Well, another turkey day in the books, and we Americans have once again given thanks for all that we have been blessed with here in the home of the (some) free and the land of the brave. I, like everyone else, ate my fair share of turkey, and gave my thanks to the creator for all that he (or she) has blessed me with. So excuse me if I go back to the real world now.
I want to start with this immoral and senseless war taking place in Iraq. Because while we were chomping down our turkeys, and stuffing our already fat guts with gravy and cranberry sauce, over 160 Iraqis were blown to bits in yet more sectarian violence in Iraq. It would be way too easy to me to jump all over the frat boy again. After all, this is his war, and for better or for worse. No scratch that. There is no better here. This war has defined the frat boy's Presidency and he will go down in history along with James Buchanan, as the worse President to ever lead our republic. But again, jumping all over the frat boy would be too easy.
I want to focus on those who were complicit in allowing this illegal and immoral war to take place. Those of you in the media, and the opposition. The people who were charged with looking out for the interest of the American people, and not letting our democracy get hijacked by a bunch of neo cons in back rooms, and a high profile television station (masquerading as a news agency) with token Negroes, blond bimbos, and fancy graphics and trailers. Yes, you have all failed us. The press was silent, and looked the other way, while the frat boy and his minions dared us to challenge him. Dared us to call him on his lies and deceit. And dared us to scream at the top of our lungs that the Emperor had no fuck***g clothes. The opposition party failed us. They were too busy trying to read the polls, too busy trying to get reelected, and too busy not wanting to be seen as unpatriotic and all too willing to "cut and run".
So thumbs down to you Hilary for your gutless stance and your vote for this war. I hope the voters in the Democratic primary never let you forget. And all the triangulation in the world won't allow you to take back that vote. The sad thing is,we know you didn't mean it, we know you are smarter that that, and you knew this war was ill fated and wrong from the jump. But we also know that you are a political animal, and your political instincts-like your husband-always trumps your convictions. So we weren't surprised when you took a position that you thought would be popular. Well, it's not popular anymore, and I am enjoying watching you try to use pretzel logic to justify your initial stance, and your sudden change of heart when you see that America has finally seen that the Emperor is naked. "I voted for this war but not for the way this war has been prosecuted..." Well f**k you! I hope the Democrats vote for your opponents and your sorry ass never makes it out of the primary. But it's not only Hillary, it's most of her democratic colleagues, I am only picking on her because she is the standard bearer for the party right now.
But maybe I am being too hard on the former first lady. To be fair, we all were somewhat complicit, we all were afraid to be called unpatriotic, and we all were afraid to seem like we were not supporting our troops. Of course, if you were like your truly, and actually had loved ones who were put in harms way, and who left their blood and a pieces of their body over in Iraq, you would know better. I heard from the horses mouth that it was a fu**#d up war, and that many of the soldiers over there knew it. That they were walking around like sitting ducks while the criminals running things played political games with the war and with their lives. That they wanted the war questioned, because it was the only way that those on charge of prosecuting it would see the error of their ways.
So here we are three years later, almost 3,000 of our precious young men have lost their lives, and billions and billions of our tax dollars have gone down the drain, and still, there is no end in sight. Over 100,000 Iraqi civilians dead(650,000 if you believe one recent estimate) A war that is supposed to be fighting terror is creating nothing but terror for those poor Iraqi women and children. How pathetic is the frat boy? Now he has sent daddy's friends to find a solution to help bail him out, and daddy was moved to tears to defend his incompetent son at a recent conference in the Middle East. But again, it's too easy to pick on him. He lost the midterms, his approval rating is still in the thirty percent range, and his scandal plagued party is in disarray. He is a lame duck in every sense of the word, and now when I see him I actually feel pity. (Damn I'm getting soft!)
So most of my ire today is directed at the American people. Maybe it's watching all those people dashing to the malls to spend more money on gifts, maybe it's my own sense of guilt at being so blessed while those children in places like Iraq, and Darfur are living a form of hell right here on earth. Maybe it's seeing how the media has made headline news out of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell and Kelly Ripa are feuding openly about an incident that took place on Ripa's show. I mean really, who gives a f**k? But this is America for you, so shallow, so happy, and so focused on all the wrong fuck**g things!
So today is "Black Friday"; but for me, it's black Friday for totally different reasons than it is for you. And as I watch the funeral procession pass through those Shiite slums, and those poor people burying their dead one after another; I suspect it's "black Friday" for them too. But unlike you and me, they won't be getting any deals at Wal-Mart anytime soon.
***Before I go, you might have noticed I changed my logo. Yes folks that good Maroon fighter I was using was lifted from another source. (Given my profession I should have known better than doing such a thing) So anyway, rather than face a lawsuit down the road, I decided to use my own likeness. I will miss my Maroon fighter but this was the best and safest way to go.
Besides, all that time spent in the gym should be good for something ;)
10 comments:
BIGUP FN!
Blaming frat boy is way too easy. He and his "madministration" shares some blame for the civil war in Iraq as well as the Dems, media, etc. as you referenced. BUT what about those practitioners of the "Religion of Peace". THEY are the ones ACTUALLY committing the atrocities against one another! Against their fellow Iraqis, Muslims... THEY are the ones doing the cutting off of heads, homicide-bombimgs of civilians, kidnappings, drilling peoples skulls etc! THEY and the so-called moderate Muslims, who are silent to the atrocities in Iraq, genocide in Darfur, the craziness of the society in Saudi Arabia, Somalia etc... THEY are the real and true culprits! Why give them a pass!?
These days I can't even use my usual ending: "Peace":
"Peace, peace, they say, when there is no peace." Jeremiah 6:14
Asa
AMEN!!!!!
And the DemocRATS are just as guilty as Bush-Light. The problem with voters holding them accountable in a primary election is that the majority of the Dems voted in favor of the war. So chances are, all candidates running will be one of the culprits. This is why I often say the U.S. is not a true Democracy. If there is no genuine opposition Party (and there should really be more than one) then you can't have a Democracy.
Asabagna:
I agree.... the Iraqis should get some blame.... But the U.S. is responsible for the actions that led to the conditions that you see now, both in terms of how the U.S. supported Hussein in the 1970's and 80's, and in terms of the 2003 invasion.
Also, you must take into account that there were foreign militants in Iraq who came in to get this sectarian trouble started back in 03 and 04. Now it is feeding on itself. The goal of the foreign militants was to create a sectarian conflict....and it appears that they have succeeded.
But yes... Iraqis bare some blame....
However, if the U.S. had not gone in there to begin with, Iraq wouldn't be in the mess that it is in today. Yes things were bad under Saddam.... but there was stability, electricity, and water... Some Iraqis now miss the days of Saddam Hussein....as bad as that might have been.
Asa, I have to co-sign with AI on this one. Yes, there are some bad Muslims fueling this conflict- stoking sectartian violence in the name of a peaceful religion- But I think we stirred up a hornets nest over there by "rocking the boat" if you will. And all this neo con crap about starting a democracy like we have here, is nonsense. If there was no oil there, they wouldn't give a damn about Iraq. There is a reason some countries live under certain forms of dictatorships and I think we are starting to see what can happen when a fragile co-existence is broken after years of forced tolerance.
And the dems in this country are to blame for this war as well. as I stated in my post, they offered no opposition, and the last time I checked; that is what an opposition party is supposed to do.
FN & AI,
You are both correct in your assessment in regards to the influence of the U.S. invasion of Iraq on the current sectarian violence, if you just look at it in the narrow context of U.S foreign policy and history (1970’s and 80’s) in the region. However what I humbly contend is that if you look at it more broadly, in a global and/or wider historical perspective, U.S. involvement is ONLY one, and some would argue (myself included), NOT even the primary cause of the sectarian violence we are seeing in SOME parts of Iraq (primarily Baghdad and the Sunni Triangle region). This sectarian violence isn’t prevalent in the Kurdish semi-autonomous region of the north or the more Shia dominated region of the south. One of the primary misconception held by both the U.S. imperialist such as the neo-cons on the one hand and the so-called anti-establishment pundits on the other, is the perceived power of the U.S. The neo-cons believe that the U.S. has the power to impose their brand of democracy on the world at large, and the Middle-East in particular, while those at the other end of the spectrum believe that U.S. is PRIMARILY responsible for all the ills of the world! Both views are rooted in American arrogance!
So allow me to share some ideas with you quickly to give a wider perspective; (FN- some you may recognize which I forwarded to you previously):
- the current sectarian violence between the Sunnis and Shias is rooted in a political conflict which began at the death of Prophet Mohammed in 632 A.D., when the U.S.A. as we know it now, didn't exist;
- U.S. foreign policy in the region wasn’t substantial until after WW2, with the decline of the European colonial powers, England and France in the area. Actually the U.S. inherited and expanded upon what these European powers had previously established after WW1 with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire (today known as Turkey). The British and French created the kingdoms of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan etc in the region.
- the current sectarian violence is PRIMARLY fueled by Iran and Saudi Arabia, for their own competing interests; re: 2 main ones: 1) to establish their POLITICAL control and influence in the region; 2) and to punish the U.S. for certain foreign policy decisions.
- the sectarian violence is NOT widespread throughout the whole country as I stated above e.g. in the Kurdish area, primarily because the U.S assured Turkey that there would be no independent Kurdish nation, and Turkey also wants to join the European Union… if it wasn’t for these 2 reasons, Turkey would encourage and/or initiate sectarian violence in Kurdistan.
There is much more I could add but this is not the forum. I agree that the U.S. invasion created the environment for certain interests to encourage sectarian violence, but in my opinion, the U.S. isn’t the PRIMARY cause of the violence. AND it is the Muslims themselves who are carrying out the atrocities against one another, regardless of what and/or who is encouraging it. Just my opinion.
Asa.
Asa, excellent point; and yes, thanks to you, I am somewhat familiar with the historical context of the fight between these two groups.(Sunnis & Shiites)
While I agree with many of your points, I think you are wrong about the power and scope of American influence in that region. We cannot ignore the fact that it wast the U.S. that brought down Sadam, and declared countries like Syria a part of the "axis of evil". That type of rhetoric coupled with our actions, gave those countries the incentive and the will to try to push their influence on Iraq. This only helped to stir up the hatred among the two main groups there, that was always under the surface due to the aforementioned historical issues we spoke about.
I agree about the Kurds, but the fact that they are removed from this fight tells you all you need to know about the influence of countries like Iran and Syria. -Although the Turks have their own issues with the Kurds-
Again, I say, that by stirring up that hornets nest without a proper diplomatic solution on the table. This regime has made a mistake of colossal proportions, and I honestly don't know how we can get out now without something drastic happening.
Gentle Reader,
We, the US of A, are not leaving Iraq for the foreseeable future. Yes, your children and the children of friends will continue to be turned into amputees, corpses, and murderers. And no, there really isn't anything you can do other than call for Bush's impeachment.
Do you understand that Bush will not remove the troops? He has already said as much on several occassions. Lets wake up and snort some caffeine, shall we?
Oh, and if you happen to be an Iraqi, your choices suck even more. Your children and the children of your friends will continue to be tortured to death, murdered, and left orphaned for the forseeable future. And you don't even have the option of calling for Bush The War Criminal's impeachment.
I carry few illusions about life anymore, one of the advantages of increasing age. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that most Americans will not support an impeachment of George "I have no idea where I was in 1973" Bush. To do so would be an indictment of their own personal inhumanity.
We who say nothing and do nothing bear a share of the responsibilities for the ongoing death, torture, and maiming that is the US policy in Iraq. We who sit on our comfortable asses in our centrally heated and cooled homes but say nothing to the corporate overlords who own us are just as culpable as the moronic 'tards who vote Rethuglican.
If your child were drowning in the pool as you watched, would you just sit there to see if he survives?
What makes you think this is any different, morally speaking?
FN--somebody pulled some copyright sh*t on you? hahaha
On the Iraqi civil war issue, I swear it's time to burn all of these scumbags who still whine about the righteous of this war on a bier. Lord, no WMDs, an utter myth/lie that Saddam had anything to do with 9-11, the list goes on. Now you have fools like Larry Elder and others on Fox/Shay's site/in the anus of America say "hey, ok, now maybe there's a civil war...maybe our invasion was a tad ill advised, but the average Iraqi is glad Saddam is gone."
Wow. Is that silly syllogism the best these clowns can do? Is that the last refuge of these scoundrels and millions of beer swilling Fox-viewers? ;-) I guess if you asked black folks around 1898, beset with new Jim Crow laws, terrorism, murder, peonage, KKK with membership in the millions "But aren't you happy that you aren't slaves?" I guess the answer would be yes. That justifies every other evil? Have mercy...
Hey! Came upon your blog - love it, will return! Please take a look at mine, but be warned, Im a newbie. Happy Holi-whups, um, well, have a great day!
Lolagetslife
Welcome to the blogging world. The blog looks good.
"single, thirtysomething Black woman, gorgeous, intelligent, mildy eccentric, incredibly charming."
Now I can get used to that.... :)
Definitely.
Need any assistance, feel free to contact.... blogger often has issues (i'm still learning myself). But be warned... i'm technologically challenged on occasion.
We are part of a loose group of young African American bloggers that includes:
The Field
Skeptical Brotha
Myself
African American Political Pundit
Jack and Jill Politics
and of course i'm forgetting a few.
Have fun with blogging....
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