Comments on: It is in blood that empires, like humans, are born, it is in blood that they die

By: DWBartoo

DWBartoo — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:45:54 +0000

“Representative” democracy, by definition, is somewhat short of actual, “participatory” democracy, and should hardly be the the ‘be all’ and ‘end all’ of the American ‘experiment’.

Unfortunately, a dumbed-down ‘citizenry’ have, apparently, little or even no interest in having a major say in their own destiny.

Primarily we may fault ‘education’, but also, lack of imagination and the corresponding lack of a genuine desire (and willingness to stand and fight) for the betterment of the system under which we live, and, too often, die.

The fundamental reality, lost to most people, is the the world is ‘our space’ and we have relinguished responsibility for that reality to small-minded, cold hearted, calculating sociopaths.

Given that understanding or even appreciating history is considered useless in America, we have absolutely no ability to learn from our own mistakes, let alone the mistakes of others.

We Americans are ‘exceptional’.

Exceptionally stupid; and full of pride regarding that fact.

By: ekunin

ekunin — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:14:12 +0000

Your opinion is generally believed. I suggest you click on my name for a theory which holds humanity is crazy, not depraved. By the same token, it could mean America’s greatest contributions to humanity lie ahead if we figure out a way to use the internet for electronic democracy. Representative democracy clearly doesn’t work any more. The problem is getting us rank and file to be sufficiently self assertive to do something about anything. We fax and phone congresspeople when we need national demonstrations, but before we can have a national demonstration we need a way to get it together. I have no doubt someone will think of a way to create an “Our space”. The sooner the better.

By: Boston1775

Boston1775 — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:50:53 +0000

Ian,
Thank you.
Do you have children?
Those of us who accept the realistic consequences of our national decisions need to set about working quietly for our children’s future.
You have written of the value of family, neighbors and friends. I might add to the list an appreciation for the small farmer who has been nearly pushed out of existence by the Big Ag/Fake Food industry. (And when people inevitably get sick due to nutritional deficiencies the Medical/Pharm industry).
Supporting small, clean farming is the emerging political statement we need to make in my opinion. Real food. Real nutrition from agriculture based on ancient ways.
Aisles of fake foods which do nothing but bloat bodies or trigger our genes to misfire should be avoided for the sake of the health of our children.
Let those industries that prey on the human body and mind go the way of the predatory lenders.

By: KathyPfromMichigan

KathyPfromMichigan — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:28:32 +0000

How I appreciate this community of bloggers and commenters! It is so reassuring that there are some humans left in the US who have empathy and can foresee the dreadful consequences of war.

My greatest fear is that our political process has become so debased that the McCain campaign will use this horrible example to incite a terrible vengeance resulting in even greater and more horrible violence.

By: T-Bear

T-Bear — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:22:42 +0000

Ian, your post need be etched in bronze, least we forget, again.

My separation with America started earlier but was finalized when American troops open fire on a civilian car in Iraq and a small girl saw her father and mother and brothers and sisters die; she was wearing their blood and body parts as a homage to American terrorists occupying her country. This was in August or September 2004. Apparently this was never reported in American media for “homeland” consumption. Just another evil amongst the many, the perpetrators be forever damned.

FWIW: please look at dollar exchange activity of recent. Just as oil is being priced, has all the appearance of futures market activity. It has been counterintuitive to known market factors. All the best……..

By: spocko

spocko — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:30:49 +0000

Ian:

Excellent.

LLAP,
Spocko

By: LangostinoHues

LangostinoHues — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:39:02 +0000

Damn, that was quick. Opening in a new window instead of a tab makes it look OK. More strange IE shit, I guess.

By: LangostinoHues

LangostinoHues — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:30:28 +0000

To whom it may concern:
Under IE7 the page formatting is fubar, with the blogroll and SnorgTee ad overlaying the article text for most of its length.

By: DeanOR

DeanOR — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:54:40 +0000

Ian, Thanks for this powerful statement that you have written. I was born during the run-up to US entry into World War II, and I remember that war. I’ve seen my country engaged in half a dozen wars (maybe more, I’ve lost count). When I protested the Vietnam war, it didn’t occur to me that after that ended I would live to see America in further illegal, pointless wars in my lifetime. How naive. Looking at the photo that accompanies your post, I see a similar photo from Vietnam, another girl – she is burned, running down the road naked and screaming, trying to escape US war planes. Many people believe that photo helped end the war. Each war leads to terrible suffering. Now our government claims the right to start wars of aggression. When I look at world history, I see wars every generation or two, but between wars people forget the horror. It can be dispiriting, but I don’t know of any alternative other than continuing to work for peace and justice, which always requires telling the truth, as you do so well, and telling it again and again.

By: wefearwhatwedontunderstand

wefearwhatwedontunderstand — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:36:45 +0000

I saw the segment on 60 minutes about the Delta Force, then I watched American Gangster on HBO, and I was struck by the Poppy connection. Herione and damaged soldiers – hmmm, they, as well as sex and violence and power and control, seem to go hand in hand.
I am so pissed of by what our nation is going through right now, for so many reasons, I can’t even sleep at night anymore. I couldn’t be more ashamed! I am especially mad about the way that McCain and his supporters keep telling us all that either we don’t understand or Obama doesn’t understand – they pushed that $800,000,000,000 bill through, saying that if we opposed it, well, we just don’t understand – about the war in Iraq – you just don’t understand.
Dammit – we do understand!!! We understand that the rich just got $800,000,000,000 richer, that some arrow maker just scored, that the financial geniuses only pretended to understand, that the Democrats as well as the Republicans have been paid off, that Sarah Palin is anything but a “straight talker,” that it matters if you can pronounce the single most frightening word in the dictionary, which is CLEARLY not spelled “nucular,” and that war is bad, and bad wars are worse, they are CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, and that modern asymetrical wars, like Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan, like nuclear war, is simplly not winable.
Damn, I’m pissed off today – maybe I’ll start doing herione