The War At Home

If you were wondering, the United States is at war. It is not the war of declared intent and fixed enemies that we have fought over the centuries; it is an amorphous, shape-shifting war, in which the enemy can be anywhere, at any time, doing things we do not see until they raise themselves up into the light. It is the ultimate war of fear, where noncombatants -- read "civilians" -- are the avowed target of the enemy, and military combat is a sideline. It is a war that defies the use of conventional weapons and tactics. It is a war that may never, ever end.

As such, some in the United States have seen fit to codify and enshrine this war in the very fabric of the nation. Places like Guantanamo Bay, legislation like The Patriot Act, and processes like military tribunals are all being given extended value, becoming permanent fixtures in a the American landscape, rather than temporary expedients. This new type of war has given those who have sought an extension of American power an excuse to use the potential for enemy attack in many insidious ways on our nation the leverage to place into law the removal of restrictions on government's ability to infiltrate the life of law-abiding citizens, in the name of "national security."

They Pledge Allegiance...

Of late, we note the spate of candidates for, and holders of, high offices in our nation signing pledges, to groups and organizations, that they will not raise taxes, that they will ban same-sex marriage, that they will repeal the health care law, and so on. They are all in earnest, believing that such pledges make them exemplars of what it means to govern the United States, that they are willing to commit such action to paper and place their name upon it.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Shortfall

As the battle for the budget builds into ever-widening crescendo of rhetoric, let us stop to consider, for a moment, how we really got to this point of being so far in debt. Let us critically examine what our government owes us, and more importantly, what we owe it. Not just in monetary terms, mind you, but in our adherence to the responsibility we were given for our government by those created it over two hundred years ago.

Liberty And Justice Weep Silent Tears For America

It is not often I find myself enraged to incandescent incoherence, nor swept by the overwhelming desire to shout from the rooftops, but this is one of those times. Today marks a particularly dark day in American history, one that will not be noted as such for many decades to come, but is clear enough to those of us with patriotic hearts who worship knowledge over ignorance and freedom over tyranny. The event that has me so worked up? The handing of the gavel in the House of Representatives to John Boehner.

Don't Ever Don't Ask Don't Tell

The day has come, our will was done -- "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the execrable Clinton-era legislation that turned homosexual soldiers into closeted criminals is no more. Today, December 18th, 2010, a blow was struck for the equality of all Americans, in fact and not just in principle. A lame duck Congress proved it still had more fight left in it, and did the honorable thing, by voting for repeal.

While some time will be required yet for full implementation, at this moment, the bill's passage is a seminal statement for our time. For any American who believes in freedom and democracy, and is willing to lay down their life to defend it, there is no criterion that can prevent them now save physical or mental inability to perform the duties of a soldier in the American armed forces. There shall no longer be discrimination based on gender, race, religion, orientation; those days are over.

There is still work to be done to allow our LGBT brothers and sisters to take their full place in American society, but that time is fast approaching. The forces of intolerance have been dealt a serious blow, and now more shall rain down upon them, as the words of our Founding Fathers reach full realization. From this day forth, let freedom ring for each and every American -- allow all their inalienable rights.

Make This Job And Fill It!

For those who are sure that the Bush-era tax cuts are the key to stimulating job growth, here is a little sober realization: in 2009, private sector job growth for the previous ten years: a net loss of 203,000 jobs. So, to recap, in roughly the last ten years, there has been no job gain in the U.S. private sector, including the years in which the Bush tax cuts were in effect. So, for those pinning their hopes on putting money in the pockets of the wealthy as a means to stimulate job production, I'm sorry to say that you are misplacing your faith.

The job situation is bleak, and it is so because the circular chain of job loss is not being broken. Americans are not buying goods and services. This causes companies to trim expenditures on equipment and supplies, and decrease their employment rolls to maintain profit margins and keep investors happy. With new people out of work, forced to rely on savings and/or unemployment, they spend less, paying only for the necessities, and therefore the economy weakens further. This cycle continues apace, with companies holding dearly to unsustainable profit margins, rather than bucking the trend and putting people back to work. No longer is it OK to run lean; you must be able to maintain profits, even in the hardest economic times.

The Federal government can only do so much. While the stimulus bills initially helped, the fact remains that the government cannot continue to pour money it does not have into the economy to keep it running. The "free" market is supposed to be able to correct itself, but it shows no sign of doing so, squeezing every last dime out of operating margins to ensure that stock prices remain high and the outlook for their companies, healthy. Those who bear the brunt of this tortuous policy are the small and middle-sized businesses, who rely on the big businesses to generate their cash flow. The effect cascades down the supply chain, until small businesses are bankrupted and middle-sized companies are forced to lay off workers to survive.

Congress shows no signs of rushing to the aid of small and medium business in a mid-term election year. The Republicans hope to capitalize on the sluggish economy, as a way of pointing out the folly of Democrats, even though it was they who stalled and obfuscated and rejected to the point of hopelessly snarling necessary legislation. Even now, they could be helping small businesses with tax breaks and incentives, and doing more to get big business to pry money out of their wallets, but they prefer to watch the slow strangulation of the American worker in order to score political points with a constituency that does not seem to realize that their elected representatives are to blame for their plight.

The job situation will not improve until big business decides to stop the bleeding and pump up its payrolls. Rather than off-shoring work and trimming workers to force up productivity numbers, they need to grab up the available talent and put them to work in expansion and solidification. Until companies hire workers, injecting money back into the economy in the form of salaries and benefits, the news will continue to be dismal. While Fortune 500 CEOs may be enjoying their big bonuses, eventually the companies beneath them will be eaten away, and their golden parachutes will be more full of holes than they realize. It is up to captains of industry to step up and do their part, to take the cash out of the bank and put it where it will do the most good: in the hands of decent, hard-working Americans.

Congress, Brought To You By...

Representative Joe Barton of Texas has been rightly excoriated for his comments at a committee meeting, to discuss the Gulf Coast Oil Disaster with representatives of British Petroleum. His intemperate, offensive, and ill-conceived remarks -- equating the Federal Government's requirement that BP contribute to a twenty billion dollar restitution fund to a "shakedown" and apologizing profusely for it -- point out a fact, which, though in evidence now for some time, escapes the notice of the average American.

It was made clear in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, that Corporate America has been given the keys to the country. The billions of dollars that companies can harness towards their own ends cannot be fought so easily by the average American citizen. The Federal Government, the only force capable of reining in their excess and egotism, is slowly, inexorably being gobbled up by them, in the form of lobbyists, watered-down regulations, and corporate malfeasance disguised as political speech. The Federal Government, the instrument of the citizenry created to ensure our freedom and liberty, is being eroded by a relative handful of legislators and judges, placed their by us, who have been corrupted by the power in their hands, and who, lacking the personal will, are selling themselves to corporate masters, to the detriment of all Americans.

As oil gushes up from the deep, and the livelihoods of those along the Gulf Coast are being threatened, bickering, finger-pointing, and inanity reign in Washington, D.C. It has become evident that the gravity of the situation escapes even the most seasoned Congressman, far more interested in putting on a tar-and-feathering session before cameras to show they are "dealing" with the situation, than assembling the necessary resources and knowledge to actually fix the problem. They must appease the public, and so they put on a dog-and-pony show to how they are taking BP and its minions to task for their negligence, even as they continue to rake in campaign contributions from the corporations they are needling.

If it can be said that Joe Barton made a mistake, other than being elected and being in the pay of big oil corporations, it was in exposing the whole charade to the light of day through his ill-considered remarks. Once launched into the air, the words hung and the silence was palpable. At once, his colleagues were shocked at his stupefying insensitivity, but more importantly, that he was so ignorant as to let slip that he was obviously in the employ of others. The farce that is legislative oversight of business, revealed for all the world to see in the great Wall Street collapse of 2008, was now pegged to its true face, the corporate underwriting of Congress.

Eventually, smart people with brilliant ideas will gain control of the oil. The Gulf Coast will be cleaned up, the environment restored. What must happen concurrent to this, is for smart people with brilliant ideas to replace the power-hungry demagogues now seated in Congress, to break the grip of corporations on the throat of Americans. Congress must be cleaned up, integrity restored. It is up to we, the people of the United States, to wipe the slate clean, and begin the process of re-taking our government, while we still have the power to do so. If the ballot box and the courts are not enough, then there must be a Constitutional Convention, in the spirit of the Founding Fathers, to write out the possibility of anyone other than individual citizens being able to steer the country.

Now, in the glare of lights and with the oil spreading, is the time for Americans to restore the balance of power in our nation. Corporate America must be led to understand that it exists and gains its power only through our hard work, sweat, and buying power, and that, as such, that does not give them the right to circumvent or override us because they feel it is inconvenient. It is not enough for them to provide us with goods and services, but with goods and services that are clean, safe, and above all, affordable. They cannot compromise our safety and security with impunity, and expect to remain in our good graces.

The Day Has Come

It is finally here. The day so many of us have waited for, when America would finally show its potential for good and a love of its citizens, dawns. After a long, drawn out, momentous, contentious, acrimonious, and partisan fight, Congress is about to pass health care reform.

So many have tried to stop it. They have harangued us with talk of "death panels," of "the government takeover of health care," of socialism and fascism. They have muddied the waters with hypocrisy and hatred and ignorance. A raucous minority has attempted to set back American governance 250 years, when we were but squabbling colonies, bitter about the oppression of King George III but unwilling to take the necessary steps to secure freedom. They have plowed under reason and attempted to plant fear.

They are about to lose.

May the passage of this bill mark the breaking of the back of such tyrannical ignorance. America, the Republic, must stand above the pettiness of its citizens at times, to do what is in the best interests of all Americans. The emancipation of slaves, civil rights, granting women the right to vote... all these moments in our history were accompanied by vitriolic debate, raw anger, violence, but eventually, were met with strong conviction and earnest regard for what was proper. Though remnants of those fights remain, they are powerless and weak, left mouldering on the vine, bereft of strength. So to it might be, that those who would turn their backs on Americans who cannot afford or cannot maintain vital health care might have their opposition wither as well.

Let it be written that, at this moment, America reached beyond partisanship, beyond rhetoric, beyond reticence, and strove for a higher purpose: enhancing the general welfare and promoting the greater good. Let us also stand up to those who would have let good citizens die, who would have turned their backs on those in need, and tell them that despite everything, they too will enjoy the fruits of this, even though in the hearts of many, they do not deserve such. For America is a place where you can be who want to be, believe what you want to believe, and say what you want to say, and your rights to those things are guaranteed, even if they are contrary to the greater good.

The movement toward a greater society is never free of strife or struggle. The old ways and old ideas cling desperately to us, not quite ready to be cast off, even as human progress leaves them in the dust. Many will be shocked and angered when their will is forsaken by the government, but as with anything, they will be brought kicking and screaming into the new dawn. They will be the beneficiaries of progress, even as they try to turn their backs on it. American will be a better nation for this, like it or not.

You Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine

Some in Congress claim there are privacy issues, concerning the use of full-body scanners at airports to increase security. They are afraid that the ability of the scanner to "see through" clothing is an invasion of privacy. All because a Nigerian man tried to one-up Richard Reid, the infamous "Shoe Bomber," by putting his own life (and reproductive capability) on the line by putting an explosive device in his underwear.

This, from the people who brought you, amongst other things, The Patriot Act, the Department of Homeland Security, warrant-less wiretapping, and a free pass from potential liability for telecom companies who supplied private phone records and allowed the wiretapping to take place.

Let's get one thing straight: you have a better chance of being struck by lightning, than dying in a terrorist attack involving an airliner. In recent years, most terrorist attacks have consisted of car bombs, truck bombs, IEDs, suicide vests, planted on roads, on trains, on buses, or in trucks. That said, the idea that the plane you are riding in may suddenly explode fills us with a unique terror, made even greater by the events of September 11th, 2001. Frankly, the destruction of airplane filled with passengers is terrorism of the highest order, because at thousands of feet above the ground, the vulnerability factor is very high.

All this in evidence, we come to the conclusion that there must be tighter security at airports, and we will have to pay for that security with assaults on our personal liberty and inconvenience at a time when inconvenience is the last thing we want. Congress may wish to wail about privacy at this point, but they led us down this garden path, and they have no right to change their mind and act the wounded party. It is their mess; it is up to us to clean it up.

Anyone who has seen the results of a full-body scan will note that we are not talking about the creation of Internet-ready pornography; the person in the scan is represented by a translucent white shadow, over which lies the opaque blocks that represent less ephemeral items: watches, keys, pacemakers, and hopefully, underwear bombs or hidden guns and knives. The scans are done at the security checkpoint, but those who do the scanning may be in an entirely different area of the airport, and have no way of seeing who is being scanned, only which scanner is delivering the image. It is technology that was science fiction two decades ago, but is finally capable of being turned to good use to provide updated security, and eliminate some of the fuzziness that comes from random pat-downs, wanding, auxiliary searches, and bomb-sniffing dogs.

As with most times in our country's history, it is we -- its citizens -- who bear the brunt of defending our nation, and not simply by being in uniform. The first shots fired in the War of American Independence were not fired by well-equipped, well-trained troops, but by citizen militias, groups of butchers, bankers, shipwrights, blacksmiths, and others, determined to defend their homes from the British, and eventually break British tyranny in The Colonies. It is always the average citizen, who sees most clearly the wrongs that need righting. It is the average citizen, who can do more to ensure the safety and security of their fellow Americans, by bring to light the weaknesses, foibles, and follies extant in our society. It is we, who can control how problems are solved by electing representatives with a good sense of the land and good common sense, who are driven by a need to serve the people, not their party.

For Congress to worry about privacy now, after the horse has left the barn, only goes to show how we got into this situation in the first place. Throughout recent decades, it has become more important for Congressmen to pander to their party, and pay lip service to the people who elect them. Backed by the money readily available from special interests and corporations, the contributions of the average citizen are of such little value, that to hope that the person we vote for has our best interests at heart, is at best a fool's bargain. The security of America has been thrown away by legislators interested only in the consolidation of their personal power, expanding their influence, and catering to the interests that hold the biggest purse-strings. It has taken moments like September 11th, the Shoe Bomber, the shooting at Fort Hood, and now the Underwear Bomber, to stir them up, though rather than creating a homogeneous mixture of patriotism and mindfulness, the stirring has only led to a jumble of Senators and Representatives falling all over each other to point fingers at others for their failings.

Our security starts at home, with us. We must strive to be vigilant, and we must continue to be tolerant. Mistakes will be made, people will be wronged, but we will get the hang of it. We must also work to replace those in Congress who have forsaken their sworn oath to see to our freedom, liberty, and security, with people we know understand our concerns and more importantly, will listen to our problems. Inevitably, it is on the shoulders of American citizens, that the tide of hatred against us and our way of life will be turned, and it is up to us to ensure that those who do not intend to help us are moved aside, before they lead us to greater disaster.

The Uncivil War

Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina probably feels pretty bad right now.

It is safe to say that his outburst during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress, will go down infamy, and the ignominy of that moment will dog him now and for the rest of his life.

As it should.

When the President of the United States petitions Congress for the right to address both houses, it is usually a serious event: the State of the Union address, a declaration of war, or the announcement of a wide and sweeping change in national policy. The President does not do this lightly. He seeks audience with the Legislative branch, to make clear what the course of the nation must be. As such, he is accorded the honor of addressing both houses in joint session, and with that, is granted a level of decorum that is unheralded in the usual course of politics in Washington, D.C.

Representative Wilson violated that decorum.

As such, he is to be, rightly, condemned for his impertinence. He has apologized, saying the moment got the better of him, but even so, we expect our elected representatives to carry themselves with honor and with respect at these times. His outburst, live, for all America to see, brings a stain on the honor of South Carolina which it did not need. He represents the people of his district, and no matter what they may think of the President, I am certain they do not think he should be treated in such a manner.

The opprobrium raised by this moment of indiscretion began almost immediately, surging over the Internet like a nuclear shock wave, raising the ire of people everywhere, not just in South Carolina, or even the United States. But in this tsunami of outrage, was expressed the dark side of human nature, for condemnation was indeed called for, but the quality and tone of the condemnation was in many ways just as disturbing as the event itself. It was also, perhaps, representative of our society's loss of civility and rectitude.

It is one thing to call a person into account for their mistake; personal responsibility must take the day. It is another, for those calling the person into account, to use language that signifies an intemperance or a self-righteousness that smacks of hypocrisy. Condemnation of an obvious wrong is not a license to let forth with obscenity, profanity, or intolerance. Those who stand against the common good, who do not see the world as we do, who have their own beliefs, and are allowed to hold them thanks to the Constitution, will never be swayed by reason, nor will they be swayed by being treated as lunatics.

This moment is one where we can take a long, hard look into our own comportment, those of us who believe we know what is best. While we must stand against willful ignorance, base intolerance, rank prevarication, and the perpetuation of fear, we cannot do so at the risk of becoming the very things we abhor. We cannot treat our opponents like foes to be crushed by the power of our reason or the force of our logic. We cannot treat them as petulant children. We cannot treat them as lost causes. We cannot see them as "the enemy." We must accept that they do not see things as we do, that we may not be able to reason with them, but that they, too, are part of the America we seek to protect. We must give them ample opportunity to engage in civil discourse, and where they will, be reasonable and not dismissive. If they will not engage us so, we can condemn them, but must not excoriate them, as they would us. We must not play their game.

So let us cry foul for what has happened, but let us learn from it as well. It will require that we swallow our pride and hold our tongue. It will be difficult, at times, to tolerate what we clearly see as fear-mongering and hypocrisy, but if we are true to our belief that the greater good must carry the day, then no amount of such demagoguery can hurt us. In the end, we may not sway our opponents, but we may show them that a measured voice carries more weight than shouted words.