OtisM BLS Tulsa FOB Jayde KGB's blog: "Political shit."

I believe our dear friend Wahela is as angry with Bush as I have ever seen her!
And who could blame her after all? It's not like many of us believe that WE really hired him, and outward appearances seem to support the fact that the man either cheated and bought his way into office, or someone cheated and bought his way in without him even being intelligent enough to realize it!
I suspect the latter btw.
When Wahela says: "Yes, I feel so much better now. The last comment from President Bush in his mini-money-commentary provided the US taxpayer with even more reassurance that all was well with the financial health of this nation by saying, "....there has been additional liquidity by infusing the market with 55 billion dollars into the system...."
I'm not absolutely certain but I believe that comment to be only slightly tongue in cheek. *weg*
So let's run with one of the points in the piggybank blog. I too have a very distinct disregard for the shrub's purported response to the current economic crisis. Infusing billions of dollars into the market translates to nothing short of printing new currency. If a citizen were to do that they'd be jailed.
Certainly is it possible that Wahela - unlike our president - is familiar with the performance history of fiat currency based systems and their impact on economy and social welfare wherever they have emerged throughout history.
Here's an excerpt from the wikipedia page ( linked above ) for the unititiated:
The terms fiat currency and fiat money relate to types of currency or money whose usefulness results, not from any intrinsic value or guarantee that it can be converted into gold or another currency, but instead from a government's order (fiat) that it must be accepted as a means of payment.

Now - the question may spring to mind is "But what are our options?"

Well the option with regard to monetary systems has less ambiguous in title and there are really only two basic types of currency systems that exist.
That option is known as "commodity currency".
When we go back to wikipedia we find the term explained in somewhat less depth than it's currently favored cousin - but then it requires far less detail to explain.
A commodity currency is a name given to currencies of countries which depend heavily on the export of certain raw materials for income. These countries are typically developing countries, eg. countries like Burundi, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea; but also include developed countries like Australia and Iceland. In the foreign exchange market, commodity currencies generally refer to the Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar, and the South African Rand.
I would tend to disagree on the point that the countries who implement commodity based currency being poorly developed. Personally I think they're the only ones who may survive the current state of the world economy. A dollar worth of material being represented by a paper dollar seems a fine idea to me. Additionally, "A foolish man builds his house upon the sand." is one of the most popular ones among those in my repertoire.
Our dear friend Wahela's admonition in her blog for the greedy power hungry pundits to "Just say no" is a wonderful idea, but for as long as we continue to allow them the option to say yes I believe that plea will continue to fall on deaf ears.
The rest of the world, while still offering to help bail us out, is less interested and concerned than we are in the state of our economy, because most of the world is far closer to a realistic commodity based economy than we are. It's the nature of the word "fiat" - a government mandate - that causes that to be a natural reaction. The gross misconduct inherent in printing so much money without anything to back it up also spurns on the US versus the world attitude that has become an increasingly common mantra globally.
The puppets that US corporate interests put in place by purchasing lobbyists by the dozen at the local politician store ... also known as the US Congressional building ... care less about global economy than they do about a more local issue for a change. The problem is that the local issue they're concerned with is of course their individual bank accounts.
Supporting the current fiat currency based economy will be - or has been depending on your perspective - our undoing. We the people of the United States of America are the ones who need to say no.
Say no to strong arm foreign policy.
Say no to continuing to allow an inflationary credit based economy to exist.
Say no to allowing the elite to expouse their discriminatory ( yes it IS a discriminatory practice to expouse any one person's beliefs as THE religion of that nation despite its popularity Georgie!! )
Say no to the increasing infringement of the federal government on the personal liberties of the free citizens of these United States.
Say no to increasing the powers of the executive office of this land to dominate us and manage our national resources carte blanche based on personal initiatives should that officer so desire!

And say yes to freedom in a brave new world.

A friend of mine's son is going off to war. He joins the many who have been sent, and will serve proudly as they all do, but the feeling of watching him go is a feeling I know too well. My son left for his 2nd tour back in September of 2007. I never in my wildest imaginings could have been convinced that it would be this difficult to live on this side of that line when I was on the side his son now joins.

I was in "The First Gulf War" ( as though they have not been perpetually at war with someone or another for millenia ) .. have the southwest asia service medal with expeditionary accessories to prove it. I was there from start to finish. I - as I'm sure is true of my son as well - was damned anxious to go, happy to serve and proud to be among the defenders of our freedom. The military, like our administration, has always been and will always be a machine. It's almost alive in its ability to bend and shape to the will of the government that drives it but it's not. This fact has never been more evident than it is in the way that the military in general handles its personnel. Compassion, honor, bravery, and strength seem to get lost in the shuffle of administering the monster but in all cases and in all battles in every war that has ever been waged there is a common thread that seems forged of titanium steel.

Call them soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, operatives, agents, mercenaries, or grunts .. they bond together to form an invincible spirit that collectively kicks ass. The warrior spirit is in them all and they are all a part of the whole. They look after each other even before they look after their missions until and unless it becomes a choice between the two because without the warrior there will BE no mission. The bravest of the brave echo this sentiment in the practice of never leaving a man behind.

Brothers in arms are reluctant to part company even after death in the completion of their mission. The camaraderie established is more than just casual banter it is a fact of life. I hope that my friend will take comfort in this fact. The spirits fighting alongside his son are the warriors of old. He is in good company. They will bolster his spirit in times of need and are solely and exclusively qualified to show him that place of power in his soul that will bring him through the lightest and darkest of times.

There used to be a mural on the wall of the Noncommissioned officer barracks at the United States Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Devens Massachusetts. It was an ornate pedestal, with the image of a rose - the ancient symbol of secrecy - and a sword for bravery - and a ribbon around the front of the pedestal that read "illegitimi noncarbeurendum" . The whole thing was intended as a message to those brave souls who passed through those same hallowed halls through which have passed the soldiers who are said to be among the top 10% of the intellectual capacity of the armed forces.

That message is more than the "Don't let the bastards wear you down" that the "illegitimi noncarbeurendum" message is supposed to mean. That message is this. In times of hardship the time honored secret to survival against all odds in battle is to remember that a warrior is at once always and never alone. They are never alone, in that the warrior spirit will always be with them as brothers. They are always alone because they serve outside our borders far from home. This particular time honored trust knows no boundaries within any of man's laws.

Well here we were going into the year 2007 - sorry 2008. Sadaam was dead.. and things were still blowing up. - Imagine that. Eric ( 12 ) asked me why it was so important to kill him. I didn't really have an answer for that one. Eric can be a pretty deep thinker sometimes though and I like to encourage that so I had to offer him up a bone.

I asked him if I told him that Sadaam was a very very bad man if he could accept that and move on but he started comparing what Bush has done to what Sadaam has done. He wanted to know why it was OK for us to go and blow up people and stuff in another country but when someone did it to us we got mad .... told ya he was deep.

I told him that I've observed that there seems to be a side of human nature that causes people to project their vision of the truth and justice on others. I told him that this egoistic tendency causes them to believe that their closure is more precious than human life. I told him I thought it was all a part of the brave new world of "name my psychosis" in which we seem to have have succeeded in breeding or training the worse psycholocigal profiles. We seem to have more bipolar and schizophrenic citizens than we have sane ones.

I told him that if he could for just one moment set aside any concern for anyone else and think only of himself and what he wants.. he might better understand. I told him that I was not a perfect person either because it didn't seem to bother me and that I even found myself going out looking for pics to prove to myself that Sadaam was gone. Eric finally acquiesced but was overtly unimpressed that anyone could consider their feelings or psychological cravings over a human life ... regardless of the crime ... and is quite set in his conviction.

Did I mention he's only 12? Another chunk of ice shelf broke off in the arctic at Ellesmere Island. Breakup of the south pole continues as well. Still no global warming problem officially acknowledged by the US govt or dedicated interaction with the global community for action toward problem resolution. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.. we ARE the great and powerful super.

We're still alive!! Whatever creator you believe in or faith you practice you gotta admit that at this point anybody who can say that has someone on their side! Peace out.

True Americans don't hate, nor do true Christians, nor true practitioners of the Islamic faith. A good friend of mine correctly pointed the Christian part out to me after my last little tyraid about how it was not necessarily significant it was that hate groups back my favored candidate. - Go Ron Paul! - It did inspire another tyraid though and this one is feeling far longer than the first.

My friend noted that I made reference to members of the "NWO" as right wing Christians.. and being a Christian herself, took some quite politely presented and carefully questioned offense at the implication inherent in my statement. True Christians are no more likened unto those hate mongers than true Muslims are like the radical fundamentalists who wage war against -- anything that is not their view of their faith.

The reason those radical sectors of the world population seem to keep attacking the US is because we are the most significant presence, and therefore the largest threat.. to their little corner of the world and their way of life. Hate breeds hate and the world has enough of that on its own without "strongarm politics" added to the heap. I am never PROUDER to be an American, than I am when I see someone speaking out against anything that they think we are doing wrong as a people! This is what I - and most everyone that I fought directly alongside - were fighting for.

When we landed in Saudi and then were camped there in the desert for a year living in tents we had a lot of time to contemplate what it was that we held most dear. We started doing that right after ( as noncoms ) we explained to everyone who said they'd like to participate in our little discussion group that no matter what decisions we arrived at as a group, that our current status did not allow for us to take any kind of action on those decisions that would interfere with the mission assigned to us by our commanders.

We, being literate folk and linguists by trade.. were quite well aware of all sides of the story, including the influence that the practice of slant drilling ( using US bred technology ) into Iraqi reserves had on the great Sodomist's decision to strike out against Kuwait in the manner that got this ball rolling. Ironically, Sadaam's personal and professional record of abuse as a leader seemed to overwhelm any righteous indignation that he seemed to derive from the acts that he claimed led him to wage war. Not one of us questioned whether or not we should drive on with our mission.. because that was our mission.

As Americans temporarily and necessarily stripped of some of the freedoms we were sworn to protect, we were still bound by our oath to defend them in the way that our commanders deemed fit. The fact that those commanders were and are led by a corrupt administration and system of politics did not make them any less our commanders.. and the military eats, sleeps, breathes, lives and sometimes dies by that system. The only saving grace is in that the military system of rule works quite well... for the military. The military is not a political tool though! Contrarily, it is supposed to be the apolitical last resort.

We have a problem now with an adolescent clown being loosed on the world with the mighty Excalibur. We need to stop that most directly - or .. "mos' d'rekly" as my more colloquially inclined brethren would say. So be proud ... and speak out ... and speak out especially against corruption and the corporate control of our leaders that is the natural result of the systematic abuse of the ideology that the military is intent on protecting.

Support our troops! They are engaging the enemy as they are directed.. and it is what they must do to survive. This does not mean remaining silent about an unjust war .. and it SURE doesn't mean we should stop taking potshots at politicians who would refuse to accept the same system of support in retirement that the rest of us do.. they are public servants! Their office was originally intended to be its own and exclusive honor. They are not supposed to be there to get rich. There was a lot of study performed as our country and our system of government were being established.

One particularly respected political scholar and theorist at the time by the name of Alexis DeToqueville offered some in depth evaluations of the process. In short, his works proposed that if we did not follow the concept of the constitution as a living document that the grand experiment would fail. He stated that if the constitution and its amendments were not publicly reviewed and revised from top to bottom every 20 years at a minimum that the system of government that was proposed and accepted would BECOME a corporation, incapable of reflecting the will of the people over their drive for corporate - monetary - success.

Sound familiar? Ben Franklin seemed to agree.. when upon departing from the official signing ceremony responded to the question "Well what do you think you have accomplished?" with the reply "We've built a republic.. if you can keep it" Then the powers that be, increasingly corporate driven interest, set about carving the constitution as it was originally written in stone and setting the stone in concrete. This became the tradition as the current idea of the constitution developed into a constitutional substitute that was quite similar to the 10 commandments of the bible .. which is not what the constitution was ever intended to be.

They did it to freeze the existing public power, and forward from there began to systematically disassemble every protection that was ever built in to protect the people from that same threat that was so intensely discussed and carefully included in the design! Don't get me wrong.. it's not a grand conspiracy, its a natural progression of the human condition. Our bent toward greed and other self serving instantly gratifying pleasures is natural. It feels good.. so they do it. It requires less thought and no contemplation that way.

For this country to GET to the point that politicians started to enjoy their "favored citizen status", that corruption had already begun. Every battle that has been fought since has in some way altered the not only the face but the soul of those ideals. Why should we try to save that idealistic world that was meant to have been created? Well .... because we're proud Americans ... and we should be. Let's get Excalibur back and slay that old dragon .. forthwith. We CAN do this through nonviolent means. Oh.. I almost missed the ugly Americans .. they hate and are very self centered. Everything else still applies to them whether they like it or not. Maybe THEY should go find a place that agrees with their concepts.

Patriots vs the cowboy

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to anyone who really believes that I might be just another whiner who believes that the war against terrorism is not something that can be won because I don't understand the gravity of the situation ... and for those brave dedicated few who don't believe that the shrub was ... and has always been ... and will always be ... a mindless moron.

I would like you all to meet some people. First there's this motley crew:

From left to right they would be SGT Mutlaq AlQatani, PFC Aaron "Pink" Pinkston , myself, SP4 William ( Ski ) Bukowski and SGT Michael ( Mike ) Cohen. Everyone save myself in this picture is an arabic linguist.

The arabic lettering on the side of that tracked vehicle behind us is pronounced "nuz la sulahik wil la fidjerna gerahgrik" . For those of you in the military and searching for an interesting way to piss off your enemy while simultaneously causing some of the urine to run down both legs ... it means "Drop your weapons of we'll blow your balls off". The front of that same vehicle had/has additional lettering that says "jak izraeul as sadaam" or "The death angel is coming for you Sadaam!". We were with the 24th Infantry Division out of Ft Stewart GA. For those of you who do not know the 24th deployed and prepared for the retaliatory strikes against Iraq within 72 hours of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

I, along with one other man from our duty station were notified by a priority alert message from a non-military agency that was concerned with and managed military based intelligence gathering resources globally for our great nation telling us that we were to choose 5 Combat Electronic Warfare and Intelligence ( CEWI ) qualified volunteers each to take with us, and prepare for deployment within 12 hours of receipt of that message. Our specific destinations would be forthcoming but that we should pack for a mission of indefinite duration.

That was all the notice I had, or needed, to get me on the road. The point being that WHERE we were going was less important to me than the nature of the call!! SHIT YEAH WHERE DO I SIGN???? Turned out I didn't have to sign anything All I needed to do was pack my field gear ( which was always in my duffel stashed in my closet and inventoried monthly by me and quarterly by my supervisor). I did one final inventory and I was back at the company HQ ready for departure within the hour.

So off we went!

Within 72 hours and after some - not necessarily so warranted cavorting around and about in Savannah - we, along with the rest of the 24th ID were camped on some cots in a port warehouse in Damaam Saudi Arabia. We in particular ( the portion of our march column that ended up in that bay ) were in the one right next to the one that housed the depleted uranium coated rounds that were to be used in the M1 tanks during the main battle movement. We waited 2-3 days depending on whose story you hear, and having discovered that our prime movers ( heavy equipment - tracked vehicles ) were still en route on cargo ships and would be for several more days the decision was made to move out and form an advance camp with alternative transportation and the available service vehicles.

The alternative transportation turned out to be double decker buses. We rode for several hours, occasionally stopping to disembark and push the buses through the 15-20" of sand that had accumulated across the highway during the most recent sandstorm. They then dropped us off the buses and offloaded our personal gear from the tops of them along with Bedouin tents to use as shelter.

We spent about 8-9 months living in Bedouin tents out in the Al Hinnah desert in Saudi Arabia. This feat in and of itself would be remarkable, without even taking into consideration that SGT Cohen, in addition to being an arabic linguist, was also one of the first jewish soldiers to ever set foot on the sacred soil of the kingdom. Mutlaq, was a Kuwaiti conscript. He was a student at the University of North Carolina when he was snatched from his classes, much like I was snatched from my assignment, and placed in active service following an abbreviated basic training course and awarded the rank of SGT E5 on completion of that course. This was one of many bones of contention between Mutlaq and myself, and would not be the last, but then he REALLY didn't ask to be there. He, as the title conscript implies, was drafted to serve in defense of his country - Kuwait.

Many may be asking why ( since I was not an arabic linguist - spanish was my specialty ) and how ( my god he speak SPANISH people what would he be doing in the middle east? ) I ended up being included in that marching order. Well, the 24th ID was to be the proving grounds for a newly revamped listening and direction finding system. The vehicles included in this system were still en-route to Ft Stewart when the fur started to fly. They were diverted to ships untouched and still in crates, and that priority traffic sent out to all personnel ( all 4 of us globally ) that were still in the service and had worked with the original version of the system. The activity of collecting information from voice signals in varying ranges involves a lot more than just understanding what they're saying once the equipment is up and running. I would estimate the actual operator station time to be about 10% of the overall effort.

OK so what's turned into a long story made shorter, we invaded Iraq across the DMZ between Saudi and Iraq. We never even burned rubber in Kuwait until after the invasion was over. It took us 100 hours - straight - peeing in bottles - dodging shrapnel from friendly as well as hostile rounds.. played leapfrog with an armor column in a fire and maneuver exercise that seemed like it would never end ( 100 hours is a lot of explosions.) In the end when the dust cleared I heard that the division suffered only 8 casualties between the launch point and final rally in the Iraqi army RGFC ( the infamous Iraqi " Elite " Republican Guard )rear defense area to the south of Baghdad. We could SEE the city.

So we camped there for 2 weeks while the pundits in the administration quiveled over what we were to do next. We spent those 2 weeks on patrols. There were still Iraqi soldiers in the bunkers.. periodically they would pop up and shoot.. and they were getting dangerously close to actually hitting someone. So patrols were established to "clear" the bunkers. The only way a bunker is considered clear is if there is no soldier or serviceable munitions inside. So the patrols each had at least one linguist, and were ordered to give the directive to and indigenous militant or enemy combatant personnel who were in those bunkers to exit with their hands up within 5 seconds or stay in the bunker and enjoy the company of a fragmentary grenade. Every day for two seeks the warnings were issued.. and the grenades were dropped. I have no idea how many Iraqi soldiers died in those bunkers nor would I like to speculate.

After all of that hard work though, and after making all of that progress, the determination of the pundits was that it would not be politically or economically feasible to occupy the country as a US territory, and we could not take Saddaam out without taking control of the country. We were therefore directed to leave rather than accomplish our originally stated objective - which was delivered to us as "Now men it's been a year since we came out here, and it's been a helluva run.. We've asked a lot from you and you've come through it with flying colors. No one could be prouder than I am to serve with such determined individuals. Now though, the time has come that we've finally been tasked to deliver what we came here to do. We have received orders as a division to cross the DMZ into southern Iraq doing what we have trained so long and hard to do, and to drive Iraq back into their own country where they will be required to leave the Kuwaitis in peace. So come on and let's go GET that sodomist bastard so that we can go the F*&K home!".

- and we tried like hell

I'd also like you to meet my son, Evan:

Evan is now a blackhawk crew chief. He finished one tour in Iraq, got married on Sept 11 2004, moved to Germany, move to Kansas, and now is redeployed for his 2nd assignment there in "the raq". He serves proudly for the sake of his country and countrymen. He, like his father, is following orders. He's doing what our commanders tell him to do because that's what soldiers do. He's a soldier because that's what patriots do. He doesn't ask if what he's doing is right, he doesn't ask anything at all except where do they store the damn ammunition 'cause he burned his last clip or can on that last raid. He doesn't invite casual conversation about whether or not he should shoot the man over there with the machinegun pointed his way, he just shoots them. He doesn't ask if that package by the side of the road looks suspicious, he assumes that it is.

I want him home. I don't want some bastard cookie asshole of a politician who has never been in a hostile fire zone that wasn't cleared, cleaned, and manicured for his visit in his LIFETIME determining when it is and isn't OK for us take it upon ourselves to send our brave soldiers out to invade another country because the answer is NEVER!! If the people of that country call on us to do so then we should consider it but Iraq never did that. Their neighbors are staunchly against our presence there and that is the stated reason that some of the more radical elements of their populous decided to take it upon themselves to let US know what it felt like to take civilian casualties in time of war.

This righteous indignation that we feel about 9/11 ... they have felt nearly every day for the entirety of their lives. If we are to win over the people of the world to our way of thinking, it will not ever be by bashing it into their heads using the same techniques that are being used by their sovereigns and tyrants to keep them in an oppressed state to begin with.

We can accomplish that end only by presenting them with a more desirable way of thinking. You have to understand this. I do not care how big the US is, or how valiant and determined our soldiers might be, we will never truly win over the hearts and minds of another people at force of arms. The reason that we will not ever, is not only because human will does not bend well to that type of persuasion, but also because despite the rhetoric being spouted by the administration they really do not WANT to put an end to all wars. War is hell on everything except the economy. Nothing has changed since the end of that first war, except that we are now attempting to accomplish that feat that we who enjoined that original battle were informed was a bad idea and could not be politically supported in the region or at home.

What has changed so drastically over the course of the last decade.. that makes the current course of action more desirable than it was then?? If you point your finger to the 9/11 attacks.. whether you believe the attacks to have been orchestrated internally or not ... point them at Washington DC. If you can't think of another thing that has changed, then stop pointing them and put them away.

There's sure a lot of talk about the legalities and illegalities of immigration going on these days. I hope that this brief little bulletin can clear a few things up at least with regard to where we started and where we've arrived.

First, anyone who's of European descent is a member of or descendant of an immigrant family. If you were born here on US soil then you are a native .. if you weren't then your not. That's pretty cut and dried but we should never, ever forget the roots of our nation.

The statue of liberty has a plaque on it that says:

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these homeless tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

This.. is where we started. Our nation evolved from a bunch of misfits from other countries ... fleeing from oppression and ignorance ... seeking a home ... a place where they could be free to work, and establish their homes in peace and a solidarity with the other immigrants who were seeking out the same safe haven. They fled from forces in the world that would sooner kill them than coordinate aid for them in their time of need. Whether it be for their beliefs or simply because they were inconvenient .. they came here seeking refuge because it was offered.

Now I know that times have changed. We've gotten older, more complacent, and apparently more apathetic as a society. We hear complaints that the act of seeking safe haven in a relatively strife free life here in our country is illegal .. and that it is inconvenient ... and that the people who are taking advantage of that offer made so long ago do not have the right to be here.

One thing that still remains constant though, is the threat. The conditions that cause people to seek refuge will likely never go away.

Let's be clear on this point though ... you don't have to agree with the way I see it but personally I'm a man who believes that a promise is a promise. The sign does not say:

"Send me the people who can afford to be here under the conditions that I specify until I think it's time to stop the offer - Limited time only.. terms and conditions may apply."

'nuf said on that one .... if we're going to withdraw the offer, we need to take down the plaque. Might as well melt down the statue for copper while we're at it.. shame we've spent all those dollars on restoration and maintenance ..... since we didn't really mean it after all.

Just a little food for thought.

OK this one is gonna be a long one and if you're a right wing legislation of prayer in school proponent or opponent this is going to really rub you the wrong way. If you feel that the government has a right or necessity to be involved in any way in your personal decisions, please don't say I didn't warn you.

I was reading through one of the many alternative news sources that the internet has been generous enough to afford us, when I ran across a piece entitled Repudiation, Not Impeachment that I found particularly interesting. It was authored by Scott Ritter, one of the officials involved in the UN investigation in "pre-war" Iraq. Now I'm not trying to downplay the source. The quotes around the pre-war are mine. They are there because I believe the existing war in Iraq to be little more than an advancement of the crusades.

I am aware that Mr Ritter is the subject of a significant amount of controversy regarding perceived changes in position regarding the war. I am also well aware that it is alleged that Mr Ritter received funding from an Iraqi-American to the tune of $400K to commission a movie about the current state of affairs in Iraq. I guess if it were a campaign contribution I'd be concerned. I can't imagine though, where anyone by any stretch of the imagination ( given the billions of dollars spent on full length professional video productions these days ) could infer from such an amount that it was some manner of bribery rather than just payment for services rendered. I can tell you right now.. that it would have taken a lot more than $400K to convince me to go into "pre-war" Iraq as a civilian.

So let's leave that controversy to the people who spun it in an effort to discredit this former MARINE INTELLIGENCE ADVISOR TO GEN NORMAN SCHWARTZKOPF... because by all that I consider sacred this position, this fact, the character required to attain that station.. means a lot more to me as a former US Army Intelligence Corpman .. than any old smear campaign.

Mr Ritter, since he seems to prefer that title to his rank 'cause I can't find that anywhere beyond his pre-commissioned grade of Private, had a lot of things to say about the state of the American citizenry, and where we should strive to be. His concern that the impeachment of president Bush, although certainly more than justified, would be a small step toward correcting the problems that plague our country.

His basic premise for the extended article, was that impeachment was not enough, that replacing the president would do about as much good as killing Osama Bin Ladin would do in the way of stopping radical Islamic factions from waging attacks of terrorism. Now those were not his precise words, nor did even mention Osama personally in his article. If you go read the article you will find that Mr Ritter's theme was more along the lines of a lesson in constitutional law, with emphasis on the historical significance of the establishment a system of checks and balances.

He basically points out with some expanded eloquence and in an almost complementary manner, that politicians really ARE crooks.. and we really CAN NOT trust them. In closing he goes on to say ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sad fact is, however, there are far too few Americans who are equipped and/or prepared to engage in a constitutional discussion, not to mention one of this magnitude. Having failed to read and comprehend this vital cornerstone of America, they are poorly positioned to come to its defense in this, the Constitution’s time of need. You cannot defend that which you remain ignorant of. Thomas Jefferson, in an 1802 letter to his friend and confidant, Joseph Priestly, noted that, “Though written constitutions may be violated in moments of passion or delusion, yet they furnish a text to which those who are watchful may again rally and recall the people. They fix, too, for the people the principles of their political creed.” Thus, an American people ignorant of their Constitution remain a people collectively void of principle or creed. Given the state of affairs that is the American body politic today, this is a harsh yet far too accurate indictment of the state of American citizenship.

Those who espouse the nobility of patriotism by extolling Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, which addresses the issue of impeachment of the president and vice president, are all too mute about the remainder of that great document. Whether this silence is derived from negligence or ignorance, or a combination thereof, is not the point. What lies at the heart of this issue is that void of a solid foundation of “creed,” as Jefferson put it, to fall back on in times of constitutional crisis derived from the abuse of power and authority. The American people have only a bottomless pit as their support, and that is no support at all.

Impeach President Bush? Maybe, if due process dictates. Repudiate President Bush? Absolutely, especially if one aspires for an America that truly matches the visions and ideals set forth by the Founding Fathers.

Repudiate the notion of a “unitary executive.”

Repudiate presidential signing statements.

Repudiate executive violation of Article 6 of the Constitution, which binds municipal law in America with binding treaty obligations incurred when the Senate ratifies a treaty or agreement by a two-thirds majority or better.

Repudiate “faith-based initiatives” pushed by any branch of government.

Repudiate a weak Congress.

Repudiate weak senators or representatives, especially those with a track record of abrogating their constitutional mandate.

Repudiate ignorance, especially that of the American citizen who knows little or nothing about the Constitution which empowers him or her.

Repudiate consumerism, especially the virulent form it takes in the selfish framework of American-centric capitalism.

Repudiate pre-emptive wars of aggression.

Repudiate American Empire.

Instead, embrace the empowerment of education. Embrace active citizenship. Embrace the rule of law, as set forth by the Constitution. Do all of this and, in the end, if conditions and circumstance warrant, impeach President Bush and any of those in his administration so deserving.

Thomas Jefferson was prescient in his musings to another confidant, Moses Robinson, in 1801 when he wrote, “I sincerely wish ... we could see our government so secured as to depend less on the character of the person in whose hands it is trusted. Bad men will sometimes get in and with such an immense patronage may make great progress in corrupting the public mind and principles. This is a subject with which wisdom and patriotism should be occupied.”

That wise American patriots would be so occupied today is my wish and dream.

Scott Ritter was a Marine Corps intelligence officer from 1984 to 1991 and a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998. He is the author of numerous books. His latest is “Waging Peace: The Art of War for the Antiwar Movement” (Nation Books, April 2007).

Clarity is key. Current mood: amused Category: Life

I have, in the past, gotten the impression that some people believe that because I am against the global war being waged using our troops as a sword of wanton destruction, that I am not properly supporting our troops. I just wanted to be certain that I clarified my position here. I was one of those troops. I have seen war in all its glory and shed blood sweat and tears in places that most americans ... including our current troops ... will never see.

On top of all that, I have a son named Evan who is a blackhawk crew chief for an Air Cav ( assault ) helicopter squadron. He has one tour already under his belt and another projected to begin in June or July of 2007. I am so proud of his integrity, dedication to his counrty, and valor for doing so that I could spit nails into the eyes of those other bleeding hearts who are against any manner of hostility and would lay down in front of a tank rather than blowing it up in order to keep it from rolling over their own home.

I can not quite bring myself to a state of mind where I can accept absolute pacifism. If my life and home are in danger I can't imagine laying down. I have lost more friends who were near and dear to me than you could imagine ... and for me to hear people trying to tell ME that I'm a communist slug or unpatriotic because I speak out against injustices .. like the current war being waged in Iraq .. that it makes my blood boil.

You don't want to make me angry ... the federal government spent 14 years making damn sure that you would not like me at ALL when I'm angry. I also spent the majority of those 14 years making sure that I could control that anger .. so it's not easy to do. Am I whining? No.. if I thought for one minute tha we were fighting a just and winnable cause I'd buy my own ticket, and travel on a civilian passport to blow the sonovabitches away my DAMNSELF. I'd do that if the enemy were here too! Truth be told I'd really love to have a shot or two at a few of the enemies who ARE here and are abusing their power to send our troops over to other countries to further personal and corporate agendas.

We have to deal with that as we can though. Unfortunately just shooting THEM and having it over with is not allowed. Damn the luck. I sent truckloads of necessities and pleasantries.. literally truckloads by the time it was all said and done.. in the time that Evan was in Iraq. We even continued to send items to support the last of his comrades in arms after he was gone. I love my son, and I respect our soldiers.

I respect them too much in fact, not to take the abuse of their trust lightly. That is what this is .... the act of sending our soldiers off to a war that can not be won, and under false pretenses .... is abusing their trust. THE SOLDIERS trust US to ensure that "THEY" don't take it unto themselves to use our military to strongarm global politics. It is our responsibility as citizens to protect and defend that trust, in exchange for the valor that these young people who would fight for our way of life display. It's a bargain if you ask me.