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My Mind Is Goin’ Through Them Changes !….
Jul 1st
What a month June has been ! A bonus month for Political Bloggers as well as News Junkies, both of which categories include me and my Blogs. Well, the financial problems are in temporary remission, and now comes the time to deal with putting my recent ideas and impressions on display around the Blogosphere. Now, Where to start ? I guess the Iranian Election farce, and the resultant violence is as good a place to start as any other. Well, it didn’t happen when I thought it would, and maybe because the opposition believed they could actually unseat him in the legal way, through an election. Hah ! They are more naive than I thought, and now we all see that all the hostility, religious conservatism, and antisemitism were the views of the ruling mullahs, along with their chosen mouthpiece Mahmud. I guess the Ayatollahs had forgotten who was the main force in helping them depose the Shah, and establish their Muslim Utopia. For those of you too young (or Old), to remember, the principle reasons that the Mullahs used in opposing the Royal Family of the Palavi’s, was that the Shah had made them a “modern society”, and that in his efforts to improve the lives of his subjects, he had forgotten the spiritual life, and the place of Islam in society and government. The real reason was that all these fundamentalists had been in exile for decades. Exiled for plotting assassinations and revolts, they saw the Shah building Universities, infrastructure and industries, of which they, ( Terrorists) weren’t profiting from, and thay didn’t like that ! So, by convincing the youth, and the poor, that the Shah was a despot, and wanted to make them a “Godless” western nation, they succeeded in thier revolution, in part because of their ability to prove that the Shah was working with the CIA and “The Great Satan“, which was US. Another part of their success was the failure of the Carter Administration to respond militarily, and rescue our hostages from the US Embassy. So, here we are today, and with President Obama trying to show restraint, and more hawkish folks urging a stronger condemnation of the Iranian Government, we are divided again on how to deal with the situation. I tend to agree with the President, that we need to remember that ending Iran’s Nuclear ambitions is our long-term goal, and also, that we don’t want to be used as a foil against the protesters, where the Government can say that we are behind the Opposition, and are trying to overturn an election that we were disappointed in. They, (Iran’s leadership) are already using that propaganda, have blocked much of the internet, and removed the foriegn press. It is only by the miracles of Tweeter, Gmail, and Utube, that we are able to learn anything about events on the ground. So, given the validity of my past predictions, what do I think will Happen Now ? Good Question ! But seriously, I can’t forsee any progress, or any real change in The Iranian Government, unless France, (Those Pussies), The Russians, and all of Iran’s big oil buying nations, will threaten, and begin a total boycott of their Oil and Natural Gas, unless the Government has a new, and monitored election. The UN has been so permissive with Iran, for so long, that they are a toothless Tiger that nobody fears any longer. The US can’t go this one alone, and the anti-American UN Security Council these days, I don’t think we will get any help there, and niether will the poor Iranian People.
Pakistan Strikes Back, North Korea Freaks Out, Iranian Revolution ReRe-volting, Obama Keeps On Succeeding, WoW !
In fact, The News cycle, and the events in Iran, have been so dynamic in recent weeks, that combined with my ongoing personal struggles, have just overwhelmed me lately.
Let me preface this section by saying that I predicted ( nearly, 2 years ago) that the Students and upper middle class Iranians were fed up with Ahmajinadad, and would soon be ” in-the-streets” protesting both his nuclear saber-rattling, as well as his ongoing attacks on Western leaders, plus his support of Hezbollah, and interference in the affairs of Lebanon.
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Saluting The “Greatest Generation” ‘09
Jun 6th
At the end of an Historic week for Our President, he made the traditional Journey to the Beaches of Normandy, for the Ceremony honoring D-Day.
Seeing those barren sands, areas once drenched in the blood and tissues of Allied heroes, remnants of the Nazi defenses, the rows of crosses, the “Soldier Crosses” of helmet on rifle butt, brings it all home once more ; They truly saved The World, and deserve the moniker “The Greatest Generation“.
As a Patriotic sort, I watch these events, and all the speeches every year, all that’s available.
This year two major thoughts occurred to me; (1), The remaining Veteran’s who are able to make it to France is quickly declining each year. More are in Wheel Chairs and using Walkers each year. For every one of the Vet’s who are able to make it to these Memorial ceremonies, there are dozens who are spending the last days of their lives in Veteran’s Hospitals, Medicare funded Nursing homes, and other lonely places that are all Far Less than what these humble Heroes deserve., One veteran made it to France this year, left yesterday’s gatherings because he wasn’t feeling well, and died in his sleep last night.
Sad, Yes, but in another sense, he died in close proximity to all those friends and strangers who strove for survival and Victory, those bloody days 65 years past.
Even the least likely websites are saluting these Heros today, check out this first link, it is from a website called “TransBuddha, a stopover on The Road to Enlightment” : http://www.transbuddha.com/content/june-6th-1944/
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- D-Day veteran still not sure how he survived (ctv.ca)
- Prince Charles and Gordon Brown attend anniversary of DDay landings in France (telegraph.co.uk)
- Obama Marks D-Day’s 65th Anniversary (huffingtonpost.com)
- DDay veterans fear being sidelined amid politicians’ ‘jamboree’ (telegraph.co.uk)
The Second Idea that occurred to me today was, (2) All those other leaders in attendance, sort of stood “in the shadow” of Barack Obama. From the tall, gangly Prince Charles, to the rather diminutive Nicholas Sarkozy, all those fellows seemed rather bland in comparison to the young and energetic American President!.
I’m betting that even those ‘knee-jerk’ conservatives who are prepared at every moment to disagree with everything Obama says, have had to feel some sense of pride in how well he has handled himself, and his easy way with the people of all the nations he has visited, and spoken to, in recent days.
I for one, feel that pride, and as an independent who voted for McCain, I never expected to appreciate this President the way I do.
In closing, I’ll just say a Humble “Thank You” to all those Ordinary Men who performed Extraordinary tasks so long ago. To all those young Europeans who have learned little of their nation’s history, “If you are speaking French, English, or Spanish today, Thank an American GI that you aren’t all speaking German !”
What Do You Think ?
Please leave me a Comment !
Thanks for Visiting ! HV
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A “Memorable” Memorial Day Weekend
May 25th
This American Holiday weekend has been a different sort of time for both myself, and Our Nation. As our First Memorial Day with an Afro-American President, this weekend saw some 60 college Professors urging the President to break with the Tradition of the US President laying a wreath at the monument to the Confederate Soldiers. Because these professors have long viewed honoring these soldiers of the Confederate States as an insult to all Afro-Americans, they wanted the tradition ended. Another, much wiser Professor, suggested that the President send flowers to the Confederate site, while also sending one to the Monument to Black Union Soldiers of the Civil War.
That’s exactly what the President chose to do, and thus ended another “Tempest in a Teapot” controversy. This calm and deliberative Commander-in-Chief has deftly trod through the minefield that is Federal Politics, without arousing the ire of the many fringe groups and special interests that create that minefield, and keep it dangerous for the un-alert and unaware.
Meanwhile, back in the “Real” world, this weekend has seen Hezbollah rally their ’sheeple’ in Lebanon, just ahead of an election in that pitiful nation. The rally comes at a time when proof is forthcoming that Hezbollah was responsible for the assassination of the popular Lebanese Prime Minister back in 2007.
Across the Globe, the North Korean child-molester tyrant has tested another Atomic Bomb, once again violating every United Nations and Asian regional directive. How long the Chinese will let this little twerp continue to spit on the World’s Laws and sanctions remains to be seen. If America and Japan decide to end Kim Jung Il’s reign of terror and deprivation, then the Chinese will be whining about our intrusion into their regional affairs. I guess they don’t realize that this shrunken bastard is just as much a danger to them as he is to South Korea and Japan? I personally see this pissant’s continued survival, as an overt failure on the part of the CIA, and every other so-called “Intelligence Agencies” in the world. Surely there are some military and bureaucratic leaders that we could involve in a plan, (conspiracy if you will), to kill this pervert, and put sanity back in their leadership. Oh, I guess “sanity” would be a whole new concept for that nation, as their very existence was the result of rabid communist ideology.
Back in “Terror Central Command” AKA Iran, the fearless leader has told the world press that he is not the one who has blocked “FaceBook” access across the Nation. He said that there are hundreds of thousands of such websites across the world, and has said in the past that they should all be available to the people. That BS doesn’t fly with the young people and students, who know that FaceBook was only blocked after Ahmahjinadad’s main political opponent gained tens of thousands of followers on his Facebook page, as compared to a few hundred for AmA-JiveAssDad.
Now, to my personal weekend’s activities,..well, this is the first Memorial Day in memory where I have not at least attended a party, (or hosted one), to cook-out with friends and family and listen to the Indianapolis 500 on the radio. Even on those years when the race is broadcast on local TV stations, we will watch the muted TV accompanied by the radio’s announcers, because that is the tradition here in HoosierLand. My pick of the “Driver to Win” was the odds-on favorite, Helio Castroneves, and sure enough, he won handily. My lonely weekend continues.
The Senseless “War on Drugs”UpDated 5-26-09
May 22nd
Just finished reading a Time Magazine Article which speaks to this subject. While comparing the small country of Portugal with the US is a stretch of these statistics, the percentages make perfect sense when viewed as a measure of the “Human Nature” issues involved.
Today’s Story on CNN, titled ” Moonshine to Marijuana: Family gets Busted “, is just another example of ; (a) How pervasive the use of Marijuana is in America, and (b) How senseless the American laws against marijuana are, and (c), something is wrong when an 83 year-old man can be sentenced to 20 years, for helping his son and grandson sell some pot.
My views on this subject are well known to my friends and family,as well as My Brother Veterans. As a participant in Transition.gov,Recovery.gov, and numerous other US Government blogs and Websites, I have tried to make a case for decriminalization that takes into account the social, economic, and legal aspects of the whole War-on-Drugs debate.
My plan for Legalization is a bit more complex than most. I take into consideration:
1. Disarm and destroy the Drug Cartels by eliminating their profits.
2.Controlling the Growth and distribution chain for Marijuana
3. Severe penalties for providing to minors, students, and habitual criminals.
4. An employment or vocational requirement for licensed Users.
5. Uses defined for Taxes and Permit revenues from Marijuana.
6. The social benefits of freeing non-violent drug offenders.
Item number One is pretty self-explanatory, if pot is grown in the “States”, the Mexican and Columbian Cartels have no profit motive to import their product. This would also have the benefit of ending the inter-cartel competition that incites violence at home and abroad.
Item number Two is another rather unique part of my plan. Cultivation of Marijuana would only be allowed on land owned by Native Americans. Which tribes could grow pot would be limited to those tribes who do not presently own or operate casinos or other gambling enterprises. In this way, the poorer tribes and reservations would have an income stream to improve the lives of the entire group, and also have the added benefit of employment for one of our most neglected and discriminated against groups among us. With Reservation and Government land being the only legal growing areas the BLM and Interior Department would have an added income stream as well.
Item number Three : Because the effects on short-term memory is one of the few negatives ever proven about Marijuana, Use by High School students should be strictly forbidden, with severe mandatory sentences for anyone furnishing to such Students.
Item number Four : High School drop-outs would be prevented from being licensed to smoke until (a) they have been steadily employed for 4 years, or, (b) have gained a Vocational school certificate in a trade or skill. The “Hard-core” unemployed should also be restricted, as they are already a burden on society if they are able-bodied persons who refuse to work.
Item number Five : Some percentage of taxes and permit fees garnered from the licensing of growers and distribution rights, should be dedicated to the Health Care and Rehabilitation of IV Narcotics Users. Who, with the demise of the International Cartels, will be unable to obtain the drugs their habits require, and will need to be weaned-off of the drugs that control their lives.
Item number Six: Far too many College Students and young people are presently imprisoned for simple use or possession of Marijuana. Even for the less-educated among these prisoners, there is a large pool of talents being wasted in incarceration. The same skill sets of the entrepreneur and business manager are required to become a successful drug dealer. Being sharp mathematically, being shrewd about investments, and being a good manager of people are required to be a street dealer. Given the chance, these young people can become good business managers and owners, and will become taxpayers, and contribute to their community in a variety of ways.
That’s My personal solution to ending the Failed efforts of “The War Against Drugs”, which would more sensibly have been called “The War Against Human Nature”.
As someone who self-medicated their PTSD for 32 years with beer and pot, I can attest to it’s benefits for Stress Relief, Anger management, and it aid against acute Depression. Indeed, the help I have received over the last 9 years since my health collapsed, has fallen far short of what I used to get from just having some smoke around for the worst moments.
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