Ahmadinejad not in a position to lecture, but he made some good points.

I had to take a day to collect myself after hearing Ahmadinejad’s UN speech. I actually had to lie down directly after hearing it. Don’t get me wrong–I DO NOT AGREE WITH EVERYTHING he says (and really disagree with what he does, for that matter), but I tried to listen to the speech with an open mind.  I also try to listen often to the EIB with an open mind…although my teeth remain clenched more often than not. The Iranian leader’s speech was actually a nice break from that.

Yesterday, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a scary amount of sense in what he had to say. Now, he does not have the mandate of God to sit in the ivory tower and shout down the truth at us, not with the magnitude of human rights atrocities that have and are still occurring in Iran. But…we majority nations–the U.S. (anihilation of many Native Americans, slavery, acutal use of atomic weapons, the Jim Crow/civil rights era, McCarthyism), Great Britain (imperialism on a GRAND scale, religious intolerance, oppression of the poor); add to this list the former Soviet Union, China, Germany, Israel–can not exactly claim purity, and can only speak from the perspective of repented sinners that have not been 100% rehabilitated. Not one of us may cast the first stone.

That being said, if it helps, remove the man himself from the statements and just listen to the speech. There are parts that could appeal to anyone and every nation.   I can only pull from the experience of being an American, so this is what I heard.

Friends and Colleagues; Today, I wish to share with you a few points about the changes that should take place. First, Clearly, continuation of the current circumstances in the world is impossible. The present inequitable and unfavorable conditions run counter to the very nature of human kind and move in a direction which contravenes the truth and the goal behind the creation of the world. It is no longer possible to inject thousands of billions of dollars of unreal wealth to the world economy simply by printing worthless paper assets, or transfer inflation as well as social and economic problems to others through creating severe budget deficits.

The above statement would ring true with about 95% of our U.S. population, although we (myself included) would pick and choose what aspects of the statement we agree with.

How can one imagine that the inhuman policies in Palestine may continue; to force the entire population of a country out of their homeland for more than 60 years by resorting to force and coercion; to attack them with all types of arms and even prohibited weapons; to deny them of their legitimate right of self-defense, while much to the chagrin of the international community calling the occupiers as the peace lovers, and portraying the victims as terrorists. How can the crimes of the occupiers against defenseless women and children and destruction of their homes, farms, hospitals and schools be supported unconditionally by certain governments, and at the same time, the oppressed men and women be subject to genocide and heaviest economic blockade being denied of their basic needs, food, water and medicine.

When he spoke to Katie Couric, there was some ambiguity on whether Ahmadinejad now believes (or whatever) that the holocaust did occur. How one cannot believe that this happened is completely unfathomable, but he does state that the genocide and the consequence  or outcome (creating Israel) do not logically make sense. It was, after all, a Nazi Germany that perpetuated the crimes, and our solution (although noble in intent) was to partition off a part of Palestine? In my lifetime, there has always been an Israel, and thus, there have always been strained relations with other nations in the middle east.

There has been unbelieveable cruelty from both Palestine and Israel towards each other. In the U.S. we tend to hear the Israeli side, and it is heartbreaking what they go through in an attempt to simply live their lives.  But a clear picture requires the other side of the story as well.  An interesting take on the Palestinian side is from the documentary “Death in Gaza,” which is well worth the time a viewing takes. After watching the documentary, genocide may not be the best descriptor, though.

Regrettably, in the current international relations, selfishness and insatiable greed have taken the place of such humanitarian concepts as love, sacrifice, dignity, and justice. The belief in the One God has been replaced with selfishness. Some have taken the place of God and insist to impose their values and wishes on others. Lies have taken the place of honesty; hypocrisy has replaced integrity and selfishness has taken the place of sacrifice.

Hmm….he goes on to say:

Deception in interactions is called foresight and statesmanship; looting the wealth of other nations is called development efforts; occupation is introduced as a gift towards promotion of freedom and democracy, and defenseless nations are subjected to repression in the name of defending human rights. Friends and Colleagues; Settlement of global problems and administration of justice and maintenance of peace will only be materialized with collective determination and cooperation of all nations and states. The age of polarizing the world on the premises of the hegemony or domination of a few governments is over.

Before “Practice what you preach, brother,” is said, take into consideration the truth in those words. I cannot understand how this is the same man who pretty much authorized the torture and murder of election protestors and supressed the media (so the rest of the world wouldn’t find out about it?  Really? In the age of Twitter???) during the same time frame.  And while he also has a real problem with Israel, the recommendations he made to the UN to restructure are pretty logical too.

1 – Restructuring the United Nations in order to transform this world body to an efficient and fully democratic organization, capable of playing an impartial, equitable, and effective role in the international relations; reforming the structure of the Security Council, specially by abolishing the discriminatory privilege of veto right; restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people by organizing a referendum and free elections in Palestine in order to prepare a conducive ground for all Palestinian populations, including Muslims, Christians and Jews to live together in peace and harmony; putting an end to all types of interferences in the affairs of Iraq, Afghanistan, Middle East, and in all countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe…  [he then goes on to talk about Israel/Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay--and how interference adds to violence there]

2- Reforming the current economic structures and setting up a new international economic order based on human and moral values and obligations. A new course is needed that would help promote justice and progress worldwide by flourishing the potentials and talents of all nations thus bringing well-being for all and for future generations;

3- Reforming the international political relations based on the promotion of lasting peace and friendship, eradication of arms race and elimination of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons;

4- Reforming cultural structures , respect for diverse customs and traditions of all nations, fostering moral values and spirituality aimed at institution of family as the backbone of all human societies;

5- Worldwide efforts to protect the environment and full observance of the international agreements and arrangements to prevent the annihilation of nature’s non-renewable resources.

Still, I feel that we need to discuss with Iran why they want to enrich uranium, then, lend Iran the assistance of our  best scientists, and help to keep the nuclear activities focused on electricity and medicine. Maybe forge a new partnership in creating something great that would benefit many nations? Someone on Huffington Post made a good point; if Iran gets and uses a nuclear weapon to harm anyone else in the world, they will cease to exist (some nation will make sure of it)–and nobody really wants that.

Had we and the British not interfered and had Mosaddeq overthrown, Ahmadinejad, his regime, and his views might not be before us today.  Iran could have been our greatest ally in all of the events of the past half-century, and especially throughout the last decade. But here we are instead. *sigh*

(Oh, and by the way, a Republican administration made the original “overthrowing” happen.)

Unraveling?

I sumbled upon the idea during the 2008 campaign…

High RWA followers will grasp at straws to keep this man out of office, even if the change he proposes directly benefits them.
…just the facts…From a Canadian who is just as entrenched in our national behavior as we are, The Authoritarians, is a worthwhile read. (I have to admit it might be offensive even to sensible Christians, but read all the chapter footnotes and he clarifies his research findings about moderate vs. fundamentalist Christians–and there is a difference).’

NPR discussed it this week, and Terry Gross talked with the author of Republican Gomorrah, Max Blumenthal…

…This was a portrait of the Republican Party fully in the grip of its right wing: almost exclusively white, overwhelmingly evangelical, fixated on abortion, homosexuality, and abstinence education; resentful and angry; and unable to discuss how and why it had become this way.’

–from A ‘Shattered’ Republican Party? on NPRs Fresh Air (read about it/read transcript/listen here; link for transcript only is above)

And, unbeknownst to me, a few days prior morelightthanheatpublished this blogpost on ‘Democracy as Specacle’:

It began some years ago and reached a new level last summer, mostly at Palin’s rallies and mostly in rural areas.  At the time I likened it to a new incarnation of McCarthyism, but using today’s fears.  Since the election of Barack Obama, the voices have grown louder and more shrill.  Spurred on by right-wing talk radio hosts, conservative pundits, and corporate public relations departments and their astroturf siblings, it has escalated further in the tenor of the health care debate.  Yet that debate is but one in a panoply of changes that are occurring.’

It also cites an article “that everyone should read” (author’s words, and my sentiment after reading) — “Living in a Culture of Cruelty” although it is reprinted in its entirety in morelightthanheat’s post.

I have been hearing about this phenomenon–this irrational fear, unprecedented hate, unconscionable violence and cruelty, and skewed beliefs–for some time, and lately, the irrational behavior of a few (and the number is growing) has begun to spin out of control. 

This is perhaps the unraveling of the American Dream, and in the loss of our most cherished American ideals (which, by the way, and before anyone throws the constitution at me, our forefathers had the intelligence to realize our democracy would change, and so, set protections in place so that no ideological ‘side’ could gain the upper hand and sole monopoly over the people) we are somehow losing what it is to be a United States of America.  Wow…in my lifetime…I never saw that coming.  We are in for a world of hurt if the trend continues, but at the same time I hope that the damage can be reversed or that we can at least learn a lesson, albeit a painful one. 

Take the time to follow all the links and read the articles/papers. Always be informed about what you take to heart as the truth.  Question what you already believe on a daily basis. And most importantly, constantly ask YOURSELF, “What am I afraid of?” and diligently look for the answer within. 

It may open up a whole new world of understanding.

UPDATE:

Another blog came to my attention; Let it Ride’s most recent post, “The 9/13 Hangover” speaks in general about the “Angry Mob” mentality and also has some pretty good videos embedded (Especially the Rachel Maddows vids–worth a watch). Just a little excerpt:

I have a real problem with this “rally.”  Not because its backers are conservatives and I’m progressive in my political beliefs.  Not because I think conservatives are stupid or evil.

It’s because the rally was in large part organized by Dick Armey’s Freedom Watch and Glenn Beck, both of whom have cynically manipulated some genuine concerns (and some irrational fears) into a furious mob.  This mob doesn’t know what it stands for–only that it stands against Obama.

Why?

Because he’s a Nazi, a socialist, a communist, or sometimes all of them at once.  (Which doesn’t make logical sense–it’s just an attempt to stick the vilest labels to the man in order to demonize him.)

So that’s where we stand today. *sigh*

uh…wtf?

Ok, so I really never liked Rush Limbaugh in the first place, but this has obviously gone too far.

For the record I am not a terrorist. I have never trained to fly planes into buildings, mail envelopes filled with anthrax, or strap explosives to my body and stalk public places, etc. I am a little hurt that my 4 1/2 year relationship with a–read–Caucasian man has been an elaborate secret, kept only from his bigoted parents, but that does not make me an extremist.

To further clarify my position: I am a college graduate; I have a well-educated and successful family—where many have served in the armed forces; I pay my bills; I do not live in a housing project or receive welfare benefits; I never heard of Bill Ayers or Jeremiah Wright until this election. I am basically unemployed, but that is a matter of stereotype, since many Americans are going through the same hardships I am. Simply put, I am your average American citizen.

With that said, I hope that most of “Main Street” America does not share Limbaugh’s sentiments, excerpted below. This is extreme, and almost laughable—except that there are small corners of the United States where I’m sure this myth could grab hold.

I think at least some of these "ladies" might be MEN...

Here’s some of what Limbaugh said:

…it seems that a majority of the black population has remained angry, frustrated, and behind. They’ve been left behind. They are acting like they’ve been left behind, and of course we’ve heard that this is because of racism, natural systemic institutional racism in America, that we are unfair, that this country is just horrible and rotten.

…But as you study more and more of this ACORN stuff, you find that it has been part of an entire movement that has been going on for two, maybe three decades, right under our noses.

We thought that it was just liberal welfare policies and all that that kept blacks from progressing while other minorities grew and prospered, but no, it is these wackos from Bill Ayers to Jeremiah Wright to other anti-American Afrocentric black liberation theologists with ACORN, and Barack Obama is smack dab in the middle of it, they have been training young black kids to hate, hate, hate this country, and they trained their parents before that to hate, hate, hate this country. It was a movement.

…It has been a movement, it has been a religion, and Obama and Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers were all up to their big ears in it.

The only thing I agree (marginally) with is that some African-Americans act as though they’ve been left behind. Consider the rationale that crumbling inner-city schools, poor (often self-created to some extent) living conditions, and a cycle of negativity and neglect at home and in society might make people simply give up hope. But Television is widely available, so my solution is for media to show more rocket scientists and diplomats as more glamorous than movie stars and rappers…fat chance.

Read the entire transcript and/or watch the video here. Usually, at the end of any blog entry, I might make an appeal for you to decide. Not this time; all I’m asking is for America to please prove his views wrong.

The Company They Keep

The old saying goes, “You can tell a lot about a man, based on the company that he keeps.”  Recognizing that politicians cannot be experts in everything (just like the rest of us) is important.  That fact makes me more aware that, for those areas where they have weaknesses, they must choose a knowledgable person to advise them.  While this choice might be motivated by little more than selfish ambition, the best past and present examples of national leaders have obviously chosen their closest “disciples” with care.  The advisor’s traits matter to these politicians, visionaries and social reformers who have sought advice from people that they felt represented their values and that were knowledgable where the national leaders were not as strong.

Take, for instance, a candidate that is well-versed in foreign policy and domestic education issues, but lacking in Economics and Supreme Court Legislation.  The best candidate (read: human being) would seek the advice of a person that shares the same basic principles–but also could fill in the gaps with economical statistics and strategies, or share their knowledge of constitutional law.  If the campaign staff is filled with virtuous, talented people, then it stands to reason that the campaign will be run with virtue.  If the campaign staff filled with cut-throat or less-than-honest characters…well, you get the idea. 

I think that our presidential nominees’ choices–from their vice president, all the way through their list of campaign advisors–should be a good indicator of their judgement abilities.  The selection of Biden and Palin speak for themselves…Palin is a moron…but I searched the internet for a list of Obama and McCain’s staff. The only place I found them listed all together was on the BBC NEWS site, which was useful because the BBC listed the advisors side by side, in their respective roles.

View the post here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7642256.stm
…but there are two choices in particular, that caught my eye.

The McCain campain chose chief operating officer, Steve Schmidt, who worked with Karl Rove in George Bush’s election campaign team. The BBC states that he brings an “attacking style” to the campaign. This concerns me, because I’ve felt that the attacks on Obama have been shallow. Obama’s campaign chose his long-standing campaign manager, David Axelrod, who managed his Senate bid in 2004, and worked for John Edwards in the 2004 presidential election. The same Edwards that cheated on his cancer-stricken wife (although this might not be indicative of David’s qualities, read the first sentence of this post again).

In light of our foreign difficulties, Obama’s choice for chief foreign policy advisers are Susan Rice and Tony Lake, respectively assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and National Security Adviser under Clinton. Both opposed the Iraq war, although some critics will say that the Clinton Administration got us into this mess in the first place. I can’t really agree with that, though. Senator McCain’s advisors are cause for more concern–neo-Conservatives who back pre-emptive action, including chief foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann, and former CIA boss James Woolsey.

Make your own choice, keeping in mind that the candidates have chosen this group of people to help them get elected.  It is reasonable to assume Obama and McCain are actively using their advisors’ views and strategies, so be sure you agree with more of the campaign than the candidates themselves.

Factchecking Palin

I know this is my second post of the day, but the first one, change is good, was the final draft of some ideas I’d been working on for a few days.  This, in my opinion, is breaking news.

Factchecking the Anne Kilkenny e-mail

The defamatory e-mail about Alaska governor and VP hopeful, Sarah Palin, that has been circulating in the blog-o-sphere and mainstream media, is officially political propaganda. Many of the points have been disproven on factcheck.org.  A quote:

According to an April 2008 article in Education Week, Palin signed legislationin March 2008 that would increase public school funding considerably, including special needs funding. It would increase spending on what Alaska calls “intensive needs” students (students with high-cost special requirements) from $26,900 per student in 2008 to $73,840 per student in 2011. That almost triples the per-student spending in three fiscal years. Palin’s original proposal, according to the Anchorage Daily News, would have increased funds slightly more, giving intensive needs students a $77,740 allotment by 2011.

Education Week: A second part of the measure raises spending for students with special needs to $73,840 in fiscal 2011, from the current $26,900 per student in fiscal 2008, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.Unlike many other states, Alaska has relatively flush budget coffers, thanks to a rise in oil and gas revenues. Funding for schools will remain fairly level next year, however. Overall per-pupil funding across the state will rise by $100, to $5,480, in fiscal 2009. …

Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, praised the changes in funding for rural schools and students with special needs as a “historic event,” and said the finance overhaul would bring more stability to district budgets.

 

I’ll give you the link for the full article at the bottom of this post. This particular reference in a statement from Kilkenny’s e-mail was bunk–Palin made no attempt to cut funding to special needs children in Alaska.  But the ramifications of when she made her decision to support this legislature, and possibly why are things we need to find out about RIGHT NOW, before we embrace this half of the Republican ticket. 

Why am I concerned? From the above quote, pull out some important information: “According to an April 2008 article…Palin signed legislation in March 2008…”. Think about what you know to be true in Palin’s life: She has a young son with Down’s Syndrome…who was born in April 2008.  Think about what you know to be true in Obstetrics: Modern medicine can tell you much about a fetus in the last trimester (take a second to think about that).

Obviously, by “covertly” signing this into Alaska’s budget now, her new awareness about children with disabilities gave her some perspective. A mother’s perspective usually benefits more than just her children, especially a mother with some clout.  So, the new Alaskan legislation is brilliant and wicked at the same time. Wicked? Absolutely, because five years down the road, when her son is starting Kindergarden, he will be well taken care of–and the Alaskans will have no recollection of the money missing out of their pockets (pre-March of this year). By that point in time, they’ll be used to their tax dollars funding special children, to the Palins’ benefit.

So, Palin = funding personal agendas in the White House (remember Bush? Cheney?) and an easy target for special interest groups.  God help us if we elect McCain/Palin in the November election, and the headliner–to put it bluntly–dies.

Now, I could be wrong about the whole thing, that is, if the Palin kids go to private school. The last time I checked, however, hockey moms didn’t send their kids to private school. Too high-and-mighty for the blue-collar families of America.

Here’s the link for the entire e-mail as fact-checked by factcheck.org: Sliming Palin