Monday, February 28, 2005
America had a chance to save thousands of lives; instead Reagan chose to ignore the problem especially in light of his conservative base. AIDS was first reported in 1981 but it took 6 years before Reagan mentions the problem.
Reagan like Bush addressed the right-wing conservative agenda by slashing social programs and cutting taxes and by embracing conservative values such as "leaving no homosexual alive."
Research and public education could have saved many many lives if it was not for the conservative agenda. Jerry Fawell and others of his ilk prevented adequate funding for AIDS education programs and counseling services. Conservatives smugly called AIDS a "Gay Cancer" which was God's wrath towards homosexuals. Conservatives were giddy about a disease which would help eradicate homosexuals.
Bush came under attack by the medical community for blocking scientists from attending the International Aids conference which opened in Bangkok this last July claiming cost pressures. The U.S then used the conference to pressure developing countries to give up their right to make cheap generic HIV drugs in return for free-trade agreements. Some called this " U.S. blackmail".
The Bush administration is now opposing the extension of a policy which distributes uncontaminated needles to drug addicts. Removing this policy will undermine the battle against AIDS. Scientific evidence suggests that the free provision of clean needles reduces the spread of AIDS among drug users without increasing rates of addiction in the drug community. 80 percent of all HIV cases in Eastern Europe and Asia involves infected needles that addicts share. Removing this policy off the table will cost untold thousands of lives.
Bush seems determined to pick up where Reagan left off in their journey to rid the world of homosexuals. Even though more and more AIDS patients are not homosexuals. Bush seems happy to throw out the baby with the bath water.
The Iraq war has been reframed. Not that it matters much. It is obvious that Bush will not be held accountable for anything he or his administration has done. Has the press been so cowed, so intimidated that Bush would have to shoot the ailing Pope in cold blood on live TV while having sex with Rick Santorum’s son Jr. and simultaneously pull out Terri Schiavo's feeding tube in front of her parents, before they grow balls?
We know that mis-representing the facts before invading Iraq did not do it. Our media paraphrased White House doctrine for news when Bush, Cheney and Condi spoke urgently about mushroom clouds in our cities.
The media has again fallen in line with the administration and the occupation has now become a fight for "Iraq’s democracy”. Our soldiers were even referred to as poll watchers, and counting ballots actually overshadowed the Michael Jackson trial on the 6 p.m. news for a few days.
Unfortunately the Iraqi election will just be an oasis for America; it provided temporary relief and easy stories for Bush voters that desperately want to believe their leadership.
Behind the scenes of purple Republican thumbs, the bodies of soldiers continue their grim journey to their hometowns away from the general public without commentary and maimed soldiers with prosthetic limbs and surgical scars continue their quiet procession of broken bodies and minds as they limp into their homes with the horrific memories of war fresh in their minds.
Under the guise of patriotism the far right have found their champion Bush and fitted him with a Goebbels-inspired-Republican –propaganda machine. His cronies have proven that they could use our media to talk their way into people's homes, assault their daughters, steal their savings, burn their home down and still get a pat on the back as long as it is for George Bush.
The major media outlets are complicit in this American debacle. Whether it was fear over lost revenue or timidity does not matter. They splash the screen with spinning graphics and pour out ink-ladened fireplace tinder, which focuses the country's attention on Paris Hilton's hacked phone and lawsuits against gorillas.
America's steel workers are told that through clever manipulation of funds workers with 30 years of sucking in toxic fumes have no pensions. Investors who trusted in the stock market and the SEC lost their retirement funds to corrupt companies. Millions of workers and millions who can’t find work are pushed farther and farther away from the American dream.
Funding is slashed for middle and low-income students that hope to attend college. Many are now left with take-home video games from army recruiters who take up residence in their schools. High school students who are promised college money and high-tech skills are often placed in “vehicle repair” or behind the steering wheel of an armor-less truck in the Sunni triangle.
Our research universities and institutions are left high and dry as foreign-exchange medical, engineering and science students are now staying away in droves as the "Do Not Enter" signs are clearly in place at our borders. Chasing away these high-tech workers to more tolerant societies.
Our world-renown standard bearers of scientific study such as the FDA, EPA, USDA, NASA and the CDC have become infected with a disease which places political expediency and corporate greed above science regardless of the pain, suffering and even death of Americans.
The list of Bush assaults on our country and our democracy goes on and on.
The country is obviously satisfied with the steady diet of pablum and news shows with American flags waving in the background because there hasn’t been any public outcry, except by some bloggers. It seems that only bloggers get upset and who are they anyway?
While Democrats continue their trek through the wilderness, and our soldiers continue dying, bloggers may be the only hope our democracy has to reframe the issues and address the issue that really matters, reviving our democracy.
In support of the bloggers that search for truth, uphold the ideals presented in the Constitution and in the Bill of Rights, the following excerpt from a speech Lincoln used to consecrate a cemetery on November 19, 1863 seems appropriate right now:
“—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth.”
Sunday, February 27, 2005
George's Bush was not even cold before Russia signed a deal to supply Iran with fuel for its first nuclear reactor. So much for Bush's clout with Putin. Bush said he looked into Mr. Putin's soul and liked what he saw. Did he realize that he was perhaps looking at himself? Putin like Bush has done everything to subvert democracy.
Putin has Pravda we have Fox and Limbaugh. Russia controls their media just like Bush controls ours. Bush pays reporters to pass propaganda off as news just like Putin does in Russia.
Russia has been denounced for human rights violations Bush has Abu Gharib, Guantanimo and for extra special prisoners he sends them to Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for extra special treatment aboard special CIA transport planes.
Bush asks Russia to have a transparent government when Cheney goes to extreme lengths to hide his endeavors with the development of our Energy Policy.
Who is kidding who, we have a faux democracy. Russia has a faux democracy. Neither government has checks and balances. Both Bush and Putin can do as they please with no repercussions at all they can lie as much and as brazenly as they want to and nobody is going to do anything about it.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Bush builds a new "Berlin wall" with Russia.
Bush's lack of attention with Russia is paying dividends for Putin. Chechen separatists were renamed as terrorists after 9/11. Their modified foreign policy declaration of attacking any nation that may endanger 'Mother Russia" was announced after the U.S. invaded Iraq. They have taken every advantage of Bush's aggressive war to justify their actions against a free press and dissenters as they cite America's Patriot act as reason for implementing their form of democracy. Our democracy has become a pseudo-democracy without any checks and balances left which is what Russia is becoming. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
