Fear Based Initiative - Post 9/11/2001 War of Terror

For about 7 years US was governed not based on superiority of our ideals or strength of our democracy but mainly based on FEAR of that sad day. The Bush administration set the course towards first by reacting to that horrible attack in such a way to elicit the most violent response that pursued. The us and them, seek and destroy, crusade, Islamic Fascist, and Islamic Terrorists terms were used to accentuate the WAR on Terror and bring all American including Obama and Clinton on board.

We were told this is do or die, terrorists are ready and willing to attack again and kill more of us. So we the people based on fear gave Bush administration a blank check to go do whatever it takes to make us safe. So they did by torchering, rendering, profiling, waging wars (not just in Afghanistan), detaining people without charge, and ferrying 'suspects" from one place to another for "out sourced" torchering. I suspect lot more things were done that will not come out until later when a brave young journalist or ex-CIA guy comes out with revelations. Those reports will trickle in little by little as time goes on.

What we were NOT told was that 9/11 attacks was a criminal act even though its ompact was spectacular. It essentially involved one mode of attack with multiple targets. It only meant that we had several hundred hard criminals with twisted sense of ideals and justice that were willing to kill Innocent people to take revenge or spread fear.

Bush by uttering the term "Islamic" terrorists basically lumped 1.2 Billion people in that camp with those few hundred criminals. Well, good, Bush succeeded and now we have lot more than few hundred criminals to point our M16s towards. If we continue the horse trading with Pakistan and other nations and keep the covert operations going the situation will get even worse later. Bombing the so called targets in Swat or other areas by drones or missiles will only feed the resistance.

The Islamic world will take no less than perhaps one generation to forget dehumanizing effects of Bush's war on Islamic terror. Obama with all his charm will not pull the wool over their eyes. US will not be trusted as a balanced superpower in that region for another 20 years or more. Israel will also suffer from these actions with perhaps its physical state changing to something else, similar to what happend to South Africa.

We will see Russians cozying up to middle east countries to fill the US void and that can not be good for our long term objectives in that region. We need to engage the nations in the region with one simple and profound position that says we are unbiased and will adhere to the same basic human rights and democratic principles that we hold dear for our citizens.

NO MORE ONE SET OF RULES FOR WEST AND ANOTHER FOR THIRD WORLD.

Obama

The old tired whites will view him as beginning of an end to the American Experience, the blacks see him as the house boy, but he is the future look of our planet.

The Obama factor regardless of the man that now resides in the white house will shape the future. The future of our planet is far more interesting than the man with opinons formed by his black and white surroundings. He is/will govern in a conglomeration of Regan, Clinton, and Bushe ways but his face will (and it already has) change all of us for the better.

Better times ahead, I say ---

Victory Pictures

I was just reviewing the list of Obama cabinet and white house staff and noticed sprinkled with other pictures were good amount of "Iraq" ones. It made me think of the victory pictures of triumphant army posing with the dead bodies of the enemy. I wondered how Iraqi children will feel about these pictures once they realize their parents and family members were killed for no reason and too salt the wound the victorious army brought technocrats and politicians to the occupied land so they could see the prize and take pictures for the folks back home.

The most grotesque picture that I remember was of Robert Gates standing with soldiers holding "Texas A&M AGGIES" banner, his old stumping ground. It made me sad and more pessimistic about state of our UNION. The picture yet again reminded me of the Abu Gharib scenes of solders taking pictures with dead and alive prisoners.

I hope I'm not the only one that is disgusted here ---