We need to take back our country - What?

It's time for me to move away from state issues and begin to focus more on the upcoming election of 2012. The phrase in today's politics that upsets me the most is; "we need to take our country back". Back from whom? Even Barack Obama jumped into the fray with his state of the union speech by proclaiming, "our country is back". Obama is referring to the return of a healthier economy, but what do Republicans mean by proclaiming; "we need to take our country back"?

There have been 56 presidential elections in US history and 44 Presidents. Barack Obama won the last election by 9,549,105 votes which is the 5th largest margin of victory in US history. Only Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin Roosevelt for one of his four terms had a larger margin of victory. Obama's victory was 1 week old before Republicans started proclaiming the need the take "our" country back. Who the hell is "our"? What about my country and the majority of Americans that chose to support Barack Obama? Republicans continue to claim they speak for all of us when clearly, they only speak to a minority.

What did Barack promise in 2008 and has he lived up to the promises made to the majority? Let me recall a number of promises; end the war in Iraq, universal health care for everyone, increase our efforts in Afghanistan to better pressure al Qaeda, maintain middle class tax cuts and only increase taxes on those earning over $250,000 each year, end "don't ask, don't tell", support gay unions but not gay marriage, promote equality for women in the work place, pass a stimulus package to jump start the economy and get people back to work, save the US auto industry, pursue greater regulation of Wall Street, work towards a secure energy future, support alternative energy and close Guantanamo Bay prison.

That was a lot of promises and that is what the 9+ million majority expected out of this President. Has Obama delivered? I grade his performance as an A-. Obama has delivered on most promises although some solutions required compromise. Obama has not been able to close down Guantanamo Bay because of intransigence in Congress. His health care plan leaves a lot to be desired, but it's a start. Nobody has been able to achieve what he has on this difficult issue. Obama has performed remarkably in an atmosphere of hatred towards his presidency.

Let's be honest, "we need to take back our country" is all about racism. I don't think you could find a President that has so closely aligned his governing with his promises. Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana gave the Republican response to Obama's address to Congress and stated that there are fewer people working in the United States today than at any point during the last 3 years of the Obama presidency. Is this propensity to lie going to be the future of our politics? Republicans that can't make the facts fit their agenda just like to make things up. We have had steady job growth in this country in 18 of the previous 24 months, there has been 15 consecutive months of steady job growth and the unemployment rate has declined from 10% to 8.5% nationally during the past 24 months. Given the state of our union when Obama became President, I think he is truly heading towards being one of our greatest leaders.

For the racists and haters out there that want to "take our country back"; love it or leave it! It's my country!

tomtoak

Where the hell have I been during the take down of Bin Laden?

Sorry to be missing in action again, but this time I was really missing in action. I severely hurt my back 4 weeks ago, washing a kitchen floor - believe it or not! The back pain has been so bad that I can't really spend any time at the computer. I will be having surgery in less than 2 weeks so I hope to be able to regain my full use of my back and legs.

The raid on the Bin Laden compound was absolutely one of the finest political acts of our time. Barack Obama can easily be defined by one word; courage. Barack's entire team should be congratulated for their guts. I certainly never saw guts like that during the Bush administrations.

At any rate, you have to see the act by Seth Meyers at the President's correspondence dinner that was being held at nearly the same time as the raid on the Bin Laden compound. As I have said in this column before, the U.S. simply can not trust the Pakistani government. I am so happy that the administration is on the same page.

Good bye Bin Laden forever: Rot at the bottom of the ocean with all of your pornography!

tomtoak

What to do about Afghanistan

As time goes on, Afghanistan has become Obama's war. Barack Obama has been totally honest with the American people. While he was running for President, he clearly stated the need to pick things up in Afghanistan and begin a withdrawal process from Iraq. He has met his promises regardless of what some progressives are saying about the Afghan war.

Now nearly 2 years into his administration, Obama rightly fears a trap if he is left without an exit strategy. Obama should have trouble sleeping at night. Afghanistan is not some country; it is a collection of tribes and families that will never unite in this decade, this century, or this millennium.

How can Obama begin to shake things up? The real fear here is Pakistan and the risk of deteriorating relations with this country. Let's face it, Pakistan is not really our friend. This country continues to hide Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network. How can Pakistan be our friend? As time goes on, al Qaeda's influence in this region will continue to grow, putting at risk the very nation we wish to partner with.

Enough is enough! I feel strongly that the United States has an option here, although I'll grant you that it is a risky option. I believe that the U.S. needs to move on the diplomatic front and challenge Pakistan to produce the criminals within the al Qaeda network. Pakistan needs to arrest and deliver Osama bin Laden to the United States. I would give Pakistan 6 months to bring bin Laden to justice.

If Pakistan does not deliver, I would begin to provide advanced military technology to India, Pakistan's mortal enemy. Let's face it, if Pakistan is lost to terrorists, India is going to need a stronger military. I would promise Pakistan 2 things. 1). I would promise Pakistan no military aid and no aid what-so-ever if they do not deliver the criminals within the next 6 months. At the same time I would promise to make India the second most powerful military nation in the world. 2). If Pakistan were to deliver the criminals, the U.S. should promise to ensure that all military aid to the region would be balanced. Any aid given to India would also be given to Pakistan.

Somehow the U.S. needs to put some fear in the hearts and minds of Pakistani leaders that are not in pursuit of justice. India holds the key and may be the only solution. Leave Afghanistan to the disparate tribes of the past.

tomtoak

The Mock Interview with a Tea-bagger!

Sorry for my absence! It seems like the United States is going to hell in a hand basket woven by the Republican Party. At any rate; through all the non-sense, I am intrigued by the misguided energy of the tea-baggers. I would love to interview a few and I think this is how the conversation would go.

Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, could I ask you why you call yourselves the Tea Bag Party?
Mr. Tea-Bagger: Didn't you ever hear of the Boston Tea Party? We're a tax protest just like the Boston Tea Party.
Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, the Boston Tea Party was about taxation without representation. I don't see a parellel. Barack Obama won the election by 6 million votes and won in many traditional Republican states. You have representation - you lost.
Mr. Tea-bagger: So what! I want my taxes lowered.
Tomtoak: Well Mr. Tea-bagger, are you aware that President Obama has lowered taxes on 95% of the citizens as he promised during his campaign?
Mr. Tea-bagger: He's a Muslim. This country is going to hell and we're headed for financial ruin and Obama is to blame.
Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, did you forget that this country was headed for another depression unless drastic steps were taken to calm the financial markets and do you realize that the Dow Jones average has improved by almost 4,000 points since Obama took office? Do you realize that this significantly improves every one's financial situation?
Mr. Tea-bagger: Obama is like Hitler, he's leading us down the path to socialism and no good can come from him!
Tomtoak: Do you realize Mr. Tea-bagger that the rest of the world has been quite impressed with our last election and U.S. foreign policy is far stronger because of Obama's leadership. Obama even won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr. Tea-bagger: Ya, if that is so great, why is he getting our boys killed in Afghanistan and he hasn't done nothin yet!
Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, I admit that even liberals don't like the war, but lets be fair; President Obama promised action in Afghanistan all through the election as this country's primary target must be the al Qaeda network; and haven't you noticed that there has been far better cooperation from Pakistan in seeking to bring these terrorists to justice? Did you not read about the recent disarmament talks with Russia and the treaty that will lead to a verifiable reduction in nuclear warheads between the 2 countries?
Mr. Tea-bagger: Are you trying to insult me? I can read; you're trying to knock Sarah Palin aren't you.
Tomtoak: Me, knock Sarah Palin; no, she does not need help from me to look like a fool, she is capable of doing that all by herself and constantly, I might add.
Mr. Tea-bagger: Obama has done nothing about growing jobs in this country and we need the Republicans to straighten out this mess.
Tomtoak: You know Mr. Tea-bagger, this is one topic that truly confuses me. I've heard all of the Republican leadership say that "Government never created one job", and now, the Republicans want to focus on jobs. Why don't they just tell the private sector to go create jobs and keep the government out of it?
Mr. Tea-bagger: It's all about taxes; cut taxes and there will be plenty of jobs.
Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, are you taxed when Exxon-Mobil raises the price of a gallon of gas from $2.50 to $4.50 in a matter of weeks? You see, insurance companies and businesses that approach monopolies in this country can tax us at will. I guess that is OK with you!
Mr. Tea-bagger: And that's another thing, I don't want to pay for the health insurance of a bunch of illegals and Obama is making us all pay.
Tomtoak: You have been paying all along my friend. Health care legislation protects you against the whims of the insurance industry and outlines a process by which everyone can assume responsibility over their health care (A Republican idea I must say). It's not the solution I wanted, but progressives need to be willing to compromise.
Mr. Tea-bagger: Compromise nothin!!! Obama is not even American. We need to take back this country!!!!
Tomtoak: Take back this country from whom? From Me? I'm an American and I'm very proud of this country. When one person determined who our 43rd President would be after he lost the popular vote by 500,000 votes, I was devastated. I did not go around this country claiming that George Bush was a Nazi. I suggest that you thank God we have an intelligent leader that cares about our future and that is capable of doing more in 15 months than George Bush accomplished in his entire life.
Mr. Tea-bagger: We'll see about that! Sarah Palin will beat that n_____!
Tomtoak: Oh; and I'm sure that race has nothing to do with this. Keep the faith Barack!

Have Americans become a nation of cowards?

To answer my own question; I don't think so. Americans have made the bold choice to move away from Bush era policies and look to the future. This is not a sign of cowardice. I do have a broader point that I want to make. I'm becoming increasingly troubled by the reluctance of our leaders to close Guantanamo Bay Cuba and move prisoners to U.S. facilities. It seems to be a reaction to fear; and, Dick Cheney is the biggest fear mongering, cheer leader of them all. Why?

When I was 17 years old, my parents bought a piece of property on Ashumet Pond on Cape Cod. Their intention was to build a retirement home. The pond at that point in time was relatively undeveloped and I have to tell you, the fishing was fantastic. The pond bordered the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Otis Air Force Base and Camp Edwards. Just to the north of my parent's new property was a secluded sandy beach adjacent to acres and acres of cranberry fields. One day while fishing off of the beach, an elderly man approached me and told me the history of the beach. He said the beach was used by the military to exercise German POWs during World War II. He told me he thought the Germans had it pretty good. they were allowed to swim in the pond and they played soccer along the beach.

Where was the fear then? While the country reacted to fear by imprisoning loyal Japanese citizens on the west coast, it seems like our mortal enemies may have been treated pretty good.
Now I'm not proposing treating our al Qeada enemies the same way that German prisoners were treated in this instance. I am saying that there should be absolutely no fear about placing these prisoners in super-max facilities around this country.

The herd mentality of Congress is amazing to watch. While I maintain that Americans are not cowards, I may not be able to say the same thing about the majority of Congress that envision Willie Horton around every corner. Thank you Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed for not following the coward's path.

It seems like Cheney and friends simply don't trust the "message" that is America. Our message is far more powerful than theirs. Let's do our best to get these prisoners tried, sentenced and moved to secure facilities here. It is our responsibility and Americans should fear nobody.

As for Dick Cheney and friends that live in fear; that's your problem not America's, go to bed with your shotgun.

Another Bush problem that is confronting Obama because George W. did nothing to resolve the issue involves the release of Manuel Noriega (for a snapshot history of Noriega click here). You remember; our friend, our employee, our informant, our CIA go to guy that became our enemy according to George Bush, Senior. Our enemy that was housed in U.S. prisons for decades has served his sentence. Noriega's sentence was completed in September of 2007 and is now being illegally held by U.S. authorities because they don't know what to do with him. Stay tuned!

tomtoak

Wisdom from the Woods IV

Wisdom from the Woods is an occasional column that outlines a complex issue.



Today's view of the ledge was actually taken at dawn on the day before the vernal equinox. Readers should be aware that they can click any picture in the column and you'll get incredible resolution. You can get a good look at the Moon in the morning.

During my walk in the woods today, I began thinking about the extremely problematic situation of dealing with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Foreign policy issues today are so complex, it's like reaching into a burlap sack full of rattlesnakes; you know you have to come out with something, but you also know you'll most likely get bitten. Barack Obama is faced with the same problems as George Bush, but the traction lost during the Bush years in the search for Osama bin Laden is unforgivable. The great distraction of Iraq was an extreme case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The most notorious person on the planet was not in Iraq or even close to Iraq. Our Nation's excursion to Iraq was the largest foreign policy blunder in the history of this country. This is not just me saying this; people throughout government and the military that are a lot smarter than I am feel the same way.

Obama is now faced with the possibility of extended war along the Afghanistan border with Pakistan. He needs to be very concerned of involving us in another prolonged conflict with no end in sight. Hopefully, he can find the balance, capture bin Laden and get the hell out of there before he gets bitten.

It seems to me that the cooperation of Pakistan is the real key to success here. Of late, Obama is getting some increased cooperation from leaders in both countries; however, Pakistan still seems to be reluctant to go all out to capture the principals in the al Qaeda network. What other tools might Obama have if Pakistan doesn't pass the cooperation test?

I certainly hope that this never happens because I am talking about 2 nuclear powers here; but, I do feel that the United States could threaten to increase military support of India by providing selected advanced technologies. Pakistan, being a mortal enemy of India could not tolerate this. The trade off here would be to apply the pressure on Pakistan to deliver Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other top al Qaeda operatives to the United States. Once the al Qaeda network is dismantled, there could be great rewards for Pakistan and an assurance of equality in military technology between the 2 nations.

I know; its the old carrot and the stick, and we're all tired of the United States using the stick. None the less; Pakistan needs to be able to control this extremist movement within it's borders. Any step the U.S. could take to accelerate that cooperation could lessen the time we have to be present in the region. We all know that Pakistan needs to take giant steps to eliminate the extremist within it's borders or it won't be long before these wackos have their fingers on a nuclear button.

tomtoak

Cyber Security and the Threat from al Qaeda

President Barack Obama has long expressed a fear that the next attack on America may well be a cyber attack. During Obama's campaign, he pledged to develop a strategy to ensure that the internet infrastructure is protected from dismantling efforts of our enemies. On February 17, 2009, Obama begin a 60 day review process to assess the effectiveness of the Bush $30 billion cyber defense policy. He appointed Melissa Hathaway to lead this effort which requires a comprehensive study in a very short time period. This leadership on display is what was continually lacking during the Bush administration.

Let me share with you why I have become really concerned. On March 17, 2009, Air Force General Kevin Chilton, the head of the Pentagon's Strategic Command warned Congress that the risk of cyber attack remains a very serious threat. Chilton told Congress that his command has responsibility to protect the military networks, but they are not charged with protecting other government or private networks that, if attacked, would cripple the nation.

This is a truly scary report to Congress. It seems like the Bush administration was sound asleep again. Not only did Bush sleep in the months before 911, it sounds like he's been sleeping during the entire 8 years of his presidency. While Dick Cheney was so busy torturing our enemies, I don't believe that they understood the real risk here. The testimony of General Chilton would tend to support this. Chilton had to be aware of all of the efforts to protect the internet from crippling cyber attack; that was his job. Apparently, the government's effort lacked the ability and/or authority to protect the entire system.

After the attack on 911, the Bush administration put in place many security measures that focused on preventing future attacks. I do think their primary focus was on the possibility of similar grand attacks that could show extremist Islamic disdain for western civilization. Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff, Lawrence Wilkerson, just called Dick Cheney "evil" and he went on to say that his fear mongering is "assisting" al Qaeda. While Cheney calls our enemies, evil, and I believe that he is right, he lost focus on what 21st century threats might well entail. Cheney spent too much time hating the enemy and not enough time studying the enemy. This is the sad truth behind Wilkerson's comments. We can never forget that the main goal in previous al Qaeda attacks was to bring down financial systems.

Just think about this. If you could bring down the financial systems of western civilization with a cyber attack, would you be focusing on trying to get a few hijackers through the tightened airport security systems throughout the world? Why would you do that if you could stay in your cave, enlist some smart people to focus on a cyber attack world wide that then could be launched from anywhere, or multiple places? You could carry on your attack without the need for weapons and without the risk of exposure in a security conscious world. Every computer in the world then becomes a potential weapon.

While we do have to worry about the enemy getting a dirty bomb that could kill a lot of people and seriously hurt our nation and the world, the risk of uncovering such a plot is great. I think the enemy sees little risk in preparing for a cyber attack. Dick Cheney was dedicated to keeping a dirty bomb out of the hands of our enemies; I'm not sure, following the testimony of General Chilton, that his administration was preparing us for all of the threats in the 21st century.

Dick Cheney may not feel as secure as when he was running the show; but I have to tell you, I sure as hell feel a lot safer with Obama at the helm. I sincerely hope that Obama has the time to install the proper security measures, because Bush and company have squandered valuable time.

tomtoak