It's the War Economy, Duh! by Cindy Sheehan

“Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains.” 

Karl Marx

"I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag."

Smedley Darlington Butler

I recently sent out a statement in solidarity with the workers who are standing firm against their respective states wanting to make the workers pay more for their benefits and retirement—Wisconsin is hoping to make state workers take what amounts to an 18% cut in pay by raising their contributions for these safety nets. Wisconsin is also trying to severely limit collective bargaining for state workers, which, of course would further undermine labor.

With the cost of EVERYTHING rising because the cost of the US’s “reserve currency,” gasoline, is rising, asking the working class to sacrifice any more is unconscionable, especially when it is not the fault of the workers that capitalism is in such a state of crisis right now. Where does the Robber Class always go to preserve its status quo? That’s right, right after the resources of the Robbed Class.

Last year on this date, the average price of a gallon of gas was $2.70, and today it’s $3.29! With the volatility of oil prices resting on increasing political turmoil in the countries that produce (or give unfettered access to canals and pipelines) the most oil, one would have to wonder who really is behind the chaos in these countries? 

Today, with the average price per gallon of heating oil rising to 3.62 (up .72 cents per gallon from last year), the Obama administration is cutting back on and heating oil subsidies for the most vulnerable of our population after he just signed a two-year extension of tax cuts for the rich! Extending the Bush era tax cuts for the rich added almost 900 billion dollars to the deficit and to partially offset that wealthy-fare, he is slashing social programs for the poor.

The defense industry received another swelling of its coffers by the Pentagon (the cash machine for the profiteers) being allotted a record-shattering 550 billion dollars plus some 160 billion dollars for the OCO (Overseas Contingency Operation). That brings the Pentagon’s base budget (doesn’t include black-ops , the nuclear program , or foreign military aid ). All this from a "peace" president who campaigned on a platform unequivocally stating (with his fingers crossed behind his back), that, as president, he would include the cost of the wars in with the regular budgets and not ask for supplemental funding as his predecessor had done on numerous occasions.

I got a text from my sister in Southern California tonight and it said: “Wow, Ed Schultz (centrist radio talk show host and host of The Ed Schultz Show) is really bashing Obama for this thing in Wisconsin right now.” First of all, I don’t watch MSNBC, because once one starts cashing ones pay checks from the war machine, it changes a person. No matter how good he/she was before, the Imperial Puppet Show must go on!

Secondly, my reply to her was: “It’s about time, too bad few people have been disillusioned by Obama’s violent foreign policy!” Indeed, I have been watching the left-wing coverage of the stand in Wisconsin, and elsewhere (which I wholeheartedly support), and I have yet to see one sign that says something like: “End the Wars, End our Economic Woes.” Just because I haven’t seen a sign like that doesn’t mean there aren’t any out there, but there couldn’t be that many.

Madison is a town I have been to several times and I enjoy its radicalism and easy-going rhythms. I know it’s also a town steeped in antiwar radicalism, yet I wonder when was the last time that Madison got tens of thousands of people out for an antiwar rally—and when was the last time thousands of Wisconsinites occupied its state building and demanded that the Wisconsin National Guard (and millions of dollars) be brought back from the disastrous war of terror? I am not picking on the dear people of Wisconsin—I AM PICKING ON ALL OF US!

Last March, I called for the same kind of action on the National Mall—camp out and refuse to leave until Obama set a date for complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq—we didn’t even get tens of dozens of people to come out to Camp Out Now, and it’s not really possible to make a stand with about 20 people. Tens of thousands of committed people would have made a difference, twos of tens could not.

MoveOn.org, the amazing anti-Bush and anti-Republican online activist organization that has met few Democratic War Mongers that it didn’t love, is calling for rallies at all 50 state capitol buildings on February 25^th—what a bunch of astounding hypocrites that organization has turned out to be—the only reason that MoveOn.org is getting behind the working people is because they know, that like the war in Iraq when Bush was president, this is an issue that can highlight the failures of the Republican Party while conveniently ignoring the fact that, besides take the money of organized labor, the Democrats have done very little in recent memory to elevate the economic and social conditions of the working class in this country. The failure of the economy to work for the working class is systemic--it is not a partisan issue. It’s a class issue—and while Obama gives lip service in support of the cause wherever there is a Republican governor, he’s sending the children of our working class (military recruitment has been Obama’s only successful jobs’ program) to kill the children of the disadvantaged in foreign lands.

It’s the war economy, duh. It’s been widely reported that it costs one million dollars a year to keep one troop deployed in Afghanistan—with about 100, 000 troops currently there, if that immoral misadventure ended tomorrow, that would be a 100 BILLION dollar savings just on troop upkeep!

Wisconsin is facing a 137 million dollar budget deficit—that’s 137 troops. If Obama brought home 137 troops and gave the savings to Wisconsin, that problem would be solved!

Indiana is facing a one billion dollar shortfall for 2012-2014 (they have two year budgetary cycles), and that would mean that 1000 more troops home would solve Indiana’s budgetary crisis.

My own dear state, California, is facing a WHOPPING 26 billion—because we’re a whopping state—Obama, bring home 2600 more troops and fork over the savings to us.

As a matter of fact without listing each state individually, 44 states plus the District of Columbia are in financial crises right now with a projected cumulative short fall of 125 BILLION dollars. Bringing every troop home from Afghanistan, and the remaining troops from Iraq would save 160 billion plus, because the troops are coming home, cancel that 36 billion dollar contract Boeing just received to build 179 tankers for the War Machine. Take the savings and reinvest that money back into the states and a real jobs’ program that isn’t chaired by the King of Outsourcing (Jeff Immelt), and we down here in our stratosphere would be sitting rather prettily.

Our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and friends would be home from the killing deserts and there would be decent paying jobs for them when they returned.

Don’t expect MoveOn.org to connect the dots of war spending with these budget emergencies—a look at the front page of its website mentions nada about wars, except to slam Rummy’s new book, but he’s just a Republican, anyway.

End the wars; End our Economic Woes.

It’s the War Economy, duh!

Bring our troops home and bring our prosperity home.

It's the War Economy, duh!

Plenty of Bread for War but no Bread for Bread.

It's the War Economy, duh!

No More Money for Occupation, We Need Money for Education!

It's the War Economy, duh! 

Workers of the World Unite; you have nothing to lose but your chains!

A Message of Solidarity with Workers from Cindy Sheehan

A MESSAGE FROM CINDY SHEEHAN

Working women and men, I stand with you, because I am one of you!

Some people call me the “Peace Mom," because of my unwavering work and stand for peace. In 2004, my son Casey made the ultimate sacrifice for war profiteering and imperial hubris; he was only in the Army because he wanted to take pressure off of his family for college tuition. Because I am one of you, I know that working women and men make substantial sacrifices every day of their lives.

You do it for your kids. For your spouse. And yes, even for your country.

But the sacrifices you are being asked to make today (and make no mistake, leaders of both political parties are responsible) are excessive, egregious, unconscionable and simply unthinkable in the context of personal freedom, collective responsibility, and unconditional equality.

We hear a lot of talk from politicians about compassion and concern, but the minute a politician, or a CEO, thinks the cost of doing business is too high, all that talk goes out the window – and workers pay the ultimate price.

WE MUST CHANGE THAT AND THE STRUGGLE HAS BEGUN!

This is NOT a financial issue! State and national deficits rise and fall with economic cycles. Those who would rob you of your rights know this, and they are lying! They want to scare you into giving up your rights.

DON’T LET THEM! WE MUST STAND FIRM!


This is not a political issue! It has nothing to do with conservatives or liberals, as some try to portray it. A brand new poll says that over 60 percent of American workers SUPPORT your right of collective bargaining!

No my friends, this is not a financial issue. This is not a political issue. IT IS A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE!

If a president or a governor or a legislature or a board of directors can organize to try to steal away your rights, you must exercise your basic right to organize against them!

THAT BASIC HUMAN RIGHT IS WHAT’S AT STAKE HERE, MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! I STAND WITH YOU IN DEFENDING IT!


Stand your ground, fight for every thing that is rightfully yours, but don't let your principled and courageous stand be co-opted for crass political gain. Politicians love to grandstand on our movements and co-opt our sacrifices for votes and political contributions, but have a way of conveniently forgetting their promises shortly after election day.

As this assault on your rights continues, take a minute to think about how it happened. We got to this place because we have voted, year after year, for the LESSER OF TWO EVILS. Remember this fact the next time you vote, and remember this: THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS IS STILL EVIL.

If America is serious about leading the way in human rights, we must protect and expand the rights of those who keep America going: the working class.

I THANK YOU!! I SUPPORT YOU!!

IN SOLIDARITY,

Cindy Sheehan

USA MATRIOT ACT by Cindy Sheehan

The USA MATRIOT ACT

"Uniting and Strengthening All by Mentoring Appropriate Trust Required to Instruct and Obstruct Tyranny"

EGYPTIAN WOMEN FIGHTING TYRANNY

Today, (Feb 16, 2011) the Senate approved an extension of the treasonous USA PATRIOT ACT, following the lead of the House of Representatives.

The USA PATRIOT ACT, commonly called "the Patriot Act," is an acronym contrived to make something that is completely tyrannical and fascist sound appealing. The USA PATRIOT ACT stands for: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act

With this nation overstretched in at least three foreign wars of aggression based on the lies of such international “luminaries” as confessed liar/murderer “Curveball,” and with the concurrent global economic crisis, it’s dubious whether the USA PATRIOT ACT “united or strengthened America,” in the first place. Secondly, there are many reasons to be cynical about the reasons for ramming the Patriot Act down our throats, anyway.

Michael Moore’s film, Fahrenheit 911 was probably the first international, semi-mainstream exposure that highlighted the way the Patriot Act was passed. Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) recounts how each office got a copy of this massive bill and were given instructions to pass it without having time to analyze or even skim it. Sixty-six House Members and one Senator, Feingold from Wisconsin, were the only ones who did not commit treason on October 26, 2001 by voting to flush what remained of the US Constitution down the toilet of manufactured-mass hysteria.

Of course, my opponent when I ran for US Congress in 2008, “liberal” Nancy Pelosi from “left-wing” San Francisco voted “aye.” Nancy Pelosi proves that not all women operate with the same instincts for peace and protecting the defenseless. This is a side note, but I read a transcript of the interview that I did with President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, (the interview was in English and Spanish) and when the person who transcribed the interview, who was switching from English to Spanish and doing a fabulous job, heard that I told President Chavez that I ran against “Nancy Pelosi,” she heard and wrote: “Nazi policy,” Nancy’s recent career and the trajectory of this Empire in reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT ACT today (under the regime of a Constitutional Law professor) only highlights the Freudian nature of that “slip.”

Well, unlike the POTUS, I am not a Constitutional Law professor, but it “doesn’t take a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” and I have felt the impact of the increased police state since the passage of this act in 2001.

I have written pretty extensively on the idea of "Matriotism" as a counterbalance to the oftentimes violent jingoism of "Patriotism," where in a time of national crisis, we are to rally around the leadership of this country and blindly follow them to death, or the death of our children (not theirs), no matter how demented their policies are, or no matter how much they contradict basic human rights, human nature and common sense. A Matriot rallies around common sense and peaceful conflict resolution in times of crises—we believe that every human being--not just white, Christian Americans—have the same rights to peace and prosperity and the only way we’ll ever fight is to protect defenseless souls from the encroachment of the dreaded Patriotism. “Patriotism and Patriarchy” stem from the same Roman root of patria which means “fatherland,” but sometimes Father doesn’t always Know Best!

Even though, as a Matriot, I have deep problems with the Constitution as it favored the immoral institution of slavery, did nothing to curb imperialism, or the slaughter of the indigenous populations, and didn’t even mention women, it was a fairly liberal document and became more so with the forced inclusion of a Bill of Rights—I think the US Constitution is far superior to the USA PATRIOT ACT, yet has been rendered totally irrelevant it.

The Patriot Act blatantly curbs our own human rights to privacy and due process in this country and has been used to justify everything from warrantless wire-tapping to indefinite detention—the Bill of Rights explicitly covers these two breeches in the 4^th (The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized), and 6^th (all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense), and 8^th (excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted).  

Security of ones person and papers and being free from torture and illegal detention were some of the major points of contention the colonials had with the British colonists.

So, in my opinion, here we live in a country where the government has no legitimate right to rule over us! If the Congress can abrogate the Bill of Rights and its enumerated power  (Article I, Sect 8, Clause 11) to declare war, then it has abrogated itself!

Consequently, since today the Congress of the USA has just further made itself illegitimate under US law, a free people do declare that Congress is not the "boss of us."

We reject the USA PATRIOT ACT and its draconian oppressions and declare ourselves a free people based on the political and human law that says a government can only have authority over us with our permission.

Please join me in withdrawing your permission to be misgoverned—the USA MATRIOT ACT: the Unity and Strengthening All by Mentoring Appropriate Trust Required to Instruct and Obstruct Tyranny, is OUR WAY—whether you are male or female.

Education, peace, and the struggle against tyranny is our inalienable human responsibility.

A Tale of Two Cindys (CIndy Sheehan interviews Cindy Corrie)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Once Upon a Time in the Evil Empire by Cindy Sheehan

America is a Nation with a mission - and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace - a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman.
Emperor George the III
 

Once upon a time in the Evil Empire, there arose to the Most Powerful Office in the Land, a very stupidly evil man named, George Walker Bush (the III George of the Empire).

George the III had been a less than mediocre student in school, he failed in every business that he tried to operate and as governor of one of the far-flung provinces of the Evil Empire called Texas, he was an unmitigated disaster. The axe of his executioner swung wildly and he dismantled the education system while ruining the environment.

George Walker Bush was not much different that any other Ruler of the Evil Empire in his Evilness, but the arrogant stupidity of his Evilness began to turn many of the Subjects of the Evil Empire off. What was also so different about George the III was that he stole the office in not a subtle coup, as in previous times, but in an obvious coup that ripped any semblance of democracy to shreds.

In the first year of the Reign of George the III, the Evil Empire was attacked because of its Evil Ways around the globe and George the III and his Consort, Richard the Sick-Hearted, sent the Armies of the Evil Empire to various regions of the planet to murder, rape and pillage, thus causing more hatred and resentment towards the Evil Empire, and anon, the Subjects of the Evil Empire also became very restless.

The Subjects of the Evil Empire rose up in great numbers to oust George and Richard, but the Royal Ass-wipes in the Parliament refused to depose the dictators until the appointed time that they were to leave the Highest Office in the Land.

George and Richard returned to the comfortable lives of the Evil Empire’s Nobility, but when they left, they left two wars raging and an economic crisis that was the worst that the Subjects had experienced in generations.

Lo, and in the Year of the Lord 2008, an Angel appeared unto the Evil Empire (on CNN) and said: "Rejoice, you highly favored Ones! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among Nations!” And unto the Evil Empire was given a savior: Barack Obama.

The Subjects in the Kingdom of Democrats did rejoice with great rejoicing and the memory of the trials and tribulations of the last eight years receded from Memory—although the trials and tribulations remained.

In the Kingdom of the Republicans, though, the same trials and tribulations that Blinded them during the reign of George the III and Richard the Sick-Hearted miraculously appeared to them and they became most distressed and formed their rage into Tea Parties where no actual tea was served along with the stupidity and racism.

What is the point of this above Fairy Tale? The US is a Mythocracy where the puppets in apparent leadership roles dance to the whims of the real rulers of this country: the Corporatocracy:

Basically, what Economic Hit Men are trained to do is to build up the American empire. To create situations where as many resources as possible flow into this country, to our corporations, and our government, and in fact we've been very successful.
John Perkins (Confessions of an Economic Hitman)
 

This fact is not a crazy conspiracy theory and the US isn’t the only country run by the super-wealthy—Anti-globalization movements like the ones against the economic oligarchies of the G8, G20, WTO and World Bank understand this simple fact.

Look at the recent democratic uprising in Egypt. The puppet of this global oligarchy, Mubarak, hung onto to power for 18 days, even sending in thugs to kill hundreds of anti-Mubarak protesters, stalling the inevitability of his departure.

Why did Mubarak stay for so long? He told CNN’s, Christiane Amanpour, that he didn’t even want to be “president” anymore, after 30 years of rape and pillage. He stayed, according to a recent article in the UK Telegraph, to make sure his wealth, estimated upwards of 70 billion dollars was secure. Mubarak was not about to beat a hasty retreat without making sure every last penny was securely away from being frozen by Swiss authorities or re-appropriated back to the people he stole it from.

Mubarak was never a public servant of the people of Egypt—public servants don’t amass Pharaoh-sized fortunes. He was given billions of pieces of silver to betray his people and the people of Palestine with this blood money.

The oligarchy’s hand-picked, hand-puppet in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, and his family sit on a goldmine for them and their masters: vast mineral deposits and the CIA-opium trade. According to Wiki-leaks documents released late last year, the US is “distressed” at the corruption in Afghanistan and millions (if not billions) of dollars that flow into Afghanistan from US taxpayers, flow right back out of the country to such places as Dubai, where Karzai and his cronies can be assured that if they are chased out of Afghanistan by a popular uprising, their wealth is secured. If the US is so “distressed” by all the corruption and graft in Afghanistan, why is Karzai allowed to remain—it’s not because he has been “democratically” elected in a process that is blatantly fraudulent—no, it’s because he’s a willing dancer with the hand of the puppeteer firmly ensconced in his nether-regions.

There are some nations that are able to remain relatively independent of the global oligarchy and one such nation sits just 90 miles off the tip of Florida: Cuba.

Although Cuba was used as a wedge between the US and the USSR during the Cold War, it has never been a military or economic threat to us—what it is down there is a constant reminder to the Global Imperialists that, no matter how tiny, there are still places that can remain free and survive.

The propaganda about Cuba is stunningly wrong and pathetically obvious, and one doesn’t have to dig too deeply in the mire to find out the truth, but ask yourself this: Why is the US obsessed with Cuba and the Castros when it has supported too many dictatorships in Latin America to count? Why was Allende overthrown in favor of the appalling murderer and oppressor, Pinochet in Chile?

Why is the Empire obsessed with democratically elected and supported Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, yet props up a violent Narco-State like Colombia?

The still recent CIA-backed coup (they’re all CIA backed) in Honduras deposed Zelaya to install a more oligarchy friendly regime, is another example of blatant hypocrisy.

The reason the Karzais and Mubaraks of the world are so beloved by the globalists and hated by the people is the same reason that the Chavez’s and Castro’s of the world are hated by the globalists and loved by their people (and others who have been inspired by their stands)—leaders like Chavez and Castro have insulted this Corporatocracy by insisting that the wealth and resources of their respective countries belong to the people of that nation.

Let’s hope that the uprisings against the elites of this world that didn’t start in Egypt, but was so obvious there, continue.

Our brothers and sisters in Latin America have been doing an admirable, if unsung job, rising up against the puppet-masters from the bottom to the top in some cases.

Here we sit in the seat of the globalist’s wet dream—the United States of America. Ah, America, where the people on the bottom of the economic ladder still think it’s possible to claw, fight, kick, and scratch our way to the top and we won’t allow any pesky facts to get in the way of our quest for this impossible Madison avenue induced nightmare.

If most of us can’t even discern that it doesn’t matter who dances for the elite in the Oval Office, then all is lost before we even begin.

Emperor Obama, and Emperor Bush before him, were installed in their positions by the same institutions that installed Mubarak and Karzai. The difference is, with our complicit media, many of us still firmly believe in the illusion of political “choice.”

The elites of the world never call these people dictators, but their people do.    

Will this Once Upon a Time have a happy ending for the heroes? Only the people themselves can decide that.

The antiwar movement is asleep at the wheel. Interview WITH Cindy Sheehan

 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO INTERVIEW