Obama deserves our respect and help.
Give the man the respect he is due.
He could easily been one of those people taking home billion-dollar bonuses. But instead he has taken on the burden of all.
Nothing unrealistic about that, we all carry each others' burdens. This remarkable man has taken on the establishment-- not to destroy, but to preserve it. America today is effectively a bunch of banks. Curiously, the banks that lent Germany the money to build a military are the same banks dominating the American Economy since World War Two. WWII never ended, for some. They are still fighting to control governments.
Let's go back to the eighteenth century, when James Madison, co-author of the US Constitution, said this:
History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments.
Or take Jefferson:
I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country. "
Or Abe Lincoln:
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country; corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in High Places will follow, and the Money Power of the Country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the People, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed."
The international identity of America is corporations and military. This is a flawed model. Human nature has never supported exploitation. Empires, all built on slavery, have collapsed-- as will the current economic model. Endless growth and rising values have little to do with actual life on earth. To the degree they impose unfair demands on society, they will wither along with the social fabric upon which they depend.
Endeavoring to save the economic engine of this country, the President has attempted to change the conversation, the legislation, and the power players from old banks to life on earth.
But this is the reality upon which we are forced to depend.
This is the reality of America today Obama must manage.
Mr, President Obama deserves thanks and respect.
The reality today is that Obama knows this is an exploitive feudal system.
He knows that Judges, bankers, mayors, Senators, and Generals sit down with organized crime lords and private prison investors and oil company execs and talk over lunch.
The reality is that every aspect of this exploitive system is managed. Events are manipulated to go smoothly. Society is managed, crime, war, and all.
Knowing the reality of Pakistan's rogue actions, Obama must try to control actions of a nuke-holding rogue state. Knowing the reality of the lie that is Reagan's trickle-down theory, Obama must manage to enable we, the people, to survive.
The US is more than we, the people. It is the manifestations of our wealth, investments, military and industrial and media. No one can simply abolish the CIA as JFK tried to do, and live.
No one can take the money-issuing power of the private banks, as JFK tried to do, and live.
No one could or should try to abdicate our military responsibilities without threatening our security.
All these things must be managed. Confucius say, Rule a large country as one would cook a small fish-- with very little stirring, else everything turns to paste.
President Obama has the responsibility of working on the priorities that he can fix while getting Democrats elected so as to continue the work.
Remember when Obama gave us a website to make suggestions?
When 64% asked him to legalize Marijuana, he had to disregard them or fail in any future election. You know he knows it's certainly better than alcohol, and relatively harmless. But he can no more legalize it than Clinton could abolish don't ask, don't tell, and to try would be political suicide.
If you want single payer, if you want cuts in Defense and an end to wars, you need to crush the GOP, not Obama. If you don't realize he knows the problems better than we do, you're not thinking at all.
If you want to abolish everything Bush and Cheney did, if you want social justice, Obama is going to be your only chance. He cannot both prosecute Bush and carry on essential needs of the people. He cannot allow loose whistleblowing to fatally wound his efforts. There's plenty of Bush appointees still waiting to stab him in the back.
There are certain things he can do and others that need a voting majority in Congress. Don't go all fickle now that we have a chance of real sensible change.
And like Susan Megles says, give the man credit for taking on a hugely difficult and complicated task.
What a bunch of pollyannas. You don't get your pie in the sky so you abandon all hope. Get real, people.
by martinweiss on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 6:31:43 PM
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