles, another to stop and stay where they are, but the rest of the family resigned to continue the drive without anyone managing to get new tires.
Ron Paul’s desire to end involvement with other nations can be examined by looking at a place the US decided not to be involved, as in the issue of piracy. President Bush decided not to fight pirates after bin Laden’s threatened to join them in retaliation if Bush sent troops after pirates in Somalia. The result was piracy kept getting worse, but Italy did send out gun boats to capture pirates, so the example doesn’t prove whether the US shouldn’t be involved or should be involved.
Then under Obama, a US ship captain ended up in a lifeboat with the pirates, after a passenger took matters into his own hands and stabbed a pirate. The ship captain was held as a hostage for their demands, as they began to get extremely frustrated, US special forces killed the pirates at perhaps the last moment to save the hostage. Now the US is back in the pirate fighting business. In one incident, American troops in close phone contact with the crew swooped down from the sky and arrested the pirates without anyone getting hurt. A perfect conclusion except we are now closer to bankruptcy. Italy didn’t risk bankrupting their countries economy with huge expense. Later on in this essay I will point out that France got involved with fighting al Qaeda in North Africa without risking bankrupting France; but with the US it is all or nothing.
According to some, the worst crime the US did was overthrowing Saddam. However, the world cheered when Vietnam likewise overthrew the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot’s bloodbath in Cambodia. But Vietnam didn’t engage in shock and awe or nation building. The reason Saddam shouldn’t have been overthrown is that he kept the Shiites and Sunnis from fighting with each other, not that other nations had no business interfering in the domestic affairs of another regardless of how cruel their government is. However Karzai in Afghanistan is only corrupt. It is not US’s business to stop government corruption in Afghanistan. But the US believes in all or nothing.
A bit of good news concerning the possibility of the total collapse of the West is that the economies of Norway and New Zealand are soaring. Following reporting the good news might be a good place in this essay to post positive ideas in various directions that could set the ball moving toward improving things.
Iceland is being bailed out by Europe, but it has the lowest business taxes in the world, therefore many companies make their corporate headquarters there. Raising the business tax could be a condition for more aid. Then the US and Europe together raise the business tax to stop capital flight to where the taxes are lowest. Next the US and Europe could get together to end the loophole of offshore banking.
There were efforts with some state governments to get prescriptions filled in Canada and elsewhere. This can save a lot of money on medical costs, perhaps even individuals can get 5% kick back from insurance, or medicare and medicate if they get refills on the Internet. Maybe everyone’s second and future monthly prescription purchases could be bought on the Internet and mailed to patients, by their insurance company, medicare, medicare and perhaps even welfare officials. This, providing there is a way of making sure what they get is quality medicine. Of course that is a big if.
The US embargo on Cuba is hurting the US economically and the more it succeeds the more Cubans in this country send foreign aid back to their relatives in Cuba. Some Americans took their Social Security check to Mexico where everything is cheaper and the US saved money on medicare and medicaid, but crime is getting in the way of new arrivals. Crime-free Cuba would be a perfect place to retire and no more medicare costs, and if red tape is cut, close enough for easy visits back to the US.
If the US would grant 10% of Medicare, Medicaid, SSI and welfare benefits to those going overseas, Americans in Cuba would make money from the US whenever they got sick until Cuba changed its laws to charge that amount to foreigners seeking medical care in otherwise free health care Cuba. Then the 10% adjusted up and down to the lowest point Americans would seek and get medical care overseas. Some hospitals in the US, on an experimental effort, are trying to get robots to give bedridden patients baths and to feed them, with alarms temporarily to call a human nurse if the patient starts to resist or argue with each other. It would be far more humane for sick persons to seek medical nursing care where it’s cheap rather than a future in the US where machines, not people, treat the convalescent. One way or another, a lot of money is being saved by having medical procedures done in other countries of the world, see medical tourism also online pharmacies Wikipedia, and,
www.medicaldiscounts.com/employers_insurance.htm
Perhaps others could join me in suggestions to improve things that are not ideologically pure, and post them here or post my suggestions to their suggestions.
One thing glaringly missing so far in this essay is those who say simply end military spending and bankruptcy would go away. In North Africa in and around Mali there is an al Qaeda splinter that the US has yet to get involved in fighting. One can google “France declares war on al Qaeda” France refused to pay ransom and attacked instead, the war of words escalated until bin Laden himself threatening major attacks on France. So far no attacks. France’s involvement in resisting al Qaeda in North Africa might have slowed US trying to deal with that al Qaeda group there. Even if al Qaeda did make a major terror attack against France. France isn’t about to start bankrupting itself with major military expenditure or spar with non-al Qaeda Muslims, the way the US responds to an al Qaeda attack by calling Hamas a terror group.
In Afghanistan if the US leaves without a peace treaty, some women will try to flee Kabul and some of those fighting with the US might want to flee similar to when the US exited the Vietnam War. Of course nothing like when the Soviets left and the deaths went up from war lords fighting, but just as with the good news that Obama stopped or postponed a total financial collapse, the American people will be unaware of the good news if a few people die after the US leaves, despite the endless carnage if the US stays. And the President will have to deal with future provocations similar to the kidnapings of French citizens for ransom, and some in American crying for vengeance much more intensely then if US troops were still in Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda fights with a lot of people the Awakening Council of Iraq and Sufis in Pakistan have many more killed by al Qaeda then the US on 9/11. The very worse exit scenario would be US troops leaving Afghanistan as the dollar is collapsing. The peace movement’s claims that there are no al Qaeda troops in Afghanistan, but they don’t count al Qaeda connected suicide bombers. An exuberant al Qaeda might even try to seize US weapons as we leave and suicide-bomb to help them do it. Unfortunately, I believe fighting until a set withdrawal date is a poor second, but this is the main demand of the US peace movement. I wish people would instead demand that the US accept immediate arbitration if the Taliban would accept, by France, Saudi Arabia or any nation willing to mediate. Even if no nation is willing to do so, demanding this would change the spirit of the situation. At the moment every time the Afghan Karzai government has a peace Jirga the drone war gets more intense. The peace movement needs to note that during a peace gathering is not the time for drone attacks.
I realize that some of my suggestions like Internet prescription refills puts US pharmacists out of work and I would be happy to withdraw the proposal if a better mix is suggested, but any suggestion to end the path toward bankruptcy causes problems especially the supposed cost free means of saving money, simply quickly exiting the war. However, I believe if we all spread the word that our country is driving on bald tires, we will find a way to get new tires. Let’s try to have a discussion rather than a shouting match. I also realize that the Tea Parties idea of no earmarks is part of the solution not the problem, and needs to be factored into a comprehensive effort to stop the plunge toward western collapse.
Please others, add sites and links that deal with the subject of an economic meltdown in a non-ideological way. Or post these suggestions on other such sites.
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com
he following are other articles on the subject, hope someone posts more,
http://www.alternet.org/story/149Anhy104/7_reasons_why_capitalism_can%27t_recover_anytime_soon_/comments/#
http://dailyreckoning.com/prediction-hyperinflationary-great-depression-within-the-coming-year/
Read more!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Democrats Saying ‘NO', good news if
Nancy Pelosi hasn’t backed down. The tax reduction for the rich isn't stimulus, but what amounts to pork for the rich. The rebellious Democrats I think might end up good news even for Obama. Obama over the years has put a lot of time in trying to be an unbiased arbitrator even as he ran for President. So progressives shouldn’t be surprised that he doesn’t fight hard for what most think he believes. There are a lot of Lame Duck Representatives that should be particular appealed to, to vote against the tax-cut smorgasbord. Particularly locally Joe Sestak.
President Obama’s problems are similar to a teacher or professor who has a friend or a relative in class, and when mediating a dispute between students, the friend kept saying “yes” to suggested compromises and the other student or students keep saying “not enough”, giving the appearance of always deciding in favor of those who have no relation to the teacher.
Some Democrats destructively challenging the anger was another problem. If a child, husband or wife is too obedient, it’s not healthy, neither has been Democrats obeying the President. In some families. the people argue only when they get angry and hate each other, screaming such things as you are the worse parents. There is no reason for progressives to condemn the President just quietly refuse to compromise what you believe, at least as much as Republicans do.
Thanks to Reagan, et al, the good manufacturing jobs are all gone. Thanks to the Internet people can work from anywhere ignoring US minimum wage laws. Obama should have promised in the last election to prevent things from getting worse in a hurry. The wild promises by the Republicans to make things better made more sense than Obama claiming he could improve things faster in two more years than he did in his first two.
This tax legislation for the unemployed ends in 13 months but for the rich two years creating a unbalance for future debates over stimulus. The non-Rich lobbying in the future with less and less cards on the table. It’s urgent to insist on a equal length of stimulus even if unemployment checks get cut 20%.
Srorter version ends here at this link
http://youngphillypolitics.com/democrats_saying_%E2%80%98no039_good_news_if
I wonder if Obama is actually inadvertently giving tough-love to the progressives, somewhat similar to the way Rep. Charles Rangel wanted to restore the draft to force young people to think of conscience, like young people did during Vietnam. If so, it’s important for progressives to return tough-love to the President, rather than add to the hate the President campaign started by racists.
Please fellow activist’s don’t join the conservatives in pouring hate on Obama. Just learn how to calmly say “no” By offering this bone to Republicans the START Treaty is way on its way toward being passed. There is good reason to believe that Obama’s mediating style stopped or postponed another great depression. The fires of the first depression flamed by nations enacting giant tariff walls against each other. Obama so far prevented war with Iran while at the same time preventing the kind of nuclear arms race between Shiite and Sunni countries much like the nuclear race between India and Pakistan.
Obama really cares about foreign policy; and somehow, despite the midterm disaster is continuing to lead internationally. When it comes to Afghanistan critics may be right but they are also unfair. As things now stand if the US decided to just get out, like progressives want, al Qaeda can suicide-bomb, the withdrawing US troops, to make sure they stay and continue the warring world bin Laden craves. The al Qaeda splinter that sent the package bombs is now happily announcing how little they spent on the parts making those bombs compared to the millions the US spent in response.
I think Obama should publicly say concerning the war that he realizes that some woman will be crying that they don’t want to have to wear the burka again and al Qaeda will symbolically attack but we should get out anyway. People who want to troops to come home don’t even mention those who will be begging to come with us. We are fixated with 9/11 but if you google “Awakening Council”, those Sunni’s in Iraq who sided with the Americans one can note many others have more to fear from al Qaeda than the US has. Also, if you google Sufi with al Qaeda you will see a lot of attacks against Sufis. Imam Abdul Rauf’s Sufi mosque project in downtown NY is somehow seen by some as a monument to those militant Muslims who tend to hate Sufis. Sorry I changed the subject from the upcoming bill but we need to put ourselves in Obama’s shoes, even as we more often need to say, “not enough” to his proposals.
Let’s lobby Specter and Sestak. Cheering Barney Frank from far away has been a poor use of local resources. Pennsylvania has its role in the conflict between the rich and the non-rich of the rich constantly having more cards to play at the table. When talking to Specter and Sestak, you will not get them mad at Obama.
http://my.firedoglake.com/richardkanepa/2010/12/09/cheer-obama-but-oppose-his-tax-extension-deal/
http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/26-26/4210-cheer-obama-but-oppose-his-tax-extension-deal
Problems getting out of the war,
www.readersupportednews.org/pm-section/21-21/4131-fighting-bedbugs-with-forest-fires-obama-in-afghanistan
RichardKane
PA.blogspot.com
Read more!
President Obama’s problems are similar to a teacher or professor who has a friend or a relative in class, and when mediating a dispute between students, the friend kept saying “yes” to suggested compromises and the other student or students keep saying “not enough”, giving the appearance of always deciding in favor of those who have no relation to the teacher.
Some Democrats destructively challenging the anger was another problem. If a child, husband or wife is too obedient, it’s not healthy, neither has been Democrats obeying the President. In some families. the people argue only when they get angry and hate each other, screaming such things as you are the worse parents. There is no reason for progressives to condemn the President just quietly refuse to compromise what you believe, at least as much as Republicans do.
Thanks to Reagan, et al, the good manufacturing jobs are all gone. Thanks to the Internet people can work from anywhere ignoring US minimum wage laws. Obama should have promised in the last election to prevent things from getting worse in a hurry. The wild promises by the Republicans to make things better made more sense than Obama claiming he could improve things faster in two more years than he did in his first two.
This tax legislation for the unemployed ends in 13 months but for the rich two years creating a unbalance for future debates over stimulus. The non-Rich lobbying in the future with less and less cards on the table. It’s urgent to insist on a equal length of stimulus even if unemployment checks get cut 20%.
Srorter version ends here at this link
http://youngphillypolitics.com/democrats_saying_%E2%80%98no039_good_news_if
I wonder if Obama is actually inadvertently giving tough-love to the progressives, somewhat similar to the way Rep. Charles Rangel wanted to restore the draft to force young people to think of conscience, like young people did during Vietnam. If so, it’s important for progressives to return tough-love to the President, rather than add to the hate the President campaign started by racists.
Please fellow activist’s don’t join the conservatives in pouring hate on Obama. Just learn how to calmly say “no” By offering this bone to Republicans the START Treaty is way on its way toward being passed. There is good reason to believe that Obama’s mediating style stopped or postponed another great depression. The fires of the first depression flamed by nations enacting giant tariff walls against each other. Obama so far prevented war with Iran while at the same time preventing the kind of nuclear arms race between Shiite and Sunni countries much like the nuclear race between India and Pakistan.
Obama really cares about foreign policy; and somehow, despite the midterm disaster is continuing to lead internationally. When it comes to Afghanistan critics may be right but they are also unfair. As things now stand if the US decided to just get out, like progressives want, al Qaeda can suicide-bomb, the withdrawing US troops, to make sure they stay and continue the warring world bin Laden craves. The al Qaeda splinter that sent the package bombs is now happily announcing how little they spent on the parts making those bombs compared to the millions the US spent in response.
I think Obama should publicly say concerning the war that he realizes that some woman will be crying that they don’t want to have to wear the burka again and al Qaeda will symbolically attack but we should get out anyway. People who want to troops to come home don’t even mention those who will be begging to come with us. We are fixated with 9/11 but if you google “Awakening Council”, those Sunni’s in Iraq who sided with the Americans one can note many others have more to fear from al Qaeda than the US has. Also, if you google Sufi with al Qaeda you will see a lot of attacks against Sufis. Imam Abdul Rauf’s Sufi mosque project in downtown NY is somehow seen by some as a monument to those militant Muslims who tend to hate Sufis. Sorry I changed the subject from the upcoming bill but we need to put ourselves in Obama’s shoes, even as we more often need to say, “not enough” to his proposals.
Let’s lobby Specter and Sestak. Cheering Barney Frank from far away has been a poor use of local resources. Pennsylvania has its role in the conflict between the rich and the non-rich of the rich constantly having more cards to play at the table. When talking to Specter and Sestak, you will not get them mad at Obama.
http://my.firedoglake.com/richardkanepa/2010/12/09/cheer-obama-but-oppose-his-tax-extension-deal/
http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/26-26/4210-cheer-obama-but-oppose-his-tax-extension-deal
Problems getting out of the war,
www.readersupportednews.org/pm-section/21-21/4131-fighting-bedbugs-with-forest-fires-obama-in-afghanistan
RichardKane
PA.blogspot.com
Read more!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Peace leaders killed in Afghanistan because the Taliban thought they smelled a trick
As an American who was hopeful about Afghan President Karzai’s call for an all-inclusive Afghan Peace Jirga, (peace conference) with western participation mixed in, I have to convey some grim news, peace advocates have been killed. On the Internet, I recently urged that more westerners join in supporting Hamid Kazai’s efforts. Unfortunately, the Taliban considers the peace conference a trick. Somehow every time Karzai talks peace the drone attacks get more intense.
In places where the Taliban is strong, several tribal leaders were assassinated for promoting this peace effort. This includes Abdul Rahm in April and Rahman Gul along with his two brothers on May 16. It saddens me and troubles me that western peace activists pay so little attention to the deaths of fellow peace activists in Afghanistan,
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/05/201051743554977652.html
http://phillyimc.org/en/sad-irony-afghan-elder-near-kandahar-shot-dead
I guess it is possible that by speaking out for peace these two tribal leaders thought they could go further in defying some al Qaeda directive, if so it’s still bad news.
In response to General McChrystal’s efforts to win the Afghan’s hearts and minds, Mullah Omar issued a new Taliban code of ethics, to do likewise, by trying to fight with less mayhem and collateral damage, and better PR. Besides ordering that girls schools should not be subject to attack, he urges fighters under his control to try to warn people to quit helping the Americans before subjecting them to assassination sometimes beating them up as a last warning. Even if this is still in effect it meant that Abdul Rahm and Rahman Gul were put in an impossible corner between what the Americans suddenly getting very involved where they lived, and demanded things of them and what the Taliban demanded. Administration officials keep talking about showing strength. After he shows enough strength Obama claims he can start negotiations but most Muslims think partly of economic strength, even non-militants proud that they don’t charge interest or borrow much, and have an overinflated idea of the inevitability of Western currency collapse which obviously would lead to a quick US withdrawal. Talking peace while Muslim militants morn the death of a Muslim leader by a drone attack just won’t work. The peace process could, I believe, be salvaged if Hamid Karzai could get the power to condemn the drone war, without the US in response trying to quickly kick him out of office.
Before I continue an article that may be too full of doom and gloom to finish reading, I would like to say I have a proposal of a dream at the end of this essay that since India and Pakistan are now temporarily friendlier to each other than in the past, perhaps they, along with Iran could broker a real peace in that sad part of the world.
An area where I am reluctant to go, but I hope others explore, is the possibility that the Afghan War is more hopeless than a “Catch 22". As I already begun to mention, when the Soviets left, massive carnage and confusion followed as the warlords fought among themselves. Today the more General McChrystal avoids civilian deaths the more tolerable endless war will be. This, as I already began to allude to, especially if Mullah Omar keeps responding with a strict code of ethics, of his own, often individually warning people to specifically stop cooperating with the Americans on a specific project before attacking them, and never attacking open markets and other civilian gatherings. People employed as a soldier or guard no matter what side, can become afraid of not finding work if peace comes. Even some in the Taliban may worry about no longer being able to steal supplies if the US leaves. More than the US military-industrial complex involves an addition to war.
A few women sadly putting back on the burqa while crying that the US or Obama or Kucinich betrayed them will spread the image of betrayal nearly as much as many people shouting betrayal as the death rate climbs from fighters continuing to find work, with various warlords. Those warlords that fought with the US will be free, if the US leaves, from having to avoid civilian casualties.
If the US stays temporarily in Afghanistan, while a new order is being established as Gilbuddin Hekmatyar a, until recently, Taliban supporting warlord tried to arrange, with a power sharing government with President Karzai, instead of cheering the lack of bloodbath, the American public will be incensed if a woman after a short trial is whipped for not wearing a burqa where the US troops are maintaining order or if a traitor to the Taliban is executed while the US troops watch. No matter which scenario happens the American people will be disgusted with the results. Someone please explore the beyond “Catch 22" angle to what the US should do or not do in trying to leave Afghanistan.
For a link to the above bad news insight without connecting it to the larger article click on,
http://ramblingsfromthehornetsnest.blogspot.com/2010/05/really-bad-news-in-afghanistan-may_24.html
Now back to the article I want to write where there are great roadblocks but some hope for a solution. It should be clear, and unfortunately may soon be very clear, that international monetary collapse and confusion, not al Qaeda’s dreams of non-western values no longer being picked on and ridiculed, (due to overwhelming al Qaeda violence) is the biggest danger to us all. There are various ways to get pride in non-Western culture besides al Qaida’s dreams of mayhem. Palestinians clinging to land despite bulldozers moving forward, if they actually got to stay in the rubble and rebuild would make al Qaeda’s grim tactics then seem to make no sense. Iran’s defiance also offers a hopeful alterative for many in contrast to al Qaeda’s pro-collateral damage mayhem. Google al-Qaeda declares war on Iran to see how much bin Laden doesn’t like Iran.
To make a long story short, the worse way for the war to end would be a severe US depression accompanying a hasty US withdrawal, followed by a restructuring of what it means to be an American such as occurred in the restructuring of what it means to be a Russian, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since militant Muslims believe they are responsible for this, and are proud of it, it has led to endless terror attacks by Muslim extremists, inspired by the belief that they changed Russian history.
Whatever the US does, if done by the US alone, that sad part of the world may end up in misery for many years to come.
The US peace movement has an illusion that the number of Representatives voting to set a firm future date for war funding to end will gradually increase. However, as arbitrary date comes close there would be good reason for several Representatives to get scared and change their mind. Twice when a power sharing cease-fire seemed close, peace groups were flooded with “Don’t betray Afghan Women in the name of peace”. A usually firmly antiwar peace group, the Institute for Policy Studies, when there seemed to be a likelihood of a power-sharing agreement between the pro-Taliban warlord Gilbuddin Hekmatyar and Afghan President Karzai, it suddenly had an article, “fpif, Afghanistan: Should we stay or should we go?” which was an evenhanded debate on whether or not the US should leave. Then later when the imminent peace scare was no longer in the news, it went back to wanting to set a firm future date to stop war funding.
Thus if a clear funds cut off date came near, several Congressional representatives would likely get cold feet. This tendency for an ever changing final date could be solved if Dennis Kucinich’s antiwar funding bill had a preamble that funds should be cut even if Women in Kabul are Forced to Wear Burqas, and even if fighting over who is in charge takes place. However if the war ends due to a depression followed by a restructuring of what it means to be an American, the war may never be over like with the Russians and militant Muslims.
No American in the 2012 election cycle will want to spend money on an endless war, even if the US economy doesn’t fail. Nixon tried carpet bombing North Vietnam and invading Cambodia and Laos, and when that didn’t work “nuke Vietnam” placards decorated the fewer and fewer pro-war events. It is likely that if a Democratic challenger to Obama fails to get the nomination probably because he is considered a hypocrite due to past hedging statements on the war, a Republican might win claiming he will suggest what he considers generous peace terms and the US taking off the gloves and fighting tough if the other side doesn’t accept, leading to more than carpet bombing and the entire Muslim world mad at the US the way they were the Soviet Union, during its Afghan War.
Politically in this country it is perceived that Republicans support big business and the war, while Democrats half support big business and many Democrats are wishy-washy on the war, leading to some of the electorate to be inspired by one or more conservative, and the rest of the voters disgusted with politics, and all kinds of talk about Obama being a coward toward the Military-Industrial-Complex. Instead there should be a sober discussion of why we should get out despite the possibility it could be bad temporary news for the Afghans.
As for what to do, Iran has done things that lesson US problems over there and can do more. There are several things Iran is doing that the US hasn’t acknowledged as being helpful. In Iraq, Iran has urged that Sunnis be part of the government, which lessons the sectarian strife the US may end up again trying to deal with. In Afghanistan Iran encourages, especially Shiite Afghans to come and work in Iran’s oil industry. The money sent home a source of economic stimulus that makes Iraqis more tolerant of the US supported government. Plus Iran looking strong, gives pride to Muslim subject to extremism, which challenges the pride in al Qaeda’s ability to create mayhem, and Ahmadinejad’s lavish praise of Karzai also makes Iraqis proud. The US people wouldn’t let both Bush and Obama actually bow to the King of Jordan and the Saudi King to make up for Muslims bowing to US culture every time a Muslim man puts on a suit or a Muslim woman, wears a dress. If the US would stop pressuring Iran they might be willing to provide the salaries that would keep Afghan fighters from continuing their trade if peace ever gets declared.
The world economic climate is so bad that Australia actually decided to help guarantee the Greek debt. Before Obama risks offering US help to Greece, Obama could end the economic blockade of Cuba and the upcoming sanctions on Iran which would give the world an economic shot in the arm, and Obama could also give the world currency system another economic boast by declaring the war over with Iran paying the fighters to stop fighting. In the near future Iran, Cuba and Venezuela can work with the rest of the world for a more perfect world or in the near future it may be a barter only (without currency) world with people far from farm land resorting to cannibalism in order try to survive.
I know however my solution faces great roadblocks. Al Qaeda is proud of the Muslim belief against usury and thus has an exaggerate belief in the inevitably of the west descending into bankruptcy and currency collapse. I’m sure the professional not amateur terrorists like bin Laden are aware that a volunteer army is expensive and I think bin Laden while contemplating a second terror attack would not want to do anything that might restart a draft and allow the US to fight in a cheaper manner. However, if the future looks like it will be peace, not bankruptcy, bin Laden would be determined to try to do something drastic. Also Israel, or even Turkey or China might not appreciate a peace that they are not part of.
AN UPDATE I WOULD LIKE TO HOPE A CORRECTION
According to Robert Dreyfuss efforts for talks between the Taliban and the Karzai government are still going strong. But how could peace advocates be killed by the same people who want to talk to the Karzai government?
www.thenation.com/blog/more-secret-talks-taliban
Does the Taliban consist of different people with different outlooks all claiming to represent one organization? Or is Robert Dreyfuss grasping a straws? Whatever is going on I am troubled that western peace groups mostly don't not the deaths of non-western peace leaders. Possibly the al Qaeda loves trouble even though they respect the fact that Mullah Obama has been far more successful at persuasion then they have. It’s not part of this article but I suspect that Mullah Obama won't denounce bin Laden the way Hekmatyar did because since Mullah Omar has real differences with bin Laden, bin Laden is more likely to get even against Mullah Omar if Omar were to follow Hekmatyar's example and denounce al Qaeda. It may be that the new tension between Karzai and US officials may make the Taliban more sympathetic to Karzai then they were last week.
One might conclude that the above essay is a rambling way of conveying that the peace jirga won’t work unless Hamid Karzai has much more freedom to criticize the US. However, anyone conveying bad news needs to somehow have a hopeful carrot attached to it. I hope I have inspired others to write similar pieces, maybe with an email link as a comment to this article, even on the subject of the economy which I also know is a subject of choosing between grim choices and/or a few far away utopian solutions, war and war spending and the economy overlapping issues.
There is somehow a primitive desire to look strong not weak that encompasses every American President that makes sense when it comes to al Qaeda, but not Karzai and I believe not Iran or Mullah Omar. Both Karzai and Mullah Omar never embraced the random mayhem many warlords specialized in, and since he initiated a Taliban code of ethics he would be a better ruler then most Afghans. Let’s give him the power and prestige to control the soldiers from finding employment in the only profession they ever knew. Anyway, without criticizing Obama I want to urge him to temporally stop the drone war and give Afghan President Karzai’s peace efforts as the reason why.
For supporting links, scan this somewhat similar essays,
www.phillyimc.org/en/peace-leader-killed-1000-us-deaths-other-bad-news-about-war
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/50377
http://RichardKanepa.blogspot.com
Richard Kane is retired in Philladelphia PA
Read more!
In places where the Taliban is strong, several tribal leaders were assassinated for promoting this peace effort. This includes Abdul Rahm in April and Rahman Gul along with his two brothers on May 16. It saddens me and troubles me that western peace activists pay so little attention to the deaths of fellow peace activists in Afghanistan,
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/05/201051743554977652.html
http://phillyimc.org/en/sad-irony-afghan-elder-near-kandahar-shot-dead
I guess it is possible that by speaking out for peace these two tribal leaders thought they could go further in defying some al Qaeda directive, if so it’s still bad news.
In response to General McChrystal’s efforts to win the Afghan’s hearts and minds, Mullah Omar issued a new Taliban code of ethics, to do likewise, by trying to fight with less mayhem and collateral damage, and better PR. Besides ordering that girls schools should not be subject to attack, he urges fighters under his control to try to warn people to quit helping the Americans before subjecting them to assassination sometimes beating them up as a last warning. Even if this is still in effect it meant that Abdul Rahm and Rahman Gul were put in an impossible corner between what the Americans suddenly getting very involved where they lived, and demanded things of them and what the Taliban demanded. Administration officials keep talking about showing strength. After he shows enough strength Obama claims he can start negotiations but most Muslims think partly of economic strength, even non-militants proud that they don’t charge interest or borrow much, and have an overinflated idea of the inevitability of Western currency collapse which obviously would lead to a quick US withdrawal. Talking peace while Muslim militants morn the death of a Muslim leader by a drone attack just won’t work. The peace process could, I believe, be salvaged if Hamid Karzai could get the power to condemn the drone war, without the US in response trying to quickly kick him out of office.
Before I continue an article that may be too full of doom and gloom to finish reading, I would like to say I have a proposal of a dream at the end of this essay that since India and Pakistan are now temporarily friendlier to each other than in the past, perhaps they, along with Iran could broker a real peace in that sad part of the world.
An area where I am reluctant to go, but I hope others explore, is the possibility that the Afghan War is more hopeless than a “Catch 22". As I already begun to mention, when the Soviets left, massive carnage and confusion followed as the warlords fought among themselves. Today the more General McChrystal avoids civilian deaths the more tolerable endless war will be. This, as I already began to allude to, especially if Mullah Omar keeps responding with a strict code of ethics, of his own, often individually warning people to specifically stop cooperating with the Americans on a specific project before attacking them, and never attacking open markets and other civilian gatherings. People employed as a soldier or guard no matter what side, can become afraid of not finding work if peace comes. Even some in the Taliban may worry about no longer being able to steal supplies if the US leaves. More than the US military-industrial complex involves an addition to war.
A few women sadly putting back on the burqa while crying that the US or Obama or Kucinich betrayed them will spread the image of betrayal nearly as much as many people shouting betrayal as the death rate climbs from fighters continuing to find work, with various warlords. Those warlords that fought with the US will be free, if the US leaves, from having to avoid civilian casualties.
If the US stays temporarily in Afghanistan, while a new order is being established as Gilbuddin Hekmatyar a, until recently, Taliban supporting warlord tried to arrange, with a power sharing government with President Karzai, instead of cheering the lack of bloodbath, the American public will be incensed if a woman after a short trial is whipped for not wearing a burqa where the US troops are maintaining order or if a traitor to the Taliban is executed while the US troops watch. No matter which scenario happens the American people will be disgusted with the results. Someone please explore the beyond “Catch 22" angle to what the US should do or not do in trying to leave Afghanistan.
For a link to the above bad news insight without connecting it to the larger article click on,
http://ramblingsfromthehornetsnest.blogspot.com/2010/05/really-bad-news-in-afghanistan-may_24.html
Now back to the article I want to write where there are great roadblocks but some hope for a solution. It should be clear, and unfortunately may soon be very clear, that international monetary collapse and confusion, not al Qaeda’s dreams of non-western values no longer being picked on and ridiculed, (due to overwhelming al Qaeda violence) is the biggest danger to us all. There are various ways to get pride in non-Western culture besides al Qaida’s dreams of mayhem. Palestinians clinging to land despite bulldozers moving forward, if they actually got to stay in the rubble and rebuild would make al Qaeda’s grim tactics then seem to make no sense. Iran’s defiance also offers a hopeful alterative for many in contrast to al Qaeda’s pro-collateral damage mayhem. Google al-Qaeda declares war on Iran to see how much bin Laden doesn’t like Iran.
To make a long story short, the worse way for the war to end would be a severe US depression accompanying a hasty US withdrawal, followed by a restructuring of what it means to be an American such as occurred in the restructuring of what it means to be a Russian, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since militant Muslims believe they are responsible for this, and are proud of it, it has led to endless terror attacks by Muslim extremists, inspired by the belief that they changed Russian history.
Whatever the US does, if done by the US alone, that sad part of the world may end up in misery for many years to come.
The US peace movement has an illusion that the number of Representatives voting to set a firm future date for war funding to end will gradually increase. However, as arbitrary date comes close there would be good reason for several Representatives to get scared and change their mind. Twice when a power sharing cease-fire seemed close, peace groups were flooded with “Don’t betray Afghan Women in the name of peace”. A usually firmly antiwar peace group, the Institute for Policy Studies, when there seemed to be a likelihood of a power-sharing agreement between the pro-Taliban warlord Gilbuddin Hekmatyar and Afghan President Karzai, it suddenly had an article, “fpif, Afghanistan: Should we stay or should we go?” which was an evenhanded debate on whether or not the US should leave. Then later when the imminent peace scare was no longer in the news, it went back to wanting to set a firm future date to stop war funding.
Thus if a clear funds cut off date came near, several Congressional representatives would likely get cold feet. This tendency for an ever changing final date could be solved if Dennis Kucinich’s antiwar funding bill had a preamble that funds should be cut even if Women in Kabul are Forced to Wear Burqas, and even if fighting over who is in charge takes place. However if the war ends due to a depression followed by a restructuring of what it means to be an American, the war may never be over like with the Russians and militant Muslims.
No American in the 2012 election cycle will want to spend money on an endless war, even if the US economy doesn’t fail. Nixon tried carpet bombing North Vietnam and invading Cambodia and Laos, and when that didn’t work “nuke Vietnam” placards decorated the fewer and fewer pro-war events. It is likely that if a Democratic challenger to Obama fails to get the nomination probably because he is considered a hypocrite due to past hedging statements on the war, a Republican might win claiming he will suggest what he considers generous peace terms and the US taking off the gloves and fighting tough if the other side doesn’t accept, leading to more than carpet bombing and the entire Muslim world mad at the US the way they were the Soviet Union, during its Afghan War.
Politically in this country it is perceived that Republicans support big business and the war, while Democrats half support big business and many Democrats are wishy-washy on the war, leading to some of the electorate to be inspired by one or more conservative, and the rest of the voters disgusted with politics, and all kinds of talk about Obama being a coward toward the Military-Industrial-Complex. Instead there should be a sober discussion of why we should get out despite the possibility it could be bad temporary news for the Afghans.
As for what to do, Iran has done things that lesson US problems over there and can do more. There are several things Iran is doing that the US hasn’t acknowledged as being helpful. In Iraq, Iran has urged that Sunnis be part of the government, which lessons the sectarian strife the US may end up again trying to deal with. In Afghanistan Iran encourages, especially Shiite Afghans to come and work in Iran’s oil industry. The money sent home a source of economic stimulus that makes Iraqis more tolerant of the US supported government. Plus Iran looking strong, gives pride to Muslim subject to extremism, which challenges the pride in al Qaeda’s ability to create mayhem, and Ahmadinejad’s lavish praise of Karzai also makes Iraqis proud. The US people wouldn’t let both Bush and Obama actually bow to the King of Jordan and the Saudi King to make up for Muslims bowing to US culture every time a Muslim man puts on a suit or a Muslim woman, wears a dress. If the US would stop pressuring Iran they might be willing to provide the salaries that would keep Afghan fighters from continuing their trade if peace ever gets declared.
The world economic climate is so bad that Australia actually decided to help guarantee the Greek debt. Before Obama risks offering US help to Greece, Obama could end the economic blockade of Cuba and the upcoming sanctions on Iran which would give the world an economic shot in the arm, and Obama could also give the world currency system another economic boast by declaring the war over with Iran paying the fighters to stop fighting. In the near future Iran, Cuba and Venezuela can work with the rest of the world for a more perfect world or in the near future it may be a barter only (without currency) world with people far from farm land resorting to cannibalism in order try to survive.
I know however my solution faces great roadblocks. Al Qaeda is proud of the Muslim belief against usury and thus has an exaggerate belief in the inevitably of the west descending into bankruptcy and currency collapse. I’m sure the professional not amateur terrorists like bin Laden are aware that a volunteer army is expensive and I think bin Laden while contemplating a second terror attack would not want to do anything that might restart a draft and allow the US to fight in a cheaper manner. However, if the future looks like it will be peace, not bankruptcy, bin Laden would be determined to try to do something drastic. Also Israel, or even Turkey or China might not appreciate a peace that they are not part of.
AN UPDATE I WOULD LIKE TO HOPE A CORRECTION
According to Robert Dreyfuss efforts for talks between the Taliban and the Karzai government are still going strong. But how could peace advocates be killed by the same people who want to talk to the Karzai government?
www.thenation.com/blog/more-secret-talks-taliban
Does the Taliban consist of different people with different outlooks all claiming to represent one organization? Or is Robert Dreyfuss grasping a straws? Whatever is going on I am troubled that western peace groups mostly don't not the deaths of non-western peace leaders. Possibly the al Qaeda loves trouble even though they respect the fact that Mullah Obama has been far more successful at persuasion then they have. It’s not part of this article but I suspect that Mullah Obama won't denounce bin Laden the way Hekmatyar did because since Mullah Omar has real differences with bin Laden, bin Laden is more likely to get even against Mullah Omar if Omar were to follow Hekmatyar's example and denounce al Qaeda. It may be that the new tension between Karzai and US officials may make the Taliban more sympathetic to Karzai then they were last week.
One might conclude that the above essay is a rambling way of conveying that the peace jirga won’t work unless Hamid Karzai has much more freedom to criticize the US. However, anyone conveying bad news needs to somehow have a hopeful carrot attached to it. I hope I have inspired others to write similar pieces, maybe with an email link as a comment to this article, even on the subject of the economy which I also know is a subject of choosing between grim choices and/or a few far away utopian solutions, war and war spending and the economy overlapping issues.
There is somehow a primitive desire to look strong not weak that encompasses every American President that makes sense when it comes to al Qaeda, but not Karzai and I believe not Iran or Mullah Omar. Both Karzai and Mullah Omar never embraced the random mayhem many warlords specialized in, and since he initiated a Taliban code of ethics he would be a better ruler then most Afghans. Let’s give him the power and prestige to control the soldiers from finding employment in the only profession they ever knew. Anyway, without criticizing Obama I want to urge him to temporally stop the drone war and give Afghan President Karzai’s peace efforts as the reason why.
For supporting links, scan this somewhat similar essays,
www.phillyimc.org/en/peace-leader-killed-1000-us-deaths-other-bad-news-about-war
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/50377
http://RichardKanepa.blogspot.com
Richard Kane is retired in Philladelphia PA
Read more!
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