Monday, October 31, 2005

A Lie is a Lie is a Lie

I was off for the weekend and fortunately disconnected from the news most of the time. I am grateful for that brief respite because it has given me some time to think and gain some perspective. I’ve been catching up on the news and I find it very interesting or maybe just discouraging. I keep looking for some real understanding from this administration and there is never any on the horizon. Once again it would appear that Mr. Bush has no intention of uniting this country. His apparent Supreme Court nominee is yet another judicial zealot and his and Mr. Bush’s actions are going to simply further divide this nation. The one thing this administration has mastered is the art of incompetence and deceit. The indictment of Mr. Libby should demonstrate to the American people that this administration doesn’t play fair or straight. The nomination of Mr. Alito further demonstrates Mr. Bush’s desire to pander to the zealots within the Republican Party.

This morning we hear that Mr. Libby is too smart to have made such mistakes in the Plamegate case and is falling on his sword for Mr. Cheney. I say whether that is true or not it just serves to confirm that this Bush administration is willing to sacrifice all to continue to maintain power. It is my fervent hope that the Democratic Party will finally step forward and become the true voice of the American people. It is time to stand up and say we won’t be manipulated. We won’t continue to be lied to. We were misled into war and we need to get out of Iraq and start doing the right thing.

Let me say this as plainly as possible. We were lied to about the reasons for going to war in Iraq. They (The Bush administration.) said there were weapons of mass destruction. They knew there were not any based on intelligence. They warped the intelligence to meet their ends. (LIED) There was no connection between the 9/11 attacks and Iraq. They warped the intelligence to meet their ends. (LIED)

This administration must present a plan to the American people for leaving Iraq. Yes we (actually Bush) broke it and now we own it. Now develop a plan to extricate our forces from this gross mistake and turn this nation back over to the people who are its citizens.

No more lying Mr. Bush. And while you’re at it fire Karl Rove and any other administration official who was involved in outing Valerie Plame Wilson as you said you would do in the beginning. Or was that a lie to Mr. Bush?

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

A Fallen Hero

The 2,000th Soldier to die as a result of the war in Iraq. A Fallen Hero.


Staff Sergeant George Alexander, 34, Kileen, Texas



Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

What Price For Political Folly? (Or How To Lie Your Way To The Top And Down Again.)

Two items in the news (sort of), caught my eye this morning. One is a headline that reads, ‘Cheney Told Top Aide Of CIA Agent’ and the other wasn’t mentioned at all, and that is that the number of Killed In Action in Iraq is now 1,999 American Soldiers. These two items made me pause and ask myself several questions. First, shouldn’t most Americans have read enough about the Plame Gate case and all that led up to it to now know beyond any doubt that the Bush administration, with Dick Cheney at the helm of the ‘Oil for War’ program, had decided long before 9/11 to invade Iraq? And second, by now, shouldn’t most Americans have read enough about the reasons put forth by this administration for going to war, to realize that virtually all of the reasons consisted of twisted facts and simply fabricated information.

As I thought about these questions I also began to notice real similarities between the Oil for Food Program run by the United Nations and the Oil for War Program run by the Bush administration. For instance in neither case were there weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. In both cases innocent people have died and in the later case are still dying. In both cases there was and is corruption and cronyism within the operations. But then the similarities end. During the Oil for Food Program Iraq had nothing to do with al Qaeda but now in the Oil for War Program al Qaeda uses Iraq as a training ground for terrorist. During the Oil for Food Program American Soldiers weren’t dying daily in Iraq and now we are approaching 2,000 killed and 15,220 wounded and more are killed or wounded every day.

To me these facts and events point out one thing very clearly. This administration is not honest. It’s really as simple as that. The Bush administration entered the conflict in Iraq with the support of most of the American people (excluding me) after they presented blatantly false information to the American people and Congress. The Valerie Plame Wilson case clearly demonstrates that the administration planned and executed a propaganda campaign to convince Congress and the American people that Iraq first, had something to do with 9/11 and second that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States by virtue of possessing weapons of mass destruction. Both of these ‘lies’ have since been proven to be untrue and now the Plame Wilson case shows that the administration, with malice of for thought set out to assassinate the reputation of anyone who assisted in exposing them as the liars that they are or for that matter even disagreed with their policies or ‘intelligence information’. Now it’s coming unraveled. I believe that in the next days or weeks the truth will come out (if any more were needed) and the American people will see even more clearly the deceit employed by the Bush administration in manipulating the public and Congress.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Friday, October 21, 2005

And Then There Is(are) The Borg

No sense crying over spilt milk, that'’s closing the barn door after the cows gone and a litany of other quaint sayings must be running through this administrations collective '“Borg'” brains. Just skimming through the papers this morning the headlines are mind boggling. Just a quick synopsis: '‘Four US Troops Killed in Iraq'’, '‘American Toll Nears 2,000'’, '‘Cover-up Issue is seen as Focus in Leak Inquiry'’, '‘Rove Told Jury Libby May have Been His Source In Leak Case', '‘Bush Ponders Life without Rove'’, '‘Rove, Libby Traded Info About CIA Operative'’, '‘Aide Says FEMA Ignored Warnings'’, '‘Why Delay Smiled for His Mug Shot'’, '‘Delay in Court for Arraignment'’, '‘U.S. Afghans Probe Desecration'’, and not last nor least is '‘Protecting Pork in The Senate'’.

Now some folks think we shouldn'’t focus on these events and they even say that the same sorts of things occurred during the Clinton years. Well you'’re wrong on that and wrong (sort of) on that.

In reverse order first, if you go back to the newspapers of the Clinton years what you will find will not be the broad spectrum of corruption and graft within that administration that is so apparent in this one. What you will find is a focus on a relative few such incidents and the Republican members of Congress and the Federal Government spending $67 million dollars on a Special Prosecutor to try to find something and finding nothing because there never was anything to find. What you will also find is a President who let his raging testosterone get the better of him and who disgraced and horribly damaged his own family. I'’m also not so sure that such conduct is any worse than snorting cocaine and driving drunk and I know it isn'’t as offensive as lying to the American people to take them to war. Additionally what you won'’t see in those newspapers is the gross incompetence that is so obvious in this Bush administration.

Now why we should talk about these headlines is pretty obvious in my mind. Our country is headed in the wrong direction and the reason for that is sitting in the oval office and presiding over the House and Senate. In my experience with leadership I have found that there is one leadership '‘constant'’. Organizations assume the attitude and traits of their leaders. This administration and Congress have assumed the attitude and traits of their leaders. Dishonesty begets dishonesty (ala Rove and Libby) and corruption begets corruption (ala Delay and Frist). This country needs to move back to the reason of the center. We are not a Theocracy even though the extreme right would like us to be. We are also not the great Satan that the Muslim world sees us as. Our nation was built on a foundation of fair play and right now the game is rigged. Instead of fair taxes and true tax reform this administration is locked in a pattern of using the current tax code to reward the wealthy at the expense of the poor. They are fighting a wrong war, in a wrong place, at a wrong time and at the expense of thousands of innocent people and yes I mean American and Iraqi.

These are just a few of the reason we need/must talk about what'’s going on in our country. These are the reasons we need a press that is not liberal or conservative but independent and honest to a mortal pain. Right now, unfortunately, our press in general kowtows to big money and the NeoCons are controlling the purse strings.

One last thing. WHERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS?

Special note: Delays Face
My first reaction was to be angry but it never actually came to fruition. As I looked at Tom Delays face the swell of anger just dissipated before it could ever form and was immediately replaced by complete amazement. I was amazed because there, plastered on the front page, was the face of absolute and complete contempt. There was the contempt for the American justice system which he has so often demonstrated. And there was the face of a man (?) who was contemplating how he could best manipulate the system once more to his advantage. It became clear to me that here was someone who does not care for any one or anything that is not inseparably associated with making money for and garnering more power for Tom Delay. It is my fervent hope and belief that justice will be served in this case as well as in Plame Gate.


Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Hurricane Turns and Political Parties

Being a Floridian interested in politics and watching yet another storm approach my State I couldn’t miss the similarities between Wilma and the political hurricane that has these many years been building in Washington. As Wilma churns its way through the Caribbean in search of a place to strike and deliver its devastation, the Republican political hurricane churns its way through Washington in search its place to strike. I believe that as sure as Wilma will find a strike zone after making a dramatic right turn the political hurricane that is the Republican Party has already found a strike zone in the United States after a dramatic right turn. In politics the eye of the Political Hurricane is more often than not the White House. Today that is once again true. What we have seen unfolding in the Plame Gate investigation is simply the beginning of the devastation of a perfect storm of Republican hunger for power, decadence and greed. Over the years we have watched as the Party of Jefferson, has gone from being the party of the people to being the party of the power hungry aristocrats and the uber-wealthy. The lengths that the Republican Party and this White House will go to are exemplified by the White House Iraq Group (WHIG) that was formed to drag this nation to war. For any thinking American to look at the facts of Plame Gate as they have unfolded before us and not to see that the entire affair was single mindedly formed and executed by this administration from the President and Vice President down to their Rovian minions that executed the plan then they are either incredibly stupid or deaf and blind. The WHIG was formed specifically to twist the facts (lie) and make an overwhelmingly convincing case to take this nation to war. They obviously had no qualms what so ever as was demonstrated by their outing a CIA agent and sliming a dedicated veteran Diplomat in doing their assigned tasks. When you take a hard look at the White House staff it is obvious that it is run with an iron fist. Loyalty to Bush and Party above all, to include the nation, is obviously their motto. Bush and his brain (Rove) are joined at the hip as are Cheney and his sidekick Scooter. To think that these two men (Rove and Libby) could do anything of this magnitude in such an environment without Bush and or Cheney’s knowledge would to me be simply ridiculous. These of course are simply my thoughts on this but I do hope that within the next week Mr. Fitzgerald comes out with indictments that will support my thoughts and confirm this for the nation.
To take just one more moment and expand a little on one of my earlier remarks and that is that the Republican Party has made an extreme right turn. Our nation was built on a system of checks and balances but unfortunately we have allowed and elected the Republican Party into every nook, crack, and cranny of our government and they are now moving even the Judicial Branch farther to the right. I believe that much of our hope of steering the nation back into the mainstream hangs on Mr. Fitzgerald. This administration is imploding as a result of its own corruption and our only hope is that they be held accountable for their actions and that through the next election cycle the American people bring sanity and the center back to our government.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Monday, October 17, 2005

How Many Can Say This Today

I have the consolation of having added nothing to my private fortune during my public service, and of retiring with hands clean as they are empty.

Thomas Jefferson, letter to Count Diodati, 1803

Feeding the Rich to Starve the Poor

What a way to start the week. You know when you wake up and read that a journalist as influential as Tim Russert says “Bush Needs a Win” that we’re in real trouble. I’m all about creative writing but we’re not talking about sports commentary or fairy tales here. Last time I checked the nation’s capital was rife with scandal and some even say we’re at war and what does a noted journalist do. He writes sports commentary. Not really but I do think it’s a cheesy headline. Give me a break Tim. And by the way, why doesn’t that headline read “Russert tells all about Plame Gate”. Rumor has it that you testified before the Grand Jury. Anything you want to share with the public? You know I’m not a real journalist and I certainly don’t write very well on a good day but if I was and did I think I would feel some responsibility to my audience to tell them what I might have said to the Grand Jury in such a very important case. You know everyone else is telling Tim. Oh well, I guess some folks don’t think that’s important enough to talk about or write about. On to something a little different and closer to home.

THE REAL BLOG STARTS HERE.
Something that is very close to my heart is social welfare programs. These Programs are close to me, not because I ever took advantage of them but because poverty was close to me because I lived on the edge of it and because I have worked with many of today’s social welfare programs. I hate to shock a certain segment of our citizenry but I’m here to tell you that there are people in America; right here in the land of plenty, today, that don’t earn enough to feed their families not because they are lazy but because circumstances have never favored them. Because in this great country people can still be born into poverty and opportunity can still elude them and their families. Unfortunately our conservative friends just don’t seem to get it even after watching New Orleans go underwater before their eyes.

You know the shame of what I’m talking about here is that some years back we started, and I mean “started”, getting it right when we implemented welfare reform. We began targeting a population that needed a hand up by really giving them a hand up and not a hand out. One of the key building blocks in that hand up program was the food stamp program. Through food stamps we made sure that the working, that’s right working, poor received food even if they didn’t make enough money to buy all they may have needed to feed themselves and their children. Through this program we lessened the chances of some very poor children going to bed hungry and increased the chance of some of the poor working their way out of poverty. So now in the shadow of those successes our conservative friends in Congress and the Senate want to continue the “welfare” tax cuts to the very wealthy while cutting programs for the poor. And to add insult to injury they want to put it in the guise of helping hurricane Katrina victims.

I may become violently ill. No really, I may become ill. Why? Please tell me why you would cut something as basic as food stamps when you just witnessed the very poor being drowned and washed from their homes. Why? Please tell me why you would cut Medicaid right after you saw the very poor being injured, drowned and washed from their homes? Where exactly is the logic in this? Wait, wait now I get it. It’s because we wasted millions giving out $2,000.00 debit cards with little or no controls. It’s because we sent truck loads of very expensive ice off to never, never land instead of to where it was needed. It was because we bought thousands of travel trailers that we didn’t need because we failed to prepare ahead of time. So now we’ll arrange to starve the poor to make up the money we threw away. Are there any more bright ideas coming out of Washington? If there are I’m running as fast as I can.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Unsettled Saturday

As I perused the headlines this morning I continued to see some pretty dramatic, devastating and heart wrenching events. No, I’m not talking about in Washington or the Grand Jury room. I know that was what you were thinking. I’m talking about the earthquakes in India, Pakistan and Kashmir that made me want to cry. Yeah Sergeant Majors cry too. That quake really serves as a reminder and helps put things back in perspective for me. I have certainly seen devastation in my life but I'm not sure it's ever been on such a scale. Such and event opens your heart and certainly makes you want to open your pocket book. Hint!!

I believe that this catastrophe is where a large part of our focus and energy should be right now. Unfortunately I don’t believe that is where it is for many if not most of us. We Americans are blessed beyond the wildest dreams of most of the people on this planet but I must say that as I look around I fear that a huge number of Americans have no clue. I have noticed over the last week as this tragedy has unfolded that I have heard very few people even mention India, Pakistan or Kashmir. In fact let me put the count right here (_ _). Yeah, that's it. In case you missed it let me repeat it here (_ _). I would say that the response that I have seen is about 1/100,000th of that which occurred after hurricane Katrina in this country. Don't get me wrong, I believe that our national "private" response should have been as grand and benevolent as it was or even bigger for Katrina. It certainly needed to be after the "public" response it was given, but I would have wished that we (as a nation and as individuals) would have been a little more openly caring and generous with the earthquake victims of India, Pakistan and Kashmir. A little more publicly, fiscally, openly giving. I say this for two reasons; one because I really do care a great deal and the second is a selfish one. The second reason is that it would have been a public display to the Islamic people of the world that we Americans are not so self-absorbed and we really do care about other nations and peoples. That would have been a very important statement going into the future. Let me clarify here that I believe that this is all evidence not, of our not caring, but of our not knowing. It is more evidence of our not being in tune with the rest of the people on this planet. You might say here and I can hear it coming, why should we do something like that. Why should we care if the rest of the people on this planet don’t think we care? We don’t owe them anything. Well here is the rub. We are currently fighting a pestilence (not a war) called terrorism that is coming out of the Islamic world in the form of a number of militants. The number is miniscule in relation to the total Islamic population of the world. If and just if we convinced the rest of the Islamic world that we were good guys that really care about them it just might help stem the tide of brainwashed young Islamic walking bombs and other weapons. This of course is not the final solution but should be part of an over all national policy for dealing with terrorism.

So let me sum this up. If we just showed how much we really do care about the rest of the world and as a nation acted responsibly in concert with the rest of the world we could actually win our fight against the pestilence called terrorism and we could simultaneously fulfill the Christian, Islamic, Jewish etc. etc.... belief in charity, love and forgiveness. What a novel concept. Quick someone call Jerry and that Dobson guy we’ve got a great idea.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Incompetent Or Traitorous

Thought I'd try something new today. I haven't had time to read a paper or website and that is very unusual for me. So I thought I'd just reflect a little bit on an unfolding event of the week. By the way in case I haven't told you I also occasionally watch Chris Mathews and Hardball. I like Chris (Don't know him personally though.) but I'm just not sure he always plays Hardball. I've noticed that when he gets certain guest on Hardball he gets a little softbally. Well actually that commentary should be for another day and the only reason I bring it up is that he has been talking about my subject of the day all week.

So today I wanted to just chat about Plamegate. You remember the outing of a covert CIA operative. Tired of that too huh? Well I'm going to talk about it anyway. You see this issue is close to my heart for two reasons. First, because while I was in the military, (That would be the United States Army) I was in fact a Top Secret Control Officer. Yep, I'm talking about it right here on the Internet. NOT! And second, I understand deeply what horrendous damage to our nation the divulging of classified information can do. So let's get on with my thoughts on this. What I want to share with you is that at the time that I was a Top Secret Control Officer I was a somewhat junior Non-commissioned Officer. Now what I want to express to you at this point is that when I took that position I was promptly and thoroughly educated on the control of "classified" information. That is educated and briefed on how to handle and what to say and not say about everything from sensitive material all the way up to Top Secret (NOFORN). Now that last part means, No FOReign Nationals were allowed to possess or have any knowledge of the information. When I completed that little education and briefing period I possessed a clear understanding of classified information and how to control and communicate the information. I also had to sign a document acknowledging that I understood these things. One other note here. The entire time (27 years) that I was in the military I was briefed at each change in duty on the control of classified documents up to the level of security I "“needed to know about"”.

Having given you that little background let me get down to the point. It is obvious, based on the information we have received from the news media that at least two members of the Bush administration discussed classified information with people who did not have clearances or a need to know. Both of these individuals occupy positions within the government that would, should, could, and did require them to be "“educated"” and briefed on the control of classified information up to and far beyond that level of security access which even I had in my position as a Top Secret Control Officer. (Last time I checked the Chief of Staff to the Vice President and Deputy Chief of Staff to the President were higher positions than a Top Secret Control Officer in the Army.) And they were required to sign documents acknowledging that they understood the laws and rules and that they would comply in the active sense. One other thing I would point out is that when occupying these positions you are also educated to not even acknowledge conversations that discuss "“possible"” classified information because that too can be divulging classified information.

Having said all of that I must say that one thing is perfectly clear to me. If Karl Rove and Roller Skate (Is that his name?) Libby did not break a law, which I find very, very difficult to believe, they should still be fired for shear incompetence. Now don'’t get me wrong. These are very bright if not brilliant men but they are if not incompetent then simply malicious to the point of being "traitors"” to their country. Yes I said "“traitors"”. Bear in mind that according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a traitor is "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty"”. These two bright if not brilliant men discussed classified information with persons who not only did not have a need to know but whom they knew full well would publish the information to the "“world"”.

The Sergeant Majors thoughts are that these two should be indicted tried and sentenced to 40 years in the Fort Leavenworth prison. If not then just fire the SOB'’s.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Emerging Religion

I sometimes feel that I’m operating on information overload. Just trying to keep up with current events can be a full time job. I have tried to focus mostly on foreign policy but that is very difficult when you consider how intertwined it is with every other aspect of our government and our daily lives. The fact that the current administration seems to like to keep us in a domestic policy crisis mode 24/7 doesn’t help much either.

Today I read an article on how the role of religion has “emerged” as an issue in the Miers Supreme Court nomination. Well, hello. Is this really news? Sorry if I sound sarcastic. I do have to admit though that this did make me think about how my own religion has played a role in my view of the world. I have never been a devout person because my religious upbringing was some what dysfunctional. Born to a Methodist father, attended the Baptist church as a child, educated in a Catholic school and baptized a Presbyterian. Okay, I know, but it goes along with my biological pedigree, you know. Anyway, though not Catholic, my tendency through life has been to lean toward the Catholic Church and so consequently I do have some issues with abortion. Other than that however I have always strived to try to look at the world as objectively as possible without the prism of mine or any other religion. I have always believed that this is what everyone should do. I just jumped to that conclusion. Curses upon me. The other conclusion I jumped to is that all judges and especially Supreme Court Judges should leave their religion at home when they go to the court house. Now you might ask why? Simple, because…. the people involved and impacted by the rulings they make in the court room are citizens of this country and members of every religion on earth. I believe the number of official religious denomination in this country is around 700. When you think about this it should become obvious why a secular court is important. Did you know that in an Islamic court the punishment for theft is to cut off the hand of the convicted thief? Now this might not be an issue if the person loosing the hand is an actual thief. Justice served and all that. The problem I think is that they might make a mistake. They might just arrest me for shoplifting and after the punishment find out they had made a mistake. Oops! Oh judge do you mind giving me back my hand. This of course could also take us into the realm of the death penalty where we make way to many mistakes as it is but we’ll leave that for another day. Did you also know that in the bibles of many of the Christian denominations in our country there is a passage that reads “an eye for an eye”? Suppose the new Supreme Court Judge took that as literally as some readers of the bible do. Oops! Oh judge do you mind giving me back my eye? I’m not really a peeping tom.

You might conclude by my comments that I’m a little wary of Ms. Miers nomination to the Supreme Court. You’re right. I am in fact very nervous but even more so since, the role of religion has “emerged” as an issue in her Supreme Court nomination. Let me simply give you my thoughts on this out front. If religion is the litmus test for Miers nomination to the Supreme Court and her being an evangelical Christian is the prerequisite then I don’t want her on the Supreme Court and the President should withdraw her nomination now. Other than that after reviewing her bio I do not believe she is qualified and therefore not the candidate I want to see on the court.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Magic Mr. Keith

I have to confess, I like Keith Olbermann. I’ve put a link at the right (no pun intended) to his most recent article on MSNBC. If nothing else Keith can get you to thinking. Because of Keith I have now discerned a pattern of continuing smoke and mirrors from this administration. No, let me take that back. I have discerned a pattern of continuing smoke and mirrors and “lies” from this administration. I’m sure it is no revelation to anyone else but it confirms my suspicions and now I feel a little better. When a person or group is or are dishonest at their core it generally permeates every action they take. This has become patently clear to me. For the Bush administration the latest cycle of dishonesty actually began back during their first Presidential Campaign and more specifically in South Carolina when they began the character assassination of one of their own in the case of Presidential candidate John McCain. In my mind, sly, under the table, stealth campaigns to assassinate someone’s character are no different than putting a “ringer”, mail escort journalist, in the White House press corps or increasing terror alerts to distract from political difficulties. All of these acts are lies to me. They are all deceitful. They are all part of a bigger campaign to keep the American equilibrium off balance and to maintain the facade of competence within this administration. Having said all of that I have to agree with Keith and "B" doesn’t necessarily have to be caused by "A" but remember what I always say, If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be lipstick on that pig.
Take heart my friends because there is a flicker of hope as demonstrated in the most recent poll numbers released last night. Mr. Bush is at an all time low in approval ratings (39%) and the rest of the poll numbers would indicate that America is not happy with the direction the nation is going or the performance of Congress. I’m not sure that bodes well for liberals though if they don’t come up off that plan they keep talking about.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

An Early Morning Rant

Okay my friend, you are fixated on taxes as being the root of all evil and I simply don't believe that. My perspective and belief system is obviously totally different than yours when it comes to governments role in a citizens life. I believe the government exist to protect the citizens of it's country and NOT just in the military sense. By virtue of that obligation it requires money to function. Maybe a flat or fair tax is the answer but it is not and can never be the "final" solution. It is one small part. And yes money corrupts politicians and a lot of others and that is why we have laws and something our founding fathers called separation of powers. The problem right now is that we've had a Congress, that until recently has blindly followed and idiot and his brain. I also don't believe nor does any real evidence that I know of prove that the previous administration was as corrupt and vile as the current one. You my friend seem to continue to believe the BS and drivel that comes out of the Limbaughs of the world.

Oh and by the way I did not recommend a cut and run policy in Iraq. You might note that I said leave the Iraqi people in charge of their destiny. What that means and what I believe is needed is a clear plan to leave. Cut and Run is a tired worn disingenuous Republican/Conservative term they use to make Democrats/Liberals look weak on defense. I'm liberal and I'm damn sure not weak on defense. The reality is that Draft Dodging Bill (and I mean that in the nicest way) did a better job with the military than the swaggering yahoo now in the office is doing. One last question. Why do you keep excusing the criminal and immoral behavior of the members of this administration? You don't blatantly do it but you just casually brush it aside rather like a politician answering a question he or she doesn't like. Is a tax break worth the price that's being paid? Soldiers dying. Intelligence agents AND their contacts compromised and I am sure some have died as a result. Incompetent crony's being put in office which has caused untold suffering. I don't know why I ask that question because I believe every conservative I know thinks anything is worth the money (or most of them anyway). By the way I don't brush liberals behavior aside, I call them on it and write and tell them when I think they are being idiots and I don't vote for them either. Rant ended.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

After a long day

After a long day and a chat with my very good conservative friend I have decided that I have just about had all of the fun and negative thoughts I can stand. It is intuitively clear that the Republican Party is imploding. Can they find anyone else to indict or investigate? I think they have probably just about covered the entire staff in the President and Vice Presidents offices. And we thought we’d never hear the end of White Water.

Unfortunately it is just as clear that the Democratic Party is not stepping forward with the good ideas that I know they have or would have if they’d wake up. I keep hoping that they will come out with a plan to extract us from Iraq or outline the steps they plan to take to reduce the budget deficit and just what is the plan for gaining energy independence. But as you and I know it is just silence. Deafening silence is all I hear. Okay let’s at least prime the pump. Here are a couple of ideas I’ve been throwing around.

First let's deal with Iraq. Here is what I proposed in an earlier blog. "Our first steps as a nation must be to exercise good judgment and leadership in laying out a clear plan of withdrawal from Iraq as quickly as possible while leaving the Iraqi people in charge of their own destiny. This first step is urgent because the longer we are there the more like and occupation it becomes to the Islamic world and the more training real terrorist will get at our and the Iraqi peoples expense. The second and most crucial step we must take is to simultaneously form meaningful coalitions and alliances of truly willing nations and begin real action to eliminate the terror threat to all the nations of this world."

Next let's take on the gross budget deficit created by the Bush administration. I think we should start by rolling back all of those gifts to the very wealthy called tax cuts that the Bush administration has rammed through Congress with the help of Mr. (Broken Hammer) Delay and Dr. (Blind Trust) Bill Frist.

Let’s see if the Democratic Party leadership meeting in California this week at those little fund raisers can get it off the ground now and release that top secret plan they have been leaking rumors about for weeks.

These are a few of my thoughts and I’m looking for my died in the wool liberal friends to step forward with some more.

Well that’s my thoughts for tonight.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

The Dirt Gets Dirtier or How I Got Inspired

I am of the opinion that one must be inspired to actually write a blog. This morning I’m not so sure I am inspired but I do feel a little dirty so that’s my motivation. Let me explain that dirty feeling. I have just read another report on Senator Bill Frist and the, what is now infamous, story of the blind trust. By the way I think that term “blind trust” might just be what you would call an oxymoron. In the case of Mr. Frist, or anyone else in a similar situation, I find it difficult to believe that his trust was either blind or trusting when it was his brother that was controlling his investments. Anyway Mr. Frist’s shenanigans are only part of the reason I’m feeling the dirt. The rest of the reason is that it seems that a very large number of the elected officials in Washington, that is a large number of the “R” sort of elected officials, are under investigation, indictment or otherwise being scrutinized by some form of law enforcement or regulatory agency. To name just a few you have Tom Delay, David Safavian, Scooter Libby, and last but not least the Presidents brain Karl Rove. By the way the list isn’t all inclusive and doesn’t include the ones that just scurried away like Randy "Duke" Cunningham, FDA chief Lester Crawford and let’s not forget the infamous “Brownie” of FEMA fame. In fact I think there are probably more people being looked at in Washington than there are germs being studied at the CDC. This is of great concern to me, and maybe should be of concern to you, since it seems to me that the reasons given for us to vote them in was so that they could bring integrity and moral character back to Washington. I think we voters just might have failed at accomplishing the bringing back integrity and moral character thing. Actually I think we might just have done the opposite. I think Washington is starting to smell like the oyster beds just south of New Orleans. Well take heart my friends the good news is that next November we all get a second chance and I’m really hoping we might pull it off. Unfortunately I also think we don’t have a prayer of making that happen down here in Florida.

To stay true to my mission and message here are the latest casualty figures out of Iraq.
1,963 KIA and 14,755 WIA

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Letter to my friend

Well I can't go to bed without answering you. I guess what I'm saying is that you and I will never ever agree on this issue. We could get wrapped up in the same arguments that all of the others do talking about how this news or that news is right but it won't get either one of us anywhere. I think every person simply has to do what they have to do based on their knowledge of the world. I was once a very conservative soldier and for 27 years I did what my President said I should do. I do not regret one day of it. I believe I have learned much and have much to learn. I struggle each day to observe all things as objectively and based on as much fact as I can. I have made the observation that this President is a liar and I stand by that. It hurts me greatly that the soldiers I helped to train are now dying because he lied. So many people speak so casually of these young men and women as though they were just so many numbers or as we say in the military just so much canon fodder. That's what my original article was about. I didn't accuse in that article I queried. I asked why because I believe people should ask why. These are real people shedding real blood and by God everyone should think about it and stop trying to make media money and political hay off of it. That is the whole problem. Well my friend I venture that if it were your father, mother, sister or brother who died in Iraq I suspect you "might" think differently or at least struggle mightily to understand "why". By the way not all liberal people are communist. Most (the majority of America by the way) are just very caring people who don't want other people to die. I don't say that because I am liberal I say that because I am not liberal or conservative I'm just an American. I am me and me says George Bush is a liar. Nuff said? Later my friend.

Why are we really there.


Recently as I read several articles on the Presidents speech to the National Endowment for Democracy and read how he likened the war on terror to a global struggle like that of the Cold War, I had to shake my head. If that is the case then I think we can and should draw a distinct parallel to the war in Iraq with that in Vietnam.

Mr. President we did not win the Cold War in Vietnam nor are we going to win the war on terror in Iraq.

Terror is not a war to be won. Terror is not the Soviet Union, terror is a pestilence to be fought and hopefully eradicated through the use of a true international coalition and alliances of partners and with the aid and use of intelligence, law enforcement, meaningful relations with Islamic people and Nations and when absolutely necessary violent military force exercised with surgical precision.

Our first steps as a nation must be to exercise good judgment leadership in laying out a clear plan of withdrawal from Iraq as quickly as possible while leaving the Iraqi people in charge of their own destiny. This first step is urgent because the longer we are there the more like and occupation it becomes to the Islamic world and the more training real terrorist will get at our and the Iraqi peoples expense. The second and most crucial step we must take is to simultaneously form meaningful coalition and alliances of truly willing nations and begin real action to eliminate the terror threat to all the nations of this world.

This I believe is the real solution to the crisis this nation faces in Iraq and around the world.

Sergeant Major Larry A. Myers
United States Army Retired)