Sunday, September 14, 2008

The 1% Rule

Why do we demonize the bottom 1% who take advantage of the system, while we give a free pass to the top 1% who do the same?

Why do we allow our anger towards the swindling 1% of the bottom to punish the other 99% of the bottom? We certainly don't punish the top based on the actions of 1% of the top.

How does the bottom 1% get their bounty? Be defrauding our systems and taking advantage of loopholes. What do they do with their bounty? They buy Nintendos, DVD players, and the like, trivial stuff.

How does the top 1% get their bounty? By sending our children and parents to fight all to protect their income flows from the oil fields and contracts in Iraq. What do they do with their bounty? They buy $500 shoes and glasses, $10,000 suits, and so many other luxuries like medieval lords.

Why aren't we indignant that this war allows the top 1% to live a lifestyle reminiscent of kings and lords from the profits they reap in Iraq?

We claim to be followers of Christ, yet we deny support to the poorest and most vulnerable of our citizens just to spite the 1% who take advantage of our compassion and our heart.

Yet as followers of Christ, we do nothing in the meanwhile to stop the 1% at the top who also ignore our laws and steal from the young, old and sick alike with corrupt power and money schemes that kills so many.

We feign ignorance about the corrupt 1% at the top, we feign denial about the wicked 1% at the top, but we wholeheartedly support anyone who claims they will clean up the 1% of the bottom that are swindlers - give or take a few hundred thousand or so. So what if we stick it to some of the honest bottom people, it's only a bunch of poor people anyway.

We feign helplessness and powerlessness about cleaning up the inhumane 1% at the top. Instead of demonizing them, we worship them. We buy their clothing, their glasses, their work ethic. At least we have something to shoot for.

Oh wait, you're probably thinking or they're not really that bad, or really? Every dead soldier from the Iraq War is worth about 20,823,826.71 to the top 1% - that is the gross income made off the dead. Parlor accounting tricks notwithstanding, UBS anyone?

So why are you so outraged over the bottom 1%, who take advantage of our system for a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars each - at least no one dies because of the bottom 1%'s pilferage.

Why aren't you the least bit troubled when thousands die all for the comfort of the 1% at the top?

If you want more of the same, vote for McPain.

Monday, September 11, 2006

It's time to fire them

Tonight Pres. Bush addressed the nation. The question that was on my mind and I'm pretty sure everyone else's is "Why haven't we caught Bin Laden?"

For five years the administration and the Republican's have had almost carte blanche to pass laws, install justices, plan and implement their response. Five years, BushCo has had to strengthen our ports and infrastructure. Five years BushCo has had to find and bring all those terrorists to justice. So what do we have to show for it?

1. A resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan that is using the methods invented by the Iraqi insurgents (improvised explosives anyone).
2. A Pakistan "ally" that recently signed an agreement ceding the northern territory to the Taliban.
3. Bin Laden is still releasing videos mocking us and strengthening his stature amongst the enemy.

So how does BushCo respond to all these facts? Instead of inspiring us with our victories (which from BushCo's own talking heads number 5), BushCo trots out the same fear-mongering uncertainty and doubt - FMUD. Instead of saying "Imagine a world without Middle Eastern terrorists and their dictators". BushCo warns of a "Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons"

So where is the accountability? Where's the plan to win? Where's the plan to rebuild Iraq into a strong democracy? What action is being taken to stop Iran? To say nothing about North Korea, and China's recent attack on our networks.

We need to PLAN and IMPLEMENT a Marshall-style Plan to build Afghanistan and Iraq into a strong democracy and economy. In order to do that, we need more troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not the 50% of the troops that Rumsfeld sent over the objections of real soldiers - yes he cut their numbers in half. We need to let the real generals make the decisions about how to win in Iraq - after all the Army is about people. The Navy is just about ships - glorified bus drivers. We need to publicize the progress of that plan with real facts and figures, we don't need vague 'things are getting better' or 'mission accomplished' blustering.

We need to strong arm Pakistan into pushing the Taliban and Al Qaeda out of Pakistan. This requires another plan - to make it painful to do business with the Taliban/Al Qaeda. We need to make it more 'profitable' for the Pakistani citizens and government to do 'business' with us.

We need to stop accepting the lies that the Iranians are telling the world about their nuke program. The third fundamental Shiite law is called taqiyya which means to lie, kill or do anything to promote the Shiite cause. So if we know they're lying, why bother with the UN and diplomacy?

BushCo have no clue how to win the real war. Which is what people should have realized they should expect from below average idealogues and talking point parrots. They haven't delivered after 5 years. That is why we need to fire them, all of them come November.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

More on mono-culture and why it hurts us...

Think about this, all our guys who are tasked with finding the terrorists are 95% white, christians, male, and probably conservative.
Meanwhile our enemy is pakistani, afghani, british, sudanese, persian, lebanese, german, indonesian, croatian, etc, etc.

Our side follows a chain of command. Our guys have to follow whatever the top dictates.
Their side has only a symbolic leader. The various cells operate independently with probably only minimal communication or pre-arranged signals.

Our side has to deal with the beltway & giant corporate bandits who see tons of money to be made. The biz may talk about the 'war on terror' and plant flags behind their logos, but at the end of the day, the shareholders take precedence, not the fight.
Their side simply has tons of money made from selling oil to us, which is then passed along to the various cells or raised independently.

So how on earth are we supposed to win with a crappy situation like this?