Time to Pull Out of Afghanistan Too

While Obama is removing our troops from George Bush's idiotic preemptive invasion of Iraq, he should send them home rather than to Afghanistan.  It seems clear to me that there is little to be gained from the loss of more blood and treasure in the mountains of Afghanistan.  The Europeans are painfully lukewarm to sending their men and women there and we should follow that example for a change.  Emiliano Zapata, the great Mexican liberator. once said, 'I'm not the savior of the world!' when he was asked to extend his campaign even farther. We are not the savior of the world either.

Columnist Bob Herbert writes today, "The government we are supporting in Afghanistan is a fetid hothouse of corruption, a government of gangsters and weasels whose customary salute is the upturned palm."  No kidding.  Apparently the Bush Administration was too naive to understand trivial realities such as that.  Who could have known?

“Kept afloat by billions of dollars in American and other foreign aid, the government of Afghanistan is shot through with corruption and graft. From the lowliest traffic policeman to the family of President Hamid Karzai himself, the state built on the ruins of the Taliban government seven years ago now often seems to exist for little more than the enrichment of those who run it.”

Herbert suggests and I agree that President Obama ought to go before the cameras and tell the American citizens exactly why sending more of our men and women to Afghanistan will make us more safe back home.  Isn't it time to fix America?  Surely we Americans ought to be afforded a bit of narcissism and look after our own.  Enough with playing world policeman.  It's time to play a home game for a change.

Surprise Visitor On this January Day

While coming in from the garage a bit ago, I heard a very summery bird call.  It was a robin, whose song is etched into my childhood memory of  warm summer evenings at dusk.  Sure enough, a pair of robins, looking for food or scraps for nest-building, decended into my yard.  What an uplifting sight for northern Ohio in early January.

A naturalist friend of mine told me that many robins go into the deep woods during the winter rather than flying South.  Apparently this pair journeyed out for a bit of adventure.  Whatever the reason, it perks up an otherwise dull winter's day.

Bigoted Fundamentalists Encourage Gay-Hate Murders

A local teacher, raised in the Toledo area, was murdered in Las Vegas just before Christmas. He was buried here Saturday. He was found dead in his home Dec. 22. Two brothers, ages 17 and 18, one reportedly a student of the teacher, were arrested on charges of murder, burglary and robbery, the Las Vegas Sun reported. He was a Western Michigan University graduate and a choir director for about five years in Hopkins Public Schools, a small rural village north of Kalamazoo, before leaving in 2006 to teach in Nevada. The teacher was gay.

Fundamentalist Christians preach and teach a strong anti-gay agenda. They assert moral authority from God to denounce the homosexual life-style.  Many use the biblical term, abomination, to describe the wrath of God on those who are gay or lesbian.  Fundamentalists would like to amend the Constitution to deny rights to homosexual Americans.  In fact, they work hard, in the right-wing of the GOP, to enact such legislation and they have a political network upon which to rely for help, resources and lobbying.  Ohio pastor Rod Parsley and McCain-supporter John Hagee are two such politically active fundamentalists who work very hard to push the anti-gay agenda among the 'faithful.'

Here in Toledo a local Christian Fundamentalist blogger has much the same agenda.  She came to my attention when I read her letter to the editor that she wrote to the Toledo Blade in early 2007 which bashed the gay life-style with the scriptural references about the laws of God.  The other day I read a comment by her stating, "The issue about homosexuality is that we are being asked to approve a sin in the name of tolerance. I have to go with the Bible on this one; political correctness which calls us to justify sin itself in the name of tolerance is wrong-headed. A sign of the last days: calling good evil, and evil, good."

Today she wrote, "It's just as bigoted to blame Christianity and Christians for murder of a homosexual --as to hate homosexuals. When you blame the Christians, calling them bigots because they believe the Bible that homosexual acts are sins, you foment hatred for them which makes YOU less tolerant than Christians."

An amazing spin.  I do not blame CHRISTIANS. There are millions of Christians throughout this nation who embrace gays and lesbians and welcome them into their congregations.  There are many gay and lesbian ministers and even bishops in the Christian churches. I do not blame Christians: I blame Fundamentalist Christians for the bigotry and hate-filled sermons.

Fundamentalists like these are in total denial that they have any guilt for promoting the anti-homosexual agenda.  Not only promoting it, but publishing letters to a newspaper and posts on blogs her own blog and comments like these on the blogs of others all around this nation.

What gives Fundamentalists the right of bigotry?  Is it justified to lift some passages from an ancient text written by a nomadic desert tribe to deride and degrade a set of American citizens?  What kind of 'god' would condone this hateful bigotry? 

A Thought From Tim Fuller

Tim Fuller posted this on the TPM Cafe'  He has his own website as well.

His Only Begotten Son

December 26, 2008, 2:01PM

I apologize to the faithful for my affront to the insanity of their religious beliefs, but I can't really get all excited about God supposedly sacrificing his only begotten son on our behalf.  Why not?   God can have as many sons as he wishes.  He's omnipotent.  He could have saved the first one if he had wanted to and he could create as many more as his heart desires. Forgive me if I lack the empathy towards God that such a show of 'devotion' supposedly inspires.  God can't really consider himself THAT lonely since we are all regarded as his children.

Is there a qualified Christian apologist who has rationalized an 'answer' to that conundrum?

Parents of the soldiers killed in Iraq don't have the requisite omnipotent powers to replace their missing loved ones.   Those are the people I really grieve for.

America's Ship of State Has Hit the Iceberg

Igor N. Panarin, Russian commentator, professor, dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry's academy for future diplomats and former KBG agent, predicts that the United States will break up into 4 smaller chunks by 2010.  The map at right is the supposed new grouping of the states.  [link]

 Professor Panarin predicts  that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control.

Russia, of course, would rejoice at this demise of the United States and would rise to take its place as the number one superpower.  Putin surely has been watching how this nation has fallen from its once-powerful perch during the past 7 years.  Surely he is privately gloating at the damage George Bush has done to America's reputation in the world.

Although I doubt that the U.S. will break-up, our nation has been dealt a glancing blow across its bow and the Russian Navy is awaiting, just beyond the foggy waters.  Putin along with bin Laden are quite pleased with how George Bush has piloted the Ship of State during these past 8 years.  It has hit the iceberg.

Four Presidents Gather with Obama at White House

George Bush has invited his father, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama to the White House this Wednesday.  Wow, what a bold move by the current president!  No doubt, Bush Sr. will be on edge throughout the meeting.  Why?  Because he is the father of the worst president ever.  What must he be thinking as these other, quite competent men, sit around the table discussing the presidency.

We recall the father crying openly at his other son, Jeb's, retirement from his governorship of Florida.  Many suggested that the father knew tha tthe wrong son followed him into office.  Will the father be able to control his emotions during this meeting?  That will be interesting to watch.

Toledo Rally Against Israel Bombings

The Blade writer David Yonke posted this story in today's edition:

Several hundred people opposed to the fighting in Gaza yesterday rallied outside the Lucas County Courthouse, flashing peace placards and shouting anti-war chants.Displaying signs with slogans such as "Stop the War," and "Gaza Will Never Die," protesters marched peacefully around the courthouse two times and listened to brief speeches delivered from the steps of the building's President William McKinley monument.

Toledo has an active peace movementt and often sets up demonstrations to shed light on injustices and war mongering.  Amjad Doumani was one of the organizers and he has been very active in the peace movement in Toledo.  He was especially active during the run-up to the Bush War on Iraq and organized many rallies at intersections throughout the city.  My wife and I were part of those rallies and were the victims of many insults hurled at us by passers-by.  Apparently those drivers were blinded by the Bush-Cheney propaganda as well as

misdirected Patriotism.

The following statement does not ring true to me from my experiences in late 2002 and early 2003: "I don't know many people that are pro-war," Mr. Hasabelnaby said. "But it's hard to even call it war because one side has jets and missiles and tanks while the other side has almost nothing." The fact that he is only 24 might explain the naivete of his statement.

It is interesting to note the silence of the leaders of the world during this bombing by Israel, although there are massive demonstrations all over the world. Does Israel get a pass from all of the leaders of the world?  It confuses me.

note:  The Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition will hold a peace rally on Sunday at the corner of Central and Secor at noon.  [map]

Addendum:

This demonstration took place at the Lucas County Courthouse which, during Holy Week last year, was the site of Arlington West, a display of the 4000 wooden tombstones honoring the fallen Veterans of the Bush War.  I wrote about it HERE

Is That All There Is?

"Is That All There Is?" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stollerand recorded by Peggy Lee.  Wikipedia says of the lyrics: The lyrics of this existentialist song are written from the point of view of a person who is disillusioned with events in life that are supposed unique experiences. The singer tells the story of when she saw her family's house on fire when she was a little girl, when she saw the circus and when she fell in love for the first time. After each story, she expresses her disappointment in each experience. She suggests that we "break out the booze and have a ball — if that's all — there is", instead of worrying about life. She also explains that she'll never kill herself either because she knows that death will be a disappointment as well. 

 On New Years Eve we had a discussion about Life, Death and Hereafter.  It was a very interesting look into the minds of others, all of whom are +60, raised as Christians, and are open-minded.  No Bible-thumpers were present to chill and stay the conversation.

None of the guests were certain of the Hereafter and none were 'reassured' by what was written in the Bible.  All of us knew Scripture and heard it read to us all of our lives, but no one declared that there was a Heaven. Further, no one thought that there was a Hell.  On that we all agreed.

One man, an engineer by training, proposed a visualization of the Bell Curve.  The curve, he said, represented the 'General Welfare' phrase that we find in the Preamble to the Constitution.  He wondered if collective society was meant to reshape the curve by pushing the two extremes towards the center.  With each passing generation, this theory suggests, humans were able to pass on to the next a 'better' life, whatever 'better' means. Less disease, less poverty, more food, better shelter and more opportunity for humans to have time to muse, to create art, music, literature.  War, it seems, always pulls the curve outward, extending one side, the 'underprivileged' section, further.

We came to the conclusion that when the 'curve' became more of a triangle, then humankind was moving forward towards a more perfect existence.  Also, as the base of this triangle became more narrow, humanity could declare that the 'common welfare' was indeed becoming a reality.  Then came the thought that if the triangle's base became infinitely small, it would become a line pointing upward. That,  several agreed, would be as close to 'god' as we humans could get.

"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."

I woke up this morning with the realization that it was 2009!  Like a child who awakens to Christmas morning, I had nearly forgotten the big day when it dawned on me that both Bush and Cheney would only soil the first few days of this year, but the rest would uplifting, open and productive.  It was better than a new toy under the tree.

Our friends and we toasted the New Year last evening and clinked our champagne glasses with an 'Obama!' cheer, and we felt a warm sensation flowing through us.  It was like the end of a nightmare or the end of a long and difficult death.  Cathartic for sure.

The realization that this year would be the beginning of a new, open, trustworthy and competent leadership in the White House lifted our souls with new hope for America. As Gerald Ford said on his first day in Office, 'My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."

Several people at our party suggested that the White House needs to be fumigated before the Obama Family moves in.  It was further suggested that several shamans from Native American tribes be called in to cleanse the house of Evil Spirits and bad karma.  Excellent ideas for sure.

Two thousand nine will be fine. Tis the end of the swine.

2009 Will Be Fine: No More Bush: No More Swine!

I woke up this morning with the realisation that it was 2009