Syria-NO NO and NO!

Good morning Mr. President.

To be perfectly honest, there is nothing that you can say that will change my mind about planned limited strike intervention in the Syrian civil war.

There are not enough pictures of the dead bodies of children to affect my thinking on this subject, because as a country, we do not and never have had the moral ground on this issue. Our national war policies have always been dictated by money, not humanitarian concern for our brothers, and certainly not for our brothers' wives, women and children.

Past history has shown repeatedly that if the American masters of the universe can't turn a quick buck, then the American corporate puppets who claim to represent the people, turn a blind eye pretending that the problem belongs to someone else. And I am surprised that you, Mr. President, have joined the warmongering neocons that citizens voted out of office in 2008, resulting in your ascendency to the Oval Office. You said you would end these senseless global police actions, and I believed you. Instead, what I am seeing is a half assed attempt at promoting American Exceptionalism, as it is called these days, without naming it officially.

Your WWII analogy is an apples to oranges comparison that falls flat. We didn't enter WWII to save the countless Jews, Roma, and gay men and women swept up in that genocidal holocaust. History shows that America knew about the holocaust long before officially admitting it. We didn't end Jim Crow segregation because we cared about the rights of Black Americans, some of whom were in the process of dying for this country. The dead were collateral damage, in the very same way that the US now turns a blind eye toward modern day Israeli atrocities and apartheid routinely and regularly committed against the Palestinians by the descendants of that very holocaust.

The US totally ignored the genocide of Rwanda which still rages today, just as other than platitudes, the US chooses to ignore the genocide of black men and boys raging right here in America. A genocide camouflaged by talk of second amendment constitutional rights, that not even the killings of little white children in white suburbia USA, have been able to move the conversation forward.

Your tears for the 400 Syrian babies are not enough, Mr. President. In order to command the moral ground, you must cry for all of the children nationwide and worldwide, not just the ones who die where it is financially feasible to take a stand.

If news reports are correct, the US recently sold Saudi Arabia 60 billion dollars in bombs, guns and planes. Why not let them deal with the problems in their neighborhood. The Saudis are on record anyway as saying they will take care of Syria if America won't. Let's take them up on that offer. Our days of supplying all the weapons as well as rebuilding once the war is over, should end now. There is always the move toward peace and like the journey of a thousand miles, it begins with only one step. Why not take that one step now, Mr. President?

And what about Plan B, Mr. President? What do we do after the limited strikes are over? Do we arm the rebels, like we did in Afghanistan? Do we do another Iran-Contra trade thing? Do we work to overthrow another government, like in Iran and countless other Central and South American countries, again? Do we send in the troops, the boots on the ground, like in Vietnam or Iraq? Do we initiate another shaky cease fire like between the Koreas and then wait for it to blow up in our faces, again?

What do we do, Mr. President? What do we do while you pour our money down another sand hole by bombing to oblivion another Middle Eastern country, so that after strafing it into submission we can swoop in and build it up again, while our own cities go bankrupt, our schools disintegrate and our utilities and infrastructure fall into ruin.

Why do Americans have to die again, Mr. President because the rich want to make more money? Why are you so happy to appease them instead of showing concern for those who elected you? I say that because you have already implied that you will go against citizens' wishes and bomb anyway, should you lose the vote in Congress. You do have that power, thanks to George W Bush and the Patriot Act.

But even though your predecessor gave you the power, we the people put you in position to use that power, and we are asking you to work for us, for a change. We the people, don't want another senseless military action.

We want peace, Mr. President, a lasting end to the needless violence that goes on and on and on.

Be the change, that you promised us you are. The polls show that we've changed. Now it's your turn.

Respectfully,

Osama Dead, Be Happy!

Nearly ten years after the attack on the World Trade Center, Osama Bin Laden is dead, killed by American special forces, summarily executed inside his own bedroom. The killing sparked a number of reactions including utter and complete elation at his demise. Chants of "USA! USA!" filled the air as Americans rejoiced at the news.

The boogey man is dead, never mind that the war is not yet over. It was a collective exhale. People were happy. The party was on. America is caught up in the rapture of a nationwide feel good moment.  Happy and patriotic Americans continue to dance in the streets.

But not everyone is celebrating. Some feel the celebration of the death of another human being was wrong and somehow not Christian or religious or human. As details of the raid filtered out, others took issue with the use of the name Geronimo as code for Bin Laden, stating it was a slap in the face of Native Americans to use the name of so great a chieftain. Yeah, so what else is new?

Those wringing their hands miss the point. The celebrations were not because one man died or due to another great man's name being used without due reverence. Geronimo's name was probably spit out by computer. After all, that is the way they choose those stupid battle names in the first place. What do you do, kill the programmer, because the programming points to the deeply entrenched  racism that permeates America? Bin Laden was more symbol than man. Kill the symbol, take the flag. Win the war. Win the competition. It's the American way. Passion for politics and law?  Find out about  law degrees online.

 With the exception of those two great persecutions and killings of brown Americans, namely the Civil War, and the wars against Native Americans, wars are never fought on American soil. Wars are fought "over there." American civilians don't die in war. Our soldiers do, but then they volunteer to defend the rest of us. The rest of us go on about our daily lives, tying yellow ribbons around tree trunks, voicing outrage when cryptkeeper Fred Phelps and family show up at military funerals, or become a little aggravated by the inconveniences of stepped up security, refusing to dwell on what is being done by our government in other countries in our name. It's like Jack said "we can't handle the truth!" We Americans really don't want to know.  We just want someone else to do it and please don't slow my roll in the process.

 And truth be told, the biggest outrage of September 11th is not that it happened, but that it happened on American soil, in our greatest city.

Bin Laden's boys literally walked into our collective bedroom wrapped in our goodwill and raped our significant other in front of the whole world. He pissed on our award winning roses and then turned around and told us he was coming back for more.

America lives by that old saying "you start it...we'll finish it."  In other words, you can screw my wife, but take her to a hotel...don't you dare have sex with her in my bed or in my house. Doing your dirt on our turf is the ultimate insult. Like the Japanese,  Bin Laden chose to bring war to America. Big mistake. Huge mistake.

Bin Laden's braggadocio set off a worldwide, decade long manhunt and two wars. He became public enemy number one, right up there with Al Capone and the heads of all the big South American drug cartel leaders. The feds put a 25 million dollar price tag on his head. No American was safe while Bin Laden was alive, we were told. He became our excuse for invading other countries, sowing our version of democracy as we traipsed along killing babies, women and children, raining destruction on whole nations. Where was the religious, pseudo-christian outcry then?

Bin Laden didn't hurt America per say, he insulted America. He killed more of his own people, people who shared his belief system, then he did Americans. Taken in perspective, the destruction of the World Trade Center was more  like a solidly landed left hook that may have staggered us, but never even brought us to our knees. The September 11 attack  temporarily hurt our collective self esteem. It stung, showed us we do bleed, all the while acting as a shield enabling the greedy neocons to drink their fill of foreign oil.

If we were truthful with us, we would admit that we are not really a religious world, or a caring people concerned about the death of one man or of a hundred men or even thousands of people. Religious people, true followers of god or higher power don't fight or sanction wars of any kind or in any form, what so ever. They don't look away as thousands of innocents die in the name of regime change or nation building or self defense. To voice concern about the death of one man is disingenuous, more self serving than anything, wrapped around the fear of further repercussion.

Americans danced in the streets this week because, the hunt for and execution of Osama Bin Laden merely reinforced our self perceived superiority in the world. Bin Laden's death was the squelching of the idea that America is volunerable, fat and lazy lacking a counterpunch. Bin Laden's death showcases what some call American exceptionalism. We are simply the best. Bin Laden's death lets us know that it is okay to go shopping again.

Exhale!

America Sucks-There, I've said it!

I heard it again on television this morning, this time uttered by Chrissy the Pooh O'Donnell, the failed senatorial candidate from Delaware.

She told George Stephanopoulos that the mid term vote was a vote to change DC...not to change America. America, she says, doesn't need changing.

Well, no it doesn't...if you're white girl used to getting by on her looks instead of her brains....or a white guy born with the priviledge of masculinity regardless of your class station in life....or you're a woman who married an elder titan of industry or politics...or your father was one such man..

However, if you don't fall into one of those categories, then America is not the be all end all place to spend a lifetime growing up and laboring.

It is not an equal place for gays and lesbians and poor women...In the 21^st century America is a segregated place for Blacks, Native Americans and Hispanics..no matter how much money you have in the bank.

It is a place where women are allowed to vote, yet pregnancy is treated as a pre existing condition, the right to choose is anathema, and rape or incest a negligible consequence.

God forbid that you don't worship at the mega church altars dedicated to some guy named Jesus who bares no resemblance physically or mentally to to the son of god in all the christian bibles..

It is a place where the government freezes workers' wages while granting trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest one percent, or takes away regulation so that there is no limit on the number of ways created to screw the public.

It is a place that refuses to grant unemployment insurance to those who've lost their jobs....or health insurance to the most needy...while literally throwing money at corporations by allowing them to actually write the laws that govern the people...always skewing the laws to favor business and backed up by the courts..

America is a place where parts of the country are getting ready to hold celebrations of the secession that occurred prior to the first shots of the civil war.  It is a party to celebrate states rights without admitting that the only right in conflict during the civil war was whether or not to keep black people enslaved.

The old guard masters of the universe and their wives and children, continue to ignore, mitigate, change or rewrite the history of America to exclude Blacks...apparently thinking that writing us out of the history books makes us disappear.... In this fantasy world...persecuted white people came here and found a continent ripe for the taking.

Today's political discourse treats Blacks and minorities like a necessary evil...something that is ignored until forced to face.

After all...we have a Black man as president...what more could we want...must white people also be expected to treat him like a white president..giving him the respect deserving of a real master of the universe, too?

There is absolutely no recognition of minority humanity or contributions from anyone on the neoconservative right wing of the GOP, nor by many members of the progressive middle or so called liberal left.

The conservative bigotry is open and outfront, while liberals and alleged progressives expect us to quietly stand by as they deliver the same kind of slights and offense, simply because they sometimes pat us on the head and throw candy our way once in a while.

It really doesn't matter if a master of the universe labels himself or herself conservative or liberal...the results for those of us on the receiving end are the same.

The message delivered daily by the various alphabet ministries of propaganda is that America belongs to them and we are nothing more than a stain on their god given American exceptionalism.