Voices of Reason

Which of course will be ignored…

The usual suspects from both the right and the left (albeit what some might regard as the “extreme” fringes) who have, I would contend, been absolutely correct in the past with respect to the numerous other conflicts that America and its “Coalition of the Willing” is still hopelessly entangled in, speaking out recently about the newest war in Libya.

This latest intervention is just another harebrained military misadventure that will inevitably end badly. As regrettable as the situation was in Libya, wouldn’t it have been better to simply allow events to play out on their own terms without Western involvement?

And who are these people that the media portrayed with such sympathy for weeks on end? By some accounts, about 20 percent of the “rebels” are fighting to depose Gaddafi because they believe that he’s a Jew. Surely that sentiment has to be more than a little disturbing when considering what kind of government might eventually take hold in that country once the conflict ends. Whenever that might be…

Afghan War Debate

There’s a debate taking place in Congress today over Dennis Kucinich’s bill H. Con. Res. 28 calling for President Obama to remove troops from Afghanistan within 30 days of adoption, or if the president determines such a rapid withdrawal would be jeopardize the safety of U.S. troops, then delay the withdrawal to no later than the end of the year.

This motion will likely go nowhere fast, but here in Canada there isn’t even any debate at all over the issue…

The Harper Government® unilaterally decided to extend the country’s “mission” in Afghanistan to 2014, in doing so breaking promises made in 2006, 2007, and 2010. And it was able to do that because the official “Opposition” led by Michael Ignatieff supported the Conservatives. Just as they routinely have when push comes to shove on almost every key issue over the last several years.

Maybe if (when) the Bloc assumes the LPC’s place as the Official Opposition after the next election, though highly ironic, it wouldn’t really be such a bad thing.

Fired Up!

Dennis Kucinich delivering an impassioned, tub-thumper of a speech in Madison, Wisconsin at the Workers’ Rights rally this weekend.

And a more restrained post-rally interview:

Not that he would have a snowball’s chance in Arizona of winning, but it would be great to see Kucinich take another run at the Democratic nomination, if for no other reason than to perhaps “change the narrative” of the debate.

Ending the Afghanistan War

Following through on his promise made back in December to reassert congressional power (per Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution) to overrule the President Obama’s plans for prolonged war in Afghanistan, yesterday, Dennis Kucinich introduced two privileged resolutions invoking the War Powers Act of 1973 aimed at triggering debate and votes on a timely withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If, as the American people have repeatedly been told by the government for the better part of a decade now — as have we here in Canada — that their military forces have made tremendous strides in achieving improvement in the lives of Afghans, sending little girls to school, eliminating the imaginary threat of “terra” and so on, then maybe it’s time to just declare “victory” and end this ridiculous, heinously expensive misadventure on the other side of the world.

Thankfully, our government has at least the good sense to have already pulled the plug on our commitment to this absurd farce as of next year. Pity it wasn’t sooner and that more young men and women will have to die needlessly in the meantime, but at least it’s better than the prospect facing the Americans of propping up their criminal drug cartel/autocratic puppet regime in Kabul for some indefinite period of time.

Kucinich to Obama: “No You Can’t!”

Citing Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s warning earlier this week that his country will need aid to fund its security forces for up to 20 more years, Dennis Kucinich is proposing two resolutions when Congress reconvenes calling for President Obama to withdraw all US forces by no later than April 15, 2010.

“We cannot afford these wars. We cannot afford the loss of lives. We cannot afford the cost to taxpayers. We cannot afford to fail to exercise our constitutional right to end the wars,” said Kucinich.

While these resolutions have about as much chance of success as a veggie burger offering at McDonald’s they do however represent a serious challenge to the insane notion that “victory” of any kind can be achieved in the Afghanistan War with a limited “surge” of troops and some vague commitment to standing up the military forces of Karzai’s hopelessly corrupt puppet regime.

Thank goodness our government has (finally) had the good sense to tacitly acknowledge the complete futility and utter hopelessness of this harebrained foreign misadventure, even though they would be loathe to put their determination to withdraw troops in 2011 in precisely those terms. Were there not so much public opposition to such a bloody and ridiculously expensive folly, chances are that the Harper government would quite merrily continue our engagement in Afghanistan indefinitely…

A Simple Question

Dennis Kucinich asks why America has finite resources for healthcare but virtually unlimited money for war?

“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes … known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.” — James Madison, Political Observations, 1795

The Awful Truth

Dennis Kucinich explains the present day economy.

I usually refrain from invoking the word “truth” for reasons that are too incredibly obvious and yet painfully laborious to explain, but when it becomes quite plainly evident and most especially when its impertinent verity is rudely spoken to power… well, there’s no other word that’s more perfectly appropriate.

Behold — the awful TRUTH.

Wake Up America…

Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul speaking out last week on H-34, the Congressional resolution recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza.

The complete debate can be viewed here.

In a Rational World…

Dennis Kucinich would be POTUS, but of course that’s never, ever going to happen because of his diminutive shortcomings and alleged Vulcan resemblance (or apparent similarities being drawn to that of a garden gnome), and so, in the meantime, we get the insignificant consolation and minimal enjoyment of seeing him briefly speak “truth to power” before an empty chamber in Congress.

That what Bernie Sanders in the Senate and Kucinich in the House are saying about the fundamental wrong-headedness of this $1 TRILLION “bailout” of Wall Street goes largely unnoticed and unremarked upon by the corporate media is nothing short of criminal.

And not to mention this of course…