Op-Ed
Perhaps the eeriest thing about Osama bin Laden’s death is how little it means.
Yeah, I know: “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” The raid on the devil’s compound outside Abbottabad, Pakistan this week apparently kick-started our patriotic fervor, which had been languishing over the course of a pretty bad decade of military quagmire and economic collapse. Killing Osama — turning him, as the New York Times put it, into “a tall, bearded man with a bloodied face and a bullet in his head” — brought back a rush of national purpose and glory.
“On Sept. 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together,” the president reminded us in announcing the success of the Navy SEALs operation. “We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country.”
Yeah, I know: “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” The raid on the devil’s compound outside Abbottabad, Pakistan this week apparently kick-started our patriotic fervor, which had been languishing over the course of a pretty bad decade of military quagmire and economic collapse. Killing Osama — turning him, as the New York Times put it, into “a tall, bearded man with a bloodied face and a bullet in his head” — brought back a rush of national purpose and glory.
“On Sept. 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together,” the president reminded us in announcing the success of the Navy SEALs operation. “We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country.”
So, the United States invaded Mexico, lied about it, killed, raped, pillaged, and stole half the country for the cause of expanding slavery in our growing continental empire. Then a devastated rump Mexico was invaded by the French who wanted their debts repaid, but the Mexicans won a big battle against the French on the Fifth of May, leading Americans to buy several tons of tacos and thousands of gallons of beer every Cinco de Mayo. Viva international solidarity in the land of Might-Makes-Right!
Secularists and Congressman Pete Stark have declared May 5th the Day of Reason, but how many people know that, how many television stations will stand for it, and how many Americans are even pretending to be reasonable?
Secularists and Congressman Pete Stark have declared May 5th the Day of Reason, but how many people know that, how many television stations will stand for it, and how many Americans are even pretending to be reasonable?
The Law resulting from SB 5 would:
Rescind the 1983 law which allowed collective bargaining by 360,000 public employees. A quote from the April 5th issue of the Columbus Dispatch, “The Kasich administration says local governments could save nearly $1.1 billion from health care and longevity pay provisions of SB 5, but a contract expert says that the methodology used to calculate the numbers for school workers is flawed.” It would be a burden on the backs of the teachers and other employees who are not overpaid. They earn 12% less than equally qualified employees in the private sector. Innovation Ohio estimates that 51,000 public employees will lose jobs due to SB 5. Many experience teachers will be replaced by those from Teach for America who are poorly trained and inexperienced.
The “saving” would be more than offset by higher costs at all levels of government:
1. Employees would pay less tax because they would earn less.
2. Some would lose their jobs and have to use their unemployment insurance.
Rescind the 1983 law which allowed collective bargaining by 360,000 public employees. A quote from the April 5th issue of the Columbus Dispatch, “The Kasich administration says local governments could save nearly $1.1 billion from health care and longevity pay provisions of SB 5, but a contract expert says that the methodology used to calculate the numbers for school workers is flawed.” It would be a burden on the backs of the teachers and other employees who are not overpaid. They earn 12% less than equally qualified employees in the private sector. Innovation Ohio estimates that 51,000 public employees will lose jobs due to SB 5. Many experience teachers will be replaced by those from Teach for America who are poorly trained and inexperienced.
The “saving” would be more than offset by higher costs at all levels of government:
1. Employees would pay less tax because they would earn less.
2. Some would lose their jobs and have to use their unemployment insurance.
Ben Masel, October 17, 1954 to April 30, 2011.
In arrest at the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago sent Ben Masel on a life course like no other. Ben joined the protestors who sued the City of Chicago and Mayor Dailey over their illegal detentions and police brutality. After several years fighting city hall, Ben collected $40,000 in damages. His career course was set.
Born in the Bronx, Ben Masel moved to Madison Wisconsin after he met a group of Madison activists at the May Day 1970 mass protest against the Vietnam War. Madison and the world will never be the same.
In arrest at the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago sent Ben Masel on a life course like no other. Ben joined the protestors who sued the City of Chicago and Mayor Dailey over their illegal detentions and police brutality. After several years fighting city hall, Ben collected $40,000 in damages. His career course was set.
Born in the Bronx, Ben Masel moved to Madison Wisconsin after he met a group of Madison activists at the May Day 1970 mass protest against the Vietnam War. Madison and the world will never be the same.
Ben Masel in his trademark shirt protests in front of the State Capital, Madison, WI.
"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.” -- MLK
“Justice has been done,” said President Obama.
“Justice has been done.”
“Justice has been done.”
Justice has been done!? Justice!? Justice?? For the last ten years, we’ve been engaged in an exercise of justice? That’s what you call what we’ve been doing?
Are we supposed to take out a large magnifying glass and a delicate pair of tweezers and from within a bottomless pool of blood, gore, death, suffering and devastated economies, isolate one raid that killed Osama bin Laden …and then celebrate that “Justice has been done?”
Sorry. Impossible.
Real justice and a real call for celebration would have been to treat the attacks of September 11, 2001 for what they were, a massive, international criminal act and then set about dealing with it as we would any massive international crime – using international police forces to identify suspects, apprehend them, charge them, try them and punish the guilty. And we could have secured more than justice.
“Justice has been done,” said President Obama.
“Justice has been done.”
“Justice has been done.”
Justice has been done!? Justice!? Justice?? For the last ten years, we’ve been engaged in an exercise of justice? That’s what you call what we’ve been doing?
Are we supposed to take out a large magnifying glass and a delicate pair of tweezers and from within a bottomless pool of blood, gore, death, suffering and devastated economies, isolate one raid that killed Osama bin Laden …and then celebrate that “Justice has been done?”
Sorry. Impossible.
Real justice and a real call for celebration would have been to treat the attacks of September 11, 2001 for what they were, a massive, international criminal act and then set about dealing with it as we would any massive international crime – using international police forces to identify suspects, apprehend them, charge them, try them and punish the guilty. And we could have secured more than justice.
The plane I was on landed in Washington, D.C., Sunday night, and the pilot came on the intercom to tell everyone to celebrate: our government had killed Osama bin Laden. This was better than winning the Super Bowl, he said.
Set aside for a moment the morality of cheering for the killing of a human being -- which despite the pilot's prompting nobody on the plane did. In purely Realpolitik terms, killing foreign leaders whom we've previously supported has been an ongoing disaster.
Our killing of Saddam Hussein has been followed by years of war and hundreds of thousands of pointless deaths. Our attempts to kill Muammar Gadaffi have killed his children and grandchildren and will end no war if they eventually succeed. Our attempts to kill Osama bin Laden, including wars justified by that mission, have involved nearly a decade of senseless slaughter in Afghanistan and the rest of the ongoing global "generational" war that is consuming our nation.
Set aside for a moment the morality of cheering for the killing of a human being -- which despite the pilot's prompting nobody on the plane did. In purely Realpolitik terms, killing foreign leaders whom we've previously supported has been an ongoing disaster.
Our killing of Saddam Hussein has been followed by years of war and hundreds of thousands of pointless deaths. Our attempts to kill Muammar Gadaffi have killed his children and grandchildren and will end no war if they eventually succeed. Our attempts to kill Osama bin Laden, including wars justified by that mission, have involved nearly a decade of senseless slaughter in Afghanistan and the rest of the ongoing global "generational" war that is consuming our nation.
Democracy. Who used to have it in the USA, and who has it now? People with white skin privilege? People who were born male? People with piles of money, much of it stolen from other people's labor?
I often hear European Americans from all walks of life talking about democracy in the USA - how they want to reclaim it, like in the good old days - and I wonder about how differently from one another we experience this country. This is not our land; not my land nor your land. When European Americans arrived over 500 years ago, we murdered with bullets and small pox blankets - that we intentionally gave to them - the Indigenous people who had lived in balance here for thousands of years. Then we enslaved people of African descent to build the country's wealth, and kept women - who did not even get the vote until 1920 - second class citizens and the property of men for even longer.
I often hear European Americans from all walks of life talking about democracy in the USA - how they want to reclaim it, like in the good old days - and I wonder about how differently from one another we experience this country. This is not our land; not my land nor your land. When European Americans arrived over 500 years ago, we murdered with bullets and small pox blankets - that we intentionally gave to them - the Indigenous people who had lived in balance here for thousands of years. Then we enslaved people of African descent to build the country's wealth, and kept women - who did not even get the vote until 1920 - second class citizens and the property of men for even longer.
How do you get politicians living off legalized bribery to criminalize bribery? How do you persuade the corporate media to report on the interests of flesh-and-blood, non-corporate people? How do you take over a political party when the only other one allowed to compete is worse? These are not koans, but actual problems with a single solution.
It might seem like there are a million solutions: pass state-level clean election laws, build independent media, build a new party, etc. But the fundamental answer is that when the deck is stacked against you, you insist on a new deck. Power, as Frederick Douglas told us, concedes nothing without a demand. We cannot legislate our way out of plutocracy. Instead, we the people must seize power.
It might seem like there are a million solutions: pass state-level clean election laws, build independent media, build a new party, etc. But the fundamental answer is that when the deck is stacked against you, you insist on a new deck. Power, as Frederick Douglas told us, concedes nothing without a demand. We cannot legislate our way out of plutocracy. Instead, we the people must seize power.
The White House has a handy website to mislead you about your tax dollars at Tax Receipt.
It claims that only 26.3% goes to "National Defense." This is similar to the claim in the 1040EZ US income tax form booklet (see pages 36-37). Here are those two pages in a PDF. There the claim is that the U.S. government only spends 22% of its money on "National defense, veterans, and foreign affairs." The form admits that you could leave out the "foreign affairs" part and still be at 21%.
The White House website claims to calculate both veterans' expenses and foreign affairs separately and still put "defense" alone at 26.3%.
However, take a look now at the pie chart created by the War Resisters League, which shows 51% of the budget going to the military.
21% and 26.3% and 51% aren't even close to each other. This is not "good enough for government work." This is our money. What gives?
It claims that only 26.3% goes to "National Defense." This is similar to the claim in the 1040EZ US income tax form booklet (see pages 36-37). Here are those two pages in a PDF. There the claim is that the U.S. government only spends 22% of its money on "National defense, veterans, and foreign affairs." The form admits that you could leave out the "foreign affairs" part and still be at 21%.
The White House website claims to calculate both veterans' expenses and foreign affairs separately and still put "defense" alone at 26.3%.
However, take a look now at the pie chart created by the War Resisters League, which shows 51% of the budget going to the military.
21% and 26.3% and 51% aren't even close to each other. This is not "good enough for government work." This is our money. What gives?
Editor's Note: Listen to a conversation with Cynthia McKinney on FIGHT BACK with Dr. Bob Fitrakis, at Talktainmentradio
President Obama promised "change" to the people who voted for him. He told them to hope again and that change would come. But President Obama's change is really more of the same. Therefore, his elixir that was sold to the world was nothing more than snake oil. The most damage, of course, is being done to those whose dreams were intricately woven into his words, not realizing that words are not policy. In a most deadly treachery, those who believed in our President the most are the ones who are now suffering and dying the most.
President Obama promised "change" to the people who voted for him. He told them to hope again and that change would come. But President Obama's change is really more of the same. Therefore, his elixir that was sold to the world was nothing more than snake oil. The most damage, of course, is being done to those whose dreams were intricately woven into his words, not realizing that words are not policy. In a most deadly treachery, those who believed in our President the most are the ones who are now suffering and dying the most.