U.S. Foreign Policy: A Civil War Here, a Civil War There

I am so glad cats like John McCain and John Kerry didn’t win the Presidency. Likewise I am just as sad that George W. Bush and Barack Obama won the presidency and if there is a God, I am certain he would let Sponge Bob Square Pants ascend to the Presidency before Hillary Clinton. And all of this is stated in objective terms, the most prominent being that the Bush and Obama Administration’s foreign policy when implemented only results in civil war, no matter where it is practiced, but especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

Case in point, this past Sunday, during a joint press conference with Egypt’s newly elected President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, US Secretary of State John Kerry said, "The United States of America is not responsible for what happened in Libya, nor is it responsible for what is happening in Iraq today."  In the same briefing, he later stated, "US is not engaged in picking or choosing any one individual... it's up to the people of Iraq to choose their own leadership."

Both of these statements are a complete and utter ignorance of the facts from a historical and temporal context or either blatant lies. Although vilified for stating such, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei correctly accused Washington of just exploiting the violence in Iraq and Syria to regain control of Iraq by placing it once again “under its [U.S.] hegemony” and rule of “its stooges.” This has always been the premise of plutocratic desires under the storm cloud of nation building and implementing democracy, as amorphous a concept as it is. In 2003, I read that “The war in Iraq was conceived by 25 neoconservative intellectuals, most of them Jewish, who are pushing President Bush to change the course of history” – Ari Shavit, April 5, 2003 Haaretz News Service-Israel. I find this statement, with the Semitic tone aside both accurate and consistent with history insofar as we can evaluate the aforementioned from the perspective of the foreign policy statements and practices of the last two U.S. executive administrations.

The general problem is that regardless of political affiliation, the neo’s (neoconservatives and neoliberals) have a greater concern in their corporate financiers interest than the citizenry of America, and this my friend is regardless of political party and or the race of the President. Their preference is to place an inordinate amount of focus and attention on places like Syria, Libya, Iraq, Ukraine and other foreign nations, than the needs of U.S. citizenry. Instead, they apply the same standard to us as a foreign nation: drones, massive intrusive spying, domestic economic destabilization and labeling the average man a terrorist simply for exercising liberties guaranteed via the Bill of Rights.

This is clear to see for the thinking person.  Let us examine the first example of President George W. Bush and de-Baathification. Shortly after the fall of the Saddam regime, via L. Paul Bremer, as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), in one of his first things President Bush introduced was the de-Baathification program to remove members of the Ba’ath Party from their positions of authority and to ban them from future employment in government. They [the Bush Administration] selected Ahmed Chalabi to head of the De-Baathification Committee, which had the goals of preventing the Baath from regaining power, avoiding and retribution against Baathists and isolating the majority of Baathists from their party leaders.

This process of de-Baathification was supported via the forfeiture and seizure of all party assets and property, which was to be held in trust by the CPA for the use and benefit of the Iraqi people, albeit there were no real Iraqi citizens involved, just an Iraqi de-Baathification Council (IDC), composed entirely of Iraqi nationals formerly living in the U.S. and Europe mainly.

From the beginning de-Baathification was a very incongruent and f##ked up process for lack of a better phrase. Not only did it not achieve it aims, it also polarized Iraqi politics and worse, made the Iraqi military and government even more unstable after U.S. military intervention and occupation. Then it brought in al-Qaeda, to a region where it had never existed before as well as driving a wedge between Sunni, Shia and even Kurds in Iraq. And after all of this, Barack Obama came in, and when you thought his promise to end the war would make things much better, they actually followed the GWB foreign policy playbook and made things even worse.

 

Taking U.S. policy a step farther, the Obama Administration took up the doings of the fat cats of Saudi Arabia and Qatar along with big banks of the West and have in effect declared war on Shiites the world over. Now to be clear, I would like to see Obama, Bush, Cheney, Blair, Brown, Cameron, Rice, Kerry, Rice, and tried, as War Criminals and should be.

Kerry comments only reinforce the failures of America’s Manifest Destiny foreign policy. As such, no past Administration or current one will ever take responsibility for a foreign policy of endless wars of aggression and regime change. It may even be more appropriate to call U.S. foreign policy as the policy of civil war.  Where ever we insert our political nose abroad, the result is the destruction of a stable nation and civil war.  We see it now in the Ukraine where Obama supports the fascist Poroshenko’s new government, as well in the outcome via our interference in Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, and Pakistan or wherever the U.S./NATO decided to involve themselves without request. Again, categorically, I repeat, the US is responsible for Libya, Tunis, Egypt and Syria.

 

And now the fine mess of Obama policy has by intent, morphed into a sectarian Sunni versus Shia conflict. Strangely, all in nations for the most part which were secular governments. The Obama administration has consistently taken a foreign policy approach in the Middle East and Africa of over-throwing secular governments, this time it is Syria. This was done by intentionally arming and letting groups like ISIL grow stronger and stronger. He openly complains against Assad in Syria, and Iran, but ignores how Sunni leaders in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia violate the human rights of their majority Shia populations. Think about it, several months ago when the Iraqi government asked for U.S. airstrikes to repel ISIS, Obama refused, which was probably the first time he refused such an offer from an allied government. I mean, he didn’t even ask for approval to conduct illegal airstrikes in 8 other countries under the guise of fighting terrorism.  Even stranger was observing President Obama refusing to acknowledge that our closer allies in the region (Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia) have been giving hundreds of millions of dollars to the Islamic extremist terrorist group invading Iraq and attacking the Syrian government.

 

Lastly, the assertion that the U.S. believes that people have a right to decide if they wish to govern themselves is only true when the U.S. say’s so, for we have seen them place many in power whom the nations had no interest in being brought to power as we recently saw with Poroshenko in the Ukraine, Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq, Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan and to a certain extent, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt. S###, the U.S. even installed Saddam Hussein.

 

American policy will never be in a position to address the multitude of issues in the Middle East whether it pertains to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Indo-Pakistani conflict, or the rise of Islamic radicalism in Pakistan, Yemen, or Somali. I don’t know what world Kerry and the present administration, nor the prior administration live. I guess it is like Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda for Hitler’s Third Reich said: “Tell a good lie enough times and people will think it is the truth.”

Introduction to O-bushian Nationalism 101

A decade later and we are still in Afghanistan. Those on the campaign trail for the GOP nomination are pontificating out the sides of their necks, John McCain is inveighing nonsense and the Obama administration is taking hits left and right – and rightly so. I have expressed my view on the US occupation of the central Asian nation eve prior to Obama, but clearly to no avail. I regrettably do not have the ears of the President or media pundits. And God knows I would love to hear urban radio adduce such a discussion with clarity. However, it seems that discussions on the photographs of Whitney Houston in her coffin, her nineteen year old daughter and wondering whether or not Chris Brown and Rihanna will get back together are more important conversations to have in our communities. Not to mention any topic that panders to the absolute support and defense of President Obama regardless of the cost or reality.

First I need to address the assassination recently carried out by a US solider (Robert Bales) in the heart of the region. Since the event, I have only heard sentiments of justification of his behavior, namely that he must have been mentally ill. I agree. But what strikes me as bazaar was that no such acceptance of mental illness (which is obvious to me) was ever pronounced for Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. Army psychiatrist who allegedly opened fire inside Fort Hood in Texas killing thirteen people and wounding 30 people. Any who.

To properly understand our central Asian foreign policy, a brief history of our approach to foreign policy philosophy is in order. After World War II, the significance of American exceptionalism supported and justified our interventionist policies. Basically, that as the “cosmic policeman”, righteousness of our nationalism evinced the position that only the U.S. was the last best hope of mankind and the world. This was code for American aspirations of hegemony over much of the world and defined overtly that democratic globalism rather than the national interest of the United States were the central issues at heart when considering the utility of military intervention. As if our self-proclaimed moral righteousness was eugenically paramount over pragmatism.

Although the Cold War mentality was supposedly over, it continued to exist and it legacy revamped, via a conservative movement that pursued no strategic alternatives in our foreign other than military action. That leads us to present day Iraq and Afghanistan. First, we fail to recognize our approach to borders versus the people is setting us for failure. Until we deal with such as a Pashtun issue, we will continue to run around like a chicken with its head cut off. The region is occupied by what history would call the Scythians or the Saka, those folks who live on the land from the Black sea to china. This is where most of our concern is presently and our presence is cloaked under the guise of wanting a stable democratic government fin the region albeit facts assert that the characteristics required for the formulation of such governments are not existent in Afghanistan or Iraq.

This however has not stopped Bush or Obama for attempting to produce such an outcome. Even Bill Clinton, who supposedly was a progressive, had the same approach to foreign policy in Central Asia. All three have never provided any well defined objectives other than perpetual peace through the dream of a universal democratic order on the American model. This desire to see American political structure manifest in other regions is a consequence of our historical imperialistic and colonial roots and is no different under Obama as it was Bush. Look at Yemen for example. It is really just another open ended war designed to make us look good and feel good. But all it accomplishes is to add more debt and more ant-American sentiment in the region. Before this there was Iraq, a nation of only 24 million that was destroyed by U.S. military power with a 12-year U.S.-led economic embargo prior to the war and daily bombing which our Air Force destroyed most of Iraq’s water purification plants and sewage systems, resulting in the deaths of more than 500,000 children from water-borne disease and lack of medicines alone. And all to protect the people and bring about peace through democracy. One thing we were able to accomplish was to increase the presence of Shia death squads that inflicted untold violent acts on Sunnis. Paul Wolfowitz, said that invading Iraq would cost a mere $40 billion and would be paid for by taking over its oil.

Post-Saddam Iraq will not be a pro-Western model of democratic stability. In particularly under the autocratic rule of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, It will be a quasi-democratic state with a strong pro-Iranian orientation. Likewise in Pakistan, we will be left with a corrupt and ineffectual government run by President Hamid Karzai where the Taliban remains at full strength and growing. Was this what was our desire for producing a democracy under of the US model in a pursuit for universal peace?

I can’t answer this, but I will assume the answer is no or else we would have not entered Libya. I mean, it too was based on humanitarian principles, to defend the civilian population based on the “responsibility to protect” doctrine that was used to justify Libya. Strange since it is used selectively – not for Syria or the Sudan. Especially given that such an argument is more valid for Syria and the Sudan than it did in the case of Libya. Assad’s and Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir’s militaries have killed way more people compared to just a few hundred deaths at the time of NATO’s intervention against Gaddafi.

Fact is just as the Neoconservatives in the Bush administration, Obama is on a similar crusade to transform the Middle East. Both the Bush and Obama administrations have hidden the cost of our current Central Asian interventions from the American people by refusing to pay for it through taxes. Both continue the post-cold war legacy of the quest for universal democratic order based on the American democratic model and the desire to transform the Middle East and central Asia. The question is how are American interest defined in these military interventions outside of emotional terms? It is as if we have not received the memo.

Remember it was Hillary Clinton’s State Department who suggested that Egypt appeared stable and opposition forces would not topple Hosni Mubarak’s dictatorship. WRONG and what we do know after elections is that a democratic Egyptian government won’t be pro-U.S.

This is the definition of O-bushian nationalism. It means we spend trillions of dollars and the lives of thousands for the purposes of accomplishing nothing but establishing and entrenched hatred for America across the Muslim world with nations being more dangerous than when our troops first arrived. And all for merely not wanting to show weakness politically, for wanting to develop a stable democratic government without the request of the occupied nation with merely a threat on our emotions called terror and no US interest involved.

Obama Hesitant in Libya Because Saudi Arabia is Next

I find it surprising that almost three weeks after turmoil erupted in Libya, there is still no assertive policy position enumerated by the Obama administration. Now I know it is not easy to slap words on paper or read them from a teleprompter that will actually have weight and action, I do doubt the balls of all in Washington to address this conundrum. Inclusive of chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee john Kerry and Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman.

The President talks a mean game regarding “a range of potential options, including potential military options” but what is not stated is the problems of dealing with Libya while a future eruption in Saudi Arabia is likely eminent.

Like most other monarchs in the region, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia may follow the Libyan Cornel even though he has offered economic bribes. Saudi Arabia recently mobilized 10,000 security personnel into its north-eastern Shia Muslim provinces according to reports preparing for next week's "day of rage.” This could be both a nightmare and headache for Saudi Arabia's Monarch and the Obama Administration who it has been reported are in talks with the Saudi’s to get supplies and weapons to the Libyan opposition.

This new Arab awakening of rebellion and in Saudi namely from the Shia majority is similar to what the administration is ignoring in the Sunni-dominated nation of Bahrain, where protesters are calling for the overthrow of the ruling al-Khalifa family. Obama knows that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is reported to have told the Bahraini that if they do not end the Shia revolt, he will.

At least 20,000 Saudis are expected to gather in Riyadh and in the Shia Muslim provinces of the north-east of the country in six days, in an effort to overthrow of the House of Saud. In a desperate effort to avoid any outside news of the extent of the protests spreading, the Saudi’s have enacted fascist blogging regulations that prohibit non-citizens from write about news and chat room users being made to register with the government. Bloggers even need to obtain government licenses and to strictly abide by Islamic sharia law. Even “internet sites containing video and audio materials” created from mobile phone/smartphone content will fall under the newspaper and be defined as falling under the Saudi Press and Publications Law.

Obama’s problems are multiple. First regarding Libya is the overall perception of America interfering in Middle Eastern and North African Affairs as they did in Iraq and Kuwait while recanting the problems of being inactive as well as repeating what happened in Iraqi Kurdistan, Rwanda, and Bosnia and Herzegovina by not getting involved. And if the Saudi royal family, a "key ally" of the US and one of the world's principal oil producers decides to use violence against demonstrators, all will hit the fan. Especially with oil prices near $120 a barrel.

Yep, I admit it is easy for me to sit on the side lines and ruminate on what I see and think based on my understanding of behavior and history. Sorry to say Obama and most politicians who are not blinded by singular lobbied issues can not to the same. Guess there are no balls in Washington anymore.

Obama Administration Wants to Give FBI Access to Personal Internet Activity

A recent report in The Washington Post has revealed that the Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to collect information on the personal Internet activities of American citizens without the requirement of a search warrant.

The change, if implemented, would give the executive branch and the FBI increased powers by forcing companies to provide upon request, the records of any individual’s Internet activity without being required to obtain a court order.

According to the Post, the Obama administration will be able to provide information to the FBI if they feel it is important and pertinent to a "terrorism or intelligence investigation." Merely by inserting the words "electronic communication transactional records" to a list of materials that current laws state that the FBI may request without the approval of a judge. This includes personal user Internet web browser activity and the addresses to which an individual sends e-mail. More important is that the request would be secretly obtained and withheld from the individual user.

Unknown to many is that according to government sources, many Internet and e-mail services already provide the government with such data. During his campaign, Obama ran on many issues, including enhancing individual civil liberties. However, this effort may lead to an erosion of individual rights and privacy. In 2007, a published report by the Inspector General’s office revealed that the FBI might have incurred many violations in requesting such data — including the solicitation of information without having an approved investigation to justify the request.

Warrantless surveillance programs are unconstitutional, yet the current administration, following where former President George W. Bush left off, argues that such information is the same or equal to telephone toll billing records, which the FBI can obtain without court authorization. This means that finding out who a person sends an e-mail to or a Facebook friend request is the same as a telephone call.

It would seem as a constitutional law scholar, Obama would understand that the First Amendment protects the personal association information of a citizen.

The question is how this might impact future government legislation. On March 4, 2010, the “Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010” was introduced by John McCain. This bill, if passed, would eliminate several constitutional protections allowing government to arbitrarily pick up Americans on mere suspicion — with no probable cause. Not to mention, in May of this year, the president gave a speech in which he asked Congress to pass legislation to give the president, power to detain any person in the U.S. that the government deems a “combatant” or likely to engage in a violent act in the future.

How far does the government plan to go invade the private lives of its citizens under the guise of national security? We will have to wait and see, for it seems to reflect what Huxley predicted would happen in a A recent report in The Washington Post has revealed that the Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to collect information on the personal Internet activities of American citizens without the requirement of a search warrant.

The change, if implemented, would give the executive branch and the FBI increased powers by forcing companies to provide upon request, the records of any individual’s Internet activity without being required to obtain a court order.

According to the Post, the Obama administration will be able to provide information to the FBI if they feel it is important and pertinent to a "terrorism or intelligence investigation." Merely by inserting the words "electronic communication transactional records" to a list of materials that current laws state that the FBI may request without the approval of a judge. This includes personal user Internet web browser activity and the addresses to which an individual sends e-mail. More important is that the request would be secretly obtained and withheld from the individual user.

Unknown to many is that according to government sources, many Internet and e-mail services already provide the government with such data. During his campaign, Obama ran on many issues, including enhancing individual civil liberties. However, this effort may lead to an erosion of individual rights and privacy. In 2007, a published report by the Inspector General’s office revealed that the FBI might have incurred many violations in requesting such data — including the solicitation of information without having an approved investigation to justify the request.

Warrantless surveillance programs are unconstitutional, yet the current administration, following where former President George W. Bush left off, argues that such information is the same or equal to telephone toll billing records, which the FBI can obtain without court authorization. This means that finding out who a person sends an e-mail to or a Facebook friend request is the same as a telephone call.

It would seem as a constitutional law scholar, Obama would understand that the First Amendment protects the personal association information of a citizen.

The question is how this might impact future government legislation. On March 4, 2010, the “Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010” was introduced by John McCain. This bill, if passed, would eliminate several constitutional protections allowing government to arbitrarily pick up Americans on mere suspicion — with no probable cause. Not to mention, in May of this year, the president gave a speech in which he asked Congress to pass legislation to give the president, power to detain any person in the U.S. that the government deems a “combatant” or likely to engage in a violent act in the future.

How far does the government plan to go invade the private lives of its citizens under the guise of national security? We will have to wait and see, for it seems to reflect what Huxley predicted would happen in a totalitarian society in his book Brave New World. society in his book Brave New World.

same ole same ole

Ok I’m back, sorry have a lot on my plate but not enough to prevent a simple jactitation on the current President of the United States and his Cronies. Now I know we all know this is Black history month, a month in which we should I figure be trying to focus on education or even bring to the fore, past wrongs in an attempt to correct them.

If you did not know, this is the 100 year anniversary of the legendary Jack Johnson and James Jeffries fight which occurred during the summer of 1910. Born in Galveston, Texas in 1878 as Arthur John Johnson, he was the first African man to win the heavyweight boxing championship of the world. His life was one of hardship. His family lost all they owned in the great Hurricane of 1900 and he was arrested in Texas for boxing since it was against the law and considered a blood sport. Before becoming Champion of the world, Jim Jeffries refused to fight him because he was black. However Johnson went to Australia and defeated Tommy Burns to win the title in 1908 which forced Jeffries to fight him if he desired the title. After Johnson put the smack down on Jeffries (the first great white hope), folk lost their minds. There were race riots; the Texas state legislature even banned the showing of films of his victory. The only thing that could be employed to “handle” Johnson were Federal laws – mainly the Mann Act, of which he was charged for transporting white women across state lines for “immoral purposes” – a charge that was completely false. The original name of the Mann Act was the “White Slave Traffic Act”. In 1913, he was imprisoned as were many other African men to follow including Chuck Berry.

Sen. John McCain and House Rep. Peter King last year pushed a resolution through the Senate and House of asking for President Obama to pardon Johnson. However, Obama’s head of the Justice Department, Eric Holder and staff said no, suggesting they do not “traditionally” pardon dead folk compared to people "who can truly benefit" from a pardon. Truth is that Bill Clinton pardoned Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1999, who was wrongly accused of embezzlement and G.W. Bush pardoned Charlie Winters in 2008 for illegally selling planes to Israel during the Arab-Israeli war in 1948.

Strange to me that Obama is always talking about change, but his actions seem to continue the problematic approaches to politics that we have seen historically by folks trapped inside the beltway. So Mr. President, Pardon Jack Johnson, because for some strange reason, I thought you ran on a mantra of change, not the same ole same old.

McCant

Now I value the first amendment right of free speech and as such, use this right to express in speech and written form, being critical of each and every administration when need be. However, my criticism is often directed toward valid policy issues based on substance and that have some impact on the US populous.

Unfortunately in the American body politic, some folks cannot be as objective. It seems as if partisan ship and cynicism runs supreme when compared to the objective political reality of common sense. I read where John McCain, Pete Hoekstra and several other prominent members in the Republican Party have criticized President Obama with respect to his statements and the time of such statements regarding the protest in Iran. In essence, that he was not hard enough on the Iranian administration, took to long to make a statement, unsupportive of democracy for Iran, and not picking sides in terms of the opposition leadership. I have even heard folks complain that while this was going on, that he selected to go and get ice cream with his little girls. Saying that when George Bush was out playing golf he was vilified in the media. Let us not forget Bush 43 had started a war on false pretense and no such action has been taken by the current administration.

Obama supports both declarations of condemnation proffered by the House and Senate. But there is nothing more he can say or do. First McCain is the last person I would take advice from given that while on the campaign trail he openly admitted he wanted to go into Iran and bomb it just as we did Iraq. And Pete Hoekstra, well the first three letters in his last name says it all. Only an idiot would select that we pick sides. We stand with all the people of Iran in protest and to do such may place these very same individuals in harms way more so than currently. True, the announcement of the winner by the Supreme leader before the votes were counted is suspect, we must admit that we do not know who won the election and even if we did it would not change our current political relationship or approach with Iran, for we have NO diplomatic relation with this nation.

Obama has to be cautious because being wrong would be the worst outcome if he was to make a cursory decision at this moment. Thus it is wise for him not to pick sides. So to all of them representing that set known as the GOP – squash it. Especially you Mr. McCain, for according to your logic the solution like the former president would be to invade and occupy, since the actually do have nuclear capacity and the people are being controlled by a tyrannical regime. You really cannot compare us to the governments of the European Union because they have made statements regarding the unrest, for they have diplomatic relations with Iran as I stated earlier and we do not. Dang, maybe you need to attend senate sessions more, for it makes me think I know more about US foreign policy than you Mr. McCant, I mean McCain.

Anal pore state university

I just got wind of something. I heard some stuff about a lot of universities complaining for having the current President speak at their institutions. Now although I think it is acceptable to be critical of someone via policy and position they take on issues, but to nit-pick, as if you are taking your ball home because you aint get picked to play is completely different.

First I want to give a big Sphincter award to the University of Notre Dame. I do respect your right to decide if you want a man to speak at your institution because his position is in opposition to your position. With that said, to refuse the president of the United States for such borders on idiocy. I’m sure you don’t turn down money from individuals who have had abortions or even believe differently that your esteemed position on the topic. Nor do I believe you refuse entry to women who have had an abortion or men who may have paid for said abortions. But you are a cursory target. But Arizona State University is a different matter all together.

This up coming graduation season, it seems as of now Arizona State University will be one of three campuses where the president will send off the graduating classes of 2009. Unfortunately at ASU, the first African American President of these United States of America however, will not be awarded an honorary degree in Law. ASU Media Relations Director Sharon Keeler suggested that their institution processes for selecting commencement speakers and honorary degree recipients are provided “for an achievement of eminence” and that the President was not considered for an honorary degree because his body of achievements, at this time, does not meet such criteria.

Now let me get this straight, being able to become the first African American President is not noteworthy, illustrious or redoubted and is not an “achievement of eminence”? I would like to say to all involved to this leave the crack pipe alone for I see fried eggs for brains in honor of Nancy Regan. Not to mention I looked and did not fine one instant where a sitting president who gave a commencement address was not awarded an honorary degree.

I also think they a bunch of azz holes, correction, anal pores for it is the state of John McCain and they may be just sore losers. Not to mention I wonder how much the McCain’s may have given the university prior. But what can expect from a school that playboy Magazine has rated as the number 1 party school in America. I guess the faculty and administration keep beer bongs too. Not to mention it is hard to forget that the state of Arizona was one of the last to support a national Holiday for the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I do not recant a similar standard or argument being evinced when the Vice Minister of education of the People’s Republic of China Wu Qidi was awarded such a degree. Add to that, Barry Goldwater was 38 years old when he was given his honorary degree in May 1961. This was a few years before he even obtained the Republican nomination for president.

I don’t get it. It is cool to disagree with any elected official on policy and [political positions – that I understand and respect. But making up stuff on the fly that makes one looks feculent and idiotic is impossible to comprehend. Although the University of Notre Dame will not or does not want to award an honorary degree to President Obama they will because of the attention they have been attracting. Now as for the Arizona State University, I would like to provide you with the honorary degree of anal pore state university.

fundamentals still aint sound

As of late I have become disappointed. Now I am a man who lives at his means, well really below my means in the current economic climate. I just wish the folks in Washington, them in the Whitehouse and them on Capital hill could see such. Now I know many get mad because I hold our leadership to task, but it is what we do given the principle of liberty. And if any of yawl know in 2003, I wrote an essay in my book Dirt Behind My Ears, predicting that Obama would be our first African American President. 4 years before he even ran and 6 years before he was sworn in - so don’t trip.

But what bothers me is the lack of clarity and I hate to say it, transparency. I mean the Democrats won the white house by being very critical of the Bush Approach to the war and the Economy. Not to mention John McCain gave them the Whitehouse when he said the “fundamentals of the Economy were sound.” Particularly, it was how Obama kept hammering at Bush by saying that the deficit spending of his administration was irresponsible – which it was. The problem for me is that although in office briefly, his first proposed budget triples this fiscal year’s current deficit.

This is not an example of the government tightening their belts. As an individual American, I cant triple my debt and expect to survive or be economically responsible without fear of loosing my home or my business. I in fact have had to tighten my economic belt just to make ends meet. Why can’t the current administration and the folks in Congress do the same?

And I am talking as a person who started his own business with $60,000 of my own cash, as a person who pays himself and as a single parent. I am not one who depends on others to write me a check to live on and I don’t expect folk who don’t to really get what I am attempting to say. I mean this budget as well as the bail out place US and tax payers to more exposure and risk than the government, more so now than anytime in history.

Not to mention I am tired of folk giving me the okie doke about the Wall Street financial giants saying they are too big to fail. Folk, this is capitalism, business fail all the time and others take their place. If they to big to fail, to me they too big to exist. Then you talk about Banks and Bank holding companies in one breath as if they are the same. They are not. The FDIC can deal with banks, but can’t go into Bank Holding companies like AIG or Citigroup. So You not putting loot in banks, but rather bank holding companies.

Dumping money in a failing institution aint the way to solve this problem Mr. President, we need to restructure our finical system in concert with giving these folk loot. All around the nation, from the local to state level, governments are reducing their budgets not expanding them. Why can’t the federal government do this? And its not just the Dems, it’s the GOP too. They talk all that mess and don’t even have one constructive suggestion to suggest. They just complain. Now true I said a long time ago Geitner was the wrong man for the job and gave out about 10 others I thought were better to get us out this mess. But he there now so I aint tripping, but for the GOP to say he should leave without offering who they would replace him with, and bich over little nit picking shit borders on stupidity.

So I say April 15^th, if you owe some loot tell them folk to suck your private parts and don’t pay. If they aint got the balls to let the banks fail, or tell these mf’s they giving our loot too who still run the companies that got us in this mess to resign, or don’t revisited getting the laws on the book that got us in this mess such as the commodity futures modernization act, they can fail economically too. Cause our fundamentals still aint sound.

Pay check away from a pink slip

If you dint know, my store for dogs is about three minutes from the Martin Luther King Jr. birth home, and 3 blocks from his grave and the eternal flame that lights his heart and passion. The day after Obama won, I walked around there and just stared, just a few moments. It was like his crypt was talking to me. Nope I aint crazy, but it felt that way. I was reassured and went back to my shop.

I guess yawl know how much King means to me. He was one of many that informed me of the importance of intellect and thinking for yourself and not accepting what people tell you and/or following blindly. I went to the tomb to respect my elder. It made me feel good, and reinforced that I still was challenged to the task such elders engendered in me.

I have said that I did not Vote for Obama or any of them other same ole lame okie dokes. My logic which many of you said was foolish, and self righteous, was neither to me. As I pointed out I voted for not the man, nor the party, but the policy. And if I must accept blame for seeing no difference in word on paper between the two – then so be it. Likewise, If I decided to study in an applied manner what they say they will do in concert with the problem that needs to be addressed, with the economy for example, and it is my conclusion such is far fetched, I will say such.

I particular felt this way about several things. Both he and McCain said the basic: I will lower taxes, I will reduce the deficit, and I will grow the economy. I want jones to be a success, but I will not reduce my penchant to evaluate his suggestions just as rigorously as I did the recent candidates, or past presidents regardless of party affiliation, nor will I give him a past. Unlike many I don’t see jones as the first black president, I see him as a president, who happens to be black.

Now some may say I need to get a life, for over the past day I have mulled over his economic position papers as well as his speeches on the economy and his latest transcript from his first press conference as the President elect. But it is my life to make certain I am in a stable milieu in which my kids and I can prosper economically.

I still feel that my note selecting either he nor McCain was based on logic. Re-reading I feel vindicated. What Obama has said and has [proposed on paper is just as bad as what Paulson and Bernake suggested with the bailout which he and McCain supported. All he proposes, either the break for 85% of Americans or raising taxes on the rich wont work and is just a tweak on a system that will not have any long term effect on a problem that has been building via debt collaterilization since the 1980s. The system needs to be gutted, not tweaked for our economy is riddled with structural problems – namely that we have a closed economy in a global world. This means he wont be able to raise taxes on the rich or cut taxes for poor folks like me.

Couple this with the fact that the bailout has had the opposite impact that Paulson has desired, the deficit is at about another trillion dollars and we still do not know how the money is being spent with respect to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), Obama as we have – are sitting on a ticking time bomb. None of his solutions even include the aforementioned.

In two days since his historic victory, the Dow dropped as much as it did in September 1987 although 200 plus points were gained on Friday. For me it is a policy as opposed to an individual issue. He needs to address the volatility (which is a sign of investor confidence (so folk like me put loot back in the market), the housing crisis (which is getting worse) and stabilizing consumption (creating jobs, cause black folks are the only ones spending in a depression for we don’t know how to save anymore). As well as the structural concerns I have sited previously. For if he attempts to raise taxes on the rich – I just have two words - Sarbanes-Oxley, which means folks will move over seas to start new businesses than stay home in the states. Then he has not even addressed or considered revamping value-asset accounting principles nor obviating the Commodity Futures Modernization Act – which are two things that got us in this mess. Let alone accept the premise that folk like me don’t believe we should give banks money to buy other banks – especially when you talk about main street.

True he does mention job creation, but all I have read is the mantra of “new Green Jobs” without any relationship to reformulating the economic conundrum we are in and confronting currently. True, I am no economist, but I read and I try to use reason, but there is a lot more needed. It kills me when I read and hear folks say “freedom”, or “we aint got 40 acres and a mule but we got Obama”, or “Abolition” to describe his historic win, but go out and party and don’t feel as if they have a roll in this, and can see he is just one man, makes me feel that many think things have changed, without asking has America changed? I say no. It will be on us all for there is no such thing as magic. Something must be said with reason over feeling and emotion because although he won, most folks a pay check away from a pink slip.

red rum

So it is finally over, or is it? True, I was wrong about whom I thought would win based on a history of 43 prior white men, but as for my reasoning I was not. This past 22 months has reinforced all of the positions I have laid out in text from my dissertations regarding the economy to why we as human being must obviate race from our lexicon if we can, for although this past week was historic, and the world now see America in a different light, we still see ourselves in the same fashion, well at least many of us do.

First, it is obvious that many folk prefer to emote in contrast to think. I was hard on McCain (but this was ok). Unfortunately I was just as hard on Obama (but for many this was not). I have never approached any subject matter with respect to feeling with the exception of family, my children and how I would treat my woman. Oh, and food. But with respect to politics, I have never based any decision on feeling. This has lead me to understand than many folks make selections based on feeling when I make my as a function on thinking. For I know that if there was no TV or Radio, and folks were forced to read the history and positions of the Republican and Democratic selections for this past election – you would have seen that there were basically no difference between the two and that they were more similar than dissimilar. I also learned that many folks tend to vote for the individual whereas I vote for the policy positions.

True Obama won, and I’m pleased with that, but American may be in the same position historically it has always been. Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Georgia, Lousiania, Utah, Montana and Idaho among others still remain GOP and in strong support of the divisive politics that have historically been a function of race (many in the South). And I know folks don’t like to use history to project future speculation and to form opinion – but I do. These states have been red for the longest and no end seems to be coming soon.

I feel that yes this is historic, but also may reflect a change - a regression for many back to the time before the civil rights movement. Yes, 40 years ago a great man was killed for bringing change. I just don’t know what will be, given what i feel will be major conundrums quick fast and in a hurry for the new president jones:

• Russia: This may be the first head bump for Jones. Russia (Putin) is making a fat cat move to buy allegiance from Latin American states that are right in our own backyard. Plus they mad because of our decision to deploy elements of a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. So as a result, they have decided to place some similar equipment in Cuba – or so they say.
• Economy: Many would like to infer that Obama’s victory brought back extreme volatility to the market, with the Dow Jones industrials falling 480 points and the major indexes tumbling more than 5 percent. After Tuesday night. True some may be pulling loot out as a form of fear, but truth as I have written before, this will continue for a couple of few administrations, irregardless of who had won. He will have to tackle this and his tax cuts, during a recession don’t make much micro or macro economic sense, but it sounds good to the voter. So he will need to foster the gumption to show how smart folk really think he is, for short term tactics as taking loot from the rich wont pay for nothing, nor do jack, when the deficit is approaching a trillion dollars; oh and did I say he wont be able to end the war as quickly as he proposed?
• Middle East: It will be difficult for Obama to end the war as he said. Especially since his chief of staff was one of the folks that assisted and motioned that we start a war with Iraq and has a desire to start one with Iran - Israeli Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives as the Democratic Caucus chairman, will be returning to the White House, where he served as a political and policy adviser to Clinton.

Which brings me back to thinking over feeling. I as many feel that America has changed. But looking the states that McCain carried, what I call the redrum states to honor one of my favorite movies of all time, the Shining, it won’t be easy. These folks will fight tooth and nail against him, even when it may benefit the commonwealth. For unfortunately, his victory has also brought back the zealots, the folks if they don’t like the color of your skin, will post up outside your crib and chase you with an ax and string you up from a tree. Yes this is historic, but the history he has fostered via victory, has only begun. Let’s just hope it does not assist in bring back the attitudes many thought were no more, and that some as myself – feel are merely dormant.

Had a ball talking politics with 12kyle at shop yesterday.

Dewey revisited

As I write this, I figure there are about 36 hours left before we find out who the next president of this great country will be. I hope Obama can pull it out, albeit I wrote my name in on the ballot, but I feel that McCain will be that next one. Unless he passes out on his 8 state tour tommorow and folks can see what old age will get them.

Don’t hate folk, let me just tell you why. First, I will never forget what I learned in History regarding Dewey and Truman. But that is besides the point. Mathematically, even including or not including McCain’s appearance on SNL, America has a history replete with skeletons in its closet. I don’t expect most white folks to agree but America was made and founded centrally on racism. This is a truism that even many of my arch nemesis will not disagree with. From the fundamentally flawed constitution which Obama spoke about concerning all other than white being three-fifths of white men; to the collective unconscious that may assert that many white folks feel they must do for African Americans before we do for ourselves. And dont let it rain, or be cold anywhere Obama urban supports live for they may not show up.

Hillary Clinton knew this and campaigned to this and is even seeing her words used in McCain’s robot calls. Admit it, a lot of yawl aint gone vote, yawl think it is in the bag. Shit yawl basically complacent, I mean you don’t read the constitution – tell me im wrong. Then add to that them folks that may be mad that Obama always on each and every magazine cover, and on TV all the time – they may just want to prove a point. Then there are some folks who never ever will believe nor support that a man of color will have the interest of them when they know and don’t expect folks like them to care about others – more greed and selfishness that has been a trade mark of the impact of race in America.

Then two-thirds of voters this time gone be using new technology, like optimal scanning machines that aint even been field tested. Add to that provisional ballots, where if your middle initial is missing from your name, or you address on your license is different for what ever reason – you may be obviated as being a legal voter, shit may hit the fan and law suits may hold off the announcement of a victor for days if not weeks. I mean when I see McCain, in places like Peterborough, New Hampshire, or any where, it’s hard to count folks who aint white in the crowd. This aint racist, just math, like not supporting Israel is anti Zionist and not anti Semitic. So if Obama looses don’t trip, its American and will always be the place where General Amherst gave Indians on the trail of tears blankets infected with small pox and where dogs and water hoses where put on folk demanding their un-alienable rights. Think I’m tripping, ask Joe Lieberman. And McCain has the nerve to say he won’t be tested - I just say this, Russia don’t give a fuck about you either; they still putting missiles in Cuba, because your boy GWB put them in Poland. I mean, folks don’t want change although most black folks do and some white folks, the average American like how they been living since they ganked the Indians for turkey and cranberries back in the day of the Mayflower.

PS: had a ball skoolboi stopped by shop for some vino sat.

Why in year 6

Given the preoccupation with the general media distributed information, I certain there is a lot of news that is occurring, or rather information that we may or may not be privy too. And not to dwell on such for the sake of information, as I have been known to do so in the past, I just want to try and put two and two together.

A few days ago the US military implemented a clandestine cloak and dagger operation in Syria in the village of Sukariya to try and catch, not a known, but rather a SUSPECTED al-Qaeda operative.

Thanks to cellphone telephony, we have an amateur video of the operation. But again, as I said with respect to information, this is neither here nor there. First, this was conducted basically two weeks before the general election. Why now, is it maybe because the Bush Whitehouse doesn’t believe that McCain can win, or has a chance to win? Is it their goal to leave the rookie Obama administration with an additional foreign policy conundrum to deal with?

The way I see it, and I have little if any understanding of military protocol, but a remote controlled Drone could have gone five miles across the Syrian border and accomplished the same thing – kill some folks and some civilians. But nope, they used helicopters with military personnel telling me that they went it to get somebody or something.

It may not be much, I mean its not as significant to the general public as the tragedy that struck Jennifer Hudson’s family (albeit if she was not famous we would have never heard about it) or that show about the housewives in Atlanta (and I still say if its on TV it’s acting and no where close to reality), but it does make one think. The way I see it we aint done jack in Iraq (im a rapper now) in the last two years except put pay the awakening councils – the same folks shooting at us, to continue secular neighborhood warfare.

So you tell me, why now, in year six? Are we flexing, or is Bush flexing? Are we trying to add another Middle Eastern headache to the fledgling Obama Administration (if he wins)? And will we ever see the big picture? I mean 12 military deaths in Iraq this month so far, and 12 military deaths in Afghanistan this month too. And Syria is already talking about pulling a drive by in retaliation. So what says you, I mean if you gave it thought or even heard or read about it, because the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas don’t get down like that. Not to mention that Bush and McCain and Obama claim to have top shelf foreign policy game, buttaruh aint none addressed this nor how The U.S. raid into Syrian territory will not assist Turkey's efforts to promote a stable Middle East through mediations it has been holding between Israel and Syria. I mean it’s just a question.

all he gotta do is stay white

Yo, had something else entirely to post, but folk here be thanking on that incessant tip, and reading more than the average slave. Not to mention had a good day at the shop, plus Morehouse (my alma mater) home coming and the fact I cooked Rib-eye steaks, black eye peas and stewed potatoes.

Any who. I’m tired of this pomp and circumstance, of this bich shit, of the queries asking what McCain has to do, or even worse suggesting that Obama got this shit in the bag. Folk – two things: 1] cut your mutha fucking TV off and 2] RIF – reading is fundamental. Now why do I say this? Well because I figure that folks looking for ratings if u a TV idiot and that they want to keep the dumb dumfounded and questioning.

The way I see this shit mane, only a fool would ask a muther fucka some dumb shit like that – what McCain got to do to win? Jones, mane, the last time I looked folk was still in America. All McCain got to do unfortunately is stay white and don’t die. And that mutha fucka will always be in the race.

Nope, jones here aint being pessimistic, but rather objective. Since I feel that many folk so caught up watching the parade they cant see the man on the float with the rifle shooting at them. I know, it is sickening that most folks accept without question and don’t even have the mental faculty to question the what if, let alone interject the reality that history has evinced, Yea jones, don’t let the green grass fool ya. Next thing you know, you will ask your child if they got any homework, and if they say no you will say ok.

addendum: RAWDAWGBUFFALO RADIO - live next THURSDAY! 10/30/08 11:00pm 347-324-5722 call-In

also: Next Book Cover Here: Why I'm a Gangster and other Plays.

from Tobe to Joe Sixpack

One of the events in my life that I have never forgotten occurred when I was in Junior High School. It was when the television mini-series ROOTS came out. I will never forget that music or the father holding his child up to the universe. The show was hard to take and I must admit, it brought out sentiments that I did not even have as a child during the civil rights movement, with the exception of seeing the Nation Guard on my street telling me I couldn’t play outside the day Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in my home town of Memphis.

It was cool after the Monday show, but after the Tuesday episode things hit the fan. It was as if everybody in the world was looking at roots. And seeing that folks from around my way were selectively bused to a predominantly white school, the environment during that week was completely different. Prior to this, we all just had a ball, no problems never. But after that Tuesday segment, like I said it was on. See, that was the episode when Kunta Kinta was made, via whip to call himself Tobe.

There was a tension in the air that day. That is all we talked about on the bus. And it didn’t take long that morning before the advents of the prior evening manifested itself in real life form. And it was all started when one white kid called my folk Tobe. There may have been 40 to 50 fights that morning before home room until after first period, causing the principal to cancel school and send us black kids back home. Rocks were thrown at our buses and we would get off and resume the head cutting we had been engaged in all of that morning. It was like we were doing what we felt our ancestors should have done.

Just thinking about this has me on edge, in particular as it relates to the present political environment as proffered by Mr. McCain and Mrs. Palin. When I hear “Joe Sixpack”, I can’t help but think this is a code phrase for not me, or the average American, but rather those that harbor the hatred of the past and the racist beliefs that yielded Jim Crow, and even slavery. For me, the average American is more like Bill Jones. For we all have Bills, and see them going up each day: Light Bill, Auto bill, tuition Bill and Gas Bill. Not no Joe Sixpack. I see a man, somewhere in the woods, with a rebel flag on his truck, with a rifle and one that may pride himself on living in a neighborhood with no black folks, Latino folk, or Asian folk; even taking pride that there may be no kids as such attending the school that his child does. I also see a man that would wear a shirt that says “Nigger Please, it’s called the Whitehouse. True, I love me some brew, and pride myself on my Gat and rifle game, but I too am an Average America, but don’t see myself as no sixpack Joe.

I guess this is the true state of American affairs with respect to out political climate. I know and believe that most Americans are true civil-minded patriots and frown on hate regardless. I just do hope that folks like us, regardless of race and gender or any other contrived difference fall on our commonality as being human beings, and stand against this, for I don’t ever wanna be called Tobe again and if someone like Joe Sixpack does, he best be prepared to take a loss, for real though. I mean its like from Tobe to Joe Sixpack and back again.

Addendum: Thanks Tia for Gratitute with Attitude Award

Jones mane u the real socialist

I keep reading the suggestion that some folks, in particularly when they wanna spread the wealth are socialist. For the record, taxes would be socialism, for they spread the wealth – but im thanking and don’t want to for as any yawl who read jones here on the regular, I write what comes out my brain as most idiot savants do. Socialism from my modicum of reading on the subject is an economic doctrine that calls for public as opposed to private ownership or control of property and natural resources. These mutha fucas say that folk in general live in cooperation and as such, don’t require no LLC. Moreover, all folk who contribute to the production of a got a right to share in all attributes and share in such. What am I saying, well in essence that the control property for the benefit of all mutha fucas.

Now where did I gather this adumbrated view of socialism? Well strangely, I guess the first jones was Nietzsche, who commented on the inhumanity of Aquinas' view suggesting that the privileged will not have pity on the damned. Thomas Aquinas (fuc boy azz ni double G a) asserted that compassion only comes about when folk desire or want the suffering of others to stop, I mean I suggest that is what he meant when he wrote/said "The blessed in the kingdom of heaven will see the punishments of the damned, in order that their bliss be more delightful for them". Now true, I done read most of all the shit Marx done wrote, but I concluded he was a reverse socialist – meaning he just wanted to get paid on his views of capitalism. Now I am writing this because the impetus was via a comment left by the scholar supreme and Mr. well-read himself – Kelso, to one of the post over the last few weeks in which he astutely outlined why Obama was not a socialist. Made me think, well you know if folks would complain about the house and senate bail out bills without reading them, so too would they be likely not to have a general, if any understanding of socialism as opposed to what Sara Palin would tell you. LMBAO.

I just wanna say the only creeping socialism is proffered by Paulson and Bernake and McCain and all the bich azz folk who see Wall street as their idol. Yep, even Bush, Paulson Bich azz couldn’t even tell the folk on Capital Hill how much a dollar figure would be needed for another stimulus plan, but he could jump from make believe to 700 billion for his folk.And why, cause we regular people aint his folk.

He don’t cut his grass, or change his oil, believe that.Obama aint no socialist and it shows me more than ever that McCain isn’t well read and got PTSD - Bush, and yawl folk who got the dicks of Wall street and big business in your mouth, Jones mane u the real socialist. Using federal loot to buy banks, and bank stock – not to mention..., well let me stop, will talk about fed rserve bank later.