iraq

“If, particularly in the past ten years, you have become angry at our U.S. Government’s seemingly inability to manage money and assets, particularly in programs where countries who hate us are benefiting from U.S. mismanagement of assets, reading the rest of this article is going to really upset you“.

I have heard it said that “War is too important a matter to be left to the Generals”.

They tell us we’re dropping about $10 billion a month in Afghanistan so we can catch that Bin Laden guy...but eventually, we’re gonna catch him, and as soon as we do you can imagine that folks will be wondering why we’re still over there – and I gotta tell ya, I’m one of those people.

I mean, we’re over here talking about how we're so broke that we have no choice but to cut a couple of billion from heat assistance for the poor, and a billion-and-a-half from the Social Security operations budget, and money from food stamps and childcare assistance and tornado forecasting in Alabama…but every single month, just as regular as clockwork, we seem to be able to find another $10 billion to spend in Afghanistan, even as we have an economy that could badly use another round of truly productive stimulus.

And I don’t think y’all even realize just how much money $10 billion really is – but today we’re gonna see if we can’t fix that with a bit of a thought exercise.

Imagine if we set up a program that took that Afghanistan money and spent it right here at home for a year or two – and it was spent in the form of a lottery, where we stimulate the larger economy, help fix the mortgage crisis, and create a more energy-independent nation, all at the same time.

I got all we need except a catchy name; with that in mind let’s move on to the description of how the Happy Super Fun Day Peace Lotto Stimulus Thingy works.

What went through my mind that morning nine years ago probably mirrored what most of my fellow Americans felt. Confusion. Fear. Helplessness. Outrage. Fury. The incident inspired a primal reaction in me I had not felt since I was a child learning how to cope with life's hard lessons. But ever so slowly, those destabilizing emotions faded and I was able to place those events in their proper context. Others, however, have held onto those feelings like a favorite shirt that is tattered beyond repair, but they've worn it so long they can't bear to part with it.

The attacks of 9/11 demanded a response. Someone had to pay, and pay dearly. Since then, we've conquered and occupied two countries, bringing about the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the destruction of cities, towns and villages. And we've sacrificed thousands more American lives and hundreds of billions in wealth squandered. But when will the debt of anger be stamped "paid in full"?

In the previous century we watched Europe self-destruct twice, then clamber out of the ruins and put itself back together again, sort of like the Scarecrow after his near death experience at the hands of the Wicked Witch of the West, reconstituting himself with fresh straw. Of course it was painful; of course it took time. But not that much time. Not really.

Why is that?

Blackwater has been THE mercenary outfit of choice by the Bush - Cheney Whitehouse to conduct operations in the Global War on Terror.
Recently the Justice department and FBI discovered Blackwater had committed unjustified homicides or perhaps outright assassinations in conjunction with the CIA under Dick Cheney's orders.

Furthermore, Blackwater paid millions in bribes to local officials to remain silent after a bloody massacre of civilians in Iraq.
Now, Erik Prince is moving to United Arab Emirates, a country with no extradition policy with the U.S. coming on the heels of further investigations.

Your thoughts? Do you think more dems will sign on by the time next week rolls around?

Erik 'the Crusader' Prince tried to bar the press from covering his appearance at the DeVos Fieldhouse as the keynote speaker for the recent “Tulip Time Festival” in his hometown of Holland, Michigan. But he failed. The Nation magazine obtained an audio recording of the speech. The speech, delivered by Prince to a friendly audience, provides a stunning glimpse into his views and future plans and reveals details of previously undisclosed activities of Blackwater.

This is such a great video by four of our American vets. Listen to the words. They sing this so fabulously. Just wonderful, all.

Which politician said just days ago that they would refuse to support those in congress who voted "no" to the most recent spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?

A. George W. Bush
B. John McCain
C. Dick Cheney
D. Barack Obama

Separating religion from ones politics is probably impossible. I have never heard an objective discussion of politics from a deeply religious person, nor have I from a person religiously atheistic. From my perspective, it is these two extremes which cloud and prejudice the voices of the rest of us who spend our lives hoping to be relevant and effective during our time among the living, while simultaneously trying to be both heavenly (spiritually) minded and of some earthly good.
This morning, while in church, there was a guest evangelist speaker ...