Mars mission brings back memories of the greatness of America!

It was back in the 1960's when I was working on government contracts related to Mariner and Viking Mars missions. At that time I was a Chemical Technician analyzing the materials in the Heat Shield under a contract awarded to Avco Corp. Space and Missile Division in Lowell Mass. The idea of working on these programs as well as the Apollo program, gave much pride to all of us. Even today when we meet someone who also worked on these programs we greet them with admiration and a special connection. It was an inspirational time. One felt the country was doing something for mankind and there would be benefits for all, in years to come. The thing that I remembered most was the contrast of these activities and the positive feelings they produced versus those pursuits related by others to waging war. Today, it is the same contrast and awareness for me on this Memorial Day.

Congratulations to all who touched this successful Phoenix Mars program for your ingenuity, for advancing the knowledge of mankind, and to pursue creative science for peaceful purposes, other than war.

Iraq, War & Politics: I'm tired! Are you?

I guess after General Petraeus's report to Congress today along with one from Ambassador Ryan Crocker, I am a bit exhausted. It was 6 plus hours of testimony where the outcome had been decided in advance by both sides of the debate. It wasn't even covered by major networks. I had to watch it on C-Span. Both men were articulate, although not as informative as many wanted. To be honest, we are in this war past the 2008 election, as nothing will take place to get us out. I don't like it, but I am going to live with it.

Why you ask? I'll give you the best reasons I can. First of all, I'm tired of the whole thing. I have been disappointed by this President, VP and entire Administration for the continued subversion of the Constitution. I am tired that only one or two Republican leaders like Sen. Chuck Hagel, Sen. John Warner and Rep. Ron Paul, haven't put their party ahead of the country and the Constitution. And I am tired of the impotent Democrats who removed their saber tooth after getting a majority in the last election and must have checked it, along with their spines, at the door of Congress and the Senate.

I'm tired of trying to convince the public through my writings here to mobilize and get involved while they are too busy with taking their kids to school, shopping at Wal-Mart, working at their jobs relentlessly each week. I'm tired of trying to convince others that they can make a difference because they truly don't care.

So here's where I'm coming out of this. If the Military families, who bear the greatest sacrifice for the consequences of this war, aren't protesting in the streets in significant numbers, and we don't have an Army that is going AWOL in mass, then I say keep at it this war and let's focus instead on Britany Spears or some good entertainment like the new Fall schedule of shows. Then we'll be close to Christmas shopping, which always starts before Thanksgiving. Before you know it we will be enjoying the next summer. Wake me up on November 3rd, 2008 so I can vote on November 4th, 2008. I feel better now, almost rested. But then, there’s tomorrow.

Whose mess is it to solve? Iraq, Infrastructure, Social Security

Given the current troop levels in Iraq, the extended tours of duty our troops have undergone this past year and comments from many generals that are retired and can freely speak their mind, we are more exposed than ever in defending America. Should there be a need to address our treaty obligations with other countries in the world, we are in peril of being defeated as a Nation, unthinkable just 7 years ago. But it is a real concern today.

No matter whether you are for continuing this war, whether you think we did the right thing going after Saddam, or whether you think we should never have gone into Iraq in the first place, our military resources are in a state of disarray, needing repair or replacement. The only war we could fight now is one where we only could use the Navy and Air Force.

What does this mean for the future of this country? It means that for the next decade, we will need to rebuild the military. That means that we will have increased Military budgets and no money left at a time when we can ill afford a recession. WE have painted ourselves into a corner that we will not be able to get out of. And we have done this while our own currency has dropped over 30% in real value as compared to the Euro, over the past 5 years. We have pressing problems to address such as rebuilding worn infrastructure in this country such as bridges and roads, funding and securing Social Security system, ensuring Medicare doesn't go bankrupt, addressing the countries needs in Education to ensure our competitiveness in the world, and finally addressing our own homeland security by securing our own borders from terrorists who wish to come here and destroy our way of life. This, at a time, when the influx of both legal and illegal immigrants are swelling our cities, putting strains on our healthcare system and causing deep divides between us. This is causing many to rethink our entire attitude of whether we are a place in the world that is still open to immigrants to come and partake in the great American dream or will we close our doors and become anti immigrant.

Many of these issues have been facing us for decades. But over the past 6-7 years President Bush, Vice President Cheney and the rest of this Administration has squandered our resources, decreased our ability to respond effectively to crisis here at home (i.e. Hurricane Katrina) by using our National Guard in Iraq, and have divided our country to such a degree that permanent damage may have been done in our ability to come together once again as a Nation and word together in a bipartisan way for the good of the country.

Is there a solution to this problem? I don't know. We will definitely have another chance and I pray to God that we have a leader that is truly someone who can work for the betterment of the people here and the country. But in this poisoned environment, it will not happen going down the same paths we choose daily to engage each other. It will take something to jar our conscience into rethinking our choices and raising the level of discourse so that we listen to the wise elders in our midst.

We had a chance back on September 11, 2001. We were united then, as was the world. Unfortunately it may take another tragedy to give us one more chance before our luck has run out. Will it be written by historians that as the last superpower standing after winning the Cold war, that we threw away our chance to be the Nation most admired, loved and praised in the world. The choice is in our hands to decide. The problem is that we have hitched our wagon on greed and the almighty dollar and on actions that divide us economically, socially and spiritually.

In the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, staring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, one scene particularly stands out to me. The scene was when faced with choosing the cup used by Christ, when the greedy evil character chose the wrong cup, tasted the water from the fountain and since it was NOT the cup of Christ, melted and dissolved before our eyes, the Knight exclaimed, "He chose poorly!" Then Harrison Ford looked at all the cups on the table, picked the one he thought might have been the one from a poor carpenter, as was Christ, and dipped it into the fountain and drank from it, wondering if he too had chosen poorly was surprised that the water was fine. Then the Knight exclaimed, "You chose wisely!"

That is what we must do. Not just when we elect our candidates from each party for this election for their Primary. We must start now by getting involved as if this were really our country, our choice as to our future. It's time we stop blaming our elected officails, as WE voted, them into their office. WE must blame ourselves and do something about it. I know you don’t feel that the rest of the free world depended on you to make the right choices, but it does rely on each of us. I'm to blame as much as anyone else. Remember, we can't fix something unless WE own it. The first step of the 12 Step process is admitting we have been in Denial as individuals, that we have given away our power and choices to change things, especially when less than 50% of us actually vote in any election and that a mere 26% of us choose who will become our next President. We must admit that this is our problem to fix, NOT someone elses! Don't like the debates? Start providing better questions to them to ask. Write to your candidates or during this campaign season, go where they are and have the courage to ask your question to them.

Vietnam and Iraq -Bush learns lessons from history. From what school?

President Bush’s speech at the VFW Convention in Missouri was laced with comparisons between Iraq today and the Vietnam war ( link to BBC story) and that the lessons of history for him were many such as, "The price of America's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens." Mr. Bush, you still don't get it. If we didn't go in to Iraq in the first place, we wouldn't be discussing your premise that we can't leave. Your arguments for staying in Iraq are irrational and illogical and demeaning to intelligence of the American people.

Also in the speech Bush had warned "a US withdrawal from Iraq could trigger the kind of upheaval seen in South East Asia after US forces quit Vietnam." Mr. President again you don't get it. The kind of upheaval in the Middle East today has been caused by your invasion in the first place and to end the upheaval, we must leave. Listen to the well-respected fellow Republican Senator John Warner. He has been the military's most ardent supporter. He says we should announce we are reducing troop levels in a few weeks. Of course Mr. President, you are not moved by reality but by your own version of truth. And since you have lied to us so often and with the repetition of someone not wanting us to forget the message, even you have come to believe those lies as dogma. I don't know which God you truly pray to, but that God seems to love war, not be compassionate to those truly suffering, and is strange bedfellows with the almighty dollar. If I remember sir, aren't those the attributes of the one driven out of heaven?

Even your earlier suggestion, that the Iraqi people should consider replacing their leader because their government wasn’t working for the benefit of the people and that Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Maliki wasn’t getting the various constituencies to form needed compromises, was an interesting idea. Can you give us some ideas as to how we could get you replaced too, as obviously we are having similar problems right here in the good ole US of A. under your leadership or lack thereof?

Bush, War and History

The basic backdrop for a speech to be delivered to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) convention in Missouri today is the following headline, "Bush: History to prove Iraq war worth it". There are two things certain about History. The first being, yes, there is always debate about wars, but that's because individuals still alive have a biased viewpoint depending on whether they supported the war in the first place or didn't. Secondly, there will be no doubt when the history is written, that this President, President Bush, will be recorded as the worst President the United States ever had in its history, even if that history is written 500 years from now.

I hope and pray that the populace of the United States, learns and reads history so that we never repeat voting for a President that was an addict again. The main theme of an addict is denial, and the record was set on the number of times he would be in a state of denial, when this President first took office and never will be broken. He lives in a constant state of denial and, as a Nation, we are all far worse off for it.

I have considered reading several devaint newpapers or rag sheets as they are often called. You might ask "Why?" Investigative reporters should spend some of their time exposing addictions of our Presidential candidates. Then they would truly be serving the public interest. Maybe I really should start reading the NY Daily Post or Enquirer as my source of knowledge of these candidates. Watching the debates or reading political articles from Main Street media aren't helping expose their faults.

Pro-Life and War: Republican's moral dilemma

Listening to the debate late last night, I couldn't help but see the nonsense of the comments by most Republicans that they are Pro-Life and want to consider preemptive strikes with countries like Iran that "may be a threat" to the U.S. How can you be pro-life and be so for war. It is illogical and an inconsistent position. The amazing thing is how many people swallow the Kool-Aid and can’t see the hypocrisy in that stand. Looks like a re-reading of the Bible is in order, especially the part that says, "Thou shalt not kill!"

I also noted how there was definitely Critical Parent candidates heavily represented by the Republican field of candidates. (For a definition of Critical Parenting candidates read this previous post.

Why an increase of attacks on US and Iraqi forces?

Listen to this quote and you'll know why: "The escalation in attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces as well as the upsurge in violence particularly in the Province of Diyala is due to “the great number of orchards’, according to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki."

It is also reported that, "Thousands of families are fleeing Baaquoba as well as other areas and for some there is almost nowhere to go.

Violence has in fact surged in Iraq since U.S. and Iraqi forces began their security campaign to subdue Baghdad almost three months ago.

As the troops focused their attention on subduing Baghdad, the outlying towns and villages in addition to several other areas fell to Qaeda."

For the story click here.

Iraq funding needs to be tied to benchmarks- For the Administration and the Iraqi's

Democrats have made their point about funding the war and tying it to a date for withdrawal of U.S. troops. The President is expected to veto this Bill next week, possibly on Tuesday, the anniversary of Bush's Mission Accomplished moment in flight gear. But after the President vetoes the Bill, Democrats and the President are back to square one. Many have called for this next round of confrontation to be linked to successes and benchmarks for the Iraqi's. I suggest also that they be tied to President Bush and the effort for a diplomatic solution. There needs to be measured progress in meeting with the parties in the region such as Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as efforts to resolve, once and for all, the Israeli/Palestinian issue and push for a 2 State solution. This is something worth pursuing even while benchmarks are difficult to establish. At least there should be a prerequisite that minimally there be monthly meetings with the regional parties with the Goal of a framework for peace in the region. Jim Baker could be appointed as Middle East Special Diplomat in charge of negotiations, as he knows many of the players, is a Republican and has the necessary skills to pull this off.