Saturday, January 19, 2008

And Still the Wars Grind On

Stewart mocks Bush's Middle East 'Bucket List'
(Raw Story, January 16, 2008)

The Wars Grind On - where's the media coverage?

We are approaching the 4000th death of United States troops in Iraq, nevermind the untold thousands who have come home with life-changing wounds and mental trauma that will likely haunt them for the rest of their lives, and yet, the media seems to have bought into the "surge is a smashing success" spin that is coming out of the White House. And according to that story line, no mention is made of the fact that the Iraqi government has met none of the political benchmarks for which the surge was supposed to provide cover.

Little mention of the wars that rage on is heard on the campaign trail as the topic du jour is the "economy stupid." May I remind the news heads and political junkies out there (of which I count myself) that there have been signs that Bush's ill-advised tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans would lead us down this path from the get-go? So now the chickens are coming home to roost, and we are supposed to be surprised that the trickle down economics popularized by Ronald Reagan and the obscene spending that Bush/Cheney's foreign policies have cost us are hurting our collective bottom line at home. Those of use who live basically paycheck to paycheck could have told the powers that be - had they bothered to ask - that this recession has been in the works for the last seven years. Those of us who struggle to pay our mortgages, fill up our gas tanks, and pay unexpected medical bills could have told those insulated jerks who live inside the beltway that this country has been in a recession for at least a year.

I guess that we should be excited that the feds may send us an extra few hundred dollars (a tax refund advance that we will no doubt have to pay taxes on later) this years when we file our tax returns. But once again, Bush/Cheney have missed the point. The point is that the current administration has been spending our money like a drunken sailor on wars that produce nothing worthwhile, but have greatly harmed our reputation in the world. They've spent their way into this mess and then they propose to spend their way out - this gang is clueless until the end.

It is my contention that no economic stimulus will make a dent in our recession or outright depression until the wars are ended and troops are brought home. I still maintain that it is not too late to bring impeachment charges against Bush and Cheney. They must go. They have committed many high crimes and misdeamenors.

Bush is busy palling around the Middle East waiving swords and holding hands with kings and shieks who suppress any dissident voice that may try to point out the utter lack of freedom in their respective countries. His apparent policy is peace through weapons as he brokered a 20 billion dollar weapons sale to Saudi Arabia. His lame attempt to try to turn a warmongering administration into a legacy of peacemaking is as transparent as it is impossible. Bush/Cheney's true legacy will obviously be hatred abroad and economic collapse at home. Thanks loads =(

Robert Fisk: Bloody reality bears no relation to the delusions of this President (The Independent, January 19, 2008)

How The Arab Press Sees Bush Trip (CBS News, January 13, 2008)

Joe Conason's piece on TruthOut: What They Call "Progress" in Iraq (January 16, 2008)

Another excellent article on TruthOut: What Is He [Bush] Capable Of? The Presidential Psychology at the End of Days (January 10, 2008)

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Help Pass Indian Health Care Legislation

Dear Loyal Readers of this Blog,
Excuse the recent foray into Native American issues, but in case you haven't noticed, nearer to my heart than even the Stephanie Miller Show, are all issues Native. And with the presidential election coverage in full swing, I want to be sure that voters do not forget or ignore issues that face the First Americans. To this end, I am posting the following e-mail that I sent, not to Stephanie Miller, but rather to Senators Coburn and Inhofe (two more obscene and wrong-minded individuals you are unlikely to meet). They are the senators from the state where I reside (Oklahoma) and although they are embarrassments to every thinking Oklahoman, they are our voices in the U.S. Senate, so I must contact them from time to time and attempt to remind them that they are supposed to represent all Oklahomans, not just the right-wing fringe that put them in office and whose values they carry with them to Washington D.C.

Here's the e-mail:
I am writing to urge you to support the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (S. 1200). The vote will likely take place next Tuesday, and I encourage you to vote to enact this important piece of legislation that will help this country keep its promises to the First Americans. The treaties that we signed with Native nations are more than just pieces of paper - they are the supreme law of the land and should be honored as such. This is not a handout; rather it is an obligation that we must honor with our actions. I urge you not only to support this important legislation, but also to pass it without amendments that might weaken the bill. I would appreciate knowing how you vote - I will be following your actions and I will vote accordingly in the fall. In a state that has such a significant Native population, I hope that you will honor the Federal Government's obligations to the Native people of this state and country and pass this bill without delay.

Friends Committee on National Legislation

U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

Bush Threatens to Veto Indian Health Care Bill

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Where Were the Questions from Native America?

Once again, I am disappointed. I sat down after a 12 + hour day at work and eagerly anticipated finally having a chance to hear a question from Indian Country posed to the Democratic candidates, and I was let down again. I can only imagine how the original inhabitants of this land must have felt when they saw the white settlers come over the rise onto land that the federal government had so recently promised would be theirs as long as the grass grows and the rivers run. It is a disappointment that runs so deep in a people, that it is almost expected, it is certainly the norm. I am ashamed of the history of mistreatment of the people who were here when our forebears first arrived on these shores. I am ashamed that even today, treaty responsibilities are dishonored, legal obligations are ignored, and proud communities across this country survive in poverty without the means to provide for their families.

Last night I thought, well. at least Native Americans will have a small voice in a big conversation - a chance to ask a question at a nationally-televised debate, the focus of which was African-Americans and Hispanics. No mention was made of the over two dozen tribes that make their homes in Nevada. The candidates mentioned absent African-American fathers, Hispanic workers and even made a few passing references to Asian-Americans, but not once did I hear a mention of the Western Shoshone people (on whose traditional homeland the much-discussed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository is located) nor any other Native nation that has been a part of this country since before we were a country. Tonight I am disappointed, angry, and sad, but it makes me vow to fight even harder for Natives' voices to be heard in the political arena. Indeed, When Indians Vote, America Wins!

Tonight's Democratic Debate - Watch It!

Tonight the Native American Network (NAN - a project of INDN's List Education Fund) in Nevada is preparing to make history for Indian Country by ensuring that the influence of Native caucus goers is THE story coming out of the nation's second caucuses. But they've already succeeded in making national political history. Native issues will, for the first time ever, be included in a nationally televised debate.

Tune in to MSNBC tonight, to see our presidential candidates debate some of the issues facing Indian Country. The debate will air at 8pm CST, 9pm EST.

After reading about an upcoming debate hosted by Hispanic and African American groups in Nevada, which will be televised live on MSNBC, State Director Louis Gray led the charge to include Native issues in the forum.

We couldn't be more excited to be making political history for Indian Country, and we want you with us. Tune in to MSNBC on January 15, and contribute today to ensure our success in Nevada and to allow us to move on to other critical battlegrounds in 2008!

On MSNBC, we'll be proving that When Indians Vote, America Wins!