Pacifism...

pacifism  (ˈpæsɪˌfɪzəm)
— n
1.	the belief that violence of any kind is unjustifiable and that one should not participate in war
2.	the belief that international disputes can be settled by arbitration rather than war

Exodus 21: 23-25 states: “You are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

In Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus states: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” … So which one is right?

Many astute observers might suggest Jesus' approach as folly since he only lived to be 33 yrs old at which point he was martyred as a penniless, non married, pacifist living under Roman rule. Not exactly living the American dream. One cannot help but find it contradictory to have a so called "Christian" nation such as many Americans tend to believe in...being at the front and center of producing armaments of war, including nuclear weapons, that can destroy the whole world in a few minutes.

My current thinking lies somewhere between the old and new testament views on Pacifism. It is quite obvious to most of us that the war mongering and constant escalation of the arms race this past century is not leading to very much peace in the world. The cycle of taking a life for a life is never ending and memories of death and suffering last for generations for those who have lived under the duress of war. We need only look now to the Middle East to see the futility of armed conflict in resolving anything for very long. Iraq continues to be a conflictive mess between various religious, political and financial factions  After billions spent there by the USA this past decade, I don't see a very peaceful present or future there.

After Billions more spent in Afghanistan, we are now talking about a defined pullout of American forces by 2014. Meanwhile, Al Quaeda and other sectarian factions continue to bomb and murder  in both Afghanistan and Pakistan almost at will. What is the root of all these conflicts?  Is it too much eye for an eye...or is it too much Pacifism on the part of majority powers?  Would "turning the other cheek" and making "sabers into plowshares" really revolutionize the world and bring about peace?

For me the answer is "yes and no".  Yes, the world needs to be much slower at excepting armed aggression and resolving conflicts by invasions and enforcement of agreements at the end of a gun...or nuclear missle. The major powers of this post WW2 era have been much too quick to demonstrate their wartime powers and invade their enemies...or simply other countries that don't share their values. The main aggressors in this have been the USA and Russia with other powers in the world lining up for or against whoever happens to be saber rattling at  the moment.

I am currently reading McCulloughs latest book on "Truman", and I have completed the story through the end of WW2 and the Potsdam agreements where Truman negotiated on behalf of the USA the post war division of Germany and re-bordering of many other countries. It is amazing to me that so relatively recent, three leaders from three countries could make decisions that carved up all of Western Civilization to boundaries and Statist fiefdoms that turned out to be the fodder for living the next 60+ years in fear during the cold war and nuclear arms race. "To the victors go the spoils of war"...and in this case it was no different.  The problem was, you had 3 very different cultures and differences in priorities coming together over a few weeks to sort out cultural and border problems that were centuries or even millenniums old.  With a stroke of a pen, these three leaders carved up Europe, Africa, Asia and staked out their collective turfs lording over Billions of people who had no voice in these agreements.  These agreements were also cause and effect for the future conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.

As I now have lived over 50 years under the effects of these agreements...I see the folly of superpower agreements...and it sheds new light on the "Arab Spring" and other revolutions we are now seeing throughout the globe.  Cause and effect of repression and Statism is now rearing its ugly head in all corners of the globe...and I think we are living on a powder keg of the next world wide revolution...largely caused by the advent of our information age. It is now harder to cover up truth...but it is also easier to disseminate false truths.  We now live in an age where wars are fought via media and perception.  Very little principle or "truth" is involved in today's governing bodies.  It will truly be up to individuals and the masses to demand change if change is indeed to come.  So, what demands do we the masses make of our government when it comes to war?

Many of us have heard the phrase "war is profitable".  The facts are that we super powers expanded our economies and empires on the backs of MILLIONS of dead soldiers and civilians. Many of the worlds largest enterprises were spawned by production of wartime vehicles, machinery and weapons.  Many conflicts of the past few decades have been quietly about control of oil and other energy resources.  The superpowers that be will hardly be held hostage by little countries that control the fuel and energy required to make more weapons or keep the motors of industrialization running.

In the middle of all these arms races and government overspending on "defense", the cause and effect of war is now taking a nasty turn for the worse. The USA is caught up in far away conflicts that are draining what little remains of our economic reserves. These conflicts are arguably not creating ANY benefit for Americans while benefiting greatly a few despot leaders and foreign economies. Our "eye for an eye" governments are now paying the price for their non-calculated risks and lack of basic human understanding.  A few bankers, industrialists and politicos behind the scenes are profiting handsomely from this pilfering of public coffers for personal egos and economic gains. If it takes Pacifism to stop this insanity...then long live Pacifism.

On the other hand...no sane person is going to believe that always turning the other cheek or giving away freely to whoever wants a handout is a policy for sustaining humanity either. It is quite obvious that the human "stain" of greed, corruption and power is always in the mix somewhere.  It continues to be rational and wise counsel to maintain a strong DEFENSE against evil doers.  The problem comes when many of those "evil doers" are on YOUR side or within your boundaries.

The greatest defenses of the future will and should be ECONOMIC strength and shared markets. I truly believe only some global order of trade and economic interdependence will solve the problems of Statist aggression and controlling tyranny. Yes...we need some world order.  Not WORLD ORDERS...but world ORDER.  To that end, the best chance for Pacifism to have a chance will be global justice and enforceable contracts of peace and economic sharing.  The world really does have enough to go around...but we must find a model where distribution is not controlled by borders or at the end of a gun barrel.  Until REAL "peace keeping"  forces outsize forces of aggression...there will be no peace or economic equality. Until there is more equality and justice on a global basis...Pacifism will not stand a chance as the model.

The Pot Business

I just heard on NPR news today that domestic Marijuana production in the USA is estimated to be at $40 Billion dollars per year.  That is apparently equal or greater than soy bean production...you know...the stuff they make soy milk, tofu and all kinds of healthy products with.  The only problem is...since most of this pot production is "illegal" and off the grid...there is no taxation or quality control on this obviously popular American past time.

As I have written before on this blog, I do not take a position that smoking pot or consuming other recreational drugs is a "good thing"  or a preferable practice.  Yet, as a fundamental Libertarian (not political but on a moral basis), I believe such products should be available and regulated the same as alcohol and pharmaceuticals that are more harmful and yet legally available. It is dishonest, and obviously a failing policy to try and legislate morality or control products so many people use and want... especially a product like Marijuana that has positive medicinal value for so many diseases and conditions. I continue to be amazed at the stupidity and failure of the international drug wars that the USA has sponsored to a huge measure of failure.  At a time when we can least afford wasting money, we continue to throw good taxpayer money after bad at this failing effort. I have known a number of people in my past whose lives have been almost ruined by this silliness. As I stated in a recent blog on this subject, the only people winning and profiting from prohibition are the cartels, mobs, gangs and never ending lines of "agents"  meeting the demands of global consumers of these drugs.

In addition, government agencies are absconding with billions of dollars in "dirty cash", luxury cars and homes, jewelry and art...all kinds of "things"  that the "illegal" producers continue to convert their profits into.  If these "spoils of war"  somehow made it back into the taxpayers coffers supporting positive efforts in our society, I might not be so critical of the effort.  But...it seems this money just keeps going back into bigger agencies of big government; more guns, airplanes, helicopters and soldiers that in my view do very little to enhance a positive use of these human and financial resources.

I continue to be more convinced that if the powers that be TRULY wanted to clean up "dirty money" and resolve the drug related violence throughout the inner-cities of the USA and world at large...they would simply legalize and regulate these products just as they do most other consumable goods. European liberal countries who have done this have found it to have positive value in getting druggies off the streets, helping versus PERSECUTING addicts, and gaining tax revenue that was previously unrecoverable.  Controlling substances and liberating people from being deemed "criminals"  for simple consumption of certain products has shown to be much more productive and is in my opinion more moral.


The Netherlands effectively decriminalized marijuana use in 1976, and it is available for purchase in small quantities by adults in licensed coffee shops; in the United States, marijuana use carries stiff criminal penalties, and more than 720,000 people were arrested for marijuana offenses in 2001. "Police made 853,838 arrests in 2010 for marijuana-related offenses, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual Uniform Crime Report. The arrest total is among the highest ever reported by the agency and is nearly identical to the total number of cannabis-related arrests reported in 2009". How do you rate these statistics as a positive result for the billions spent?  As I have always thought, you cannot  control use by prohibition or obliterating the supply.  You have to control or fulfill the demand...which primarily originates from millions of "normal" Americans and other nationalities who like to "toke"...and what moral right does anyone have to prohibit them as long as they are not impinging on others rights NOT to smoke or hurting other third parties? This is like saying people who don't like coffee are more moral than those who do drink it and therefore coffee should be outlawed.  Can you imagine what would happen with such a law?  You would have many more millions risking prison in order to exercise their right...and in some cases addiction...to such a product. Where does this mentality stop?  Sugar, McDonalds....all foods that cause diseases like diabetes and various cancers? Is our government going to end up controlling every substance a citizen ingests in the name of "morality" or protecting the people from themselves?

This just does not add up and quite honestly I know many more EX pot smokers than current ones. In general I don't believe pot to be any more addictive than ibuprofen or aspirin. Addictive personalities are going to be addicted to SOMETHING. Why should they not have pot as one of their choices? I believe it would be a healthier choice than say...cigarettes...alcohol...or various barbiturates readily available at Walgreens.

I imagine some of my blog followers might be tired of this subject or simply don't care about the millions of people who are criminalized by these archaic and irrational laws...but until I see the prisons emptied of these citizens exercising their right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and the unconstitutional use of my tax dollars to limit citizens of these rights...I will continue to speak up on this silly subject.  Its not silly anymore because the war is now costing billions of dollars annually that we can't afford...and worse than that it is destroying millions of innocent lives around the world for no good reason.

Let the pot business thrive and the drug wars subside. This will definitely create a more peaceful and prosperous world than what we now experience where money only changes hands between the "criminals" and governments. This is big business that needs to be redirected in a more positive and tolerant direction.

Golf and the New Year

I am passing time this New Year reacquainting myself with the game of golf.  Often termed by those who play it as the “greatest game”  invented by mankind…I have new respect for the various aspects of the game.  The only downside is the time commitment it takes to play or practice effectively.  Yet, there are so many lessons to be learned from golf…I think it is a key sport that every person should have the opportunity to learn.  I also was thinking how so many aspects of golf apply to living successfully in general…so for this year, I strive to apply these aspects of golf as my “New Years” resolutions:

Fundamentals and preparation:  You cannot play this sport well without preparation and knowing the fundamental skills of the game.  People who succeed in life are usually well prepared (educated) and continue practicing the fundamentals of what has made them successful in the past, copying the attributes of those who have succeeded before them.

Discipline: It takes discipline both mentally and physically to play golf well.  Having the discipline to repetitively do the things that repeatedly bring positive results is what makes the difference between those who are successful and those who are not.

Accuracy: Before hitting a ball, you have to know what your target is…in this case a small hole in the ground.  It is best to know what obstacles lie between you and the hole and how far away it is so you plan your strategy and know which club to use.  Your choices along these lines will determine how accurately and quickly you reach your goal in the fewest amount of strokes (effort) possible.

Mental concentration: The beautiful thing about golf is that it’s not always the best physical specimens that win…but is more about mind over matter.  If you don’t have clear mental concentration and control over your body and emotions, the ball will not go where you want it to.  Mind controls matter more than vice versa.

Physical shape: The above being said, being in good physical shape does help improve distance and accuracy.  Today’s field of professional golfers are paying more attention to their physical conditioning because guys like Tiger Woods and others came into the sport able to drive a ball almost 400 yards.  The physical conditioning is important in performing at your maximum potential and for sure to enjoy the fruits of your labors with more vigor.

Imagination & overcoming obstacles: Without imagination, pursuit of life and well-being will be difficult.  Daily life brings various obstacles and distractions across our path.  Being able to see beyond the obstacle and adjusting your swing to the difficulties life brings is paramount to living successfully.

Spirit of camaraderie and competition: Finally…one of the most rewarding parts of the game is the friendly competition and observing others struggling the same as yourself to reach their goals.  Life should be lived in friendly competition and mutual encouragement. It is much more fun to make a good shot in front of friends than to only enjoy your accomplishment alone.  I am rich in lifelong comradeship and fellowship.

Whether it is playing golf, pursuing business or living in thriving relationships…may we all be successful “golfers”  in achieving our desires in 2013.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

USA recovery checklist...

Instead of just criticizing and rebuking all the senseless politicos that run the USA and most countries of the world as I usually do...I end this year with a simple (and yes, oversimplified) checklist of what should be done to recover the positive values our country used to have.  

First and foremost...just because you are the Federal Government doesn't mean you can operate without a sane budget.  We must have responsible financial people in government who know how to balance a budget and reverse the deficit spending and take away the blank checkbook these politicos see to think they have. That also means the government cannot make commitments or entitlements it cannot fund.

Part of re-balancing the budget should include reduced global military spending and refocus those military budgets on more cost effective defensive technologies and weapons.  With Satellites and drones in our arsenal now, we don't really need thousands of boots on the ground in scores of different countries...unnecessarily putting soldiers in harms way with costs that are wasteful and ineffectual. If our armed forces support a foreign state, that foreign state should have to pay the tab for those resources, not the American people.

Put more of the federal budget into Research and Development of new businesses, technologies and industrial production. Instead of bailout moneys to failing corporations and banks, a federal government should simply incentivize private enterprise to domestically compete more effectively in the global marketplace and provide more jobs for the massive underemployed populations of our country.  Small, competitive business is the key to this, not slow moving, elephant sized mega corporations. The government should NOT be the fastest growing enterprise in the country. Reduction and streamlining should be the mantra of the day. Free and open markets need to be re-enforced by government...not controls and more regulations. 

Governments cannot mandate or legislate morality. Morality comes from the core of the society...its families and local institutions such as schools...and yes even churches for those who need them to control their darker sides. Quit prohibitions such as the war on drugs...and reapply those funds and efforts to education, trade schools and medical/psychological care for addicts and substance abusers. The substances are only symptoms of the problem...not the problem. It is a false sense of order when order is based on laws and punishments. People have the potential to regulate their own behaviors in a society of true values, mutual responsibility and education. 

Social securities of all forms should be paid and settled at the local level with gaps working  their way up to the national level.  Instead we have created an inverted pyramid where 500+ federal legislators are responsible for all the welfare and problems of the whole country.  You have to break this up to where local communities and each state has more responsibility...and resources...to handle the social needs and economic gaps in their communities.  Washington DC has obviously shown its inability to handle the welfare state we have become.

The USA needs to become the most competitive tax country for doing business.  This means DECREASING versus INCREASING taxes on productive businesses and corporations. This also means EQUALLY taxing all industries and businesses.  The USA tax code is hideous and full of exceptions and reductions for special interests and cronies of politicos in Washington.  We need simplification of taxation and incentives to hire American workers...not more regulation and costs put on the back of business leaders.  You are killing the cow in order to get more milk!

We need reductions of Federal powers and turn their focus to simply protecting our borders and foreign interests of our citizens...the federal budget could probably be reduced in half...and most of these congresspeople can be part time, voluntary positions for SUCCESSFUL Americans who don't need to be paid to serve their country in leadership.  No lifetime entitlements or extraordinary POWERS for legislators.  No "Cadillac"  healthcare plans that their constituents can't also qualify for. This will bring the great leaders of our country forward, and send the cockroaches of cronyism scurrying back to the holes they came out of. 

There you have it:

• Balance the federal budget
• Reduce external military spending in the world
• Spend more on R&D for business and technology leadership in the world
• Stop trying to legislate morality...especially that which is based on religion
• Social programs should run from the local government level, not vice versa
• Become more tax competitive in the world
• Reduce Federal powers by keeping more leaders local and more in touch with their constituents instead of serving big money interests in DC

Sure...these points are simplified macros...but they are doable. The current government leaders of the USA cannot begin to turn things around in our country until they agree on the fundamentals.  With no fundamentals agreed upon, all the complicated detailed solutions they discuss and argue about have no chance of providing a long or permanent solution.

So...there you have it...my 2013 wish list of changes I would like to see if the USA government is to have any chance of recovery. Only by agreeing on the fundamentals for recovery do we have a chance for restoring peace, love and prosperity to a country of people who have lost their way towards liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Prohibition is profitable

I have been writing this in my mind bit by bit for years now. It has become very evident to me that based on the ¨war on drugs¨, increasing excise and VAT taxes on drugs, alcohol and tobacco... and the increasing incidences of money laundering...PROHIBITION IS PROFITABLE!

It is obviously difficult to prove any large system of collusion or clandestine collaboration behind modern day prohibition, yet it is hard NOT to think that so many of our institutions are in cahoots in the continued proliferation of programs designed to make drinking, drug use and smoking illegal or hyper controlled.

It is a given that my Libertarian life philosophy (not political as you might note) runs against the grain of today's commonly accepted practices of religious and state sponsored programming that condemns or vilifies the huge populations in our societies that choose to drink, smoke or use recreational drugs. I am in no way suggesting that it is preferable to use or abuse any substances so readily available in natures world. Yet, I think it prudent for us to admit that for THOUSANDS of years, mankind has enjoyed and been fascinated by the in-gestation of various substances that might bring momentary physiological and/or psychological changes to our existence that sometimes produces pleasant affects for the living. It is also my observation that many millions of the world`s inhabitants use such substances for pleasure or for social enhancement without totally obliterating the rest of their daily pursuits. Those of us who appreciate freedom and individual pursuit of happiness should support every human`s right to make their own choices on consumption of substances as long as they are not impinging on the rights of another human NOT to consume or have their life affected by those that do so.

The COST of the drug war on humanity is greater and more devastating than any of the costly wars being fought in Syria, Afghanistan and various Arab states. Here are a few stats to mull over on the COSTS of the ill advised "drug war". Just a few to highlight are:

Amount spent annually in the U.S. on the war on drugs: More than $51,000,000,000

Number of people arrested in 2011 in the U.S. on nonviolent drug charges: 1.53 million

In 2007, the cost of illicit drug use totaled more than $193 billion. Direct and indirect costs attributable to illicit drug use are estimated in three principal areas: crime, health, and productivity.

Crime includes three components: criminal justice system costs ($56,373,254,000), crime victim costs ($1,455,555,000), and other crime costs ($3,547,885,000). These subtotal $61,376,694,000.

Health includes five components: specialty treatment costs ($3,723,338,000), hospital and emergency department costs for non-homicide cases ($5,684,248,000), hospital and emergency department costs for homicide cases ($12,938,000), insurance administration costs ($544,000), and other health costs ($1,995,164,000). These subtotal $11,416,232,000.

Productivity includes seven components: labor participation costs ($49,237,777,000), specialty treatment costs for services provided at the state level ($2,828,207,000), specialty treatment costs for services provided at the federal level ($44,830,000), hospitalization costs ($287,260,000), incarceration costs ($48,121,949,000), premature mortality costs (nonhomicide: $16,005,008,000), and premature mortality costs (homicide: $3,778,973,000). These subtotal $120,304,004,000.

Taken together, these costs total $193,096,930,000, with the majority share attributable to lost productivity.

These costs above don't begin to touch the cost of destroyed lives who because of criminalization and felony convictions cannot get an education, job or find acceptance in society.  If you run the millions of incarcerated numbers above by the amount of welfare they must rely on upon reentering society...I'm sure those numbers would be staggering. I'm still looking for valid data on that front.

So...WHO profits from all these trillions spent or lost to the "drug war"...and why might they have selfish interests to maintain the devastating status quo? Well, lets see...lawyers and court systems gaining over $61 Billions per year in spoils of the "war".  Healthcare industry gaining over $11 Billion. And how about the $51 Billion that flow through the federal government coffers to "fight the war".  Where is this money going?  Who profits from that?  If you think about it clearly for just a couple minutes...you should understand why the institutions of the USA are so anxious to promote this war and pass more and more laws.

While I will not take space here to count the various cases in the world, please accept the fact that various governments and militaries of the world have been in COLLUSION with the illegal trafficking of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other "illicit" drugs. Do you think these government and military entities want to go without the budgets and profits that this "war" brings in?  Sure, billions are confiscated each year in various global locations in the "fight", but where do those billions go?  Do they burn up the cash, homes, cars, jewelry, bank accounts and other valuables confiscated from the illegal traders?  Of course not!  They go into various government coffers to "continue the good fight".

The "drug war" of today is the biggest "smoke and mirrors" issue in global politics.  There is no justice in the current laws and prohibitions! All we have done is take money OUT of the hands of users and sellers...and put them in institutional coffers world wide...to produce more guns and arms to control the world with...or continue lining the pockets of drug lords and cartels. There is no justice in these statistics produced by former President Jimmy Carter who while being a socially conservative religious leader has spoken out against the fallacy of "drug wars"...

• The Global Commission on Drug Policy reported that between 1998 and 2008, global use of opiates increased 34.5 percent, cocaine 27 percent, and cannabis 8.5 percent.
• Carter said when he left the presidential office in 1980, 500,000 people were incarcerated in America.  At the end of 2009, the number jumped to 2.3 million.  If the number of people on probation and parole are included, the figure totals 7.2 million people, or more than 3 percent of all US adults.
• In 2011, 50.8 percent of Federal inmates are incarcerated for drug offenses.  This compares to just 4.2 percent for robbery, 2.7 percent for homicide/assault/kidnapping, and 4.7 percent for sex offenses.
• Since the mid-1990s, violent crimes (murder, rape and sexual assault, robbery, and assault) and burglary have steadily declined.  What has skyrocketed is arrests for drug offenses.

While I am sure there are many justifications projected behind this institutional "war on drugs" that I am not aware of or even imagined yet...I don't need more proof or statistics than we have already stated to assure me that prohibition and drug wars are hurting the masses to the benefit of the institutions that manipulate them.  As former President Carter himself concluded and I agree with...

1. Decriminalize the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and add a full program to treat addicts.

2. Remove mandatory minimum sentencing and “three strikes you’re out” laws.

3. Don’t rely on controlling drug imports from foreign countries.  It doesn't work and is responsible for “a terrible escalation in drug-related violence, corruption and gross violations of human rights in a growing number of Latin American countries.”

4.  Experiment with legal regulation of drugs and thus take away the power of organized crime.

The 18 states in the USA who have legalized medical uses of Marijuana are starting in the right direction on this topic. It is time to take this issue out of the control of federal governments and organized crime.  This dance is only benefiting them...at a huge cost to the majority masses who either enjoy recreational drug use or don't really care about the issue.  Lets stop funding this unconstitutional and costly "war" that only organized crime and institutional governments are profiting from. This war can only be won by educating the masses, bringing values back to the home and family, giving people more productive things to do with their time and money than using drugs (such as perhaps a good job on the line making these substances?), and not victimizing or criminalizing users in the privacy of their own homes.  By decriminalizing drug use, we will bring millions of currently disenfranchised citizens back to more productive and inclusive citizenship. By decriminalizing drug use, we will have much more money for productive activities such as education, counseling, treatment centers instead of prisons...and just a basic advanced humanitarian approach to helping and supporting those who are addicts.

These decades of criminalization have not worked.  Let give peace and tolerance a chance to sort out this issue in our society.  Organized crime and Big Brother have had long enough to profit from the "war". Lets now take them out of the game and let markets and regulation of product quality and production determine the price and distribution of these substances.

Iraq thanks us...

In case you missed it, here is an article featuring the latest "thank you"  from our "friends" in Iraq. You know...the people we liberated from that tyrant Saddam Hussein at a cost of  "about $1.9 trillion...or $6,300 per U.S. citizen". Oh...and don't forget the cost of almost 5000 American lives.  Almost twice as many people as died on 9/11 in New York.

Now our Iraqi friends are one of the sole suppliers and supporters of the Syrian butcher President Bashar al-Assad. Are you still feeling good about our USA government's invasion of Iraq to get rid of "terrorists"?  Thanks Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Obama...

As every week and month unfolds more of the demise of American international foreign policy and interventions...my despise and abhorrent reaction grows deeper and more sure against my home country's government. They continue to spend our tax dollars and invest many future generations of our children's economic futures for the sake of these sick wars and interventions.  I truly believe 50-60 years from now history will find these governmental leaders and decisions to be the most ill advised and ludicrous examples of leadership in the history of the USA. 

An even sadder revelation is realizing that Iraq is working WITH Iran to support the oppressive government of Syria. What a sad outcome based on our national arrogance and irrational egos that continue to determine the fate of our country and economy in the face of these real facts and results.  This is the same game these Arab states have been playing against various USA administrations for decades now. When is enough enough?  When will someone in our country stand up against our government's wasted efforts and lack of understanding in the Middle East?

You are welcome Iraq. Enjoy your new found "freedom".  Excuse me while I go to the restroom to vomit in disgust.

Nice Guys Finish Last

The morning after the USA election and it looks like Obama at the helm for another 4 years. What does this tell us?

As mentioned in previous blogs this season, I have been openly critical of Mitt Romney and the Republicans not being able to muster more intellectual positions from which to take down a President I perceive as weak and inexperienced.  Yet, for all the hyperbole, dodging positions and outright falsehoods in this race, I think it primarily comes down to one thing. ¨Nice guys finish last¨.

During the 3 Presidential debates, Romney started out so strong...really throwing Obama and the Dems for a loop with his aggressive but rational style, not letting up on the incumbent president for a minute. In the second debate, Obama used some of the same medicine in defense towards Romney, and finally in the 3rd debate he had Romney agreeing with just about every decision he had made the past four years. To me this was cowardice and bad strategy for the challenger. I had the feeling he was surrounded by advisers who were overly calculating and risk averse. Romney of course had come out with some significant guffaws during the campaign...but finishing up the campaign trying to be the ¨nicest guy¨ in the room truly backfired in my opinion. Most of us were looking for fire and passion behind real answers and truth. Instead we got someone trying to be the next ¨Reagan¨...and that just doesn't work anymore.

You see this play out constantly in every day life. In all arenas of competition, it takes warrior style effort and passion to win.  In football, tennis, golf...most every sport demands total devotion and concentration on WINNING. There is no other acceptable outcome but to WIN.

I never felt that passion from Romney.  I think he is truly a nice guy.  He obviously has a nice big family and a supportive wife. He is RICH, which means he has won at some levels of the competition.  Yet, I don`t think he had the fire or passion sufficient to defeat Obama and the socialist agenda of the Democratic party. He did not galvanize the average American to get behind his leadership.

I also think we have seen the death of the religious right controlling American politics.  Personally I welcome this. I think average Americans have tired of combining appeals in religion and politics. It does not take a political position to decide what faith one believes in...and obviously people of ¨faith¨ do not necessarily make better political leaders.  Just look at Jimmy Carter and George Bush.  Both men of evangelical persuasions...yet in my book two of the weakest presidents of my lifetime.  Nice guys even...well, at least Jimmy Carter is.

Nice guy Romney unfortunately no longer serves as the ¨poster image¨ of what an American, or American president, is. America in just a few short decades has homogenized its racial and cultural heritage to finally include men and women of all colors and religions. WASPish Americans can no longer assume their power or control over the American democratic process. Hispanics and Independents have now registered their displeasure with that status-quo that assumes a white anglo saxon protestant is the defacto elite of America. Even in the back-doors of power...that to me being the bankers and billionaires that pull the politicians strings...multi-ethnicity is in...the white-man in the white hat is out. The system is now more controlled by immigrant bankers and global corporate industrialists such as George Soros and Rupert Murdock. These are not religious or principled men of distinction.  They are ruthless warriors with REAL money.

Today´s America no longer has tolerance of extremists or fundamentalists such as the religious right`s Pat Robertson or even Muslim extremists such as Louis Farrakan.  Today`s generation of independent Americans are looking for real solutions not based on old school slogan-ism or drinking Koolaid at the political trough of either main party. The world at large is tired of waiting for ¨trickle down¨ economics.  There are no more excuses for the richest nation on earth NOT to have some form of healthcare that covers all.  Obamacare may not be perfect...but obviously enough people want it so they reelect its author. If anything, Obama may have been very shrewd to tie his name to such legislation...since a majority of Americans are under or non insured.

And should we be surprised that a supposed darling of Wall Street like Mitt Romney should be rejected in his bid to lead the Federal government? It was Obama who rightly or wrongly bailed out all the big boys of Wall Street in 2008. It was Obama who amazingly has continued many of the Bush era policies of ¨fighting the war on terror¨, extending and even adding provisions to the unconstitutional ¨Patriot Act¨, and allowing the FED a free hand to keep the currency printing press going without limits. It seems to me Obama became an unintended Republican in many of his actions. I even heard a news commentator call him more of a ¨moderate Republican than a Progessive Democrat¨ yesterday. Wow.

And of course, very few mainstream Americans were attracted to the image and honest medicine of my last remaining political hero, Congressman Ron Paul. I truly believe that if Romney had been able to swallow his pride, shun the moneyed brokers behind him of the super conservative set, and had taken on more of the truthful change that Ron Paul stood for...he would have won the election.  But now we will never know.

What will be interesting to observe the next four years is how President Obama handles his power and his party.  Will he create a legacy of real leadership, do away with his tendency to try and please everyone, and really take his power seriously?  Does he truly have the people skills to work through the huge divides of Congress and the American people themselves to turn the economy around while still covering all his socialist agenda positions? I personally think he is going to have to ¨walk on water¨ in order to achieve that. For American´s sake, I hope he does.

Unfortunately, I tend to think we are going to have 4 more years of BIG government, increased regulations, government mandated redistribution via taxation...and less influence of the ¨white guys¨.  Nice guys finish last...and while I don't think the ultra conservatives in business or the Republican party are really nice guys...I think you will now see some real ugliness raise its head in this divided nation. The next civil war will not be between North and South, Black and White.  It is going to be the ¨Elite¨ against the growing masses of lower and middle class Americans...and nobody is going to be ¨nice¨ anymore. Atlas Shrugged...here we come.