https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq6t7SPbcX0
Rob and I watched President Obama’s address to the nation on September 10. And we watched the hour afterward, where TV pundits explained – or tried to – what it all meant.
Here’s what it meant to me: I felt like I was watching George W. Bush during a similar address more than ten years ago, when he told us it was imperative that the U.S. invade Iraq, which hadn’t even been involved in 911. His remark that the U.S. will seek out and destroy ISIS wherever it is bore eerie parallels to Bush’s axis of evil speech in his state of the union address on January 29, 2002.
I clearly recall Bush’s expression during that speech, the way his eyes narrowed, his mouth twitched, the way his voice struggled for sincerity and failed utterly and completely. Obama scared me. And I voted for this man twice. The first time he ran, Rob and I stood in a line in Fort Lauderdale for five or six hours, waiting to get inside an auditorium to hear this man who spoke so movingly of change. We actually got great seats and were riveted by his energy, his idealism, his vision. Now it’s six years later and guess what? Not very much has changed.
– Gitmo is still open for business and has fewer than 150 prisoners who are costing the U.S. untold zillions a year. Why? National Public Radio – NPR- recently conducted a program about Gitmo. Check it out. It’s an eye opener.
– Surveillance on Americans has expanded under Obama, not shrunk. Just ask Edward Snowden. If you’re a blogger who ever mentions politics, be sure to check your Statcounter for the number of hits you receive from government spy agencies. Are you a danger to the U.S.?
– We are supposedly out of Afghanistan this year, but there are still about 30,000 troops there. Why?
– And why do we still have more than 30,000 troops in South Korean, more than sixty years after WWII?
– And why do we, civilians who just want to get from point A to B on a plane, still have to remove our stupid shoes and put them in a stupid tray when we go through security at the airport? I mean, really. There was ONE guy way back when who had a bomb in his shoe. ONE.
– And why are TSA employees allowed to feel you up and over when, in any other situation, this behavior would constitute sexual battery or assault?
– Why does the military/industrial complex receive untold zillions while we are constantly told that universal health care would be untenable financially?
I am so disenchanted at this point with Obama’s promise for change that unless the democrats run a true liberal in 2016, I’ll be sitting out the election. A true liberal would be, oh, let’s see, the list is short. Forget Hillary Clinton. She’s a hawk. I love Elizabeth Warren, the senator from Massachusetts who has never backed down from a fight; Bernie Sanders, the self-proclaimed socialist who is up there on my hero list with Nelson Mandela; or Wendy Davis, currently a democratic Texas senator who is running for governor.
She’s the woman who filibustered for 11 hours to block a truly restrictive abortion bill for that state. Think about that. You talk for 11 hours. You can’t sit down. I don’t know if you can even pause for a sip of water. I suppose they have time for a bathroom break, but maybe not. It’s Texas, after all, one of the most right-wing states in this country that pretty much hates women.
And that’s the thing, really. Our national politics are intimately threaded through our international politics. Eisenhower warned us about the military/industrial complex more than half a century ago. No one listened.
You notice how gray Obama has gotten in the last two years? My sense about this man is that he meant well, he really did. He hoped to initiate significant change, hoped to engage a recalcitrant congress, to work with them, but encountered one cement wall after another. When he rallied the U.S. military to save thousands of people stranded on a mountaintop where ISIS had chased them, I cheered for him. Humanitarian efforts are where we should we putting our military might.
When he started bombing missions to stop ISIS, I got nervous. Yes, two freelance journalists had been beheaded on You Tube, a provocation, an invitation to engage. Yeah, it’s barbaric, it’s Medieval – but Saudia Arabia, our ally – has beheaded 16-30 citizens this month (depending on which source you read) and one of those beheadings was for sorcery, which in that country might be nothing more than a weather prediction.
When I listened to Obama’s speech the other night, I realized he had caved, that he was channeling Bush, that not much has changed. For some reason, the consistent paradigm of US foreign policy is that we must be the world cop. We must intervene, conquer, and of course, always, “guard and defend our interests in Mideast” – i.e. OIL.
That’s tragic and sad. We could do so much better.And if the paradigm doesn’t change of its own volition, something will force that change.
I fault our shadow government for forcing American presidents to tow the pro-war line. The Bush you see in interviews these days is completely different than the one who was president. No longer does he squint his eye or smirk or do his eyebrow twitch. His face looks natural when he speaks about his paintings or retirement.
I believe that Presidents are made to do the bidding of the powers that be and if they refuse, then they are told the truth about the JFK assassination. Since no one wants to end up like JFK, they do what they need to do to walk out of the White House alive and have a nice post-presidency.
To say you aren’t going to vote because of a president towing the line on foreign policy is dangerous. I believe presidents only have power to make domestic changes. When it comes to foreign policy, they have no power at all. They are expected to follow the script or else.
Thus, even though Hillary is obviously a hawk and has stated that she would have committed troops to Syria, I still plan to vote for her in 2016 for the sake of history. And domestic policies. A Republican president will be bad for the country. I believe we are one or two Republican presidents away from full on fascism. I may disagree with Democratic presidents falling into the national security / foreign policy trap, but on a domestic level, on an economic level, Republican policy is devastating for the country. It’s essentially a theft of the middle class to enrich the already too wealthy class, which makes life more and more difficult to live / afford to live in this country.
If hilary is the dem candidate, I would vote for her. But I am hoping some other dem wins the nomination. A republic Paz would be a tipping point disaster for this country.
what’s NEW boys girls,,,,,,, 1’s and and 2’s,,,, dozens and dozens,,, hundreds and sometimes 1,000 of (won’t say innocents,,, cause that be a RARE bird),, will say non combatants put to death,,, or will actually say brought to the door of passage….. and we cry out for the HIGH profile ones,, the ones who “CHOOSE” to enter the ARENA,,, thinking they may be able to be there and not be there at the same time….. me I’d call the a mistake,,,, 100’s and 1,000’s of non combatants are killed,, brutalized,,, terrorized,,, continuously in these regions we watch on the airwaves,,,,,, and they did not choose to show up to take pictures……
Oh God, I’d settle for a full-scale alien invasion before we’re involved in another pointless war of bloodshed, because this ‘world cop’ thing is really getting us nowhere fast. And honestly, I’d be happier on another earth-like world, minus the guns, violence, and nuclear weapons.
Count us in!
Me too!
We had a speech from our Prime Minister following a UK citizen – an aid worker – being beheaded. Another is being held and is likely to go the same way. I think we maybe being manipulated into another war against ISIS. Sadly there are so called British citizens within ISIS.
Surveillance has also been expanded over here and as for travel … even phones, iPads, computers etc. must be full charged if you want to fly and so on and so on.
UK hasn’t started bombing as yet, but Cameron has been saying how those responsible for the beheadings will be brought to justice – but how, without another war?
Doesn’t look too good at the moment.
No, it doesn’t look good.
Hey Trish – that was some hot article you wrote. I wish you were running for president.
The world today is so depressing I have am at the point where I can’t watch the news without feeling sick.
Obama not only has a lot more grey hair, he looks ill at times. I don’t see how anyone can handle that job. The entire world has become insane. And look at the domestic news -wife beating – child abuse.
Enough!
I know what you mean, Adele.
My husband watches American politics quite closely, and he has mentioned worrying trends, not only there, but also world wide… It seems the people of the world are out to self-destruct…
Worldwide…definitely too much tumult going on.
They have been chomping at the bit to get into Syria since last year when the roar from the public to members of Congress stopped them in their tracks. We have to keep writing, calling, never letting up the pressure. I received an email letter from the President the day after I emailed the White House on this topic. That has not happened in the past, so he’s trying to keep us behind him on this issue, but the beheadings have lost their war cache. Like you said – it is ‘par for the course’ in Saudia Arabia. It’s time to just say no to war, no matter what is going on in the world. They will always find an excuse for military contractors to use their toys on innocent people caught in the crosshairs. One war followed by another war – all paid for with our tax dollars, and the blood of our young men and women. You can bet Hillary will be right in there. She is a globalist hawk. She will not get my vote. Isreal wants us in Syria and Iran, IMHO, and Hillary will take us there.
We can’t seem to exist as a country without an enemy.