On the slimming of the Sotomayer Supreme Court pick

We don't need a supreme court, so eliminate it. Ditto the senate, house, and public education. Home school!
Our founders, actually wanted a monarchy but given that England was one, they decided to go with oligarchy instead.
Oh, America, when will you be worth your 1 million Trotskyites and your 10 million dead Indians?
The good news is we're now broke. Empires have a shelf life and ours is near its end. (see England, Spain, Holland...)
Actually Wall Street did us in. The financial whiz kids found a way to make an easy buck-selling junk as gold-and now they're hooked on their criminal ways. They don't want to work hard--as in making things. So they continue to flip papers and click on the mouse.
So down the tubes of history we go--of course the Pentagon helped--a trillion for war every year and the constant invasions, occupations, dronings..
Not to mention that we have a rich caste that refuses to pay taxes or even serve in the military, plus we have really awful leadership (see Rome)..
"Oh mama, can this really be the end...?"

Help Detriot, not Wall Street

Manufacturing (US cars) needs government help. The financial sector (Banks, etc) should fend for themselves--After all, in the years leading up to the meltdown they made fortunes--is there nothing left in their piggy banks so they can get on their feet again?

But, please, dear bankers, no more bubbles, no more easy money/creative financing scams where you take junk mortgages, slice and dice them and sell them as if they were gold.

Blindly our Christian Crusaders battle the Islamic Hordes while the Asians wait...

Bush and team created more than a "mess." Their unregulated free-market ideology shattered our economy and their frontier wild-west ways turned a crime into a war against Islam and created a system of gulags for people they thought did something wrong. So, no cheers for these guys and assorted other Americans who favor such policies. Perhaps a half of a cheer for Obama--a good cop to Bush's bad cop. Still nothing to write home about. America is the mess right now: blindly our Christian Crusaders battle the Islamic Hordes while the Asians wait...

Bush, Cheney et.al. to Gitmo!

We made a mistake when we declared a war on terrorism and arrested and tortured random Muslins taken in Afghanistan and God knows where else. Set them free–and in their place put the torture-memo lawyers and the Bush team honchos who waterboarded everyone with a beard to see if the knew about the non-existent relationship between Sadam Hussein and Al Queda.

Don't double-down on Af-Pak

What a mess! 20 or so Saudis destroyed the Twin Towers and the fight goes on and on. If 20 Italians blew up London Bridge what would be the correct response?--Yes, of course, find the culprits and bring them to justice-but no need to invade and occupy Italy. But, plainly, invasion and occupation of Muslim lands seems to be the plan de jure.

We have, now, a Christian vs. Islamic battle going on. We need to tack in another direction. Like, get out of there.

Obama says we got sidetracked by Iraq and now we're doing the real show--killings the locals (Pashtuns AKA Taliban) in Afghanistan and Pakistan. There's got to be a reason we're there-- yes, dampen down Islamic fervor but also we want the energy and it routes. This is Dick Cheney's wet dream--control energy supplies and energy routes...

President Obama’s stated rationale for sending more troops and providing additional aid to Pakistan/Afghanistan is that we're there to prevent Al Qaeda/Taliban from attacking the US. This rationale begins to wear thin after hearing it so many times over the years in regard to: Russia, China, Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Nicaragua, San Salvador etc.

Moreover, if we’re afraid of a terrorist attack on US soil from Pakistan/Afghanistan, we need to also consider possible attacks from any number of teetering-on–the-brink countries: Haiti, Somalia, Moldova, Mexico, etc. In this globalized age a Bin Laden’s can operate from anywhere and short of going to war with the entire world, we need a smarter strategy than invading and occupying.

Strangely, there’s never a mention of energy (oil, gas) and Afghanistan in the same sentence. The country is strategically located atop major energy routes. In the past the Bush administration negotiated with the Taliban on delivery routes for these vital resources. Is this a current possibility?

I'm no expert but I can tell you the Obama plan of re- invading Pakistan/Afghanistan is DOA. Just ask the master of foreign armies dying in that country, Rudyard Kipling. The place is still part of the "Great Game"--countries near and far want a piece of the action--energy routes, geopolitical control. So India fights Pakistan (solve this one and the whole region will quiet down!), the Taliban/Pushtuns fight Russia, USA, Iran. The place needs a grand bargain--make it neutral like Switzerland, offer a little something to everyone.

Souter's replacement on the Supreme Court

Who to pick to replace Souter? OMG it's gotta be:

Balance the four horsemen of the apocalypse with Paster Wright!

The current Supreme Court four horsemen: Pestilence (Thomas), War (Roberts), Famine (Alito), and Death (Scalia).

Wright is the man , he's lively, he's left and strong enough to put a stake to the hearts of the four horsemen.

The Federal Reserve is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Wall Street banks, as is Obama.

Time to take them back. Pete Seeger sings: "Banks of Marble

BANKS ARE MADE OF MARBLE

I've traveled round this country
From shore to shining shore.
It really made me wonder
The things I heard and saw.

I saw the weary farmer,
Plowing sod and loam;
I heard the auction hammer
A knocking down his home.

CHORUS:
But the banks are made of marble,
With a guard at every door,
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,
That the farmer sweated for.

I saw the seaman standing
Idly by the shore.
I heard the bosses saying,
Got no work for you no more.

But the banks are made of marble,
With a guard at every door,
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,
That the seaman sweated for.

I saw the weary miner,
Scrubbing coal dust from his back,
I heard his children cryin',
Got no coal to heat the shack.

But the banks are made of marble,
With a guard at every door,
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,
That the miner sweated for.

I've seen my brothers working
Throughout this mighty land;
I prayed we'd get together,
And together make a stand.

FINAL CHORUS:
Then we'd own those banks of marble,
With a guard at every door;
And we'd share those vaults of silver,
That we have sweated for.

Words and Music by Les Rice
Copyright 1950 by Stormking Music Inc.

Exit out of Af-Pak now!

Collateral damage is doing us in...

From Today's NYTimes:

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan officials and villagers said Wednesday that at least dozens and perhaps more than 100 civilians were killed in American air strikes in western Afghanistan, threatening to stiffen Afghan opposition to the war just as the Obama administration is sending 20,000 more troops to the country.

It seems that the most of the population of Pakistan are members of the Taliban. Toss in the folks from Afghanistan as well. What enrages them is their have-not status--poor, in a word, while their ruling classes are rich and corrupt. Smells an awful lot like Vietnam. Sure ,we called everyone there a communist; and all the while we supported the rich Catholic minority who was running the place. Oddly, Vietnam is our ally now.