The Iraq Study Group Already Losing Steam

Bush appears to be rejecting the last hope that he had for saving his Presidency (if there is anything left to save). The Iraq Study Group report seems to be quickly losing support.

It looks like the Bush Administration is back to STAY THE COURSE.

Will a Congress run by Democrats be able to do anything with the stubborn Bush Administration?

Bush Seeks Increase In Size of Military

Bush recently called for an increase in the size of the military, particularly for ground forces.

He may have finally recognized complaints from military leaders who argued that the military was stretched too thin. The Bush administration finally had to come to terms with the fact that the U.S. military was too small to carry out an expansionist pro-war foreign policy. Any foreign policy mission (big or small) has to have a military large enough and effective enough to meet that mission.

The problem with this late change of position by the Bush administration is that it comes too late. But better late than never. It will take years for the Army and Marines to add 100,000 to 200,000 or more troops. The U.S. military can only add about 10,000 troops (or less) per year, according to its own estimates.

Meanwhile, Bush & Co. wants more troops for Iraq, hoping that more soldiers will save their failed (and already doomed) adventure there. However the nations top Generals are discouraging that idea.....and they are probably right for doing so. More troops at this point would just provide insurgents, eager for American blood, with more targets to attack. Plus, this comes at a time when the U.S. is trying to get the Iraqi's to become less dependent on U.S. help, so that they can fight on their own. If the U.S. is viewed as coming to the rescue everytime things get tough, then it will be harder to get Iraqis to take care of their own security. Iraqis will have no incentive for taking over.

It would have been better if there were more troops at the beginning of the war (although I didn't support the war in the first place....). But if you are going to fight it, fight it correctly from the start. The Generals were calling for a more robust force (about 400,000 to 500,000 troops) before the war, but their requests were turned down by Bush & Co. Instead, the White House wanted a much lighter force (which ended up being approximately 100,000 at the start of the invasion). The White House thought the war would last only a couple of months and U.S. troops would be gone. So again, this call for an increase in soldiers for Iraq is too little too late.

Many observers, myself included, thought that the idea of going in at all, and especially going in with such a small force, was a looney idea and that it would never work. I predicted that there would be a heavy insurgency.... Saddam had prepared Iraqi paramilitary for this for years, because he always thought that the U.S. would invade. Add Al Qaeda and other militant groups in the mix, plus a disinfranchised and marginalized Sunni minority, and you have all the ingredients for a Quagmire. The U.S. can't leave, and it can't stay. This is one of the biggest political and military blunders in U.S. history.


An Excellent Commentary on this issue.


Report from NPR

8 Marines Charged in Haditha Iraq Massacre

4 of the 8 Marines Are Being Charged with Murder.

Listen to audio report from NPR.

Report from The Guardian.

The Return Of The Minstrels, Part 2

When Will African Americans Reject The Poison Coming From Hip Hop?


Rapper Snoop Dogg Walking Black Women on Dog Leashes (like animals) on National Television
And judging by the lack of protest coming from Black women, it could easily be assumed that they were o.k. with this horrific scene. This is one of the big problems in the "Black Community"- especially the youth. They will mobilize and protest for the release of a child molester (R. Kelly), but they won't protest against the Hip Hop that is poisoning their communities, or against genocide in Darfur. Where is the Black Leadership? Where is the shame? Where is the Justice? And where is the outrage?

I'm surprised that they stuck together long enough for the recent protest against the NYPD over the shooting of Sean Bell. (although I would love to see that same energy also aimed at protesting against the Black on Black brutality that is going on in urban communities across America).

What a wonderful sight for Black youth to see. *shaking my head* These images & the negative messages that go with them, are doing more damage to the "Black community" than anyone has really been able to fully calculate. And we wonder why our women are internalizing these images? This nonsense is basically celebrated within the so-called "Black Community".

Snoop Dog was recently arrested (again) for drug charges, among other things. The latest arrest took place right after he was glorified on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Another clown who calls himself "The Game" was recently arrested for impersonating a Police officer.

Every other day one of these clowns does something stupid. In the Rap world, stupidity has become the norm. And the sad thing is, there are millions of youth in this country who want to emulate these so-called Black men.

When will this madness stop?

James Buford- President of the St. Louis Urban League, recently wrote a commentary on this issue for the St. Louis American newspaper.



Just Say No to Gangsta Rap

Columnist James H. Buford

African-American music has always been the underlying theme of any civil rights movement. From the old Negro spirituals that were used to help deliver us from slavery to “We Shall Overcome” being the main song of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to James Brown’s “Say it Loud (I’m Black and Proud)” anthem, our music has always motivated us to do better, achieve more and have pride in ourselves.

Strangely enough, the African-American anthem for justice has come to a screeching halt with the proliferation of rap music in our community. My problem is not with the beats, but with the damaging images and messages portrayed in gangsta rap.

Juan Williams’ point about African-American youth being destroyed by hip-hop culture is well taken in his book Enough. On too many of our airwaves, young black men and women are being depicted by their own people as nothing more than two-bit hustlers and prostitutes.

In my opinion, gangsta rappers should be compared to minstrel shows - characters like Amos ‘n Andy, Stepin Fetchit and Mammy - in that they insult our race and show stereotypes as the norm of Black America.

There has been some minor uproar about hip-hop, such as Spelman College denying Nelly a fundraising event on campus due to his dehumanizing portrayal of a woman getting a credit card run through her behind in a video. Essence magazine has also spoken out against the sexist aspects of this music. However, more needs to be done.

A scripture states that “our people perish for a lack of knowledge.” Many people think gangsta rap is harmless entertainment. They may state that most consumers of violent, sexist rap music are young white males. But even in this case it is dangerous, because the music reinforces negative stereotypes about black people. To African-American teens, gangsta rap is dangerous due to the absence of fathers and the inherent need for male role models. Promiscuous sex, violence, drugs and alcohol abuse are often glamorized in hip-hop.

A recent study published by the American Journal of Public Health stated that girls aged 14-18 who watched rap videos were three times more likely to hit a teacher, two and a half times more likely to get arrested and two times more likely to have sexual relations with multiple partners.

When you look at the effects of gangsta rap on crime, the numbers are even more staggering. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that the popularity of gangsta rap has caused an increase in violent crime in urban areas and that interviews with offenders revealed that acts of violence were easier to commit when being stimulated by the lyrics of certain rap songs. Since 1989, one year after pioneer gangsta rap group NWA became popular, juveniles committing murder increased by 50 percent and black-on-black crime has steadily increased.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that gangsta rap is destroying the African-American community. With 70 percent of all black children being born out of wedlock, 40 percent of all African Americans living in poverty and one million black men populating our nation’s prisons, the time has come for the black community to say no to self-destructive behavior. Instead of degrading our self-image with criminal mindsets, we need to remember our rich heritage of civil rights leaders such as Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall and teach these messages to our children.

It is crucial that African-American parents monitor what their kids are listening to. Do you want your kids looking up to a gangsta rapper such as 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg or Lil’ Jon? It is truly time to march to the beat of a different drummer.

James H. Buford is president of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Part 1 of Return of the Minstrels

Fewer People Getting Married - An Issue Of Economics

Marriage: What's Love Got To Do With It?


I have seen several reports over the past few months that say that fewer Americans are getting married. In fact, married people are now the minority. The prospects are even worse for Black women, with all the problems with finding "suitable" Black men. Furthermore, Americans who do decide to marry are generally waiting longer. But few of the reports dare to mention the real reason behind the decline.

Fewer marriages are no surprise. It basically comes down to economics. Few news outlets look at the relationship between marriage and money. What is marriage really??? Marriage is basically an arrangement or contract of economic convenience….and it’s been that way for Centuries. This was especially the case up until the 1950’s and 60’s, when fewer women worked (right before the Nuclear Family began to fade). Women were more dependent on men for financial security at that time.


Today, women are able to (& are encouraged to) make their own money. As a consequence, dating and marriage options for men are getting tougher, especially over the past 10-20 years. Women have generally had more options in terms of being more picky about who they choose. But in the last decade or so, with the cost of living increasing, women are once again seeking financial security. So now we have a situation where women still have options, but when they do settle on a mate, it is usually after a longer and more scrutinizing process. Why? Because women are looking for men who have reached a certain level financially. Women can now afford to be more picky on the question of money, and they are taking full advantage of the opportunity.

Now, what do women primarily look for in a mate? Good careers, & success (financial prowess)- these are the primary benchmarks, despite anything else you hear. It basically comes down to money. Women seek men who can provide “Security”, and for many women, “Security”= financial security. Women judge men & determine who they want to date based on a guys financial worth. Everything else is secondary to this pre-condition. A mans success with women is ultimately tied to his career or how well he is doing financially. Generally, the more money he has, the more successful he will be with dating. The less money he has, the worse off he will be in terms of opportunities with women. A "well-off" man is often the ideal. Look at all of the TV shows that reinforce this norm. Most women will say "financially stable", but this is just code for a very steady & "comfortable" income.



Women are checking a mans ability to provide a home & steady income for her and the children. The Bread Winner role, has been the role of men since the beginning of time. But in today’s economy it is becoming harder and harder for men to play this role. In fact, I think it’s harder now than ever.
Studies show it time and time again. About half of marriages end in divorce. And the #1 reason for most of these divorces????? You guessed it. MONEY. When men hit hard times....get laid off, fired, etc, usually the next thing to go is the wife and family. That's why so many men go postal when they lose their jobs or source of income. They know that the loss of their job and income will probably lead to the loss of their wives and children (not in all cases of course...but it many cases, this is often the eventual result). So I can understand why these men snap. I don't condone it.... but I understand it. Men today are under enormous social and economic strain to prove that they are "worthy". In decades and Centuries past, if a man owned a little land, if he could farm, if he could hunt and live off of the land, or if he had some sort of manufacturing or industrial job.... that was considered enough. He was considered worthy and viable as a date, boyfriend, husband, etc. Today, this is no longer good enough. So in many ways, we are under more strain than our forefathers, despite the Civil War, WWII, the Depression, Social Injustice (civil rights era), Vietnam, etc.

In the last several years, it has become harder for men to find meaningful employment (emphasis on the word meaningful). This is leading to a situation where 90% of available women are competing for the same 10-20% of available men…. (the men who happen to be the top wage earners in this country). Women are less willing to “settle” for the other 80-90% of men. That’s right, women who don’t get the Attorney or CEO hunk, or the Entertainer type, consider the hardworking guy who earns $25,000 or $30,000 busting his ass at some bull---- (Republican economy) service job, as something that they “settle” for. This is what is leading to fewer marriages. Women are waiting longer and longer…. Hoping to get something more than the $25,000 per year loser. It’s becoming a common situation to find 30 something and 40 something women who are single, waiting to run across a high wage earner (that means at least $50,000-$60,000 per year).

So what is a guy to do? On one hand there is this economy where it is harder to get a good paying job, with the job security and benefits that people need. In fact, employers are decreasing the amount of benefits that they offer and are looking at more ways to cut their payrolls (I work for one of these dreadful companies). Yet on the other hand, there is this Oprah, Bachelor & Bachelorette TV show, Who Wants To Marry a Millionaire female culture that tells women that they should marry into wealth. In fact, women are taught this from the time that they are old enough to play with dolls…. It comes from their mothers, from society in general, where it is reinforced by what they see on Television. Now i'm not blaming women.... I say go for it. I'm just pointing out that for men, it is becoming harder to meet these requirements.

Sure, jobs are plentiful, but as I have suggested, that’s misleading. Jobs are not good enough anymore…. What men need today are careers, not jobs. Jobs are plentiful, but careers are harder to obtain. There is a big difference between “jobs” and “careers”. If you’re lucky you can find a job that pays $25,000-$30,000 per year ($13-$15 per hour) with decent benefits. If you’re lucky. But this amount of income is not enough to provide for a family. Soon, there will be no meaningful benefits provided at all, as companies cut back. A man is hard pressed to find a woman, marry and raise a family on that kind of income. It’s hard to even date and meet someone when you are in that Socio-economic class.

Careers on the other hand, pay considerably more and usually require AT LEAST a Bachelors Degree and more often require a graduate education….or some special skill learned through Trade school. But competition for “career” employment is becoming more fierce. There are more people coming out of college and more people being laid-off & re-entering the job market than there are good jobs or careers opening up to absorb them. This leaves more good workers in the workforce each year and thus increases competion. Bush keeps touting his employment figures, but they don’t tell the American people what kind of jobs are counted in those figures. Seasonal work, Part-time work, Temp Agency work, certain internships, and low paying service jobs are all included in those figures. In fact, low wage jobs and Temporary Agency jobs make up the majority of the monthly jobs figures that are put out by the Department of Labor. With good paying manufacturing jobs being outsourced overseas or eliminated due to global competition, and with slow growth in other industries in this country, good paying work is harder to come by.

In other words, the pool of “viable” men is limited. “Viable” meaning men with incomes (at least) at or near $50,000 per year. Women have a narrow definition of what “viable” means to them. But it is this economic reality that is creating this social condition. Some call these women Gold Diggers… There is some truth to that. Who can really blame women these days? Hell, if I had the opportunity to marry money, I probably would. Not saying that this is the moral or virtuous thing to do. I would personally want to have a genuine relationship above all else. But economics dictate a lot of these relationships. Women will act based on what will benefit them & their children financially in the long run. Others might say that this is a casualty of modern capitalism, with the fierce global competition that is sucking jobs out of the U.S. Both are probably correct. All of it is related and connected.

But I see this problem continuing to get worse. I don’t see the prospects for College graduates improving….unless they go into a field such as Medicine, or the legal profession, or obtain a rare special skill that will be in demand (I should have gone into Computers....by the time I realized this, it was too late for me to change college majors. But my dumb ass wanted to go into the Social Sciences to save the world....That decision- I am convinced- has led to my single status and financial struggles.).

I am one of those Americans who busts their asses for the lower yearly incomes mentioned above. Let’s just say that women are not exactly knocking down my door for dates, lol. My life experience has proven a lot of this to be true. If I do meet someone and marry, I will be well into my 40’s or 50’s when my financial status has improved (when my stock rises so to speak). I have yet to reach the level of “viability” that is required.

White House Censors Mideast Advisor

The White House is censoring an advisor who is a critic of U.S. policy towards Iran.

Listen to report here.

U.S. To Send More Naval Forces To Persian Gulf

Move Is Seen As A "Warning" To Iran


I Guess This is the Bush Administrations version of "Diplomacy"

The U.S. is going back to its old ways.... using its military strength (the only strength that the Superpower has left) to solve disputes. They should know by now that this does not work.

It's interesting that the Iraq Study Group just called for the U.S. to reach out diplomatically to Iran, and within days, the Bush administration rejects that idea and is instead deciding to rely on the military to deal with Iran.

I am convinced that the Bush administration is a lost cause.... perpetually hopeless, and a danger to Peace. Nothing that has happened over the past few months has changed the direction of the White House. Bush and his crew have decided to Stay The Course.... a doomed course, with a dead end.

This Navy buildup will be more than just an Aircraft carrier.... that's a misleading part of the report. What the report leaves out is that the buildup will also include all the the ships that go with that Aircraft carrier- Called a "Battle Group". A Battle Group= roughly 10-15 ships or more depending on the Mission.

However, the number of ships is far less than what would be needed for an actual attack against Iran. That would require at least 4 or 5 Carrier Battle groups. So an attack is probably unlikely anytime soon.

___________________________

US to warn Iran with naval buildup in Gulf
19 Dec 2006 03:28:31 GMT
Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The Pentagon is planning a major buildup of U.S. naval forces in and around the Gulf as a warning to Iran, CBS News reported on Monday.

A senior Defense Department official told Reuters the report was "premature" and appeared to be drawing "conclusions from assumptions." The official did not know of plans for a major change in naval deployment.

Another Defense Department official called the report "speculative" and a Pentagon spokeswomen declined to comment.

Citing unidentified military officers, CBS said the plan called for the deployment of a second U.S. aircraft carrier to join the one already in the region.

The network said the buildup, which would begin in January, was not aimed at an attack on Iran but to discourage what U.S. officials view as increasingly provocative acts by Tehran.

The report said Iranian naval exercises in the Gulf, its support for Shi'ite militias in Iraq and Iran's nuclear program were causes for concern among U.S. officials.

SOURCE

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

This report is right in line with previous reports on Iran.

Previous Blog Entries

Scott Ritter Discusses Possible U.S. Attack Against Iran

Iran Given Deadline

Earlier Report from Seymour Hersh

U.S. Moves Closer to an Attack on Iran

U.S. Seeking Confrontation

Divide and conquer was always U.S. Plan in Iraq

Divide and conquer (derived from the Latin saying Divide et impera) can refer to:

• Divide and rule, in politics, sociology and economics, a strategy to gain or maintain power.

African American Political Pundit says: Enter the United States into Iraq, to shock and awe, divide and conquer.

Is it possible? Is blogger Ben Frank’s on to something when he writes about outside forces working this strategy in Iraq today? Ben Franks writes, “Perhaps rogue elements inside some government(s) would like to conquer Iraq for the oil, permanent bases, strategic position, etc.”

Hey Ben, you're right. But there are some other people that saw the writing on the wall. Check out, an article in The New York Times, 25 November 2003, which refers to the plan for Iraq by Leslie Gelb of the Council of Foreign Affairs.

The objective for the USA according to Gelb:

“To put most of its money and troops where they would do the most good quickly - with the Kurds and Shiites. The United States could extricate most of its forces from the so-called Sunni Triangle, north and west of Baghdad…. American officials could then wait for the troublesome and domineering Sunnis, without oil or oil revenues, to moderate their ambitions or suffer the consequences.”

Now, Colin L. Powell, says the United States is Losing what he described as a “civil war” in Iraq and that he is not persuaded that an increase in U.S. troops there would reverse the situation.

The situation he, Condi, and Rummy and the Bush band of neo conservatives created and supported.

Colin Powell “troop surge”–”The army is broken.”

Video-WMP Video-QT

Divide and Conquer has always been the name of the game

in the United States.

You remember COINTELPRO, to keep Martin Luther King and Malcolm from coming together The Trail of Tears, Japanese American internment, The Black Panthers, and the FBI efforts against The American Indian
Movement (AIM), and hollywood.

Now on an international level (since the creation of Israel) the Unites States continues to do the bidding of Israel.

For those of you that are reading this and saying this is not true, well, get this. Let me remind you that in 1982, Oded Yinon, an official from the Israeli Foreign Affairs office, wrote: “To dissolve Iraq is even more important for us than dissolving Syria. In the short term, it’s Iraqi power that constitutes the greatest threat to Israel. The Iran-Iraq war tore Iraq apart and provoked its downfall. All manner of inter-Arab conflict help us and accelerate our goal of breaking up Iraq into small, diverse pieces.”

Divide and conquer was always U.S. Plan in Iraq, or should I say, it was always the plan of… Israel. Still have doubts? Read:

Israel:US attack on Iraq is coming; Israel and US interests in lock step

Iraq-Israel, Politics, 2/12/2003

The Israeli army chief of staff Gen. Moshe Yaloun expected yesterday evening that the US will launch a military attack against Iraq “within the coming weeks,” as expressed in an interview with the private Israeli TV.

He said “I will be surprised if such an attack will not take place within the next weeks,” refusing to reply a question on the set date for this attack.

He added ” I do not want to talks about dates. This is not important.” He explained that the American attack to be launched by the USA will make fundamental changes in the Middle East. Yaloun continued “the region as a whole is waiting for this attack. It will have the power to make a change in the geo-political structure of the region, describing the effect of the American attack as ‘an earthquake.’” Link

AAPPundit says: Great work Colin L. Powell, now you say the United States is losing. I say you and the Bush Administration knew what you were doing all along. Divide and Conquer. Unfortunately, for America, it may not work in the long term. I’m going to say Thanks for nothin’ Colin,.... John H. of Pros and Cons, but clearly for different reasons. The real unfortunate thing is Black folks voted Democrats back in, and they now control the U.S. House and Senate. Here is the kicker, now some of those gutless old snakes are going to screw other democratic voters, who voted for us to get out of Iraq But guess what, Divide and Conquer has always been the name of the game. Mission accomplished Maybe. Or maybe the U.S. is stretched too thin. In more ways than one.

African American Political Pundit is a regular contributor to Mirror On America

The Real Impact of the Corporate Based Economy on Working People

A tough story about a senior citizen dealing with the cost of prescription drugs (this is happening all over the country).

Here is a short documentary about the struggles of low wage workers. (scroll down when you reach the page). Most of the video involves low wage workers at a major American University. The documentary is entitled “Where There is a Will, There Will Be A Living Wage”.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

An elderly man recently robbed a bank in order to get arrested, because he did not have enough money to take care of himself.

Remember Melvena Cooke? She's the 79 year old woman who tried to rob a bank in Chicago a few months ago. Why? Because she could not pay her rent.

And remember the Chicago fire a few months ago, where 6 children from one family perished? The fire was caused by candles which were being used because there had been no electricity in the apartment for several months. Chicago Mayor Daley reacts.

Poverty kills!


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A great discussion about poverty and healthcare, particularly in the Bellweather State of Missouri. What has the Corporate Republican economy meant for working people in the Midwest?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Previous Blog Entries on This General Subject

1. Is the American Dream Still Possible? A Discussion with Barbara Ehrenreich.

2. Recent discussion about Poverty in America.

3. A report on Infant Mortality rates.

4. The need for a living wage.

5. The struggle for families to keep food on the table.