The USA is in an obvious rut. It needs to reassess it's ability to be an instrument of peace, because, it seems there is little change in any dialogue engaged by the USA for at least a half a century.That assessment needs to include domestic progress as well.
It is convenient to have the status quo be arranged in such a way there is no need to think before engaging in policy. The USA feels threatened or has a president willing to be an instrument of military aggression, other nations fall. It is that which plagues the USA in it's relations internationally.
I have been a horsewomen in the past. I was good at it. But, I never rode a "Push button horse." The type of horse that doesn't need a rider to work through a class at a horse show, but, is well tuned to the course, it's patterns and outcome. A push button horse literally takes a mediocre rider and helps win that "Medal McClay" (click here) when it wasn't possible before. A horse worth the $25,000 that Daddy paid for it as a holiday gift, while the old favorite mount is retired for posterity.
That is what the USA has become, a push button government, set in it's ways and predictable in it's response. The USA gets all the attention of the world because of a mistake that made it "the last superpower." Well, hell's bells, why does the world's only superpower have any use for their own weapons of mass destruction? There are few that can even work up a good challenge.
Of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council the only countries that can mount a decent attack against "THE WORLD'S ONLY SUPERPOWER" are Russia and China. Even China and Russia are not truly interested in confrontation, but, would enter the fray if challenged.
I was astounded by Russia's abandonment of Syria. I never thought it would ever happen. That speaks louder to Syria's present circumstances more than any other factor.
But, for the other countries that are equipping themselves with nukes, such as Pakistan, I mean you've got to be joking. Pakistan is all of about 310,000 square miles, about the size of California. Where does any leader in Pakistan get the idea they could survive any nuclear assault by anyone? It makes no sense. It makes no sense for Iran or any other smaller country. Nukes would annihilate large swaths of people and destroy cities and infrastructure. In a sincere assault by nuclear exchanges between any of these countries and others, they would destroyed. Why do it? Some idea that nukes can save your country and people? That is a fallacy.
The entire world of nations need to speak to the idiocy of these weapons and their effect in every country that pretends to be defended by them. The only survivors after a multi-nation nuclear confrontation would be the larger countries. There would still be some habitable land. Some land may even produce crops. There might be uncontaminated water resources even. But, in reality, nuclear weapons are simply the human race carrying out self-annihilation.
But, USA domestic policies have leveraged Wall Street success over that of the Middle Class. There is absolutely no reason to believe the next two years will return the Middle Class so much as the negative economic feed back loop of the pre-2008 economy. The Republicans no nothing else and care about nothing else. Wall Street pays for their elections and in turn they isolate any opportunity for sincere small businesses in a local economy. The Republicans definition for small business is the office staff of Bechtel Industries which is less than 50 in it's headquarters. Those are not the small businesses I discuss here.
The sincerely small businesses that have grown in the past six years should sustain for two years with President Obama in the White House. But, I remind of the collapse of the Clinton economy when Bush took office in 2000. There were many of these small businesses that ended their success when a Republican was in the White House.
I encourage local economies to feed their economy and resist giving in to larger corporations that will ultimately remove a more vibrant and diverse economy that thrives before and after a recession of any kind. The sincere small businesses are more resilient to any recession and are the first to regain momentum. They are the glue that holds a local economy together. They are the cultural flavor that encourages and strengthens tourism. Every local economy needs to assess itself today and realize the strength it now enjoys and the resiliency to maintain jobs and good pay.
I am more than frustrated with the militarization of the police. The entire culture in that method was fostered because of the idea that foreign terrorists would take over and strike to an unwitting population. Let's think about that a minute.Okay, time's up.
Al Qaeda never saw the profit in crashing jets into Iowa's pig farms. I wonder why that is?
There is a message in the words, "The World Trade Towers and US Pentagon." The jet that crashed in Pennsylvania was intended for the US Capital where most of the elected members were in session. Remember their appearance on the Capital steps shortly after the attacks?
I don't mean to make light of the world today, but, there has to be some balance to what is political rhetoric and what is sincere danger.
The USA doesn't need militarized police. They need to stop killing innocent and unarmed people. We have problems today after September 11th we never had before; it is time to put it into context and move on.
The next two years is going to be a rough ride for many, but, it will be the most hideous Congress this country has ever witnessed. I thought I heard some creaking on election day this year. When I traced the source it was our forefathers turning over in their graves.
