When beautiful children of God can help your poll numbers.

I was going to post the images I am linking later on with this post as a caption, but they are way too graphic. I am not cool with just posting the images of little dead children to highlight a blog post. If you are cool with looking at them you can look here.

Anyway, that was the horrific bombing  at Ghouta , when al-Assad proved to the world that he was a depraved maniac to be mentioned in the same breath with some of history's most evil dictators. He slaughtered  hundreds of his own people in a inhuman and sadistic way, and some folks in America were losing their minds because president Obama did not bomb the Syrian leader into another dimension.

Obama's red line problem was born around the same time. Although, let's not forget, republicans in congress would not authorize the bombings and missile strikes that he wanted to carry out.)

Still, do you know who wasn't losing his mind about bombing Syria? Donald trump. The man who is now our president---- even after that horrific event at Ghouta, implored then president Obama to stay out of Syria.  In fact, a series of tweets are now coming back to haunt him after his road to Damascus moment, when he decided to launch almost sixty missiles to take out a few (out of commission) planes.

"Obama must now start focusing on OUR COUNTRY, jobs, healthcare and all of our many problems. Forget Syria and make America great again!"

"Don't attack Syria - an attack that will bring nothing but trouble for the U.S. Focus on making our country strong and great again!"

Donald, there were "beautiful little babies" dying back in 2013 as well.

 But I get it,  these babies are dying when your poll numbers are in the mid-thirties, and you need  distraction from your Russia problem.

You have been in show business long enough to know that nothing gets the American people's attention like a few bright shiny missiles going off into the night.

"...Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad launched a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians. Using a deadly nerve agent, Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children. It was a slow and brutal death for so many. Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. No child of God should ever suffer such horror."

No they shouldn't. And the deaths of those children "of God" should never be used to score political points.

Let's take a break from pursuing happiness for a little ISIS 101.

The barbarians otherwise known as ISIS have given yet another American the Marie Antoinette treatment.


I guess there is nothing like calmly taking off another human being's head on the Internet to make a political and religious point and striking fear in the hearts of your enemy.


This is how they bring back the spirit of the early caliphs and bring back the golden age of Muhammad when Islam was spreading all over the Middle East.
This is the first terrorist group to actually build an Islamic state.  


Sadly, from the looks of things, they are achieving their goal.


Americans are now angry and hysterical over the savage beheadings of these two journalists. Failing to realize, of course, that this is what terrorist with no souls, who are driven by a misguided sense of right and wrong, do. They kill people, and the more barbaric and inhumane the better. (We actually have some like minded people who are actually Americans. Nothing like a little religion to make terrorist out of us all.)


Now, all of a sudden, that secular fellow, Saddam Hussein, isn't looking so bad. Even though he did some pretty despicable things to his own people. At least he was the devil we knew. This devil, unfortunately, is unpredictable and scary.


This devil known as ISIS is now "rampaging" across Iraq, and has put fear in the hearts of the leaders over there. Iraq is a country that is rife with ethnic and religious divisions and hatred, and even though you could argue that Saddam himself was responsible for the country being the way it is, removing him and creating this tragic domino effect will go down as one of the largest foreign policy blunders in American history. A blunder made even worse by the fact that we were all conned into believing that there was a need to overthrow him in the first place.


So here we are. And some of the same actors are demanding that we go into Iraq and Syria with American troops and fight those terrorist from the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham with everything we have. If we don't do it over there they say, we will have to do it on the streets of New York and Los Angeles.


Boots will be back on the ground in the Middle East, (because just bombing them is not enough) young Americans will be killed, and we will be told that it is to protect our freedoms from those who want to kill us.

“They’ve got to be destroyed, and you’ve got to have a goal, the president does, and we have to have a strategy to fit that goal and policies that will implement it. We have none of the above,” McCain said on Fox. He called Obama’s recent comments about the “messy” world “one of most unbelievable comments ever made.”


McCain continued his push for war in both Iraq and Syria, saying the fight requires the “full weight of American air power” as well as “some more boots and support on the ground.” He added, “All this didn’t have to happen. We could have left a force behind in Iraq that would have stabilized Iraq. And we are paying an incredible price for the president’s leading from behind, whether it be in Iraq, in Syria, in Libya, or a number of countries in the Middle East. We are seeing the chickens coming home to roost.”


They haven't come home just yet,  but they will. Fortunately for you and your friends in Washington they will not be coming to your homes, because your children will not be fighting them.





  









   


 

Jihadist McCain, and little girls with Uzis.

How about this for irony? The young brother from California who was killed in Syria fighting alongside ISIS was named Douglas McAuthur McCain. Talk about rebelling against who you are.




 "An American man suspected of fighting alongside Islamic State militants who have seized large areas of Iraq and Syria to the alarm of the Baghdad government and its allies in the West has been killed in Syria, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

 *"We were aware of U.S. Citizen Douglas McAuthur McCain's presence in Syria and can confirm his death," U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.

"We continue to use every tool we possess to disrupt and dissuade individuals from traveling abroad for violent jihad and to track and engage those who return," Hayden said.

A national security official who asked not to be named told Reuters that the FBI was investigating McCain's death, and a State Department spokeswoman said officials had been in contact with his family and were providing "all consular assistance."

Family members told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that McCain's mother had been called by a State Department official to report that he had been killed in Syria over the weekend."

Mama don't let your boys grow up to be Jihadists, it just won't end well.


"That could place him among the dozens of U.S. citizens that Attorney General Eric Holder said in July were included in a cohort of roughly 7,000 foreign fighters that U.S. intelligence agencies estimate to be operating in Syria, out of roughly 23,000 violent extremists.

Holder said federal prosecutors had opened fewer than 100 investigations into American citizens who may have traveled to Syria or Iraq to fight.

NBC News reported that McCain was born in Illinois and moved with his family to the Twin Cities area, where he graduated from high school in the Minneapolis suburb of New Hope in 1999. He later moved to the San Diego area, where he attended community college." [Source]

Just your typical All American boy with a slight twist.




Speaking of All American kids, things ended tragically for another one recently as well.




But this one was right here at home, and she was doing something that many Americans like to do: shoot a weapon.




"TUCSON Ariz. (Reuters) - A 9-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed her shooting instructor at an Arizona range with an Israeli-made Uzi submachine gun when the weapon's strong recoil caused her to lose control of her aim, police said on Tuesday.

They said that Charles Vacca, 39, had been standing next to the girl at the Last Stop shooting range in White Hills near the Nevada border on Monday morning showing her how to fire the automatic weapon.

When she pulled the trigger, the recoil forced her aim over her head, and Vacca was shot in the head, according to a Mohave County Sheriff’s Office statement.Vacca was airlifted to nearby Las Vegas, where he was pronounced dead. A spokesman for the sheriff’s department did not know how many times Vacca was shot or what model of Uzi the girl was firing.

 Some Uzi models are capable of firing up to 1,700 rounds per minute, or almost 30 rounds per second, according to the manufacturer’s website. 

The girl, whom police did not identify, was at the outdoor range with her parents." [Source]

I guess "The Last Stop shooting range" was the last stop for Charles Vacca.


Hey, some little nine year old girls play with dolls; here in America they play with Uzis.


*Pic from McCainislam


 

Some revolutions are going to be televised, and some will not.

The people are taking it to the streets in Kiev, and there are parts of that city that looks like a war zone. It should, because a war zone is what it has become. Over seventy people have lost their lives so far in this "uprising" and I am not sure that a peaceful resolution to the entire mess is coming anytime soon.


Of course, as is to be expected, the right wing and their minions are calling the president things such as "naive,"  "weak", and "feckless". (I swear John Bolton looks like he has little children buried away in his basement.) They want more action in places like Kiev and Syria, and they are tired of America just standing on the sidelines while the people in the Ukraine and Syria fight each other to the bitter end.


But let's not lose sight of the fact that this is what most of the American people want. They are sick and tired of wars, and unless you can show them that war is a shared sacrifice, it's going to make it hard for those in charge to convince the American people that it (war) is needed to protect them anymore.


Now I would actually take sides with my wingnut friends if they would condemn this administration for not paying enough attention to the upheaval in Nigeria or the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I mean the Nigerian military is killing civilians as well. But this revolution, unlike others, will not be televised.

Right now in Nigeria there is a serious religious conflict taking place over land between Muslims and Christians, and no one in America is paying attention to it. Not the government. Not the press. Not the people.


Is it only regional conflicts and revolutions in Europe and the Middle East that should warrant our attention? Why isn't John McCain on Sunday talk shows talking about strife in Third World countries involving black people? Why isn't Peggy Noonan writing about the administration's failure to speak out about the atrocities taking place in Central Africa? Why, instead, is she telling us to choose sides between a repressive government and ultra right wing groups in Ukraine? These are rhetorical questions; I know why.


Anyway, Ben Affleck might not be the greatest actor in the world, but bless his heart for using his star power to try and turn America's limited attention span to places like the Congo.


Here is what he wrote back in November:


 "Last week, a heavily armed rebel militia, M23, took control of the eastern Congolese city of Goma, the economic center and capital of the country’s North Kivu province. Unfortunately, to those of us who work in eastern Congo, the only surprise in this turn of events was how little attention it received.


Two years ago, almost to the day, I wrote in The Post about the bloodiest war since World War II and its continued toll on the Congolese people. From 1998 to 2003, eight African nations fought on Congolese soil, killing millions, forcing tens of thousands of children to become soldiers and, in some areas of Congo, subjecting as many as two of every three women to rape and other forms of sexual violence. Violence continued long after combatants agreed on a cease-fire. With regional war looming once again, it is time for the United States to act."


Not going to happen, Ben. You would have a better chance of landing an Academy Award for your role in Gigli.





 


 

The pacifists of convenience.

"Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang
 Bombs over Baghdad!
 Yeah! Ha ha yeah!
Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something
 Bombs over Baghdad!" ~Outkast~

Ok, maybe not Baghdad, but you get the point.

I am not riding with O with these bombs over Syria scenario, although I understand why he is doing it. If you are the most powerful man in the free world and you tell someone not to cross a line and they cross it, you will look like you are just selling woof tickets if you don't act. But hey, maybe you shouldn't have drawn that line in the first place.

I understand that the world community frowns on the use of chemical weapons, but they should frown on mass genocide as well.

Where were we when Hutus were slaughtering Tutsis in Rwanda? (I see you Bill. Monica got more attention than the Akazu.) If America has a conscience and cares about mass atrocities and genocide, what prevented (or is preventing) us from acting in Sudan? (O, that question is for you.)

Still, I don't want to hear s*** from all the George Bush apologists and cheerleaders for the war in Iraq. In fact, if you were not as vocal and outraged about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, you need to shut the hell up now. These folks have the audacity to be outraged that O wants to go all Gap Band on Syria but they were either silent or they supported the war in Iraq.

The wingnuts rationalize their pretzel logic by saying that they trust one commander in chief but not the other. They oppose this guy because they hate him so much, not because they thought it out and it is the right thing to do.

They oppose him for one crass reason: politics.

Some even went as far as to use this crises in the Middle East to do a little fund raising.

 "As your voice in Washington, I will continue to listen and take a stand for you. Donate today to stand with me to strongly oppose military action in Syria," reads a fundraising pitch Grimm sent around to supporters.

An email asks supporters to donate $25 ore more to "stand with" the congressman in opposing "President Obama's plan."
Grimm made headlines Thursday when he shifted positions on Syria. 
Initially in favor of military action, he said that he withdrew his support because Obama "showed his hand when he should have kept it close" in deciding to pursue congressional approval for military action before moving forward with attacks.

"Now that the [President Bashar] Assad regime has seen our playbook and has been given enough time to prepare and safeguard potential targets, I do not feel that we have enough to gain as a nation by moving forward with this attack on our own," he said in a release.

In the fundraising email, he further explained his position and accused Obama of "failing to show strength" on Syria.

"President Obama has failed to show strength at this critical moment in time. While the debate in Congress continues, our nation’s credibility grows weaker and weaker. After much deliberation and prayer, I have decided to withdraw my support. I do not feel that our country has enough to gain by moving forward with this attack," he said.

The chances of a resolution to approve the use of military force in Syria passing the House look slim at this point, with liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans alike expressing opposition." [Source]

For those of us who are morally and ideologically consistent, we opposed the last war and we oppose anything resembling another one. For the rest of the hypocrites and charlatans who are now embracing a dove like persona; we call bull s**t!

*Rwanda pic from EarPluggin.blogspot.com
 

Debating for dummies, and they are still standing their ground in Florida.

We can all discuss, cogitate on, and ponder the wisdom of an attack on Syria, and whether this administration is taking us down a very Bush like road to another conflict in the Middle East. But what is not debatable is the stupidity of some folks on the right as they place themselves in the middle of the debate.

Take, for instance, Liz Cheney:

 "Cheney filled her 90-minute speech and question-and-answer session with red meat for the conservative crowd. She compared herself to Winston Churchill standing up to Adolph Hitler and suggested members of both parties in Congress are hiding information about Obamacare from the public.Booooooooo.

Cheney also says Obama is incompetent because he didn't bomb Syria years ago, but since she is a Cheney that is really not news. And she says that she would not vote for bombing Syria if she were in Congress now, because she is a Republican and holy hell, they just cannot wrap their minds around this notion of Obama doing something that they've been calling for him to do for years, even if it means they get to bomb someone they have been itching to bomb—trying to decide between the two has broken what was left of their brains.

“The press will try to portray this Syria debate as a battle between wings of the Republican Party,” she said. “Don’t believe them.”  [Source]

You all know who her daddy is, right? 

Then there is this doozy from Joe "You lie" Wilson:

"Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) -- the congressman who yelled "you lie" during President Obama's 2010 State of the Union speech -- asked Wednesday if the administration's decision to attack Syria was made to distract from other "scandals" like Benghazi and the IRS.

'On April 25, the White House legislative director Miguel Rodriquez wrote that ... the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons. With the president's red line [crossed], why was there no call for military response in April?' he asked Secretary of State John Kerry at a Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
'Was it a delayed to divert attention today from the Benghazi, IRS, NSA scandals; the failure of Obamacare enforcement, the tragedy of the White House-drafted sequestration, or upcoming debt limit vote?'" [Source]

If there is a god, please have mercy on our souls.

Finally, the latest from the state of Florida and their crazy "stand your ground" law.

"A Florida man who shot up a neighbor's barbecue last year, killing two and injuring another, is looking to have murder charges dismissed under the state's "Stand Your Ground" law as well as the "Bush Doctrine," which gives the U.S. license for preemptive strikes, according to a report.

William T. Woodward, 44, is facing murder and attempted murder charges for ambushing Gary Lee Hembree, Roger Picior and Bruce Timothy Blake as they lounged at a backyard Labor Day party in Titusville on Sept. 3, 2012, Florida Today reported.

Hembree and Picior were killed. Blake, who was hit 11 times, survived, the newspaper said.

Cops said Woodward and Hembree had beefed in the past and had even brought their dispute before a judge. [Source]

OK, if you are from Florida, you will have to take a pass on this Syria debate as well.











 

The imperfect revolution.

And so the "Arab Spring" continues. In Syria, the tyrant Bashar Assad, continues to mercilessly crack down on his people. And, in Washington, Hillary and company continue to do a delicate dance: Disposing of a brutal dictator which could lead to unanticipated consequences, or allowing democracy and the will of the people to take hold.

The ouster of Assad could open the door for more extremist groups (see Yemen), and, believe it or not, could lead to more instability in the region. Syria is a country of mostly Sunnis being led by a Shias who is in the minority. If the Sunnis take control of the country they might suppress the minority Shias, which could lead to a conflict with their neighbors in Iraq. A neighboring country made up of mostly Shias. Are you confused yet?

Then there is the Israeli problem: Syria shared a  border with Israel at the Golan Heights region. Not good. Believe it or not, the man everyone loves to hate recently, has actually showed that he is a moderate when it comes to Israel and has shown a willingness to sign a peace agreement over the Golan Heights region. Who knows what will happen when real democracy takes hold? 

I know one thing, Assad, like the other tyrants before him; will soon be gone as well. A-merry-cans can only watch so many images of innocent folks getting their heads bashed in on CNN before they start saying enough. The pressure is already on the Arab League to act and even Syria's other allies, such as Russia, are starting to waiver in their support. The world will not stand still while "massacres" occur in the Syrian countryside. If I were Bashar Assad I would be looking for a nice peaceful country to retire with the rest of my family.   

Finally, I, like the rest of you, have been hearing the buzz about my girl Condi appearing on the republican ticket as a candidate for VP. As Robert Traynham wrote in the Philadelphia Tribune, it would be interesting.  

"...Youthfulness, bona fide conservative credentials and diversity. Condi Rice, the first female African-American Secretary of State, brings diversity to the ticket and of course crackerjack foreign policy experience.

As I mentioned before, my money is on Mitt Romney becoming the next Republican nominee. His steadiness in the polls (yes, I know this has been a rollercoaster of a ride), his firm grasp of the issues that are demonstrated in the debates, and his ability to show considerable fundraising might compel me to believe that the primary race is still Romney’s to lose. His challenge will be whether or not he can convince conservative primary voters that he is not going to waffle on social issues if he wins the White House. Senator Rubio, as I have stated before, could be the reminder that conservatives may want in the White House; but Condi Rice could also serve in that role.

First, the drawbacks: Rice having never served in elected office, many Americans may think she is too inexperienced and naïve in the ways of the rough-and-tumble politics to actually assist Romney on the ticket.

The upside: Rice has always been and will continue to be an interesting public policy figure. She’s smart, engaging and unflappable. A debate between Rice and Biden would be must-watch television as each would be ready to better the other on hot-button issues such as North Korea, Pakistan, China and Cuba. Rice would also give African Americans a real clear choice as to which they want to represent them in the executive branch."

Calm down Robert, she would be running as the VP, not the HNIC. Besides, don't cross your fingers in anticipation of Flipper Mitt selecting the concert pianist with the shoe fetish just yet. We are still a long way from Tampa.  








   

Mr. President Call Home!

" A blind man knows he cannot see, and is glad to be led, though it be by a dog; but he that is blind in his understanding,which is the worst blindness of all, believes he sees as the best and scorns the guide. "~Samuel Butler~

I have a question: Just what the f**k is the frat boy doing in the Middle East? I thought we had a Secretary of State to make these types of diplomatic missions? Yeah yeah yeah, I know, he is the President, but trust me, he is doing more harm than good at this point. I mean the guy got us in this mess in the first place, and now it seems he is just making things worse. Not that it can get much worse over there.

Is it me; or does it seem like every one else has a clue except our beloved President? Tony Blair gets it. He sent a delegation to Syria to try to talk to the Syrians in order to get a regional consensus on the problems in Iraq. King Abdullah of Jordan gets it. He held meetings with that slick Iraqi Prime Minister-more on him in a minute-Nouri al-Maliki to try to come up with a unified and regional plan to solve the problems in Iraq. He advised the frat boy that the problem with Israel and the rest of the Arab states contribute to the problems in Iraq. And finally, the frat boy's daddy's friend, James Baker, gets it, and I guarantee you that his commission to study Iraq will come back with a recommendation to try to use other countries in the region to solve the problem in Iraq. Did I say Problem? I am sorry, I meant CIVIL WAR. Because make no mistake folks, that is what we now have in Iraq. The frat boy and his minions on his television station, -FAKE NEWS- can call it what they want, we all know what it is. It's Sunni against Shiite, with a few foreign fighters sprinkled in between.

The frat boy should have met with al-Maliki today but for some unexplained reason the meeting was canceled. I suspect it has something to do with a leaked memo dated November 8, 2006, from National Security Advisor Stephen Headley declaring al-Maliki a f**k up, and outlining a plan to help him to try to control his own country. Yeah I can just hear old Nouri after he heard about that one: "F**k those arrogant Americans, and that cowboy boot wearing Texan. Just who the f**k does he think he is? After he totally f***ed up our country he is going to tell me what to do? I don't think so!" Now don't get me wrong; I think al-Maliki is a snake in the grass, and the frat boy and his administration should have known better than believing anything that comes out of his mouth. He is a Shiite, and at the end of the day, he wants to live to be an old man. So of course he has to play ball with the most powerful man in Iraq. And that man, radical Shiite cleric,Moqtadi al-Sadr, has American blood on his hands. So Maliki plays this little dance; he needs the Americans to protect him, and keep what little stability his country has left, but he also doesn't want to piss off the man with the most powerful army on the ground in Iraq. So like a typical politician, he goes back and forth, and he dances between two worlds. From coming to Washington to beg for our help, to blowing off our President because a bunch of Shiite Parliamentarians promised to quit at home if he met with him.

So I go back to my original point; the frat boy should have stayed his ass at home. The symbolism of him meeting with Maliki is too powerful and too dangerous for the propped up Iraq leader. The bad perm lady would have done just fine, but I guess the sh** has gotten so bad, that the frat boy just figured that he had to do it himself. I guess that's why he sent "dead eye" Dick to meet with his friends in Saudi Arabia. Hey, if you want something done right....The problem is, he can't do anything right. I mean when he says that Al Qaida is the cause of our problems in Iraq just how ridiculous does he sound? Especially when his own CIA Director says that there are only about 1,300 Al Qaida fighters in Iraq. So let me get this straight, 1,300 hundred fighters causing all this trouble and blood shed? I don't think so Mr. President.

But hey, we are "staying the course" no "cutting and running" for our President. That's for those wimpy Democrats. No sir, this cowboy is finishing the job come hell or high water, because God is on his side, even if most of the people that God created isn't.

Before I go, it's nice to see Colin finally surface again. Yes Colin I hear you calling this a "civil war" now too. But where were you when it really mattered? You are a gutless fraud, and history will not be kind to you. You let your loyalties to a man who was not loyal to you ruin your credibility and your reputation with the American people, and that is something you will never get back.

And if Colin gets a jeer, well then newly elected Senator, Jim Webb, gets a cheer. If only for this exchange with the frat boy:

Frat Boy:"Hows your boy?"
Webb: "I'd like to get them out of Iraq"
Frat Boy: "That's not what I asked, how's your boy?" At which point Webb should have said: How is your partying daughters? Left any handbags in any foreign clubs lately? But instead he answered:
Webb: "That's between me and my boy"
Good enough, I will take that. Apparently Webb tried to avoid the photo ops and receiving line in the white house, but the frat boy still found him.

Good for Senator Webb, and as I have stated before: F**k bipartisanship!