My Exploding Head--Syria in the Crosshairs

The president, whom I have loved and fervently supported, I believe is in error, while the world waits on edge until he decides, to solo strike Syria.  Iran, in a rare clear message admitted the Middle East is a tinderbox ready to blow sky high if a western nation dare strike in this region yet again. Iraq's ghost never dies.  A strike, especially a solo strike, should be out of the question. How can the president, this president, who as a senator so roundly criticized the bombing of Iraq, decide not only to use the Bush doctrine of unilateral war against a nation which did nothing to us but he will, if the reporting is correct, do this alone without consult if necessary?
 
The rationale of humanitarian principles for war is nearly always a Trojan Horse to militarily involve. It works because the American people are sold nationalistic poppycock untrue and realistically ridiculous rationales for its entry into war.  Our enemies never hated us for our freedom.  They hated us because as a western nation we have interfered for decades in the Islamic world and they resent it.   Has all of US post WWII foreign policy been simply misplaced idealism or rather misplaced and ruinous Machiavellian empire building?  I suspect it is the latter.

Powers in our age spend blood and oodles of cash because invasions of these Middle Eastern nation states are  about the balance of power in that region, money, oil and it may be, in this case, to make sure those chemical weapons used by someone in Syria (not sure who) stop at Syria's door and are never used especially to attack the west. We worry about that.

All I ask is that the president tell the darn truth and stop throwing mythologies around that our sensibilities are so hurt when we see Syria gassing its own people. Saddam Hussein, of Iraq fame lest one forget, did the same thing.  The US said and did nothing because Hussein at the time was fighting Iran, our enemy. Further, Syria has recently gassed its own people 14 other times with albeit a lesser amount of carnage.  Double moreover, it is alleged that the US used white phosphorous, a brutal chemical weapon, in Faluja, Iraq and absolutely used Napalm and Agent Orange in Vietnam. So come on here let's use our brain. We or any nation state rarely kill for humanitarian reasons.  We kill for reasons of money, power, and hegemonic advantage limiting our enemies' influence and aggrandizing our own.  It is for those reasons that we send our young blood and enormous treasure around the planet.  That is what empire builders do after all but is this impending strike on Syria worth it?

Mr. President, I love you BUT what are the real reasons for solo bombing Syria? What is your purpose or fear? I truly believe this president is deadly serious about protecting this country from another 9/11 attack or worse on his watch.  In view of that if the reason to bomb Syria is to degrade its chemical weaponry to protect the west from it and at the same time diminish Iranian power then tell us the truth.  I can take the truth.  It's the lies and hypocrisy that make my head explode.

Wounded Syrians find sanctuary in Israeli hospital

As the conflict in Syria continues, the number of injured Syrians reaching Israel to receive treatment is rising. The Syrian regime  is a longtime Israeli enemy, and its citizens are banned from travel to Israel. Meanwhile Israelis citizens, worried about a possible chemical attack, are lining up at gas mask distribution centers.  NBC's Geraint Vincent reports.  

By Geraint Vincent, Correspondent, NBC News

NAHARIYA, Israel - In northern Israel, wounded Syrians are finding a strange sanctuary.  Just a few miles from the Golan Heights, doctors have treated more than 70 patients from Israel’s arch-enemy Syria so far this summer.
They are all very badly hurt, with gunshot wounds and blast injuries, and receiving life-saving treatment, doctors say.

"Most of them arrive unconscious," said Masad Barhoum, clinical director at Western Galilee Medical Center. "When they wake up and find that they are in Israel they are anxious and afraid.  We don't ask them any questions, we just do what we can to make them feel comfortable."
Doctors and nurses do their work behind blast walls and air-tight doors, and they try not to let politics, or war, get in their way.

"When you see a child who's burned and crying for her mother," Barhoum said.  "What is she guilty of?  We help whoever comes through the door.”  

Slideshow: Syria uprising

A look back at the conflict that has overtaken the country.

At least 100,000 people have been killed in the two-and-a-half-year conflict, and every day hundreds struggle with injuries, according to aid workers. Doctors at the center say their Syrian patients are brought to the border with Israel because much-needed medical facilities no longer exist in their war-ravaged homeland.  It's a last resort.

Syria and Israel are old foes.  For people to throw themselves and their loved ones on the mercy of the Israeli border guards is a sure a sign of how desperate they are.  Seeking help across the border may prompt harsh consequences when patients and their families go home.

Many of the wounded are fighters, but some are children.

“I brought my girl here because she was hit by a sniper's bullet," said a weeping woman as she tended her 13-year-old.  "The hospital in my town was destroyed.  They have saved her here, but now I am afraid to go back.  We will be marked."

The Israeli army delivers the wounded to the hospital, in between preparations for a possible attack from Syria or Hezbollah, Lebanese allies of President Bashar Assad.

If the United States and its allies choose to strike over allegations Syria used chemical weapons on civilians, Assad might retaliate against Israel, America's greatest ally in the region.  Israeli intelligence doesn't think that is very likely at this stage, but the missile defense batteries along Israel's northern borders have been reinforced.

As citizens of Damascus try to prepare themselves for a possible military strike, they are stocking up on supplies at grocery stores and pharmacies. Wall Street Journal correspondent Sam Dagher reports.

In Tel Aviv, people look north and see a dictator who appears to be capable of anything, who might be feeling backed into a corner and could lash out.  And given the nature of the atrocity Assad is accused of committing, people wait in line for gas masks at the post office.  The prospect of being attacked with poison gas is a fearful one anywhere, but for a people haunted by the Holocaust there is a special determination to survive, and respond.

If Israel does come under attack of any kind, it will not simply weather the storm.  Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has warned that his country will “respond forcefully.”

Israel's defense forces are on high alert.  Its air force pilots are on very short notice to move -- they now have to be in their cockpits within seconds of the call, rather than minutes.

An Israeli attack on Syria would likely be large scale, and Assad's allies in Lebanon and Iran would feel bound to respond.  This would be one path by which a “punishment action” by the Western powers might quickly turn into a regional conflict.  In the White House, it's the nightmare scenario.

I responded quickly:

This makes me proud to be a Jew. I LOVE my people and know in my heart and deep in my soul that the Jewish people are good, incredible survivors and most act like human beings should to one another. I am NOT religious but a secular Jew and never ever not even once have I been shunned by a member of a different Jewish sect. That in and of itself is miraculous and says something. There is room in Judaism for all of us whether we believe or not.

I know because I have seen it through many different eyes that Israel treats everyone who comes for medical aid. NO questions asked they just do it. Why? Because it's the right thing to do. You treat the stranger as you would want to be treated. Forgetting the gd political situation on a human level I know my people and the fact that they treat desperate Syrians for medical problems that otherwise would kill them does not surprise me. I say OPEN YOUR EYES and look. Do I love all policy NO and neither do I love all policy in the US BUT we do the best we can with the cards we are dealt.

Thank you my people for tending to the wounded Syrians. One wonders how much press that will get. Instead the media focus on some bad thing that happens between these so called "enemies," They are NOT MY enemy. They are fellow human beings who desperately need help to merely live!

Stand Against Hate--Kudos to the Chief of Police in Sabaattus, Maine

A town-office wannabe David Marsters of Sabbatus, Maine posted a hate-filled threat to the president on Facbook.  He took down the opinion and was appropriately investigated by the Secret Service .  I will not repeat what he said in this forum as it is disgusting and vile.  This man is no child.  He is a senior adult.  The story was carried on NECN and you can Google it to see the nature of his ugly Facebook entry.  I emailed the Chief of Police Ward of Sabbatus, ME a kudo for standing up against hate!

Kudos to the Chief of Police in Sabbatus, Maine for standing up to yet another message of hate, and destructive violence levied at our oft-besieged president whom so many love.  David Marsters or any man who could write such racist and hate-filled opinion on Facebook is not only unethical but rude disrespecting the high office of the nation's presidency. First Amendment passionate critical analysis of policies of all our commanders-in-chief, even a resounding reelected one, is to be encouraged but a message saturated with ugly racist hate infused with a call to violence is not what, I believe, our framers had in mind when they created our simple document of Constitutional magnificence.

It is altogether fitting and proper that David Marsters be soundly defeated in any election he may seek. He and those like him are a stain and blight upon our country no matter how First Amendment protected they may be.  Marsters and extremists like he should be eschewed by men and women of good will everywhere. 

Placing his opinion on Facebook can be seen by millions in an instant and reported on the news which it was even IF Mr. Marsters ultimately took the post down. What one writes especially if laced with racial invective and violence can be taken by some mentally unbalanced person as something they want to, God forbid, do.

Let's hope the people of Sabattus, Maine never allow Mr. Marsters to win or see the inside of public office ever!  Thanks to Chief Ward again for a very effective and articulate response which I viewed on NECN news this morning. Our nation surely could use more fair-minded people like he.

WHY WE MUST ELECT DEMOCRATS ALL ACROSS THE NATION.  WE MUST STOP THE INCESSANT RACIST INVECTIVE.  A VOTE SUPPRESSED ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO THE VOTE EVERYWHERE!!

Think Again--the Wind and the Whirlwind

What is to possibly ensue in Syria gave me a migraine today.  In my opinion WWII was the last moral war.  The rest conducted by the US have been policy blunders of the worst order made mostly by those who send other people's kids to war but avoid service risking their own lives as they risk the lives of countless others. As Howard Zinn said: THINK think as to who profits by a war and why it is being conducted. Zinn was the most impactful historian on me because he spoke the profundity of truth to power.

We have killed hundreds of thousands in the Middle East between Iraq, Afghanistan and periodic strikes on numbers of other countries over decades. Truly does anyone anymore think that they hate us for our freedom? They hate us for our very bad policy decisions. I do not know what happened to this nation post WWII but those who took the reins of power especially the neo cons did great evil to this nation. They managed and continue to make some people and corporations very very rich but NOT those within the American middle class.  It gets the middle and lower classes killed, maimed, bankrupt and psychologically traumatized.

The 1% get rich, keep the populous dumbed down by control of the media and feed us nationalistic propaganda as a rationale for service in war. This newest war adventure will cost us dearly. It is hugely risky.  What happened to the deficit and the debt Tea Bag Republicans and others say they care about so much?  Who will pay for this and what will it cost?
My mantra: Question everything. 

The risks of a strike on Syria are enormous and this time we must be correct.  I suspect another war will be impossible to win.  It will be long lasting, cost more billions and spread war even more with no end in sight but the president is the one with experts at his side.  I say to him think twice and then think again before you unleash the wind and reap the whirlwind!

Freedom Today, Freedom Tomorrow and Freedom Forever -- The March on Washington 2013

The dream continues, the dream never dies and efforts of those who in the past were the purveyors of interposition and nullification are trying NOW with the help of the vicious five on the Supreme Court to nullify those hard fought for rights yet again. Black people and minorities of all kinds CONTINUE to have to monitor RELIGIOUSLY the rancid deeds of those white racists welcomed with open arms into the Republican Party which yet again wants to impose a segregated land taking away most especially the hard fought for right to vote.

The right to vote is the ONLY means persons of little means and little power can have to acquire a piece of the American Dream and those within a Republican Party gone insane are trying to deny them that. We did NOT let the racists win in 1865, we did NOT let them win in 1965, today in 2013 and in the future in 2014 WE WILL NOT LET THEM WIN BECAUSE EVERYONE .... EVERYONE WILL SIGN UP TO VOTE NO MATTER THE OBSTACLES AND VOTE TO CRUSH THOSE OUT OF OFFICE WHO WOULD STEAL POWER FROM THE POWERLESS AND STEAL JUSTICE FROM THOSE SEEKING JUSTICE. THE VICIOUS RACISTS DID NOT WIN YESTERDAY, THEY DO NOT WIN TODAY AND THEY WILL NOT WIN TOMORROW! 

As the great Ted Kennedy said at his brother Robert’s funeral I can say about the march on Washington today: “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

This is why 2014 is so important--ALERT!

This may be redundant but it MUST be said.  The re-assumption of power by the Democrats in the nation's House MUST be achieved.  There is NO way that this rancid Republican House majority placed in power in 2010 littered with the refuse of Tea Bags will allow our president to do a thing without an overthrow by vote of Republicans in 2014.  Republicans want our president, resoundingly elected in 2012, to fail and do not care if the country fails with it as the Citizens United moneybags that support Republicans want ultimate power.

Republicans are coming for it all -- everything -- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and of course want to nullify Obamacare. It would mean the bankruptcy of millions AND THE DEATH OF THEM AS WELL.   WE CANNOT LET THEM DO THAT, WE CANNOT EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT POSSIBILITY.  Democrats ALSO MUST KEEP THE SENATE.

2014 is a bell weather year.  I believe it will mean the difference between the life and death of this nation.  The 1% DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU, HELL THEY DO NOT EVEN CARE ABOUT THEIR OWN TEA BAGGERS who do not know they are being used by big money that even Tea Baggers do not have. Republicans want to send this nation into debt default as well and turn the world into chaos -- NOT KIDDING!

Beyond that an MSNBC sensationalist headline today read: "Coburn Raises Possibility of Impeachment at Town Hall."  This is the ultimate gall and monumental hypocrisy that Republicans can even THINK that against a president that did everything to compromise with them.  It was 100% justified to impeach know nothing president George W. Bush before him getting the nation into a phony war destabilizing and ruining the Middle East as we can see the horror on the evening news every night.  He was responsible for the unjust maiming, killing and exiling hundreds of thousands! If Bush did not get impeachmed then no one should.  Hence that headline prompted not even anger at this point but RAGE in me which accounts for the fervency of this email

It is for the aforementioned reasons that you must support Democrats EVERYWHERE, VOTER SUPPRESSION LAWS MUST BE CHALLENGED EVERYWHERE AND THE VOTE NO MATTER WHAT OF MINORITIES, WOMEN, STUDENTS AND THE ELDERLY MUST BE COUNTED.  WE MUST DO ALL THINGS NECESSARY TO VOTE THAT ARE TRUMPED UP BY REPUBLICAN STATE LEGISLATURES ACROSS THE NATION REQUIRED TO VOTE MEANT TO SUPPRESS MINORITY VOTES -- DEMOCRAT VOTES. 

AGAIN WE MUST BEAT THEM AT THEIR OWN GAME.  VOTER SUPPRESSION MUSTBACKFIRE ON REPUBLICANS. SIGN EVERYONE WE CAN UP TO VOTE IN STATES THAT ARE AT RISK FOR SUPPRESSION AND ALLOW THE COURT CHALLENGES TO TAKE PLACE.  IF GOD FORBID FAIRNESS OF THE COURTS IS NOT WITH US THEN THE SIGN UP IN COMPLIANCE WITH THEIR OWN DRACONIAN LAWS TO VOTE WILL TAKE PLACE ANYWAY. SIGN DEMOCRATS, MINORITIES, WOMEN AND STUDENTS UP TO VOTE!

Tell this or send this to ALL you know who MUST know what is at stake in other states.  Democrats MUST gain power majorities in the House and keep their majorities in the Senate in Congressional elections of 2014!!! IT IS THAT SIMPLE.

Onward

Ellsberg's Folly

The Huff Post headline reads “ELLSBERG WARNS: 'BEGINNINGS OF POLICE STATE'” link here or below.

Although my left of center friends and I agree on most issues, we do not agree on the NSA spying one. I thank Daniel Ellsberg for the warning but Mr. Ellsberg I believe is dead wrong now — emphasis on dead. Daniel Ellsberg may think risking his life and many other lives by vomiting US state secrets for his principals is worth it but I do not. 

I, post 9/11, do not want US classified documents released to the world for other nations to do what? Find out all kinds of classified information that could lead to my family, my friends or me doused by chemical, biological or, worst of all, radiological weaponry spread in a nanosecond by religious and political fanatics if they get their hands on any of it. I am sorry Mr. Ellsberg thinks this country is in the beginnings of a police state but I do not. I STILL feel free.

Larry O'Donnell had a wonderful segment last evening about a brave man who was to speak about Private Manning on RT TV which is Russian TV based in Washington. Instead he diatribed AGAINST Russia’s policy toward gays. RT TV was sucker punched and of course terminated the interview. You can view this segment online at “The Last Word” or tonight Larry will have on the man who dawned rainbow suspenders on the broadcast before the Russian-employed interviewers knew what was happening.

RT TV interviews mainly those who hold anti-American sentiment and features left of center commentary like Thom Hartmann and others who have gone on RT TV to regurgitate always anti-American opinion. Of course there is nothing wrong with that because there is plenty to wax critical concerning US policy but RT-TV is a political arm of the Russian government which would not let any of them speak against Russian policy. We know what a bastion of democracy Russia is – NOT. 

Some on the left absolutely REFUSE to see or to criticize what a REAL totalitarian police state looks like in countries such as Russia, Syria, Iran and other Middle Eastern fascist or religious fascist states. So far Thom Hartmann still talks, so far Ellsberg is not in jail, so far there is a plethora of US critical opinion and no one gets a 3:00 a.m. knock on the door, is jailed or does not live to tell their tale. All those critical of US policy live to broadcast another day. Yes, some like Greenwald's partner as a warning shot by the Brits (and maybe the US) gets detained too long but then released. This, I suspect backfired. They are both alive and well and I am sure seeking revenge.

Be an equal opportunity employer, Mr. Ellsberg, THEN and only then will those critical of US policy have credence. See how well Glenn Greenwald, Snowden, Assange or those who spill US state secrets would fare if they lived in Russia, Iran and other true police states. If they could get a state job in those countries and release the same type of information in those states how long do you think they would live? Answer: Not long. 

If God forbid one day these so called journalists wake up to a holocaust in the US because someone released a dirty bomb or worse then maybe they will appreciate what was, over centuries, built, however imperfect, in this land and may feel just a wee bit bad that they helped in pertinent part to tear it down!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/22/daniel-ellsberg-bradley-manning_n_3793199.html#comments

A Letter to Rachel Maddow

Rachel, your reporting on Fukishima when it happened was beyond excellent and reported in a way everyone could understand.

Now, again, I believe you MUST give Fukishima another expert look and give us a scrutinizing update. Governments lie. That we KNOW and in this instance this lie not can but WILL affect us all as oceans spread this life threatening radioactive filth.

I urge you strongly to report on this again and tell the nation and the world the truth! You are our hero in our house and always send you our supportive views! I link the site on the latest Fukishima update here and below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/21/fukushima-nuclear-crisis_n_3788796.html?ref=topbar

Under the Dump -- "Under the Dome" -- a Review

I usually appreciate Stephen King for his profundities even if it is

through his very macabre dark imagination. Not having read the book,

"Under the Dome" it is, in my opinion, the worst of his adaptations --

"Misery" with Kathy Bates being the best. 

I Season Passed this series through my cable provider but yesterday

after watching six or so episodes I erased it from my list. It was to

me boring. I tired of the characters and the side plots, thought the

acting mediocre and have frankly seen much better. I kept saying alright

already what the heck is the Dome anyway and what's with the baby dome

as it perpetually made me want to finally find out what the heck it was

after watching many episodes with boring repetitive character side

plots complete with a young pretty woman (naturally) alone chained to a bed in a bomb shelter as water poured in. I kept wondering just where did that

woman do her human excretory functions chained to a bed with no

bathroom in sight. I think about these things as the situational

realism of these plots strained belief. Moreover, how this battered

woman survived I do not know as she is not only chained to a bed but

knocked out, hitting her head hard falling on a hard floor. She makes

real the concept of the battered woman!

"Under the Dome" in my opinion COULD have been good. I thought it was

going to be a "Lord of the Flies" type dystopia but alas it never reach

that intellectual depth so in an instant by the miracle of technology I

erased it from MY universe. A good concept I thought gone terribly

terribly boring, ridiculous and wrong! It should be renamed "Under the Dump."  I just found out there is

another season to this madness -- count me out!

NUTS—the Folly of Religious Myth

Again and again our Founding Fathers, men of the 18th century Enlightenment, reign supreme. The Separation Clause of the US Constitution is perhaps the most marvelous among many marvels of their constructive genius. Religion and democratic politics do NOT mix. Religion is an oxymoron to things democratically political because it severely punishes those who actually use their big brain to think and question the truth of its tenets. Using one's brain to question gives homo sapiens (man) the advantage over other species. Critiquing religion especially orthodoxies and fundamentalist faiths is necessary for positive growth and a must to overthrow those myths, superstitions and scientifically impossible-to-prove beliefs to advance the civilized world.

Nations that allow their people the freedom to question evolve to a higher technological state and will win the survival-of-the-fittest game. Those nations which are religious states in extremis devolve because of erroneous and untrue myth that obviates science and slows or even halts progressive change. Changing fanatical belief carries with it the death penalty. The science deniers are technologically and misogynistcally backwards. Often the masses are poverty stricken as religious leaders take the monetary contributions of their flock and live like kings.

Science rules and always has. If one could time machine backwards and study the so called "miracles" of various gods or demigods, one would find either those miracles never occurred or were figments of some very imaginative minds to placate those who must endure the hardships of life, its illnesses and, ultimately, for all of us, the surety of life's inevitable end.

If seemingly phenomenal events did happen one would probably discover rational reasons behind the occurrences. Nothing that exists can do so and go against scientific laws of the physical universe.

No matter how good those religious myths make us feel about life's onslaughts, it does not make those beliefs true.  Worse, differences in people's belief systems mean constant conflict and war about those beliefs which beliefs will remain forever unprovable. No one can win those wars. In other words, wars over religion will be eternal, hazardous to one’s health and just plain self-destructively NUTS!

In reparation for all my negativity I put this story here or below:  

Quinoa, mushrooms and coca: Bolivian says ancient Andean diet has kept him alive for 123 years

 I eat Quinoa three days a week and have mocha ice coffee several times a week made with real cocoa. Mushrooms I love but do not eat them constantly. We'll see. Pluses and minuses to life. I wish him well and would love to see his community care about and take care of him.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/18/20076751-quinoa-mushrooms-and-coca-bolivian-says-ancient-andean-diet-has-kept-him-alive-for-123-years?threadId=3796451&commentId=78370519#c78370519

MEA CULPA

There are some who wax critical of me because they think my mind is always on things political. I will confess. My mind is on politics a lot. Mea culpa.  Guess why? BECAUSE IT AFFECTS EVERYONE'S LIFE. Try doing without Social Security, Medicare and see how it matters. Experience losing a child to war (God forbid) and see how it matters. See MAN MADE global climate change sink cities, burn up immense territory from severe drought, catastrophic floods of neighborhoods and towns, destruction through massive and constant tornadoes and hurricanes, see how nuclear power and fracing kills and see how policies about those things matter. Think of yourself with no job, no food, no money, nothing, Wall Street walking away with YOUR money and a slap on the wrist for the most egregious illegalities while those people of color and poverty who have committed minor crimes sit in jail and see how it matters.

YOU BET I'M POLITICAL. HOW CAN ONE NOT BE? Thoreau once said to Emerson when Emerson asked him what he was doing in there (meaning jail for civil disobedience political reasons) and he said to Emerson "Waldo, how can YOU not be?!" Howard Zinn once said he loved my political passion and I took him at his word so instead of giving up as I wanted to do so many times I kept fighting for things that are fair, humane and because they are morally the right thing to do. 

The right wing attacks with vitriol and the left often simply shrugs its shoulders then wonders just how George W. Bush, a nincompoop, got into the highest office in the land.  Then they scratch their head wondering how did John Roberts and worse Samuel Alito occupy the highest court in the land handing down the worst money driven politically corrupting machine and racist decisions in the history of the court.  

Yes, I think a LOT about politics because MOST people do not and will have themselves to blame if rightwingnut JERKS oligarchic and violent gain power and the powerless are left on their own to live or die -- mostly, if the right wingnuts have their way -- to die. YOU MUST STAND UP or you cannot complain about a thing.

Elections matter.  

It is PRECISELY why the Democratic Party MUST take back the House, keep the Senate and change all those state house red occupied states from red to blue. You can see how Republicans govern.  They will take us back as they have in many states all over the country to 1880 IF you let them.  DON'T.  You must VOTE at ALL costs no matter the obstruction.  For those in states where voter suppression is being attempted ask for help or help another.  Do NOT let those voter suppression immoral racist jerks steal your vote.   EVERYONE must help and the Democratic Party MUST provide leadership and money to those who are at risk for voter suppression.  Beat Republicrats at their own game.  VOTE NO MATTER WHAT and SHOW THAT THEIR EFFORTS AT VOTER SUPPRESSION WILL BACKFIRE ON THEM!

Forward this to anyone you choose.

The End of it All--Egypt, Fundamentalism, and You

Egypt now becomes the instructional mirror when religion -- any religion -- mixes with the state. It is a road map to conflict, death and perdition. Our Founding Fathers, I believe, knew and saw clearly history's toll of religion enmeshed with the state. They knew Europe's discord emanating from centuries of religious wars and the importance of the Constitution's separation clause to prevent that in the New World.

Religion fundamentalist and extreme will keep groups warring with each other and nation states warring against each other for decades even centuries as those in one religion think its religion owns the ultimate truth to the exclusion of all else. The issue, no matter where, is the merging of religion with the state and its guarantee to devolve that state into chaos.

The state must be free of the religious albatross keeping its jackboot of tyranny on a population's neck preventing it from the expansion of thought. The brain was meant to think and to use that thought to improve man's survival. Religion is responsible for keeping mankind and womankind down. Religious fundamentalist thought will be the rationale for the ultimate end of life itself as self-immolation becomes the norm seeking heaven's gate. Heaven's gate will not exist but the belief in it will unleash eternal war which ultimately will end it all.

Simple Complexity

I wrote a response to a blogger who commented on an MSNBC article entitled “Fan dies after plummeting 65 feet during Braves game at Turner Field” link here and below.  Some bloggers, as is their noxious habit, were inconceivably unfeeling, rude and crude discussing the fate of the unfortunate man.  Others, of course, were much more compassionate. It gave me pause to think on issues surrounding the fall and the human response to it:

Through the instantaneous and ubiquitous news media we are able to see in a nanosecond every nasty catastrophic piece of news. Train wrecks boost ratings. When networks report on disaster after disaster, shooting after shooting, and accident after accident it is, of course, all about money.  Media sells better with bad news than with good unless it shows two pandas rolling around like kids.

Some humans are uncaring, rude and crude but others are capable of great kindness and compassion.  The kindness and compassionate traits of man work toward survival of those that possess them.  The compassionate capability we in variation do possess is within the DNA of man's survival; translation: compassion works to keep us alive. Those who have it and possess the ability to work with others retain a superior capacity to survive the earth’s onslaughts.

Science is science -- physics is physics, chemistry is chemistry and biology is biology. The earth is governed by all of its laws.   Man’s survival, however, depends upon how man works with others to conquer a neutral planet's natural metamorphosis and the ability of him to overcome its forces that tend toward destruction. The planet has a natural ability to renew itself and man does too with an important addition.  Man must use his big brain to figure out how to overcome our planet's assaults since we are not endowed by nature with other physical attributes our animal cousins possess to accommodate earth’s physical offense.  We cannot run very fast, have no thick coat to protect from cold, no claws to climb trees or sharp teeth to kill.  What evolutionary advantage man does have is a big brain. It has created throughout man’s history the plethora of technical advances that ensure his survival better than any other mammal on earth.

Whatever happened to the man who fell IS a tragedy upon which we can contemplate, commiserate and even build an edifice to ensure it not happen again.  The height from which the man fell and the physical composition of his biological body dictated that he would not be capable of overcoming the earth’s gravitational force that sent him crashing onto a hard cement surface. Man’s bones, skull, brains and other organs succumbed to the laws of science which interrupted permanently the continuance of his life.

The laws of science -- biology, chemistry, and physics command the existence of life.  Man’s ability to offer compassion, sympathy and understanding assist in man’s own ability to survive.  Humans help another in trouble because it is advantageous for all of us to help.  Survival of the fittest is a truth.  Compassion, understanding and empathy are part of that truth and assist in no small way toward the evolutionary survival of man.  It is as simple and complex as that.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/12/19995616-fan-dies-after-plummeting-65-feet-during-braves-game-at-turner-field#comments

Either or

Either we unseat these vicious, death wielding stupidity of the tea baggers ACROSS THE NATION or we will die AS a nation. It cannot go on this way. Science denying IDIOTS, racists and NRA wackos CANNOT and MUST not prevail.

I do not care how you do it but they MUST MUST MUST be defeated in 2014.  They are a blight and a pox on our nation.  Think of how many good things would be if they NEVER gained a foothold in 2010.  They make us the laughing stock of the world in a world that does NOT have much to laugh about.

From the NECESSARY funding of the government to making the presidents health care law work to even better economic recovery this can ONLY be done with a majority in the House and Senate while we still have the president in office.  Baggers MUST MUST MUST be crushed in 2014 along with voter suppression.  This is a national nightmare and reducing the vote instead of increasing it is simply wrong.  DO WHAT YOU CAN AND START NOW!!!

-- 

Fukushima: Uncontainable by Stephen Lendman--Knowledge is Power

I do not always agree with my very left of center cousin, Stephen Lendman, BUT there are some things on which we do and Fukishima is one of them.  He backs up his writing with facts.  He is a weekly commentator on PRN radio (Progressive Radio Networks) and a writer of numbers of books.  His article on Fukishima has substance and, although lengthy, is worth taking the time to read.  It's not cheery as little in national and global politics is BUT my adage to know is better than to not know prevails.  Ignorance is doom but knowledge is power even IF power over this phenomenon eludes!

Japan's apocalypse continues. Emergency conditions persist. No end in sight looms. Fukushima's radioactive discharges can't be stopped. They continue. They're uncontainable.

At issue is by far the worst environmental disaster in history. It's multiples worse than Chernobyl. It's an unprecedented catastrophe. It's reason enough to abolish nuclear power.

According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, about 300 tons of radioactive groundwater flow into the Pacific daily.

It's done so since Japan's March earthquake and tsunami triggered Fukushima's meltdown.Tokyo Electric (TEPCO) says water's getting over and around "chemical walls." It can't be stopped. Three Fukushima reactors suffered meltdowns. A fourth was badly damaged.

The worst fear remains. Unit Four's structural integrity was seriously undermined. It contains hundreds of tons of highly radioactive water.

If an earthquake or other natural disaster occurs, its fuel rods almost certainly will catch fire. Radioactive emissions will follow. They'll compound what's already disastrous.

Emissions will continue longterm. They'll circle the planet. They cause catastrophic harm.

Since March 2011, Tepco estimates around 20 to 40 trillion radioactive tritium becquerels leaked into the Pacific. So have large cesium and strontium discharges. They continue. They're much more dangerous.

According to nuclear expert Arnie Gunderson, "(t)he horse is already out of the barn." Leakage continues since earthquake and tsunami struck.

Radioactive water contaminates the Pacific. Gunderson's "experience with underground water is that - if it is serious at the ocean, it is more serious" on land.

Japanese officials proposed erecting a barrier. At issue is preventing water from reaching the Pacific. Whatever's done "is two years too late and will be too late by the time" construction's finished, said Gunderson.

A barrier's not the solution. It causes another problem. "If the water can't go anywhere into the Pacific Ocean, it is going to build up onsite, which means that the nuclear reactors themselves will become unstable." "The water can pull underneath the nuclear buildings and if there is an earthquake, in fact the nuclear buildings could topple. So, by solving one problem, they are creating another problem."

Gunderson believes contaminated water will keep discharging for at least 20 to 30 years. It's the most radioactive water he ever experienced.

Cost is another issue. Cleanup involves around half a trillion dollars, says Gunderson. Most important is human health.

Epidemic cancer levels are certain. And not just in Japan. In early July, Fukushima's former chief operator, Masao Yoshida, died of esophogeal cancer.

He was 58. Tepco lied saying his death was unrelated to radiation exposure. Japanese children are experiencing a shocking 40% rise in thyroid irregularities.

Experts expect much higher numbers ahead. Fukushima's an ongoing disaster. It persists. It's not ending. It'll continue for decades.

According to Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER) president Arjun Makhijani:

"Fukushima continues to be an emergency without end - vast amounts of radioactivity, including strontium-90 in the groundwater, evidence of leaks into the sea, the prospect of contaminated seafood."

"Strontium-90, being a calcium analog, bioaccumulates in the food chain. It is likely to be a seaside nightmare for decades."

It's much more dangerous than cesium 137 and 134. It's at levels 30 times higher.

"So to give you an idea of the level of contamination, if somebody drank that water for a year, they would almost certainly get cancer."

"So that's one problem. The other is the defenses to hold back this water from the sea seem to be overcome."

"So now the contaminated waters, 70,000, 80,000 gallons, are flowing into the sea every day."

"(S)ome of it will disperse and dilute. Some of it goes into the sediment, and some of it is taken up by the life in the sea."

"And the unfortunate thing about strontium especially is that it bioaccumulates in algae. It bioaccumulates in fish."

"It targets the bone, because it's like calcium. And so this is a problem. We don't have measurements far out to sea."

"The Woods Hole Institute has done some surveys. And they were surprised by how much continuing radioactivity they found, but no clear explanation yet."

The effect on human health's expected to be devastating. It's already bad. It's getting progressively worse. The genie's out of the bottle. No end in sight looms.

Strontium-90 and cesium are both perilous. "(S)ince strontium-90 is more mobile and also more dangerous biologically, (it) behaves like calcium, so it goes to the bone."

"It also bioaccumulates in the base of the food chain and algae. Ultimately because it does bioaccumulate and there is quite a lot of strontium, you could have a large part of the food chain near Fukushima being contaminated."

If pregnant women ingest contaminated water, fish or other food, "the outcomes could be worse than cancer because then you’re talking about a much more compromised child in the sense of having a compromised immune system - it makes you more vulnerable to all kinds of diseases."

Makhijani doesn't know how Tepco can handle the problem. It's uncontrollable.

"It's very, very unclear to me how they are going to be able to get at this molten fuel, extract it from the bottoms of these highly damaged buildings and package it for safer or less dangerous storage or disposal."

"This is an accident that's shockingly not stopping." It's certain to worsen. It's unchartered territory.

It affects the region. It's humanity's worst environmental nightmare. Nuclear rain affects North America and Europe. Obama's an unabashed nuclear power promoter. He wants more reactors built. He wants licenses for aging poorly maintained plants with poor safety records extended. He wants them operating unregulated. 

He's recklessly endangering Americans. He talks clean energy alternatives. Policy measures spurn them. He fronts for corporate favorites.

He's captive to a destructive industry. He risks a Fukushima-type disaster on US soil. He risks millions of American lives. He's mindless of potential dangers.

Nuclear power's inherently unsafe. Einstein called it a hellova way to boil water. It does so through massive heat. It turns it into steam. It powers an electricity generating turbine.

According to anti-nuclear activist Karl Grossman:Avoiding potentially catastrophic accidents "requires perfection and no acts of God." Humans and technology aren't perfect. Natural and other disasters happen.

"We can't eliminate them. But we can - and must - eliminate atomic energy." Otherwise it'll eliminate us.

Nuclear expert Helen Caldicott's clear and unequivocal, saying:"As a physician, I contend that nuclear technology threatens life on our planet with extinction." 
"If present trends continue, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink will soon be contaminated with enough radioactive pollutants to pose a potential health hazard far greater than any plague humanity has ever experienced." 

It doesn't get any clearer than that.

A Final Comment

Coverup and denial followed Chernobyl's disaster. Helen Caldicott called doing so "the most monstrous coverup in the history of medicine."

The death toll was many multiples greater than reported. Estimates range up to a million or more.

The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) translated thousands of Russian articles and papers. It added "revised and updated contributions."

"Written by leading authorities from Eastern Europe, the volume outlines the history of the health and environmental consequences of the Chernobyl disaster," NYAS said.

"According to the authors, official discussions from the (IAEA) and associated (UN) agencies (e.g. the Chernobyl reports) have largely downplayed or ignored many of the findings reported in the Eastern European scientific literature and consequently have erred by not including these assessments."

Fukushima far exceeds Chernobyl. Millions of lives are threatened. Perhaps future independent studies will explain. They'll be too little to late to help victims.

Say it Ain't So: Unpresidented debacle:Deadliest Part of Fukishima nuclear plant cleanup

Say it ain't so:  here or below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/13/fukushima-nuclear-plant-cleanup_n_3752046.html

Why I Love MSNBC

My email friend responded to one of my mails concerning my own decided political slant and use of progressive talking points to compose my opinions.  I admit  I am 100% biased when it comes to intellectual stars and academic pros.  One of my professors used to say, during the Vietnam years, that studies seem to place higher educational academics and experts left of center in the political spectrum of ideas.  I concurred with her and so does my friend K.F. Stone who writes the K.F. Stone Weekly.

He wrote the following which says it all:

I must admit that I too thoroughly enjoy (Dr.) Rachel Maddow (B.A. Stanford, M.A., DPhil. Oxford, Rhodes Scholar), Lawrence O'Donnell (B.A. Harvard), Ezra Klein (B.A., UCLA) and Sam Stein (B.A. Dartmouth, M.A. Columbia).  But how can you compare them to Glenn Beck (Sehome High School), Rush Limbaugh (Central High School) and Sean Hannity (Adelphia drop-out)?

Oh what an intellectual snob I am . . .

Be good to yourself!

 KFS (B.A. in History, Philosophy and Political Science, Univ. of California; Fellow, Eagleton Institute of Politics; M.A.H.L., Rabbinic Ordination and Doctor of Divinity, Hebrew Union College).

Ground Your Stand

For those who cannot see the entire piece here is the link:

http://www.kurtfstone.typepad.com/

August 11, 2013

Ground Your Stand

Audio Link to "Ground Your Stand"

Yes, yes, I know: Ground Your Stand is a pretty kitschy title for an essay -- an obvious and unapologetically sophomoric play on words.  Nonetheless, it is the title of this week's piece . . . one which will strive to make a serious -- and hopefully less than kitschy -- point.  For it seems to me that these days, the positions -- the stands -- many people take on issues of importance,  are, far more often than not, grounded in the tremorous quicksand of pre-packaged, spoon-fed opinion.  Baldly stated, far too many of us are being schooled by folks who haven't the slightest idea what they're talking about.  And, what's even worse, as more and more major media outlets are scooped up by the unfathomably wealthy, our ability -- let alone our opportunity -- to separate the cement of responsible reportage from the quicksand of partisan propaganda will become ever more dangerously degraded.

As a rather public person, I have the opportunity of conversing with literally hundreds of people every week.  While I would relish more chit-chat about baseball (my Dodgers are absolutely fantastic!), most of the conversations deal with political issues: with Obamacare, the state of the economy, the disfunctionality of Congress,  foreign relations, the Middle East . . . you name it.   Frequently, I find that these conversations, far from being an exchange of facts, impressions or ideas, are a boldfaced attempt to ram a point of view down my throat; to prove that they are right and I am wrong.  Just within the past week, I have been told in no uncertain terms that:

• President Obama's cancelling his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin was "an act of weakness";
• Obamacare is "forcing a lot of employers to go out of business";
• "With the likes of Filner, Weiner and Spitzer it's the Democrats, not the Republicans, who are anti-woman";
• If the government winds up being shut down, "it will be the President's fault";
• "Democrats want to keep unemployment high so that more and more voters will be beholden to them for food stamps";
• "The single-best way to expand the nation's economy is to slash spending."

Now, while intelligent people can agree to disagree -- and I for one do not agree with much of the above -- the thing that struck me in listening to these people is how many of them used precisely the same verbiage.  When I asked, as an example, how slashing spending would create economic expansion, I was told that "in the real world, that's how things work."  When asked for an instance when cutting federal expenditures led to economic revival, the response was a groaning silence. When it came to the issue of Obamacare causing many small businesses to shut their doors, I asked for further details; all I got in response was "It's happening all over America."  With regards to Filner, Weiner, and Spitzer, I said that while I certainly agree that all three are undoubtedly reprobates, they, unlike such squeaky-clean politicians as Romney, McCain, Cantor and Rubio support a woman's right to choice, as well as equal pay for equal work.  "They have severe shortcomings as men, not as members of the Democratic Party," I said.  To this all I got back was the comment that "It's the Democrats who are anti-woman, not the Republicans." 

Could it be that these folks are grounding their stands in the same partisan fact-free loam?  You betcha.  And what's more, the ground upon which they anchor their stand is even less secure than one might imagine.  

According to a recent Farleigh Dickenson University PublicMind survey watching only Fox News makes one less informed than watching no news at all.  In their study 1,185 respondents nationwide were asked about what news sources they consumed in the past week and then were asked a variety of questions about current political and economic events in the U.S. and abroad. On average, people were able to answer correctly 1.8 of 4 questions about international news, and 1.6 of 5 questions about domestic affairs. Researchers determined that someone who never watched the news would nonetheless be able to answer 1.22 out of 5 questions on domestic policy correctly.  Unbelievably, those who got their information from Fox News were only able to answer 1.04 out of 5 correctly -- meaning that watching Fox makes you less well informed than watching no news at all.  Now, in fairness, those who got most of their information from MSNBC were scored only slightly higher (1.26 out of 5).  At the top of the scale, the best informed were those who got their news either from NPR (1.51), Sunday talk shows (1.47) or the John Stewart Show (1.47).

In terms of international issues, NPR devotees again scored best -- 1.97 out of 4, while those getting news from Fox languished in last place at 1.08 out of 4.  The survey concluded that " . . .those who watched no news -- answering questions by guessing or relying on existing knowledge -- fared far better than those who watched the most popular 24-hour cable news network (i.e. Fox News)."

Cable news, talk radio and most websites do have political slants.  They are in business to entertain, keep their advertisers happy and their viewers/listener/readers engaged.  If they can back up their opinions with facts, more power to them.  However, in most cases, as they used to say on Fleet Street, "If it bleeds, its leads."  Sensationalism and attack will generally win out  over reason and fact.  Regrettably, that is the nature of the beast.  

However, if we are to have control of our destiny as a society and nation, we must strive to be informed; to seek fact instead of slant, to grapple with issues rather than regurgitate pre-digested opinions. 

In short, we need to ground our stand . . . even if it does sound a bit kitsch.

©2013 Kurt F. Stone

 Posted by Kurt F. Stone on August 11, 2013 in Just Ruminating . . ., On the Media |Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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August 05, 2013

The Neverending Story

Yet another article saying exactly what I said two years ago about Fukishima! Am I a brilliant predictor? NO just a realistic interpreter of how governments -- ALL governments -- react to corporatist behemoths like the nuclear power industry. Neither cares about you!


http://www.juancole.com/2013/08/fukushimas-strontium-neverending.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29

Alec Baldwin to host MSNBC Fridays at 10:00 p.m.

Reports are that Alec Baldwin will be taking the Friday at 10:00 p.m. slot at MSNBC. Thank GOD! I LOVE Alec Baldwin and I cannot wait to see him. He is a hard hitting progressive who is unafraid to say what he thinks as passionately as he thinks it. He is strong in his presentation. I have always wanted him to run for higher office and I will love him replacing the rotten "Prison" segment on Fridays. I never watch something that makes me want to take a bath after I watch it. Prison was UGLY especially coming after the lofty, totally infused with class Rachel. I'm HOOKED before Alec begins.

Yet again MSNBC shows how superior it is to that OTHER no news faux news network the loathsome Fox.

GOOD luck to Alec I will surely be watching! :) happier -- made my day

Wrecked Fukushima nuke plant leaking 330 tons of contaminated water a day

Every time I see an article on this my blood pressure rises. I hate to say I told you so but I told you so as I look at my blog over two years since the Fukishima plant exploded. I KNEW and said many times that the Japanese government along with TEPCO was NOT NOT NOT NOT telling their people AND the world the truth. So here and link below is the truth. If you think it is not affecting our oceans, rivers, streams and ground water all over the world you are kidding yourself. 

Nuclear power is UNSAFE at any speed and this proves it. Do NOT expect protection from your government. They will lie before they will tell you the truth to protect the wealth of the nuclear power industry. SHAMEFUL!

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/07/19910577-wrecked-fukushima-nuke-plant-leaking-330-tons-of-contaminated-water-a-day?lite

National Treasures

There are not enough hours in the day for me to watch every commentator on MSNBC. I love them all without exception. Particular kudos go to my big three in the evening without whom my life would be so much more diminished. In the evening I watch without fail three hours of MSNBC programming -- Chris Hayes, Rachel the Supreme Maddow, and Larry O'Donnell. They are the best of the best in news commentary. I also tape other MSNBC shows that I do not have time to watch regularly.

Last night's sequences of Rachel Maddow and Larry O'Donnell were superb. I even taped The Tonight Show with Jay Leno because Larry discussed with Leno his interview of the president.

In short, MSNBC is the BEST in progressive news commentary featuring the most experienced, rational, and academically brilliant hosts as they combat the bone chilling ignorance, lies, and racism of the now extremist religious Right Republican Party. For me their commentary is like breathing and necessary for the body politic to survive. I urge you, if you did not see their shows last evening to Google them online.

Every single day is filled with interesting, highly academic and well produced political programming. MSNBC and its evening hosts are prices above rubies -- national treasures whom I highly recommend!

A Blight on Our Nation -- George W. Bush Hospitalized

The AP is reporting that George Bush has been hospitalized to open a blocked heart artery. The story is here and below.

The UNNECESSARY suffering the incompetent George W. Bush, a man who should NEVER have been president, placed on our nation and the world cannot be measured. The cost of his wars was and is staggering. From failing to act on the PDB that predicted Bin Laden's 9/11 attack to the illegal Iraq War he waged based on lies destabilizing a tinderbox Middle East region is his legacy. The killing of hundreds of thousands INCLUDING our men and women -- more than who died on 9/11 -- while relegating a million Iraqis to refugee status is the sulphurous evil he has left. The costs of his actions or in-actions are incalculable. We will, as a nation, be paying for his utter incompetence for generations.

An anarchistic Wall Street gone wild leading to a near collapse of the entire global economy and a foreign policy that wielded only death and destruction are his bestowals. It should be a LESSON to all of us to never elect a non compos mentis academically inept man to the most powerful office in the world.

May he survive his health issue but we should NEVER forget the hundreds of thousands who now suffer their own health issues from the untold cost in blood and treasure of an illegal and unnecessary war he alone perpetrated. Now he must think on his own mortality as a man who never thought on the mortality of others and a man who never experienced the human misery, damaged bodies and broken minds of those who experienced the effects of the wars he ordered waged. 

The history of the presidency of George W. Bush will be written by academically credentialed historians as a failure. He is and will forever remain a blight on our nation!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/george-w-bush-hospitalized_n_3712804.html

Mercy--A Restoration of Faith

If you want to see a Sixty Minutes segment that restores one's faith in mankind watch the segment of it here or below. It is about Mercy Hospital, a medical ship that sails to a number of African states along the west coast of Africa and provides medical help (free of course) to all those who need it. 

The ship sails near where the slave trade took place in the 18th and 19th centuries but this ship and the doctors, nurses and medical personnel on it may as well be a million miles away from the slave trade horror. If this is the face of 21st century humanitarian Christianity as the ship is funded by a number of Christian churches then I say kudos to it. Perhaps Pope Francis can begin anew reinvigorating the Christian left, caring for the poor and posing the best defense and offense against the hatred spewing poisonous Christian Right. 

I shed more than a few tears watching this incredible story and I think you will too!



http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50152297n