Many of you have seen the comments from Philip Butler on one or more of the mail lists. If so, you have probably wondered, "Just who is Philip Butler, and why does his opinion count?" Well, from the biographical information at Military.com
"Doctor Phillip Butler is a 1961 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a former light-attack carrier pilot. In 1965 he was shot down over North Vietnam where he spent eight years as a prisoner of war. He is a highly decorated combat veteran who was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legion of Merits, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Heart medals.
After his repatriation in 1973 he earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at San Diego and became a Navy Organizational Effectiveness consultant. He completed his Navy career in 1981 as a professor of management at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is now a peace and justice activist with Veterans for Peace."
Ok, he's a highly decorated combat veteran, with a distinguished post military career. So just what did he say about John McCain
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The Library will include:
The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction and looks like a disaster.
The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you can't remember anything you see or hear.
The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don't have to even show up.
The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don't let you in.
The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don't let you out.
The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room, which no one has been able to find.
The Iraq War Room, where after you complete your first tour, they make you go back for a second, third, fourth, and sometimes fifth tour.
The Dick Cheney Room, in an undisclosed location, complete with shooting gallery.
Plans also include:
The K-Street Project Gift Shop, where you can buy (or just steal) an election.
The Airport Men's Room, where you can meet some of your favorite Republican Senators.
Last, but not least, there will be an entire floor devoted to a 1/64 scale model of the President's ego.
To highlight the President's accomplishments, the museum will have an electron microscope to help you locate them.
There are no plans yet on where in the library to put the President's book.
Very interesting article coming up from the opinion of a reader who is concerning about the situation in the Caucus. It seems to me finally the American opinion is taking conscientious about GEOPOLITICS and comprehends what the old fashion of politics of the 20th century is gone!
And for the sake and PEACE in this small rock called PLANET a new alignment of POWER will be welcomed soon rather than later.
Article published today in USA TODAY page 12A. on August 19, 2008
Superpowers flex muscle, but at what cost?
Earl Beal - Terre Haute, Ind.
In the power politics of international relations, superpower behavior is governed by the concept of geopolitical spheres of influence. When a superpower nation meddles in the internal affairs of another and attempts to exert undue political or economic influence in its perceived sphere, that's when trouble starts.
The trouble started when President Bush pressured Poland and the Czech Republic to establish a missile-defense system in their territories. This policy was then, and continues to be, seen by some as a direct threat to Russia, not to mention Bush's push for democratic reforms in former Soviet Republics still considered vital to Russia's national security interests.
Also, if Russia placed ballistic missiles in Cuba and/or Venezuela, this would constitute a direct threat to the U.S. Washington's hue and cry over such a move would be surpassed only by Bush's hypocrisy when he and his Pentagon took the "dramatic," "brutal" and "disproportionate" measure of invading a sovereign Iraq in 2003. As a result, what do we have?
The hemorrhaging of our national treasure in terms of lives lost.
Thousands of courageous people wounded.
A cost of more than $10 billion a month to finance this fiasco.
5 million Iraqi refugees scattered and without homes.
Percy H Florez
When I discuss politics with some of my Republican friends, they call me "left-wing" or "liberal". And you know what? There is NOTHING wrong with either term. And when I speak to some of my Democratic friends, they call me a "right-winger" or a "neo-con" or something. And today, I just stopped to ask myself why different people see me and my views so differently.
Am I a Democrat? Without a doubt. A dyed-in-the-wool Texas Yellow Dog Democrat!! A moniker that I have worn with pride my entire life. I love my party and it is THE party that best represents my views, feelings and that gives me the best answers to the problems of a VERY middle-class American that spent most of the last two years out of work. Luckily, that changed in April, and unlike many around the country, my job is extremely secure....and THAT is the kind of relaxing security that I wish for every American.
Am I a liberal or a conservative? That depends on which issue you are talking about I guess. Personally as I see the issues that really concern me, they are CATO'S issues.....not liberal OR conservative. It does appear, though, that using other peoples values to judge my own opinions, many of them would fall on one side of that fence or the other.
And that is the point of this post from me. I believe that the Democratic Party has ALWAYS been the party of INCLUSION! The BIG TENT Party, if you will. We do have some very conservative members, in some parts of the country. And some very liberal ones in other areas. When we have been successful in American politics, it has always been when we allowed ourselves to listen, study and discuss ALL sides of an issue and all OPINIONS of those discussions. We would fight, amongst ourselves, about platforms and candidates and which way the country should go on each and every issue. THIS is what has made the Democratic Party the biggest, most honest, and best prepared to lead the country into the future, and the world by example.
When we have chosen otherwise, the examples that come to mind relate to 1968 and the Chigago convention. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley wanted to strong arm the convention. Everything blew up from there on the inside. On the outside were protesters from both sides of the Vietnam War argument, and chaos became the lasting memory of a party disassembling itself, into a pile of carnage that lasted until 1992, for the most part.
AND for the most part, President Bill Clinton brought us together like no one since John F. Kennedy. Bobby Kennedy would have, but it was his assassination that was actually the opening for what insued in Chicago.
Political opinions are not only based on left and right. They are also based on geography. Take illegal immigration for instance. In many state that do not border Mexico to the south, the argument ranges from human rights to making it sound like border state Democrats are racists or are completely against "immigration". So much of the times, when they are arguing, the word "illegal" never comes up. Hey, my great-great-great grandparents were immigrants.
Without immigration, I would be neither an American or a Texan.....and just so you know....that would really suck!! But when you live like I do in Texas, you have to deal with the large amount of tax money we have to spend on, not just health care for the illegals, but having to place a specific percentage of "biligual" teachers in our schools so that we can accomidate people who really shouldn't be here at all. (OK, that is our take anyway).
On the other hand, I am a lifelong Southern Baptist who has a big brother and a son that are both Southern Baptist ministers. And although none of us actually favors abortion as a birth control method, we all agree that it is nothing that the government should get involved with. As a matter of fact, we believe that CHURCH, as well as home, is the PERFECT place to actually DISCUSS how to avoid abortions......not the State House or Washington. A woman's body is HER property. And no one has the right to tell her what she can or can't do with it. Not here where they want to REQUIRE abortions be stopped...or say China where they REQUIRE abortions in many instances to control population growth.
My point is that MOST of the really important issues facing America are nearly always the ones you can't label liberal or conservatives. They are simply....AMERICAN ISSUES! They are issues that require fairness...compassion...consideration for the least of us as well as the richest of us. And most of all those that require us as a nation, to realize that our government is supposed to be run BY THE PEOPLE! Not the corporations! Not the rich! Not the religious! Not the non-religious! But by the AMERICAN PEOPLE! And we need our representation in Washington D.C.......from ALL walks of life and all political persuations.....to start REPRESENTING and stop just proving to us just how STUPID they can really be! Listen to the people that put you there, or get the hell out of the way, and let REAL people take over and follow the lead of Our Founding Fathers.
The party of Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy deserves nothing less than the best, truest, and most honorable representatives to walk the hallowed halls of the Capitol and The White House, for the purpose of doing the country's business. Not the business of special interests or even the party.
"Nothing can stop the man with right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." Thomas Jefferson
Faint media attention has been paid to the invalid wife John McCain cheated on repeatedly, then dumped for the twenty-year younger playgirl daughter of a millionaire.
I did discuss the first Mrs. McCain in an earlier post. Thoughts on values, forgiveness, trust, & why I can't vote for John McCain
Well, as Paul Harvey would say, here’s the rest of the story.
Read More »While the American media is bluffing about the “Invasion of Georgia” the Bush administration just receive a lap in his face as a consequence of his erroneous and horrendous mishandling of the situation in the Middle East; special remarks on his attitudes an action in the illegal war in Iraq.
Percy H Florez
Read More »In an address to the Texas Association of Broadcasters, Rick Norriega again addressed the issue of what he characterizes as Cornyn’s “blank check” and “rubber stamp” endorsement of Bush policies.
James Shannon, writing for The Examiner Online provided details on a bill of particulars from the Noriega campaign which illustrate a few of Noriega's profound differences with Cornyn:
Read More »In Lubbock Wednesday, Rick Noriega, campaigning to become the next U.S. Senator from Texas discussed his comprehensive plan for immigration reform.
Noriega if elected, will become the first Latino ever elected to the United Staes Senate from Texas. Texas population is almost 40% Hispanic by current U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
If, like me, you feel this is an important race, and want to provide the support Rick needs to take back this seat for Texas, contribute now to his campaign.
Eric Finley of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported on Ricks plan.
Read More »I have regularly posted positive articles on Rick Noriega, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. Rick, who would be the first Hispanic ever elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas, is indeed a dynamic, intelligent, experienced man.
Today I thought it might be informative to take a look at who Rick is running to defeat.
If, like me, you feel this is an important race, and want to provide the support Rick needs to take back this seat for Texas, contribute now to his campaign.
Read More »Yesterday Rick Noriega, U.S. Senatorial candidate from Texas, issued a call for the Iraqi government to pay the costs of our military support of their government out of the $80 billion oil profits they generate each year. As a combat veteran of the Asian conflict, Rick has long demonstrated an in depth knowledge of the region, and our involvement.
I have included Rick's message below. If you are ready to replace John Cornyn and his 97% support of GW, I also invite you to join North Texans for Rick Noriega, and help us elect this exciting young man, who will be the first Hispanic U.S. Senator ever elected by Texas.
Read More »John McCain has begun regularly expounding on his merits as a proponent of limited government, and castigating Barack Obama as a “tax raising liberal” John has boldly stated that his economic plans will totally eliminate the nations deficit by the end of his second term.
This echoes almost word for word the promises George W Bush made eight years ago when he was running for his first term. This make some sense, because the primary economic thrust of McCain’s campaign appears to be continuing the tax structure set in place by George Bush and making them permanent. Observers can find very little difference between John’s plans and those of the incumbent.
Did it work? Just how well does “trickle down” economics work in the real world. We now have twenty years of accumulative experience to review.
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