6-14-04 (Flag Day)

Liberals and conservatives in the U.S. are like two 4-engine planes that each have one engine out. This doesn't stop them from flying, but each side, instead of fixing their broken engine, spends its energy criticizing the broken engine of the other.




The fact that any of the Clinton lynch mob in Congress are still in office, let alone in positions of increased power, is a disgrace and a hard slap to the face of good governance. This hyper- partisan pack of jackals practically crashed the country trying to impeach the man -- for a ludicrously shabby non-reason, and against the obvious wishes of the majority of Americans. During the whole sorry episode the rest of the world could only shake their heads at the foolish American spectacle.




No candidate for president who doesn't vow to expose, fine and close corporate offshore tax dodges should be taken seriously. Enron had well over a hundred of these set up, while writing here-ya-go big checks to dozens of politicians, mostly Republicans, and mostly George W. Bush.

These thinly-veiled deceptions (the company doesn't actually move to the Caribbean) rob the U.S. Treasury of an estimated 60-70 billion dollars annually, money that the rest of us have to pony up.




From the What-If Department (Or, more accurately, the Dangerous Thoughts Department): Imagine what could occur if the 50% of eligible voters who don't vote were activated somehow to partake in the electoral process. Even if only 50% of them voted, they would constitute a larger number than either the D's or the R's. But who are these people? For starters, it must be pointed out that only 9% of the 18-25 group voted. As for the rest, for the most part they are the unemployed and the working poor, but also include a segment of people intelligent enough to have become cynical about politics. These are, by-and-large, the individuals who have been the most jobbed by the unholy alliances of this country, from the politicians and CEOs to the doctors and lawyers. Or else people who know how the levers of power work, and that corruption and cronyism have replaced conscience and constructivism as guiding principles of the major parties.

Who or what could activate this sleeping giant? If any latter-day pied piper has the answer to that, and can effectuate such a thing, the result would be a historic sea change for this country.




After all the promises and posturing of the politicians, all the elucidations and elections, all the sanctimonious mouthing about freedom and prosperity and responsibility, it has become abundantly clear that a shell game of gargantuan proportions has been perpetrated on us the people.

The power-tripping 1% of this nation, whether they be corporate fat cats, political bigwigs, or blueblooded aristocracy, has established a system of un-checks and un-balances which is very much to their liking, i.e., the rich are getting richer at an increasingly high pace while the rest of us are struggling to stay even. Where were the majority of the constitutionally empowered populace while all this has been going on? Apparently distracted from their citizenly duties by shiny objects, bells and whistles -- their TVs, computers, super-phones, stereos, cars and SUVs.