Change We Can Believe In?

I was watching a news clip yesterday and saw pictures of President Obama at an Asian Conference abroad. It had the heads of state of the Nations attending all dressed in local garb and then taking the obligatory photo. Included in the group was our President who was in local dress also and it reminded me of the phrase, "Change We Can Believe In". In that moment I asked myself was President Obama the change I was looking for. The answer is unequivocally, YES!

For the past 10 to 15 years, I have been embarrassed by our Presidents. Yes, first it was with Bill Clinton and his sexual escapades with the culmination of the Monica Lewinsky affair and subsequently his impeachment. Then it was 8 long years of President Bush. He was a terrible President, embarrassing not just me, but an entire nation. When he just sat there during the 9/11 attacks, reading with children in a classroom, staying seated even after being told we were being attacked. As President he not only did what he could to subvert the Constitution with his sidekick, VP Dick Cheney, and lied about WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) in Iraq, fudging stories, about yellow cake uranium in Niger, to scare us about yellow mushroom clouds in our future if we didn't authorize the attack on Iraq. But even a small matter embarrassed me, President Bush couldn't even pronounce the word "Nuclear". But yesterday, as I watched our President mingling with World leaders, I finally said to myself, YES, President Obama is the Change We Can Believe In. But because I have been so disappointed for so many years, I must add the words, So Far! I just hope we are not disappointed, as we have many times before. We are in year one of his Presidency, but so far so good.

You see, there are some things to be grateful for, this Thanksgiving. You may or may not like President Obama's politic, but I think you can agree that so far he has not embarrassed us as President. Thank you Mr. President, thank you so very much! Finally a President who is what he had promised us in many ways.

Headline reads: Mukasey refuses to judge waterboarding

With the Judiciary Chairman's patience running out, Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D) of Vt., can't believe that Attorney General Michael Mukasey's refused to define waterboarding as torture. He has infuriated Democrats on the Committee and he surely will face a hostile Committee today, when they question him in detail regarding his latest response.

The reason he will not render a simple legal opinion is because if he rules that it is torture, it puts not only the CIA officials in legal jeopardy, but also it would raise the possibility that both President Bush, VP Cheney, Rumsfeld and former CIA head George Tenet have condoned and defied our rule of law and the Geneva Convention. However, this is the truth of what they have condoned and there should be consequences if we are a nation of laws.

They claim it is justified but in truth, don't all those that torture justify it for one reason or another. The purpose of the Geneva Convention was to hold to account all signatories of the Treaty in a common understanding of what was right and what was wrong. If the Administration under President Bush and VP Cheney believe they were correct in the use of this technique to gain vital information to protect our nation against more terrorist attacks, they should be willing to go before the American people and let the legal battle play out here and if necessary, in the World Court. Otherwise we mock our Constitution and they mock the oath they swore to on their own personal Bibles. I ask these self proclaimed Christians, what would Jesus do? I believe you all have violated your own beliefs and values as a Christian.

To read the main news article for this post click here.

Is Democracy at risk: You be the judge!

What does the future hold for the world. An article posted on The Moderate Voice this morning, by William Kern, titled "Head Winds for the Reign of the People" from an column written by Thomas Klau of Germany's Financial Times Deutschland, at the end states the following:

"A Renaissance of Puritanism, a Renaissance of authoritarianism, and perhaps the decoupling of free-market principles from the principles of democracy - these are the messages heard by people today. And to this we must add the weakening of the fundamental values of democratic humanism, such as the ban on torture and arbitrary imprisonment in the United States. The wind has changed and it’s blowing in the wrong direction."

I encourage you to read the entire article at The Moderate Voice to get the full picture.

This is the real damage President Bush, VP Cheney and this Administration has contributed to these past 7 years. While they are mostly responsible for the weakening of democracy under the pretext of spreading it, Corporate CEO's have also played a major role when they adapt hardware and software that minimizes any chance of a free press, freedom of speech and threatens the safety and security of the people using the technology in countries like China, Russia and yes, you guessed it, the United States! Wake up America! Your freedoms are being lost one drip at a time, just like in Nazi Germany with the rise of Hitler. Before you know it, it's gone.

CIA destroys video tapes of torture- An Adminstration that has abandoned the laws of the land in a shameless way

Headline story: "The CIA destroyed videotapes it made in 2002 of two top terror suspects because it was afraid that keeping them "posed a security risk," Director Michael Hayden has told agency employees.

Hayden's revelation to the CIA employees became public Thursday and it caused a commotion on Capitol Hill where members of the Senate Intelligence Committee immediately vowed to conduct a thorough review. A leading human rights group voiced alarm about it.

In his message to agency workers, Hayden said that House and Senate intelligence committee leaders had been informed of the existence of the tapes and the CIA's intention to destroy them to protect the identities of the questioners. He also said the CIA's internal watchdog watched the tapes in 2003 and verified that the interrogation practices were legal. Hayden said the tapes were destroyed three years after the 2002 interrogations." (To read the entire story by Pamela Hess, AP Writer click here.

Come on folks, they destroyed the tapes because they knew it would reveal violations of our laws AND the Geneva Convention! The real criminals here are their bosses all the way up to VP Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, President Bush and Alberto Gonzales. If our lawmakers had any courage and principles they would start Impeachment proceedings immediately and after they are found guilty the whole bunch should then be turned over to the World Court and stand trial there as well.

It is apparent to me these so called leaders, are traitors to our Constitution and our beloved country and have done more to destroy America and our way of life than anything Bin Laden and Al Qaeda could have accomplished on their own. Wake up America! While you are sleeping, you are losing your freedom, but maybe it doesn't matter to you?

What is the Bush legacy?

Assembled here are lists of the "accomplishments" for President George Walker Bush during his 7 years as president. One wonders what his Presidential Library will have as its record of accomplishments. Here's a short list:

* Increased the National debt from $5.9 Trillion to $11.5 Trillion dollars. Biggest spender in history, surprising most Conservatives.

* Devalued the dollar by 76% from Nov. 24th 2001 exchange rate was 1Euro = $0.8382 dollars. Now Nov. 20, 2007 1 Euro = 1.4787 Dollars

* Unemployment rate at the beginning of this Bush's term was 4.0% and at the end of his term it is projected to be 5.0%

* Price of Oil has gone from $22/barrel to $98/barrel. Secretive Energy Policy meeting between VP Cheney and a few select corporate heads, which are still secret today.

* U.S. Military was whole at the end of the Clinton Presidency. Now it is fundamentally broken.

* We had not been attacked on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor 1942. Sept. 11th, 2001 was on the Bush watch and during the first 6 months of his Presidency was warned by Richard Clarke and others about pending attacks on the U.S. by Osama Bin Laden, which were ignored.

* War with Iraq by choice.

* Scooter Libby, under the direction of Vice President Cheney, pushes a campaign to discredit Ambassador Joe Wilson and expose his wife Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA undercover agent. It has now been confirmed by Scott McClelland that President Bush was a part of the cover-up when he told Scott to lie to the public in Press Briefings on the matter, which involved also Karl Rove. (See Scott's upcoming book when it is released in April 2008)

* First mishandling of a major natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, by FEMA and an incompetent head appointed by the President, Michael Brown.

* Allowing for the mismanagement of the Iraq war first by Administrator Paul Bremer and then by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

* An abandonment of the Middle East Peace process fro 7 out of the 8 years of his Presidency, after endorsing a 2 State solution for Israelis and Palestinians early in his presidency.

* Has abused the office of the President by having over 850 Signing statements attached to legislation he disagrees with and has instructional implications for government employees not to follow sections of the law the President disagrees with, similar to a line item veto, except many Constitutional lawyers believe it is unconstitutional.

* Approves the use of Torture for the first time in history as he defines a new term, "enemy combatants" and redefines what is and what isn't torture, which the definition has also been kept secret.

* Abu Grahib prison atrocities, shocking the world but most likely endorsed by Donald Rumsfeld and some would add clearly violations of the Geneva Convention treaty.

* Guantanamo Bay prison camp for enemy combatants and the ending of Habeas Corpus claims for those prisoners and others deemed so by the President.

* Firing of 8 U.S. Attorneys, which appears to be done for Political motives, and politicizing the Justice Dept. under Alberto Gonzales.

* Bedside visit by Alberto Gonzales and Andrew Card to get John Ashcroft to sign papers for Illegal Wiretapping while Ashcroft was in Intensive care in the hospital.

This is a good first list. With one year left in office, I am sure more will be added. I can't wait to see his Presidential Library of how he sees his own legacy. You know it will be pure fiction and be based upon one common trait he has shown for over 30 years, that of "Denial".

Why is Bush talking about Iran as cause of a potential WWIII?

Many are asking why President Bush used this language today as it was hyping fears around the Globe. Add to that, yesterday, Russia's President Putin warning the U.S. about Military action against Iran. Also why wouldn't Bush discuss why he wouldn't comment on Israel bombing a Nuclear Reactor site in Syria, in his news conference yesterday? Fears are ratcheting up on the World stage. So the question is why, especially since Bush has only one year yet in office. He did say today he was "going to sprint to the finish line" of his term in office as he had "unfinished business".

Do you want to guess why he said these things today? Let me take a stab at it and put this picture in a larger context and tie up all the loose ends. First, Alan Greenspan was asked recently and had written in his most recent book, that the Iraq war is all about Oil. He's not the only one to make that statement recently. But to emphasize the point again, it's all about the Oil!

Bush and Cheney are Oil men. Their blood is black not red. Both have been in the business themselves with VP Cheney as the CEO of Haliburton, while the President had his own small Oil company that went bankrupt and was bailed out by the Saudi Royal family.

Remember, when we went into Iraq we were told that the war would be paid for with Iraqi Oil. Did that happen? No! And that was when the price of Oil in 2003 was $30/barrell.

With each progression in raising the stakes in Iraq with more troops and add extending the length of this war, Oil prices continue to rise. Also, comments from the Bush Administration that Iran is trying to develop a Nuclear weapon and must be stopped at all costs, has one and only one effect, Oil prices continued to rise.

As the chart above shows, both this President Bush and his father have had one thing in common. Both created the highest price of Oil than in previous years to their terms and it will be shown that when President Bush leaves office, Oil prices will come down significantly. Why? Because whomever in the next President they won't be trying to create the conditions to increase Oil prices. They will be calming fears in the World.

And let me see if you can guess how the Oil companies have prospered during this time when their Raw materials have tripled in price? Do you think like other businesses that when their raw material costs went up they made less profit? Hmmmmm amazing isn't it?!

By the way, this chart only goes to $70/barrel, not $90, which you can estimate where that would extend if drawn on this page. Today's closing price of Oil was $89/barrell, three times the amount at the start of the Iraq war and we still can't get the war paid for with Iraqi Oil. That is why the Congress and Senate should pass a Windfall Profit tax on Oil companies. Oh, I almost forgot, that won't happen either, as most of the candidates running for President are getting some nice fundraising from Oil company interests, as are those running for office next year. I guess that's one piece of legislation that won't see the light of day.

Year Oil Price
1973 $20/Barrel
1979 $40/Barrel
1993-2000 $18.53 Clinton Presidency

Still a non-believer?

Is the current treatment of our soldiers and veterans morally sound?

First some excerpts from the background story and then at the end are my comments:

Wounded vets also suffer financial woes
By JEFF DONN and KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press writers

"TEMECULA, Calif. - He was one of America's first defenders on Sept. 11, 2001, a Marine who pulled burned bodies from the ruins of the Pentagon. He saw more horrors in Kuwait and Iraq.

Today, he can't keep a job, pay his bills, or chase thoughts of suicide from his tortured brain. In a few weeks, he may lose his house, too.

Gamal Awad, the American son of a Sudanese immigrant, exemplifies an emerging group of war veterans: the economic casualties.

More than in past wars, many wounded troops are coming home alive from the Middle East. That's a triumph for military medicine. But they often return hobbled by prolonged physical and mental injuries from homemade bombs and the unremitting anxiety of fighting a hidden enemy along blurred battle lines. Treatment, recovery and retraining often can't be assured quickly or cheaply.

These troops are just starting to seek help in large numbers, more than 185,000 so far. But the cost of their benefits is already testing resources set aside by government and threatening the future of these wounded veterans for decades to come, say economists and veterans' groups.

"The wounded and their families no longer trust that the government will take care of them the way they thought they'd be taken care of," says veterans advocate Mary Ellen Salzano.

How does a war veteran expect to be treated? "As a hero," she says.

___

Every morning, Awad needs to think of a reason not to kill himself.

He can't even look at the framed photograph that shows him accepting a Marine heroism medal for his recovery work at the Pentagon after the terrorist attack.

It might remind him of a burned woman whose skin peeled off in his hands when he tried to comfort her.

He tries not to hear the shrieking rockets of Iraq either, smell the burning fuel, or relive the blast that blew him right out of bed.

The memories come steamrolling back anyway.

"Nothing can turn off those things," he says, voice choked and eyes glistening.

He stews alternately over suicide and finances, his $43,000 in credit card debt, his $4,330 in federal checks each month — the government's compensation for his total disability from post-traumatic stress disorder. His flashbacks, thoughts of suicide, and anxiety over imagined threats — all documented for six years in his military record — keep him from working.

The disability payments don't cover the $5,700-a-month cost of his adjustable home mortgage and equity loans. He owes more on his house than its market value, so he can't sell it — but he may soon lose it to the bank.

"I love this house. It makes me feel safe," he says.

Awad could once afford it. He used to earn $100,000 a year as a 16-year veteran major with a master's degree in management who excelled at logistics. Now, at age 38, he can't even manage his own life.

There's another twist. This dedicated Marine was given a "general" discharge 15 months ago for an extramarital affair with a woman, also a Marine. That's even though his military therapists blamed this impulsive conduct on post-traumatic stress aggravated by his Middle East tours.

Luckily, his discharge, though not unqualifiedly honorable, left intact his rights to medical care and disability payments — or he'd be in sadder shape.

Divorced since developing PTSD, Awad has two daughters who live elsewhere. He spends much of his days hoisting weights and thwacking a punching bag in the dimness of his garage. He passes nights largely sleepless, a zombie shuffling through the bare rooms of his home in sunny California wine country.

"

Now my comments: The way we are treating our soldiers both in Iraq and those returning resembles torture. Let me explain.

Before the Iraq war most National Guard soldiers thought their tour of duty oversees would be from 1 to 6 months. But that changed in 2003. Under the new National Guard policy, total mobilization time for troops increased from one to six months, because time spent in the United States no longer counts against the 12-month requirement. Most of the troops spent significant time on duty in the United States before going to Iraq.

Soldiers, nearing the end of their enlistments but in units heading to Iraq and Afghanistan, were hit with some news in June 2004. The Pentagon announced those troops faced involuntary extended tours of active duty, at least until their units return home. It's called a "stop-loss" order, a tool Pentagon officials said helps ease the loss of personnel through retirement and discharge. So the soldier is in effect powerless and required to stay in the service.

When a soldier thinks he is going to Iraq and spending 12 months there and after nearing his/her time to come home he/she is told it has been extended to 15 months, it is torturous on the soldier and even more the family. This was done in April of this year.

Now returning soldiers are finding treatment for their injuries sustained in war causing significant emotional and financial impact on them and their families. When a soldier is considering committing suicide the events that created those feelings are mental torture. All this brought to you by President Bush and VP Cheney, both doing everything they could to get out of serving. So not only has our government tortured many "enemy combatants, they can add to their achievements the torturing of U.S. Servicemen and Servicewomen. It is a disgrace and does not "support the troops. And the Republican Congress and Senate needs to wake up and face the truth here. They are being complicit and should not sleep one minute, peacefully while these practices continue. Sec. of Defense, Robert Gates, a very good man must feel sick at what he has inherited from Donald Rumsfeld. He must agonize over what has happened and yet is bound to "support the Commander in Chief". But every once in a while you can see Gates bristle and try to send signals to us all he is not happy following orders.

I beg those Republicans that are on the fence to reconsider their positions and choose the morally correct decision to either support Jim Webb in bringing his Bill back again to require soldiers to be home between tours as long as they have been away or to go further and vote with the Democrats to set a date certain to bring the troops home, or to really be brave and cut off the funding of this war but not passing the funding bill.

These stories break my heart and what breaks my heart more is the indifference of the American people and its leaders, to what's going on.

Iran vs. US. We have more in common than you think!

All this bluster about Iran. President Bush and VP Cheney are always rattling their sabers threatening them with an attack. Bush has called Iran one of the axis of evil countries. But we have more in common with Iran that we have differences.

For example, the Iranian people love the American people and our way of life. The cleric leaders impose their will on the people just as our President imposes his will on us with the Iraq war. Their "elected" officials do the bidding of their leaders and are toothless just like our Congress and Senate. The Iranian people are basically a gentle people as are the American people. It's just that both countries have their rabid ones controlling the rest of the population. Many reasonable Americans want a dialogue opened with Iran. Many Iranians want a dialogue with Americans. But the leaders of both countries taunt each other, like children. Make that spoiled children.

See we do have a lot in common with Iran.

Robert Gates

I have been remiss in stating the obvious but wanted to add my voice in support of Robert Gates, new Secretary of Defense, who replaced Donald Rumsfeld. Mr. Gates has shown us all what it means to take accountability. This is refreshing for this Administration and especially for the Defense Dept., as Mr. Rumsfeld doesn't know what the word means and in all his public service never ever really took accountability for anything.

Robert Gates will go down in history as the Secretary of Defense who, during a low point in the Bush Administration, as exemplified by the mismanagement of Walter Reed Hospital, gave the American people hope in one of our darkest moments. The hypocrisy, regarding support for the troops touted and led by the voices of VP Cheney and President Bush, showed both of them what accountability looks like. Maybe they will both learn from Robert Gates. The Washington Post states today that President Bush is willing to change the course. Well, we have, by having Robert Gates join the Administration and replacing Donald Rumsfeld. Thanks you Robert Gates for taking a job that looked impossible!

Bush's latest approval rating- unanswered questions

The latest of President Bush's job approval rating or lack thereof, raises many unanswered questions. First the latest polls:

Source, President Bush's job approval rating,

CBS/New York Times, 29%

Fox, 34%

These are marked on the Chart with an X.

(For more on Poll data click here.

We all understand why the President has such low approval ratings i.e. how the Iraq war has been executed poorly, that the Taliban are resurging in Afghanistan, still no relief for those who suffered from hurricane Katrina, etc., etc., etc.

But we have come to know just what poor quality leaders this President and VP are after almost 7 years with their shenanigans and spinning every word into deceptions. It has moved beyond the real to the comical as we now laugh at both of them. They have given Comedy Cenrtral's Jon Stewart much material. But the question that lingers in my mind and has for the past 6-7 years, as the President's approval rating has dropped, is this: Who still approves of his performance on the job? It has to make any intelligent person wonder; have we become a nation of non-thinking morons? How can 30-35% or one third of our population be so stupid? Does this represent those among us that have never gone past the 6th grade? Or does it represent a failed education system? Or is the Kool-Aid from the pulpit so intoxicating, that many really believe the lies. Just look at the deplorable conditions of Walter Reed Hospital, which were recently exposed by the Washington Post, as to the lies about how the Administration cares about the troops. It took an outsider like the new Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, to make those accountable pay the price. Do you think that the 30-35% still believe the President is doing a good job? But heck, they probably can’t read this blog anyway, so why worry. I guess even if President Bush screwed up even more, this group of mindless sheep would still support him. I hate to tell those still thinking President Bush is doing a good job, God can't help America folks, so stop praying. Only you can. Wake up!

A U.S. Foreign policy fit for the 21st Century challenges

U.S. Foreign Policy for the past several decades and longer, has been based upon the notion of trying to get governments and their leaders to change behaviors to be more in line with U.S. positions on issues. These methods have not worked. Permanent changes can only be created when people's mindsets change, which drives their behaviors. Our Government has tried to use diplomacy, often using the carrot and stick approach, which is defined as rewarding good behavior (carrots as a metaphor for rewards and incentives) and punishing bad behavior (sticks as a metaphor for imposing trade and other sanctions, with the implied use of Military force should the sanctions not be enough to discourage the bad behaviors). Looking back as to whether that approach works, one can site examples both for and against those approaches.

The same is true on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan. When we have captured suspected terrorists or other "bad" guys, we have used both the carrot and stick approach in our interrogation of prisoners. Much has been written on this subject after it was revealed that the U.S. Government used torture in Abu Ghraib prison, as revealed by those pictures we all were shocked in seeing and were embarrassed as conscientious people of all political parties. Many have written about torture and that it has been shown not to produce the desired result and often cause people to tell you anything you want to hear. We have examples of this with even one of our 2008 Presidential hopefuls, Senator John McCain, who made statements during his confinement as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Senator McCain has apologized for his comments during that time and we have forgiven him. But the data is strong in showing that behavioral measures to change behavior have a mixed result at best and much evidence can be presented which shows it often works to our own detriment and against our National interest.

I have studied how to influence people and change behavior most of my adult life having given 30 plus years to a profession as a coach of other leaders in mostly business but in I have in rare occurrences influenced some political leaders as well. History provides some clues to us for other means to change behaviors of people and influence them in ways that has garnered us much admiration from all corners of the earth. But we have not paid attention to the effects those means have played much longer than the mere two decades I speak of here. Remember what affect the Peace Corps. has had in projecting America's image across the globe. Remember the Marshall Plan after World War II and the effect it had on our adversaries after the war. Even today, as badly as we have treated our friends around the world, there is still remains admiration for us. How did this occur?

It is because we endeavored over the past 100-200 years to change the "mindset" of people, not through carrots and sticks, as we tend to use too often. But by leading by example and letting our way of being positively influence the mindset of those less fortunate than those born or living here. President John Kennedy did much to change the mindset of many people in the world. His way of speaking transcended our limits and called upon us to think more globally. I still remember when I was young and he was delivering that speech, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." This is a clear example of Kennedy's influencing mindsets here in America. What followed was the Peace Corp., the race to the Moon and a whole planet in awe of our achievements, instead of our shortcomings. I yearn for those days again. That may partly account for why Senator Barack Obama has begun to ride such a wave of popularity. He connected to that theme when he chose the title of his book, "The Audacity of Hope".

Al Gore is the best recent example of the goal of changing mindsets. Today he will most likely receive an Oscar for his work on behalf of the world by raising our awareness and acceptance of the notion that Global Warming is real, is here, and we must come together as a world and act collectively to save the planet. President Bush and VP Cheney for the past 7 years have dismissed this as not real. They have ordered government agencies to not report findings in support of Global Warming, criticized scientists who have, and they pulled out of the Kyoto accord.

U.S. Foreign policy needs to reconsider methods of inspiring and influencing mindsets, rather than forcing temporary behavioral change with carrots and sticks. We are in the 21st Century and yet we are using prehistoric tools to solve current problems. I suggest Americans wake up and ask ourselves if we want to change how we are perceived in the world, forge new relationships based upon common visions, not react to every dictator that wants to pull our chain and start to develop policies which will attract others to follow because of our model of leadership. It speaks to the spirit in all of us, as one thing President Bush has spoken about correctly; freedom speaks to everyone, as it is an innate spirit and embodied in us by God. Wake up America! We The People need to take responsibility for what we have allowed to happen in our name by our leaders. Only then will we be as great as we once were.

UPDATE: 8:30pm P.S.T. Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth, has won the Oscar for Best Documentary. He has indeed changed mindsets without shooting a single bullet, but shooting instead many thought provoking scenes.