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 By Argile Stox Apr. 22, 2006 (Well, today I decided just to ramble. In fact, I figure that it would be a great idea to just free associate and let my mind go off into a wild tangent.) The first thought that comes to my mind is the chorus that is becoming stronger each day regarding the individuals associated with the Bush administration. Whenever a president is in trouble and their job approval ratings go into the toilet, members of the administration begin to quit, be reassigned, or just take the heat. I guess President Bush is trying to acquiesce and symbolically indicate to his critics that he is indeed listening. The critics of the Bush Administration have been demanding that “heads should roll” and individuals who supposedly gave him inaccurate intelligence reports regarding Iraq – should resign or be fired. It is the opinion of this writer, that President Bush is employing the age old tactic of transitioning his staff so that the media would start vetting and investigating the new individuals who are replacing the old individuals. In all honesty, I believe that President Bush is just throwing the media a few bones to chew on. In addition, President Bush is throwing more bones to the media by stepping up raids on companies that employ illegal aliens. This is another age old tactic to show the American people that he has heard their complaints, and is swiftly working on solving the problems. The American people wake up in the morning and read the headlines that indicate that offending companies who employ illegal aliens have been raided, arrests have been made, and deportation proceedings are being instituted. I do not believe for one moment that the American people cannot see through this smokescreen. The problem is – the companies that were raided and fined for hiring illegal immigrants – wait a few weeks and begin to hire illegal immigrants, again. This is because their company would have to close if they hired legal workers and pay legal wages. Follow the money! This sounds all too familiar –like the old days of “Prohibition” – A few “Speak-Easies” would be raided, bottles and barrels would be smashed, and pictures would be taken by the media. Within a few days, the joint was back in full operation. It just appears to me that President Bush has individuals in his administration who create a “Top Ten List” culled from nationwide newspapers which indicate what the general public is concerned about. From this list, President Bush then gathers his administration in the oval office –and asks, “OK, from this Top Ten List – what domestic actions can be instituted tomorrow, so that I can cross off some of the items from the list the next day?” After a flurry of conversations between each agency, a plan of action is presented to the president. After he looks over a summation of the domestic policy actions that can be instituted immediately, the president crosses off a few items on one of the top ten lists. The items that remain are then bumped up to be reviewed the next day. I believe the Bush Administration is governing our country – moment by moment. The moment this or that happens, that is the moment that President Bush will momentarily act on the situation. Later in the evening the next day, the president receives a report which contains the actions taken that will make headlines the following day. The Top Ten List is generated again the next day and the same process continues. The goal of President Bush’s advisers is to demonstrate to the general public that George W. Bush is a hand’s on president who listens to the concerns of the people who put him in office. This hand’s on approach to satisfy and pacify his critics is something new and unusual for President Bush to deal with. After all, President Bush does not want to go down in history and be compared to the likes of Millard Fillmore, Hoover, or Jimmy Carter. The problem is George W. Bush is going to go down in history in a class of his own – Class Clown. What has surprised me is that retired General’s are getting media attention for their opposition to the way the Bush Administration is handling the war in Iraq. These retired General’s are calling for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. President Bush has made a point to stress to the media that he will not fire Mr. Rumsfeld. When the Bush Administration had egg on their faces when weapons of mass destruction were not discovered in Iraq during the early part of the war, Rumsfeld offered to resign as Secretary of Defense. The last media report I heard, was that Donald Rumsfeld offered to resign at least three times and the president rejected each request. The retired General’s that are speaking out about the incompetence of Mr. Rumsfeld and the Bush Administration –should be taken seriously. Can you imagine when these General’s were still a uniform and they received orders from Mr. Rumsfeld –they must have thought to themselves, “He (Rumsfeld) must be out of his mind.” However, these General’s carried out each and every order that was administered by the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Now that these General’s are retired –they feel the need to speak out against the war in Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld, and President Bush. I am still on the fence whether these retired General’s are truly trying to warn the general public about the mishandling of the war in Iraq, or do they have another agenda in mind. Could it be that they want their name to be temporarily on the lips of the people –so that they can run for public office in the future? Speaking of Iraq, they still do not have a working government. Elections have been held, and the Iraqi people have elected individuals to represent them. However, there are huge roadblocks that have to be overcome before any government is formed. The biggest obstacle is the different religious sectors of Iraq. If the leaders of these different religious sectors will not work together to carve out a democratic Iraq, the grand plan of President Bush will be flushed down the toilet. Just the other day, half of the representatives in the parliament of Iraq walked out of the building. To jolt everyone’s memory, let us go back to the hostage situation in Iran. The hostages would not be released until Jimmy Carter’s presidency ended and Ronald Reagan’s presidency began. Could it be that the religious leaders are waiting out the presidency of Mr. Bush? Now it appears that the opposing religious leaders are willing to put aside their grievances and try to make this new thing called “Democracy,” work. I wonder how much money, kickbacks, and military hardware were promised to each side to get them back to the bargaining table, and start creating a workable government. Meanwhile, the military fatality numbers are still climbing. Each day, one small town after another receives news that one of their own has died in Iraq. I do not believe that anyone can argue about the death toll in Iraq. The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) reminds us each day and every week through names and pictures of our brave military men and women who have died in Iraq. Each time I hear about our soldiers shedding their blood and dying in Iraq, I get this lingering emptiness in my spirit. It is the same lingering emptiness that I felt as a young adult when Walter Cronkite would be reporting about the Vietnam conflict and the statistics of the dead on both sides would be viewed behind his anchor’s desk. There is also another growing problem that is sporadically reported about in media. Off shore oil drilling platforms are still out of commission due to hurricane Katrina, foreign government’s who rule their country on a shoestring –are limiting oil drilling and production due to rebel attacks. There are other factors involved that are causing gas prices to rise about 10¢ a day. The Bush Administration is investigating price gouging by big oil companies. Yet, the big oil companies are showered with obscene profits. This happens every time gas prices rise too quickly. The American people need time to digest higher prices. Once the increase is reconciled in the minds of Americans, there is acceptance – Until the next rapid increase of gas occurs. Americans scream bloody murder – there are Congressional Hearings, and the cycle begins again. Each topic that I have touched upon in this article has been bandied about and discussed on Sunday morning broadcast news reports. The “talking heads” that are invited to air their views on the events of the past week, appear to have no clue where the Bush Administration is heading. It almost appears to me that each guest on these news programs is waiting for the Bush administration to self-destruct. I also get the feeling that some of the analysts who appear on these news broadcasting programs are fully aware that the Bush Administration is already self-destructing. I have a question for you, do you really care? Each day, if you are an able bodied individual who is employed - you wake up in the morning and resume your daily routines. If the company that you work for does not live and die by current events, you go about your business and perform your job duties. If you are married and in a two income financial situation, have children, mortgage, and car payments –you are pretty well off, as long as you do not live beyond your means. The only things that worry you are the health of your children, their education, the stability of your marriage, and planning a summer vacation. Does the price of gas bother you? Why should it? There is nothing you can do about it. The war in Iraq, does it bother you? If you do not have a family member who is in the military and currently serving in Iraq, why should you even be concerned about it? In my opinion, the United States is in the ever tightening grip of apathy. The population of our country expects that there is corruption in government, as it comes as no surprise that the ex-governor of Illinois was convicted of mass corruption during his term. It comes as no surprise that the Republican Party’s foundation is cracking and about to implode. Do you really care? Why should you? Does it affect your daily life? Not in the least bit. After all, your only concern is to provide for your family. If you remember the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 1960’s – individuals built underground bomb shelters – then went right back to business as usual. I am not saying that apathy is a bad thing. A population that is apathetic to the national and international events that surround them could be a good thing. In the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies every household in America was intellectually consumed with the idea of ending the Vietnam conflict. Even the radio stations were playing antiwar songs. Two nights ago, the media reported that antiwar songs were being composed by rappers, and country music celebrities. It appears that there is a war of patriotism going on between rappers and the country music industry. There are rappers who support the war and support President Bush. On the other hand, there are rappers who are against the war and President Bush. Yet, on the other hand –there are country music celebrities who support the war and President Bush. On the other hand, there are country music celebrities who are against the war and President Bush. Some country music radio stations have banned groups who have written songs that are opposed to the war and President Bush. All this sounds very familiar. Could it be that it will take the forces of the music industry to write lyrics to songs that will seep into the American consciousness? That is the way it began in the late nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies. Mixed in with the bubble gum music of the time, there were antiwar songs. After about three years, the bubble gum music disappeared and antiwar songs dominated the airwaves. Does this affect you? No, why should it? I guess you will begin to worry when your pre-teen and or your teenager(s) begin singing antiwar songs. Until that time happens, you have nothing to worry about. There is no reason why you should even give one slight thought to the war in Iraq. Let the politicians handle it. After all, “War” is a political thing. Since The United States has an all volunteer army and there is no “Draft or Selective Service” to worry about, your children have the choice to fight for their country or continue on to college. The key word here is “choice”. However, suppose you wake up one morning and you hear on the radio that wakes you up from your slumber “that since the military has not been able to reach their “quotas” for new recruits –the president has decided to reactivate the Draft and Selective Service.” If you do not have children, you have nothing to be concerned about. If you do have children and they are away at college, you maybe a little concerned. However, you do not expect that the mailbox will ever contain a draft notice. Then one day, you find a letter in your mailbox addressed to your son that states, “Greetings and Salutations…” Have you even given one thought to that ever happening? My guess is that you will cross that bridge when you come to it. So far, my random thoughts have been concentrating on the politicos that are in charge of our country at this very moment. I have also touched upon the deepening descent that is slowly being generated by retired General’s, the music industry, and the rising costs of gasoline. Hey, as I said at the beginning of this article –it will contain “random thoughts” which keep my mind occupied. I have not be even touched upon the auto manufacturer Ford –closing down numerous assembly plants around the country, which will leave about 30,000 employees out of work. I have not even mentioned that General Motors is trying to evade bankruptcy by trying to sell off its “Delphi” parts supplier. Come to think of it, I have not even mentioned how many industrial plants are shutting down and moving their operations to Mexico and or some other low wage paying country. Check this out, Chrysler is cutting loose about 6000 of their employees, too. Does this concern you? No, why should it? You may have already given up on American made cars and purchased a Subaru, Honda, Toyota, etc. In addition, have you heard that the airline industry is trying to cut back salaries called “Give-Backs” of their airline pilots who earn $100,000.00 or more? If the airline pilots do not agree to the terms of the airlines, the airline(s) may go bankrupt due to the rising costs of jet fuel. Does this affect you? No, why should it? Instead of taking your family to visit historical places around the world, you will take your family on a vacation to local spots around the country. This will be a good thing. After all, the money that you will spend in the United States will stay in the United States. Your family will understand. They are aware of high price of an airline ticket. You and your family will “wait-out” the current high prices, the instability of foreign lands, and be grateful that are at least one person in the household has a job. The view from my little corner of the United States is hopeful, not pessimistic. The reason why I’m not pessimistic is that I look back into history and reacquaint myself with the actions of our past great presidents of the United States. President Bush has a few more years to go before he will voluntarily have to leave the White House. Once the American people reexamine the successes and failures of the Republican Party, the corruption of their elected officials in the House of Representatives and Senate by lobbyists –the American people will demand a change in leadership. That is the beauty of our democratic society. Every four years, we the people can cast our votes and throw the “bums out”. Look back into history. President Hoover proved to be a great leader in foreign affairs. However, he had no clue how to run the domestic affairs of a country. President Franklin Roosevelt saw the misery of our country and envisioned a better way to govern the people. He tried his level best not to involve United States in World War Two. Franklin Roosevelt was aware deep in his heart that the United States could not avoid being pulled into a world war. The people in the United States did not want to get involved, the House of Representatives and Senate did not want to go to war. The thing that tipped the scales was the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the long run, the war was an industrial boom to this country. Henry Ford was no longer producing cars that the average American citizen could not afford during the depression; he was now producing bombers under contract by the United States of America. President Franklin Roosevelt did not live to see the country that he loved win World War Two. Vice President Harry S. Truman –who had no clue as to Franklin Roosevelt’s plan to carve up Europe, and end the war with Japan with new and untested technology. Harry S. Truman was literally running a country by the seat of his pants. Harry S. Truman was truly baptized by fire when the assumed the presidency. However, when the war in Europe was over and he had to make the most heart wrenching decision to drop two atomic bombs on the suburbs and industrial complexes of Japan, Harry S. Truman now had to not only reshape the world with the assistance of our Allies, he had to initiate a domestic policy. Mr. Truman, through guts and determination, set in motion the rebuilding of the United States foreign and domestic policy. President Harry S. Truman was not a warmonger – He just wanted a fair and equal peace to reign throughout the world. The war between North and South Korea basically took him by surprise. So, he gathered around him the successful generals that won the war in Europe and Japan. The one thorn in his butt was General Douglas MacArthur. In fact, Douglas MacArthur was more popular than Truman. General Douglas MacArthur began to publicly speak out against Harry S. Truman and how he was handling the Korean conflict. President Harry S. Truman had no choice but to relieve General Douglas MacArthur of his command. Soon after that, North and South Korea decided to end the conflict at the 38th parallel, and resume peace talks once and a while. Technically, both of these nations are still at war. Each country signed an armistice. The North Koreans did not gain a damn bit of land during the war. In fact, the two nations are separated at the 38th parallel, exactly where they started, before the war. However, the people of United States felt that the Democratic Party was in power for too long of a period of time. Enter General Dwight D. Eisenhower –a Republican, and his sidekick Richard M. Nixon. Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected to the presidency because the American people thought that a Republican President, which historically has always been on the side of business - would guide this country through the prosperity that the ending of World War Two and the armistice of the Korean War had brought. However, former General Dwight D. Eisenhower was an expert in the fighting and winning of wars. However, did not have a clue as to how run a country. Enter Senator John F. Kennedy, a young and charismatic man, who served our country in the Pacific during World War Two. He also wrote a book, “Profiles In Courage” – and he was a Democrat. The majority of the country was getting a bit frustrated with Republican Party and the “old guys” who were running it. By the slimmest of margins, John F. Kennedy won the presidency. I have highlighted four presidencies. Some were good and some were bad. The question I have in my mind is where our current President – George W. Bush fits in? His approval ratings are in the toilet, just like Harry S. Truman’s ratings were in the toilet toward the end of his presidency. The current economy which Mr. Bush presides over is dictated by small third world countries which supply oil to our country. Like President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Mr. Bush lied about foreign affairs. Like President Richard Nixon, Mr. Bush has lied about the inner workings of his administration and the White House. Does anything I have mentioned in this article currently affect you? Not in the least bit. You are going to wait until the next general election, and choose a Republican or Democrat to get us out of the Iraq mess. You are well aware that the Iraq war will not end when Mr. Bush’s term ends. You are also crossing your fingers that Mr. Bush will not bomb Iran’s atomic plants. You are also hoping that the rhetoric that is coming out of Iran’s President’s mouth concerning the destruction of Israel is just talk to appease his population. Let’s face facts, Mr. Bush is no Franklin Delano Roosevelt, he is no Harry S. Truman, and he is no John F. Kennedy. How do you think this country would have fared if Mr. Bush was faced with the Cuban Missile Crisis? Would Mr. Bush be able to stand toe to toe with a Russian President like Khrushchev? I think not. What I do believe, is that the population of our country is collectively holding their breath until Mr. Bush’s term expires. I will mention it again – Everything that I’ve stated in this article is just random thoughts that are fueled by 24 hour media news reports. What I have stated in this article is not gospel, and I do not have a crystal ball. However, I just feel deep in my gut that the Iraq situation is perilous and is out of the control of the military. Let me put this another way; if six to eight retired General’s who have served in the Kuwait and the current war in Iraq - tell you that the mission that was originally conceived on paper is going sideways - What would you do? If some third world country who supplies about 5 to 10% of the oil this nation consumes every day, decides to shut down their pumping stations due to rebel attacks and or political instability, and the price of a barrel of oil jumps to $100.00 – What would you do? Suppose the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon advise you, in no uncertain terms –that the Draft and Selective Service must be revived and reinstituted due to the fact that the young people of this country are no longer volunteering for military service in Iraq – What would you do? On top of everything else, the individuals who stuck by you for the past six years, start resigning their posts, one by one –each day, what would you do? I now return you to your normal life. Go about your business as usual. Don’t worry about a thing. After all, every thing that I have mentioned in this random thoughts article does not affect you at all. The less you know about what’s going on in the world, the better off you are. Let the politicians handle “It”. If the current crop of politicians can’t handle it, they will resign and someone else will pick up where they left off. You are safe in the knowledge that there are enough checks and balances built into the workings of our government to keep you and your family safe. Wait a minute; are you suddenly starting to feel anxious? Has this article lifted a fog from your mind and you are starting to worry about things? If you were alive and over the age of eighteen in the nineteen sixties and seventies, would you be satisfied and feel safe with the events that are happening now? What’s this? You are beginning to have random thoughts of your own? Now what are you going to do? ------------ Email Argile Stox: argilestox@gmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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