sane time sane place

The final paragraph of the Aug 23rd post was a tongue-in-cheek stab at the media. The main point of the post was that the media were putting serious issues on the back burner in order to provide non-stop coverage of the Jon Benet Ramsey mess. The media had been reporting that terrorists were trying to eradicate the American way of life, and that the President of Iran wanted Israel removed from the map. The final paragraph did not reflect the beliefs of Billing Anders.

Terrorists, Islamic or not, are not bent on the destruction of the USA. They are not attempting to take freedoms away from Americans. This is not a "misery loves company" situation. Most terrorists come from nations wherein they do not control their destinies. Many of the states have totalitarian regimes supported by the USA (Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt to a slightly lesser degree, etc.). In my lifetime most terrorist attacks were designed to call attention to the plight of a particular group. There have been occasions when the attack went too far and was counterproductive to the terrorists' goals. The events of Munich in 1972 are such an example.

Americans should remember that in the 1770s the colonists who opposed British rule in America were essentially terrorists. The colonists' tactics in the Revolutionary War were considered to be terrorist in nature. Wars were not fought from behind trees and rocks. Armies marched onto the field of battle in an orderly fashion and followed rules. The Boston Tea Party was an act of terrorism.

As long as America continues to support regimes that stifle the opportunities for large segments of their populations, we will be reviled as an enabler. If America truly fought for global self-determination and democracy, it would be a different situation. The Bush administration is full of bluff and bluster about spreading freedom and democracy. This changes when the democratic process provides results that the Bush administration do not like-Hamas in Palestine, the presidential election in Iran, the defeat of Joe Lieberman in Connecticut.

The world is a mess. Israel is fighting Hezbollah and Hamas. The US is bogged down in Iraq. Iraqis' life span is less than it was under Saddam Hussein. China is still a Communist, totalitarian state. N. Korea may actually prove that they possess a nuclear weapon. There is the spectre of catastrophe due to rapid climate change. India and Pakistan are still enemies and both do possess nuclear weapons. There is still the chance of a global flu pandemic. Oil prices are still high enough to negatively impact middle and lower class Americans. Osama bin Laden is still alive. The Taliban are experiencing resurgence.

Sooooo, what is the number one news story? Jon Benet Ramsey. This is sick on so many levels. There is no reason for anyone outside of the Boulder, Colorado area to even know who Ramsey was. If we are going to make the murder of a child national news, then why not make the murder of EVERY child national news. And if Mr. Karr is seeking his Warholian 15 minutes of fame, why give him days and potentially weeks of fame?

To recap: Islamic terrorists are trying to destroy the USA. Iran wants Israel wiped off the map. But the real kicker is that a sexual predator ate prawn and drank champaign on a flight to the USA from Thailand.

In the wake of 9/11 all Americans became accustomed to hearing the date- 9/11 and the country-Iraq used in the same sentences. The September terrorist attacks were virtually never mentioned without the addition of the fact that Iraq constituted a threat. This low-brow form of brainwashing was very effective. An embarrassing number of Americans actually believed that Iraq was somehow involved in the events of 9/11. Sadly, the only connection was that the events of 9/11 created an environment which allowed the Bush administration to do what it wanted in Iraq. The same low-brow tactics are being employed again. During the monthlong conflict in Lebanon, the reportage was laced with mention of Iran and Syria. In 2001 America was attacked by al Qaeda resulting in the invasion of Iraq. In 2006 Israel was attacked by Hezbollah. The question remains- will the response ultimately be directed at Iran and Syria?

Wolf Blitzer is an idiot. There was a time when he would ask relatively tough questions and actually would try to get his interviewees to respond. Those days are long gone. Wolf will ask a pointed question which will be completely sidestepped, and Wolf will calmly move onto the next question. He doesn't even appear to listen to the answers. By any standards, Wolf is not a tough journalist. Last night he gave an embarrassing performance in which he actually tried (desperately) to create news. A reporter in northern Israel mentioned that 10 Katyusha rockets had landed in southern Lebanon. The IDF weren't particularly alarmed, and the rockets were not landing in Israel, and it wasn't certain that the rockets were fired by Hezbollah. In less than 5 minutes Wolf declared that the rockets were fired by Hezbollah, and that surely this would be the end of the fragile cease fire. Wolf tried for 15 minutes to make a major news story out of an event that didn't seem to bother anyone else very much.

What a surprising turn of events- the GOP are getting worried about November, and terrorism conveniently rears its ugly head again. It reminds me of the timely appearance of bin Laden shortly before the 2004 election. As November gets closer, we can expect the terrorist chatter to increase in volume. The fly in the ointment for the GOP this election is that the ostriches are pulling their heads out of the sand. Billy Bob Republicans are realizing that the misadventure in Iraq has made the threat of terrorism worse, and that the Bush administration has done little to actually make Americans safer. Hopefully these same Billy Bobs will start to wake up to the fact that the only tangible accomplishments of this administration have been to make the wealthy ultra-wealthy, and the ultra-wealthy- obscenely wealthy. Corporations have been coddled and now pay the lowest percentage of taxes in history.

I wonder if I am the only person confused by the fact that I now have to watch paid advertising for Boeing, McDonald-Douglass, etc. How many American TV viewers are in the market for an airliner- or a bomber for that matter.

Silly silly boys. The same morons who have been boasting that they have decimated the structure of al Qaeda are now claiming that the London plot has all the markings of an al Qaeda attack. Meanwhile, terrorism experts are explaining that al Qaeda has become more of a movement than an organization. The GOP will use terrorism as their rallying cry for the November elections. Polls show that the majority of Americans now believe that the war in Iraq has made us more vulnerable to terrorism, and has strengthened the terrorist groups. Hence, the war in Iraq has hurt our efforts in the war on terrorism. If the GOP is going to hold on to the House and the Senate they will have to resort to the tactics employed in 2000, 2002 and 2004- they'll have to cheat. They'll use an enhanced version of the Diebold strategy.

It's not easy being sane and rational in the traditionally red state of Indiana. There are still a large number of Bush supporters who refuse to face the facts as regards the current administration. Here in the Midwest there are people who actually believe that the estate tax is a "death tax" that applies to everyone. There are people who believe that Iraq was involved in 9/11. Indiana is also the state that has seen the complete eradication of representative democracy. Our ex-Bushie governor has pushed through legislation that the majority of Hoosiers (natives of Indiana) opposed. There are Hoosiers who believe that our elected representatives are not supposed to serve their constituencies, but to do what they consider best for the voters. Daylight Savings Time was passed because a Republican state representative thought the governor would be embarrassed if the measure was voted down. It did not matter that Rep. Woodruff's entire constituency opposed DST, he cast the vote which put the bill over the top. 75% of Indiana's voters were opposed to the governor's "Major Moves" initiative and yet it too was enacted by the legislature. One of the first things that our wonderful governor Daniels did was to eliminate the Department of Commerce and replace it with an economic development corporation. He also revamped the Bureau of Motor Vehicles by filling all the top positions with ex-executives from a sporting goods chain. The BMV has now become so inept that the State Police can't use the state's records or data base when trying to run license plate numbers. Indiana is a microcosm of the demise of the entire nation.

Pat Robertson is Uncle Buddy from "Skinny Legs and All". Pat Robertson is in Jerusalem waiting for the return of Christ. He spoke glowingly on CNN about his love and respect for the Jewish people and referred to them as God's chosen people. He didn't bother to mention that when Christ returns these same Jewish people will be forced to choose between conversion to Christianity or eternal damnation. It is unclear at this time whether Pat is part of a plot to blow up the Dome on the Rock.

Israel has repeatedly bemoaned the loss of innocent lives as a result of their current military conflict with Hezbollah. They have justified their actions by stating that the Hezbollah militants set up in civilian areas to fire their rockets at Israel. Israel correctly claims that the Lebanese civilians are being used as human shields. There are some problems with this explanation. Israel admits that the Hezbollah militants immediately relocate after firing their salvos of Katyusha rockets. If that is the case, then what is the rationale for bombing the civilians in the areas where the rockets were fired? The Hezbollah fighters would have already left the area. Considering that more children have been killed than combatants, perhaps the Israelis should reconsider their tactics.

Senator Lieberman has again demonstrated that his personal agenda is more important than his party affiliation. In 2000 he hurt the Democratic Party by running both for VP and Senator. In the week leading up to yesterday's primary, Lieberman gained ground in the polls by asserting his "Democrat-ness", and trying to distance himself from President Bush. Having lost the primary, he now plans to run in November as an Independent. He insists that his allegiance to the state of Connecticut trumps his allegiance to the Democratic Party. If he truly cared about his state he would abandon politics and make an obviously needed career change.