On Alliances and Foreign Intervention

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe

But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

-Bob Dylan-

“My enemy’s enemy is my friend.” –Chinese Proverb

The American Revolution may have dragged on and quite possibly could have been lost if not for the involvement of the French. They supplied warships, supplies, and troops, but more importantly gave full recognition of the American colonies as a free and independent country. The irony here is not (15) years before, the very same French were fighting the colonists for dominance in the Northwest Territory (current mid-west).

The French were soundly defeated and humiliated during the Seven Years War by the British. The war was fought on multiple, global fronts including the American Colonies. During the French and Indian War, both the French and the British were able to form temporary alliances with native tribes that historically hated each other, otherwise known as friendships of convenience.

At the conclusion of the American Revolution, and the subsequent ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, the Federalists had taken over, Jefferson was in self-exile, and was being referred to as a “Francophile”. Alexander Hamilton had the stage, and was supporting the re-establishment of relations with Great Britain. This, of course, meant hanging France out to dry. Enemy, friend, ally, friend, and then estrangement. Although Washington himself was an independent supporter of the Federalists, a quote from his inaugural mirrored Jefferson’s:

“It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.”-George Washington from the 1796 Inauguration

“Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none”.-Thomas Jefferson from the 1801 Inauguration

“My enemy’s enemy is my friend.”

Winston Churchill detested Communists. The United States were isolationists, and had shown no fervent interest in actively involving our military in the early stages of WWII. But for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, we may have remained on the sideline, and continued to provide advisors to assist the British logistically. The alliance with Stalin was born out of necessity after Hitler reneged on his promise of non-aggression with the Soviet Union.

"If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons"-Winston Churchill

In the early days of the Nazi invasion of Poland, FDR stood his ground, maintaining the issue was a European one, and they should deal with it themselves. In the late 1930’s Prime Minister Chamberlain had “negotiated” a deal with Adolf Hitler, much to the chagrin of the Conservatives in Parliament. “Appeasement” took on a whole new meaning, allowing Hitler to annex Czechoslovakia, leaving him wide open for his conquest of Europe.

Fast forward to 1945, the Red Army invaded Berlin, and the Cold War was on.

“My friend’s enemy is my enemy.”

The U.S. eventually normalized relations with Germany, and the new enemy was our former ally, The Soviet Union. Japan became a trading partner, but remains arch enemies with China. The Chinese backed North Korea during the Korean War, so another former ally becomes an enemy.

“My enemy’s friend is my enemy.”

Consider the relationship with the Shah of Iran. After he was deposed and the U.S. embassy was attacked, all of a sudden we are supplying Saddam Hussein with weapons for his war against the Ayatollah. Look ahead a few years, and we are running Saddam out of Kuwait.

The U.S. supplies the Mujahideen in Afghanistan with Stinger missiles to knock Soviet helicopters down, and, next thing we know, these former freedom fighters are running airplanes into the World Trade Center. It would seem that even these temporary alliances or friendships of convenience come back to bite us time after time.

“My old friend is my new enemy.”

Jefferson had it right. It may be that temporary alliances are necessary, but in Jefferson’s world, they must be avoided whenever possible. His philosophy of neutrality made the most sense (see Switzerland). Being directly attacked complicates neutrality, but it is still sound policy. Our problem is feeling compelled to solve everybody else’s problems. A non-interventionalist policy is good policy. Engage in global commerce with no limitations, but back off entirely with foreign deployments that have little or no impact on us as a nation.

Does this sound like too much idealism? It made sense (70) years ago, and most certainly did (200) years ago. While I am not proposing total isolationism, foreign military intervention hasn’t had any real positive impact since WWII. Protect our shores and borders, engage globally, and allow us life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Pretty catchy, huh?

“My friend’s friend is my friend.”

Not always.

“My enemy’s enemy is my enemy.”

Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, oh man, never mind.............maybe a discussion for another day.

Rants and Raves.......

On Turtle Flu: It seems the Australians have identified a new strain of flu that can be transferred directly from pet turtles to humans....pigs....birds...turtles? We are all doomed......next thing you know flu will be passed from human to human.....

On Plantar Fasciitis: Eli Manning is a big girl..........

On Healthscare: The president revived the healthcare debate by handing out white lab coats at the White House....is BHO a great strategist, or what?

On Healthscare 2: Harry “I’m a blithering fool” Reid and Nancy “I didn’t used to look like this” Pelosi are fighting a GOP plan to post the Health care Reform bill online 72 hours prior to the Senate vote. Funny thing is, the Dems are not supporting this effort......gee...I wonder why? It would suck to actually know what was in the bill.........

On Healthscare 3: ........so I’m walking into a grocery store the other day, and, as always, there are those antiseptic hand wipes by the door. The lady I followed in grabs a grocery cart, by the handle, wheels it to the door, and proceeds to wipe down the handle with one of those antiseptic hand wipes......this is kind of like putting on a condom right after sex.........isn’t it?

On the War on Terror: The Clueless-in-Chief is having a difficult time deciding whether or not to adopt the strategies as recommended by General McCrystal. (10) more GI’s dead....make a decision Mr. President; the bodies are piling up.....

On the War on Terror 2: The leader of the Pakistani Taliban is apparently a very funny guy, and also not dead as the White House had reported. Flanked by his homeboys, he was cracking jokes and promised death to all American Pig Dog Infidels (PDI’s). He also described his group's relationship to al-Qaeda as one of "love and affection." Makes me weepy.........

On the Stimulus: Another great idea.....like the New Deal and the Great Society......Why can’t our fearless leaders in Washington open up a history book from time to time........

On the End of World: It seems as though the Hopi Indians of the American southwest came up with December 21^st, 2012 as the “end of the world as we know it” around the same time the Mayans did.....is that Karma or what?

On the End of World 2: So what happens on December 22^nd, 2012? Just wonderin’......

On Pack Mentality: So WTF is wrong with Florida raccoons? It seems as though a pack (gang?) of raccoons attacked a 74-year old on the front porch of her home. There were no arrests, and no gang colors were identified........

On Michelle O.: I still think she could whip Barack’s ass.........

On our Vice-Idiot: "Nobody is going to mess with your benefits. Nobody. All we do is make it better for people on Medicare," except ObamaCare takes away $100 billion over ten years from Medicare, which really means $500 billion. Since when can the Feds do more with less? I am so screwed.......

On Barney Frank: Breaking News! The CDC has confirmed MCBD (Mass Constituent Brain Damage) for the entire 4^th Congressional district of Massachusetts. This district has reelected Rep. Frank every (2) years since 1981. Environmental testing is ongoing..........quarantine a possibility.....

On Random Lyrics of 60’s Protest Songs:

Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Unborn living, living, dead
Bullet strikes the helmet's head

And it's all over
For the unknown soldier
It's all over
For the unknown soldier

-Jim Morrison

And finally.......India has 50 million monkeys, Emus cannot walk backwards, and more people are killed annually by donkeys than in airplane crashes.

“My enemy’s enemy is my friend” is an old Chinese proverb. The Prime Minister of Great Britain, circa 1940 said the following:

"If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons" - Winston Churchill

Revolution

Well, I'm a barrel of laughs,
with my carbine on
I keep 'em hoppin',
till my ammunition's gone.
But I'm still not happy,
I feel like
there's something wrong.
I got the revolution blues,
I see bloody fountains,
And ten million dune buggies
comin' down the mountains.
Well, I hear that Laurel Canyon
is full of famous stars,
But I hate them worse than lepers
and I'll kill them
in their cars.

Neil Young – Revolution Blues

Revolution-rev⋅o⋅lu⋅tion
[rev-uh-loo-shuh n]

1) Sociology; a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence.

2) an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.

Revolution as defined above refers to as “change....often accompanied by violence”. Often, but not always.

Revolution. Catchy, makes me think of The White Album.

Exteme? I don’t know. Anarchy? I don’t know. Civil War? I don’t know. Revolution? I think so. Revolution can be defined in a number of ways. In 1994 we had the “Republican Revolution” in the “Contract With America”. We had the “Fall of the Berlin Wall” in 1989 which can be described as a “peaceful” revolution. Karl Marx advocated peaceful and complete transition. Of course, he was an idealist where history has shown that his theory of government would never work. The remnants of the Soviet Union showed the world that a nearly bloodless transformation was possible, as well as satellite countries in Eastern Europe.

As we take a journey through history, we make a stop in the Dark Continent. African revolutions are typically accompanied by genocide, as Congo, Rwanda, and the Sudan can attest. On the other side of the world, Latin America is an analog to Africa with Communist Sandinistas, Shining Path Maoists, etc. While it may be true that during the 19th and early 20th century, some of these conflicts were to gain independence from European colonial rule, many were internal coups to establish new and better ruling juntas, year after year after year.

“You say you want a revolution, well, you know....”

King George III of England didn’t care much for the independent nature of the American colonies. His predecessors, I and II, allowed the British Parliament to govern the Empire, and were largely symbolic Monarchs. George the Third was young, not very bright, and took his mother’s advice to be a “King”. The timing was good because the ruling Whigs were losing favor with the “people”, and the Tories were gaining power within Parliament. King George III exerted and expanded his power base to the American colonies through various ministries. Making an example of his “bastard children”, he imposed taxes, tariffs, and general abuses on the colonials that could not be redressed due to lack of representation. The Second Continental Congress attempted reconciliation after the first shots were fired at Lexington, but the king rejected the offer. Any notion of a peaceful resolution to address the grievances were no longer a possibility.

“You tell me that it’s evolution, well, you know.....”

The Continental Army lost an estimated 25,000 soldiers, mostly from disease. These farmers and mechanics, and artisans confronted the world’s most powerful military machine of the time, and with a little luck and a whole lot of desire, forced the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.

What this brief history lesson really means is that these men laid it all on the line; their “.....lives, fortunes, and sacred honor....” so that we could experience the birth of a nation. That effort has become a mockery at best, as the blood and toil of the Patriots and Sons of Liberty have been forgotten and blemished by a Federal government that is a bloated corpse, or as Benjamin Franklin so eloquently put it, “... a dead Mackerel in the street that shines in the moonlight, but stinks as you get close enough to smell it..”. I paraphrase here, but the point is clear.

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson

Whether this quote is figurative or literal in the contemporary context, its meaning requires no explanation. The Sons of Liberty must be revived with clear direction and purpose, to reclaim our country and to take it back from a central power whose time has come and gone. We must return to the premise as written on July 4th, 1776, that is to “govern by the consent of the governed”. Which model of revolution do we adopt? Peaceful or something else? It is no longer a question of if, but when. I prefer the ballot box, unless that is no longer an option.

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately"-Benjamin Franklin

Rants and Raves........

On the 10^th Amendment: Massachusetts is considering legislation to allow the police to enter a home without a warrant to quarantine (detain) those with H1N1. The 10^th Amendment is my favorite, so.........but, golly........

On Fossil Fuel: British Petroleum discovered a huge reserve of oil in the Gulf of Mexico......whatever.....

On the survival of the Human Race: Secretary Ban Ki-Moon paid a visit to the “doomsday” seed vault in Antarctica because.....because.......well........I don’t think a guy with a name like Ban Ki-Moon should be in charge of anything....

Swine Flu 2: The CDC and our plus size Surgeon General says to expect between 30,000 and 90,000 deaths due to the Little Piggies.....now that’s nailing it........did you know that, on average, 36,000 Americans die every year from the flu?.......30,000 sounds better than 36,000,,,,,,,,,,,

On the 2^nd Amendment: Does the NRA need a better spokesman than Ted Nugent? He’s the guy we need in the Oval Office.....except he’s way to intelligent for that job........

On Healthcare: "The president is considering all of his options on how to advance the debate and get reform passed. This includes possibly laying out a more specific vision. No decisions have been made, though," the Whitehouse official said.......”possible.....more specific vision.....no decisions....” Huh? Jumbo Shrimp? Working vacation? Deafening silence?

So who says racehorses have to pee any worse than anybody else?

On the War on Terror (or whatever it’s called today): The Soviets were in Afghanistan for (10) years and left with a lot less soldiers and helicopters that it came in with......Why is our war different? We’ve been there (8) years with no end in sight......we will come home eventually with a lot less soldiers and helicopters.........

On the Stimulus: Productivity is at a (6) year high, housing sales are up, unemployment has stagnated, durable goods sale are up......experts are reporting the recession is all but history.......the stimulus money is on NEXT years budget......way to go Prez.........

On heavy metal: Cotton-Top Mandarin Monkeys have reportedly developed an affection for music from Metallica........

On the End of World: Due to the Mayans prediction that the world will end on December 21^st, 2012, should I even consider early Christmas shopping that year? Will there be more holiday discounts? Just wonderin’.......

On Bush the Younger: Since January 21^st, 2009, “W” has not said a single word about anything...perhaps the smartest political move he has ever made.......it’s killing the current occupant of the Oval Office.....BHO wishes like hell “W” would say something...anything............ain’t gonna happen.

On our Vice-Idiot: Good to see VP Biden is attending to matters of state attending the Little League World Series..........he was inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence....oh, boy......

On MJ: Has anybody buried that poor SOB yet?

More on MJ: In light of the fact that none of his children possess one strand of his DNA, and he could have bought any sperm donor in the world, why in the HELL would he pick Macaulay Culkin to father ANY of his children.....now that is wrong.......

On Nancy Pelosi: She looks really, really awful, doesn’t she?

On Teddy K.: Rest in Peace, dude, but it may be hot where you are headed......

On Mary Jo K.: I hope you are resting in peace now that your killer finally got his........(Ouch!)

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." --Thomas Paine

Relative Truth

Truth -noun, plural truths [trooth z, trooths]

1) the true or actual state of a matter

2) conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement

3) actuality or actual existence

4) an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude

5) honesty; integrity; truthfulness

It is true that all forms of abortion are acceptable; and it is true that no forms of abortions are acceptable; it is true that that first trimester abortions are acceptable.

It is true that foreign military intervention is the moral and just thing to do; it is true that foreign military intervention is moral and just when it applies to “National Security”; it is true that foreign military intervention is never applicable and we should protect our shores and borders from invasion.

It is true that redistribution of wealth is just and proper; it is true that the collection of taxes to distribute to the masses of the unfortunate is just and proper; it is true that the ideal of taking care of our own is just and proper.

It is true that the government should provide 100% of the populace with health care; it is true that the government should provide the less fortunate with health care; it is true that the populace should pay for catastrophic healthcare insurance and pay the rest out-of-pocket.

It is true that marriage is defined as one man and one woman; it is true that marriage is defined as two people that love each other, regardless of sex.

It is true that mankind is causing global climatic collapse; it is true that global climate change is a natural cycle and has nothing to do with mankind.

It is true that there is a shortage of fossil fuel sources globally; it is true there is not a shortage of fossil fuel sources globally.

It is true that drug usage among teenagers is down; it is true that drug usage among teenagers is up.

It is true there is a God; it is true there is no God.

It is true there is life after death; it is true there is no afterlife.

It is true we are all created equal; it is true we are not.

It is true that sex is only for procreation; it is true that sex is for recreation, as well.

It is true that Christ will one day return; it is true he will not.

It is true that a high fiber diet is healthy; it is true that a high fiber diet makes no difference.

It is true that marijuana is the scourge of society; it is true that it is harmless.

It is true man walked on the moon; it is true they did not.

It is true that life follows death; it is true that death follows life.

It is true that nuclear weapons are bad; it is true nuclear weapons are good.

It is true that prophets are false; it is true that they are not.

It is true good is bad; it is true that bad is good.

It is true that truth is false. It is true that fallacy is truth.

It is true that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Or is it?

Marx and Madison

"It has been said that all Government is an evil. It would be more proper to say that the necessity of any Government is a misfortune. This necessity however exists; and the problem to be solved is, not what form of Government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect."
-James Madison, to an unidentified correspondent, 1833

As I awoke this morning to the cacophony of morning birds and the song of the coyote, I couldn’t help but think that this would be a great day. My memory still fresh from sitting on a dock, fishing pole in hand, sun rising above the trees, all worries and cares worlds away, thinking this is what heaven must be like.

In my heaven, there is no pain, suffering, anxiety, or politicians. I won’t have to awake every day searching for what it good and great, for all of that will be left behind for my children and their children, and all children to ponder and question.
The next generations will have the burden and responsibility to restore the eroding freedoms we only took for granted, that, incrementally are being stolen one at a time. We were warned, in no uncertain terms, that this could happen.

The great ones who designed our system of government knew the great potential for corruption and greed, understood that the human condition was inherently flawed, and, as a result of this understanding, inserted checks and balances within the Constitution. As Mr. Madison so eloquently expressed in the above quote, there is no perfect system of government. The founders were cynics by necessity.

Karl Marx once said “Democracy is the road to socialism.” In his mind, he had the “perfect’ system of fairness, where all prospered and no one lived in despair, wanting for any of the staples of life. He too, was cynical, kind of like Madison but twisted inside out and sideways. Marx’s and Madison's philosophies were as divergent as night and day, yet, in a perverse way, had the same concern and a similar starting point.

Both men knew the weaknesses and failings of a monarchy or a theocracy. Within a theocracy, the Pope dictated public doctrine under the guise of religious faith, and as a result controlled money and property. Ditto for a monarchy, but instead of a religious figurehead a family with endless “lineage” and “pure bloodlines” oppressed all but the aristocracy. Marx called the ruling class the “Bourgeois”, as Madison referred to King George as a “Tyrant”. How could two men with such similar observations go off in two diametrically opposed directions?

"Political economy came into being as a natural result of the expansion of trade, and with its appearance elementary, unscientific huckstering was replaced by a developed system of licensed fraud, an entire science of enrichment.”-Karl Marx

Marx saw a market economy as class divisible, a component which would be unacceptable in his utopian society where everyone is “equal”. A society that was self-contained and self-sufficient required very little trade, and any goods or service that required import or export would be handled by the “state”.

“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his needs”-Marx

The private ownership of property in a utopian society would be illegal. The “state”, in essence, would own the land and its physical contents in its entirety.

The one thing Marx didn’t think about was the human spirit. He didn’t give much thought to the fact that humans are programmed to be born, live, and die free. The human spirit demands excellence and choice. We live each day to be a little better than the one before. Marx could not have understood this. Utopia sounds great on paper, but once you work real, breathing human beings into the equation.....well................

“The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property”-Marx

This is where the political philosophies went in opposite directions. Whereas history shows Madison to be suspicious of a market economy, he did indeed support capitalism, but with some government oversight. Not a bad idea, as Anti-Trust laws will attest. Private ownership of property was, indeed, a sore point for Mr. Madison. English history was awash in serfs and feudal lords and the The Church of England and everybody owning land and property except for the masses.

“As a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.”-Madison

“The personal right to acquire property, which is a natural right, gives to property, when acquired, a right to protection, as a social right.”-Madison

So, at the end of the day we have two, nearly identical opinions about the status quo, both of which take off in completely opposing directions. One system has never worked in any country, at any time in history. The other, 230 years later, still thrives amid corruption, back slapping, eye-winking, payoffs, kickbacks, communists, socialists, mother stabbers and father rapers, the system lives. Madison and his friends knew this would happen and that, inherently, politicians crave power like drunks crave alcohol. They knew all of this and had enough foresight to make the system cumbersome, complicated, and flexible enough to evolve with civilization, and maintain the integrity of the U.S Constitution. The reason the system still works may not be pure or righteous, but congressmen and women are there to be reelected. You will always have the Far Left, who are really Communists at heart, and the Far Wacko Right who fancy themselves the moral force and compass for all of us. But the majorities of our leaders are somewhere right of the left and left of the right, and really just want to be reelected. In politics, stalemate beats checkmate.

I really have digressed. I started writing about sitting on the dock, fishin’, knockin’ back a cold one, dreamin’.......

Well I'm goin' down to the river
I've got a cane pole in my hand
I've got my redworms in a Maxwell house coffee
can
I'm gonna sit under a shade tree on a riverbank where it's cool
I'm gonna close my eyes and dream and let the cork bob away my blues...

-The Marshall Tucker Band