What Will It Take to Wake Up American Voters

Here's an essay by Juan Cole of Informed Comment.Com.

He does a fine job  of summarizing how billionaires are calling all the shots. Somehow Americans have to wake up and smell the stink and vote the billionaires' puppet  politicians out of office.

The alternative over time would be "Aux Barricades".

Leanderthal

The War Queue

Here is an eye opening essay by Juan Cole,  publisher of Informed Comment.
It addresses the likelihood that our military/industrial complex has been, for years, demonizing  the leaders of countries which have oil reserves, and in so doing have created what amounts to a War Queue,  according to Cole.

The hawks in Congress, controlled by their military/industrial patrons, have wanted to keep war going, somewhere, all the time.

Call me a conspiracy nut if you like.  I think of myself as someone who is always leery of hidden agendas.

Leanderthal

Gone But Not Forgotten, I Hope

It's been months since I last posted; just couldn't get up for it for a while.  But here's an essay which I hope many will read.  If I sent a link to it via email it might be seen as spam by some.

One of the best reasons for a blog is that it provides a way to offer thoughts to others which they can access by choice as opposed to entering their world without their permission or invitation, which is what email does.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175751/tomgram%3A_lewis_lapham%2C_selling_death/#more

Lewis Lapham writes about death with humor, but still with a seriousness of purpose. A rare treat.

Leanderthal

Deaths from War and Deaths from non-war firearms

Here's a great column by Mark Shields which should, but won't, wake up the NRA terrorists to reality.

It needs no further comment by me.

Leanderthal

P.S.

I forgot to provided the link when I clicked Publish the first time.  Sorry.

The Second Amendment and Slave Patrols(Militias)

Here's a piece which should be broadcast all over the country because it brings up a  part  of our history which NRA types don't want  you to know.

Having lived and worked in  Atlanta, GA for many years, as a displaced New Englander, I observed first hand how bigoted many in the South still are.

Had Lyndon  Johnson not stuck his neck out for civil rights I suspect the South  would still be pretty much a segregated area of our country, in actuality, though it's still pretty much a segregated society.

Atlanta is a kind of oasis in the  South.  Go just a couple of miles outside of the metro area and  you will think you're back in  the early 1800's, culturally at least.

Leanderthal

Chuck Hagel For SecDef

Here's a great piece supporting Chuck Hagel's nomination for Secretary of Defense.

My last post was triggered by the hypocrisy of David Brooks who thinks he should be canonized for his gall at teaching journalism ethics at Harvard.

Well this piece doesn't canonize Mark Shields(no human should ever be considered a saint, in fact no clear thinking human should ever want to be considered a saint),
but I do recommend his clear reasoning for why Chuck Hagel should be confirmed as Secretary of Defense.

Ironically, Mark Shields quotes none other than John McCain on the horror and brutality of war.
Only a fraud or a fool would glorify war.

If and when you read this post, and others, and like them I would be most grateful if you would recommend this blog to your friends.  I'm not into converting right wing people, a fool's errand at best. I am into helping folks of a similar persuasion, progressives/liberals, know that they are not alone. 

Thanks for your support,

Leanderthal

I've been absent from blogging for several weeks, not because I wanted to but because I was so bored by suffering the fools of our Congress, that I couldn't get worked up enough to write, share what I think. 

Ironically, I've been reinvigorated by a fool.  Here's a piece by my favorite fool, David Brooks.  Why is he my favorite?  Because he has the gall to
brag that he is going to teach a course on humility at, I think, Harvard, I wonder why his alma mater, Princeton, is not going to host his revelations. 

One of my wisest of online friends suggests that he, of all people, needs to take that course. 

You have to read Brooks' column here to understand fully.

As always, I hope to get reactions.

Leanderthal