U.S. WHITE MEN ARE SICKER!

Here is something from the health field. I have been in the health field basically all my adult life and therefore a life student of the subject.

A recent study caught my eye. The subjects of the study were WHITE MALES 55-65. The subjects lived in the United States and the United Kingdom (U.K.).

The study concluded that American white men were in much poorer health than those white men in England.

Before you jump to conclusions let me point out that in the U.S., we spend twice as much on healthcare as they do in the U.K.

Also let me point out that THEY drink and smoke much more than we do here.

In the study, it was pointed out that the health of the richest, white U.S. males matched that of the poorest, U.K. males. Does that mean rich U.S. whites are too stupid to take care of their health and that does not mean that poor Brits are in anyway stupid!

I don’t pretend to have the definitive answer but I have spent some time in Europe and I have noticed some pretty dramatic differences in our ways of life.

The main difference is in the layout of our residential areas. Recently in Scotland, we walked to the pub, we walked to the shops and carried heavy bags back. We walked to the train station for a train to the city where we walked all around. In other words, we walked.

Here, we live in suburbs that are connected by roads and highways and not by sidewalks. We don’t walk anywhere. Some people jog on the side of the roads, placing their lives in danger. Did you notice that most joggers are skinny as shit? Some of us go to gyms, etc. Some exercise at home BUT the great majority DOES NOTHING.

Why don’t you see OBESE people in Europe? Why do Europeans or Asians or any ethnic person who comes from a land of the skinny eventually become an obese American after a few years here – lifestyle!

Can anything be done? Europeans have had the same residential areas for hundreds of years. Americans created brand new residential areas and they unfortunately based their designs on car travel. This allowed Americans to live anywhere; not only close to work, schools, shops, etc. For that freedom we sacrificed our health.

We are not going to change the way we build suburbs anytime soon but we can insist on sidewalks EVERYWHERE. I think people will naturally tend to take walks where sidewalks are available.


Janusz

NATIONAL HEALTH CARE INSURANCE MY ASS!

Saturday, May 06, 2006


To:     The Detroit News
Re:     “It’s time for national health insurance”, May 6.

Ron Gettelfinger writes “It’s time for national health insurance”, May 6 because since the auto companies can no longer afford to keep his union members on deluxe health plans, he wants the taxpayers to pick up the tab.

Universal health coverage is the answer to our health cost problems but having our government provide the coverage is just plain irresponsible.

How about mandatory health care coverage with many insurance options to choose from. I know UAW members are not used to paying for health care coverage but maybe its time they joined the real world.


Janusz M Szyszko

MOUSSAOUI TRIAL A FARCE

I am the only one getting sick and tired of hearing about the Zacarias Moussaoui trial?

The whole thing is a farce and was from the very beginning. Listen, I know that people need a scapegoat for 9/11 to bring closure but he ain’t it! Or will anyone do?

The guy is obviously a loony bird and he is making our government look really stupid (like that is hard to do).

Four years of legal maneuvering and six weeks worth of court time with full jury and millions of dollars and what do we have – a person we will have to support for the rest of his life – more money?

The jury saw right through this charade and said he basically had nothing to do with 9/11. Parading the relatives of 9/11 victims through the court accomplished what? Did it really give them closure? I doubt it.

The poor jury was really put on the spot. They knew the prosecution had nothing. They knew that after the female prosecutor interfered with witnesses and nearly had the case dismissed, the prosecutors were a bunch of amateurs, yet they could not let the man go and risk the anger of the nation and especially the relatives of the 9/11 victims. I feel sorry for them.

So tell me, what the hell was this trial about? Do we give a shit about justice or is this all just a big media game orchestrated by the Bush people.


Janusz

AFGHANISTAN ABANDONED

Latest news from Afghanistan: U.S. troops are pulling out. They are pulling out because NATO troops are supposed to be taking their place.

Here is the problem, NATO troops are NOT going to find and fight and destroy the Taliban and Al Qaeda; they are just there to patrol and keep the peace.

The Taliban and Al Qaeda know this and so reports are reaching reporters that Taliban fighters and Al Qaeda fighters are flooding southern Afghanistan to join the spring and summer offensive.

People living in southern Afghanistan now feel that the U.S. has AGAIN abandoned people they supposedly liberated. They now know they have to make peace with the Taliban because they will AGAIN be their new masters; the people’s few moments of freedom and liberty are now at an end – back to the dark ages.

Since Afghanistan was never in President Bush’s plan, they were just a diversion as was the 9/11 attack. He never wanted to liberate Afghanistan, defeat the Taliban, find and destroy Al Qaeda, punish the perpetrators of the 9/11 attack on the U.S.

No, President Bush had his neoconservative plan to attack Iraq and change the world order on his plate and nothing was going to dissuade him from his mission.

I am pointing this all out to remind you how badly he has fucked up. I want you to know that thousands of innocent people will suffer because of his arrogance and his ignorance and WE are some of those people who will suffer and probably our children also!

Thank you President Bush!

Janusz

CHRISTIANITY AND GAYS, PART 1

In the last few months I have been seeing a trend among certain Christians to ratchet up their war against the gays.

A recent newspaper article was titled “Religious right protests tolerance”. This came from Atlanta and the subhead read “Devout cite beliefs in demanding institutions, workplaces end policies that ban discrimination”. You read it right – THEY WANT THE RIGHT TO BE INTOLERANT. They want the right to harass!

Other stories that you may have read include the Christian group that shows up at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. They hold up signs that tell the grieving relatives that God killed their loved one specifically because the military allows gays to serve.

Another story shows how Ford Motor is being targeted by a Christian group for advertising in gay magazines and for supporting charities that may have gays on board. The economic boycott is actually having an affect on sales at Ford.

My question is what in Christianity is making these people so rabidly anti-gay. Why are they so threatened by gays? They feel it is a Christian commandment, a sacred duty to attack and harass gays and wipe them off the face of the earth – why?

Now I realize that throughout history, religious leaders have picked targets that united the faithful in a common cause. We see this today in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and many other countries. Yes it is a religious campaign but also very political because only through politics can you gain dominance and impose your beliefs and therefore your rule on everyone.

The religious zealots in this country may not be as violent buy I think everybody can plainly see the common thread here.

What I would like to find out is the Christian justification for extreme anti-gay feelings and actions. The reason I use the word “extreme” is because I personally feel, as a heterosexual, a good deal of uneasiness and maybe queasiness about male homosexuality but I accept them as human beings with a different biological orientation that they were born with. As fellow human beings and members of our society, I do not wish them harm.

On the other hand, the specific Christians I have mentioned want to deny gays their humanness and reject them as society members; they want them dead or at least gone!

This will take a number of blogs because I want to examine what in Christianity justifies these violent feelings and Christianity is a large area to look at.

Talk to you soon,


Janusz

MEXICAN IMMIGRATION OR JUST OPEN BORDERS!

Monday saw a huge amount of people pour into the streets of big cities to make the nation aware of the role of Mexican immigrants (illegal) in our daily lives and in the economy of this country.

It appears that the motivation for the protest was a belief that illegal Mexican immigrants will be rounded up and deported as felons for entering this country illegally. I don’t think anyone in our government believes that locating, rounding up and deporting 14 million illegal Mexicans is even remotely possible.

The organizers of the protest are probably quite aware what the Congress can and cannot realistically do with the illegals; they just want Congress to see how well they are organized and how easily they can deliver votes when the illegals become legal.

It is important to point out that even though many of the protesters carried signs saying “America was built by immigrants” and various variations on that theme, America was built by legal immigrants or at least a majority of immigrants that were legally in this country.

Other ethnic groups would probably behave like the Mexicans if their countries bordered the U.S. Look at how many Chinese try to get into this country illegally and look how far away China is. We have to realize how powerful the drive to better one’s lot in life is and how people are willing to risk their very lives for the chance at a better life.

It appears to me that logic will tell us that the reasons Mexicans enter the United States illegally is because they can not do it legally. Am I correct? Do we have a quota or strict rules for entering legally? Does it cost too much to apply for legal entry? I don’t know but I must surmise all the above to be true since most Mexicans choose the illegal and dangerous route.

The question is – can the United States make entry into the U.S. easier AND legal for Mexicans so they don’t have to come in illegally?

Anyway, for Congress to seriously address the status of illegal immigrants in this country they must seriously address the flood of immigrants coming into the country on a daily basis otherwise the whole immigration question is a joke.

The Mexican government relies on the millions of dollars illegal immigrants send back to Mexico so they do not want to alter the status quo. It appears it is all up to us.

I say STOP THE FLOW by whatever means necessary FIRST! Then let’s deal with the ones already in.

Janusz

THE PRICE OF DEMOCRACY

Last Sunday’s papers carried news of a little rebellion. Retired Generals criticizing our Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and a top CIA employee “supposedly” leaking top secret information to a journalist and being fired (not prosecuted) for it. The TV program “60 Minutes” featured a top CIA official explaining in detail, how the Bush Administration twisted intelligence to justify their invasion of Iraq.

The various pundits took up sides and this Sunday, they continued their debate. Predictable, columnists on the right called critics and leakers of secrets as unpatriotic (traitors) who compromised our nation’s safety. Those on the left said it is our patriotic duty to question and expose our government especially when we suspect evil doings.

Both sides make good points but I think we are witnessing something bigger here.

I feel the Bush Administration, based on its actions and behavior, is being looked on as an enemy of the people and a danger to this nation. This very real perception in turn is redefining the meaning of patriotism.

The CIA employee, a woman who is 61 years of age and close to retirement (Mary McCarthy) was considered a loyal employee with great integrity who played by the book. What possessed her to reveal to a journalist that the CIA was operating secret prisons in Eastern Europe where all means possible were used to extract the truth from suspects? The journalist went on to win the Pulitzer Prize.

The CIA official on “60 Minutes” is now retired but had a need to set the record straight. He felt used and he felt the CIA had been used and that to him was not only wrong but not in the best interests of this country and therefore damaging to this country.

The stories about retired generals criticizing Rumsfeld have drawn a lot of bitter comment. The Wall Street Journal called their actions “Dishonorable” and predictably “Unpatriotic”. The New York Times polled active officers who criticized the retired officers for not criticizing the war plans sooner and more vehemently after all they should have learned something from Vietnam.

The situation with military officers is a little different. The military, by law, is commanded by civilians. We all know why our Founding Fathers wrote the law that way but today, generals have become political hostages, having to sing and dance for the President and his Secretary of Defense just to protect their careers. Officers who criticize are just removed.

Someone said that the price of democracy is to always be vigilant, always remain on alert for dangers that threaten our way of life. If people perceive the Bush Administration as that danger, that threat to our way of life, then they will behave how their conscience dictates and that may not always agree with, what we think, are accepted rules of behavior.


Janusz

EMBARRASSED BY THE FDA

I am once again embarrassed by my government. More fittingly, I am once again disgusted by how asinine my government has become.

Specifically, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the agency protecting our health and well being, has just declared that marijuana cannot be supported for MEDICINAL use. The FDA also denied the sale of the “Morning After” pill in drugstores after most of the medical advisory board recommended the pill be made available to the general public.

The marijuana ruling goes against a 1999 finding by the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences that” marijuana’s active components are potentially effective in treating pain, nausea, the anorexia of AID’S wasting and other symptoms and should be tested rigorously in clinical trials”.

Some states have passed laws allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Now I don’t pretend to know if marijuana really helps people suffer less but many sick people swear by it. I have always been in favor of legalizing or decriminalizing the use of marijuana because I always felt that if alcohol consumption is legal why in the hell is marijuana illegal – it makes absolutely no fucking sense.

I realize that pushing to legalize marijuana for medicinal use is only the first step in getting it legalized for general use and that is the way our government obviously feels.

BUT what really pisses me off is the fact that the FDA is being run by politicians and NOT the scientific professionals it is suppose to be run by. In fact, many on the advisory board have quit in disgust because it does not matter what the scientific minds have concluded but what President Bush wants.

The Morning After pill could prevent unwanted pregnancies and therefore abortions but President Bush thinks that the pill actually causes mini abortions and ordered the FDA to deny the public access to the pill. Do you see how this man thinks? And why should learned scientists bow down to the thoughts of this moron president!

I feel the FDA should be made an independent agency answerable to a committee of people with the education and background to be able to judge fairly and correctly if the FDA is carrying out its mandate to protect the public’s health.

Personally, my business is governed by FDA rules and I have experienced the vacillations of FDA rules based on who is in power – enough I say!


Janusz

THE HOUSE OF BUSH IS UNRAVELING!

As I peruse the newspapers this bright, springtime Sunday morning, it is quite apparent that President Bush, his administration, his plans for a better world, his plans for a better America are all kind of unraveling.

If his gamble on Iraq would have only paid off, everything would be different for him, the country and the world. But was his gamble a fool’s gamble? The men that convinced him that this is a “slam dunk” plan that cannot fail are all deserting him and the plan. Where is that arrogant, cocky Rumsfeld – not so cocky anymore?

To sell the plan to the nation and the world, Bush and his cohorts had to, for lack of a better term, lie. They played the ole’ “the means justify the end” card. Now that the “end” is not even in sight and things are going from bad to worse, the “means” are starting to look pretty bad.

The American people, who bought all that Bush threw at them are starting to sober up. They see that they have been duped. Duped into believing that the invasion of Iraq was necessary, that it was part of the war on terror, and that it had something to do with 9/11 – all lies.

As Iraq sinks deeper into civil war all our troops can do is sit back and watch. Hundreds of Iraqis are killed every day. No one is safe. No one is in charge. There is no law or order. Crazy Saddam just laughs and asks, are you better off now?

Afghanistan, the country where al-Qaeda and Bin-laden launched their 9/11 attack on the United States, still hides the terrorists, still allows them to operate and train new recruits for the war on America. The Taliban there is actually growing stronger, organizing to once again take over the country.

Iran is working to build an atom bomb. They need one to protect themselves against the new American Crusaders. Who can blame them?

Have we lost our way? Have we lost what made us great, what made us respected, admired, envied and feared? No, I think we have strayed a little and we need to get our house in order and get back on the American road we are all familiar with.

I think President Bush hurt this country more than anyone can imagine. He invaded a country under false pretenses; he lied to us and the world and his lies, our lies, are now exposed. This is not the American way. We defend ourselves, we defend the defenseless but we do not invade a sovereign nation as part of a grand plan to change the world order. That is something Hitler did.

In the first Gulf War we came to the defense of Kuwait which was brutally attacked by Iraq. We had every right to invade Iraq and topple the man that invaded Kuwait – but we didn’t. I know that the first President Bush regrets that, especially now that he sees what a mess his son is in.

A pre-emptive military strike option is a valid option in today’s world. Rogue countries need to fear that option. That option acts like a deterrent. Defenders of the Iraq invasion point to Libya and how we scared it into behaving. I agree that the Iraq invasion did have that affect but I am not sure it was worth losing all those American soldiers to just scare some people. It could have been done a different way.

President Bush’s actions also increased our vulnerability to harm by allowing, no helping, the terrorists of the world unite and grow stronger. Iraq now is the home of terrorism. This is where they train and get more deadly with each passing day. They now have more recruits, including suicide bombers, than they know what to do with. In the past, Iraq was al-Qaeda free. We could have isolated and destroyed al-Qaeda when they were in Afghanistan. But we did not and we will pay for that.

President Bush hurt this country as far as his overseas adventures are concerned but he also hurt this country internally. He divided us. In the end we may unite again but in opposition to him and his un-American ways.

He divided us by bringing religion into government, something our Founding Fathers warned us against and something this country has dealt with throughout its history with success; why mess with success? Does he have a grand plan to change the country into a Christian nation because his God told him to?

He divided us by taking HIS religious values and trying to make them ours. His values are on full display as his lies and deceits are revealed one after another.

He divided us by taking the law into his own hands. He justified breaking the law because of unusual circumstances, state of war, etc. but we are a republic which means a nation governed by the rule of law. I agree that desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures but the way our laws were disregarded borders on the arrogant and the dictatorial; it could have been done in a better way.

President Bush’s approval ratings are now down below 30% which means most of the country is no longer buying his spin or outright lies. But I do not blame the man. I think he was mislead or he aloud himself to be misled. He probably meant well.

President Bush’s Republican cohorts are running as fast and as far away from him as possible; deserting a sinking ship because now it is everybody for himself.

Will the nation now flock to the Democrats; maybe but not necessarily. The Democrats are not united and have no plan but some will say they at least ain’t no Republicans.

Hilary Clinton does not have a chance but McCain does and he is the uniter this country needs; he is an American first and foremost and then a Republican. I hope he is up to the task because it will be quite a task.


Janusz

MY HEALTHCARE PLAN IN ACTION?

I have talked about how to fix our health care dilemma many times before. My suggestions appeared to fall on death ears or they were just not understood. I feel that in this state of Michigan, with a large auto industry and even larger unions, everybody was waiting for the federal government to create a universal coverage health plan where the taxpayers would pay for everybody, even those that did not pay taxes. In this way, the auto companies would save billions and billions of dollars and turn them into profits while the taxpayer would have just another tax to pay.

Now Massachusetts (see below), passed a healthcare bill that will create UNIVERSAL COVERAGE without the federal government creating another huge, inefficient bureaucracy. Please remember the systems in Canada, UK and elsewhere (socialized medicine) do not work!

Anyway, my idea was to mandate health coverage, just like auto insurance but offering many plans that would be affordable. This, in theory, would eliminate the uninsured that drain the system and cause others to be overcharged for medical care just to pay for the uninsured and there are a LOT of uninsured who need LOTS of medical care.

My plan envisioned the elderly being covered by MEDICARE. The poor being covered by MEDICAID and workers covered by their employers who would get generous tax breaks for providing health care coverage for their employees. Who does that leave?

Well, it leaves workers that do not have health insurance provided by their employers, students and others that I cannot think of at this time. In my plan, they would be offered very affordable insurance based on their ability to pay and their age (young, healthy people would pay the least). In that way the cost of providing health care to the uninsured would not impact our costs which now are artificially high to cover the uninsured costs.

Governor Mitt Romney and the people of Massachusetts have enacted a similar plan based on the same principle of eliminating the uninsured. I don’t mean executing them but providing them with health insurance.

They would penalize employers of 10 or more that do not provide health insurance by making them pay into a fund that would provide low cost insurance to the uninsured. They would also penalize people who can afford insurance but do not buy any. These people would be assessed a special tax that would also go into the uninsured pool. People buying their own insurance could do so with pre-tax dollars; another incentive.

In my plan, I would jail people without insurance or write them a ticket, just like people without auto insurance but I suppose the Massachusetts plan is more doable.

Anyway, I am going out on a limb here because a state will actually try the plan I have been screaming about for so long. Now the proof will be in the pudding. Let us see if I will be forced to eat my own words.

GO MASSACHUSETTS!!!

Janusz

HEALTH CARE SOLUTIONS!

Thursday, April 06, 2006


To:     The Detroit Free Press
Re:     “Mass. Legislators OK health care bill”, April 5.

The idea of controlling health costs by making health insurance mandatory but affordable has been proposed many times but Michigan ignored it. I suppose the auto companies were waiting for the federal government (read taxpayers) to pick up the tab.

Now Massachusetts, in a bi-partisan effort, passed a universal coverage law without a federal government takeover, “Mass. Legislators OK health care bill”, April 5.

Massachusetts had the gumption to quit whining and actually do something about rising health care costs. Let’s see if Michigan can do likewise.


Janusz M Szyszko

THE FRENCH ARE OUT OF HAND!

Can you believe that the little French twits are actually rioting over the fact that if they are under 26 they can be fired for no reason (read my blog below)?

These morons are actually burning, looting, etc. I am more inclined to believe that the situation is similar to riots here; there is a legitimate spark that starts the protest but then the basic hooligans take over when they see a chance to rob stores under the guise of a protest.

Shoot a couple of them and see how quickly they go home.


Janusz

THE POOR, POOR FRENCH WORKER!

Have you heard about the rioting in France? Do you know what they are rioting about? The people have also called for nationwide strikes to bring France to a standstill. Wow, what can bring on such determination, such passion?

What has got the French worker in a tizzy is a new law that will allow businesses in France to let go (fire) any worker less than 26 years of age without any real reason; maybe just because he or she is not working out.

You see historically, in France you cannot really fire anyone without a huge process. In many cases, businesses keep non-performing workers in their positions than risk the process of getting rid of them. Sounds like our Civil Service.

The reason for this law, according to the French government, is to get businesses to hire more young people. Unemployment in the less than 26 age group is quite large. Businesses do not want to take a chance on the young IF THEY CANNOT GET RID OF THEM if they turn out to be unproductive twits. They usually wait till workers are older and more mature, responsible and all that jazz.

So the French are rioting and striking to preserve their historic right to employment without having to worry about being let go. Remember we are ONLY talking about workers below the age of 26.

DO YOU FEEL SORRY FOR THEM NOW?


Janusz

THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION?

My, my, the immigration question has really heated up lately. The politicians (all of them) are really confused as to what to do. They are divided because their constituency is divided.

Some call for amnesty, others want them outa here. We are talking about 14 million people so it is not just a silly little matter.

Here, in Michigan, most of the landscaping and lawn maintenance work is performed by Mexicans. For that matter, many construction jobs are also performed by Mexicans. Fruit growers in the North could not survive without Mexican labor.

Many of those workers are seasonal, spending the winter in Mexico and coming up here in the spring. Are they legal – I dunno. Should they be – probably?

The 14 million we are talking about are not seasonal; they are here to stay.

Let us look at some facts here. First and foremost, they are illegal so they do not pay taxes. I’m not saying they make a lot of money so would pay a lot in taxes, but 14 million people could account for some sizable tax money.

They do not pay taxes but probably use our services like police, fire, health, etc. They use those services for free or at our expense.

So from just the tax side, it would be beneficial for all of us if they became registered citizens.

So what are the issues that so divide this country.

The business sector says, let them stay. Many businesses rely on Mexican labor. Make them become citizens and that is that.

Others say, they are illegal, make them leave and come in legally – fat chance.

Senators McCain and Kennedy say they should all pay a fine for never paying taxes, learn English and become citizens.

Still others say, give them all amnesty and let them stay legally.

Reality tells us that 14 million people would never be rounded up and deported, not in 100 years.

We all agree that it would be better if they were registered and enrolled in citizen training. To do that, they must be found or they must be made to register. How do we do that?

One proposed law would punish heavily, employers of illegals. To work legally in this country one needs to have proof of citizenship or a Green Card. If really enforced, it could do the job.

Am I suggesting a NATIONAL ID CARD? Wow, that’s so like Big Brother it is downright scary but hey, got a better idea?

Our borders are a joke, read sieve. Should they be tightened – absolutely! Build a wall? Maybe or come up with a better idea.

Once no more are coming in illegally make the illegals already here legal by registering them.

Sounds simple – let us see what happens in the coming weeks.


Janusz

CHRISTIAN PEACE ACTIVISTS IN IRAQ?

Recently, several CHRISTIAN PEACE ACTIVISTS in Iraq were rescued by British soldiers. These so called activists were being held hostage by presumably some “insurgent” group. One of the activists in the group was executed some time ago.

What I want to know is who in the hell are these activists and what the hell are they doing in Iraq.

My wife says that they just want to help the Iraqis and help the peace process. I say fuck that; they are just Christians trying to convert some Muslims.

Insane? – Yes, but there are certain Christian sects that view proselytizing as a requirement of their faith and a means of getting to heaven and they view Iraq as a fertile converting place.

I am sorry, but we have a war in Iraq and if soldiers have to risk their lives to rescue some stupid ass Christians that do not know any better than to stay home, then I think we have a problem here.

The Muslims already see this war as a CRUSADER INVASION. Remember the Crusades? These were expeditions by Christian armies to save the Holy Land. History now tells us that these were marauding Europeans that wanted to claim some land for themselves. They justified slaughtering thousands of Muslim dogs because the Pope told them it was OK.

Are you starting to see the connection?

So when these Christian Activists start flooding into the war zone to help themselves to some heathens, the Muslims see crusaders – and why not!

President Bush could issue an order prohibiting travel to Iraq for people that do not have a valid reason but he won’t. He actually likes the idea of converting the heathens to Christianity – maybe that was his intent from the beginning.


Janusz

DEATH FOR SWITCHING RELIGIONS!

In news from Afghanistan comes a case of a man that has converted to Christianity and now, unfortunately, must be put to death because that is the law.

The overlooked facts of the story involve an Afghanistan that has lived in Germany for many years and now is involved in some kind of custody case. The fact that he has become a Christian many years ago was incidental to the case but obviously has become THE case.

The U.S. approved the Afghanistan constitution and didn’t see the clause that requires the death penalty when a citizen rejects Islam?

The clerics in Afghanistan said “Rejecting Islam is insulting God…we will not allow God to be humiliated…”

Now I am not picking on the Muslims, this applies to all religious people that are too full of themselves, but who in the hell are you to protect your God from humiliation. If he is really God, shouldn’t He get pissed off at being humiliated?

Why doesn’t he throw some lightening bolts at this infidel? Why doesn’t He do something – anything! Because He can’t – he is just an invention of someone’s mind and the clerics know that. They can only keep their power by putting to death anyone that challenges their invention and they have been doing this for centuries.

If Afghanistan wants to call itself a Democracy, they cannot govern themselves by Muslin Law (Sharia). They need to write another constitution or admit that they are a theocracy and that is that (like Iran).

President Bush will have to realize that democracy is not for everyone and will not work everywhere. That is too bad but alas true.

Janusz

A MOVIE FOR OUR TIMES - V

I just saw the movie “V for Vendetta” and I have to highly recommend it! The movie made by the Wachowski brothers and starring Natalie Portman is well written, well acted and well filmed – it was brilliant!

I must warn you that it is a thriller with a big political statement; a statement that is very relative to the times we live in – perfect timing.

The action takes place in Great Britain in the near future where a leader, in a response to terrorism, takes away the population’s civil liberties. An individual in a Guy Fawkes mask tries to save the country from this evil dictator.

Guy Fawkes is a British subject that tried to blow up Parliament in 1605. That fact has been celebrated in England ever since (November 5th) by shooting off fireworks and burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes (traitor) in a large bonfire.

I am not going to give away the whole story but it sure resembles our own predicament. The message is strong and deep and oh so relevant.

I will discuss the movie more when more people have seen it – GO SEE IT!

WWII VS INVASION OF IRAQ?

Sunday, March 12, 2006


To: The Detroit News
Re: “What happened to unity in times of war?”, March 10.



Barrett Kalellis’s piece “What happened to unity in times of war?” March 10, shows that President Bush’s spin on the invasion of Iraq has worked on some Americans.

World War II veterans in my family were incensed that Mr. Kalellis dared to compare their war to the current military debacle. They gave their lives to protect this country, a country that was savagely attacked. The invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, terrorism or Al Qaeda, it was a plan hatched by a neoconservative group to change the world order – some members of that group are now publicly stating they were wrong. Mr. Kalellis owes WWII vets an apology.


Janusz M Szyszko

ANTI-GAY BIBLE THUMPERS

Sunday, March 12, 2006


To:     The Detroit Free Press
Re:     “Dear anti-gay Bible literalist: Turn the page on your outrage”, March 12.


The piece by Leonard Pitts, Jr., “Dear anti-gay Bible literalist: Turn the page on your outrage”, March 12 sent a much needed message to those Christians that justify their homophobia through the Bible.

I would also like to point out that recent scientific studies of women that gave birth to multiple homosexual sons have discovered specific gene formations that differ from those of mothers that have heterosexual sons. These studies add more proof to the belief that homosexuals are born that way and not simply choose the gay life. If that is the case, then homosexuals are natural creations of God just like heterosexuals and deserve to be treated as such.


Janusz M Szyszko

THE CANTON TRUSTEE SAGA

Wednesday, March 08, 2006


This is a story about a local matter. The location is Canton Township in the state of Michigan. The township is run by a supervisor and a board of trustees. This is about one of the trustees.

He came to my attention a few years ago when he ran for a seat on the Board of Trustees. I noticed, because the campaign literature he sent to Canton homes had him dressed in a Marine uniform and using patriotism and his sacrifice for our freedoms shtick to get votes. I really hate that type of pandering and I voted for someone else but Canton voters bought into it and he got a seat on the board.

His name was in the paper constantly. He opposed about everything the Board suggested. It appeared he was a contrarian and a populist, again pandering to the people of Canton as someone who will stick up for the common man. His objections and antics became more bizarre as time went on and he was looked on as a basic pain in the ass that wasted people’s time more than doing anything constructive.

The one time I saw him at a Board meeting, he came in at the very end, made a commotion entering the room and then the meeting ended.

A few people tried to criticize his antics in the local paper but were attacked by what appeared to be his fan club or his gang of like minded individuals.

The final straw for me came when he announced he is re-enlisting in the Marines because someone has to protect and defend our country. The local paper carried his story big time and a local editor wrote a lengthy column questioning his support for the Iraq war but praising his dedication to our country; willing to put his life on the line to defend our freedoms when fewer and fewer are willing to do that anymore.

He was re-enlisting but he would not vacate his Board of Trustee seat; he wanted that waiting for him when he got back.

I saw his actions as a continuation of his use of patriotism and his uniform to gain publicity for future political campaigns and I said just that in a letter to the editor.

Predictably, his harpies came out in force lambasting me with every imaginable charge. I also received an email, anonymous of course, from some inbred moron who used the vilest language to malign me and my family as well as issue a threat. The writer had a problem with my ethnicity and my service in the Air Force as well as perceived leftward leanings. He called me an “eastern European hippy (sic)”. Since my hips are rather narrow, I think he meant hippie.

This type of polarization is quite the norm in this country as exemplified by my previous post of attacking the Colorado teacher that dared to suggest that Bush sounds a lot like Hitler did.

It reminds me of the Hans Christian Anderson tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” where two scoundrels convinced the emperor that the invisible clothes they would sell him could help him see who was pure of heart and spirit because only the pure of heart could see the clothes, people who could not see the clothes are just evil. In the story, everyone did not want to appear un-pure of heart or evil and praised the non-existent clothes. Finally an innocent child cried out that the emperor was naked.

My letter to the editor basically exposed what was quite obvious to some people; the Trustee was using the flag, his uniform and the war on Iraq to further his political goals – he had no clothes!

There were specific accusations that the Trustee defenders made against me that need answers.

One letter writer accused me of supporting Al Qaeda by my views. I don’t know if people practice selective ignorance or are blinded by the truth when it does not validate their views but HISTORICAL FACTS are now in and the invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with Al Qaeda or terrorism or the 9/11 attacks. The sad and sick irony is that the invasion of Iraq gave Al Qaeda a new home, many new members and renewed energy to harm Americans and anyone else they want. All these years Saddam Hussein kept Al Qaeda bottled up in Afghanistan by not allowing them access to Iraq. BUSH ACTUALLY HELPED AL QAEDA AND PLACED AMERICANS IN MORE DANGER THAN EVER BEFORE BY INVADING IRAQ AND DEPOSING SADDAM – thank you very much Mr. President.

Another writer basically called me a coward for enlisting in the Air Force instead of going to the Marines and the front lines. I don’t know if these people remember the 60s or the Vietnam War but many 18-19 year olds, like me, were being drafted and placed in the Army or Marines.

Some gave this some thought and quickly enlisted in the Air Force even though it meant serving an extra two (2) years in the service of our country. The reasons are simple, they wanted to learn a skill they could use after their military service, wanted the opportunity to attend school and did not want to be mere cannon fodder. They provided essential services to the war machine during Vietnam.

President Bush and Vice President Chaney had other priorities and did not give ANY TIME TO THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. Please don’t bring up Bush’s National Guard duty; that is really a joke.

So these defenders of Bush and Chaney look aside at their lack of ANY military time but give me grief about my four (4) years in the United States Air Force – go figure.

Another letter writer made a point of stating that the Canton Trustee is going to Iraq to defend our freedoms. The War on Iraq was an invasion on our part; we were not defending diddly shit. Our freedoms are not at stake in Iraq. The only things at steak in Iraq are innocent American and Iraqi lives so please do not feed me that sack of shit.

Another accusation was that I may have a political agenda and that is why I am pointing out that the emperor has no clothes – no way.

People are always saying “Support the troops” and any criticism of the war is somehow “Not supporting the troops”. We have an all volunteer military so all the troops in Iraq are there because they signed up; it is their JOB. We support them by paying our taxes which in turn pays their salaries so WE ALL SUPPORT THE TROOPS so what the hell do people mean by “support our troops”?

Do the troops care if we support the war on Iraq? That is a different story. You may ask the troops IF THEY SUPPORT THE WAR ON IRAQ. Many reports say they do not and now we know that most Americans do not support it either.

I remember talking to my friend that has a teenage son and how he asked him about the war on Iraq. He stated that if the U.S. was attacked, he would be in the front of the line to join the military and defend our country. If the draft was reinstated right now and he was drafted to fight in the war on Iraq; he would go to Canada. You see, the war on Iraq has nothing to do with defending our country, it is Bush’s folly trying to democratize all Arab countries and probably Christianize them also – it is total bullshit and not worth one American life or Iraqi for that matter.

This whole Trustee episode does not put our country or citizens in a good light. Some appear no different then the Taliban morons or the cartoon protestors. The fact that they are fooled by a demagogue like this Canton Trustee is sad and I guess if he can use this power to his advantage then shame on us all.

Janusz

BUSH VS HITLER?

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

This morning’s news had an article about a teacher in Aurora, Colorado (family in Michigan) that compared President Bush to Adolph Hitler in his geography class. He actually said that Bush’s State of the Union speech was eerily similar to Hitler’s speeches; “Sounds a lot like what Hitler used to say…conquer the world and make people live the way we want them to live…”

A student in his class recorded the lecture; his conservative father sent it to a conservative radio program. The internet somehow got a hold of it too and then all hell broke loose along with threatening phone calls and emails to the teacher, student and related families. This is kind of similar to the Muslim reaction to political cartoons featuring the Prophet Mohammad.

I am not going to argue if the teacher’s remarks were appropriate for a geography class; it probably was not subject related. The teacher said he wanted to stimulate his students to think – again, in geography class? I can see why some parents would be upset but I was not in his class so I cannot really judge how appropriate his remarks were.

In general, most Americans do not know what Hitler ever said - period. They see old films with Hitler banging on a table and screaming. The impression is of a madman telling Germans to kill all non-Germans. But the German race is not stupid, in fact they are very smart so for Hitler to convince them to go to war he had to use some really good persuasive techniques.

He obviously convinced them that Germany was surrounded by enemies bent on destroying them and the only way for Germany to survive was to conquer those other nations and install German law and order and since Germans are the “Master Race” they are ordained by God to be rulers over lesser human beings.

WWII began when Hitler told his people that the Poles attacked Germany. Hitler had amassed a huge army and air force; the Poles still had horse cavalry and he tried to sell the fact that Poland attacked Germany. Well it worked.

President Bush convinced a nation that Saddam Hussein and Iraq were a danger to the United States. They had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) which they were going to use on us. He also convinced us that Iraq and Hussein was somehow tied to Bin Laden and the Al Qaeda. We now know all this was false and a war of invasion was based of false pretenses.

Bush and Chaney’s neoconservative plan to change the world order (documented in the Wall Street Journal) included the democratization of Muslim nations so they could behave like us. I can see how the teacher could compare Bush to Hitler based on historic data – it is not a stretch.

American conservatives, just like the Muslims and their cartoons, reacted with blind emotion – how can you compare Bush to that evil monster Hitler who killed millions of people. Yes it is irreverent but very interesting.

Janusz