Dear President Obama,
Let me start out by saying that I worked many hours on your campaign (for free) when you first ran for president in 2008. I got a lot of “grief” for doing so but I adamantly defended you. I believed you were the “hope and change” this country so desperately needed. I believed every word. I will give you credit for being a great speaker and whoever wrote your speeches should be commended as well.
It wasn’t long though before I realized (to my dismay) that you are just one of a long line of presidents, who say one thing and do another. Is “selling your soul” one of the requirements to be Commander in Chief? I won’t go into the laundry list of complaints I have against you. I want to write about the one that is blaring in my face right now. Today. August 2, 2014.
You claim that our country is “exceptional.” You claim to be a Christian. Our leaders tell us over and over (via Fox News) that we are a compassionate, Christian nation. Please answer this question. Do exceptional countries sell weapons of mass destruction to other countries that will be used against innocent civilians? Is that how you define exceptionalism? Is this the behavior of a compassionate country, which bases it laws on Judeo Christian teachings?
Is this what compassion looks like?
You know what country I’m talking about. And it really doesn’t matter which country I am referring to. Pick one. The U.S. sells weapons to a variety of countries and groups who are the “flavor-of-the-week.” If the group we sell weapons to end up using them against us, “Hey! That’s ok. That means more weapons sales. More money for the military. More money for those who make those weapons and that’s good for the economy!” And don’t get me started about our use (and justification) of drones on sovereign countries.
You told us in one of your stump speeches, that your administration will be the most transparent. You haven’t been so far, so why not do me a favor and cut the bullshit and admit that our country’s economy depends on continuous conflicts and ongoing wars. And if there isn’t one, we’ll just make one up.
Thanks for listening and hope you and your family enjoy a well deserved vacation. You must be exhausted.
I wonder Inge, if besides mistaking Obama for Superman (able to stop the US Military Industrial Complex with a single signature), you think the world would be better off had McCain been elected POTUS in 2008? McCain who probably would’ve at the very least attacked one of the following countries; Iran, Libya or Syria.
Lest you forget, a quick reminder, Bush’s dirty little war with Iraq resulted in the deaths of at least 500,000 people, displaced millions and cost trillions! You may not like Obama using drones, but so far his death toll from drones is about 2,400.
As one who doesn’t have any delusions as to US foreign policy, the CIA or the POWER of our weapons industry, I’ll take LESS death and destruction anytime.
Obama may be POTUS but that doesn’t make him all powerful, there are lines he can’t cross, well he could, but then he’d end up like JFK.
Perhaps, Inge, we need to go into the “laundry list” so that people like “anonster” can understand that it’s not just Obama being quiet that adds to his culpability but rather his ongoing initiatives to destroy our national sovereignty, strip Americans of their Constitutional rights and civil liberties, and totally renege on almost every campaign promise spewed from his mouth.
Washington is full of war hawks on both sides of the dual aisle oligarchy. The Zionists pay to keep them in office and to continue to send billions upon billions of dollars as well as military weapons to them. There is no difference between Obama and McCain, one is just more in your face than the other. Just as there is no difference between the Dems and the Repubs in Congress. (Ouch, I know that hurts, but its time to pull your heads out of the sand. See http://on.fb.me/1pyfPKH)
As long as we continue to make excuses for Zionist sponsored politicians there will never be peace in the world. It is time folks to stop buying the KoolAid. It’s time to end the dual aisle oligarchy. When we realize that the French Revolution was instigated by the Zionists, then we know that the change needed will not come via a physical revolution. It will come about by maneuvering a change in the government like they did in Iceland. It’s time we actually install a government for and by we the people, not for and by the corporations.
Thanks Inge for your open letter to Obama, although I fear it will fall on deaf ears.
“When we realize that the French Revolution was instigated by the Zionists”
Huh? That predated the modern Zionist movement, by about a century. Where are you getting that info?
As for there being differences between Obama and McCain, unfortunately we can’t run the experiment, but do you really think that we would have (by and large) left Iraq? Do you really think that we’d have drawn down so far in Afghanistan? How much does McCain have to say about what he would have done differently before you believe him?
As for Democrats and Republicans — all I can say is that we had better hope you’re wrong, because third party movements not only have little chance under our present electoral system, but they tend to have weak effects in systems where they can do more. (The exception seems to be racist nationalist movements, which can always find adherents.) And when third-parties like the Green Party enter into coalition governance, people who sound an awful lot by you hammer on them mercilessly for being sellouts. So rather than making snotty comments about pulling heads out of the sand, perhaps you could explain how you realistically think that one can get from Here to There by your preferred means.
I think that anonster is a little too forgiving of Obama — if you’re a decent politician, you have to expect that you might end up like JFK or, more to the point, Paul Wellstone — but she’s right in saying that anyone who thinks that his powers are not constrained is living a fantasy.
I too am awaiting D’Marie’s explanation of the French Revolution. Perhaps something about bankers responsible for the monarchy’s debt? Kinda out of left field, that one.
As for McCain…
A politician saying “woulda coulda shoulda” to an old opponent’s actions is one of the most unreliable sources of information I can think of.
There ARE differences between Dems and Reps, just as there are differences between Coke and Pepsi: different colors and lettering on the labels, slightly different taste, maybe a difference in .01% of the ingredients.
Getting from here to there…
Yeah, we Greens have been keeping the lights on for any mass movement that might come along and give us a boost. It’s a lot of work for few hands, as I’ve said before:
http://kitchenmudge.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/chickens-and-eggs/
One thing I’ll say for certain is that being “independent” won’t do you any good. People need to form associations to accomplish anything against other associations. You’ve heard of labor unions? ‘Nuff said.
http://www.justicepartyusa.org/israeli_palestinian_conflict
http://www.globalresearch.ca/israeli-policies-towards-the-palestinians-mirror-regimes-of-apartheid-in-south-africa-and-jim-crow-in-the-u-s/5392831
The Justice Party still exitsts? In how many states do they have a ballot line? Do they have any registrants on record to speak of?
“The U.S. government has long lavished overwhelming aid on Israel, providing cash, weapons and surveillance technology that play a crucial role in Israel’s attacks on its neighbors. But top secret documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden shed substantial new light on how the U.S. and its partners directly enable Israel’s military assaults – such as the one on Gaza.
Each time Israel attacks Gaza and massacres its trapped civilian population – at the end of 2008, in the fall of 2012, and now again this past month – the same process repeats itself in both U.S. media and government circles: the U.S. government feeds Israel the weapons it uses and steadfastly defends its aggression both publicly and at the U.N.; the U.S. Congress unanimously enacts one resolution after the next to support and enable Israel; and then American media figures pretend that the Israeli attack has nothing to do with their country, that it’s just some sort of unfortunately intractable, distant conflict between two equally intransigent foreign parties in response to which all decent Americans helplessly throw up their hands as though they bear no responsibility.”
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/08/04/cash-weapons-surveillance/
I may seem “too forgiving of Obama”, but I do so for a reason. Obama has come under constant criticism, mainly from the right-wing on everything (including his choice of mustard) where his accomplishments get very little attention. If Obama had an R behind his name the right would be over-the-moon in their praise (the deficit cut in half, job growth, record breaking stock market, etc.).
I NEVER had any delusions about Obama being a liberal, he’s very moderate, but all this constant criticism has a cumulative effect and that’s exactly what the Republicans are counting on. They want to damage Obama and the Democrats and normally level-headed or even progressive people can be persuaded by the constant drum-beat of negativity against voting for the democrats or even voting.
I am AFRAID what will happen if the Republicans win the senate and I’ll take an imperfect Obama ANYDAY over the crazy and extremely destructive republicans.
As for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict why just blame Obama? He’s already taking flack for not being pro-Israel for the teeny-tiny bit of sympathy he has given to the Palestinians. If you want our tax dollars to stop supporting Israeli aggression I suggest you do what I’ve been doing; start calling and writing to the White House, our Senators and your Congressperson and demand NO MORE US TAX DOLLARS FOR ISRAEL.
On this we agree. I already call, write and email. I do constantly. I protest in the streets. This is not a Dem or Rep problem… both parties are bought by corporations, the war machine and Wall Street. It doesn’t matter who the next president will be… we will just get more of the same we are getting now.
Obama needs to be more transparent. If he did, then we (I) would trust his decisions more, but for now, all this secrecy opens him up to conspiracy theories and the like.
I am not D or R. I do not follow any party line. I vote for the person or issue that I think is best for the country. Opinion polls for Obama and Congress are at an all time low and for good reason. We (I) am sick and tired of being fed a line of bullshit and expected to believe it. They don’t even try to hide the corruption any more.
Both parties are to blame. They claim publicly they cannot agree on anything, yet they have no trouble sending more weapons to kill civilians in private. Obama is president and I am told over and over (ad nauseam) he is leader of the free world. If he really believes that, he needs to get his act together. Right now the world sees Israel and the US as the world’s troublemakers. And rightly so.
*The quick answer ot the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Give Israel $3 Billion dollars a year and give the Palestinians $4 Billion a year until Israel move out of the Settlements and gives the Palestinians enough water to live on. If the Palestinians start shooting rockets, the US Military will locate the bad guys….tit for tat….no more!
Should they “gives” this water for free?
The Palestinian water system is estimated to be losing 30% of it’s water. What is being done to reduce that?
Do Palestinians make any efforts to recharge the aquifers that they pull water from?
I have no horse in this race, just asking questions.
Neil, it’s hard to live a normal life when you are oppressed. That is something the majority of American people have never experienced. Only refugees from other countries understand. It is estimated that it will take at least 10 years to rebuild their communities. They have no power. Which is symbolic of them actually having “no power” over their lives.