In which the middle-aged Peacenik mouths off about War Drones--and all the other things that make him cranky.
Mr Mahatma--who is a Mr in real life--lives in the valleys of Southern California with his wife, a herd of Dears, and an impressive collection of books. Pnorny!
He is reachable at: littlemrmahatma@yahoo.com
All writings are copyrighted 2003-2008 and trademarked: Little Mr. Mahatma
Friday, February 23, 2007 1st Amendment Coming home on the commuter bus, I was witness - the entire bus was witness - to an exercise in Freedom of Speech. This young couple, and I'll say they were of Middle Eastern origin judging from their looks, dress, and speech, were having a little argument for whatever reason. Actually, he was doing the arguing: berating her, threatening divorce, and using language inappropriate for kids (which there were plenty on the bus). She kept trying to quiet him down and when she did so, he would go off on a tirade that this was America and he had Freedom of Speech. He could say whatever he wanted.
And when he said that he kept looking around like he expected us to side with him. Dude, welcome to America! We do enjoy the Freedom fo Speech but it doesn't mean we should act like braying jackasses or treat our spouses like servants.
3 Democrats - 1 Office I think it's safe and fair to say that there are only three viable Democratic candidates for 2008: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards. I don't like HIllary because she's too political. Everything she says and does is measured in political brownie points. She, the person, doesn't come through. For her, though, is that she has the most political experience of the three. If she won the candidacy, how long before jokes about blue dresses or blue jeans popped up?
Obama is a ray of light. He speaks well and has undeniable charisma. He doesn't have the political experience of the other two. The one time on TV I heard him speak, he impressed me with his eloquence but lost me when he brought religion into his speech.
Edwards is an intelligent speaker though not as eloquent as Obama. He was on one of those Sunday morning news shows and he laid out a plan for Iraq that was insightful. He gave details and reasons for actions. My problem with him is, simply, he doesn't have the Presidential Stature. Hillary and Barack have the composure. Edwards is more VP material.
Maybe an Obama/Edwards or Clinton/Edwards ticket would do it. What I'd like to see in any case is a candidate who doesn't drag religion into politics. Better would be a candidate who declares that religion shouldn't be a part of politics and acts accordingly. I'd like a candidate who recognizes that our Government is not beholden to Corporate America but to the Real America, the ordinary people who put them in power. I'd like a candidate with the intelligence to weigh decisions, not act from the gut like our current President. I'd like a candidate who can speak in complete sentences, without sound bites or pre-written material. I'd like a candidate who has the guts to admit mistakes and not slough off past errors as childish mistakes. I'd like a candidate who understands that our country, great as it is, doesn't rule the world nor should it try to - Diplomacy has to be a vital tool in the political kit.
I'd like a candidate, a President, who doesn't make me feel like I need to bathe after seeing him or her, someone for whom we don't have to apologize.
Saturday, February 03, 2007 If Not A Lie It is the epitomy of irony that Bush went to Wall Street and suggested that greedy Executives be held to "pay for performance" standards. By that logic, he'd be paying us for his, frankly, god-awful performance as President. For Bush his performance is typical of his career; succeeding by virtue of the Bush name and Bush family contacts. It's not his intelligence or diplomatic skills; it's not his business acumen.
But as always, I get sidetracked so easily.
Bush is now provoking Iran with subtly threats of "Do as I say or face the consequences". This is the Bush family tactic, by the way, and while it works one way in business, it doesn't work quite the same way on the International political scene. If I were Iran and heard these types of threats I wouldn't be very scared. Considering that Bush has our military quagmired in Iraq and Afghanistan, and working in Somalia - they know we're spread too thin. They also know that America gets sick of war real fast and we're sick of it now. For us, it's a weakness and strength.
The Middle East is a mess and America in too many ways isn't far behind. Unless you're in the Oil Biz you may not be doing too well. What really hurts is that the billions wasted in Iraq could've have been well spent in the U.S.. If you are in the Oil Biz, you are daily blessing Saint Dubya. This past week saw yet another quarter of record oil profits.
Quiz question: What do Unocal, Exxon, Dubya Bush, Dick Cheney, and Iraq have in common?
