It’s been a while since I’ve written anything about politics or current events. Honestly, even the most politically active people suffer a little burnout now and then, and I’m no exception to the rule. Lately it’s just been easier to focus on the Brit Brit Bad Choices Extravaganza or other fluff than it has been to think about the state of politics and other happenings around the nation. While I’ve been focusing on healing, writing and shaking my head over the current Snatch Pack tramping around Hollywierd, a lot of important things have been going on everywhere. Since clamping my hands over my ears and shouting “La La La I Can’t Heaaaaaaar Youuuuu!” doesn’t seem to be working, I guess I’ll focus on what’s happening in the real world.
Iraq has been in the news for years thanks to the whims and wishes of the Great Decider and his sidekick/puppetmaster, the Imperial Vice President. The American people have voiced a majority wish for withdrawal (never mind the original majority vote to not go in the first place), Congress has voiced an opinion to withdraw and political pundits everywhere have yammered on about the need to get out of Iraq, to stop sacrificing good and loyal soldiers for a megalomaniac’s wet dream. Each cry for sanity has been met with resistance, devious behavior and outright deception by Bush Co.® – from Presidential “signing statements” that ignore the Constitution to misinformation in the press. Now England, our only ally in this futile endeavor, has slapped W on the wrist with it’s decision to withdraw. (You can read the articles here and here.) This is big news folks. This leaves Bush, and the American soldiers he seems to willing to sacrifice for so little, looking like the last kid picked for dodge ball. Bush Co.® should pull out of Iraq post haste, but I’m betting they will try to “stay the course” again and distract us with another crisis. Which brings me to political news event number two…
In January we decided that our “diplomatic process” in Iraq was working so well we should try it elsewhere. (Not in North Korea, where it might make sense, mind you. Just “elsewhere”.) So what did our Great Decider and his Imperial Vice President tell our loyal and hard working troops to do? Why, storm the consulate in Iran, of course! (Article here.) In case you don’t know why this was bad, it has to do with the fact that we stormed the consulate. Your country’s consulate, no matter what country you are part of, is supposed to have inviolate protection. It is there to provide aid to your people when they are abroad and at home, among other things. There are treaties upon treaties with countries everywhere enforcing this concept of a small neutral area to help your countrymen in need. To storm a country’s consulate is a huge violation of trust with that country, but also with our allies. I believe this may have been instrumental in our losing England’s support in Iraq – we sent a very clear message that our country can not be trusted, at least not while under the leadership of Bush Co.®
Not only was the storming of the Iranian consulate a violation of trust, it was poking the bear with a stick. It’s as if Bush Co.® was purposely trying to provoke a fight with Iran, while already overextended in Iraq and elsewhere and continuing to ignore North Korea’s nuclear testing (article here) and other incidents that far outweigh Bush Co.’s® fragile ego in importance. What other incidents should be higher on our list, you ask? Good question. How about China‘s recent anti-satellite missile discharge? (Article here.) Remember the endorsement of torture by our own government in recent months? (Article here.) Perhaps we can talk about the minimum wage and the reluctance of Republican Senators to pay working class Americans a living wage. No? (Blogging the debate here, here and here. Poverty guidelines here.) What about the outing of our own CIA agents last year, endangering their lives? (Article here. Thread here.) This is only the tip of the iceberg on things that are more important to our health as a nation, politically and financially, than continuing a war without end for a man without conscience. I haven’t even begun to discuss the loss of freedoms we’ve suffered for the hubris of Bush Co.® or our lack of resources to help our own disenfranchised people, much less the struggling people of other nations. (More on this here, here, here, here and here.)
Even a synopsis of the political crapfest over the last few months has me feeling overwhelmed with the effort of keeping up and fighting the good fight. All that and I haven’t even scratched the surface – there is so much more going on we need to keep ourselves aware of. One way I do this is through the folks at EA Forums’ Symposium and Current Events topics. You’ll notice three of my linked article go back to EA – that’s because it is one of the few places I’ve found where we can discuss the events of the day without a cat fight emerging – it keeps us focused. I highly recommend a visit to those topics. The people over there keep me abreast of what’s happening in the world and in the United States even during my “stick my head in the sand” periods. Don’t forget to tell them phoenixx sent you (that’s me).
If you, like me, are enjoying a stick your head in the sand moment while the world whizzes by your head at top speed, check out my sidebar. I have some lovely distraction in my pages, especially the “Fun With Videos” page, and a ton of blogs for you to read. You’ll find celebrity snark toward the bottom, but there is also music, books and more all waiting for you to discover. Enjoy, and keep your head above water in this time of political turmoil. Also, don’t forget that while I try to make my links obvious by using “article here” tags, there are also a lot of links that will show when you hover your mouse over my text – so get clicking!
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