Sitcom 021415

Electioneering for next political festival has all the makings of a good situation comedy but for the people who must endure, it also has the aspects of the Greek Tragedy.  The 16 comedy of errors began before election 14 was even decided. 

Potential candidates began to stake out their claims of being more conservative or liberal than thou.  For campaign watchers it was more fun than Saturday Night Live at its satirical best.  The tragedy is that many of the wild-eyed promises will end up in party platforms.  It's well accepted that most candidates will renege on campaign promises, but there might be one or two who honestly attempt to keep their promises to either the radical left or right. Honest attempts to deliver however may box the country into a similar position as the recently elected Greek government where unrealistic campaign promises now threaten to destroy the economy, government and country.

America's revolution freed the county from a tyrannical royal monarchy over 200 years ago. However, during those two centuries America began to develop its own, above the law, royalty and noble families.  Senators and Congressmen virtually serve for life as few are ever voted out office with their descendants dynastically carrying on.  It appears that next year's voters must choose between two competing dynasties as the leading candidates are Bush the third and Clinton the second. 

The Bush family is already putting forward a Bush the fourth as the next generation to carry on the family's royalty business.  Looking back at American history it seems the Clinton name has popped up in national politics at least four times, admittedly one was a British general during the revolution.  Does that mean that Hillary is really Clinton the fifth?  Maybe we need a fifth for this coming election, make that a hogshead of Jack Black Whisky (Scotch or Vodka may be preferred but are probably considered un-American and subject to denunciation by the conservative House.) Supermarket rags should forget about who is going to inherit the British throne for gossip about the Lord and Ladies of Washington and who will inherit the kingdom of Potomac.  There is enough clay in the running feet to build a ten-foot brick wall around the country.  That's an idea for House consideration for immigration reform.

Cost estimates for the next election runs into billions.  For that kind of money it would seem that the country could afford a whole new slate of candidates rather than having to recycling the old entrenched Lords and Ladies.  That is really carrying environmental recycling to an extreme.

Maybe the best candidates should be those that run poor campaigns by only promising too honestly do their best to govern in the interest of all the people.  An impossible dream, the country doesn't want honest politicians who considers the interests of all those people who disagree with ME.

With two years to go maybe the country really needs a tanker fleet of Jack Black just to survive the rhetoric.  We might not survive but at least we can go out happy.

Russian way 021015

When the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union began to implode there was dancing in western streets.  Western politicians gleefully proclaimed the "Bear" was dead and rushed into Soviet Republics.  The truth is the Bear wasn't dead, just hibernating. 

Wearing Cold War blinders the politician failed to appreciate that while the Soviets overthrew the imperial regime it built on its Russian culture.  Keeping many of the imperial institutions under new management the Soviets adjusted and modernized the Old Russian Empire.  People went into imperial labor camps in even greater numbers, called Soviet Gulags, returning them to a virtual serfdom that powered modernization.

In the mid-1800 the Russian Empire stretched from California across northern Asia deep into Eastern Europe. In 1867 the United States purchased the Californian settlements and all of Alaska for 7.2 million dollars.  The Tsars (Czars) built their empire in the traditional way: by sword, political threats and bribery. Imperialism settled ethnic Russian in newly acquired territories, displacing natives, insuring their control the regions.  This provided justification for any future incursions as protection of Russian minorities.  The ebb and flow of Eastern Europe politics during the imperial period is complicated.  Basically during the 18th and 19th centuries Russia seized much of Ottoman Europe, the splintered parts of the Ukraine, Poland, and Baltic States to complete its modern empire.  When the Soviets seized power in Russia some of the states drifted toward independence but the Soviets quickly brought them back into the Empire as Soviet Republics with tactics  reminiscence of Czarist Cossacks.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin's recent seizure of the Crimea is not a return to Soviet cold war strategy but rather a page out of the imperial Czarist playbook.  Crimea was been taken from the Ottoman Turks in the mid-19th century and infused with Russians now considered to be historic Russian Territory.  Putin's moves in the Ukraine (the largest country in Europe) also follows Czarist precedents, protecting Russians abused by the Ukrainian Slavs with patriotic  "volunteers" defending the oppressed.

The West has a 100 percent record in understanding Russians, always wrong.  The western model of foreign policy is a game for rational actors. The Russians have never been rational in the western sense but always act in a uniquely Russian manner as an imperialist amalgam of its Asian and European heritage.

It is probable that after nearly 20 years in the Russian power position Putin sees himself as the new Tsar.  As "Putin the Great" he may feel driven to return the empire to its former glory.  The world is focused on the Ukraine, which is classic imperial strategy of distraction, deception and attrition. Distraction from pressures placed on Eastern Europe, its southern border and deception in Greece and Egypt. Nothing is as it seems, historically Russia accepts cost that outweigh rewards.   While the west contemplates giving away half of the Ukraine or destroying Europe in a scorched earth game of dominos Russia plays three-dimensional chess for an empire.   It's the Russian Way. 

American way 013015

America invaded Afghanistan and Iraq over a decade ago to overthrow regimes that resisted or embarrassed the United States. A pure military operation yet to play out.  The military was successful in disposing the governments of both countries but failed in its objective to install the American Way. The expected six-month campaigns are now in their second decade and spreading from the Middle East throughout Asia and across the globe. So far the military is a clear winner in only one area, becoming a unilateral foreign policy actor bypassing civilian oversight.  While denying any responsibility for the blood bath America is attempting to build support for new American Way campaigns in other foreign lands. Just what is this American Way?

Back in the 20th century when Israel was established and conflict raged the American ambassador to the UN gave a speech asking why the two sides couldn't resolve their dispute like Christian gentlemen.  The Jews and Muslims asked each other how Christians handled their disputes.  Neither knew so after some research they have been killing each other ever since.  It's the American Way.

Speech is free only as long as no government official raises objections to the words.  Pass laws so police can arrest citizens for things they say and think.  Expand prosecutorial powers to enforce partisan political agendas.  Auto-track the population through requirements that every citizen must carry government issued identification.  The American Way.

Pass legislation authorizing the military to invade friendly countries and seize the World Court to preempt rulings deemed against national interest.  Write laws authorizing the military to seize any domestic citizen and hold them incognito indefinitely.   Allow a military disinformation department that targets domestic audiences with black propaganda. Secretly record conversations and e-mails of the entire population. Protect foreign oil fields for American use under an "Energy Security Initiative."  That's the American Way.

America developed the advertising industry; television talk shows' spin, Internet blogs and partisan social networks.  These innovations have enable continuous political campaigns and dirty tricks that deceives, desensitizes and distracts the population from real political corruption.  Political candidates don't change their agendas; they just rhetorically chase the polls.  It's the American way.

There are calls to police morals and thoughts by monitoring all communication; supplant free press with state run news outlets and even establish state approved religious correctness.  Some officials are creatively reinterpreting the Constitution and in particular the "Bill of Rights." Sound like a secret police state?  It's the 21st century's American Way, it may also be the beginning of the end of the America myth it is attempting to export.

Who is that pounding on my door?
Notes:

The Bush administration's oil troika (Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld) pushed a plan to occupy foreign oil fields under the Strategic Energy Security Initiative.  Rumsfeld even boasted that the plan would turn a profit from the seized oil. The paper leaked and friendly oil producers strenuously objected to its broad provisions.  Nigeria even deployed troops to defend against an off shore American Marine force preparing to land in the country, the invasion was called off and the force hastily moved out of Nigerian waters. While widely opposed in oil countries the plan went virtually unnoticed in America.  The plan's title has been recycled a number of times giving it more benign meanings.  Deception, Denial and Censorship that's the American Way. 

Although legislation on the domestic employment of the military has passed the current President refuses to order out the troops.  The laws and plans remain on shelf until some future administration feels sufficiently threatened to again open concentration camps.