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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The links below are to a couple of columnists who I routinely read whenever I see their name. I believe these pieces are particularly worth passing onto readers as they regard our situation in Iraq and what we may soon be facing with the Bush mentality in governmental power.

Paranoid Withdrawal Fantasy by Camile Paglia in Salon.

The Real Blackwater Scandal by John Cusack followed by Part II of his interview with Naomi Klein, author of "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" both on Huffington Report.

Bomb Bomb Iran by Maureen Dowd in the New York Times.

Whatever writers you choose to read, whatever mix of newspapers and television, please do be informed. The biggest asset to those who would like to have a dictatorship, who want to cheat others, who succeed through manipulation and lies is ignorance in the population.

When we read something, we should always check it out for how it compares to other truths and I think it's good to read several viewpoints on anything. There is someone out there who will tell us anything we want to hear-- if all we want is comfort for our preconceived opinions.

Last night nightmares awakened me twice out of sound sleeps. That is not the norm for me. Each of them was about predators-- human and otherwise. It's not fun to be informed today. The world has been full of brutal events and scary talk; but if we don't stay informed, we will be like the ostrich with its head in the ground-- leaving a lot of us (not to mention the most vulnerable part) exposed. The ostrich metaphor is about putting our thinking into the dark out of fear. It's obvious it does not protect the ostrich-- nor will it protect us.

4 comments:

Ingineer66 said...

I thought the withdrawal piece was well written and explained by Camile Paglia. I don’t agree with many things she writes, but this one was pretty good.

John Cusack the actor writes political articles and interviews people. I really like his acting, but the jury is still out on his opinions. I think one of the main reasons that so much of the war is being contracted to private companies is because that way US soldiers are not performing those tasks. That would mean more soldiers dying and more soldiers making mistakes and causing scandals. Which would mean more bad press for the Administration and the war. It is just another mistake in the long line of mistakes that have been made in Iraq.

And what do you know, I actually agree with Maureen Dowd. Better mark it on the calendar because she calls it like it is on this one. Hillary would bomb Iran just as fast or faster than any of the other candidates. And she probably would get a pass from most of the media for it.

Anonymous said...

The most difficult part of believing is knowing who and what to believe. There are so many experts waving their own banners, and no matter who you have respected and looked to for "truth" before, it may change by tomorrow.

I will admit that I am so horribly prejudiced against Bush the man, that I cannot be objective on any statements or decisions coming from Bush the President. He is not to be trusted or respected, and those that do are blind fools. Sorry, that is a bit harsh, but that is the way I feel.

Anonymous said...

What is truth? That is the paramount question here !!

Rain Trueax said...

Yes, figuring out what is truth is indeed the problem when there are so many 'facts' out there, but you can find dates or events and check to be sure they really happened. You can take a statement like Bush and the right wing have been making lately about the consequences of leaving Vietnam and check it against the facts as Paglia did. You can consider how you personally feel about a mercenary army of that size in your midst or maybe several of them before this thing is turned around if it ever is. And I agree, Winston, I am past giving Bush the benefit of the doubt, but I do like the double check whether what it is said he did, he really did. He couldn't do anything to convince me he was a good man but then he doesn't care that I feel that way. He only needs his 30% and he has them.