The Blame Game:

Who’s really responsible?

By: Eric D. Peterson

It was last Wednesday, and I was researching for a piece I was going to do on the U.S. foreign aid budget, and defense spending. I was digging up some really interesting goods, too. We give (yes give) over 500 million dollars, annually, to countries like Israel, mainly on foreign defense programs for the Israeli armed forces, and to other counties, who spend the money freely as they see fit, toward counter-terrorism initiatives. The finance is usually annually adjusted for GDP of the nations and such, as well as our own defense spending, with which is, taken from the percentage of our own GDP, at historically low rates. Sounds all well and good, right? Cause if you think, we spent most during the cold war on defense, and that made up a large chunk of the GDP. Military industrial complex ring a bell? So it sounds like we really moved on from those day… except one thing. Our foreign “aid”. Is it actually aid at all? What exactly, and who for that matter, are we “aiding”. When you , or at least when I hear the term “aid”, I think of it as help. Especially for the ones less fortunate and the needy. Well, if you take, lets say, 1.3 billion dollars and spread it all over the world to fund your allies military, which in turn is used to protect American interests, and in some asinine cases, used to fund some other shady practices, and even fund our enemies (you know the ones that were singled our using these tactics), doesn’t that sound like it should technically fall under defense spending as well? After the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the fall of Saddam in Iraq, we’ve given away trillions of dollars to prop up the armies and newly constructed “democratic” governments of these nations. Even today, countries like Egypt and Libya, who would receive little to no U.S. aid (at least what was documented in the budgets), now receive millions to the billions. You can check the State Departments’ websites if you like. I’d add the links if I didn’t have to individually add all the PDF files. But yes, it’s all public knowledge. Some would argue it’s the least we can do, since we practically decimated them and nearly all means of viable industry (that we left alone) they had to self sustain. Great! Why stop there then? Let’s embezzle and funnel money through other nations we can dismantle with groundless claims of terrorism, or instability, shall we? Except let’s try to do it to the ones that actually have stable economic systems, and are viable on the global markets, and have more resources than oil. Like…let’s say…Iran… China…Russia…Venezuela… Syria…sounds like all of our “enemies” right? Ask yourself, why do we consider them our enemies? Yes, I know they have babbling buffoons, and raging, self-righteous, self-centered megalomaniacal lunatics for leaders and governments, (well, one of them bit the dust recently), but they also have competitive economies and currencies with our own. Interesting shit, I’ll say.

Now, all of that is good info and all, but let me mention something that stuck with me and led me into and all night rant with my own inner voices.

It’s all public knowledge.

So, where’s the fucking public? Our staunch citizenry that was protesting daily on Pennsylvania Ave. during the previous asshole’s administration about the wars, and death, and destruction, code pink, and all of the constitutional violations they were committing. Where are they now, that the shit has only gotten worse under the new asshole’s office. I don’t see any college students getting pepper sprayed in the face anymore for the dying afghan babies. No “Obama Lies, People Die” signs. No ones burning effigies of Barry, while taking off their clothes for all the drone strike victims abroad. At least, not in this county. I know why, though. Do want to know the answer? I mean, THE answer. It’s the answer to every question you need to know. Why is our economy in the tank? Why is our country the laughing-stock of the world (not that I care about that, they can piss off)? Why is our society full of boring invalids? Why are reality tv shows on the History and Discovery channels? Why are talent less hacks, like Justin Bieber, famous? Why is Paul Krugman still considered an economist?!

You want to know why?

I’ll tell you why…

Because of you. Because of me. Every single god forsaken inbred reject of this royally fucked nation, is responsible. That’s why. I’m not holding back any longer.

WE ARE THE PROBLEM!

We have been for a while. We try to find someone to blame for everything instead of taking personal responsibility for it. It’s congress’ fault. It’s the president. It’s the governor. It’s the CEO’s . It’s rich people. It’s terrorists. It’s the immigrants. It’s the evil corporations. It’s my boss. It’s my parents. It’s the fucking bus driver! Everyone and anyone else, besides who is truly at fault for all of our problems. Ourselves.

As I go about my daily travels, I encounter people from all walks of American life. And each one them are the enthroned royalty of some delusion of grandeur. A fantasy life that they think they are living out and they control all aspects of it. This county has become one big overly sensitive, incompetent, self loathing, self righteous, self centered, egotistical, apathetic, ignorant, bubble of arrogance. And let’s be honest. Sitting here complaining about it… just makes me apart of it. We’ve become the spoiled little rich kids of the world. The only problem is, we don’t know Uncle Sam’s fortunes are running dry yet. Now, I don’t advocate against your particular fantasy land, I just say, keep it too yourself, because no one cares about your problems, nor should they. But that’s the issue at hand. Control. Trying to manipulate, recruit, and control one another. Give it a rest, already. If you don’t like guns, fine. Don’t buy any. Simple answer. No, you need an advocacy group to lobby your congressman to sponsor a new bill, which leads to an open door of even more problems. You go one every nightly news program you can and argue your talking points. In your world, you are rightly justified and infallible. But in my world, you’re just some jackass that’s in love with your own ego, and delusions of a perfect utopian hippie commune we can all live peacefully in with no guns, no violence, no wars, and we all eat tofu. How incredibly naive. Or some old fartbag in a nice Florida retirement development that’s living off of a pension partially sponsored by tax incentives his company used to fund the plan with when he was hired, but now, since the business has gone under, is protected by even more federal money, and he only really contributed an eighth of what he collects on. To top it off, you get social security as well, another federal embezzlement scheme, that, at any mention of reform, you’re the first one to cry foul, even if you’ve been complaining that the government just wastes your taxes. Throw in all the welfare babies… having welfare babies of their own. And who can forget the corporate conglomerates who use their government pals to get tax breaks and subsidies to expand their enterprises, bulldoze the competition, have their industry by the balls, and are suddenly too big to fail when all the schemes run their course. Is the irony coming to light yet? You understand why we are all responsible in some way for it all going to hell? And we just keep adding to the shit cake. Layer…upon layer… upon layer… of shit.

So I’m done complaining…. Ok… that’s a big exaggeration, because I just love to complain! Just like you do, and you know it. All we are really good at anymore in this country is complaining. But seriously, I’ve just about had it with everything. Why should I give a shit anyway? About government spending. About our natural rights being constricted. About anything that isn’t inside of my own little land of delusions. No one’s changing the game. So, I’m just waiting for the game to end. And it will. It’s just a matter of time. I may even be alive to see it, and boy I’d love to see it, because who knows what it will look like.

As long as it’s not a hippie commune. That would be a god damn tragedy.

Rand Paul speaks for almost 13 hours, White House does not care

On Wednesday, March 7th,  Senator Rand Paul, of Kentucky held a Filibuster to hold up the nomination of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Paul spoke for just short of thirteen hours. The reported time, as of this posting, was 12 hours and 52 minutes. His subject matter?  The Obama administration’s belief that it can kill American civilians with drone strikes.

While previously known, the issue really only gained public attention in recent weeks after NBC released a leaked Department of Justice memo entitled “Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Directed Against a U.S. Citizen who is a Senior Operation Leader of al Qaeda or An Associated Force”. Bear in mind, this is not the first memo to be leaked in conjunction with the use of drones targeting American civilians.

The most high profile case of this was the September 30th, 2011 death of American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to have heavily influenced multiple attacks on American interests, including the Fort Hood massacre and the attempted bombing of Times Square. There is, of course, the fact that there was never a court proceeding charging and convicting him of anything in relation to these crimes. While an active member of an anti-american terrorist organization, al-Awlaki was also an American citizen, born to Yemenese parents in New Mexico in 1971.

What is more distrubing, however, is what followed.  Several weeks later Anwar al-Awlaki’s sixteen year old son and fellow American citizen, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki , was killed by a follow-up drone strike. When interviewed, Obama Campaign Senior Adviser Robert Gibbs was asked why. His response of  “should have [had] a far more responsible father” was more than lacking in explanation. The boy was not a combatant and was only guilty of having Anwar al-Awlaki as a father. Yet, this was all the explanation they would give. The response drew fire from many groups, but as usual, the issue was quickly forgotten. As a friend of this mine once put it, we no longer live in a world of fifteen minute fame, but one of five second sound bytes.

When asked in March of 2012 about the constitutionality of such an action, Attorney General Eric Holder explained that, at least in the administration’s eyes, the “Due Process ” clause in the Constitution is not the same as “judicial process”. I, for one, would love to hear the Supreme Court’s opinion on this, and suspect that we eventually will.

Further clouding the issue is the Obama administration’s refusal to clarify whether these targeted killings are confined to overseas or if these killings might one day occur within the borders of the American homeland. In response to such concerns, Attorney General Holder has stated “It is possible, I suppose, to imagine an extraordinary circumstance in which it would be necessary and appropriate under the Constitution and applicable laws of the United States for the president to authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States”.

Many, including this writer, are greatly concerned by the prospect of the United States government taking upon itself the right to end the lives of it’s citizens if they are deemed an Imminent Threat. Even the guidelines mentioned within the sixteen page memo are loosely worded so as to afford room for interpretation.

Senator Paul was joined last night by many of his colleagues who expressed the same concerns. These colleagues included Florida Governor Marco Rubio, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. From the other side of the political Aisle came further support by some Democrats including Oregon Senator Ron Wyden.

But not all members of Senator Paul’s party feel the same. Today, Thursday March 7th, 2013, Arizona Senator John McCain and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham called Senator Paul’s filibuster a “disservice to Americans.” How bringing an alarming issue to the attention of the American people is a disservice, I do not know.

The White House has indeed issued a response. Attorney General Eric Holder sent a brief letter to Senator Paul stating “It has come to my attention that you have now asked an additional question: ‘Does the President have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil.’ The answer to that question is no.”

Paul seemed elated at the response and said “Under duress and under public humiliation the White House will respond and do the right thing.”

Not all of us feel his elation, however. While Paul feels this guarantees us ‘Basic human rights’, This writer feels that the White House does not have the ability to hand out such rights. Different men did that well over two hundred years ago.

On an interesting historical side note; While just under thirteen hours, Senator Rand Paul did not set the record for longest winded politician to speak on the Senate floor. That record falls to Senator Strom Thurmond. In 1957 Thurmond held up proceedings for Twenty Four Hours hours and eighteen minutes. Why? To oppose the Civil Rights Act, of course. In 1964 this wonderful display of bigotry was followed up by Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, for the same cause.

Senator Paul’s cause was far more civil in nature.