The Everyday Citizen

I have always had great respect for John McCain. I think a lot of the reason I have this respect is that he is a Viet Nam vet that was a POW, and has returned to the world and made a name for himself.

That is all well and good. What bothers me, however, is his stance on such issues as the war in Iraq and on immigration. I have followed the immigration debacle very closely, as it should be of great concern with every citizen of the good old US of A. The current immigration bill which was recently killed in the Senate, would have given amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens now in the country. Any illegal alien in the country after January 1, 2007, could provide documentation to the government from family or coworkers and friends, and be given the privilege of being in this country.

That is all well and good if you are a bleeding heart liberal. I am very much against this, however, because of what this would cost the American taxpayer. According to the Heritage Foundation, it will cost the American taxpayers monies estimated in the trillions (yes, Virginia, that is TRILLIONS!) to cover the cost of benefits, health care and education. Reading the white paper by the Heritage Foundation is truly mind boggling.

McCain’s stance on the war in Iraq is also killing his chance for the presidency. The American people have sent a strong message to the sitting President – get us out of Iraq, no ifs ands buts or maybe’s. Bring our boys home. I concur. So, with McCain’s stance on the war in Iraq, it is no wonder he has lost the confidence of the American people.

Bottom line – he is nearly out of money, support, and credibility. Washington pundits say that his campaign is not in trouble, but is dead. And as long as John McCain stands for the issues he believes in, then he is written off by many people – including myself – who have believed in him. What a drag for McCain…

Drive on…

Charlie~

Popularity: 9% [?]

Today, May 28th, the blogosphere takes on the challenge of blogging for good, and is doing so to help kids across the country further their education.  Particular focus is on the children of New Orleans.

I find this to be a worthy challenge, and post here.  I have long felt bad for the folks of The Big Easy, and what they have gone through following Hurricane Katrina.  The response time by FEMA for this disaster is what horror stories are made of.

Take time this Memorial Day weekend, visit  Donors Choose, and help ease the burdens of these people.  Children, especially in this day and age, need education, and usually all the help they can get.  It is the least we can do…

Peace,

Charlie~

Popularity: 7% [?]

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day here in the US. I remember as a child when it was still called Decoration Day, and was a time for family to gather together to visit the graves of loved ones lost to us. It was not a day of picnics, BBQ’s, and fireworks, but a solemn day of remembrance.

Today it is a bit different. The meaning, however, is still the same. A message from John Edwards, (D) N. Carolina, is in order here…

Let us hope we find peace soon.

Drive on…

Charlie~

Popularity: 7% [?]

It is no surprise to the Everyday Citizen that the bipartisan thoughts on the Hill are definitely against re-instituting the draft.  Ended in 1973, the Selective Services Commission still requires young men of 18 years of age to register, but they can no longer be drafted into military service.  The thinking behind this was the country needed “no more Viet Nams.”

Personally, I joined the Navy in 1963 to avoid the draft, and spent a major part of my time in the Navy in the Gulf of Tonkin.   After picking rocks and shoveling cow shit for a lot of years, the idea of living in a fox hole covered in mud just didn’t appeal to me.   Better,  a berth on some nice big war wagon…

The draft, although hotly protested and heatedly debated, was essential to keeping the war machine going.  It provided fresh cannon fodder for Nam, and kept the boys busy as beavers picking up after the current administration.  Men rotated in and out of the war, and we always had a supply of fresh meat.  it’s the American way.

And now we see an Army that is weakened and less effective, because many troops are being re-deployed after as little as a year at home between engagements.  We see families torn asunder, and witness the death of our American young men in a war that has no future.  Without the draft to feed the machine, we have to recycle men that are battle weary, under-trained, and just plain worn out to just go and do it again.  The Army is becoming depleted in both men and resources, and our country, which has been renown for having the strongest Armed Forces in the world, is at danger of becoming ineffective and weak.  This scare hell out of me.

The Democratic Congress has finally backed down and given Bush what he wants in terms of military spending.  Their bad.  But it is essential that the men in the trenches and fighting the terrorists in the streets of Bagdad have what little that can be scrounged up in the way of support.  Bush himself has stated that the next few months will be bloody and tough.  I ask the question if we already have a weakened Armed Forces, how is stretching out this unpopular war going to make things better for democracy?

The National Guard, already seriously in trouble on the home front,  can no longer be expected to fill the gaps left by dead soldiers in the field.  Resources here in the US are poor at best. The head of the National Guard has said that 90% of the Army National Guard is poorly equipped, raising real questions about the Guard’s ability to respond to disasters.  This was evident in Bush’s response in Greensburg, Kansas, after visiting and offering his condolences.  When questioned about the resources of the National Guard, he simply chose to ignore the questions.

Can we as a country afford to bring back the draft?  Do we decide that in order to support troops that have been in Iraq for four years, and Afghanistan for six, that the draft will fulfill the need?  Or do we, as a nation, allow Bush’s clock to run down and he be allowed to leave the Presidency with a depleted Army, National Guard, and grieving parents?  One cannot help but wonder…

Drive on…

Charlie~

Popularity: 7% [?]

As a writer, I often post content on Associated Content, a media site that publishes a lot of content and allows writers to submit for non-exclusive payment. Often, when on site, I browse the content by other writers to see what is hot, what is not.

Today, I found a disturbing article about suicide bombings. It states that the Pew Research Center has discovered that 25% of younger US Muslims believed that suicide bombings are acceptable in at least some circumstances when it comes to defending their religion. This poll, as reported by Reuthers is alarming to the Everyday Citizen.

As a Buddhist, I cannot justify any killing of any living thing. I even go so far as to release spiders and insects from inside the home rather than killing them.  Though this may sound extreme to some, it is my way of life, and I choose to live by these rules. As a Viet Nam vet, I have taken a vow to never harm another living things, and Buddhism has helped me define that vow.

To my way of thinking, suicide bombings have no relevance, because they are random killings, as are most terrorist acts. If you feel so strongly about your religion, then confront your enemy, identify yourself, and have at it. Don’t take the cowards way out, and just randomly set off a bomb, which could possibly kill your friends, neighbors, and even members of your own religion. To me, this is justification, not a random act of violence.

US Muslims report that they find it harder to live in the US since 9/11. I have to wonder why that might be? Could a hint be in the results of this poll? Food for thought…

Drive on..

Charlie~

Popularity: 7% [?]

In related articles this morning in the NY Times, I read of matters in the Beltway that leave a bad taste in the Everyday Citizen’s mouth. Although lawmakers and staff are expected to bring attention to the wrongdoing of lawmakers, you can bet your booties that they are gonna pay. Big time. Whistleblowers, indeed.

Inside the Commerce Department, the inspector general, Johnnie Frazier, committed “egregious violations” by assigning his top deputy and counsel after they refused to sign off on questionable expenses Frazier had made, including expensive trips and office renovations, to demeaning jobs for their insubordination. Imagine that!

And now we have Monica Goodling, testifying before the Senate that she felt her boss, US AG Alberto Gonzales, had tried to “shape” her recollections concerning the dismissal of the US attorneys. Her reaction was “uncomfortable.” Sure.

She also testified that she may have “crossed the line” a wee bit by stating she had taken into account the political leanings of applicants for jobs at the Justice Department, including career prosecutors and immigration judges. She also reported ” that she had gone overboard in considering the political backgrounds of candidates for jobs as career prosecutors.” Clearly in violation of civil service laws, she confesses “she didn’t mean to.”

What is it going to be? Are we, as American citizens, to be subjected on and on ad nauseum to the political manipulations of the Bush administration? I have to ask myself why Bush is so adamant in not allowing Karl Rove or Harriet Meiers to testify under oath. That scares the helll out of me…

My intent was never to make this blog a political platform that bashes the current administration. It is leaning that way, and if you find this distasteful, leave a comment. I am, however, sick and tired of the gloom and doom I hear on the news each night, and cannot hide my head in the sand any longer. We, as Americans, need to take a stand…

Drive on,

Charlie~

Popularity: 10% [?]

Ex-President Jimmy Carter pulled out all the stops in what seemed to me almost like an attack on the Bush presidency, and Tony Blair, Britain’s Prime Minister. I admire him for his stand. Remember, this is the gentleman who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.

Quoting President Carter, he said that Blair’s relationship with Bush was “Abominable. Loyal. Blind. Apparently subservient.” Blair has long been characterized as “Bush’s poodle” but I have never heard such a strong reaction before.

In another interview, Carter stated that Bush’s presidency was “the worst in history.” It gives me pause. I was born when FDR, often called The War President, was in office. I have memories of Harry S. Truman, hearing him on the big old Zenith that stood in our living room. I joined the Navy when JFK was Commander in Chief, and still have the utmost respect for him to this day. I strongly believe that Nixon will be remembered as one of our greatest President’s, even though he was caught up in a scandal of his own making. All of our Presidents were normal humans with all the problems associated with being human. Even Slick Willy…

I do not ever recall such an attack on an American President by another President. I also don’t feel his comments are unwarranted. I have seen a lot of Presidents come and go in my lifetime, but have never felt such deep disrespect for the office of the presidency as I do today. Everything Bush touches seems to turn to shit – the war in Iraq, his defense of Gonzales, his handling of the Katrina disaster and the tornado in Greensburg, the depletion of National Guard resources to feed the war machine – all these and more make me feel as if America is in a huge crisis, and that it will blow up in our faces sooner or later.

Carter of course has been labeled “irrelevant” by White House officials, and I read today that Carter feels he might have mispoken. the bottom line here is a man of integrity and one who has done so much for mankind has spoken. Call it what you may. I call it the truth…

Drive on…

Charlie~

Popularity: 6% [?]

I oft times wonder whether it is herd mentality or just plain disgust that drives me to single out a person who is in a highly elected office, yet is showing actions and deeds that go against everything an American should believe in. I could never be classified as a “patriot” that feels his elected government officials and those in power can do no wrong. I am proud to be an American, and love my country. Yet I get very cynical and disturbed when I see such blatant lies and deceptions that our Mr Gonzales displays.

Today in the NY Times I read an article about the wiretapping scandal that has rocked the nation, and Mr Gonzales’s hand in this despicable treachery against the American public. It seems that while former AG Ashcroft lay sick in a hospital in March 2004, that Gonzales and White House chief of staff Andrew Card rushed to his bedside and attempted to coerce him into signing off on the continuation of the wiretapping bill that begin in October 2001. Mr Ashcroft had been forewarned by acting AG James Comey and F.B.I. Director Robert Mueller before the arrival of Gonzales and Card. Mr Ashcroft, much to his credit, flatly refused to sign off.

America needs to know who had endorsed this untimely visit. We need to realize that our very quality of life is jeopardized by such abuse of power. On Tuesday, when Mr Comey testifed about that night in March 2004, a lot of unanswered questions arose. These questions will of course go unanswered. When Gonzales testified in February 2006, he basically covered up or refused to elaborate on the circumstances of this illegal operation.

We as American citizens have our right to privacy. We do not live in a monarchy. Our government is supposedly elected by the American people, yet as time goes by, I realize that it is business as usual. If we lose our privacy through illegal acts that our president is not held accountable for, how different are we than many third world nations? I lay awake at night wondering…

Drive on…

Charlie~

Popularity: 6% [?]

First gas, now the cost of groceries. My Rosie and I have had this discussion, but it goes much deeper than even I am aware of. Gas has hit an all time high here in mid-Michigan at $3.50 a gallon. Many people are still driving, and cutting costs elsewhere. There has to be an end to this…

California is noted as the state where prices of just about everything are higher than the rest of the nation. Today in the LA Times, I read an article about the higher cost of groceries. It is frightening to me to think that now even food is becoming harder for people to obtain. It seems that the price of corn is going up due to the fact that farmers are getting a much better price for it to be used for the production of ethanol. Last year, a friend who uses a corn burner to heat his home told me the price of corn was about $1.65 a bushel, and now, it is reaching highs of $3.66 over the last 12 months and earlier this year topped $4, according to DTN, an Omaha-based agriculture information firm. What does this mean for us?

In the food chain, corn is fed to cattle, chickens and geese to bring them to market. It is used as a feed, is used in many consumable products, and is a major sweetner for sodas and other beverages. Realize that if this corn is instead sold for ethanol generation, that the price of meat, consumable products such as breakfast cereals and other goods, and even your next bottle of Coke is gonna hit you hard.

What are we as a nation to do? Do we sit calmly by and watch our quality of life deteriorate because of the bottom line of the big oil companies? Do we curtail any activity that might bring us pleasure, such as taking the wife to dinner in a distant town of a Saturday nite? How long does this continue, until something is done? How many more of our young men need to die in Iraq before the people of America realize that this war is fought over control of fossil fuels? I wonder. And am saddened…

Drive on,

Charlie~

Popularity: 4% [?]

I have never been overly interested in politics. I guess it is because of my infernal cynicism over all thing political. Lately, though, I have become more interested. Maybe I should say horrified? I read tonight in the Washington Post of Deputy AG Paul McNulty resigning from his position this summer. Although he states financial reasons, I cannot help but think he no longer wishes to be tied to the coattails of AG Alberto Gonzales.

Any concerned citizen who cannot see through this tissues of lies by Gonzales must be living in an ice cave somewhere near the Arctic Circle. Three of his top people have resigned, and yet he maintains “memory loss” over the eintire incident. How much longer will the American people put up with this?

Everywhere I read, I can hear the death knell of the Republican Party because of so much going on in Bush’s administration. This unpopular war, responses to disasters, and this Gonzales thing makes me want to puke. Will it ever end?

Drive on,

Charlie~

Popularity: 4% [?]