THE "FLAG" QUESTION YET AGAIN?

I am as patriotic as any American. I spent four (4) years in the military during the Vietnam War and many more years in the ready reserves after that BUT this question CHANGING OUR CONSTITUTION to make burning our flag a crime, has me baffled.

First, I do not see how with all the shit going on in this country and the world, that Congress has to take the time to focus on a NON ISSUE. That's right - a non issue. I defy you to explain to me why this is a burning (no pun intended) issue. The total drivel that is emanating from Congress about why this is an important issue is plain insulting to any one with half a brain cell.

Let me tell you why.

Our flag is a symbol. It is one of our greatest symbols. It speaks volumes about who we are, where we have been and where we are going. It has been tarnished somewhat by Bush and his antics, but as a symbol, it is HUGE.

The flag is also a piece of cloth and has been burned and mutilated by many opposed to the United States and what it stands for. It has also been (rarely) used by Americans to protest our government's actions.

Notice that I mentioned the word "rarely" when it comes to Americans burning our flag in protest. It is not something that happens often - we need to remember that when we argue that this is such a hot issue needing to be addressed immediately.

Anyway, we as Americans are guaranteed our freedom of expression by the First Amendment and that includes using our flag as a protest vehicle. That is why men and women have died under this same flag; to guarantee our freedoms for ourselves and for our children. Why then would we pass a law taking away that freedom. It makes no sense to me on a logical level but I can see how people would get carried away with emotion on this issue.

BUT to change OUR CONSTITUTION for an emotional reason is just plain stupid and makes us look like a bunch on uneducated, emotional twits.

Janusz

IRAQ REVISITED

It is now quite apparent and History will show, that the neo-conservative group's plan to bring about a new world order was adopted by President Bush years ago. What this means is that the attack on Iraq was part of this plan and all Bush had to do was invent reasons to justify the attack and he did. The recent "British Memo" basically confirms what many knew all along.

Was lying to the nation and sacrificing American and European lives justified. It is if you look at the BIG picture.

The Middle East was and is getting out of control. Religious terrorists want to change the world according to their plans. This entails making the Middle East a militant theocracy which will, eventually, destroy the godless West.

The neo-conservative group believes that to thwart the terrorist's plan, they have to remake the Middle East into something similar to the West; a democratic, progressive society.

To do that, they need to introduce democracy into the Middle East. Saddam and Iraq gave them the perfect opportunity and so they took it.

Was the war on Iraq inevitable? Many will argue that it would have happened sooner or later. Many point to positives that have already occurred because of the war. Look at Libya which now wants to be buddy-buddy because Bush scared the shit out of them. How about Lebanon and the expulsion of Syrian forces. Egypt is moving, ever so slightly, in the direction of an eventual democracy. Iran is holding elections that will probably put it closer to the West. Did our attack of Iraq speed up the process to democratization? I think you cannot ignore the impact it has had and will continue to have on the thinking of people in the Middle east.

Can we win in Iraq? I don't think so. The country was artificially created by the British. The Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis were not meant to live in the same country. Only a dictator could accomplish that as Saddam did. Look what happened to Yugoslavia when Tito died - it split up along ethnic lines.

Should we create three (3) separate countries? That would be hard and impractical to do. One radical idea is to finally create a KURDISTAN. These people have been around since the beginning of time and have never had a country of their own. With a new Kurd country in existence, the parts of Iraq occupied by the Sunnis and the Shiites should be split and attached to IRAN and JORDAN along religious lines.

Hey, I know it is radical but the way things look now, we will continue to lose American lives and billions of dollars on a daily basis ad infinitum - so think radical.

Janusz

THE CONFUSED DEMOCRATS

Recently I have been reading reports how the Democratic Party has been hiring a lot of consultants to tell them how to win back voters and therefore political power in Washington, D.C.

It was kind of pitiful to hear how they are thinking of maybe changing their stance on certain issues like abortion / anti-choice, so called values issues, religion, etc. For the democrats to even entertain changing their political philosophy means that they think ALL the voters went over to the Republicans.

May I remind the Democratic leadership, whoever the hell they may be at this time, that 50% of American voters voted AGAINST Bush and the Republicans. This was NO landslide by any stretch of the imagination. They do not have to panic and make really, really stupid decisions.

The Democrats have to understand that some of the voters that went with Bush will always vote for someone like Bush. These are the right wing religious fundamentalists that will always go backwards and they actually do prefer to live in the dark ages. They are scared of change and progress and any new thinking. Leave these people alone - they are doomed to vote Republican forever.

The Iraq war was the crucial question facing voters in the Bush / Kerry election. Kerry did not make a convincing enough argument for himself and Bush one. These voters vote on issues and therefore they vote either way - they are not committed to any one party. These are the voters you need to go after.

The passage of time revealed that indeed Bush was lying about basically everything. He had an agenda and he was going to stick to it no matter what he had to do. More on his agenda in a future blog - his agenda may actually have some merit to it no matter how conniving.

Anyway, the war in Iraq is going badly. There is no end in sight. Americans are dying on a daily basis. Iraq cannot sustain a unified political system. The country is basically split into three parts and there is no trust between them. A civil war is a given once the Americans leave. What do we do. Do we leave like in Vietnam and let the Communists take over?

In Iraq a civil war will bring in all the supporting powers; Sunni, Shia and Kurds (who supports them?). Could even start a larger war. So here is the Democrat's chance - come up with an answer / strategy that the voters will buy. Have a plan that brings our troops home in as short a time as possible.

Don't waste your time with this "VALUES" horse-shit. All Americans have basic values. The question is really about "RELIGION". Even Bush has been seen backtracking on this religion question. He knows it can bite him on his ass. People are not stupid and they can see when these religious zealots are starting to become absurd and more importantly, a danger to the rest of us.

The Democrats should stick to their basic religious philosophy: religion is a private matter, religious freedom is guaranteed by our Constitution and our Constitution dictates a strict separation between Church and State. This means oppose church based anything in the government.

Big issues like abortion / choice and gay marriage are not value or moral issues, they are RELIGION again. The law of the land is to give women a CHOICE about whether to have an abortion or not. Again, law of the land! If your religion prohibits abortion - DON'T DO IT! Otherwise, it is no one's business what people decide about their own lives. The Democrats should maintain their pro-choice stance and not waiver at all or they will lose the voters they have.

Gay marriage is again about RELIGION. We are very close to proving the fact that being gay is a biological / genetic predisposition and therefore NOT A PERSONAL CHOICE. As a heterosexual male, I have always found it down right ignorant to imagine a hetero male could EVER chose a homosexual lifestyle. Only total morons would think that.

Gays are people and American citizens and deserve all the rights of American citizens and the Democrats should continue to support strongly that position - or they will lose the voters they have.

What the Democrats MUST change is their socialist / communist position on finance. Americas are moderate when it comes to spending money ( I am conservative) and they do not like or want their money thrown about trying to solve social ills. Be like Bill Clinton was - a fiscal conservative and a social liberal.

If the Democrats keep disintegrating, this country will need a third party. It may be high time for one anyway. Howard Dean may not be the answer the Democrats need right now. Keep looking maybe you will find another Bill Clinton.

Janusz