A Soldier’s Funeral, A Sour War

We Americans should never forget the cost of War. And the death of a soldier warrants more than an incremental ticker on Page Two B

Regaining Respect for the Office of the Presidency.

We, in this country, have a proud history of respect for the office of the President. We rally around those who inspire us and lead us through troubled times. We have worked to separate the man from the office, and we have been successful in the past. There have always been jokes about the President, and comedians are supposed to push the envelope, to go where you don’t expect them to go. Something has changed, however, in the last decade. Where there was once reverence for the office and a certain degree of respect for the man in the White House, there is now complacency about the treatment of the Presidency. In previous generations, bad jokes about the President would have been met with a frown or, at best, a nervous chuckle. But today, the Presidency is the bread and butter of late night routines and gets only slightly better treatment in the mainstream media.

Cheney Is Afraid Of The Rule Of Law

Dick Cheney is speaking this morning, again.  But this time he is not being interviewed – he is giving a prepared speech.  His words are designed to discredit the President of the United States – something he abhorred when his President was in office.  Cheney continues to manipulate information to suit his needs – we […]

Obama’s War – Afghanistan

At what point does President Obama assume responsibility for a war?  Is accepting responsibility for the war the same thing as owning the war?  When does any President ‘own’ a war?  This is a curious talking point for the 24/7 news media.  Historically, we generally do not tag our Presidents as owners of wars that […]

Non Combat Troops – An Oxy Moron

We should take all ‘non-combat troops’ out of Iraq. That is one of the compromises proposed as a resolution to the conflict in Iraq. The suggestion is that American troops will not be dying in Iraq. That sounds pretty good to most of us. But is there such a thing as ‘non-combat troops?”

Respecting Our President

“The King is dead. Long live the King.” The man is dead, the office lives on. Separating the man from the office is a constant struggle in troubling times. President George W. Bush has had a troubling eight years as our Chief Executive. Many of us did not agree with his decisions – and that is putting it mildly.

McCain Likes A Surge – He Should Try One

John McCain’s Camp is being raided by insurgents.  His allies have gone home to take care of their own business.  The terror of liberalism is reconstituting in the Red States.  Border skirmishes are being lost to the ground game of the Obama Camp.   McCain needs to call his buddy General David Patraeus. General Patraeus is […]

When We Oppose An American War

What happens when we the people do not agree with a war our government has engaged? We have seen this before, we are seeing it happen now – and we will probably see it again in the future. Are there boundaries of protest? Are there definitions of war that all of us can agree on?

This writer has been as perplexed as anyone on the issue of Iraq. We Americans were united in our determination to punish the people who attacked our country on September 11, 2001. In less than two months Afghanistan was on fire, the Taliban scurrying for cover, and Al Quaeda running for the hills of Tora Bora. All of us cheered the success of our military.

This writer is a child of the 1960’s, we turned 18 during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. America was losing 300 soldiers each week in this restricted police action. There was no end in sight and the country united against the war.

Stubborn McCain Champions War

John McCain owns the Republican Party – at least for the next two months.  He owns the Republican National Convention.  He owns the message being presented by every speaker and every video.  The stubbornness of John McCain is evident in the message presented.  McCain’s life bookends are all about War.  His adult life is framed […]

McCain, a Compulsive Gambler (Song Video)

John McCain is going to Las Vegas, would you give him $100 to gamble on your behalf?  There is gambling, and then there is compulsive gambling – very different modes of entertainment.  John McCain is a compulsive gambler, the champion of the religious right. Compulsive gambling is destroying America.  Down the road in St. Joe […]

Redneck War Debate

We called the television station down the road in St. Joe to ask about the debate.  We wanted to know what they was gonna ask those fellas, McCain and Obama.  They tode us that they is not asking any questions.  Someone in one of the big cities gets to ask the questions.  Well, we had […]

Wall Street Terrorizes America

Osama Bin Laden, who remains free, launched four planes at American’s financial and military structure on September 11, 2001.  Bush reacted and has weakened our military.  The Republicans reacted and eliminated regulations on Mortgage Banks and Investment Banks.  Then the American Terrorists took over. The Stock Market has dropped more this week than at any […]

Preconditions for War

War is serious business.  We in America should probably know that by now, and most of us do.  The decision to go to war should not be taken lightly, and should not be taken without some base understanding.  Some base understanding of what it is we are getting in to, and why and how would […]

Regarding Attacks on Sarah Palin

Only four days have passed since John McCain announced Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.  Her relative anonymity has worked for and against McCain’s campaign.  With virtually no public track record she has no record to attack.  On the other hand, when there is a vacuum of knowledge rumors and nonsense will fill the […]

Eve of Destruction

Growing old does not mean growing smart.  People like to say, “It took me a long time to realize that my parents were right.”  The suggestion is older people are always smarter – always right.  That has not been my experience. I am one who is considered ‘older.’  Some think I am pretty smart – […]

John Cusack – Serendipity of War

Well now, John Cusack is up in arms. Cusack is that actor who used to make the chic flicks that even the men enjoyed watching. My favorite is ‘Serendipity.” But I like his latest work also. Check this out: [wp_youtube]NQgJl9d5KCQ[/wp_youtube] My first take was wondering what had gotten into John Cusack. I had never seen […]

Iraq in Context – April 8, 2008

I am listening at this moment to the Senate hearings featuring testimony by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker.  These are impressive men who are in a tough spot.  They believe in their mission.  They testify that their work is not only effective but also necessary to improving American security.  But this: Even if what they […]

Declaration of Independence – 2008

Declaration of Independence 2008 (All comments in italics are direct quotes from the United States Declaration of Independence penned in 1776) “When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the […]

McCain’s 100 year war

Son, John McCain has said, probably regretfully, that we may have to have troops in Iraq for a hundred years. He was at a town hall meeting today and tried to clarify his comments. McCain reminds us that we have had troops in Germany and Japan for over sixty years, and in Korea for over […]

John McCain waffles on issues

Son, Over time every politician has to address his past record.  Sometimes they become ‘enlightened’ along the way and change positions.  This is not a problem.  As issues become more clear – as we sift through the nuances of complex ideologies – sometime we realize that we need to shift our position.  Unfortunately, some shift […]

Republican Debate, 1-29-08

Son, The Republican debate is on CNN tonight. It is being hosted by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. John McCain, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Mike Huckabee are participating. I missed a few minutes because of a black tie affair that I could not get out of. The question is what about 100 year involvement […]

A Sense of Hope, A Sense of Destiny…. Kennedy

Son, Inspiring events are happening in America. Civil Rights, Social Justice, workers, disabled, education, voters rights, quality Health Care, Senator Edward Kennedy. There is a movement afoot, and the Republicans will not be able to stop it. Senator Kennedy is endorsing Mr. Obama as I write and I can barely keep up. “…Courage, insight, bold […]

Foreign Policy – Ron Paul is almost right

Son, I am scaring myself. I listen to Ron Paul and find merit in some of what he says. The problem with Ron Paul rests with frequent leaps of logic. He is one of those conspiracy theory folks who sees ghosts in every corner. The problem is there is occasionally a ghost and no one […]

U.S. Economy or Iraq Economy – Bush choses Iraq

Son, Our economy is at the worst state in twenty years.  The candidates for president and the folks in Congress are talking about what to do. How contemptible!  What have they been thinking about?  How much money are we spending in Iraq?  And how might that money might be used to save the U.S. Economy? […]

Faith, Obedience, and Mercy – in Iraq

Son, President George W. Bush is not God. I am not Abraham, and the children of America are not to be thoughtlessly sacrificed on a mountain in the Middle East. Faith, obedience, and mercy are noble virtues. But are there no boundaries? Bob Dylan said it well: “God said to Abraham, go kill me a […]