Post 9/11.....06

Booming voices from the kitchen had driven me from my comfortable bed Monday morning. The volume on my kitchen stereo/alarm clock was up to high. As I navigated my way to the kitchen to kill the sound, the announcer of Morning Edition said that "this morning's Diane Rehm show" was soliciting listeners to call in to express how 9/11 had effected them besides politically...fitting since I had been thinking about it for quite a bit this year. Although I could think of personal changes, my mind kept crawling back to politics. From today's shitball fight in congress about the president's address, I couldn't think of anything else but the big bang theory and how it relates to our now divided life in America and how we got here.

Sins of Our Fathers
This year has been one of education, not only within my field, but looking at modern history. I've long thought about how we inherit the problems that our previous generation created. In war it seems to be the most apparent. The world's grandparents passed on the invention of atomic weapons starting an arms race between the U.S. and Russia. Through the generational handover, our fathers entered Vietnam through the policy of containment of communism. As we were born, the pictures of the fall of Saigon fresh in the national psyche, the new policy was that of "The enemy of my enemy is my ally." Our policy was to support anyone fighting against communist forces. When the fall of the iron curtain came about, we had already muddied our hands in supporting Mujahideen in Afghanistan, supporting Saddam's rise to power and supplying him with dual use biological agents in his war against Iran, sold weapons to our enemy to aid the Contras in Nicaragua, and began to protect American interests (oil) in the Persian Gulf. Terrorism is by no means something whose roots began growing in the past 10 years and 10 years is essentially how far back the media looks (even if that far) for investigative purposes. It is our generations inheritance. No seven hundred 100-megaton ICBMs flying our way for mutually assured destruction, just some crazy people hell bent on killing anyone via any means.

Oh Wikipedia...
I've turned into a wiki addict, I've come to know it's shortcomings, but I definitely see its value in communicating general facts (especially cited ones). I started with Israel, mainly because I knew very little about it except that many participants in middle east strife reference it, regardless of conflict, and that we've supported her throughout the course of her history. This search kind of had a snowball effect. Granted, wikipedia isn't exactly fact but it's a beginning of inquiry...something every free person should partake in.

Interesting reading on our "global war on extrema-islamo-fasci-terrorism."
U.S. Had Key Role in Iraq Buildup (interesting timing of article and lack of consequence)
Operation Desert Storm (why the overnight 180 on Iraq?)
Osama Bin Laden (interesting role in the 80's and early 90's)
Mujahideen (in particular the group in Afganistan fighting the Soviets)
Taliban (we thought THEY were the voice of moderation?)
Dick Cheney (interesting timing of having his first daughter)
Donald Rumsfield (what kind of envoy during the early 80's?)
Iran
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mohammad Khatami
Gaurdian Council (of Iran)

Granted, I read all these in one sitting so my outlook seemed to creep downward pretty quickly.

Our Broken Society
In tatters lay our once great unity. The Clinton administration and the caustic 2000 election had divided a nation but for a brief time, we came together to help each other in grief and support, no matter the color of our state, the amount of money we had in the bank, or the way we swung. It all seems rather Tibetan in that once a being is conceived, thus begins its demise. Instead of sewing together tighter, our leaders have sought to divide us. Why? Because the more all of us focus on how much we disagree with each other, the more those in power can dominate the headlines and change the subject away from their own ineptitude. The two parties need each other to demonize, to feign effecacy over the other, and somewhere to lay the blame. Ideas don't flourish; each side panders to their extreme to bolster their support, and by support I mean...

AMERICAN CASHITO....DOLLARINES...NO CHECKS!
Not only is this one of the most polarized of elections, it's also the richest: To date, $934 million has been contributed to races all over the nation. Business is BOOMING. What does all that money do? For the candidates: pre-election dollars for all those wonderfully nasty campaigns that become post-election dollars for the candidate's interests or their party's political slush fund. Here is Virginia's (which from what I gather, seems to be the norm among states):

Amounts received by a candidate or his campaign committee as contributions that are in excess of the amount necessary to defray his campaign expenditures may be disposed of only by one or any combination of the following: (i) transferring the excess for use in a succeeding election or to retire the deficit in a preceding election; (ii) returning the excess to a contributor in an amount not to exceed the contributor's original contribution; (iii) donating the excess to any organization described in § 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code; (iv) contributing the excess to one or more candidates or to any political committee that has filed a statement of organization pursuant to this chapter; (v) contributing the excess to any political party committee; and (vi) defraying any ordinary, nonreimbursed expense related to his elective office. It shall be unlawful for any person to convert any contributed moneys, securities, or like intangible personal property to his personal use.

Webb v Allen 2008 for Pres baby! (Better get a bucket, I'm gonna throw up)

Lobby, not Liberty, and Justice For All
For the constituents: Waters down what the individual has to say and minimalizes their role in a democratic society. In order to be heard and avoid those rubber stamped standard Congressional Replies, we must go through 3rd parties: The ACLU, The NRA, etc. etc. We may only feel strongly about one topic they are lobbying for, but as a participant you are guilty by association on all other topics. Ahh, the wonder of social generalizations. ALL of our leaders* can't find shit in a chili cookoff portapotty so taking one from Maggie's dad's playbook:

Dear Congress,



Fuck you.



Sincerely,
James P.

P.S. Strongly worded letter to follow.
C.C. Executive Branch

*More on the Do-Nothingest Congress later.