Let’s hear it for common sense!

Photo is from the protest on May 31, 2008 at Furman University. The current White House resident was there to give a speech, and I was there with my Honk to Impeach sign. I liked these signs though. The news report said that 20 people were there – well, there were 11 from North Carolina, and about 50 from South Carolina. It was a pitiful showing, anyway, in light of all the crimes and murders that bush has enabled. Along the highway leading to Furman, there were supporters with signs. (I found it depressing that there are so many Americans that still approve of bush.) However, when John and I stood by the entrance ramp (to Poinsett Hwy) on Old Buncombe Hwy, we were told we were not allowed to hold signs there. There were police and other security forces (SS? DHS? I don’t know!) all over the place. This creeped me out. I guess the kool-aid drinkers were actually creepier though.

Anyway, I want to tell you about McClatchy Newspapers, formerly Knight-Ridder. I have been reading them for years – they are one of the best on US soil. Recently, they did a response of Scott McClelland’s expose on all the bush lies and how he claimed the media was complicit. I recommend reading it all!

McClatchy pretty much summed up what they uncovered about the upcoming war and occupation of Iraq. I added this comment:

The work you did - in 2001, 2002, and 2003, was extremely valuable to those of us who wanted to stay informed. But there were a few events that I took note of during that time frame: both Rice and Powell claimed in early 2001 that Saddam was contained and not a threat. Another one in 2002 and early 2003: UN Weapons inspectors were in Iraq, the bushies claimed they knew where the WMDs in Iraq were - yet they could not/would not tell the UN weapons inspectors. That one did not pass any kind of common sense test.

Third, there was never any expressed plan for rebuilding Iraq and getting out of there, prior to the invasion (or since). This told me that they did not give a rip about the Iraqi people. They still don't.

Fourth, Powell's speech was full of circumstantial evidence. This did not pass the common sense test either.... and while this speech was torn apart by the foreign press, our domestic press was simply lapdogs.

Fifth - all Americans and the US military was being "trained" to be racist against Muslims and Arabs.... which Iraq is mainly both. This did not bode well for the final outcome of an invasion and occupation.

Sixth, Iraq had not attacked or invaded anyone since 1991, and except for Kuwait and Israel, no neighboring countries expressed any fear of Iraq. Therefore going into Iraq in 2003 was clearly a war of aggression.... a war crime.

And we cannot "win" a war crime.

Later in the comments section, someone called c-RED posted this:

Hurray for socialism.....

Ok, put it like this. Let's say your state governor is killing your whole town, your family and limiting hardly any freedom to anybody. He claims to have WMD's and won't let anyone come in for inspection. Terrorism around your region is escalating. This kinda sounds like this Saddam Hussein guy I've heard about. What do you do?

I guess we shouldn't do anything according to all you people.

I answered with this:

Well, Warren (of McClatchy) addressed all the lies and inaccuracies in this little post - so I thought I would speculate as to what bush & company would do to "help" this theoretical "town":

They would raze it to the ground and kill all the inhabitants and then say "Mission Accomplished" before they even caught the governor.

I would like to know how and why Americans can stay so dumb for so long, and is there anything that can break through this ignorance?

Some easy-to-do action on this issue of media failure HERE.