Comments on: Update II: Brownie Points For Barack

By: Myron Pauli

Myron Pauli — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:41:16 +0000

(1) On free trade – if I wish to trade a Buick to Fidel Castro for some payment in cigars, Kim Jong Il for bulkogi, or Khatami for oil, it should be nobody’s business but mine. Whether it improves Castro or Kim or Khatami’s attitude is also not of concern if there is mutual economic interest. Does anyone check up on whether the clerk at the local grocery store appreciates Beethoven any better as a result of your commerce? The only possible concern involving others would be for me to trade weapons to them – otherwise, any “embargo” imposed by the US is a violation of my rights to free trade. (2) I suggest that Generalissimo Gingrich and the neocons emigrate to the “evil nation” of their choice, overthrow it and enjoy their new paradise. (3) Changing the topic slightly to Turkey, is it somewhat hypocritical that a nation that militantly denies a {CENSORED} event from 1915 is upset over 500 Gaza civilians? For every second getting mad at Israel, one can spend a minute denouncing the US for civilian casualties in Iraq and an hour denouncing Sudan (and Turkey??) for their atrocities which exceed a million victims.

[Brilliant defense of individual rights, justice, and general sanity! Thanks.]

By: Robert Glisson

Robert Glisson — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:24:21 +0000

I can agree with your statements in regard to the so called new policy's from Washington. An in depth analysis as one of the previous commenters implies is needed would take way more space. The president is trying to talk nice to Europe, that's good, meanwhile he is attempting (successfully) to increase NATO and US Military presence, a negative. While it is good that secrecy of US dead should be discarded, Mr./Ms. TaTosian has a point that our dead do not receive the same honor as some other countries give their dead. Here in Oklahoma, we had to enact a law requiring the grieving family be given five hundred feet of space to conduct their funeral, because of so called protesters, disrupting funerals for our war dead. On Cuba, our pastor went to Cuba a few years ago and toured it with Christian's in Cuba, close to the time when at least one of our "movie star" went to Cuba. His story of what it was like was entirely different (extreme poverty over most of the country) from the "worker's paradise" the movie star said it was. It seems that the star, received 'star treatment' in an isolated segment of Cuba. You and I know who's version of Cuba was broadcast to the citizens of the US. Open trade and relations will destroy that 'movie star image' and force Cuba to face itself. Somewhere, I get lost in this stuff about nationalism like America being a leader or debtor nation and how that is important to how we should relate to other nations. To me, the US is my home country, one shares space on Earth with other sovereign nations. Being of average intelligence [I doubt that], I believe that "no debt" is the only way for a nation to live, otherwise the citizens are not free, no matter the rhetoric. Personally, I agree with you, that the president is trying to do some good things and I hope he continues to do more "Good things" and will quit doing the bad. I hope that, but I read the White House Agenda. I doubt you are going to get many chances to compliment our president in the future. [Agreed; just being fair.] I applaud this attempt though.

By: Tatosian

Tatosian — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:39:01 +0000

Dubai may be a modern wonder. Saudi Arabia is not. [It's oil installations are to die for, for example. Some Americans go there for work, which means there must be some.] I didn't ask for lies or assurances of the good times to come. That's what politicians are for. Perhaps I was unclear. I merely wondered what might be in store for the US now that the deck has been re shuffled so to speak.

By: Tatosian

Tatosian — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:51:31 +0000

no disrespect but it depends on what a transformation for the better means doesn’t it?

Mexico and the US are economically intertwined including drugs and illegal aliens.

No doubt the arrangement is transforming Mexico for the better but it’s destroying us.

No question obama is merely picking up where bush left off regarding the wonders of Islam.

but here too, trade between the muslim world and the US has transformed very little for the better in the Muslim world while increasing the influence of islam here in the US. [This is an assertion, not an argument. Last I looked, Dubai was a modern wonder.–IM]

I don’t see any of that as a benefit.

Again, no offense but i don’t consider trade and commerce to be the answer to all the world’s problems.

As for obama giving Americans a chance to “see what death in the service of America’s recreational wars looks like”, well, dead American soldiers don’t get the kind of consideration the Israeli soldiers did in your childhood.

And frankly, if obama thinks it’s a good idea the chances are good the decision was made with bad intent. [Psychologizing is not an argument against a position.]

Sorry. A punk is a punk.

Finally, I find (what I perceive to be) this apparent rejoicing at the prospect of the US sliding from its perch atop the world somewhat puzzling. [You sound like Bill O’Reilly; if one adheres to reality and describes it accurately, as I do, one is unpatriotic.]

Is something better headed our way that I’ve missed? [You want someone to peddle lies and good times? Not here I don’t.]

Again, no offense.

By: Barbara Grant

Barbara Grant — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:24:29 +0000

I appreciate the fact that you continue to refer to the “Neocon War Harpies.” They deserve to be belittled. How disgusting that they contributed to whipping up pro-war sentiment! As you point out, we are no longer a superpower and it is neither sexy nor smart to continue to cheerlead for war (why does that blonde Monica-whatever her-surname-is come to mind?) In any case they are yesterday’s news, as we were a superpower yesterday but not today.