''I'm an idealist...

[Octafish]

...without illusions." -- John F. Kennedy



John F. Kennedy, during a televised debate with Richard Nixon.

Anyone else remember idealism and reason? Count me a fellow who remembers when the nation had a can-do attitude and a visionary spirit.

Today I am not a Happy Warrior. Instead of tackling ways of fixing the environment or developing a new economy, I am led to believe we can't afford to do anything but cut back spending for the sake of the national debt. As one who believes war can't end soon enough must wait until peace breaks out on its own to end the fighting and killing and dying.

Crying "fiscal conservatism and patience" now is a load of baloney. Don't ask me to settle for fixing the previous misadministration's problems, as the current political debate frames things -- perpetual war for perpetual peace, no money for universal health insurance, underfunding public education, quasiregulating Wall Street, let alone an environmental policy run by BP.

It's like a deja vu all over again. President Clinton was forced to clean up the predations of George Herbert Walker Bush. And President Carter performed clean-up duty for Nixon. But never has the situation been so grim and the numbers looked so bad as the load of flaming merde left by George Walker Bush that is America today.

Certainly we need vision to find solutions to the enormous problems left by the BFEE. The thing is: It shouldn't be our jobs to clean up Republican mistakes. What we should be doing is making the pukes pay for them. That means taxing those who've most benefitted from Reaganomics and all its children. Furthermore, cleaning up the mess includes prosecuting the warmongering bastards who lied America into two illegal, immoral and unnecessary wars.

[aquart]

1. Yes. And good luck with that.

They get a free pass to murder millions (I'm including the Americans who died from their policies as well as our victims in other nations) but Charlie Rangel doesn't get one for his 6 rent-controlled apartments. I feel a lack of reasonable proportion here.

[Octafish]

2. Our nation's information environment shows the Gulf isn't the only polluted disaster.

My mind needs to swim in clean water and breath clean air. Our window of Microsoft time is rapidly closing. Perhaps soon even mention of how our government is acting in a criminal -- cough, unconstitutional -- manner will be considered an act of criminality. A couple of Harvard academics, one with neoliberal ties, seem to think so. Perhaps one day soon we will no longer be able to exchange ideas and listen to rhetoric, as the Internet will be as regulated as the freaking cesspool continually overflowing with what comes out of Corporate McPravda.

[aquart]

3. Not sure we'll care.

The wheat harvest is taking a heavy hit in Russia from the heat. There's an African country due to starve to death in ten days or so. The climate change is affecting food supplies everywhere. AND MURDERING THE GULF DID NOT HELP.

This climate change is going to kill tens of millions of people. Hopefully, that won't start till I'm already gone. But the world is going to get ugly and desperate very fast. In the end it won't matter so much that we didn't prosecute the evil greedy bastards because we'll all be paying for what they did.

[Octafish]

4. Most important points, yours. Mebbe we can make them pay for it before they take us with them.

Plankton is down 40 percent, BP allowed to dump mercury into Lake Michigan, ENRON rides down the memory hole, and the rich keep on getting richer. Once, We the People did something about all that. We had Power. Those who hold it now, what Jack Brooks of Texas investigated during Iran-Contra and Inslaw/PROMIS, need be held accountable.



"Are you goin'ta pay? You're goin'ta pay!"
-- Lenny McLean, as Barry the Baptist at work
in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels";
believed to be 2,000-0 as a boxer.

They need to meet Barry the Baptist, would he were still with us.

[Uncle Joe]

5. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Octafish.:thumbsup:

[Octafish]

7. Just want to see those who've hurt America pay for their assorted crimes, warmongering and treason.

In addition to the Big Money boys from Wall Street, I'd like to see another group also held accountable:

Behold the Rise of Energy-Based Fascism

The Pentagon is helping to create a grim future for all of us: a struggle for energy primacy abroad and Big Brother at home.

The only organization that can straighten out the stinking mess we are in is the United States Government. Where the hell is the cavalry?

Thank you, Uncle Joe! Really appreciate that you understand what it's about.

[Atticus]

6. I agree with your post. Our leadership still seems to think that we can

stop this downward spiral by "playing nice".

I'm sorry, but it is time to kick ass and take names.

All the "givens" we have been taught must be re-examined, including our assumption that capitalism is our national religion and corporate CEO's and investment bankers are its high priests.

And, tolerance of intolerance should be recognized for the stupidity it is.

[Octafish]

8. Fuel for the Inquisition

Should Congress and the Executive feel the need to look back in order to see who's gotten away with what, I ask them to read up on the Bush Family Evil Empire, a collection of people, associations and actions that should, at the very least, result in prosecutions under the RICO Act:

Goldmine Sacked or The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One

Phil Gramm, the Meyer Lansky of the War Party, Set-Up the Biggest Bank Heist Ever.

Bush has Killed a Million Innocent People for Their Oil.

Scions of the Military Industrial Complex

Spawn of Wall Street and the Third Reich

Olympic Games Show Who’s Best Friends Forever with Authoritarians and Dictators

Henry Paulson, Banker to the BFEE

In the old days, they'd burn blasphemers and heretics. Perhaps we should expand the practice to traitors and NAZIs.

Either way, thank you for understanding Atticus. It's difficult work, thinking.