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Here’s my understanding of how we got ourselves in this current fix with extremist Jihadis.

It all started with the Russian invasion/occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. The CIA opposed this move by the USSR and decided to raise an opposition army in the middle-east — by approaching our ally, Saudi Arabia, and asking them to inspire their citizens to go wage war in Afghanistan.  The logic at the time was that we were fighting Communism.

Be careful what you wish for, because the Saudi Imams began preaching a Jihad message with a right-wing interpretation of the Koran — and the extremist Islamic sect called Wahhabi was born. Osama bin Laden was a leader of that group, and led Saudi fighters to wage Jihad in Afghanistan. Bin Laden led, and helped fund those fighters — as did the American government. Just watch the movie “Charlie Wilson’s War” to see how America meddled in Afghanistan during the Russian occupation of that country.

This movie glorifies Congressman Wilson’s and the CIA’s covert war in Afghanistan, but we now know the unintended consequences of that intervention:  the right-wing Wahhabi sect is now dominant in Saudi Arabia; Wahhabi-inspired Al Qaeda, and it’s spawn, are spreading Jihad like wild-fire throughout the Gulf States and beyond; and the West is gripped with a focus on terrorism that has turned from defeating Russia in Afghanistan, to defeating the West and all we stand for.

Here’s a trailer for the movie, watch the entire movie if you can — it very clearly reveals America’s undeclared covert war in Afghanistan.

It is actually fascinating to contemplate how our CIA’s meddling in other countries has wrought such horrible long-range consequences for us and for the world.  We all know that the CIA’s toppling of Iran’s democratically elected leader in order to install the former (and much despised) Shah as that country’s leader, led directly to Iran’s current theocracy under the firm grip of the Ayatollah.

The CIA at the time decided that since the democratically elected new leader of Iran was going to nationalize their own oil, that bringing back the Shah would help America’s Oil companies and therefore be in our nation’s interest.  The Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution or the 1979 Revolution, led to the ouster of the Shah and the installation of the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.  And Iranian hatred of America and the West began.

A theocratic Iran that is funding Hezbollah and Hamas in their terrorist activities to destabilize the Gulf States, and the creation of Al Qaeda with all their off-shoots as well as ISIL, seems a high price to pay for CIA meddling in other countries’ business.

But that’s the thing about Unintended Consequences ~ they are not only unintended they are also short-sighted.

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The extremists on the American right, still suffering from Obama Derangement Syndrome, are now blaming our president for the terrorist attack in Paris.  Why, you might ask yourself, would they do that?  What motivation could there be for such an outrageous accusation?  On what basis would the wing-nuts reach such a laughable conclusion?

It seems that the major contributing factor in Obama’s “guilt” and his “weakness on terror” is that he refuses to use the GOP’s term, “War on Terror” when describing counter-terrorism programs.  And, do you think that there could be a reason why the administration steers away from that Bush era phrase?

Well … here’s your answer.  We heard the answer on Sunday’s Meet the Press when David Ignatius, the well-known and respected impartial columnist for The Washington Post, commented on this latest GOP presidential slur.

David Ignatius informed listeners that the politically charged phrase “War on Terror” has been universally interpreted in the Islamic world as “War on Islam.”  Thus inspiring even more jihadis and terror plots!

So, you decide:  does using a verbal term that incites terror activities and recruits more young people to join jihad really make the country safer?  Does the president using different language around terrorism than George Bush did really make him “weak on terror?”

Or is this just more GOP demonizing?  Is this kinda like all that fear mongering around “Death Panels” … just more GOP claptrap?

Obama Is Weak On Terror?  You decide.

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According to many war hawks, like John McCain and Lindsay Graham, Putin has been aggressive in Ukraine because Obama showed weakness a year ago by not bombing Syria.  Well, that could be an attractive position if not for the fact that a few years earlier Putin also was acting out aggressively in the neighboring country of  Georgia. He invaded Georgia at the same time that the Bush/Cheney administration was busy invading Iraq.  So, it doesn’t appear on the face of it that Obama’s stance on Syria had anything to do with Putin’s recent push into Ukraine.  If it is presidential weakness that motivates Putin, then how do the critics explain that Putin invaded Georgia while our swaggering cowboy-president G.W. Bush was pursuing military aggression in Iraq?  This argument is not logical.

But, I’d like to switch the reasoning and pose the reverse question:  Did the US invasion of Iraq have anything to do with Putin’s new aggressiveness?  It occurs to me that the example that the world set around the Iraq invasion by essentially letting the US get away with what was clearly a breach of international norms — going into a sovereign nation, deposing a leader, and “re-making” their government/military/finances, etc. — sent the message to Putin that if the US could do all THAT he surely could mess around in Georgia and now the Ukraine with no consequences.

Perhaps our actions in Iraq empowered Putin to be equally aggressive.

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Many of us remember clearly the 1960s and the Civil Rights movement.  Most of us remember that there were a lot of white faces joined with black ones in the demonstrations and voter registration drives.  And, we know that white Americans died alongside black Americans in the Civil Rights era.  That difficult period made our nation stronger:  we showed that America stands for big ideas and fairness — and that we are willing to sacrifice to implement them.

But, now it appears that stirring partisan hatred of America’s first black president has reignited race issues and latent prejudice.  The blatant racism of 50 years ago was socially frowned upon until recently.  Now, it’s all over social media;  police officers have been video taped yelling racist epithets as they bring snarling dogs to peaceful demonstrations in a black community; and white protesters scream hate at black people like it was 1960 all over again! The open hostility from the right to President Obama, and to African Americans in general, presents an opportunity for the rest of us to stand up, stand together, and stand for something important again!

According to an article in The Nation magazine, titled How Trayvon Martin’s Death Launched a New Generation of Black Activism, there are many new groups that “are reviving the grassroots fight for racial equality.”  We applaud the grassroots activism, and call on Americans of all races and colors to stand together for fairness and America’s ideals.

An interesting article in AlterNet, Need a Bias Cleanse? Here’s How One Campaign Is Tackling Racial and Gender Stereotypes, offers a way “To help people unlearn biases.”  These times call for all Americans to personally “take a bias cleanse” and to question if they have hidden prejudices that they haven’t acknowledged to themselves, such as fearfulness of black males that may be at the root of the “shoot first and ask questions later” attitudes of the police and self-appointed neighborhood watch characters like George Zimmerman.

It’s time to demand an end to unfair and unequal justice under the law.  There needs to be a dismantling of the prison industrial complex, a call for the end of militarized police forces and a  demand for respectful policing.  And there must be accountability for the deaths of unarmed black men and boys.

A more fair America would also mean a real commitment to due process and protection of voting rights.   Minority communities must have equal funding of good public education and basic food security for families and children.  And jobs, jobs, JOBS!

All of us need to call for these changes …  all Americans, side by side once again in the fight together for change.

Dear White People:  THIS is our fight too!

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What is an abortion?  We can start with the definition of a natural “spontaneous abortion” or miscarriage.

According to MedicineNet.com:  “Miscarriage: Inadvertent loss of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable. A considerable proportion of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Also known as spontaneous abortion.”

A spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage, is a common occurrence in pregnancy. For unknown reasons, the fetus fails to develop after a fertilized egg implants in the womb. This medical term, “spontaneous abortion,” defines the death of a fertilized egg that is IMPLANTED in the uterus and is a developing fetus.

A fertilized egg cannot develop unless it is implanted, it just passes out of the body once a month and is a part of a woman’s menses.  Many, many times fertilized eggs pass out of a woman’s body without implantation.  The passing of the fertilized eggs has never been met with mourning or funerals because these eggs are not spontaneous abortions, not fetuses — much less human beings.

Is the Hobby Lobby decision by the Supreme Court just a minor tweek to the Affordable Care Act, as Justice Alito alleges?  Is it a moral victory for the religious right and the pro-life activists?  Is it a strike for religious freedom, as conservatives across the nation assert?

The left condemns the decision as a blow to the ACA and to women’s reproductive rights.  Many see a slippery slope for enacting more exceptions to our healthcare system, which would undermine Obamacare and endanger American lives.  What if, using the same criteria that the Supremes used to justify the decision, a corporation chooses to deny insurance payments for other medical needs because it is against the religious convictions of that corporation — such as vaccinations or psychiatric care?  Yes, a slippery slope is a possibility.

But, though all these concerns are legitimate and alarming, we have a different thought.  While the right is claiming a victory for “religious freedom” it is clear on the face of it that the American people have no more religious freedoms today than before the decision.  This decision by the High Court does not expand religious freedom to any American — just to elite corporations.

The 5 to 4 conclusion by the Supreme Court clears a path for corporations to claim religious exemptions from laws that everyone else has to follow.  Once again, the Supreme Court has upheld the rights of corporations over the rights of individuals — corporate bosses now may tell their employees what contraceptives will be available to them.   An article in The New Republic offers a good read for understanding the march of the Robert’s Court in trampling the rights of individuals to favor the rights of corporations.

The conservative defense of the Hobby Lobby case as a blow for religious freedom is a smoke screen to cover for the explosion of power by corporations, and also represents a wedge in the door for a growing movement of a religiously run nation.  And, not just any religion — but a fundamentalist Christian religion.  Does anyone really believe that “a deeply held religious belief” of a corporation owned by a Muslim or Hindu family would have been upheld?  By the way, Hobby Lobby has always covered all contraceptives in their insurance plans prior to Obamacare … evidently their religious convictions didn’t kick in until this president implemented healthcare reform.

And according to The Atlantic, following this disastrous court decision, there are now 14 organizations that have sent a letter to the President, “demanding exemptions from a pending executive order that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered persons” because not discriminating against the LGBT community is against their religion!  With this decision opening the door to evading laws by claiming “a deeply held religious belief,” we have to ask:  Is there a flood of confusion and mass exemptions of many laws coming through that door?

The slippery slope we fear is that this Supreme Court decision introduces a potential slide into an entanglement of church and state.  We fear a descent for our nation into a country that permits a corporation, or the state, to impose ITS religious principles on the people.

When a corporation or the state is empowered to impose religious beliefs on employees, that is not religious freedom — it is a blow against freedom!

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The GOP is deliberately trying to tank the economy. We’ve held off making this declaration, but sadly the GOP’s accumulated actions all finally add up to this realization — The GOP doesn’t want the economy to recover under a Democratic President.  And we can’t continue to give the GOP a pass on their multiple attempts to slow the growth of the American economy.  For the past 5 years we’ve repeatedly excused their actions because we held out the hope that, “They just have differing opinions on what to do to spur growth in the economy.”

But, the facts just don’t seem to support continuing that hope.  Taken as a whole, the Republican/Teapublican positions and legislation have seriously hampered an economic recovery, and as long as they continue to thwart logical, historically-proven methods for growth, our nation’s economy is going to be held back.

It’s time to move the economic debate away from the short term fixation of deficit obsession versus stimulus spending, and on to a bigger discussion about how government can help spur long term growth and begin to address the widening chasm of income inequality.

Here’s a list of positions that are almost universally acknowledged by economists on the left and right, to spur economic growth, yet are opposed by the GOP :

• Investment in Infrastructure: “Businesses depend on our transportation systems, on our power grids, on our communications networks,” President Obama said. “And rebuilding them creates good-paying jobs right now that can’t be outsourced.”  And rebuilding and expanding our infrastructure lays the groundwork for future business growth.

• Unemployment Checks: Cutting off unemployment checks for the long term unemployed is estimated to eliminate 240,000 jobs, according to the National Employment Law Project — because the money won’t be available to be spent in stores, economic growth and job creation will contract.

• Government Hiring, not Firing: Reducing government employment, particularly during recessions, adds workers to the unemployment rolls. In addition, fewer workers means  fewer paychecks, which dampens consumption and further spreads through the economy, magnifying the effects of the recession.  The Conservative Washington Times newspaper further explains why cutting government jobs, both federal and state governments, harms the economy.  A boost in government hiring normally occurs during a recession — including under George W. Bush.

• Eliminate Austerity Programs: Austerity cuts, cuts, cuts government spending: Austerity has been a total failure in Europe as a response to this Great Recession. Those countries that initially tried austerity programs, have moved away from them because they were causing their economies to contract.  Conservatives want to continue cuts in education, medical research and infrastructure in order to give even more tax cuts to the rich and huge corporations, in the hopes that it trickles down to the rest of us — which is the totally discredited “Trickle-Down” economic theory that the GOP still clings to.

• Raise the Minimum Wage: A new study by the Economic Policy Institute tells us that a $10.10 minimum wage would actually create new jobs.

• Address Income Inequality: Raise taxes on the top income earners to fund growth programs, and create  breaks like the ACA for the middle class, so they can better save for retirement.  President Barack Obama, July 24, 2013 said the following:
  

  “This growing inequality isn’t just morally wrong; it’s bad economics. When middle-class families have less to spend, businesses have fewer customers. When wealth concentrates at the very top, it can inflate unstable bubbles that threaten the economy. When the rungs on the ladder of opportunity grow farther apart, it undermines the very essence of this country.”

• Reform Immigration: An immigration overhaul will bring workers out of the shadows and into the mainstream workforce, where their labors and taxes can help pay retirement costs that threaten to bust the long-term federal budget—and ruin retirement for middle-class couples.  According to the New York Times, immigration reform “would improve the budget picture (see this helpful chart) and stimulate economic growth. The immediate effects are good and the more lasting effects even better.”

• Fund jobs training: Employers who want to hire often complain that the jobless don’t have the jobs skills that are needed.  When the jobless get new training they are ready to join the workforce and contribute to the country and the economy.

• Eliminate the sequester cuts: The Gross Domestic Product declined 1.3% in the fourth quarter last year due to the government’s sequester cuts — defense spending alone dropped by an annual rate of over 22% that same quarter.  The economy contracted because of the drastic cuts in government spending, and these cuts are estimated to cost our country over 240,000 jobs.

• Fund Americorp and Peace Corps: These programs should be expanded, in order to provide opportunities to young people (who may be having difficulties finding a job) to have meaningful work to do in the service of others, to gain experiences which will enhance their resumes as well as to grow and mature.
• Invest in technology, research, innovation, and energy: The private sector has gained immeasurably from government spending on research.  Many products and sectors of the economy have been developed in government labs — with the Internet at the top of the list!
• Grow manufacturing in USA: Clearly, we need to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US, as well as support the development of new industries.  Many companies are rethinking their decisions to move their factories out of the country — quality control is an important factor.
• Control inflation in college costs: The future economy is dependent on our nation educating our workforce.  With college tuition spiraling out of control, an advanced education is more and more out of reach for the middle class.  An uneducated workforce will doom our economy to a second rate existance.

The GOP claims that the deficit is the major drag on the economy, and that they must cut discretionary spending now in order to bring the deficit down.  Both parts of this assertion are wrong.  The major drag on the economy is the dysfunction coming out of Washington, due to the GOP gridlock and their commitment to deny the President any opportunity to implement his jobs plans.

The budget deficit will shrink again this year to $642 billion, down from a high of $1.4 trillion in 2009.  Relative to the size of the economy, the deficit this year, at 4% of GDP, will be less than half as large as the shortfall in 2009 at 13% of GDP.  By comparison, the deficit averaged 3.1% of GDP over the past 40 years.

Clearly, the deficit is rapidly coming into the normal or average category for federal deficits, and will be below the 40 year average by an entire percentage point by 2015 — from a 3.1% normal range, to 2.1% of GDP.  The president recognizes that the deficit is coming under control as the economy is recovering — while the GOP describes the deficit as a catastrophic danger.  And, the GOP asserts that in order to avoid that danger the country must slash our current budgets by gutting our social safety net today.

The deficit is coming under control.  The deficit was not caused by government spending on our social safety net.  It was  caused by the Wall Street economic disaster in 2008, by two unfunded wars, an unfunded prescription drug plan, and unfunded massive tax cuts — all under the leadership of George W. Bush.

Our economic woes are real; the GOP prescription for healing them are not.  It’s official — the GOP is deliberately tanking the economy.

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The Grand Old Party just can’t seem to get out of it’s own way.  And it’s not as if they don’t know what they need to do to regain the trust of the American electorate, they do!  Following the Romney 2012 loss, the Republican Party conducted a study that they called an “Autopsy” on just where the party stands and where they need to go to improve their image with the American people.  And, “Autopsy” may just be the exact right word.

Party leaders conceded that what the GOP needs to do is reach out to minorities, women, and to reach across the isle in a pragmatic way to help govern the country.  But Tea Party Republicans are having none of that.  The consequences of their ideological extremism is that the GOP brand is now in big trouble, according to an article in The Daily Beast.

The  extremist wing of the GOP is seriously threatening the Party’s viability.  Their secessionist impulse is a political loser — it looks like desperation and a throw-back to ugly days-gone-by.  “Wearing a tri-cornered hat on the Washington Mall is one thing; unfurling a Confederate Flag in front of Obama’s White House is something very different and disgraceful.”

The GOP has lost minority support, and yet their attempts at outreach in those communities are discredited when they simultaneously have bigoted representatives of their party going public with outrageous racial insults.  They want the Hispanic vote, but refuse to consider any legislation to reconcile that community’s needs with their own racial fears.

While chasing the women’s vote, at the same time the Party denies women their Constitutional rights of choice, and tries to outlaw even some forms of birth control.  Republicans are losing women right and left. Because there are more eligible women voters than men and because they are more likely to vote than men, Republicans are once again facing a losing proposition.

The final straw may be that the GOP is rapidly losing even the support of businesses … big and small.  One small businessman says of the GOP’s Government Shutdown and Debt Ceiling Crisis, “It’s as if House Republicans are playing suicide bomber with the U.S. economy, as a businessman, it defies all reason and logic.”  And big business, represented by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is frantically trying to intervene in the GOP self-destruction.

“Right now, the Republican brand is looking toxic,” says The Daily Beast.  “Among seniors and independents, the GOP’s unfavorability rating has swelled to more than 60 percent. To put this in context, just last November Mitt Romney won nearly two-thirds of voters 65 years old and up, and half of the independents.”

Where does it all end?  Predictions are all over the place, but one thing’s for sure right now:  The GOP just can’t get out of its own way, and it’s more bad news for the GOP.

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In what can only be described as an incredibly exciting moment in our history, the governors of 8 states  have just announced that they have agreed to standardize their efforts to put 3.3 million zero emissions cars on the roads by 2025.

“This is not just an agreement, but a serious and profoundly important commitment,” said California Governor Jerry Brown. “From coast to coast, we’re charging ahead to get millions of the world’s cleanest vehicles on our roads.”

In an effort to help the environment and boost the economy, the governors of  California, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont also predict that their combined efforts will save drivers on fuel costs over time — electricity costs about two-thirds less than gasoline, and is expected to save drivers close to $6,000 in fuel costs over the lifetime of their car.

New government standards in these 8 states will start with similar building codes to make it easier to build charging stations for these cars, and they will offer financial incentives to promote zero-emission vehicles.  They will also provide favorable electricity rates for home charging systems, buy clean cars for government fleets, and will develop common standards for roadway signs and charging networks.

There are some things that government can do that capitalists alone cannot do, and this is one very important action that will make a consequential and earth-shaking difference!

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President Obama is often accused of not demonstrating leadership.  He is said to be aloof by not reaching out  to the Republicans in Congress and inviting them the White House to schmooze.  You see, according to the GOP meme, “He just isn’t up to the job of being president.”  So, of course, the fact that politics isn’t working in D.C. is all President Obama’s fault … right?

Because the Republicans in Washington are not following Obama’s leadership might just possibly be due to GOP determination to undermine this president at every single turn.  When we explore the actual facts we learn that the president has invited Republicans many, many times to meet with him, and even to socialize, at the White House.

He began his presidency in 2009 by inviting Congress to watch a football game at the White House.  John McCain, and most of the rest of them declined.  McCain said he was just too busy and had other plans.

John Boehner and Mitch McConnell refused to take a phone call from President Obama right after the election.  They were too busy to take a phone call from the president of the United States of America!  They refuse to attend State Dinners which honor visiting world leaders.  Again, just too busy!  John Boehner did actually play golf with the president on one occasion, and after that …  we saw zero improvement in cooperation with the president.

So, I’m not totally convinced that the GOP would consider Obama a great leader if he just invited them to the White House more often.  I cannot imagine what kind of schmoozing would convince the wingers to follow his lead.  Can you?

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