How Much is Enough?

How much is enough? This question occurs to me every time I pick up the paper....and read about the excesses of our world.

Today, it is the war on Iraq: How many dead are enough before one side or another proves a point? How many maimed? When does the scale get balanced between their dead and our dead? We lost almost three thousand innocent citizens on 9.11.01. We have killed approximately one hundred thousand men, women and children of Iraq in return. Is it enough yet? They were not responsible for the actions of Saddam nor did they participate in attacking America. I can’t believe that over 45% of Americans still believe they are guilty. What am I missing?

How many of our honorable young men and women have to die or return home with life altering wounds before enough is enough?

What is it we have accomplished? Have we proven our leader had a higher level of testosterone than theirs? Everyone already knew we had more weapons of mass and individual destruction than anyone else in the world...so that was not the question.

When our troops rushed to protect the oil facilities instead of the halls of antiquities...was that a revealing tip-off about our coveting the second largest source of oil in the world?

We allowed the looting of hospitals, schools, and government offices. We allowed a power/leadership vacuum to develop when we dismantled the government structure. We blew the cover of “democratic intent” when we closed down the press. We approved torture via official documents before we planned the war. Is it any wonder we have lost the respect of the world? How much of our international reputation being trashed by our actions is enough?

We showed an empty heart when we did not immediately fix the infrastructure of water, waste disposal, and access to medical services that we bombed into oblivion. How desperate and sick do people have to get?

We showed a greedy soul when we gave the jobs of rebuilding Iraqi industry to American companies and their contractors rather than unemployed hungry Iraqis. Think about the insult of Americans making $500 a day when Iraqi men have no way to feed their families. How much abasement is enough?

After thousands of years of tribal and religious government structure, who are we to come and tell them they have to change? How much ignorant insult is enough? How does this country founded on the establishment of freedom of religion and the right to choose our form of government deny that right to other countries?

When did we lose our minds and begin to believe that bombs and bullets can change beliefs? How have we come to embrace the idea that causing more poverty, hunger and loss of hope can turn around the actions of a desperate people?

Power...world resources...wealth...control? How much is enough in terms of our greed? Dead...wounded...hungry...homeless...hopeless?. How much is enough in terms of the cost paid?

We need to hold our leaders accountable. We have the power to make a difference...one vote at a time. But we need to ask ourselves.....how much is enough?

Sorrowfully...We can't leave

I wrestle with the question of bringing our troops home.

I want them out of the senseless situation where life is vulnerable to unseen enemies.The cost of Iraqi and American lives since our arrogant invasion is estimated over 100,000. On both sides, thousands are maimed; mourn the loss of their family members and disrupted lives...and face many years of sorrow ahead.

I ache for the daily loss of American and Iraqi lives. I am ashamed of the price that Iraqis who step forward to help their country regain equilibrium and a democratic way of life (our imperative dictum) are paying as they die for a cause they didn’t request.

I marched against this war. But my conscience says “We broke it ...we need to fix it...we can’t leave”. It would be a disservice to all those who have given their lives to support us. It is immoral for America to create a chaotic and dangerous mess and then ask the victims to clean it up.

We must recognize how our patriotism can be twisted and used to manipulate us into actions we come to regret. America is all of us... we hold responsibility through our past and future votes.

It's About Defense...Mr. Bush!

Contrary to Bush’s notion of obstructionism, Democrats are playing defense to maintain the best parts of America for all of us.

It is damn hard to tackle the quarterback when he is wearing Teflon. You think you got a hold on the issue and then he just wiggles loose again.

We Democrats are playing defense in a game that threatens to take away the gains we made over 50 years to support the ordinary guy on the street.

It’s defense to support public radio and television. A house panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS. The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year and end funding altogether within two years. Geez...how could you not love Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow...and history, the fine arts, and bias free news?

It’s defense to ask about the Downing Street memos. Why is it that the Bush regime is never required to reveal its agendas, memos, studies, consultants, plans, etc.? This is the most secretive government I have seen in my 67 years. We are defending the traditional responsiveness and accountability expected of the government to the people who elected their leaders.

It’s defense to protest the dismantling of the Social Security System. This is an inter-generational promise made to take care of seniors, widows and orphans and the disabled. It would be immoral for this nation to break that promise. It needs tweaking with a raise on the cap, not destruction.

It’s defense to question this regime on its torture policies and record of abuses around the world. America once stood for something great and good. Now we are hated around the world.

It’s defense to question the right to preemptive wars by this government without solid evidence and international support. Wars that takes the lives of our sons and daughters, maims thousands physically and emotionally, kills 100,000 mostly innocent Iraqi men, women and children, dismantles their infrastructures, raises unemployment to 60%, disrespects their culture, history and religions and raises the spector of civil war. What kind of precedent have we set? Who can blame an attack on us again...for we are the threat...the ones with the WMDs and no hesitation to use them.

It’s defense to support NASA and exploration of space and rescue of the wonderful Hubble Telescope rather than put money into more Star War weapons that don’t work.

It’s defense to stand up for cars that conserve gas, renewable energy sources, saving environmental laws rather than defile our nature preserves and spend money on big business so they can mess up the environment even more.

It's defense to stand against the appointment of John Bolton to the United Nations. We need to preserve and improve the UN...it's our creation....not let it be destroyed or disrepected by this man.

It's defense to try and preserve jobs in the U.S.A and stop the outsourcing of our economy. It is in our national interest to preserve the ability to produce and manufacture the sources we need for our infrastructure and safety.

It's defense to protest pharmaceutical companies charging Americans higher prices than around the rest of the world.

It's in defense of our wellbeing to insist on national medical insurance for all at an affordable rate we can all pay into. 40 million Americans should not be without coverage. Businesses should not be penalized by having to provide coverage to attact workers. We can do this better when we take the profit out pain and suffering and fear of illness.

It's defense to protest the taking away of the civil rights that have made America unique in this world by the passing of the Patriot Act during a period of high emotion. The secretive ends do not justify the secretive means.

It's defense to question the budgeting process that gives to the rich, takes away from the poor, bankrupts the nation and leaves the debt to our grandchildren's children. At least we Democrats pay the bills as we go.....and the money goes to improve our nation's wellbeing...not the bottom lines for the privileged.

And the list goes on....It's about Defense ....because we care.

Controversy handled responsibly

The current scandals and problems surrounding Mayor West are being handled carefully and professionally.

This is not a political problem. I am glad that Democrats and Republicans are not utilizing it as such. Leaders on both sides are stating their concerns only as public citizens who love their city.

This is not a Gay problem. I am proud of their public responses and for the most part, the restraints of the heterosexual population not to paint all Gays with broad brushes as pedophiles.

This is not a criminal problem without any formal charge; or a civil court case sans a lawsuit.

Improper use and abuse of political position remains to be proven by the establishment of facts relating to written rules of conduct.

It was hypocritical to lie and legislatively abuse the population of which he was a member. It’s inappropriate to be sexually trolling for youth barely past the age of majority, but not illegal.

We can be angry that he has broken our trust and shamed us before the nation.

We have the right to ask him to step down and spare us more pain. (Write or email).

It’s not about legalities...it’s about lack of integrity to lead.