What’s next?

Finally, and thank God, our Military is out of Iraq. We still have a relatively large concern that is being left behind, and will need to be watched extremely closely. We have n enormous Embassy to run in Baghdad, and a similarly large  “Consulate” in Basra. For the near future, our interest in maintaining the Embassy in Baghdad does not present a very big problem. However, the presence of a “Consulate” in Basra does present us with a number of problems.

The geographical location of the city of Basra and its importance to the export of Iraqi oil has in the past given the Iraqi government fits. It is simply too close to Iran for anyone to ignore. I believe that in recent weeks Iran has expressed a rather intense desire to bring not only the City and Port of Basra under their control, but also the entire oil producing capability of Iraq.  This would involve, at the very least, the entire Euphrates River valley, right up to the Turkish border. With a slightly less aggressive land grab to the West, this has the distinct possibility of linking Iran with Syria. Oh, happy day! [ He said sarcastically.]

If you are of the ilk that believes one thing leads to another ( the Domino Theory), then consider how this puts more radical Islam closer, much closer, to the State of Israel. You don’t have to be a highly paid Historian (Gnewt!) to figure out what this may mean a permanent change in the makeup and demise of the State of Israel. You also do not have to be a degreed Ivy League prognosticator to know that these are the events that lead to World Wars. I feel that in the coming months these are some of the monumental questions our State Department and Executive Branch will have to wrestle with. I sincerely hope modern civilization can come up with the correct international solution that will be needed to keep this scenario from occurring.

Wednesday's Fireside Chat With Your Uncle Hutch

Where are we, and how’d we get here?

From November 1980 to November 2010:

	Years In Power
U.S. House Democrat	18 years
U.S. House Republican	12 years
U.S.Senate Democrat	12 years
U.S.Senate Republican	18 years
U.S. Congress Democrat	12 years
U.S. Congress Republican	12 years
Republican In The White House	20 years
Democrat In The White House	10 years

source: http://elections.mytimetovote.com/new_york.html

Over the past twenty to thirty years our National constitutions, institutions, identity, politics, economy, education, manufacturing, and middle class have been seriously eroded, or completely decimated. Why has this happened, how has this happened, and what has constituted the driving force behind it all.

I think we can all pretty much agree that greed and avarice have been the driving forces. General apathy of the population as a whole has allowed greed and avarice to be that driving force. That explains the “what” and the “why”, but how do you explain the “how”? Any attempt to find a significant description of “how” seems to lead off into a distracting discussion of who is to blame. Let’s take blame out of the equation by admonishing everyone to simply look in the mirror. We have been known, on occasion, to be our own worst enemies.

The numbers I have listed above would, on face value, tend to rule out the U.S. Congress which shows an even split over recent years. The two to one .Presidential figures really don’t come into play, as a President does not make law in this democracy.  That still leaves the question of how did we arrive at a point where so many of us feel despair, frustration, disillusionment, and alienation. There must be another force at work. Perhaps it’s a force that we are reluctant to talk about, or feel too inadequate to talk about. If that force turns out to be “Big Business”, I have to let you all in on a Big Secret: it isn’t any where near as complicated as the purveyors of Big Business would lead you to believe. Most of us can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. More than that, it simply is not. Oh, they make up fancy words to try to scramble our brains and make us think we couldn’t possibly understand the “complexities” of it all. Nevertheless, really, broken down into simple terms and language, “Big Business” isn’t all that big. It’s rather mundane and monotonous, if viewed in its basic form.

So, maybe the “how” is that we have allowed something pretty simple in nature get out of hand, and, while we were sleeping, get the upper hand on ruling and running our lives. I think we can all pretty much agree that we’ve been asleep at the wheel, as we’ve allowed our elected officials to become highly paid servants of the aforementioned purveyors of Big Business. I think, similarly, that our collective siesta has allowed for the corruption of our our educational system. In addition, by dismantling the National educational institutions, we now have a Generation who can’t read, write, spell, or use the English language properly anymore. Why would any one individual, or group, even think about doing something like that? How would it serve any one individual, or group, to even attempt bringing our education system to its knees? The only people in this Country who could possibly benefit are the “Captains of Industry”; yes, the 1% we so often refer to these days.

By simply decimating a generation, or two, through poor quality education, the 1% removes any and all threats to its existence by removing the Middle Class. They will then be able to run the entire show without opposition, and have a subservient class to do menial tasks for very little compensation. These folks will continue to make money hand over fist via their outsourcing of higher skilled tasks to even cheaper labor sources. They get to have their cake and eat it, too, and all at our expense.

Is this the type of nation we think of when we think of the United States of America?  Is this the state of affairs we now accept as the norm for our daily lives? I s this the Nation, and Society, we want to leave to our children and grand children? Some how, I think the answers to those questions is a resounding NO.

Why is this clip from August suddenly so timely, again?

I was going to save this for my Wednesday “Fireside Chat”, but it’s too important not to post now.

http://front.moveon.org/bernie-sanders-we-will-not-be-blackmailed-again/

Yes. It’s true; there is “revolution in the air”.

Its' time! We either put up, or shut up. The best thing we are left with is our "one man/woman, one vote" chance at changing the guard. If you yell, scream, and jump up and down at your currently elected officials, they are simply going to pat you on the head and tell you everything is alight. They are bought and paid for, already.

Other than using the ballot box, our only other real chance at change is a controlled, non-violent disruption of "system"; demonstrations, marches, movements, sit-ins, sit-downs, and, right now, our #1 solution; a General Strike. We have to hit them where they live; in their pocket books! A little bit of sacrifice and pain now will avoid the train wreck we will endure if this “business as usual” keeps on running down the tracks. Can you imagine a United States with just two socio-economic classes? That’s exactly where we’re headed. If “We The Peeps “ don’t stand up and seriously get in their faces, we are doomed to ride this train right over the edge and fall into the deep, dark abyss of Neo-Feudalism. It is not a pretty picture.

We need to get through the Christmas Season without getting too beaten up. Somewhere in January, February, and/or March is the time for planning. Definitely before Memorial Day would be the time period that best fits the attack. I’m not talking about some lame little “boycott’. I’m talking about a major, full-bore National General Strike. Nobody shows up for work; nobody shows up for school; nobody shows up for Bingo, or shuffle board. Yes, the sick and the needy will be attended to and cared for, but, other than that, we ALL take to the streets. We ALL raise our voices. And, we ALL do it in a non-violent manner as to not rile the riot brigades. A little bit of GANDHI goes a long way; it’s been proven over the years that this works.

Folks, if you’re going to talk the talk, you damn well better be ready, willing, and able to walk the walk. This Nation needs a little shaking up. Who better to do it than the very people who stand to lose the most in the coming years? Yes, my friends, “there is Revolution in the air”!