"Ask and ye shall receive" hit a right-wing nerve

I awoke envying those who never seem to have regrets. Those who can choose a course and stay it without any reconsideration or rethought as to the wisdom of their actions.

It might just be that I am at that age when life is reviewed; but if that were so, then others my age, those with the power and ability to change their action would be doing so. That, or they would at least be explaining why their course was correct and remains so.

Everything in life is “If-Than”. If I do this, than I can do this, but cannot do that. Which outcome, which future alternative, is more important? We than set our feet on a path to more if-than decisions.

It would seem that, a few weeks ago, I managed to puncture a right-wing nerve with my Armageddon column. It would seem that at least one reader does not understand the nature of “war” – as opposed to an action taken against criminals.

Bush likes to say we are at “war.” True, Iraq conforms to the definition as “a state of hostility or military conflict”, but is it really a war? We invaded a sovereign state, and brought about the death of tens of thousands innocent civilians because Bush lied to Congress.

If it is war, who can sue for piece? In this “armed clash between nations or factions in the same nation”, what nation can ask America to cease and desist? And what place do we have in a millennia old conflict between Islamic Sunni and Shia factions?

Rather than pursue a criminal who orchestrated a mass murder and destruction of New York landmark, we invaded Iraq. Bin Laden is out there laughing and threatening. We have given him a new training ground and place to test new methods.

Gee wiz, the right-wingers are offended because I point this out, and put responsibility on those who never take responsibility for their misdeeds.

I would agree with the reader that there is something disgraceful in having an enemy within. To see that enemy we need only look at who has cut benefits to the brave soldiers who have been wounded in the service of this nation.

It is a disgrace that the right-wing runs up deficits and gives tax breaks to their wealthy backers. Recent figures show wages have held flat, while incomes have gone up.

The top 1 percent of received 11 percent of the income increases – and Bush lowered their taxes so they could keep it; thus depriving the nation of needed resources and increasing our debtor status. To who? Communist China. We don’t borrow from democracies, we go where the money and markets are.

The reader mentioned “the demise of the Soviets” – obviously he meant the straw dog of Republican Joseph McCarthy’s right-wing witch-hunt era. The Soviets recognized their system didn’t work, and went capitalist – yielding more billionaires in Moscow than any city other city in the world.

The Soviets are dealing with Iran. We are antagonizing Iran. The Iranians need to unify Islam, to do this they need a clear enemy. Bush has gone out of his way to ensure that the enemy is democracy and capitalism as embodied in the image of America.

The facts support two facts, the right-wing wants a (biblical ) Armageddon and does nothing whatsoever to help the least among us.

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