The war in Afghanistan is finally over.

300 million dollars a day for 20 years.

We attacked and occupied a country that never attacked us.

The cost of human lives and suffering is incalculable.

The brave people of the military who risked their lives are heroes.

The corrupt politicians who sent them there with no risk to themselves or their families should be tried for war crimes.

Instead, they live lives of luxury and comfort while veterans suffer.

And it accomplished nothing to protect us. 

I leave you with the words of President Eisenhower :

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. “

The Need for Strong Government

The Ebola lesson tells us that a strong, well-funded government is important. We have known about this virus for 38 years and have not invested in enough study to create a vaccine. Pharmaceutical companies demonstrate the failure of capitalism to fund research on anything that they can't make enough profit on. Those who push for less government, have their result - less investment in science, less investment in preparedness, sickness, and death. 

Selective Horror

The media has begun to show us the atrocities of the Syrian civil war in the drumbeat to war. Where were these pictures and numbers in the attack of Iraq when we were the bombers and killers? The numbers in Syria: over 100,00 dead and  2 million refugees. Did you ever see any numbers about Iraq? If you asked 100 people in the U.S. -  how many people were forced into refugee camps, how many daughters were forced into prostitution to support their families, how many were killed or wounded - none of them would have a clue. It seems it's only a war crime when you lose the war or is committed by someone else.

Abe on Money

Shame

On this day I am ashamed to be an American.
A president who committed torture and war crimes, who caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people, who caused the injuries and homelessness of millions is being honored with a presidential library. He should be honored with a war crimes trial. With one in four children living in poverty, the wealthy have money for a library for a criminal.

Let 'Em Eat Cake

The Congress is getting ready to tie cost of living Social Security adjustments to the chained CPI. It basically says that if a substitute food is available that is cheaper, then the adjustment will go down. So, if vegetables are expensive, then elderly poor can just replace it with cake. This is unconscionable to do to the elderly poor. The wealthy haven't learned the lessons of the French Revolution. A small group of people in this country are living fabulously wealthy lifestyles while more and more people are being driven into poverty. How much greed is enough?

Benghazi Shuffle

Instead of talking about what was said after the consulate attacks in Benghazi, shouldn't we be talking about why they happened? Aren't  the lives of the people who were killed more important than making political points? Shouldn't we be talking about who were the legislators who voted down the State Department's request for additional funds for security?