Bush's Final Days of Inaction, Meltdown and Destruction

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - We don't have much time left when it comes to the embarrassing debacle that is the Bush Administration, but almost as if to tweak us even more before leaving office, the so-called President has decided to pretty much ignore a new middle eastern war in favor of cutting brush at his Crawford Ranch. It seems there's no end to the joke that is George W. Bush.

My position is simple, I do believe that Israel has a right to defend itself, and the Gaza attacks were probably necessary, but I also feel that excessive force is unwarranted. That's what seems to be unfolding now. The danger of a wider, regional conflict is VERY serious, and now I'm terrified by what is unfolding in the Gaza Strip.

People, WE could be drawn into a larger conflict. That is something that we CANNOT AFFORD right now. The US has to get involved to calm the situation NOW! Instead, Bush refuses to leave his vacation, and Rice hasn't left her Washington office. They don't seem to be doing anything!

To give us some perspective, this is the very same President, the one who claims to honor his promises to the American people with a seriousness only Republicans can understand, who pledged to resolve the Middle East peace process from Annapolis just 13 months ago. Well, the White House quietly dismissed that promise last month. Now it's taken that breakdown one step further by IGNORING the Middle East all together.

George W. Bush, the narcissistic fool, who Republicans continue to defend for psychotic reasons few others understand, REFUSES to leave his final vacation to try and mitigate the disaster unfolding before our eyes. Just like Katrina, the man's inaction and incompetence will worsen a serious situation that might have been helped under normal leadership. It's almost as if he dares us to despise him even more.

We're facing the possibility of a larger WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST. What is Bush doing? He has ABANDONED HIS POST, LEFT THE SINKING SHIP, and FLED THE FIELD OF BATTLE. Much like during Katrina, his desertion is leading to more death, more destruction. The Republican leadership should be demanding more action NOW to prevent increased cross-border conflict! Instead, they continue to defend him. Again, we must endure the bizarro world of the far right.

Again and again, the American people are left to wonder how we got into this nightmare. Once more, we are forced to watch our leaders DO NOTHING. Oh well, I guess if the war spreads, and the Middle East and other parts of the world IGNITE in conflict, then at least George W. Bush and his supporters will be far away from the action. That's justice for you, and more of the same if you ask me.

George W. Bush, you are either EVIL or inept, incompetent, and inadequate to do the job. You have been one or the other for a long time now. Like any soldier who is incapacitated, mentally like you or physically like most, you should be removed immediately! Unfortunately, we have to endure you for another 20+ days. But when that time comes, GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH has never been more relevant. Oh yes, and God help the people of the Middle East, and the world.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

The Short-Sightedness Of Al Gore's Crusade

BY MICHAEL LINN JONES

I'm very happy for former Vice President Al Gore. Being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is an honor no matter the circumstances. Beyond that, however, I have a hard time jumping on Gore's bandwagon to "save the world."

From THE NATION I read this speech by Al Gore, A Precious and Painful Vision of the Future . I'm not saying that Gore's climate change crusade is all bad; quite the contrary. But, in his zeal to address the issue his approach and solution bank leave me rather skeptical.

So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations now trapping more and more heat from the sun.

As a result, the earth has a fever. And the fever is rising. The experts have told us it is not a passing affliction that will heal by itself. We asked for a second opinion. And a third. And a fourth. And the consistent conclusion, restated with increasing alarm, is that something basic is wrong.

Indeed, without realizing it, we have begun to wage war on the earth itself. Now, we and the earth's climate are locked in a relationship familiar to war planners: "Mutually assured destruction."

SNIP,

More than two decades ago,scientists calculated that nuclear war could throw so much debris and smoke into the air that it would block life-giving sunlight from our atmosphere, causing a "nuclear winter." Their eloquent warnings here in Oslo helped galvanize the world's resolve to halt the nuclear arms race.

Now science is warning us that if we do not quickly reduce the global warming pollution that is trapping so much of the heat our planet normally radiates back out of the atmosphere, we are in danger of creating a permanent "carbon summer."

As the American poet Robert Frost wrote, "Some say the world will end in fire; some say in ice." Either, he notes, "would suffice."

But neither need be our fate. It is time to make peace with the planet.

SNIP,

We also need a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store carbon dioxide.

And most important of all, we need to put a price on carbon--with a CO2 tax that is then rebated back to the people, progressively, according to the laws of each nation, in ways that shift the burden of taxation from employment to pollution. This is by far the most effective and simplest way to accelerate solutions to this crisis.

The world needs an alliance--especially of those nations that weigh heaviest in the scales where earth is in the balance. I salute Europe and Japan for the steps they've taken in recent years to meet the challenge, and the new government in Australia, which has made solving the climate crisis its first priority.

Matthew O'Keefe of Papamoka Straight Talk recently wrote a piece, CLOCK TICKING ON BIG OIL. The title itself addresses the main fear put forth by Mr. Gore. Environmentally the party is over. Yet economically it is also. When it reaches the point that a temper tantrum by some Mid-East tyrant, or South American tyrant drives the price of oil up overnight, then it's time to take serious stock of where we are and where we're going.

Where we are is stretched over an oil barrel. I have not heard it yet put forth by anyone that there might be a cheaper, more abundant, and cleaner form of energy for daily use. There MIGHT be, but that political will mentioned by Mr. Gore is missing. While it is believed by many (including me) that the current administration is more than happy to let the chips fall where they may....this sacred "free market solution" fantasy....it is also fair to ask why Mr. Gore did not use his influence to have then-President Clinton get the ball rolling while oil was stable and relatively cheap.

Re-reading Gore's entire speech, I get this weird feeling like I'm listening to Noah demand that someone build an Ark; that the world is on the edge of total life-ending disaster. But Noah in this case is shouting from his private yacht.

To say that we are at war with our planet and must make peace with it goes beyond a rational warning to an incitement of irrational fear. Pushing for "carbon credits" is to me a nice hypothetical high school solution, but not much else.

And despite Mr. Gore's strong belief in the collective action of treaties and laws, there is NOTHING in economic terms that does the trick like individuality. Americans drive millions of cars dumping millions of tons of pollutants every year. Yet those vehicles give people individual freedom that is not going to be forsaken in favor of trolleys and light rail.

The push should be in the direction of what form of energy is used in the future. Let me pose this question: how far do most people drive their cars to and from work each day? Mat O'Keefe and I discussed this, and it is plainly clear that battery-powered vehicles would suit the needs of the vast majority of commuters.

New battery technology would have to be developed. In two areas..nuclear power and computer technology....private enterprise has done well AFTER the government gave things a shove.

Taxes of any kind affect economic affairs; that is easily understood. Carbon taxes as proposed are one-dimensional...they would make some people feel good (like tossing money into the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas) but would impact those at the lower end of the scale the most. Anyone who says that taxes can be imposed on businesses and not be passed on to consumers is either a fool or a liar.

Tax incentives on the other hand can always lure someone to take a chance. We desperately need leadership on this, no doubt. But scaring the hell out of people without offering hope through a clear and concise policy change is not helping matters.

I know; I know...Al Gore offers some but most of his message is that dire warning harangue. What opponents of Mr. Gore's climate change warnings must not lose sight of is that the debate about whether there IS global warming or not is quickly becoming irrelevant.

What counts most is that ticking clock on oil. Those with the power and influence are betraying national security by not giving us that clear and concise lead.

Towards a stable tomorrow, free of oil speculators and oil tyrants.
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Cross-posted at Michaellinnjones.com

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