Post by Nathan Morrison on Oct 9, 2006 21:26:14 GMT -5
The State of The Nation, And The Road Ahead
October 10th, 2006, 7:15PM California Time
Pictured: Armageddon is now a live action video game, called
'World War 3, Black Gold' It seems to me that our present Administration is treating war way too much like a game, while our nation and our world suffers for their ignorance.
Image Credit: bonusweb.idnes.cz/preview/worldwar3p.html
'The Path Ahead Lies In Fated Ruin...' - From the Unpublished Novel, 'Xin'
The State of The Nation, And The Road Ahead
At the time of the State of the Union Address, many articles hit the internet discussing the actual state of the union, and discussing the facts that the President chose to overlook in his speech. While I am thankful for such journalistic integrity on behalf of my fellow news commentators, I feel that now, before the coming elections, it is time to bring those facts up again for review. We must not allow ourselves to wait until after the time for decisions is over, before we begin to discuss the state our nation has found itself in. We must take a cold hard look at where we are, whether we like it or not, before we can examine the journeys yet to come.
Our nation, first and foremost, still today has not found the means to provide healthcare to it's citizens, as an alternative to the overpriced plans manufactured by big pharma. We as citizens have a clear interest in seeing an affordable healthcare option emerge, that is stable, and under the balancing control of a federal government agency, with provisional oversight as an inherent part of the package. We as citizens have a clear interest in seeing OUR money, that WE pay in taxes, come back to US, in the form of medical care, when needed. We as humans have come to understand that taking care of our own is good policy. Our leaders should reflect this view, and not attempt to dissuade us of the notion. Any politician attempting to argue against a comprehensive healthcare package, should be examined very carefully. Let us find out where they'd like our tax dollars to go instead, exposing their actual imperatives. Affordable healthcare is a right of the people. We, the people, claim it as our own. Currently, affordable healthcare does not exist in this nation, and we are subjected to the whims of executives when attempting to heal our wounded. It does exist in many other countries, including Canada, Great Britain and Japan.
Our nation itself is not fully functional, with at least 2 major cities lying in desolation. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the collapse of the levee system, federal funds designated for disaster recovery were diverted by Trent Lott and Haley Barbour into a railroad project and coastal commercial development program. To this very day, there are American Citizens, men, women, and children, living in FEMA trailers covered in molds and infectious spores.
'Blame the local government?' This is the current sweetheart argument of the right, and has been since the disaster. This statement by the right acknowledges the right's lack of comprehension of the situation in reality. The actual DISASTER was the lack of federal recovery aid and the lack of management of that aid. The actual DISASTER that hit New Orleans was the levee collapse, and thousands died or became instantly and permanently homeless as a direct result of specific actions taken by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers during and immediately following the storm. The President of the United States continued on to San Diego to attempt to play a musical instrument while the city of New Orleans ripped itself apart in the wake of the storm. It has not since recovered.
'Ground Zero', the footprint of the twin towers, buildings #1 and 2, are still an empty echoing chasm of death and despair without reason or explanation. What once was the very center of World Trade, now is a parking lot, that houses nothing. The pain and anguish felt by the victims of 9.11, the frustration at not being able to convene an independent investigation, and the questions that remain unanswered (or answered with blatant lies contradicted by simple physics), lay trapped within this emptiness. It is inexcusable, that on this day in late fall 2006, that Manhattan has not been allowed to heal. For those who have been to NYC, you know it is alive. Those who have not experienced the city for themselves may think such a statement mad. It is not madness, but a subtle truth. The city itself is a living, breathing, feeling entity. It is in pain, it's people are in pain, it's economy is in pain, and it's spirit is in pain. We must allow Manhattan to heal, and the victims of 9.11 to find the truth behind the attacks that killed their loved ones.
Detroit, Michigan now stands in complete ruin. The auto-industry has now completely abandoned it's stated objectives of providing affordable and reliable transportation to the people, and has betrayed the skilled and powerful union work force that brought Detroit to life, in favor of inexpensive labor and standards that cater directly to the Oil Industry. If you have not seen Detroit, go. Look. Feel. There are skyscrapers, right smack in the middle of downtown, with boarded up windows and no (legal) occupants. One by one, our nation's most influential and powerful cities are beginning to fall into chaos and ruin. We are witnessing the death of an era in American History, and our current leadership seems content to allow this era to die, while introducing NOTHING in it's place. We outsource, we relocate, we find new ways to cut production costs at the expense of our own citizens. This is the state of our nation today. It is a reflection upon the current congress and executive branch, with absolute certainty.
The Armed Forces of the United States of America have been completely and utterly abused for the past 6 years. From the Generals at the top chain of military command, who were completely ignored and summarily fired when attempting to avoid the conflict we see today in Iraq, all the way down to the bottom, where Army soldiers were ordered to conduct the sort of interrogations evident at Abu Graib. The bulk of our Armed Forces, and even our National Guard and Reserve Troops, have been dedicated to the ongoing conflict in the middle east. Even as nations ally themselves in apprehension of a future conflict with the U.S. (I.E. The Recent Russia, China, Iran negotiations), and as dictators (such as North Korea's figurehead) develop and test nuclear weapons, our leaders continue to plot the extension of an American arm into the middle eastern oil empire. This is the state of our Armed Forces, depleted, overextended, and exhausted. The bodies of our troops return to private Air Force hangars, and are hidden from public view rather than regarded as heros for serving when called. Such is the authenticity of this war, that it cannot stand the test of public scrutiny. Our men and women are stationed in a combat situation with no clear objective, and are constantly on the move and exposed to attack, as opposed re-inforcing a stable command position that can actually be defended. Our Forces belong within our borders. These brave men and women dedicated their lives to protect our nation, they did not sign up to conquer and occupy the nation of another.
One of the main reasons our Armed Forces have been so misused, is that after ignoring the advice of the Generals, this administration then also chose to ignore relevant data from it's intelligence agencies, in it's lust for war. The public might not ever have known that the CIA's investigations had not found evidence of a nuclear weapons program, had it not been for (Former U.S. Ambassador) Joseph Wilson's public account of the data in an editorial article. This administration not only ignored the findings submitted by Ambassador Wilson (submitted officially, and resulting from an officially sanctioned trip to Niger), but then further attempted to damage Mr. Wilson personally by exposing the identity of his wife, Valerie Plame, who was at that time working for the CIA as a NOC (Non-Official Cover Operative) on the nuclear weapons capabilities of Iran. Exposing Plame by default exposed the CIA front company Plame 'worked' for overseas, Brewster Jennings. This action was deliberate, and authorized by both Bush and Cheney, these facts are on the public record, from the mouth of the President himself. This action was treason. In addition, our intelligence agencies, and the operations they conduct on a clandestine basis are THE eyes and ears of America abroad. Exposing such an operation is not only treason, it's just plain stupid. This is the current state of our Nation, as the Executive Branch attempts to pass legislation to excuse it's acts, and continues to ignore the Constitution and FISA, this is the fork in the road at which we currently speak.
The Patriot Act, an unconstitutional document, given absolutely no validity by the constitution, continues to serve as the playbook for Alberto Gonzales as our right to privacy has been completely lost.
The GOP controlled congress is falling apart, as each individual member has his personal dirty laundry aired in the public light of day. Child Molesters, False Prophets, and Subservients of the Bush Regime they are, to a man. Is there even one single republican left in this country that you personally would trust with your own life? If your answer is no, as mine seems to be, then ask yourself by extension, is there any Republican left in this country you would trust the lives of your family to, the lives of your town, the lives of your state, or of your country? The lives of your planet?
It is time for a change America. We are in fact long overdue. No more need we punish ourselves for this mess, we were brought here by the Bush Administration and the GOP Congress that supported his every move. There is no question of this conclusion, history has recorded each and every step along the way, at times against the will of the mainstream media. Citizen journalists, from all walk of life, and from many nations
have gathered here under this banner to see the truth told. And we will see it told. This is the state of our Nation, and it's people.
It is not only the humans of America that are suffering under this Administration's blind foolishness. Currently, I am sitting on a mountain in the Sierra Nevadas. For geographical reference, I am somewhere between Carson City, Nevada, and Sonora, California, stopped on the side of the highway at the top of the world. I can see for many hundred miles from this vantagepoint. From this angle, I can see bare hilltops,
where once there was forest. These areas stand naked, in stark contrast to the healthy pines surrounding them. The number of barren hilltops, and plateau in view from this particular spot has increased over the years I've stopped here for a brief respite. True, there are still more trees than cleared areas, but the overall effect we are having on this precious natural resource is overwhelmingly obvious. At our current rate of wood consumption, within my lifetime these mountains will be bare. This is completely unacceptable in our current society of high technology, where paper has been virtually eliminated from the offices of Americas large cities.
There is a myth floating about, that logging is somehow 'selective' and that the only trees that are cleared are those that should be cleared to prevent wildfires from raging beyond control. Ladies and Gentlemen, while such clearing is indeed prudent, the logging that occurs in Northern California is by no means selective. Entire areas are cleared when the loggers take a job. Stumps are left, an enormous acreage of stumps, while entire trunks of various diameters find their way down the long highway on the back of an enormous truck. I ask you this, as a person, as an individual:
'Do You Need Wood At All?'
Think about it for a moment, please take some time to reflect on our planet's most needed resource. I've thought about it in much depth, and have come to this conclusion. I need wood for two things,
I need to burn it in a fire on cold nights in the mountains, when other means of heat are unavailable. I need to breathe the oxygen it creates while still a living breathing being.
I do not need it to write, I have electronics that are capable of handling my writing needs. I do not need it to read, as all media and many if not all books are being published online as well, and many in audio format even.
I do not need it to transport goods, as I have a basket I can use for groceries that is mine and can come home with me each and every time I shop.
I do not need it to build my residence, as alternative, and more lasting construction materials are readily available.
This final example, I believe illustrates the overall decay of our nation today the most visually. On this day, from here on the mountaintop, it seems that mankind has forgotten the most basic of its own needs, in it's haste for conquest and dominance over everything we see.
The state of our nation has suffered, due to the lack of our leaders having an adequate response to any of the above listed issues, and a lack of foresight to have prevented them from first coming about. Our leaders further lack the dignity to resign, for the good of America, in the face of their blatant multiple failures, which to me as a citizen is personally disgusting.
We are choking our cities of their lifesblood, their economies, and their self esteem as members of the 'production/manufacturing' industry. We are choking our people by not allowing them to heal, not allowing them to investigate, not allowing them to answer the questions that matter most of all. We are choking our defenses, by extending ourselves where we are weak while not defending where we need to be strong. Further, we are choking our intelligence agencies, by direct treason, a not only criminal but completely stupid act.
'To cut out ones own eyes so as not to see...'
We are choking our citizens, by removing and restricting their constitutional rights.
We are choking ourselves quite literally as a people, by completely ignoring the very beings that create and renew this precious small supply of crisp, wonderful oxygen-nitrate we call Earth's atmosphere, and by glancing the other way as their still fresh bodies pass us stacked together on a truck on those lonely mountain highways.
This is the state of our nation, ladies and gentlemen. This is where our current leadership has brought us. I will follow up this article at some point this week with part 2, 'The Road Ahead'. I thank you for your time, and for your consideration of my thoughts before making your final decisions this election cycle.
-Nathan Morrison is a Political News Columnist for Powers&Morrison.com For further information on this or any article printed herein, please contact: Morrison@PowersAndMorrison.com
www.libertyinchaos.powersandmorrison.com
_____________________________________
October 10th, 2006, 7:15PM California Time
Pictured: Armageddon is now a live action video game, called
'World War 3, Black Gold' It seems to me that our present Administration is treating war way too much like a game, while our nation and our world suffers for their ignorance.
Image Credit: bonusweb.idnes.cz/preview/worldwar3p.html
'The Path Ahead Lies In Fated Ruin...' - From the Unpublished Novel, 'Xin'
The State of The Nation, And The Road Ahead
At the time of the State of the Union Address, many articles hit the internet discussing the actual state of the union, and discussing the facts that the President chose to overlook in his speech. While I am thankful for such journalistic integrity on behalf of my fellow news commentators, I feel that now, before the coming elections, it is time to bring those facts up again for review. We must not allow ourselves to wait until after the time for decisions is over, before we begin to discuss the state our nation has found itself in. We must take a cold hard look at where we are, whether we like it or not, before we can examine the journeys yet to come.
Our nation, first and foremost, still today has not found the means to provide healthcare to it's citizens, as an alternative to the overpriced plans manufactured by big pharma. We as citizens have a clear interest in seeing an affordable healthcare option emerge, that is stable, and under the balancing control of a federal government agency, with provisional oversight as an inherent part of the package. We as citizens have a clear interest in seeing OUR money, that WE pay in taxes, come back to US, in the form of medical care, when needed. We as humans have come to understand that taking care of our own is good policy. Our leaders should reflect this view, and not attempt to dissuade us of the notion. Any politician attempting to argue against a comprehensive healthcare package, should be examined very carefully. Let us find out where they'd like our tax dollars to go instead, exposing their actual imperatives. Affordable healthcare is a right of the people. We, the people, claim it as our own. Currently, affordable healthcare does not exist in this nation, and we are subjected to the whims of executives when attempting to heal our wounded. It does exist in many other countries, including Canada, Great Britain and Japan.
Our nation itself is not fully functional, with at least 2 major cities lying in desolation. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the collapse of the levee system, federal funds designated for disaster recovery were diverted by Trent Lott and Haley Barbour into a railroad project and coastal commercial development program. To this very day, there are American Citizens, men, women, and children, living in FEMA trailers covered in molds and infectious spores.
'Blame the local government?' This is the current sweetheart argument of the right, and has been since the disaster. This statement by the right acknowledges the right's lack of comprehension of the situation in reality. The actual DISASTER was the lack of federal recovery aid and the lack of management of that aid. The actual DISASTER that hit New Orleans was the levee collapse, and thousands died or became instantly and permanently homeless as a direct result of specific actions taken by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers during and immediately following the storm. The President of the United States continued on to San Diego to attempt to play a musical instrument while the city of New Orleans ripped itself apart in the wake of the storm. It has not since recovered.
'Ground Zero', the footprint of the twin towers, buildings #1 and 2, are still an empty echoing chasm of death and despair without reason or explanation. What once was the very center of World Trade, now is a parking lot, that houses nothing. The pain and anguish felt by the victims of 9.11, the frustration at not being able to convene an independent investigation, and the questions that remain unanswered (or answered with blatant lies contradicted by simple physics), lay trapped within this emptiness. It is inexcusable, that on this day in late fall 2006, that Manhattan has not been allowed to heal. For those who have been to NYC, you know it is alive. Those who have not experienced the city for themselves may think such a statement mad. It is not madness, but a subtle truth. The city itself is a living, breathing, feeling entity. It is in pain, it's people are in pain, it's economy is in pain, and it's spirit is in pain. We must allow Manhattan to heal, and the victims of 9.11 to find the truth behind the attacks that killed their loved ones.
Detroit, Michigan now stands in complete ruin. The auto-industry has now completely abandoned it's stated objectives of providing affordable and reliable transportation to the people, and has betrayed the skilled and powerful union work force that brought Detroit to life, in favor of inexpensive labor and standards that cater directly to the Oil Industry. If you have not seen Detroit, go. Look. Feel. There are skyscrapers, right smack in the middle of downtown, with boarded up windows and no (legal) occupants. One by one, our nation's most influential and powerful cities are beginning to fall into chaos and ruin. We are witnessing the death of an era in American History, and our current leadership seems content to allow this era to die, while introducing NOTHING in it's place. We outsource, we relocate, we find new ways to cut production costs at the expense of our own citizens. This is the state of our nation today. It is a reflection upon the current congress and executive branch, with absolute certainty.
The Armed Forces of the United States of America have been completely and utterly abused for the past 6 years. From the Generals at the top chain of military command, who were completely ignored and summarily fired when attempting to avoid the conflict we see today in Iraq, all the way down to the bottom, where Army soldiers were ordered to conduct the sort of interrogations evident at Abu Graib. The bulk of our Armed Forces, and even our National Guard and Reserve Troops, have been dedicated to the ongoing conflict in the middle east. Even as nations ally themselves in apprehension of a future conflict with the U.S. (I.E. The Recent Russia, China, Iran negotiations), and as dictators (such as North Korea's figurehead) develop and test nuclear weapons, our leaders continue to plot the extension of an American arm into the middle eastern oil empire. This is the state of our Armed Forces, depleted, overextended, and exhausted. The bodies of our troops return to private Air Force hangars, and are hidden from public view rather than regarded as heros for serving when called. Such is the authenticity of this war, that it cannot stand the test of public scrutiny. Our men and women are stationed in a combat situation with no clear objective, and are constantly on the move and exposed to attack, as opposed re-inforcing a stable command position that can actually be defended. Our Forces belong within our borders. These brave men and women dedicated their lives to protect our nation, they did not sign up to conquer and occupy the nation of another.
One of the main reasons our Armed Forces have been so misused, is that after ignoring the advice of the Generals, this administration then also chose to ignore relevant data from it's intelligence agencies, in it's lust for war. The public might not ever have known that the CIA's investigations had not found evidence of a nuclear weapons program, had it not been for (Former U.S. Ambassador) Joseph Wilson's public account of the data in an editorial article. This administration not only ignored the findings submitted by Ambassador Wilson (submitted officially, and resulting from an officially sanctioned trip to Niger), but then further attempted to damage Mr. Wilson personally by exposing the identity of his wife, Valerie Plame, who was at that time working for the CIA as a NOC (Non-Official Cover Operative) on the nuclear weapons capabilities of Iran. Exposing Plame by default exposed the CIA front company Plame 'worked' for overseas, Brewster Jennings. This action was deliberate, and authorized by both Bush and Cheney, these facts are on the public record, from the mouth of the President himself. This action was treason. In addition, our intelligence agencies, and the operations they conduct on a clandestine basis are THE eyes and ears of America abroad. Exposing such an operation is not only treason, it's just plain stupid. This is the current state of our Nation, as the Executive Branch attempts to pass legislation to excuse it's acts, and continues to ignore the Constitution and FISA, this is the fork in the road at which we currently speak.
The Patriot Act, an unconstitutional document, given absolutely no validity by the constitution, continues to serve as the playbook for Alberto Gonzales as our right to privacy has been completely lost.
The GOP controlled congress is falling apart, as each individual member has his personal dirty laundry aired in the public light of day. Child Molesters, False Prophets, and Subservients of the Bush Regime they are, to a man. Is there even one single republican left in this country that you personally would trust with your own life? If your answer is no, as mine seems to be, then ask yourself by extension, is there any Republican left in this country you would trust the lives of your family to, the lives of your town, the lives of your state, or of your country? The lives of your planet?
It is time for a change America. We are in fact long overdue. No more need we punish ourselves for this mess, we were brought here by the Bush Administration and the GOP Congress that supported his every move. There is no question of this conclusion, history has recorded each and every step along the way, at times against the will of the mainstream media. Citizen journalists, from all walk of life, and from many nations
have gathered here under this banner to see the truth told. And we will see it told. This is the state of our Nation, and it's people.
It is not only the humans of America that are suffering under this Administration's blind foolishness. Currently, I am sitting on a mountain in the Sierra Nevadas. For geographical reference, I am somewhere between Carson City, Nevada, and Sonora, California, stopped on the side of the highway at the top of the world. I can see for many hundred miles from this vantagepoint. From this angle, I can see bare hilltops,
where once there was forest. These areas stand naked, in stark contrast to the healthy pines surrounding them. The number of barren hilltops, and plateau in view from this particular spot has increased over the years I've stopped here for a brief respite. True, there are still more trees than cleared areas, but the overall effect we are having on this precious natural resource is overwhelmingly obvious. At our current rate of wood consumption, within my lifetime these mountains will be bare. This is completely unacceptable in our current society of high technology, where paper has been virtually eliminated from the offices of Americas large cities.
There is a myth floating about, that logging is somehow 'selective' and that the only trees that are cleared are those that should be cleared to prevent wildfires from raging beyond control. Ladies and Gentlemen, while such clearing is indeed prudent, the logging that occurs in Northern California is by no means selective. Entire areas are cleared when the loggers take a job. Stumps are left, an enormous acreage of stumps, while entire trunks of various diameters find their way down the long highway on the back of an enormous truck. I ask you this, as a person, as an individual:
'Do You Need Wood At All?'
Think about it for a moment, please take some time to reflect on our planet's most needed resource. I've thought about it in much depth, and have come to this conclusion. I need wood for two things,
I need to burn it in a fire on cold nights in the mountains, when other means of heat are unavailable. I need to breathe the oxygen it creates while still a living breathing being.
I do not need it to write, I have electronics that are capable of handling my writing needs. I do not need it to read, as all media and many if not all books are being published online as well, and many in audio format even.
I do not need it to transport goods, as I have a basket I can use for groceries that is mine and can come home with me each and every time I shop.
I do not need it to build my residence, as alternative, and more lasting construction materials are readily available.
This final example, I believe illustrates the overall decay of our nation today the most visually. On this day, from here on the mountaintop, it seems that mankind has forgotten the most basic of its own needs, in it's haste for conquest and dominance over everything we see.
The state of our nation has suffered, due to the lack of our leaders having an adequate response to any of the above listed issues, and a lack of foresight to have prevented them from first coming about. Our leaders further lack the dignity to resign, for the good of America, in the face of their blatant multiple failures, which to me as a citizen is personally disgusting.
We are choking our cities of their lifesblood, their economies, and their self esteem as members of the 'production/manufacturing' industry. We are choking our people by not allowing them to heal, not allowing them to investigate, not allowing them to answer the questions that matter most of all. We are choking our defenses, by extending ourselves where we are weak while not defending where we need to be strong. Further, we are choking our intelligence agencies, by direct treason, a not only criminal but completely stupid act.
'To cut out ones own eyes so as not to see...'
We are choking our citizens, by removing and restricting their constitutional rights.
We are choking ourselves quite literally as a people, by completely ignoring the very beings that create and renew this precious small supply of crisp, wonderful oxygen-nitrate we call Earth's atmosphere, and by glancing the other way as their still fresh bodies pass us stacked together on a truck on those lonely mountain highways.
This is the state of our nation, ladies and gentlemen. This is where our current leadership has brought us. I will follow up this article at some point this week with part 2, 'The Road Ahead'. I thank you for your time, and for your consideration of my thoughts before making your final decisions this election cycle.
-Nathan Morrison is a Political News Columnist for Powers&Morrison.com For further information on this or any article printed herein, please contact: Morrison@PowersAndMorrison.com
www.libertyinchaos.powersandmorrison.com
_____________________________________
