The Policy Critic

Friday, January 27, 2012

Another dictator comes home to the US

Here we go again. The long time US supported dictator of Yemen will be coming to the US to set up residence. You may or may not recall a similar incident triggered the Iranian hostage situation back in 1979. The brutal dictator, the Shah of Iran, was installed after the democratically elected President was overthrown by the CIA. He murdered anyone who challenged him or who opposed him with his secret police Savak, which was funded and trained by the CIA. When the Iranians after 20 years, overthrew the dictator, the first thing he did was to come to the US where we protected our former puppet murderer. The Iranians, outraged at the US for maintaining a dictatorship in their country and then offering the murderer sanctuary, seized the US embassy and took the hostages. So history now repeats itself.

Initially the US announced that Saleh would come for medical treatment, but was publicly embarrassed when Saleh announced he did not need any medical treatment as there was nothing wrong with him. Our puppet dictator in Yemen, who has murdered hundreds of innocents who protested his dictatorship, will now be given protection in the god ole USA.
Because he has been a loyal puppet dictator, the US helped broker a deal giving Saleh immunity, in exchange for his surrendering power, which the US did not do with Gaddafi in Libya. Perhaps this is what Ron Paul referred to in his infamous debate exchange with Rudy Giuliani, when Paul stated our policy had done many things to anger folks around the world.

This will all happen without the knowledge of most US citizens so there will be little uproar here, but we would be naive to think this is not being noticed by the citizens of Yemen and that actions such as this are in part responsible for “Blowback”. Maybe we should all pay more attention to the actions of our government.

Monday, January 09, 2012

What do Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Occupy Wall Street, and Buddy Roemer, have in common?

What do Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Occupy Wall Street, and Buddy Roemer, have in common?
Who is Buddy Roemer? He is an unknown candidate for President, whose voice and ideas you are not allowed to hear. All of the above represent refreshing, new, and very different ideas about the problems of the US political system, with their ideas representing a threat to the status quo in the country. Most people agree that there are serious problems within the country such as bankers and wall street controlling the nations economy, the military industrial complex being fed for endless wars, the unemployment picture and the lack of meaningful jobs being created, the tremendous gap between the rich and the rest of the nation, the power of money in campaigns, the corruption of Congress by the powerful lobbyists and special interest groups that have a strangle hold on the US congress, the lack of anyone to represent the average citizens in government, and the lack of any serious health care reform because it is blocked by the health care industry and the big pharmaceutical corporations. While most citizens agree the above list is valid and important, neither major political party is willing to offer any hope of real change to the fabric of US political and economic system because both parties have a vested and sometimes financial interest in keeping things just as they are. President Obama offered the hope that someone really cared and would bring significant change to the nation, but has reneged on every promise he made, and turned his back on the people who put their hope and trust in him. He has been swallowed up by the corporations, bankers, military, and now represents the same old status quo, yet he will probably win in the next election because he will emerge as the “lesser of the evils” when the public goes to the ballot box.

Most Americans do not realize that we have a controlled system and that there are candidates who represent true change, but the system intentionally prevents you from hearing such voices because they represent a threat to the existing fabric of “the system”. Mainstream media is an integral part of “the system” and is complicit in maintaining the status quo. For years now the media has failed in its role as the educator of the US public with the greatest example being their cheerleading for the invasion of Iraq. Rather than question the lies and inaccurate statements from political leaders and special interests that were fomenting war, the media became cheerleaders for the war and never questioned any of the ridiculous assertions being made by the administrations. The press caved and became part of the system, and even now refuses to challenge, question, or even point out the ridiculous statements currently being made about Iran. We are once again being led down the same path by the same people who pushed for war with Iraq, and once again the press merely acts as a cheerleader and a mouthpiece for the pro-war camp.

Suddenly however there are threats on the horizon, and the “system” has moved to silence those who might disrupt the status quo. Ron Paul is the best current example of the attempt by the corporate media to silence a voice that challenges the existing fabric of the system. A recently held Republican debate was televised nationally and lasted for one and one half hours. Media representatives threw meaningless softball questions to the contenders while Ron Paul stood motionless and voiceless for practically the entire debate. Mr. Paul was given one question and about 38 seconds of air time in a national debate. His ideas are controversial and represent tremendous change to the status quo, and whether you agree or disagree with his ideas, you should have the right to hear them and judge for yourself, but corporate media has denied you that right. Why? Because Ron Paul’s ideas are a threat to the fabric of present society, so his voice will not be heard. Despite media, he seemed to be getting his message out; probably because voters are so tired of the “system” they went out of their way to seek new ideas. Mr. Paul scored well in many of the polls, but because his ideas were gaining popularity the “system"” had to reign him in, hence the surfacing of 25 years old writings that he may or may not have been responsible for. This was a deliberate attempt marginalize the candidate and his ideas that threaten the fabric of the system.

Corporate media does not discriminate on the basis of politics, but will silence and marginalize anyone who represents a threat to the existing system. While Paul is a conservative libertarian, Denis Kucinich is a progressive democrat whose voice was also silenced. In the last presidential election Mr. Kucinich found himself in a national debate being completely ignored by the corporate shills. He finally was asked one meaningless question and made a big hit by verbally wondering if he would ever be asked question. Readers familiar with Mr. Kucinich know full well he represents a threat to the fabric of our system. He vehemently opposed the Iraq war before we attacked, he was a constant critic of the deceit used against the public to justify the war, and consistently voted not to fund the war; he also attacked the military industrial complex, the health care system or lack thereof, and most everything that can be found in the status quo. He was such a threat to the system, it attempted to gerrymander him into oblivion by taking away his district and denying him a voice. You are repeatedly told that both are “extremists”, out of the mainstream, and have no chance of winning. You may not agree with Congressman Kucinich or Ron Paul, but don’t you have the right to hear their views and judge for yourself?

Another current invisible candidate is Buddy Roemer, a former governor and member of congress, whose ideas are such a departure from the status quo you will not be allowed to hear them. He has, among other things, taken on the power of Goldman Sachs and the financial institutions that rule, so you will not be allowed to hear his views. For those interested in hearing new ideas, Mr. Roemer is running for President, and has a website. Take the time to listen to him and see just how refreshingly dangerous his ideas are. Once again you may or may not agree with him, but don’t you have the right to hear him?
Finally, the Occupy Wall Street group emerged as challengers to the “the system” and they have been physically attacked, brutalized, ridiculed, and marginalized by corporate media, for they too are a serious threat to the very fabric of “the system”. So you have not, and will not be told what they really represent, but will get the smear version of who they are and what they want. You may or may not be agree with the Occupy groups, but do you not have a right to hear a complete an accurate representation of their views?

All of the above hold ideas that threaten the political system, which most of us agree is in dire need of change, but the voices of change will not be heard, because corporate media is an integral part of “the system”, which is not fond of challengers and ideas that might dislodge them.

The success of democracy is based on an informed public, for how can the public make intelligent decisions without information? Your right to vote is limited to which candidates have been “approved. Someone once said: “Only the educated are free.” We are not free; we are a long way from free!