Hannah's Blog

Dear National Journal Pundits, Schneider and Brownstein

Democrat in Durham, NH — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:15:21 EDT

Dear Sirs:

One of the true peculiarities of the American electoral process is the persistent insistence by pollsters and pundits, such as yourselves, on the power and importance of the candidates for public office, rather than the electorate who actually decide. Since almost every pre-primary prediction from the mouths of the experts turned out to be wrong in 2008, one would think you'd consider changing your tune.

"Maverick" = rude dude?

Democrat in Durham, NH — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:10:18 EDT

Personally, I don't think John McCain is going to last as the Republican nominee for President past Labor Day, when the Republican National Convention convenes. However, while the epistolary exchanges between Senators McCain and Obama really speak for themselves, the McCain missive is in a class by itself. And, although we might be tempted to dismiss this rudeness, I think it important to note it was committed by a member of the United States Senate and at public expense.

From the perspective of the voters.

Democrat in Durham, NH — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:40:02 EDT

Like a broken record, let me say again that elections are about the voters. Candidates proposed and the voters chose. If there were more voters making choices this time around than in other elections, it's probably because it was recognized, at least by the alternative media, that the voters' actions are important. It's not reasonable to expect busy people to participate in something that's presumed to be outside their control--to behave like cheer-leaders instead of the main actors that they are.

Useless LTE tool

Democrat in Durham, NH — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:47:12 EDT

After having written at least 200 letters (just on this computer) to newspapers using the DNC letter-writing tool, I find that the tool has been rendered useless by making only one or two local papers clickable. Indeed, the one that works is a local paper for a minor city in another state.

Since this problem has been on-going for almost a month and several communications haven't got it fixed, I'm tempted to conclude that access to the national press has been intentionally removed.

On the other hand, I notice that recent letters that did get sent are only indexed by day, rather than date, so perhaps the program has gotten hacked and/or corrupted.

Good Soldier McCain

Democrat in Durham, NH — Thu, 22 May 2008 05:39:19 EDT

John McCain is a "good soldier." He does what he's told. The question now, especially since he's doing so poorly in the polls, is who's telling him what to do.

September Surprise

Democrat in Durham, NH — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:55:45 EDT

While I'm not keen on Democrats giving Republican'ts free publicity, there's a question that needs consideration, IMHO.

Democratic Farce

Democrat in Durham, NH — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:46:02 EDT

Democracy in Iraq is a farce. How do we know this? Because we've been busy trying to set up a military dictatorship. For what purpose? Why, to protect the American military bases that the locals don't want there.

Traditional McCain

Democrat in Durham, NH — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:28:52 EDT

Until the arrival of such concepts as civil rights, consumer rights and human rights after the Second World War, it was pretty much expected that the main function of public officials was to supervise the transfer of
public resources and assets into private hands and to enrich their constituents and supporters. Indeed, the notion that public officials are charged with promoting civil rights and the general welfare came as quite a shock and the adherents of the Republican party are still attached to the former practice.

So, John McCain's efforts to smooth a deal that will enrich his friends shouldn't be considered unusual. Nevertheless, his efforts are an example of what we now consider corruption. In part, that's because, as our public resources and assets have become debased and depleted, our concept of ethics has evolved to expect that public officials carry out the duties of good stewards and not as dispensers of favors to their riends.

It's not right to dole out the nation's natural inheritance in exchange for a mess of porridge.

Veteran Suicides

Democrat in Durham, NH — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:38:58 EDT

More veterans kill themselves than are being killed in combat. The numbers seem fairly accurate. However, the cause of the suicides by veterans is being mis-identified. The veterans aren't killing themselves because the VA is not providing adequate after-care. The veterans are killing themselves because while they were in military service they were ordered to do things which violate their sense of moral behavior and left them with memories with which they can't live.

What's being recommended is that if we can just brain-wash them after the fact, everything will be OK. What needs to happen is that the full trauma be revealed and that the circumstances that produce it be stopped.

McCain Wants Families in Charge of Health Care

Democrat in Durham, NH — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:46:24 EDT

There are several reasons why this position is consistent with the authoritarian Republican ideology. If the pater familias is going to be in control, he's definitely got to have a say in which family member gets to be healthy and which one gets to die. It's sort of a microcosm of the paternalistic state. Both punishments and rewards have to be close at hand and nothing is going to be closer than the threat to life itself that's posed by microbes.

John McCain is opposed to equity

Democrat in Durham, NH — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:44:28 EDT

Well, that's a surprise! Equality is the enemy of the elite, so, of course, his leadership can't stomach laws that short-circuit abusive employment practices.

Besides, John McCain is a warrior. His ideal is to settle conflicts on the battlefield, perferably by bombing the enemy from three thousand feet. The man who sing out "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" isn't likely to have much use for the courts--to settle disputes in a civilized manner--when there's physical combat to be had.

Et Tu, Gates?

Democrat in Durham, NH — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:00:28 EDT

There's a reason why witnesses called to testify in a court of law are required to pledge to

Tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Things left out or embellishments stuck in pervert the truth and turn it into a lie. We recently saw that happen with Hillary Clinton's sniper fire in Tuzla and it's also been apparent in the stories told by the twenty-two dirty pensioners--perjurers in the court of public opinion--who spread half-truths and snippets of mis-information about the invasion/occupation of Iraq to deceive the American people and enrich themselves.

And yesterday Secretary Robert Gates joined them. Or maybe he just decided to do his own dirty work. Because the dirty pensioners were a Department of Defense operation.

Perjury in the Court of Public Opinion

Democrat in Durham, NH — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:21:19 EDT

This past Sunday, the venerable New York Times published a lengthy screed in which it was revealed that some twenty-two high ranking retired military men and one still on active duty in the Pentagon had been suborned to give false evidence, about the conduct and progress of the aggression against Iraq, to the electronic and print media.

RNC--Blaming Obama

Democrat in Durham, NH — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:46:44 EDT

Saturday, Apr. 19 2008

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The following is an Op-Ed piece by Lawrence Kudlow for Real Clear Politics and is being distributed by the Republican National Committee:

[D]uring the debate, Obama bungled his answers on tax policy, big time. Period. End of sentence. End of story. To my liberal friends in the media, all I can say is: Get over it. Your guy has a very poor grasp of basic economic principles.

First off, you don't raise taxes during a recession. That's a no-brainer. Second, doubling the capital-gains tax rate will affect Americans up and down the income ladder, not just rich hedge-fund managers. In addition, capital-gains tax cuts are self-financing, and they stimulate jobs and the economy. You want to raise budget revenues and spark economic growth? Cut the cap-gains tax rate. That's what history shows. ...

Republicans Love Stealth

Democrat in Durham, NH — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:24:45 EDT

That's probably why the Air Force, the entity most favored by our flyboy Presidents and president-wanna-be McCain, has committed itself to a fleet of stealth fighters and bombers, despite the fact that they're hard to land and don't do well when there's salt in the air. But, that's not my topic today. Rather, alerted by Laura Clawson to the fact that Huckabee had set up a new PAC in support of Republican long-shots, I was prompted to take a look at what else the fellow, who supposedly gave up on his quest for the Republican presidential nomination in early March, has been up to.

Getting It On in NH--Impeachment, that is!

Democrat in Durham, NH — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:42:45 EDT

SOURCE: on the ground in Concord, Nancy White reports

Thank YOU all for coming to this amazing event.....YOU were a witness to history tonight.....and we thank you for being there, for assisting, for talking, for showing up! There are abundant reasons that NH citizens find to speak their minds.....and we will remember this enough to say to our grandchildren, 'In those times....I was there-I saw what this grandmother began in the state of NH!' *

** *The news conference, reception for NH Representatives with our notable guest speakers, and our Impeachment Rally....NH style.....was an amazing success!*

*With about 400 people strong to a packed standing room crowd, the people of NH turned out on April 14 with 'Impeachment' on their minds!*

Stupid is as stupid does--it's not McCain

Democrat in Durham, NH — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:23:08 EDT

Maybe I just got up on the wrong side of the bed, but the way this issue is being framed is really getting tedious.
Why do Democrats insist on looking for Republicans to make gaffes and willfully misunderstanding what they say.
If people had paid attention at the very start of this fiasco, they would know that moving our military bases from Western Europe to the Middle East was part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process that was restarted under Clinton and clearly outlined by Rumsfeld to the Congress.
Among other reasons for doing this was the fact that, in addition to not being needed in Western Europe because of the Soviet Union's demise, it would be cheaper to maintain the missile and radar and satellite downlink installations in the desert because the troops would not be bringing their families and we would avoid the effects of the decreasing value of the dollar relative to the Euro. Also, putting the troops on short rotations (as short as four months, which is what the Air Force is doing right now) would keep them in practice for rapid deployment when needed.
The only fly in the ointment has been the fact that the people of Iraq didn't/don't want American Air Force bases in their land and keep attacking them with missiles and mortars and harassing our supply lines (mainly for fuel) with IEDs. In other words, the bases are not "secure." Since US bases all over the globe are there by invitation, there's an expectation that the host country will provide security and that's where Iraq under al Maliki has fallen down. Also, they've failed, so far, to draw up the leases (typically referred to as Status of Forces Agreements) in which the mutual obligations of guests and hosts are typically spelled out.
McCain is telling the truth. The fact is that the Pentagon has long wanted bases on the mainland of Asia. South Korea will probably not be hospitable much longer. Japan refuses to grant access for our nuclear weapons. Diego Garcia, where our planes are refueled, will soon revert to the original inhabitants and the U.S. base will have to be closed. Guam is too far away. Vietnam still doesn't want us and neither do the other nations of southeast Asia. Which is why the Central Command is now situated in "Southwest Asia and North Africa."

And, no, I am not going to provide links. A few hours of Googling the relevant terms will show that McCain is talking straight. It may be a harebrained scheme, but it's what the Pentagon has been working on and what the Congress has been paying for.

BTW, Admiral Mullen says they're ready to go, if the <a href="http://hannah.smith-family.com/?p=2278#more-2278">new president tells them to</a>.

McCain is Vietnam's Revenge on US

Democrat in Durham, NH — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:11:18 EDT

Personally, I don't think McCain is going to last as the Republican candidate until November. Not only is he clueless, but he's got a gigantic Native American problem which is made current by the fact that western lands are being targeted for mining not just coal but uranium.

The Navajos have a good case against him for legislating the removal of the Dineh-Navajo from their homes on the Black Mesa, as detailed here.

Killing Good People

Democrat in Durham, NH — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:14:05 EDT

Did I mention that I've realized that the U.S. is not killing innocent people in Iraq?

"innocent" is a misleading term. In our judicial system, "innocent" isn't considered a factual condition; it's a hypothetical that serves as a starting point for a contest or trial. You could say, "let's pretend you're innocent and start to prove otherwise from there." See?

Out of Iraq--Mullen's Got a Plan

Democrat in Durham, NH — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:11:42 EDT

Mullen says troops ready for change The Joint Chiefs chairman says U.S. forces have a plan to leave Iraq quickly. By ROBERT WELLER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLORADO SPRINGS - Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told reporters Monday that the military has plans in case the nation elects a president who wants a fast withdrawal from Iraq.

‘‘We have plans. We plan all the time. We plan based on certain conditions, whatever they might be. That’s about all I would say about any kinds of plans we have for the future,’’ Mullen said.

Mullen met earlier with several hundred members of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Northern Command and reminded them civilians are in control.

‘‘We should remember we are the ultimate apolitical organization,’’ he said. ‘‘There clearly will be change coming down the road.’’