Thursday, July 3, 2008
HEY TOMMY: FRANKS A LOT
Shock & Awe, Dine & Dash, Grab Your Pension & Leave The Mess
(July 3, Washington, DC) The most stinging criticisms, the harshest rebukes come not from “Monday morning quaterbacks”, but from within the ranks of one’s peers, others qualified to credibly criticize. Certainly only those familiar with an organization, system or network are properly equipped to render judgment. This is the rationale behind so many professions, professional groups, and institutions for self-policing. Who better to assess a particular scenario, circumstance or decision than those who may have had to deal with a similar scenario, circumstance or decision, first hand, in the past? The military and most law enforcement agencies conduct “after action reports” to evaluate their response, performance and determine the “lessons learned.” This is a proven effective methodology of quality control, so to speak.
A virtual library of books, articles, essays, op-eds, thesis’ and papers have been written about the Iraq War; how and why we it began, how it was justified, rationalized or ‘sold’ to the American public, how it was managed as well as virtually every strategic, tactical, operational, diplomatic, political, logistical, financial and historic perspective imaginable. Some have been produced by experts, while others have been easily dismissed for having been authored by political partisans, critics-at-large and some people with axes to grind. There has been no lack of critics, apologists or partisans on either side of the associated arguments.
Much has been made over the years of this war about retired military officers speaking out either positively or negatively regarding our Iraq involvement. Some said it was a violation of protocol and decorum to voice an opinion at a time of war. Particular harsh criticism was reserved for active duty officers and military personnel for commenting on the war especially if their stated opinion, perspective or experience was contrary to “The Party Line.” Some of these were viewed as treasonous traitors; others, as heroes truly dedicated to our troops. That is an argument for another time, another day.
According to today’s Washington Post in a piece authored by Josh White, “The nation’s top military officer said yesterday that more U.S. are needed in Afghanistan to tamp down an increasingly violent insurgency, but that the Pentagon does not have sufficient forces to send because they are committed to the war in Iraq.” Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff added that the on-going struggle with extremist forces and the Taliban have become “a very complex problem”.
So, we are backsliding in Afghanistan despite the fact that the people responsible for the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 are based there.
This development and candid admission by Admiral Mullen comes just days after Michael Gordon reported in the New York Times the fact that “Occupation Plan for Iraq Faulted in Army History”, Mr. Gordon details the recently released unclassified study conducted by the United States Army itself, that is highly critical of General Tommy Franks, his decisions, tactics and judgment particularly soon after his troops rolled into Baghdad in 2003. This is the second volume chronicling the history of the Iraq War; volume two is 700 pages.
The authors of this history are by no means “Monday morning quarterbacks”. They are the Army’s own with the assistance of the Rand Corporation. The beginning of volume 2 pulls no punches while documenting the abject mistakes, miscalculations and failures of General Franks along with retired Lieutenant General Jay Garner and Paul Bremer, General Garner’s successor as the hand picked Chief Civilian Administrator of Iraq.
The list of intelligent, thoughtful Army officers who saw the perils of the Bush – Rumsfeld strategy is not very long but it is high in individual IQ. Unfortunately, they were ignored or, worse, treated extremely harshly in the press. Some retired prematurely and, those that did, demonstrate the highest qualities of a military officer concerned for the troops under their command.
Basically, Tommy Franks oversaw the initial component of the invasion, waited around for the statue of Saddam Hussein to be yanked off its pedestal, and then turned over the keys to the country to junior officers, scurried back stateside to a promotion and retirement. Mission Accomplished, Tommy? Enter the parade of other officers, well intentioned, ill equipped for the reality of occupied Iraq. Some, where simply “punching tickets”; jumping through the requisite hoops to achieve the next star, combat medal or resume’ entry. In that sense they are like any other federal employee as we learned in the wake of September 11, 2001. Protect the pension is far more important to those charged with protecting us than actually working to protect us.
As exposed as the myriad intelligence apparatus failures were after the dust settled, so too now, are the failure of the US Army. The only branch of the military to have actually adapted from “lessons learned” in Viet Nam is the Marine Corps. The inertia, complacency and arrogance of the other branches of our military, amounts to negligence on the highest order. Yes, it is not “unpatriotic” to make impeaching statements against our military at a time of war.
But, this is just the latest chapter in an on-going book began in Korea in 1951. Since then, in anonymous, remote places across the globe our young men and women have given lives, limbs and soul. That is how it works. Kids from the Bronx and Brooklyn, Buffalo and Bismarck, Beaumont, Butte, Brattleboro, Bakersfield and Boone pay for the flaws, the hubris, of those who command; both military and civilian.
John McCain is running for president partially on his service on the Armed Services Committee. Where was the Congressional oversight all these years, John? Why has our Congress been paralyzed during this entire, grinding endeavor?
That returns us to General Franks and Admiral Mullen. One’s arrogance and ignorance lands on the shoulders of the others responsibility. And, sadly, the beat goes on; both in Iraq and Afghanistan. Politics pales in stark comparison to the realities of the battles our troops engage in daily. “It is easy to be passionate from a distance”, as a wise combat Marine from Korea once commented. That particular Marine saw the perils and folly, the disregard for the troops from the inception of this Iraq War. He died in sorrow, his heart broken for the countless brave young men and women going into scenarios and conditions no amount of training could ever prepare them. His, was a flag draped coffin. How many more will follow.
Mullen Calls For More Troops in Afghanistan: Iraq War Limits U.S. Options, Says Chairman of Joint Chiefs (Post, July 3, 2008; Page A01)
The war, OUR war, the conflict we should have remained engaged in to completion, until all our resources had eradicated those who attacked us, is not the war our president has chosen to fight. God Bless all MOS who paid the ultimate price on 9 11 01
Copyright 2008 TBC © All Rights Reserved
Copyright Bronxwest.com 2008 © All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
RAZING HELL
"Driver Rams Earthmover Into Jerusalem Bus"
From the Washington Post headline
A Man, A Bulldozer and Unfathomable Injustice
(July 2, New York, NY) There is certainly one Palestinian construction worker’s home that will be reduced to rubble, destroyed by sundown in East Jerusalem. That is how the oppressive regime of Israel responds to outbursts of decades old rage, frustration and hopelessness. The mighty Israeli Defense Forces will bomb this man’s home, the homes of all known family members and, perhaps, just a few other homes on principal. Innocent men, women and children will die, as always, in the defiant, overreaction of an occupying force. An act of terror or the act of a mind broken by his reality, it really doesn’t matter. The criminality, the gross asymmetry of the struggle with Israel’s US supplied military versus generations of people confined to glorified holding pens. The tragedy is that it will not end; it cannot end because there exists no more awkward and daunting obstacle to real negotiation than America’s unyielding, uncompromising, criminally complicit support of a nation literally carved out of existing sovereign lands some 60 years ago. Oh, but this is blasphemy, anti-Semitic ranting at its worst, right?
Why is Israel the only sacrosanct country on the face of the earth? What imbues it with this most unique status? It can be perilous in certain places to even utter the word “Jew” without someone taking offense. Granted, the arguments on both sides are so tiresome that honest debate is impossible. So, the path of least resistance is to ignore it. And is it ever ignored!
The United Nations has proven to be monstrously useless as long as the US is a permanent member of the Security Counsel. We should be however, for us to be the lone protector of the Zionist cruelty not only devalues us as a nation, it places us, our interests and our national security in peril. But, who cares: we’ve got to help the Jews. Our “democratic” partners in a “hostile” region would perish if not for our friendship. That is probably correct but, whose fault is that?
We intervene when Aboriginal people in deepest remotest Africa begin to machete each other to death, whacking off the limbs of children, raping girls and committing crimes against humanity even the Jews would recoil at. It is a shame that we can allow the continued oppression, virtual imprisonment of an entire people under the auspices of democracy.
You reap what you sow.
…and surely the predictable responses will ensue…
Copyright 2008 TBC © All Rights Reserved
Friday, June 27, 2008
FARMERS: LEAST OF THE FLOOD VICTIMS
AVERAGE CITIZEN: JUST OUT OF LUCK
Fifth in our Series chronicling the 2008 Flood.
(June 27, Des Moines, IA) In light of all the federal resources available to corn and bean farmers, for some reason major networks and media outlets such as the Associated Press, The New York Times, among other publications, continue to perpetuate falsehoods, myths and inaccurate information regarding the plight of the Iowa farmer post-flood. The real story, the tragic human interest component of this massive flood exists in the lives of the regular citizen, your average home owner, renter, small business; people already paying the price of the greed of their farming brethren.
Long before the first sings that a flood of epic proportions was heading this way, Iowans were paying, as are all Americans, increasing costs for groceries largely due to the shift in agriculture away from food products and into renewable fuels such as Ethanol. The prices of gasoline continue to rise as well. What relief does the home owner flooded out have? Where does the McDonald’s employee whose workplace was destroyed in the swift moving sea of muddy water go? What do average people do to try to carry on and rebuild their lives? Who knows?
However, what is widely known but not spoken aloud is that farmers, good weather, bad weather, bumper crop, no crop, especially the big operators such as the one mentioned in an Associated Press article today who farms 9000 acres, will always do just fine. The Farm Bill and all its outrageous subsidies, programs and payouts arrive in Iowa farmer’s mailboxes hell or high water. Crop insurance and now, additional disaster relief funds and who knows what else will go to these greedy welfare takers. That is a side of their story never told, never mentioned and certainly never really examined by the mainstream press.
Since the Environmental Working Group (EWG) began to publish the names of farm subsidy payouts along with how much federal tax payer money they have received, there has been a little more scrutiny of the Farm Bill. A cursory glance through the subsidies paid top farms in just two of Iowa’s 99 counties exposes the waste, outright fraud and abuse inherent in this terribly flawed program. Two of the counties receiving the largest shares of farm subsidies are Benton and Johnson County. Floyd Rucker, an Iowa based attorney-activist, familiar with this part of the state, was quick to point out some of the wealthiest people, business owners, trusts and a few deceased folks who annually collect hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Money goes to money. The bigger you are, the bigger your operation, the more you will get from these programs. The original intent of this legislation is in no way, shape or form evident in the Farm Bill of recent years, especially this one just passed last week for $307 billion. That was a disgrace”, Rucker commented.
The Brooding Cynyx are painfully aware of how many people out here we are giving apoplexy. Our correspondents continue to face harassment, threats, vandalism, and an isolated fire-bombing. We will persist in our efforts to continue to press these issues, to expose, for all Americans to see, precisely what has become of “farming” in this country, predominantly here in the “Corn Belt”. This is one belt that definitely needs some tightening but, weaning these corn and bean farmers off the government teat, off the steady flow of federal dollars will be extremely difficult.
For more information, please visit: The Environmental Working Group
Ira Shlomo Goldenberg, Special Correspondant, writing for TBC from Iowa City.
Copyright TBC 2008 © All Rights Reserved
Fifth in our Series chronicling the 2008 Flood.
(June 27, Des Moines, IA) In light of all the federal resources available to corn and bean farmers, for some reason major networks and media outlets such as the Associated Press, The New York Times, among other publications, continue to perpetuate falsehoods, myths and inaccurate information regarding the plight of the Iowa farmer post-flood. The real story, the tragic human interest component of this massive flood exists in the lives of the regular citizen, your average home owner, renter, small business; people already paying the price of the greed of their farming brethren.
Long before the first sings that a flood of epic proportions was heading this way, Iowans were paying, as are all Americans, increasing costs for groceries largely due to the shift in agriculture away from food products and into renewable fuels such as Ethanol. The prices of gasoline continue to rise as well. What relief does the home owner flooded out have? Where does the McDonald’s employee whose workplace was destroyed in the swift moving sea of muddy water go? What do average people do to try to carry on and rebuild their lives? Who knows?
However, what is widely known but not spoken aloud is that farmers, good weather, bad weather, bumper crop, no crop, especially the big operators such as the one mentioned in an Associated Press article today who farms 9000 acres, will always do just fine. The Farm Bill and all its outrageous subsidies, programs and payouts arrive in Iowa farmer’s mailboxes hell or high water. Crop insurance and now, additional disaster relief funds and who knows what else will go to these greedy welfare takers. That is a side of their story never told, never mentioned and certainly never really examined by the mainstream press.
Since the Environmental Working Group (EWG) began to publish the names of farm subsidy payouts along with how much federal tax payer money they have received, there has been a little more scrutiny of the Farm Bill. A cursory glance through the subsidies paid top farms in just two of Iowa’s 99 counties exposes the waste, outright fraud and abuse inherent in this terribly flawed program. Two of the counties receiving the largest shares of farm subsidies are Benton and Johnson County. Floyd Rucker, an Iowa based attorney-activist, familiar with this part of the state, was quick to point out some of the wealthiest people, business owners, trusts and a few deceased folks who annually collect hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Money goes to money. The bigger you are, the bigger your operation, the more you will get from these programs. The original intent of this legislation is in no way, shape or form evident in the Farm Bill of recent years, especially this one just passed last week for $307 billion. That was a disgrace”, Rucker commented.
The Brooding Cynyx are painfully aware of how many people out here we are giving apoplexy. Our correspondents continue to face harassment, threats, vandalism, and an isolated fire-bombing. We will persist in our efforts to continue to press these issues, to expose, for all Americans to see, precisely what has become of “farming” in this country, predominantly here in the “Corn Belt”. This is one belt that definitely needs some tightening but, weaning these corn and bean farmers off the government teat, off the steady flow of federal dollars will be extremely difficult.
For more information, please visit: The Environmental Working Group
Ira Shlomo Goldenberg, Special Correspondant, writing for TBC from Iowa City.
Copyright TBC 2008 © All Rights Reserved
Monday, June 23, 2008
JOHN JETT AND THE CHARLIE BLACK-HEARTS
SENIOR McCAIN ADVISOR HOPES FOR TERRORIST ATTACK
GOP Hack Speaks Truth Without Intending To
(June 23, Arlington, VA) The top political operative employed by the John McCain campaign, Charlie Black, told Fortune Magazine that his candidate would benefit from another terrorist attack on United States soil. The addled Senator from Arizona, GOP presidential candidate John McCain, was quick to distance himself from this outrageous statement. However, given the GOP’s history of utilizing fear as a political tactic, many Washington insiders expressed doubt that Mr. Black’s comments were any other than intentional.
Charlie Black, a Texan with rotting teeth and slicked back hair, is a political operative who has long worked for the GOP, some of their more bombastic candidates and is closely affiliated with the Bush family. He was involved in the campaign of George H. W. Bush as well as that of his son, our current occupant of the White House, George W. Bush.
Black cut his teeth in dirty, smear campaign tactics under the tutelage of Lee Atwater, one of the principal architects of "the politics of personal destruction". The very fact that John McCain employs this bastard is undeniable proof of the fallacy at the heart of McCain’s quest for the presidency.
McCain, a product of Washington DC, a long time Senator well versed in the subtle maneuvers that define our legislative process, is now claiming to be “an agent of change.” The 71 year old has served long enough in the Senate that his attempt to position himself as capable of “change “ or “reform” of any kind is ludicrous. McCain is so closely aligned with and to the policies of George W. Bush, the war in Iraq and all the associated failures that he must be counting on the voting public being as senile as he is.
The Obama campaign came out forcefully and swiftly with a highly critical assessment regarding Charlie Black’s inappropriate statement. One top advisor to the Obama camp, speaking anonymously commented, “We know this is the way they will go. The republican’s think they have a lock on national security issues and that by trying to scare the American people, they will be able to claim George W’s third term. We will do everything in our power to not let that happen; we will educate the American voters about the truth and facts. Senator McCain did nothing in his very long Senate career to curtail terrorism. In fact, for the most part, he was negligent in his oversight responsibilities on the Armed Services Committee. We welcome a vigorous debate with him”.
So outrageous were the comments of Mr. Black that even members of his own party, some, long time friends, were quick to criticize him. Obese, habitual gamblers, fellow Texan and Bush family crony, Bill Bennett said, “Charlie Black has not been himself for a long time. I’m not surprised he put his foot in his mouth. I am, however, surprised that he was able to get his head out of his ass long enough to do so”. Texas republican senator John Cornyn, a buffoon of epic proportions even for the US Senate told reporters , “Charlie was right...I mean he...ah..he is right in that we...he...Obama would speak to terrorists. My good friend John McCain would rather bomb the tar outta them instead of sit down and talk”.
In his attempt to divorce himself from Charlie Black’s unintentional disclosure about his campaign's hope, Senator McCain said, “ I have worked tirelessly since 9 11 to prevent another attack”. When reporters pressed him to detail some of his anti-terrorism efforts in the Senate, he quickly changed the subject.
Each passing week seems to reveal another gaffe, blunder or bone-headed error from the McCain campaign. His top economic advisor, former Texas Senator Phill Gramm crafted legislation while in office that paved the way for the recent “mortgage meltdown”. Even such conservative luminaries like Rush Limbaugh, Ted Nugent and Oliver North have all commented on the fact that Mr. McCain, by having a staff of “retreaded, has-beens, morons, idiots and out of touch bozos” completely dispels the concepts as stated in his new campaign slogan, “Reform. Prosperity. Peace.”
The latest national polls show Senator Obama with a significant lead over McCain in all regions and demographic groups except “wealthy, golf-playing, corporate CEO’s married to much, much younger women”.
Copyright 2008 TBC © All Rights Reserved
GOP Hack Speaks Truth Without Intending To
(June 23, Arlington, VA) The top political operative employed by the John McCain campaign, Charlie Black, told Fortune Magazine that his candidate would benefit from another terrorist attack on United States soil. The addled Senator from Arizona, GOP presidential candidate John McCain, was quick to distance himself from this outrageous statement. However, given the GOP’s history of utilizing fear as a political tactic, many Washington insiders expressed doubt that Mr. Black’s comments were any other than intentional.
Charlie Black, a Texan with rotting teeth and slicked back hair, is a political operative who has long worked for the GOP, some of their more bombastic candidates and is closely affiliated with the Bush family. He was involved in the campaign of George H. W. Bush as well as that of his son, our current occupant of the White House, George W. Bush.
Black cut his teeth in dirty, smear campaign tactics under the tutelage of Lee Atwater, one of the principal architects of "the politics of personal destruction". The very fact that John McCain employs this bastard is undeniable proof of the fallacy at the heart of McCain’s quest for the presidency.
McCain, a product of Washington DC, a long time Senator well versed in the subtle maneuvers that define our legislative process, is now claiming to be “an agent of change.” The 71 year old has served long enough in the Senate that his attempt to position himself as capable of “change “ or “reform” of any kind is ludicrous. McCain is so closely aligned with and to the policies of George W. Bush, the war in Iraq and all the associated failures that he must be counting on the voting public being as senile as he is.
The Obama campaign came out forcefully and swiftly with a highly critical assessment regarding Charlie Black’s inappropriate statement. One top advisor to the Obama camp, speaking anonymously commented, “We know this is the way they will go. The republican’s think they have a lock on national security issues and that by trying to scare the American people, they will be able to claim George W’s third term. We will do everything in our power to not let that happen; we will educate the American voters about the truth and facts. Senator McCain did nothing in his very long Senate career to curtail terrorism. In fact, for the most part, he was negligent in his oversight responsibilities on the Armed Services Committee. We welcome a vigorous debate with him”.
So outrageous were the comments of Mr. Black that even members of his own party, some, long time friends, were quick to criticize him. Obese, habitual gamblers, fellow Texan and Bush family crony, Bill Bennett said, “Charlie Black has not been himself for a long time. I’m not surprised he put his foot in his mouth. I am, however, surprised that he was able to get his head out of his ass long enough to do so”. Texas republican senator John Cornyn, a buffoon of epic proportions even for the US Senate told reporters , “Charlie was right...I mean he...ah..he is right in that we...he...Obama would speak to terrorists. My good friend John McCain would rather bomb the tar outta them instead of sit down and talk”.
In his attempt to divorce himself from Charlie Black’s unintentional disclosure about his campaign's hope, Senator McCain said, “ I have worked tirelessly since 9 11 to prevent another attack”. When reporters pressed him to detail some of his anti-terrorism efforts in the Senate, he quickly changed the subject.
Each passing week seems to reveal another gaffe, blunder or bone-headed error from the McCain campaign. His top economic advisor, former Texas Senator Phill Gramm crafted legislation while in office that paved the way for the recent “mortgage meltdown”. Even such conservative luminaries like Rush Limbaugh, Ted Nugent and Oliver North have all commented on the fact that Mr. McCain, by having a staff of “retreaded, has-beens, morons, idiots and out of touch bozos” completely dispels the concepts as stated in his new campaign slogan, “Reform. Prosperity. Peace.”
The latest national polls show Senator Obama with a significant lead over McCain in all regions and demographic groups except “wealthy, golf-playing, corporate CEO’s married to much, much younger women”.
Copyright 2008 TBC © All Rights Reserved
MYOPIC AMERICA
AN “AFTER-THE-FACT” SOCIETY NEEDS TO WAKE UP
Fourth in a Series chronicling the 2008 Flood and related developments
(June 23, Iowa City, IA) In what has become a great American past time, the blame game has begun as the flood waters have moved south from this university town. Americans, particularly our elected officials, have become grand masters in the art and practice of reaction. We react; we are not prone to act or, be pro-active. That would require too much effort, energy, time and would seriously distract us from our beloved recreational and leisure time. We have too many TV shows to follow, too many movies to watch, too many gizmos and gadgets to pass our time with. Our collective focus has become so narrow, so myopic that we seem unable to see anything beyond the tight confines of our own families and lives. This, of course, is not a bad trait however we have taken it beyond what other societies and cultures have; we have dramatically altered it within our lifetimes. Our parents and grandparents were not like us; we are nothing like them. The concepts of prolonged hardship, sacrifice, shared responsibility, common courtesy and respect have gone the way of bottled milk, cloth diapers and leaded gasoline. Our disposal society has disposed of the values that made us who we are as a people, as a nation. We have not done our heritage proud.
There was a time in our not too distant history when we were very different indeed. We had leaders who led, who thought, acted and inspired. Perhaps the most vivid, potent example of what and who we were was our defining moment prior to the midpoint of the last century. World War II defined America and Americans to ourselves and the world.
We are now quite adept at closing the barn after our horses have fled, proclaiming, explaining and detailing what should have been done before a specific event, crisis or catastrophe. We seem extraordinarily able to ignore our vulnerabilities yet function in blissful ignorance until something goes wrong, something happens that threatens are sense of safety, security and superiority. We are Americans, after all, crap like that doesn’t happen here.
Oh, but if does; does it ever and crap will be happening more and more frequently as we begin to pay the prices for our ignorance, our greedy, self serving elected officials dereliction of duty and for apathy – our new national epidemic. The drift from who we were to what we’ve become was inexorably subtle initially. It took on vaster dimensions, picked up speed and began to color our perception in the 1960’s. Throughout the 70’s, and 80’s our drift evolved into tectonic movement. Our culture was being reshaped, some participated, some watched but, virtually everyone allowed it. By the 1990’s we were as distant from who we’d been as Mars is from Earth. We were now an in-your-face, aggressive, violent, callous, selfish society of victims, blamers, fools and dopes. We were actually proud of it and began to celebrate our collective stupidity in our media - entertainment - public forums.
(As an aside, America lost one of the most astute cultural observers and commentators yesterday: george Carlin. Known as a ‘comedian” he chronicled our metamorphosis over the course of his long career. he was more than a comedian; his eye and ear was keenly aware and well tuned to comment on us and make us all laugh because we recognized ourselves, certain truths, in his words.)
Sociologists and others can bicker, dicker and speculate on how we’ve arrived at this point. That’s is what they do. Perhaps, though, each of us needs to put a few minutes into thinking about all of this.
Maybe it all began when we realized our government could, would and had lied to us. They had lied to us on so many fronts that cynicism and skepticism accelerated our drift. They lied about Viet Nam, LSD experiments, military and civilian exposures to all sorts of chemicals, toxins, radiation and our lethal materials that helped vault us to the top of the industrialized worlds heap. They lied about the food we ate, the medications we took, they lied when they did not even have to. Lying became so accepted, common and easy we had stopped noticing it. We had come to the point that we expected to be lied to; we thought we were being lied to even when we may not have been. Conspiracy theories, antigovernment slag of every variety fueled our apathy, doubt and confusion forcing us to shrink our worlds into ever tighter little circles. Screw everybody except me and mine was our national anthem. Screw your neighbor, screw a stranger, don’t worry about anyone.
We lost faith in our government, our institutions and, ultimately, in ourselves. They years flew by and we hadn’t even realized how far from familiar shores we were. With ever increasing frequency, “things’ began to happen that may have begun to shake some of us from our hi-tech, easy living, screw you slumber. Our leaders had traded arms for hostages, financed illegal wars, abandoned any effort at oversight, allowed our Marines to be murdered in beirut, terrorists to murder thousands of us on our own soil and still we were so self absorbed as to buy the lies that have us in Iraq fighting a war of choice based on fallacies, fabrication while be waged with our blood and treasure. We noticed as our government left a major American city and its poor inhabitants to fend for themselves as shoddily constructed levees, designed and paid for by our government collapsed. Now once again the US Army Corps of Engineers is under scrutiny. Apparently the new Orleans disaster was not sufficient to prompt some real action of the part of our government. Now that lily-white middle-America is awash in floodwaters, heads will roll. Or will they?
“...DROVE A CHEVY TO THE LEVEE...”
So, here we are. from this vantage point the waters are receding, roads are beginning to open but, everyone here knows that to the south, small hamlets in Missouri, Illinois and beyond are now neck deep in waters that came from here. The Army Corps of Engineers has admitted to being “unable” to certify (whatever that means) some of the levees that line the banks of the Mississippi from its point of origin, through the heartland and downstream to its Gulf of Mexico terminus. Apparently, they have known this for years. They were not alone in their knowledge.
Richard Leopold, the Director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources told reporters from the AP, Washington Post, new York Times and other wire services that he, personally, was aware of the dubious integrity of many of the levees here in Iowa. A political appointee who jumped through all the requisite hoops is now, suddenly, after the fact, seriously concerned about flood control. He probably is. A little too little, a little too late.
Our infrastructure from coast to coast, from north to south is aged, inadequate and, in many cases, potentially lethal. bridges collapse, electrical grids are antiquated and fail, our roads, tunnels, schools, public hospitals; our very skeleton has a case of osteoporosis that will prove to take lives. It already has.
Oddly, the current administration, in power for the last 7 plus years, has the funding to rebuild Iraq, a country we destroyed but, cannot locate funding, the will or sense of responsibility to invest in our own decrepit infrastructure. That is who we are; that is who we have become.
REFLECT, SELECT, ELECT
Soon we will see if, as a nation, we have begun to come to our senses. We will elect a new president and the choices could not be starker or more vividly drawn. But, that is a tale for another day. Soon we will discuss that with you.
Until then; wipe the crusty flakes of complacency from your eyes, and, if you were born in the 1950’s or early 60’s, think of your parents and grandparents, think of our collective innocence vanquished. Time, the “rapacious creditor” will have its way and maybe, before we all regain full consciousness, it will be too late.
This commentary is the product of a collaborative effort including technical, scientific and other sound contributions from ASSPAC, the MRW1 Group and our dedicated, intrepid Cynyx on the ground or, in the water, from Iowa to Mississippi.
Copyright 2008 TBC © All Rights Reserved
Copyright Bronxwest.com 2008 © All Rights Reserved
Fourth in a Series chronicling the 2008 Flood and related developments
(June 23, Iowa City, IA) In what has become a great American past time, the blame game has begun as the flood waters have moved south from this university town. Americans, particularly our elected officials, have become grand masters in the art and practice of reaction. We react; we are not prone to act or, be pro-active. That would require too much effort, energy, time and would seriously distract us from our beloved recreational and leisure time. We have too many TV shows to follow, too many movies to watch, too many gizmos and gadgets to pass our time with. Our collective focus has become so narrow, so myopic that we seem unable to see anything beyond the tight confines of our own families and lives. This, of course, is not a bad trait however we have taken it beyond what other societies and cultures have; we have dramatically altered it within our lifetimes. Our parents and grandparents were not like us; we are nothing like them. The concepts of prolonged hardship, sacrifice, shared responsibility, common courtesy and respect have gone the way of bottled milk, cloth diapers and leaded gasoline. Our disposal society has disposed of the values that made us who we are as a people, as a nation. We have not done our heritage proud.
There was a time in our not too distant history when we were very different indeed. We had leaders who led, who thought, acted and inspired. Perhaps the most vivid, potent example of what and who we were was our defining moment prior to the midpoint of the last century. World War II defined America and Americans to ourselves and the world.
We are now quite adept at closing the barn after our horses have fled, proclaiming, explaining and detailing what should have been done before a specific event, crisis or catastrophe. We seem extraordinarily able to ignore our vulnerabilities yet function in blissful ignorance until something goes wrong, something happens that threatens are sense of safety, security and superiority. We are Americans, after all, crap like that doesn’t happen here.
Oh, but if does; does it ever and crap will be happening more and more frequently as we begin to pay the prices for our ignorance, our greedy, self serving elected officials dereliction of duty and for apathy – our new national epidemic. The drift from who we were to what we’ve become was inexorably subtle initially. It took on vaster dimensions, picked up speed and began to color our perception in the 1960’s. Throughout the 70’s, and 80’s our drift evolved into tectonic movement. Our culture was being reshaped, some participated, some watched but, virtually everyone allowed it. By the 1990’s we were as distant from who we’d been as Mars is from Earth. We were now an in-your-face, aggressive, violent, callous, selfish society of victims, blamers, fools and dopes. We were actually proud of it and began to celebrate our collective stupidity in our media - entertainment - public forums.
(As an aside, America lost one of the most astute cultural observers and commentators yesterday: george Carlin. Known as a ‘comedian” he chronicled our metamorphosis over the course of his long career. he was more than a comedian; his eye and ear was keenly aware and well tuned to comment on us and make us all laugh because we recognized ourselves, certain truths, in his words.)
Sociologists and others can bicker, dicker and speculate on how we’ve arrived at this point. That’s is what they do. Perhaps, though, each of us needs to put a few minutes into thinking about all of this.
Maybe it all began when we realized our government could, would and had lied to us. They had lied to us on so many fronts that cynicism and skepticism accelerated our drift. They lied about Viet Nam, LSD experiments, military and civilian exposures to all sorts of chemicals, toxins, radiation and our lethal materials that helped vault us to the top of the industrialized worlds heap. They lied about the food we ate, the medications we took, they lied when they did not even have to. Lying became so accepted, common and easy we had stopped noticing it. We had come to the point that we expected to be lied to; we thought we were being lied to even when we may not have been. Conspiracy theories, antigovernment slag of every variety fueled our apathy, doubt and confusion forcing us to shrink our worlds into ever tighter little circles. Screw everybody except me and mine was our national anthem. Screw your neighbor, screw a stranger, don’t worry about anyone.
We lost faith in our government, our institutions and, ultimately, in ourselves. They years flew by and we hadn’t even realized how far from familiar shores we were. With ever increasing frequency, “things’ began to happen that may have begun to shake some of us from our hi-tech, easy living, screw you slumber. Our leaders had traded arms for hostages, financed illegal wars, abandoned any effort at oversight, allowed our Marines to be murdered in beirut, terrorists to murder thousands of us on our own soil and still we were so self absorbed as to buy the lies that have us in Iraq fighting a war of choice based on fallacies, fabrication while be waged with our blood and treasure. We noticed as our government left a major American city and its poor inhabitants to fend for themselves as shoddily constructed levees, designed and paid for by our government collapsed. Now once again the US Army Corps of Engineers is under scrutiny. Apparently the new Orleans disaster was not sufficient to prompt some real action of the part of our government. Now that lily-white middle-America is awash in floodwaters, heads will roll. Or will they?
“...DROVE A CHEVY TO THE LEVEE...”
So, here we are. from this vantage point the waters are receding, roads are beginning to open but, everyone here knows that to the south, small hamlets in Missouri, Illinois and beyond are now neck deep in waters that came from here. The Army Corps of Engineers has admitted to being “unable” to certify (whatever that means) some of the levees that line the banks of the Mississippi from its point of origin, through the heartland and downstream to its Gulf of Mexico terminus. Apparently, they have known this for years. They were not alone in their knowledge.
Richard Leopold, the Director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources told reporters from the AP, Washington Post, new York Times and other wire services that he, personally, was aware of the dubious integrity of many of the levees here in Iowa. A political appointee who jumped through all the requisite hoops is now, suddenly, after the fact, seriously concerned about flood control. He probably is. A little too little, a little too late.
Our infrastructure from coast to coast, from north to south is aged, inadequate and, in many cases, potentially lethal. bridges collapse, electrical grids are antiquated and fail, our roads, tunnels, schools, public hospitals; our very skeleton has a case of osteoporosis that will prove to take lives. It already has.
Oddly, the current administration, in power for the last 7 plus years, has the funding to rebuild Iraq, a country we destroyed but, cannot locate funding, the will or sense of responsibility to invest in our own decrepit infrastructure. That is who we are; that is who we have become.
REFLECT, SELECT, ELECT
Soon we will see if, as a nation, we have begun to come to our senses. We will elect a new president and the choices could not be starker or more vividly drawn. But, that is a tale for another day. Soon we will discuss that with you.
Until then; wipe the crusty flakes of complacency from your eyes, and, if you were born in the 1950’s or early 60’s, think of your parents and grandparents, think of our collective innocence vanquished. Time, the “rapacious creditor” will have its way and maybe, before we all regain full consciousness, it will be too late.
This commentary is the product of a collaborative effort including technical, scientific and other sound contributions from ASSPAC, the MRW1 Group and our dedicated, intrepid Cynyx on the ground or, in the water, from Iowa to Mississippi.
Copyright 2008 TBC © All Rights Reserved
Copyright Bronxwest.com 2008 © All Rights Reserved
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