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As seen at CNN today, Bush argued against Obama:

“We have heard this foolish delusion before,” Bush said in remarks to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. “As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: ‘Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.’ We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”

The straw man argument is that you can’t negotiate and that diplomacy doesn’t work. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. Engaging in diplomacy is one of the aspects of actually engaging in the “Just War” doctrine, as opposed to the “Bully the World” approach.

The problem is the absolute failure to understand that severe punishments placed on Germany following World War I enabled a strongman like Hitler to rise to power. Similarly, our continued support of corrupt dictators allowed for the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and our continued economic sanctions are what allow the leaders of Iran to maintain support, despite repressing vast numbers of their residents.

Moreover, making such asinine remarks at the Israeli Knesset again underscore the “Israel as U.S. Proxy” aspect in Israel’s relationship in the Middle East. It gives incentive to those families suffering because of U.S. foreign policy decisions who cannot strike back at the U.S. to strike at Israel. George W. Bush continues through his imperials designs to place Americans and Jews worldwide in danger, while domestically he pursues policies that start to make the Soviet days under the KGB not look much worse. With rampant inflation and foreign anger directed towards the U.S., how long will it be before we see bread queues here in America?

Ok, so Hillary Clinton has yet another dumbass ad out.

To pull directly from CNN’s article, it says: “It’s time for a president who’s ready to take action now,” the ad’s announcer states.

If she’s so damn ready to take action now, well, then why not go and introduce the legislation in the Senate? I mean, seriously, if Hillary Clinton has all this political clout, the only thing that should stop any of her proposed legislation would be a presidential veto. If it is so wowy-zowy that we’re all going to love it, then they should be able to override the veto.

No folks, that won’t happen. She won’t dare introduce a damn thing. If she does become President, we’ll once again be suckers and victims of that bait and switch. Remember the dotcom bust? Remember how the previous Clinton approved MFN status for China, which now takes jobs and sends poison toys? We rode high for the most part because investors dumped money into new technologies, and we watched oil barely move, while everything else changed. Bombing Iraq combined with a collapsed Soviet Union for cheap oil. Of course, Enron occurred under Clinton’s nose, too.

I would rather see some change in Washington. I’m tempted to vote for the challenger for any race I can simply because I’m sick of the old guard that has been in there for years. Working the system doesn’t change anything. We’re still supporting tyrants for oil, as we have since the end of WWII. We still sell arms to countries whose governmental ethics we don’t agree with.

You can bash Jeremiah Wright all you want. I don’t agree with many things he said. But I do agree that the complacency of the citizenry of this country and its failure to demand accountability from its government has created hostility towards this country for decads.

I am so sick and tired of Hillary Clinton and her thumping and stomping and Cheney-esque sword rattling.

In a BBC News Article I’ve read that Hillary has proclaimed that the US would attack Iran if it launched a nuclear attack against Iran. When the chips are down, Hillary can be sure to launch another statement to pander to groups, this time seemingly Jews and Christian Zionists. Well, I’m offended.

As I sit here and reflect on what Passover and its message of God’s freeing the children of Israel from Pharaoh’s grip means in my life personally, I find again we need to remember that while we may be free, if there are still people oppressed, then no one is truly free. We need to reflect on the plight of Palestinians and their treatment, not only at the hands of the Israeli government, but as well within the countries where they have taken refuge. Singling out Iran to rattle the saber at in defense of the Israelis does nothing more than stir up anger and allow more use of the Palestinian plight in Israel by governments in the region to shove aside the real problems of oppression and stagnation in their own countries.

I want a leader to finally come up and say something with fairness, equality, and moral fiber. Were I to be in this role, running, I would say this:

“It should be the policy of the United States to brook no nuclear aggression anywhere at any time. A nuclear strike on any nation, without being in response to a nuclear, biological, or chemical attack with clear evidence as to the origin of the attack shall be met in response by the United States with devastating force, both conventional and nuclear. The United States will wait for at least one half-hour for the people of that country, upon hearing of the news of what their government has done (and confirmation by our sources that they have heard), to initiate the rapid overthrow of that government. This shall be the response to the action of any nation, and it should be expected that should the government of the United States ever do the same, that the people of this nation would immediately remove such murderers from power by whatever means necessary.”

At some point, I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ll be a parent. I look back on the stuff I did that made sense and that which didn’t. There are things I would have liked to have done, and things I never got around to, or even necessarily had the opportunity. So, here I am, creating a list.

• Learn to speak another language well.
• Learn a martial arts form.
• Learn to dance at least two formal dance styles passably.
• Master one thrown weapon.
• Practice archery.
• Learn how to shoot a rifle, shotgun, and a pistol.
• Learn to ride a bicycle.
• Learn to skate.
• Learn how to make things out of wood.
• Study calligraphy.
• Understand how government works where you live, and in the five most populous nations.
• Learn the difference between traditional whisky and bourbon, and between Scotch and Irish whiskies.
• Ride a horse.
• Master one form of technology.
• Learn to drive manual transmission cars and trucks.
• Learn the difference between front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive.
• Learn to drive in mud and on ice.
• Learn to drive a motorcycle.
• Plant a tree, keep a houseplant alive for a year, grow some vegetables.
• Figure out how to do your own taxes before you need to.
• Make it to 22 without a belly or sagging butt. Remember that the mind and body are linked - neglect neither.
• Get a credit card, but never let yourself have a running balance of over $500 on a credit card. You’re too young to risk wasting your future on debt.
• Visit various locations of your country.
• Live overseas. Visit at least three other countries.
• Start a business and make a profit, no matter how small.
• Write a book of at least 100 pages.

Hey, I know not everyone will do this, and I know that I’ve missed some important things (which tend be covered all over the place by the ‘required’ stuff). Maybe I’m crazy. But hey, it’s out there now.

Another fun blow. I’m not feeling so well to begin with (been running a temp since last night), but I went to my eye appointment nonetheless. Well, it appears that I have cataracts forming in both of my eyes.

This was a known risk with using corticosteroids like prednisone fo immunosuppression. Well, my doc will not be happy to here that I’m dumping the prednisone. This is generally not an advisable idea, but my level is so low now I can do so without reaction. (If you don’t gradually taper and haven’t gone through this before, doing so is HIGHLY unadvisable, as it could be fatal.)

It’s a bit of a blow. My right eye, corrected, is now 20/25, while my left is 20/60. Reading is not exactly fun with my left eye, either, because the loss is entirely the cataract.

For those unaware, I’m all of 31 years old. I have a bad back (three compressed vertebrae), a bad left hip (avascular necrosis requiring a hip replacement) and now cataracts. At my rate of deterioration, I start to wonder if I should have had my mid-life crisis roughly a decade ago.

It’s sad and it’s frustrating. I’m tired of losing things in life. But I’m still here. I’m sad about this. I feel a little down. But I don’t think this will launch me into any kind of long-term or serious depression. It’s just another limitation.

*sigh*