A Common Enemy Brings Rare Bi-Partisan Agreement

                                                               A Very Small Man


By Chuck Marshall

In a previous blog I referred to the Ukranian-Russian conflict as none of our business but as is often the case... time has revealed a clarity that I think justifies far more severe sanctions against Russia and more accurately against Putin.  This guy is pouring gasoline on the internal affairs of the sovereign state that is Ukraine by supplying weapons and firing guns from within Russia itself.  Also, when the rebels  responsible for shooting down  a commercial airliner (probably a mistake, but so what?)  then have the audacity to prevent investigators from even going into the crash site...... then international outrage is warranted.  Nearly 300 innocent people are now dead because of Russian meddling.  Their determination that somehow that is defensible boggles the mind.  This is the consequence of a dictator whipping up nationalism within his own borders, nothing else.  He is no Hitler or Stalin (right now), but still he is a dictator because a tyrant always murders the innocents with little regard for humanity or common decency.  It is him, his ego, and the mongoloid sheep that follow him with blind faith in his "bo-peep" nationalism.  Picture the multitudes of Germans frothing at the mouth over the words of the maniac Adolf Hitler as he led their country straight over a cliff.

What a disappointment as I had felt for years that Russia had finally joined the rest of the world by wedding democracy.  When I was a kid they were always the bad guys, then they evolved in the 90's to a form of democracy and freedom that had been unthinkable to me as a youth.  Now, the Russian bear has awaken from its sleep and found the need to bludgeon Goldilocks Russia and her new found porridge of liberty.  The Russian need for control and order that comes with totalitarianism proved irresistible, I guess.  The Russian people are certainly within their right to embrace whatever form of leadership they want,  no matter how repulsive,  but when that leader sucker punches a neighbor struggling to steady its own boat of prosperity.... that's a problem.

So, as is often the case in the face of a common enemy., this week the two parties exercised a rare and elusive bi-partisan agreement.  They agreed that strong sanctions against an enemy of liberty must be enacted.  If only they could do this for the good of our nation in regards to the significant problems our country faces today such as health care, illegal immigration, and the national debt.  To them the porridge is always the too cold or too hot according to the bowl the "other side" is holding.    In domestic affairs it is the parties themselves that are the enemies of liberty.


In My Humble Opinion

Black hole of Apathy

     I'm afraid that I'm falling into the apathy that is running rampant and is so contagious in our society.  I'm starting to "not care" about things. It's all so frustrating and seemingly hopeless.  I see no light at the end of the tunnel but a lot of darkness lurking in our future as our leaders continue to bicker with no offers to lead us but plenty of reasons to vaunt their own cause, to puff up their own party.  Their way of seeing things.

His Excellency, President Washington put it best;

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual, and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty.

"on the ruins of public liberty....".  How excellent is that., and how true though there is not obvious despot today (Obama, perhaps the "despot of incompetence"- but he's more a victim than a perpetrator),  in my humble opinion the parties themselves are despots in group form and they are assuredly dancing on the ruins of public liberty though with great irony many of them believe themselves the saviors of liberty.

I was thinking today that the Republican and Democratic leaders are traitors.  They are traitors to us all for their abject failure to lead and come to decisions for the betterment of our nation.  Whether it's Iraq, or Iran or illegal immigration or health care, or take your pick... there is no impetus to improve., only to point the finger.

We were once the example to the world.  Since WWII our country had been the "de facto" leadership of the world.  We haven't always demonstrated a lot of wisdom, and we've surely made a lot mistakes but I think we've always showed the world how a government should be run for the betterment of all its people.  I was proud of the leadership in Washington, DC.  No more.  This hasn't been true in a long time and it's  hard to care when we're lead by a posse of traitors.  So, I feel apathy for the news I read lately.  Who cares.  It's more of the same thing.  Nothing gets done but a lot of posturing.  Nothing gets done.  Traitors.

And I close with another excerpt from President Washington., brilliant and wise words regarding the political parties and their position in our government;

From his farewell address- 1796 in New York

“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

Climate Change too Serious to Leave to the Parties

Ever since  Al Gore introduced the world to his self congratulatory book "An Inconvenient Truth" the two parties have  gone round and round over the Climate Change issue.   The far right believes it's a conspiracy.  The far left believes our planet will be dead in 100 years.  The truth is probably somewhere in the middle where it usually dwells.   I understand the need for political debate regarding the role of government and the distribution of wealth  but this has nothing to do with the philosophy of governing.   This is about our posterity and the planet we leave them.   Earth is neither left 'nor right leaning.  It tilts on its axis at the ideal angle to support us and the plants and the animals-  blissfully unaware of any potential harm we may be bringing to its inhabitants.   

 Suppose there was a meteorite streaking towards earth  that will arrive somewhere at the end of the century and it will hit the earth with such force as to leave only the roaches alive at the end of it all.   However, there's a 90% chance it will miss us altogether.   Wouldn't there still be a great urgency to do all we could to solve the problem even if there's only a 10% chance of calamity?  What would such a scenario have to do with the Democrats or Republicans?  Nothing.  The same should go for Climate Change.    

My opinion is that if the people most studied in that field say it's a problem then I need to trust their veracity and listen to their points.   It's hardly wise to have experts and proceed to ignore their advice.   Would you hire an electrician to rewire your house and tell him he's wrong once he found the problem?   I do understand the skepticism that comes from many people.  The facts and explanations coming from the scientific world are vague and not well presented.  Scientists are not sales people.   I think we must all consider that even if there is a 10% chance our activity will affect the earth for future generations then we have an obligation to discuss solutions and not debate whether the "meteorite" even exists.   Let's not leave such a mess to our kids and our kids' kids because we aren't 100% sure there is anything wrong to begin with.  We can't leave this one for the parties to debate into oblivion.   The stakes have never been so high.  

70th Anniversary of D Day

 

70 Years tomorrow since D-Day; You gotta read what our men read and heard before they stormed the beaches of France. Great words from General Eisenhower; 

"Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world."

And succeed they did ! For about 5000 men, this was the last thing they had on their mind before they were killed. God Bless them all for such a great sacrifice-- I don't think many people realize how close our world came to a very different and dark trajectory. These American 20 year olds along with their English, Australian and Canadian brothers literally saved the world. 

Marco Rubio concludes: "Man not cause of Global Warming"

Our esteemed Senator here in Florida, one of the main contenders for the Republican nomination to the White House has declared he does not believe mankind is responsible for Global Warming.  I have written on this subject a few times in this blog but I felt compelled to "giver it another crack"  after reading the article on his comments this morning.

I like Marco Rubio  for a lot of reasons;    He's very intelligent, he's quick witted, he's well spoken, he's a self-made man and I agree with his stance on fiscal responsibility.  He even had the nerve to stand up to the "lame brained" Tea Party by not joining them and their "do nothing" approach to the problem with immigration.  He's easy on the eyes too, although I'm not attracted to men, it makes it easier to watch and listen to a leader if he's not pug ugly.   He even shares the same Cuban heritage as the love of my life, my wife.....but.... (Yes, you knew a "but" was coming). But... I think he's making a mistake to climb on board with the "global warming is a conspiracy" fruit loops that lurk around the far right of the Republican party.

I don't blame a person who "has doubts" that global warming is caused by mankind.  I don't even think the most studied climatologists are 100% convinced., however you have to look at the "chance" and "probability" that this is the case.  Probability is a topic we all studied in middle to High School and if you passed the class you know that there are rarely any absolutes here in our reality.  So, I conclude in my disappointment regarding Marco Rubio's pandering to the "fruit loop" right;   "Global Warming is PROBABLY caused by mankind and given the circumstances for our children and their children that is enough for me to conclude we need to do EVERYTHING we can to stop and/or  reverse the damage done by our modern society even if it's not economically expedient to do so".

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION