Jan 2, 2007

A Resolution for 2007: More Cheers, Fewer Jeers! (or, until the effects of the holidays wear off)

Ah, the new year has arrived, so I'd like to make a few observations. First, the War on Christmas isn't going well. This free-for-all holiday prevailed once again. I guess the godless hedonists, the secular humanists and all other "season's greetings" generics are subdued by the onslaught of the Christmas commercialism. Second, I re-discovered that by not exercising certain muscles (including the brain) it makes it all that much harder to bounce back into top shape. Third, I gained several pounds because of the liberal libations and the free time to enjoy them during this insipid ..religious holiday. In order to get back into the groove of things, I'm starting exercising today, slowly at first, so forgive my lapses. Let's see what's happening...

The country is bidding farewell to a former president. I was alive in the '70s but too young to know anything. When Gerald Ford became the country's only non-elected VP and eventually President, disco was making a greater impression on me than politics! It was much later, as a student, that I examined the Watergate era. I have to say that Ford respected the checks and balances in our constitution, as did many Republicans of that time--something that can not be said about the Republican Congress of the last 10 years! Veep Cheney said in his eulogy that Ford "was his mentor" but this only demonstrates Dickey's utter hypocrisy. Much the same can be said for all those neocons who've destroyed all what was good of the old Republicanism.

Ford was against the Iraq war and had publicly criticized the misleading efforts leading up to the war and, later, the incompetence of conducting the war/occupation in Iraq. No Republican mentions this today. No Republican likes to talk about Ford's message of inclusion and tolerance [
this article's worth reading]today. He supported women's rights, and although he opposed "abortion on demand," he was in favor of abortion when "unfortunate things happen." Ford paid a political price for pardoning R. Nixon by losing the election to J. Carter. I think he believed he was doing a service to the nation by "putting this nightmare behind us." However, his two biggest mistakes were Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld! Talking about an ..axis of evil.
...

Did you watch the two versions of Saddam's execution widely available on the Net? What did you think about the haste and the way to execute that tyrant? [this
video is Tom Brokaw's take] One thing we should not forget is that this madman was created and destroyed by the US. When he picked a war with our enemy, Iran, we gave him weapons, military intelligence on Iranian targets, and we looked the other way when he tortured and killed hundreds of thousands of people, many of his own country. When will the US learn that we can't convince people about the sincerity to spread freedom & democracy while we support brutal regimes?
...

We observed another sad occurrence (or "just another number" according to White House spokesman, Tony Snow), that is, the US death toll in Iraq has exceeded 3,000. The number of servicemen with serious injuries are in the 20,000s. Obviously, our casualties in this war of choice exceeds the number of people killed on 9-11. I wish every American took a look at the faces of those fallen soldiers... Check The New York Times
Faces of the Dead for an excellent reminder that humans are sacrificed for no good reason by people with the arrogance of power and the stubbornness of an ignorant mind. Weep if you like but do whatever to help in putting an end to this ill-conceived war.

Lastly, I would like to wish my readers a great year ahead, one filled with health and happiness and all sorts of personal achievements. Life is to be lived in the here and now. Don't worry about heaven & hell and how you'd spend your "time" there while you're wasting this unique experience of being alive now. Every person can make the world a better place. As a liberal would say, be good for goodness sake, for virtue without choice is non-existent!

Cheers!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you a disco baby? Were you born in the disco era (probably your parents were listening to that music when...), or were you old enough to enjoy that funky music?

I assume that disco started in the late 60s and it was practially over by the early 80s... Right?

Yeah, let that disco ball spin!

Anonymous said...

I don't know what to make of Ford. On the outside I liked his demeanor, and he appeared honest enough that I buy his argument he pardoned Nixon so the nation could be this nightmare behind it.

Compared to what this present Republican gang has done to the country, Nixon was an angel. Good point about the decline of honor and civic responsibility as the Republicans would investigate (and later impeach) Clinton's sexual tryst, but would do absolutely NOTHING about other more serious crimes.

Nixon's Watergate would never have been investigated under the last Congress. Not to mention that what this president has done to violate our Constitution is way more serious than Nixon's skirting of the law.

Anonymous said...

I did watch Saddam's execution video. I think it was shown on regular & cable tv. The Iraqi gov. releashed it.

I'm against the death penalty, but this mass murderer's execution doesn't make me sad. If it were up to me, I'd let him rot in jail.

It's hard to comprehend the actions of someone who's butchered so many humans. That is, how can a human destroy so many other human lives without reservation?.....

Anonymous said...

Vilify the others and it becomes easier to kill....

For those who may have reservations, introduce religion and the killing becomes even easier!

Anonymous said...

yeah, but the "others" who believe in a different god and read a different holy book are sub-human! right?

Anonymous said...

Bromfield, I hope you're being sarcastic....

Anonymous said...

Have you heard that some people have said Ford selection was part of a plan to save Nixon? And, that it was a quid pro quo for Ford's accession to VP....

Aphrodite said...

hey!

Welcome to doncat and the greek blog-o-sphere... Many wishes to you too! All your desires on your doorstep, red ribbon round the neck and sugar on top...
;)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, life is to be lived. Too many people die and they don't know it...

George said...

Many wrote me to object to giving the former president good marks on women's rights, etc.

President Ford had more progressive views in the 1970s (30 years ago!) than most Republicans today! I believe that our polity would've been better with more Republicans like him.

Ford had the guts to criticize sitting presidents of his own party. He blamed Bush senior for turning the party over to the theocons. He objected to shrub's foreign policy too.

Anyway, appreciating the good attributes of our political opponents is no vice. Ford made many mistakes but in my mind he didn't identify private interests as those of the nation--something most Repubs have since his time.

Btw, Ford nominated Justice J. P. Stevens to the Supreme Court. Let's hope that this 87 year old man remains in good health for another 2 years.... [I hope you realize who he is on the court]

Anonymous said...

We did what might have been impossible for anybody else to do. We made Saddam Frigging Hussein into a sympathetic figure.

In the El Shrubbo legacy of "accomplishments," this one has to rank as the most remarkable of them.