Greetings and Salutations;
As we are all aware, the political turmoil and madness that has engulfed this great land continues. Every day, we see more, increasingly worrisome, and unhinged statements coming from the White House. We see actions being taken that are more like two teenagers playing “Chicken” in their hot rods, than the considered policies of a world leader. The latest example? The current administration has been drooling for war with Iran since it took office. The OOO’s placing John Bolton in as National Security Adviser last year has accelerated these pressures. Bolton has always been a Chicken-Hawk, and seems to really hate Iran. So…the other day there was an incident in the Gulf of Oman, just off the coast of Iran. A couple of oil tankers had explosives detonated on the side of the ship, blowing holes in the hull, and, in one case, starting the cargo burning.
The official story from the Administration was that these were mines, attached to the tankers by Iran, and this was an act of War. Today, several days later, the truth is still fuzzy, though. There are some odd facts that do not harmonize with the administration’s claims.
- At the time of the attack, the Japanese Ambassador was IN Iran, in talks with them about finding ways to deescalate the tensions between Iran and America. Why, I have to ask, would Iran attack a couple of Japanese tankers when they were having productive talks with the Ambassador. Iran is an Old Civilization, and, so, hopefully, has more wisdom than that.
- The Crew of at least one of the tankers reported seeing an object, perhaps like a rocket, heading towards the boat just before the explosion. This would tend to be more likely, considering the height above the water where the damage occurred.
- If the attack was designed to do serious damage, why would the explosives be set so far above the water line. I would have sent divers in, to place several mines well below the water line for maximal damage. A combination of explosives to open the hull and tanks, along with an incendiary device would cause a VERY impressive burn and sinking.
- There is film, of varying quality, of a small boat, identified as one of Iran’s navy, attempting to remove a mine from one of the tankers. First off…it would be foolish to send in a crew to do this, and secondly, what “terrorist” nation would be nuts enough to sign their work?
- The events and the timing of them are suspicious, as they allowed the Americans to ramp up the drumbeat of war.
Then, after this event, the Iranians shot down one of America’s surveillance drones. Not only does this show some military skills, and the possession of some good equipment, when the American’s protested, claiming that the drone was over international waters, the Iranians were able to provide geographic coordinates showing that the drone was well inside Iranian air space. The American military offered no evidence, but, simply the claim that it was not. Considering the trustworthiness of the current administration, it is a challenge to believe that the American spokespeople were telling the truth.
The results of this drone downing was that the OOO ordered a strike on Iran…a Perfect Excuse had dropped into their lap. However, just as the strike was ready to take off, the OOO rescinded his order. He claimed that he had asked, at the last minute, how many casualties would result from this bombing run. When he was told there was an estimate of 150 dead, he pulled the plug. The timing on this is suspicious, as it seems impossible that the military would not have presented this information up front..and not “forgotten” to mention it. Casualty estimates are one of the first things that the military does when planning a mission.
Well….all that having been said…what can we, as citizens do about this? While some are calling for armed revolution, or assassination, these are foolish options. Not only would a majority of citizens NOT support these actions, they would likely have very negative blow back. In the former case, it would give the administration fodder to feed their paranoid fantasies of the OOO being a dictator for life, who is being attacked by disloyal rebels. It is a lie, but, these days, that hardly seems to matter. In the latter case, it would turn the OOO into a martyr for the Cause, and give the Republicans ammunition to implement more draconian laws to control citizens, and remove Constitutional Rights.
I suggest that a far better action is to be politically active. Do what you can, when you can, for as long as you can. Work to turn the government Blue in the 2020 elections and get the dinosaurs who are destroying America’s ideals out of power. I am an old, white, guy but, I find what is going on today to be stomach turning and disgusting. I have some observations on the process and the attitudes we should cling to during this process which I post online in various places. I am going to finish now, by quoting this essay:
============================================
First off, understand that anyone that tells you that a communication from you as a Constituent, to your Representative is a waste of time, because the politicians only pay attention to the lobbyists that write them the big checks, is lying to you. They are likely fearful that if you DO contact your Representative, it will destroy their chances for some big score from the Government or, they have an agenda that is not one you would support.
Now…to help change your government and what it is doing, there are some simple things to do.
1) Use this tool – https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members or this one https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials to track down YOUR Representatives.
2) Email or call them to let them know your objection or support for the item of interest. When you do this, be SURE to follow these guidelines:
…..a) Be Clear about what you are talking about.
…..b) Do not write a lengthy, emotional rant. Be polite, and simply tell them whether you support or oppose the issue, and give them a single reason why you feel that way.
…..c) Repeat as necessary.
I was reminded the other day that many, if not all, Representatives have a Twitter handle and a FaceBook Profile. Search those tools also, and add your feedback there too.
CLING to the basic truth that “All that Evil needs to succeed is for good people to do nothing” and use that as motivation.
Your Elected officials pay attention when 10,000 emails show up. They pay attention when thousands of constituents call them up. Why? Well, it is fairly simple. They like their jobs! They know that the folks that are contacting them are the voters that care and are paying attention to what they are doing. They are also the people that can vote for someone else if they are sufficiently unhappy with the job the incumbent is doing.
Politicians might ignore a petition with 10,000 signatures, but, 10,000 emails, phone calls, or snail mail notes make a big impact and will get their attention. Feel free to distribute this. It is available for use under the Open Source License – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_license. The only limits are that it must stay intact (but can be extended) and I would appreciate a credit if used.
=============================================
We MUST Persist, and Resist, or The American Dream will be a distant memory. All that will be left are tiny shards of hope disintegrating on the ground.
God Help Us All
Bee Man Dave