Am I A Fascist?

From My Own Little Corner FASCISM(as defined by Miriam-Webster)-
1 often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2 : a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control
Remember this word and definition. You will be hearing it often in the next 2-3 months. It has replaced the term terrorism in the speeches that President Bush and his stalwart followers, such as Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, will be using, i.e. Islamic-Fascists. You will no longer be hearing about the war on terror, you will be hearing about the war against Fascism. What better word to strike terror in the hearts of all God loving, democracy loving citizens. I have been called a fascist myself. What I did was so unthinkable that it caused the person who witnessed it to call me a fascist, communist, socialist, an idiot, and unpatriotic. What was this thing that caused me to disgrace myself? I have a Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker on my vehicle. That's right, your eyes do not deceive. I really do have one on my vehicle, and evidently it so incensed one gentleman, driving on the same highway, that he felt that it was imperative that he PLACE HANDMADE SIGNS IN HIS WINDOWS, AS HE WAS DRIVING, expressing his outrage at my fascism. No matter that he had to slow down to tape the signs to his windows, while he was driving, then speed up and drive next to the driver's window of my car to make sure that I saw them. He then proceeded to follow me, get on the passenger side of my car and tape them over his driver's side window, so that my blind husband would also know that he, too, is a fascist. I guess he didn't read the definition of that particular word before he made up his little signs and then endangered every person on the road by expressing his opinion. Is this a great country or what? Oh, well, at least he didn't shoot me. On a much more solemn note, the violence in Iraq continues to escalate. In a speech Tuesday, Donald Rumsfeld accused critics of the Bush administrations Iraq and anti-terrorism policies of lacking the courage to fight terror. He says that we are suffering from "moral and intellectual confusion" about what threatens U.S. security. He also compared what is happening now to what happened before WWII and the failed attempts to appease Hilter. I personally am a bit more worried about what is happening to our RIGHTS in this country of ours. I think that people are so afraid of being called unpatriotic and fascist (ooh, there's that word again), that they are neglecting to stand up against what they know in their hearts and minds is wrong. It's wrong to take civil liberties and personal rights away. It's wrong to start a war. It's wrong to idly stand by while our people starve, while they die from diseases, that, if they had insurance, could be treated. It's wrong to keep our mouths shut when we see our planet being destroyed by pollution. It's wrong to watch as our government helps countries around the world and then let it's own citizens suffer. It's wrong to keep fighting a war that we should never have started and have no chance of winning. And it's wrong for our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers to continue to die in that war. Come on people, it's time to stand up and be heard. Open your eyes and mouths and stop worrying about what other people think. I did that day on that highway, when I realized that the true fascist was the man in the car, who felt that, if I had a different opinion than his, I must not love my country. Nothing could be further from the truth. I love my freedoms, my right to speak my mind (and his right to speak his), I love the fact that I can worship in any way that I please, but most of all I LOVE MY COUNTRY, warts and all. I guess if that makes me a fascist, then I am proud to be called one. Please remember to pray for peace and enlightenment and may your God bless and keep you and yours.

Not On His Watch

From My Own Little Corner Well, it's been a while since I made an entry. I just haven't had the energy nor the heart to do so. It seems that things haven't changed much in the last few weeks. Despite the cease fire in the Middle East, the area seems even more unstable. The war in Iraq continues to rage on, despite the reassurances of our esteemed leaders. Hurricane Katrina victims are still waiting for our government to do something, anything. In other words, the problems facing us are still there and don't appear to be getting any better. In Lebanon and Israel the fragile cease fire is holding, but for how long? The Israeli government has said that it will review the actions of the IDF and itself and the handling of the "war". I have been hearing disturbing things about corruption there at some very high levels. Hezbollah has said that they wouldn't have kidnapped the 2 Israeli soldiers if they would have known that the results would be so devastating. Really? What did they think would happen? That Israel would roll over and just give in to their demands? Come on. The Lebanese people paid a dear price for the actions of Hezbollah and now the rest of the world will have to be involved in policing the area in south Lebanon in an attempt to keep the peace and in the rebuilding of the infrastructure damaged by the Israelis. In the meantime, we continue to lose our young men and women in Iraq. It is increasingly clear that things there are "going south" at an alarming rate. The latest fatality count stands at 2,860 total coalition fatalities and 2,633 U.S. fatalities. And don't forget about the civilian casualties. As these numbers continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly clear that it is time to get out. President Bush has said not on his "watch". Well I, for one, am glad that his "watch" is almost over. I only hope that our country can survive another 2 1/2 years of his "leadership". Just my opinion. He is in New Orleans today to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I'm not sure that this is a date that should be commemorated. It was, and still is, an absolutely horrible example of our government at work. Only half of the people that survived the disaster have been able to return. The rest are still displaced. And the citizens of Mississippi are only a little further along. They are trying to get settlements from their insurance companies, and those same companies, who have been collecting premiums from these people, are refusing to pay. They say that the damage was from flooding and, as such, is not covered by their policies. Unfortunately, the courts recently agreed with them. I just have one question-isn't storm surge part of a hurricane? Doesn't storm surge cause flooding? I was under the impression that there are three major components of a hurricane. The WIND, the RAIN, and the STORM SURGE. If this is true, then why isn't the damage caused by flooding from storm surge and rain covered by their hurricane coverage? These people are still living among the debris and trash left by the storm. Are George Bush and all the other dignitaries that are there, going to visit these parts of that once great city? Or will they visit the parts that look good on t.v.? Of the 110 billion dollars designated to help rebuild the area, less than half has been spent. The infrastructure in New Orleans is still in need of serious repair and rebuilding. Only 50% of the hospitals are up and running again, and 25% of the schools. This is a sad testimony to the effectiveness of our federal government. When we are more worried about helping people half way around the world than our own people, then it is time for a change. Our republican government continues to tout the fact that they are for less government. And yet they continue to impose more restictions and take away more of our liberties every day. There are illegal wire taps, monitoring of our phone calls and internet usage, and the deterioration of the separation of church and state. There was a rally held in St. Louis yesterday to oppose stem cell research. It was attended by BOTH religious leaders and politicians. This in an attempt to affect the outcome of the November election initiative on stem cell research. I personally have a medical condition that could possibly benefit from this type of medical research. I lost a daughter to cerebral palsy and often wonder what could have been done to help her had she been born in this time of such great medical advances. These unknowledgeable people continue to assert that this research is tantamount to abortion and even murder. How absurd! And I just wonder how many of these politicians go along with these groups to further their own agendas, i.e getting reelected. Stem cell research is a great advancement in medicine and should be treated in the same vein as the Salk vaccine, antibiotics, organ transplant, and many other advancements that, at their inception, were considered outside the boundaries of ethics. When election day comes, we need to remember that there are many other problems that are much greater and will have a greater impact on this country than stem cell research and abortion. In this country we are supposed to have the right to our own opinion about things and not have another persons opinion of right and wrong forced upon us. Our decisions about who will lead our country need to be based on facts and not on the "religious rights" idea of what is best for all of us. I personally don't understand how you can reconcile sending our children into an unjust war to die and then stand there in righteous indignation and state that abortion and stem cell research are murder. If all life is precious and to be protected, doesn't that include the lives of all our children, not just the unborn? I know that the men and women in our armed forces volunteered, but did they volunteer for this? And while our standing in the world continues to fall, Hugo Chavez is traveling the world. He is telling anyone who that will listen that our government is the greatest threat to democracy that the world has ever known. And President Bush, albeit unknowingly, is his greatest ally. President Bush's foreign policy, or lack thereof, is appalling. His actions with other leader's is at times most inappropriate. Take for example the back massage of Germany's newly elected female leader. Her reaction was almost utter disgust. And don't tell me that he's from Texas and so is used to showing his affection in such ways. He is the President of this country and should conduct himself as such. And there are other threats that are waiting in the wings. Iran is test firing missiles and MAY have the capability to create a nuclear bomb. North Korea is also becoming more unstable. These governments are the reason that diplomacy is so vitally important. Our government cannot simply say to these countries, "You can't have weapons of mass destruction, because we say so.". We need to make them understand the reasons that these weapons are detrimental and give them incentives to stop making them. What we should not do is tell them that if they don't do as we say, they will be punished. That method doesn't work anymore. It is time to change our policies and our leaders. Please, pray for peace and enlightenment, and may your God bless and keep you and yours.

The Real N Word-It's Not What You Think

From My Own Little CornerI have been looking at some numbers that I want to share with you. 1775-1783, Revolutionary War-4,435; 1812-1815, War of 1812-2,260; 1846-1848, Mexican War-13,283; 1861-1865, Civil War-364,511(Union), 133,821(Conferderate, est.); 1898, Spanish-American-2,446; 1917-1918, WWI-116,516; 1941-1945, WWII-405,399; 1950-1953, Korean Conflict-36,574; 1964-1975, Vietnam-58,200; 1990-1991, Persian Gulf-382; October 7, 2001-present, Afghanistan- 321; March 19, 2003-present, Iraq-2,585. TOTAL-1,140,733 MILITARY KILLED IN ACTION since 1775 and this number doesn't begin to cover the number of lives that these wars have affected. War is senseless. War is stupid. War never solved anything. The only thing war is good for is killing. It's time to stop. We are CIVILIZED. We are SMART. We are EVOLVED. We are INDUSTRIALIZED. Yet, we are still settling our differences in the same way that we did when we lived in caves. The only thing that has changed is the method of our madness. Instead of clubs and rocks, we have weapons that kill more people, faster, and from farther away. We don't even see the faces of the people that we kill. Just line up a scope and pull the trigger, launch a rocket that can travel miles. We shoot a rocket into the air, where it lands we do not know or care, we don't have to see the carnage. But the effects are far-reaching and profound. The city of Hiroshima is commemorating the dropping of the A-bomb, that effectively ended WWII, and let the demon out of the dungeon. Weapons of mass destruction. How much longer before OUR invention comes home to roost? While our government continues to decry the use of these weapons by foreign interests, we also continue to make our own. If you think we're not doing the same things as these foreign countries, you are living in a dream world. Someday soon, we are going to reap what we have sown. There is no diplomacy, cooler heads do not prevail anymore, and we keep killing. And we are not the only country guilty of these atrocities. All countries around the world are engaged in similar activities. Israel, Hizbollah, Iraq, Aghanistan, Sudan, Indonesia, and many more. These countries are fighting and killing each other, either in outright wars or in terrorist activity. It is time to change our approach to bringing about change. As I have stated, we are SUPPOSED to be CIVILIZED, SMART, EVOLVED, INDUSTIALIZED. In other words, we are SUPPOSED to be adults. Let's act it. Stop the carnage. Stop the wars. Let there be peace. The time is short. If we don't change our ways soon, another world war isn't far off and it may be the last one, because none of these countries seems to have any self control and want to win at any cost. Well, in my opinion, the cost is too high. Just look at the numbers above. These are only the numbers from our own country. These numbers will pale in comparison if the current cycle of violence continues to escalate, and then there will be no-one left to record them. Our world will cease to exist. All it will take is one country to decide to use a non-conventional weapon. Yep, I am talking about the big one, the real N word. If you are reading this and feel that it is time to stop the insanity, then tell your government. Send them a message that our current policies are not working. We are only small fish in a big pond, but if we jump, we can create large ripples. In the meantime, I will continue to pray for peace and enlightenment and hope that you will do the same. May your God bless and keep you and yours.

Laundry List

From My Own Little Corner So Fidel Castro has ceded power to his brother temporarily. I have been watching the news coverage on this development and was dismayed to see the Cuban immigrants in Miami calling for the U.S to make Cuba AND half of Florida the 51st state. There were maps and the suggestion that Miami should be called "Havami". If these people want Cuba, why not go back there and take back control of their country? Then there were the comments made by GWB. Yes, we don't want the people of Cuba to live under tryanny, but we simply cannot afford to stick our noses into any other countries at this time. I don't know if it would be wise to interfere even if we weren't already "nation building" in other parts of the world. I know, I know, our president isn't into "nation building", but I can't think of a better term. We have gone into another country, under the guise of fighting terrorism, taken out the ruler of that country, and "given " them our version of what a government should be. True, these people were severly repressed and under the tyrannical rule of a despot, but when GWB was campaigning for his first run at president, he stated that he wasn't going to "nation build". We have a laundry list of problems in our own country without trying to solve the problems of other countries around the world. I read some interesting facts on the Kyoto treaty yesterday. Some of the things that I learned were shocking. Since 1990 emmisions are RISING around the world, not falling. Canada's emmisions are up 24% from 1990, Japan's are up 13%, and the 15 western EU countries have cut emissions less than 1%. In the U.S. emissions between 2000 and 2004 rose 1.3% and the emissions in the complete EU rose 1%. The U.S emissions since 1990 have risen by 19%. I have a feeling that these numbers will be even worse at the end of this decade, as most countries aren't doing anything to reduce these greenhouse gases. We are in the midst of another heatwave here in the midwest, California just experienced their own, with the last loss of life count standing at over 160. In Los Angeles they set a new high temperature record of 116 in the valley. There, the grapes are shriveling to raisins, walnuts are drying up, and peaches are not growing. Livestock is dying faster than the carcasses can be removed. At the same time Ohio got 10 inches of rain in 24 hours and endured severe flooding. Mount Rushmore just recorded a temperature of 100 for the first time ever. New York city is experiencing record temperatures and everywhere across this country the weather is off kilter. Flooding in El Paso-7 inches of rain in 7 hours-has washed away roads, cars, and anything else in it's path. I don't remember the weather being like this when I was growing up. I do remember playing outside all day, and yes it was hot, but not like this. Chicago is also experiencing hellish temperatures and 15,000 there are without power. A 15 year old student died yesterday in Atlanta form heat stroke after football camp. This is the hottest July on record across the country. Records that have stood since the dust bowl days of the 1930's are falling like dominoes. 24,000 firefighters are battling blazes out west. Chris is churning in the Atlantic Ocean and could make landfall as a catagory 2 hurricane. In Europe the temperature is running 12-16 degrees above average and most scientist are saying that it will only get hotter in the coming years. 60,000 people a year are dying from sun related diseases, 48,000 from melanoma, 12,000 from other cancers, etc. And this is with our increased knowledge of UVA and UVB ray dangers and use of sunscreens. No global warming? I beg to differ. Next, there is a bill moving through congress to raise the minimum wage. Hurrah, it's about time. One problem though. The bill is attached to a bill to eliminate the estate tax. This may cause the bill to stall or be voted down. Why can't our esteemed representatives and congressmen just pass a simple bill without all the baggage? Perhaps because they know that the only way to get some of these ridiculous bills passed into law is to attach them to something that is really needed. Then, when the original bill doesn't pass, they can blame the failure on their political opponents. STOP. Our congress is supposed to represent all the people of this country, not just their special interest groups. It used to be like that. What happened? There has not been a minimum wage increase since 1997, but in that same period there have been 3 pay increases for congress with a 4th one due next year. This will raise their base pay from $133,000 to $165,000 a year. In the meantime, a family of four, with the breadwinner making minimum wage, will have to work approximately 74 hours a week, just to make the poverty level of $20,000 a year. Things are just a little lopsided. And then there is the exporting of jobs from this country to places outside the U.S.. Take G.E. for instance. The company just announced that they will move the manufacturing of most of it's product outside the country. But don't worry, these products won't be sold here. Where will they be sold then and how will we get the products that they make, that we need? Democracy Summer. Ever heard of it? No. Well neither had I, until just recently. This is a move, by an immigrant rights activist, to register 1 million immigrant voters. The problem arises when there is no check to see if these voters being registered are legal or illegal immigrants. Another problem, right within our borders that we need to be working on. Of course, the voters that are citizens, having been born here in this country, registered for years, will now have to provide proof of citizenship and identity to vote. No matter that they have been voting for years, at the same polling place, with their government issued voter registration cards. The ID part will pose no problem for most people, but it may cause a hardship for the handicapped and elderly. However, how exactly do you prove citizenship at the polls? Most people don't carry their birth certificates with them as they go about their daily business. These documents are easily forged, so I don't think that these measures are going to make that much difference anyway. It will, however, increase the time it takes to cast your vote, more than likely create chaos, and utimately cause some voters to say "Oh, the heck with it. I don't have time for this nonsense." We need to find a way to make voting easier, to ensure that all LEGALLY registered voters are able to cast their vote, and have it counted. No more of these machines that don't have a paper trail. How in the world can you recount votes in a close race if there is nothing to recount? I don't know about you, but I have had information lost on my computer that wasn't really important and with the increase of identity theft, I don't have much confidence in the ability to retrieve votes if a recount is needed, or in the integrity of these machines. If hackers can tap into our home computers, why not the voting machines? What if the voting machine computer crashes? Real trouble. And on the subject of health care, there are 45,000,000 uninsured, and 16,000,000 under insured in this country. We are the wealthiest country in the world and we can't even make sure that all our CITIZENS have health care coverage. But if you sneak into the country, you can get medicare, medicaid, medi-cal, and any other programs that our government has to offer. This is ridiculous. And our borders are an open door. I am not adverse to immigrants, I am just tired of ILLEGAL immigrants. I live in a small town of about 6,800 people. I get my nails done in a salon where the owners are Vietnamese. I eat at a chinese restaraunt owned by orientals. They all speak English and are upstanding contributors to our community. There are, however, some immigrants here that do not speak English. They can't even ask simple questions or make simple requests. How are they going to continue to live here? When we lived in Germany for 3 years, we learned at least a small amount of German. After all, we were in their country. So, why can't the people who come here to live, learn English? Become integrated into the U.S. society. That doesn't mean that they have to give up their heritage, it just means that they want to live in this country, not change this country into the one that they left. These are just some of the things that roll around in my brain, cause my insomnia, and are the reasons that I am worried for the future of our children and beloved country. Well, don't lose hope. I haven't, and I am still praying for peace and enlightenment, and hope that all people of the world are doing the same. May your God bless and keep you and yours.

Too Late To Turn Back?

From My Own Little Corner Seems I spoke too soon. Israel agreed to a 48 hour cease fire according to Condaleeza Rice. It lasted less than 12 hours. Hmm. I watch the news and can't seem to wrap my mind around the things that I am seeing. The bodies of dead children being pulled from the rubble of bombed buildings, the massive destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure, the firing of rockets into civilian areas by Hezbollah, the unwillingness of either side to give an inch, and the sheer senselessness are mind boggling. Then there is the damage being done to the environment. The beaches of Lebanon are drenched in an oily mess. This is the result of the bombing of an oil depot in Beirut. Over 15,000 TONS of oil has been spilled, affecting 1/3 of Lebanon's coastline. Fish and birds are dying and the green turtles are threatened. It is almost time for them to hatch and they will be making their way to the water, only to be met with an oily sludge. Clean-up is delayed because of the fighting. The Kuwaiti government is sending equiptment to help, but can't start until the hostilities end. The consequences could be far ranging. And what about the pollution going up into the atmosphere from all the fires that are burning, not only oil fires, but also the burning buildings, furnture, etc? More green house gasses. Think about it. Now, I have some numbers for you to ponder. 2,576 U.S., 114 Britons, 2 Australians, 13 Bulgarians, 3 Danes, 2 Dutch, 2 Estonians, 1 Fijian, 1 Hungarian, 31 Italians, 1 Kazakh, 1 Latvian, 17 Poles, 2 Romanians, 3 Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, 2 Thai, and 18 Ukranians. Total-2,802. These are the numbers of coalition casualties in Iraq as of July 31, 2006 according to a CNN count. In addition there have been 18,988 U.S. servicemen and women wounded and 7 Department of Defense civilians killed. 321 U.S., 1 Australian, 13 Britons, 19 Canadians, 3 Danes, 7 French, 18 Germans, 5 Italians, 1 Norwegian, 1 Portuguese, 4 Romanians, 18 Spaniards, 2 Swedes. Total-413 casualties. 825 wounded. These are the numbers from Afghanistan as of the same date. And then you have to think about the anguish of the families of these brave men and women. Their lives are forever changed and nothing will ever take away the heartwrenching pain caused by the loss of their loved ones. It is a pain that they will carry for the rest of their lives. These wounds on the heart don't heal, they only scab over, and are the most painful. These numbers pale by comparison to the number of Iraqi civilians that have been killed. As I told you in an earlier post over 14,000 have been killed since Jan.1, 2006, but the total number is at least 50,000 since 2003. What about their families? They may not have the same religious beliefs and may not speak English, but they too love their families, and grief and suffering are the same in any language. Not only have the civilians been targets of killings, but also of kidnappings. There are reports of kidnappings, not just of individuals, but of large groups at one time. One such kidnapping happened just yesterday. No one is safe, not even the children. Iraqi civilians are being targeted by death squads, some dressed as Iraqi police, for various reasons-their religious beliefs, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and even dress that doesn't meet the standards of the religious extremists. On May 28, a tennis coach and 2 players were shot dead, allegedly because they were wearing shorts. Threats have been made against men to attempt to make them conform to certain hair styles and facial hair rules. In some areas of Baghdad women are prevented from going to the market alone, have been warned not to drive cars, and face harrassment if they wear pants. A headscarf is no longer a religious choice, but sometimes is necessary for survival. Academics and health care professionals are leaving the country. Why? They don't feel safe. Is this the democracy that our men and women are fighting to protect? Are we capable of establishing a democracy amid all the violence? Maybe it is time to rethink our objectives. We are preparing to send more troops into this maelstrom and are postponing the rotation out of the troops that were supposed to come home in August. Instead they will be sent to Baghdad, to help restore peace. I wonder if that is possible anymore. We are continually faced with the reality that we are not winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and I don't know that it would be possible to leave now, even if we were so inclined. The whole region is on the verge of war and collapse. If that happens there could be no turning back. There may not be any turning back anyway. I wish I knew the answer. But I don't. I only have more questions. Why? Why would people want to kill each other? Why can't they compromise? Why can't there be peace? I don't know. I don't understand. I want a world where we all live in peace and harmony. It is time for change. Think about the changes you can help make happen and then work to make them come to fruition. And most of all, PRAY! Pray for peace. Pray for enlightenment. Pray that all peoples come to the realization that war isn't the answer, it is the problem. May your God bless and keep you and yours.