Saturday, March 14, 2015

More From The Columnar Epithelium


Here's my latest newspaper column:

I wonder how many people recall when Binyamin Netanyahu urged the invasion of Iraq, “guaranteeing” it’d bring “enormous” benefits to the entire Middle East and, maybe, even lead to the downfall of Iran. Do they also remember that he started saying Iran was “one year away” from acquiring nuclear weapons nearly twenty years ago? And what of the former head of Mossad claiming Mr. Netanyahu lied in his recent speech to Congress? (www.tinyurl.com/p5wm8qx) How about the video that’s been going around again, showing him bragging how he sabotaged the Oslo Accords, and how easy it is to manipulate Americans? (www.tinyurl.com/mckml2j) Suddenly it becomes clear: John Boehner invited Bibi not just to foil the efforts of our president, but because they’re brothers in charms: wrongness, deception, and prevarication. 
And now, evidently worried that their fawning over a foreign leader brought here to derail denuclearization didn’t adequately highlight their venality, Republican senators have sent an unprecedented letter to Iran’s leadership, telling them to think twice about choosing peace. Possibly a felonious violation of the Logan Act and definitely an embarrassing testament to misunderstanding our Constitution and international law, it’s an outrage some might even call treasonous. Oh, but surely there are less fraught words to describe interference with a president’s constitutional right to negotiate agreements with other countries, even when that interference could lead to war and the death of American citizens. Because we never can have enough wars, real Americans love the occasional invasion, especially when it doesn’t involve their own kids. Better still when they can avoid providing funds to care for returning soldiers. Presidents who fail to understand that don’t love America like you and I do. 
Who can know what the reaction would have been from Fox “news” and the pantheon of right-wing screamers had Democrats invited the president of France to speak to Congress before George Bush launched his disaster upon the world? Would there have been revulsion at the unpatriotic spectacle of lionizing a foreign leader above our own? Shibboleths about foreign policy and shorelines? Gee, ya think? 
I’m a supporter of Israel, an admirer of how they’ve transformed a most god-forsaken and inhospitably arid part of the planet into a fertile dynamo of innovation and invention; and I’m an unequivocal believer in their right to exist. The Six Day War was stunning. In dealings with their neighbors, Israel is in the right more often than in the wrong. But I find this recent congressional side-show of standing-ovational genuflection (Oxymoron? Why not?) shameful on many levels, not the least of which is the fundamental cynicism behind so much of Republican “support” for Israel, which differs from mine by one hundred eighty degrees. Mine wants to see it exist as a Jewish state forever; mine is based, in part, in respect for my heritage. Theirs is predicated on a Bible story of the Apocalypse, and a vision of Jesus’ return to the land, heralding the burning of Jews in hell for all eternity if they don’t admit their evilness and convert on the spot. I find it -- what’s the word? -- creepy. 
I keep wondering where the bottom is, how much lower today’s elected Republicans will go. Surely there’s more to come, more attempts to ruin public education, to demonize the poor, to rob future citizens to reward present contributors; more disregard for health care, for the environment, for protection against pollution, unsafe food; more efforts to paint our president as “other,” one who doesn’t understand or love America, in order to distract average voters from an agenda that favors only the already favored. 
All I’ve ever wanted from my writing is to get one or two people to accept the possibility, even if they don’t believe it, that criticizing Fox “news” and the current iteration of the party it represents could be based on an honest desire for rationality. In that spirit, what if everyone watched the speech President Obama gave on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, evaluated it free of preconceptions? Examined, honestly, whether the speaker, even if they can’t stand him, understands what America is really about, loves it or not, or deserves the disrespect he gets from our elected Republicans. It’s here: www.tinyurl.com/m7y4akm 
[Image source]

2 comments:

  1. There is no bottom as long as hate, fear, stupidity and ignorance are profitable. It's a total all out assault on Americans and anything else opposing (IE: unions etc.)using a scorched Earth strategy because Obama is black and also tons of dirty money from "SPOOKY PAC's." It is as plain and simple as that.

    Hate and greed blinded the terrorists yet once again and they messed up BIG TIME with the entire Israel political stunt. They lost the POTUS seat before they ever got started this time around. Are we convinced yet that there is in fact no bottom, a bottomless pit kind of no bottom on this stuff? While you all think about it, I'll read Green Eggs and Ham to everyone. Mean while, the terrorists decided they are falling back on to the strategy of politicizing "4 dead Americans" to fund raise and woo voters. How original...Brace yourself for the 100th attempt to vaporize Obamacare and the death panels and $5.00 gas. *yawn*

    Now then, given those facts, then, add Mitch McConnell, the artist formerly know as minority leader...Mitch proudly announced to Gawd and everybody "Deny Obama a second term" before Obama ever took office. McConnell ends up being like the Grand Wizard whether he intended to or not. Basically, David Duke without the baggage kind of racist. Like the master of the pan flute. McConnell is every bit the master at the dog whistle. Announce *whistle* *toot toot* to the base that it's open season on black folks before Obama ever takes office. Assure them and reassure repeatedly that old white male power and wealth hoarding is in secure hands, for a price...How else does Louie Gomert win anything, nevermind a spot on the big league club...Right Ted Cruz? I still wish Herman Cain took his campaign the distance. Wanna guess who rides shotgun on that ticket? Bill Cosby...Like no duh! In a perfect universe Oprah is on the other ticket with Hillary and they keep Biden as a mascot.

    No my friends, we are never at the bottom until the terrorists are held accountable. It will go on and on second verse same as the first. Using the good faith and credit of the USA as a political bargaining chip? BRILLIANT! Shut down the government? BRILLIANT! Homeland security will be held hostage as well. BRILLIANT! NOT!

    The terrorists are going to be crucified just like Jesus was. They went and wrote an open letter to Iran that says basically this. "Think twice, think long and hard about choosing peace." to the Iranians, and, all the other countries on the planet. Ya can't trust America, they will stab you in the back on a whim. Wait a minute! Where have I heard that before? It sounds so familiar. Oh now I remember! Iran has been saying for half a decade that "you can't trust America, they are decadent bullies" while the flags burn pretty much was the Iranian party line...and almost every other middle eastern country as well. Geez, why would those middle eastern axis of evil peoples think we would invade them if we fall out of the wrong side of the bed one morning...or is a Bush? Iran is just Paranoid...Right? Yeah right.

    But hold the presses! Iranian leaders negotiating with the real American representatives have shown a maturity we've never seen before. Their retort was this "I see America has right wing extremists as well."

    No my friend, there is no low that the John Birch Society won't go. Thus they need to just go...away, with a million 'buh bye's'. But until then, as long as a black dude is in office, the hate will continue. ...and Iran will continue to use the Teahadists as a punching bag.

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