PREPETUAL WAR!

PREPETUAL WAR!

(Jeremy Scahill, Asian Times, E.J. Dionne, Chris McGreal, Kimberly Dozier)

(Conor Friedersdorf, Chris Cascarano, Kim Alyssa, Sarah Wheaton, Rasool Dawar)

(Michael Hastings, Martin Indyk, Kenneth Lieberthal, Michael O’Hanlon, Frazer Chronicle)

 

The above listed people or news outlets are my sources for today’s edition of the Frazer Chronicle, and I take serious any subject that I write about, attempting to interject my opinions based from the information that I glean from others on a particular subject-matter. I have sat by, relatively silent, not letting loose with any disparaging remarks towards our Commander and Chief.

However I feel that I can no longer remain silent, and must lambast our president, his appointed officials, and their establishment of a foreign policy that is…..to say the least almost Bushisk in its approach with regards to the question of al-Qaida, war mongering and how our government deals with our international allies as well as those people, and countries that would…..do us harm!

Now I understand that I am talking about war today, and the havoc that it brings to whichever foreign country is involved, but understand that in order for the United States to ready industry for war, the state of the union must first be at least on a break-even playing field. Both the Bush and Obama bail-outs and were similar in style, in substance, and where the money would come from.

The Bush bail-out bill created a $700 billion dollar Treasury fund to purchase failing bank assets, and was whisked through Congress with little chance that the material could be read, even though there was a ground swell of opposition from the public as well as grass roots protests that took place in 41 states…..and eventually the bail-out cost well over the initial $700 billion figure.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of Congress was based largely on proposals made by President Obama and was intended to provide a stimulus to the U.S. economy in the wake of the economic downturn. The measure was worth about $787 billion, and was passed in spite of a majority public opposition and it subsequently sparked protests movements across the United States.

Both stimulus proposals targeted specific groups in U.S. industry, both were unpopular, and both created protests that rang out across the country, and both acts were ram-rodded through Congress at the speed of lightening.

Both presidents, George W. Bush and Barak Obama appointed Czar’s positions to care for different programs, departments and almost pet projects. Bush had 19 men and women to care for health issues to copyright issues to privacy questions.

President Obama has created 28 different departments that are currently being administered to by Czar type department heads. From TARP questions, to border issues, to weapons care, to the country’s battle against drugs, which is led by drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske.

Citizen surveillance by both men shows little difference, Bush in 2002 as part of ongoing anti-terrorist operations secretly authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on Americans and others in the United States making contact with persons in other nations without any type of warrants, or supervision by Congress.

In a kind of shocking defense of these shenanigans of spying on Americans by the Bush administration, President Obama has not only turned a blind eye towards the former president, he has in fact broadened the legal argument for immunizing his administration and government agencies from lawsuits surrounding the NSA’s eavesdropping efforts.  

I could go on…..but I’m sure that you get the idea…..the difference between these two men, men with such diverse backgrounds is really stunning…..at least to the casual observer. To those of us who seek the truth, the difference between these men is paper thin, and a cause for a huge amount of concern.

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN

Romantics can appreciate Peshawar, the city is also known as Pekhaswar, is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the administrative centre and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The city is situated in a large valley near the eastern end of the historic Khyber Pass, close to the Pak-Afghan border. Known as the “city on the frontier”, Peshawar’s strategic location on the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia has made it one of the most culturally vibrant and lively cities in the region.

The population of the city is estimated at more than (2010) 3.5 million inhabitants and seems to have been the site of a drone hit on Hakimullah Mshsud, who was suspected of being behind terrorist attacks including the failed Times Square bombing.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t equate Pakistan with sprawling, vibrant metropolises where millions of people live, work, have families, and spend their leisure time. I think more nomadic, arid windy…..the perpetual sand storm, and people riding camels, wrapped in white bed-sheet kind of get-ups.

I stand corrected, you can’t deny pictures, Peshawar is a beautiful city in the northern part of the country, and is among the most ancient of the regions cities between Central, South and West Asia. Peshawar has been for centuries a trade center between Afghanistan, South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. Many of these ancient cities has a history, and the accompanying artifacts that speak of a cultural learning, and educational area.

It was in this city that a U.S. drone attack was carried out, and according to all reports, Hakimullah Mehsud was killed. His ties to the Pakistan Taliban is not the issue here (at least to my way of thinking), it’s the 7500 people per square mile that should be the issue. How many innocents were killed, wounded, or maimed, that should be the issue.

President Obama, for all his eloquent speeches, and his rhetoric regarding ceasing our war-like attitudes, and then not being even a wee bit nervous about a drone strike in a city which is home to 7500 people per square mile, seems a bit strange to me. This is not a recipe for humanitarian good will, when the slightest mistake can mean innocent lives of women, children and old people being lost.

For me it’s time to start my annual search for a new leader, I wasn’t even tepid when John Kerry ran against George W. Bush, to me Kerry was weird, not really a man of the people. Then after eight years of Bush, when over half the people were ready for some sort of change, a black man, Barack Obama broke onto the scene, and it was pretty obvious (at least to me) that he (Obama), would not only be the next president, he would break the eight years of Republican rule, but he would be the first black man to capture the office.

I don’t know, maybe it’s the water, but whatever the reason, our politicians might sound different, but once they secure whatever office they are running for is won…..they slowly reverse course, and begin to act, talk, and sound like their predecessor.

Republicans, Democrats, tea-baggers, progressives, greens or whatever color you want to pick, they are first and foremost politicians…..and you simply can’t trust them…..they speak with forked tongue. Once again it’s the old “we gotta have an enemy to fight, and to be wary of”, without one we seem to flounder.

HAVE A NICE DAY!