America; Get a grip..... Revisited

Okay, I know that Americans pretty much thinks that they are all alone on the globe and that their knowledge of what goes one in the rest of the world is mostly very limited... But do they actually believe that most of Europe lives in communist dictated regimes, where we kill our old people, when they're too old to work with the masses? - I mean, if you think of it logically and are able to come down from the dizzying heights of mass hysteria, you all seem to be suffering from - Then you must be able to see the absurdity in that statement!

Have you guys any idea of exactly how ridiculous some of your so called reporters sound, when they perform their uninformed diatribes, night after night? How ignorant your "average" Americans sound/ looks when they take the microphone and compare a democratically elected president to Hitler, because he wants to make health, a commodity, regardless of income? - Is it only outside USA, we see "60 min" and "Frontline" ?- US documentaries on TV shows us, how thousands of people, sick people, stand in line for days and nights just to see a free doctor or dentist, when the modern day "traveling medicine shows" comes to town, as an act of pure charity by organizations like; "Remote Area Medical" I mean, it's not that it's a total secret how most of Americans live! - This is America 2009 and not Germany 1930's - to 40's where people with some truth could say; "We didn't know".....

Here's a link to a clip of "The Largest Free Clinic ever held in USA" set up in Texas over the weekend.... Thousands of average Americans, who cannot afford health insurance, jumped at the chance to get medical care for free!

We, the rest of the world just kinda stare in disbelief, when we see your "finest" politicians painting Europe as a " Red Commie nest" and us, the inhabitants as "zombies" with no will of our own...??!

The only way 'they' can get away with all this misinformation and lying is because, the average Joe/Jane knows absolutely nothing about anything other what channels like Fox's fuzzy version of totally biased "reports" cares to tell them - I'm amazed, that with the opportunities that this "information age" gives us, that half of you don't listen to your sound voice of reason and try and find some information your selves, try and think for yourselves and not just take everything these buffoons tells you, for granted, the absolute truth.

This here whole "Birther" thing makes you look beyond salvation..... In the 60's the US caught a lot of slack from anti Vietnam-war protesters, and over the years we've had a lot of fun with Bush and his "infinite wisdom"... But we all cheered and danced in the streets, when you guys finally saw some sense and elected Obama for President -

But, alas, then you come up with all this absurd and foolish "arguments" and "evidence" just in order to condemn a national Health reform, "Obama was not born in USA" etc etc....!?! In a few words it makes you look really bad, but I suppose you don't care, you are intent on following the Bush/Cheney road to hell, all by your lonesome, under the misguided thought, that the last "Super power" of the world knows best and needs no help whatsoever from anyone. Your country is falling apart and you're taking all of us down with you, but that doesn't seem to concern you much....

The whole idea of a Democracy is that people can have a difference of opinion, without being persecuted. To have a debate, where one can argue, in a sensible way, what one stands for, whether your opponent likes it or not. But what you're showing everyone, incl. the countries where you're fighting and loosing lives is; that Democracy, the American way, is a long flow of misinformation, overreacting and absurd comparisons as to forcibly enforce your ideas on the "other half"

Come on, America! grow up! Stop acting like a scolded teenager, hollering, screaming, banging doors, whining and dreaming up far out consequences, if you don't get it exactly your way!

Get a grip! Stand up, tell the Rep. to throw away that Karl Rove playbook already and show the rest of us "socialists" how democracy is done in the 2009 ; with honour and the dignity of giving good arguments instead of blatant misinformation and outright lies....

I've always had this infatuation with the US, - always had this dream of "Road Tripping" across your beautiful nation, but as time goes by, I see/ hear how you let yourselves be sooo manipulated, mostly because of your own comfortable ignorance (Well, half of you, how come the other sensible half is not really heard anywhere these days?) But it makes me kinda worried - if it's really true, what you say; that you're the only superpower left on the globe!

PS; The rest of the world is waiting for America to bring their house in order. But as long as the Rep. party can prolong the "debate" of the American Health Reform, they don't have to take a active stand on the all important Climate issue.... and chip in with the rest of the Globe.

This video below; was last year, but the statement still stands; And she's only 12 -

America get a grip!

"Outlawed" - Extraordinary Rendition

Obama has signed the documents, as to close down that shame-full place called 'Gitmo'/Guantanamo Bay - And we're all happy about this, but there's still some 20.000 prisoners out there, according to Lawyer Clive Stafford Smith. They're held in prison cells on American military bases all over the world - outside of the law, with no trial (Don't even mention fair in the same sentence)

The rich European countries have been adamantly against the 'Gitmo' set up, but it comes as no surprise, that now, when it's time, to put some action behind all the fine speeches, they held along the way, carrying the torch high, for human-rights and such noble ideologies.

         Our esteemed leaders of the free old world, is falling all over them selves, as not to take one single one of these broken souls. The fact, that all of the former detainees (who're freed, that is) are innocent, does not come into the account.. Our leaders and our newspapers are playing the fear card with success. The very few, who really are guilty, will not be let loose, hence all the headache and hand wringing on the US part -Where and how to prosecute them?

Just saw a interview with a young US soldier, who was 19 when he served at Guantanamo Bay. When asked about; If he'd ever seen torture, he said that the whole concept were torture in its self and that he'd encountered a lot of very dangerous persons there, most of whom were wearing uniform. He will, as will the victims,  suffer the rest of his life... He with feelings of guilt and the victims with the post traumatic stress syndromes + the repercussions of the torture inflicted upon them.. It's not the people serving there, who should be held accountable, but Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush and Gonzales who rewrote the boundaries of torture should stand and be counted.

Here's a documentary about two of the "Very Dangerous Terrorists" now back with their families - if not divorced after having been away without a word for 4-7 years and then come home as broken men - This are their story;

Can't 'Stand Up' for falling clown....

Okay now, afterall; it is saturday night - Reality is keeping on knocking and life is hard- But never that hard, that we forget our manners and don't pay credits, where credits are due!

So here's David Lettermans hilarious farewell to President George W. Bush.... To think, that this man held the most powerful job in the world, makes my head spin.... 

Tadah....: "Great moments in presidential speeches";

 

     

Enjoy! And know in your heart, that we'll never ever see the new guy on the block;

 deliver it, quite like this guy could!

A collective nightmare... Or; "Shine a light for all, there ain't here no mo' "

Hallelujah... The truce in Gaza lies in the air, and yet again the perfect timing! No need to hash that one about... There's only 2 days to go, before the US inauguration. Now only "Honour" & "Loss of face" is barring peace; Who gives in... first!

 On Tuesday Obama will become the 44. President of America and the door closes behind a man, who leaves a legacy of..... of.... of.... eh,.. misses and disasters... and..... eh, erphm...   - Well now, aside of going down in the books as the worst Pres. ever.  - We then saw; a increased power to the Vice President and the rise to world supremacy for all the members of the new club of "NeoCons", a word, a name, a threat to humankind as we know it, that we hadn't heard about 8 years ago! (That George W. were allowed to hold the reigns for that long, says a lot about the people of the United States and their views of not only themselves and their own piece of land, but also about the rest of the world!) In this 8 year period; US has severed ties to the outside world and build up a image as a warmongering, war profiting country with a buffoon at the helm - But the smoothness of Obama will help to alter that image and now we're just counting down to Tuesday 20/1 -2009 -

America's state of health is at rock bottom level! The inhabitants and their country is poorer, sicker and at places; Even beyond repair... This is environmentally as financially... So much more than in 2001.. There's war going on in two different places and these are wars with the help of allies;The vassal states called in, on a false pretext in Iraq... Lives lost and smashed beyond recognition for the combatants: All these young men and women, the future of the nation; crossed out - all on a lie, someone dreamed up, because he wanted a German car and believed by a state headed by a man, who was loosing ground, votes and power.. It's an ancient strategy; To divert attention from one's own weaknesses, you point at someone else...  Forgetting, that when you're pointing out, there's always at least, two fingers pointing at yourself.... 

Now the stage is set for a new man, seen as a saviour by most of the world.... And the roar of complaints will be thundering, when he falls through on our sky high expectations, and fail he will, the expectations are inhumanly high and not even a man with superpowers would be able to meet them.

  But I'm so sorry, because I have a sinking feeling that he will be a huge disappointment.... If you read through my old posts, you'll see, that I was rooting for him like  a woman possessed and where in high spirits and cried tears of joy, on the night he won!

     And then, I won't say a word about Hillary, the new Secretary of State who looks like something the cats dragged inside, in despair! I've never seen her, not even when her campaign was at the most exhausting, look so tired, so worn out and with such deep, dark lines under eyes as now... and the fun hasn't even begun yet! - Makes me wonder, if she's up for it - physically, I mean... Cos, she's also one of the most driven persons in American Politics, - besides Karl Rove and Dick Cheney ofcause....

 

                                                                              ~o~

                                  

   

In Gaza the last 23 days have been hell on earth and all the daily border harassment, the many months of blockade, the occasional grenade bombing somewheres strategic, and the hard life, lived on foreign aide, (because of the blockade, there a 80% unemployment rate in Gaza!) turned into nothing, when pure violence, death and mutilation became the order of the day ... Fear became 24/7 as there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide... The Israelis gave a 3 min warning before bombing your house! - How can you sleep? If you know that anytime, you'll get such a warning, and then you'll have to run for your life, carrying the old and the infants, leaving behind everything you own and have in this life...! So on top of the fear and the horrifying images in your head ( You, know; the photos you can't stand to look at, in the comfort of your home? This is real life for everyone living there, these images will stay in the minds of all the little children, teen-agers, young parents, the middle aged and the ancient...)  And to top this trauma, it will be the images of loved ones.....

 Gaza has within the 22 days been turned into a severely traumatised strip of land; 1,5 million inhabitants, where all survivors is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress syndrome, all at once and with only a handful of doctors able to handle this.... Oh, and then there's no food,medicine,fuel, electricity, water, no working sewage,(It's flowing in the streets = Cholera!) no schools, only a few hospitals, etc etc....)

 Today there will maybe be a truce, peace will maybe come to a place, which have been bombed back to the Stone age..... But at least there will be no more nightly bombing and those, who still have a bed, will be able to lie down and maybe with a bit of luck, shut of the nightmare outside... 

"These tears are shaken from the wrath-bearing tree.."

White Phosphorus (Incendiary bombs)allegedly used by the IDF

It's time for Israel to let in the international reporters and journalists, instead of keeping them within a 5 km (some places more) buffer zone.. If Israel have nothing to hide, let them in as to have a more balanced views of whats going on inside the war...

The brave Palestinian journalists have to live there with their families, and therefore are understandably fearful of Hamas and the repercussions of statements made against the ruling party.

The UN and the Int. Red Cross have reported horrific tales of 110 people hurdled together in a building and then shelled, wounded children left to die of dehydration and hunger.

IDF bombing hospitals and Aid workers etc etc... This harrowing list just grows longer and longer....

 "The Lancet"; A stout medical weekly, have a report from the West bank (Where no Hamas rockets are fired!!) where 5 unbiased doctors went and had a real surprise, when they witnessed the daily harassment the Palestinian population has to endure; I.e. 33 weeks old triplets waiting for 5 hours in the heat, at the border crossing, when having to go to the hospital outside the West bank and finally let in, without either parent! 

In the same edition of "The Lancet" there's a diary from a Aid worker in Gaza....here 

(I just found the other 13 entries from his ongoing diary here on BBC)

(This is another diary from the BBC correspondent in the area; Jeremy Bowen)

This war is just the culmination of the long Israeli blockade, where no water, electricity or gas has been severely rationed for the last 6 months. This war with all the modern armoury is kicking a civilian population who's already laying down.

My wondering about the timing is apparently not that far off; The offensive had to be before the inauguration of Barrack Obama Jan. 20 and before the Israeli election Feb.10.

The war will hopefully ( and properly) be over before Obama and his foreign secretary; Hillary Clinton is sworn in... And the little Obama has said, makes promises for a change in old policies and calls for a more active role in Middle East - than just supplying arms and "All Access Pass" to Goliath.

And now even the more conservative voices in the US, calls for a tough treatment of Israel. Even a Carte Blanche (Given by most of the former US Adms. and redesigned - taken to a whole new level by G.W. Bush) can be maxed out!....  (" In the last 25 years, there have been no serious discussion with the Israelis about the damage, that settlement activity - incl. land confiscation, bypass roads and housing demolitions - does to the peace-making process..." Aaron David Miller; Newsweek)

PS. If you don't suffer from a heart condition, and you still haven't had enough of horrific pictures from inside Gaza - Here's a video shot, just after a bomb has fallen on Dec. 27. I could only stand for 3-4 minutes before my tears blinded me... (See the title of this post... from the T.S.Eliot; "Gerontion")

Oh, Mama - Can this really (really?) be the end ?

Seems like I have been slightly obsessed of late... But when such an obvious injustice is going down, right on the southern beaches of the Mediterranean, then I just can't keep still or shut my mouth/keep away from the keyboard !

The breaking news right now, this instance is that The UN security council is calling for a lasting truce, and no veto is expected. Earlier this evening UN withdrew their humanitarian aid workers from the strip, as at least one UN worker were killed by IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) while they moved about in the city . Ambulances were targeted while attempting to rescue the wounded victims left behind by IDF - And this during the 3 hour midday truce called by the Israeli themselves!

Red Cross int. also calls for a in depth investigations of the action or rather lack thereof, by the IDF; carelessly abandoning the wounded and the dead in shelled out buildings.. leaving wounded children by their dead mothers unattended for days... Without food nor water....

                                                          

The Israeli domestic news media won't show Palestinian victims and the results of 14 days of heavy shelling .. In Israel focus has been solely on the few Israeli victims and the families of the fallen soldiers. There's hardly any opposition within the Jewish community and the demonizing of Hamas and the people of Gaza is in full swing. The people of Israel has been spared all these soulnumming photos of children, dead or barely alive..

I ask my self, what this kind of war does to people, on both sides of the conflict...? These youngsters carrying the latest deadly gadgets on their shoulders, manipulated by fear and lack of information, they're tunnel visioned into believing in the victory of the righteous...They must be! Otherwise it's simply not possible to lead teen-agers to war against women and babies.

There's 30 years of generations of Palestinian kids, growing up with fear and hate as prime emotions. Being held down and robbed of land/jobs/education/future/life/safety - They grow up with nothing left to loose And the militants have their heyday... The more moderate voices will be drowned in the earsplitting yells for revenge, thereby digging their own graves, aided by someone like the Bush Adm. who, with their biased and shortsighted views and double standards only have their own economic interest at heart, Peace will be a long time coming - if ever... 

Maybe Israels only wishes for Hamas to keep fighting, thereby give them an alibi to keep pushing the Palestinian people further out to sea.. In the end Israel will be rid of it's nagging "neighbour" and Jerusalem become undivided, Al-Aqsa can be torn down, so Salomon's temple can rise on Temple mountain again. The whole of Israel can be filled by settlements of orthodox Jews with oranges and the good, old Arabic olive trees.... - Na--! This is too far out.. Ain't' it?

It's truly a sad, sad war..

 The amount of huaman suffering is beyond any imagination.

  And there's absolutely no winners! 

Only a planet full of losers, some  a lot more sore than others....

"With such Knowledge.... What Forgiveness?"

                                 

                                            

This is the night of the Sabbath, the night of the January 3. 2009... The evening when Israel in its infinite wisdom decided to invade Gaza... This slender piece of land aka the worlds largest prison for the Men, women and children trying to forge a life there.. against all odds and against the will of militant and fundamentalist Jews on the other side of "The wall of Shame" build by the Israeli jailers... !

Right now, there's no electricity, no water and no medicine! The hospitals within the Gaza borders have only fuel enough for their generators to last them til Tuesday and with the invasion which will claim hundreds of lives and wound many thousands more; The doctors can only wring their hands in agony and watch unable to help even the most banal, as human suffering take all kinds of shape and form...

This is Goliath throwing everything he's got, and he's got a lot..!!; (Thanks to US Arms donations) Pounding down at civilians with nowhere to run and now with the Israeli forces at their doorsteps, Nowhere to hide..... The Israeli Forces (IDF) allegedly targeting Hamas rocket launching sites; But that would be empty fields and grassy spots, not Mosques, schools and hospitals that have in reality been hit and destroyed, killing numerous Innocent people in the process... And when the smoke clears, what will be left behind?

It's the timing, that makes me wonder; 

With only a few weeks to go, (10.Feb'09) before the Israeli government is up for election; PM; Livni, Chief of Defence; Mubarek and the IDF "suddenly" decides to invade, with the intend to clear Gaza, for all things Hamas? It's also only some 17 days before their protector and ally; George W. Bush aka "Ole Faithful" leaves office! And a new president's sworn in, Obama, who has a whole different approach to dialogue with the so called "The rogue states" and hopefully; He has lesser of a tunnel vision, when it comes to Israel and her aggressive policies?

 Does Israel see this as the 11.th hour? For "safely" invading? Without being told off by The White House; their most powerful ally?

 

The presidency of G.W. Bush is going down in history as an utter failure and as the most inefficient leader of the free world, the planet has yet witnessed!

   But this change of guards will be much too late for the countless loss of human lives and the great tragedies for the survivors of the wars he has created in Iraq and now in Gaza, as a vassal to Israel! Every step of the way with the aide of his warmongering advisers in the oval office.

                                                                                         

How can Israel and her inhabitants still believe, that their martyr status will exonerate them for all eternity, no matter what their deeds?

 It's time for a truce, but a real peace...!! Not one, that makes one part a total winner and the other; half a looser.. No!

 A lasting peace can only come if; 

         Israelis will start to see the Palestinian people as a nation with rights, and also historic rights like their own...! Not a second class tribe, one hardly endures and one try and make their lives as difficult as humanly possible, not demolish their houses and rob their lands! Every child has a right to education, so stop closing their schools!

 Give back, everything you took and then, and only then! Will you be able to sit down and start to negotiate a real and lasting peace between equals!

                                                                                -0-

"Israel is committing a shocking series of atrocities by using modern weaponry against a defenceless population - attacking a population that has been enduring a severe blockade for many months." (The U.N. Human Rights Council).