Here comes the political stuff.

May 2006
I just read this over and I thought I would find it rather limited, but since I have been viewing more at CSPAN, I realize I was pretty much right on. Hmmmmm. Very interesting.

January 2006
I was on a political blog. I didn't like it. Probably too old for this stuff. So much anger, so much name calling. Demands that something be done right now. Some reasonable comments, but mostly nonsense. Democrats sounding like Republicans. I noted their website was a big waste of time and got smite for the comment. It was my parting shot.

I believe Harold Pinter was right on. Hence his quotation in the title of this blog.
(This is no longer here, because I combined blogs.) I'm preparing myself for the campaign of 2008. I think that is the only realistic goal for me to set in order to be ready to tackle the issues in this very complicated world we live in and the intolerable situation the present administration has placed the country and the American people. God willing, the Democrats get it right this time, but I'm not holding my breath. If you don't like what I'm saying, beat it. This is my blog, it is for me to study the issues and get prepared.

How am I going to go about it? I asked myself the same question. So many blogs, op-eds, news reports. Pretty much a bunch of nonsense, also. I'm going to rely on only two sources of information, books and CSPAN. I started this political education of Maty just awhile ago, and this is what I've done so far.

I started with this book, because I believe pretty much everything that has gone wrong is a reaction to the 9/11 attacks and the war in Iraq. I finished this book and realized I had to step back in time to the period immediately following the 9/11 attacks to get a better view, so now I'm reading Bush At War. At the same time I am studying about the country of Afghanistan. I have been called a humanist, with a sneer, as if the very letters that spelled the word left a bad taste. So be it. I'm most interested in the story of people, not politicians.

I'm reading these books pretty fast, sort of to play catch-up. Probably will have to reread them at some time. This book gave a good introduction to the personalities involved in decision-making. The term personalities is very important. These are, except for Bush, very seasoned national figures with their own set of biases and personal conflicts. I believe Bush was just not up to the task. He had a unilateral view, a military view, because that is who he is. For the sake of the country, he should have listened to the foreign policy makers more, but it was not in his personality to do so. Hence, Powell was out of the loop most of the time and felt so. The telling fact is that there was a 16 month plan for the war, but not nearly as much or little planning for the aftermath. Unless the book just does not cover that, as it is not its mission, this aspect of the story is missing. Even Powell let the American people down. Everything seemed to be based on their erroneous perceptions of how people should react. And that was more a rhetorical argument, a notion of democracy, rather than based on real facts. They simply did not know Iraq. I don't think they cared, nation-building just was not on the table. This was just plain ignorance and incompetence. This task was given to the military to accomplish. Absolutely wrong.

Another issue that I am seeing is the notion of a Christian and a historical component to Bush's response. This is very alarming. He is delusional to think in such grandiose terms. This may be a justification to himself, a misplaced self-confidence based on Christian propaganda. It is nice to think you are serving a higher cause, but he is the President of the United States. He serves the American people, period. You probably will not agree with me. I might even not agree with myself. This is just my first thoughts.

I heard some negative innuendoes about these books. Doubt the little writers of the posts had even read them. If you decide to comment here, be sure and read them yourselves. Otherwise, don't bother me. I am perfectly capable of reading between the lines. With this book, I am finding it fascinating so far that George Tenet laid out for the president pretty much what the CIA intended to do on Sept. 15, 2001. How come it has taken Democrats until now to get all riled up? I do not for the moment believe that Democrats on key committees did not know. Therefore, they are as equally culpable. Just started this book, I will address this issue more as I learn more.

This is a wonderful book. I'm so glad I read it. It was a stepping stone to learn more about Afghanistan and its people.










I am now viewing this video on a panel discussion, Afghanistan: Four Years Later. Here's the link:
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=551397&ct=1464515

On the bookshelf:


This was the start of the NSA story for me.

January 2006
Watched Al Gore's speech at Constitutional Hall. Go to CSPAN to see a video. Probably will have to view it again myself. I wasn't paying much attention, just happened to catch it on CNN. There was Gore tripping over words like democracy again. Please. But then the more I listened, I was stunned. Where did this kind of passion come from? Why are we seeing this only now?

I have returned over and over to CSPAN to view more. Did a search on "domestic surveillance" and pretty much watched everything, including the House Democrats' make-shift hearing. At least, it was all put on-the-record. Will follow the rest that transpires. Everyone is all foaming-at-the-mouth about this. I personally think it will probably go nowhere. But what do I know. Afterall I have already been smite off one forum.

February 2006

UTROLIG
INCROYABLE
UTROLIG
This post is for the newspapers of the countries of Denmark, France, and Norway who would run a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammad. Shame. Shame. Shame.
I'm at least glad I'm living in a country that would refrain from such blatant anti-religious and insensitive depictions, I hope. One might ask, why do they hate us?

Please learn all you can about the countries of the middle east and Islam before it is totally too late. I'm trying.