Fox News' War Propaganda

Fox News has used the disguise of journalism to spread propaganda about various issues. This video sums up the direct message they've been sending about Iran and how they are following the same formula they did leading up to the invasion of Iraq.

9/11 Redux

There are some in this country who believe that another terrorist attack on America would be a good thing. I am not sure if these thoughts are a sick joke or the ramblings of an insane asylum escapee. The very thought that only through violence and bloodshed Americans could be brought together sickens me to my core.

If we are fighting a global war on terror as the Bush administration, the GOP, and many democrats have said, then wouldn't anyone conspiring to commit an act similar to 9/11 be our enemies. In fact, it may even be treasonous to suggest such an act.

I do not see these people, who claim such acts of terror would be good for our country, serving up their families for these sacrifices. These are the same people who have supported the Iraq war from the start, but have no family member serving in the armed services. They know nothing of sacrifice and are cowards, shielding themselves from reality with sick fantasies of bloodshed and mayhem of their fellow man so that they may feel righteous somehow.

It disturbs me even further that people like this are my neighbors, fellow Americans, that I would sacrifice for and help in a time of need. Through peace we can accomplish so much more than through violence. But, these people are violent religious extremists that are not unlike those who attacked us on 9/11. Hell, they want it to happen again.

My fellow Americans, if you are not sickened by the words of these people, then perhaps it is you that is the enemy of this country. Serve up your offering of flesh to be sacrificed in the bloodshed you have proposed. Serve up your children, your wives, your mothers and fathers. For we will gladly destroy you for the good of this country if that is what you want. Perhaps once you are gone America will unite together as they did after 9/11, but only because we removed the cancerous tumor of America that is you.

Arab Journalist Discusses Iraq

Shadi Al-Kasim is an Arab freelance journalist who has worked in Iraq. He has a unique view on the war and occupation of Iraq that most Americans will never see in their media.

Al-Kasim on dealing with insurgence:

. . . the American government should start seriously think to negotiate, not the insurgents, not Al-Qaeda, because Al-Qaeda are terrorists. The organized fighters, resistance groups in Iraq, to reach a ceasefire with them and to start negotiating them and get to know exact what they want to do and what exactly the need from the American army, the American side.

Continuation of current course:

The killing will increase widely in Iraq and they will have civil war very soon.

Videos like this are supported by Alive in Baghdad, an organization supported by donations.

Cheney '94: Saddam Not Worth American Lives

God bless America.

Diebold Haiku

Diebold elections
Destroying democracy
Congress does nothing

Diebold, Why Is It So Hard to Make a Counting Machine?

Why would we put our electoral faith into counting machines that seem to have an odd problem of counting improperly. Yes, there is a bit more to the machines than counting, but basically that's what it does.

What the voting machines should do is request your social security number. This will ensure you are eligible to vote. Then the vote is tallied, saved in a secure local database and a larger state database, a receipt is printed for proof of your vote. As optional, but good feature it could also print out a record of each vote at a secure location.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't a machine like that be simple enough to develop and maintain? The source code of the machines could even be available to an oversight committee. With a little oversight and simplification in the process, I would think this sort of system would be simple enough to run while relatively secure.

So, Diebold get up off your asses and make counting machine that works properly or we'll have to replace them with abacuses, which seem to be much more reliable.

'What's Wrong with America?'

The best question at the recent Democratic AFL-CIO debate was from Steve Skvara, a retired steel worker.

Mr. Skvara's question in its entirety:

"After thirty years with LTV Steel I was forced to retire because of a disability. Two years later LTV filed bankruptcy. I lost a third of my pension, and my family lost their health care. Everyday of my life I sit at the kitchen table, across from the women who devoted thirty-six years of her life to my family, and I can't afford to pay for her health care. What's wrong with America, and what will you do to change it?"

It's more of a question to the American people than to the candidates. What's wrong with us when a man who devoted his life to a company and was a productive member of society gets thrown out like a used tissue. I don't think that's right. Do you?

I Don't Care if Islam is a Religion of Peace or Violence

Islam is a religion. Being an atheist I am prone to not liking Islam, or any theistic belief system. This, however, does not mean that I dislike the people behind Islam. I hear all the time that Islam is either a religion of peace (they say that), or a religion of violence (the Republican right says that). But I don't care, in the end they are just people like you and me.

Fighting an ideology with brute strength will rarely work. If Islam is a violent religion, then bombs and gunfire will not destroy it, that will only inflame their violence. What will work is fighting hostile ideologies with peaceful ones.

If you find a hungry man with a gun would you break a loaf of bread with him or eat it all in front of his face? What people often forget is that peaceful acts often trump violent ones.

Nothing good could possibly come out of fighting a war of ideologies. It didn't work in the Cold War and it would work even worse with modern religious beliefs.

God or no God, peace or no peace, we should break bread with our neighbors. Our Islamic neighbors are no different and are people all the same. We should extend peace to them and not try to force our ideals on them. For these reasons, our foreign policy should be one of peace towards all people, not of war.

Separating Church and State Keeps Us Free

What many on the religious right do not understand is the importance of separating our church from our state. Throughout our history as a nation there have been people who try to push their personal beliefs into government dealings. What many of them don't understand is that in a free nation that allows them to practice their religion, it also allows others to practice what they want as well. I know it probably seems obvious, but our theocratic president challenges that notion.

The idea that our nation was founded as a Christian one is a myth, at best. Many of the founding fathers were deists or agnostic/atheists. Deism differs from theism on the point that God does not interfere in the lives of humans and does not dictate the workings of the universe. America is not a Christian nation, it is a free nation.

According to the CIA, America is about 80% Christian. Lets say there's a downward trend in religious beliefs over the next 50 years and that 80% halves to 40%, while atheism grows to 45%. In this scenario, atheists are now the leading "religion" in America. What if they tried and succeeded to enact that there shall be no acts of religion in America. They could claim that America was founded as an atheist nation (there's more of a case for that than this being a Christian nation) and that therefore God has no place within our borders. This may seem preposterous, but there's a reason why we have separation of church and state.

No one knows what the future of religious beliefs will be, but I'd rather live in a nation that kept religion entirely out of the government, rather than be force to believe what other believe. Religious freedom was so important that it was put right there in the first amendment to the Constitution. If you stifle one freedom, you begin down a slippery slope of endangering all freedoms. Therefore, I'd like to keep church and state separated, wouldn't you?

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Defends the Constitution

Here's something you probably won't see on your news programs, someone actually defending the Constitution of the United States.

During the debate on the new wiretapping legislation:

"... What we're doing here tonight; we are shredding the Constitution, we are tearing up the Bill of Rights, because we are telling Americans that no matter what your business is, you are subject to the unscrupulous, undisciplined, irresponsible scrutiny of the attorney general and others without a court intervention. This is not the day to play politics. It is to balance civil liberties along with the homeland security and the protection of America ... Shame on the other body for failing to recognize that we can secure America by securing the American people and giving them their civil liberties."

Too bad 227 congresspeople ignored civil liberties and the rights of Americans and voted for the new wiretapping legislation.

Ron Paul the Peaceful Conservative

Ron Paul talking about our illegal Iraq war and occupation at the recent Republican debate.



Ron Paul on Fox News explaining his position of peace.


A little more about Paul on Fox News.

Congress Goes on Vacation. War Doesn't.

The 110th Congress hurried a new surveillance bill through Friday and Saturday so that they could go on vacation. I don't want to pass judgment on the bill itself (that's a whole other post in itself), but what disturbs me is the fact that congress thinks its okay to recess while people are still dying in Iraq.

The Iraqi parliament is also taking August off. This is even more disheartening than our own congress' betrayal of duty. We've created our government already and although its beginning to show cracks, it is still working. They are trying to create a peaceful democracy in a country that is thriving with violence and strife. Perhaps, that is not a simple 9-5 job in which month long vacations can be taken.

Their behavior sends a clear message to me; they are apathetic as to our sacrifice and their country's horrific problems. If that is the case, why are we still there? About 71% of Iraqis would like us out by September. I say Congress stays in session until our troops our home safely.

Why should our troops have to suffer long tours of duty in a country that doesn't want us, while the poor tired Congress gets to take a break? How many dead soldiers are 4 weeks of vacation worth? Come September, I guess we'll know the answer to that question.

Because the world didn't have enough problems . . .

. . . I had to go and start a blog. Actually, I've had a blog, but it's all over the place. I wanted to create a blog where my crazy political ramblings could be more clearly documented.

You see, I have two political personalities. One of them likes the libertarian isolationist values of Ron Paul, while the other side likes the socialist humanism of Dennis Kucinich. What I hope to do is lay these views down while analyzing current affairs in the political spectrum of America and the world.

Won't you join me while I diagnose the infected burning itch that is politics.