Monday, March 12, 2007

Hope Mine Doesn't Smell Bad So Far...

Wow! In today’s paper, March 12, 2007, I read that Bush wants to send an additional 4,700 troops on top of the ones already proposed to Iraq. He claims that these additional troops will be support roles only and not combat. But let’s be real about this for a minute. A soldier is a soldier and one is just as mortal as the next. An additional 4,700 troops are just more body bags that will be sent back home for medals and tears. Bush also wants Congress to authorize this funding “without any strings attached.” No strings attached on Congress’ end at least. When it comes to the Bush Administration’s previous proposals and legislations (Patriot Act comes to mind), they have always been devised with alternative motives and strings attached. These strings are usually held by the government on one end and attached to the limbs of the American people on the other. Perhaps we should start calling President Bush the Godfather from now on?
My grandfather always said, “Opinions are like assholes…everyone’s got one.” I know if you’re reading this up to here you probably know how it smells by now. I read today in the same newspaper an opinion that I thought was ridiculous and without merit. I have no problem with people who tell others their opinions, but please for the sake of everyone, be able to back it up. I hate it when opinions literally come from people’s asses. This will probably be one of very few opinions that I comment on because otherwise I would be here all day responding to assholes.
The opinion’s title was, “Nation should unite behind president”. I know from having my own opinion published in the same paper that the writer does not choose the title but you can get the main idea of the article. The writer, who shall remain nameless, claims that democrats who propose to withdraw troops do “not consider the threats such a move would place on this country.” I don’t know of any Iraqis who were on those planes that flew into the World Trade Center and I certainly know that this country has never been attacked by Iraq unless WE went to war with THEM. I won’t go into the Gulf War but the point I’m making is that our country has never been, is not and very well may never be threatened by the nation of Iraq.
Then this prick…I’m sorry—asshole…quotes the Gettysburg Address to rally Americans to “come together and fight the common enemy.” I can tell you that the common enemy we have are the suits and ties in the White House who are wiping themselves with the Constitution. But as for the Gettysburg Address…please. Regardless that this came from a president who declared martial law and dissembled the free press, the Gettysburg Address can hardly be used in this context. In the Civil War, the nation was really divided and tens of thousands of Americans were killing each other with every passing battle. To compare the Civil War to the war in Iraq is a joke and this person should pull his head out of his opinion.

The Reveal

By now I am sure you are wondering who is Pasquino Rockefeller. Pasquino is the name of a roman statue unearthed in 1501 that was the focus of a ceremony held on St. Mark’s Day, created by Cardinal Oliviero Carafa. The ceremony took on a more democratic than religious tone when those wishing to criticize the Catholic Church or the pope would attach satirical letters to the statue. Thus the term pasquinade came about to define a satirical attack written in roman dialect. As for Rockefeller, well that is derived from none other than John D. who founded Standard Oil in 1870 which made him the world’s first billionaire and tycoon of a substance that would later throw the United States into a war with Iraq. So you can see by now that the name Pasquino Rockefeller is a pseudo name designed in its satirical nature to embody the attitudes of the authentic author of this journal. Why do I choose to go by a pseudo name? I suppose it is the adult politically disgruntled version of dress-up. Regardless, I want all who read this to know that the crime I have committed in lying to you is no different than and should go as unpunished as those told by the Bush Administration that got us into this war.
—P.R.

Hungry Hungry Hipocrisy

It has been only a few hours since my last entry and I felt compelled to add this small section. I read in an article for NBC that as of March 5, 2007, “Brian Williams learned from Army officers that Iraqis want U.S. forces to remain in their country…” It is safe to say that my personal opinion is that this is just another example of pro-war propaganda from a source with its own selfish bias toward staying in Iraq. To the army, war is a business. So why would they advocate otherwise? Now another survey from June 16, 2004, also from NBC, stated in a poll surveying Iraqis on their opinions that “most say they would feel safer if Coalition forces left immediately, without even waiting for elections scheduled for next year. An overwhelming majority, about 80 percent, also say they have ‘no confidence’ in either the U.S. civilian authorities or Coalition forces.” Granted, this poll was taken earlier and after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, the source is more credible.
But regardless of polls and surveys which can be strewed to meet a certain ideal conclusion, the quotes of everyday people in Iraq speak for themselves. Daily, innocent people are being killed by suicide bombers and attacks and the trust in American troops as well as the Iraqi government have all but faded. “I blame the government. They didn’t provide a safe route for us even though they knew we were targets for attack.” said Mustafa Moussawi—a pilgrim traveling in Iraq who was a victim of a terrorist attack killing 31 people on March 11, 2007.
I understand that some people in Iraq want U.S. troops to stay and I realize that many want us to leave. It all depends on who you ask. Surveys can be rigged and personal reports can be biased. But look at it this way: Suppose America was invaded by a foreign entity and the dictatorial government was ousted. This foreign entity installed a new government without a true consent of the people. Naturally, we would want to install the government ourselves much like we did in the American Revolution where the people made the people’s government. I am sure otherwise, we would feel like the product of this foreign entity and the national pride and independence that is at the heart of any country would be lacking. So, perhaps from this example you can see that if we were in their shoes, we would want the foreign entity out and allow us to form our own country. Foreign relations should only go so far. It is one thing to support another country; it is another to go around making mini-USAs. This is where the international criticism of the U.S. being imperialistic comes into play.
We forget how we achieved our own independence. Did the French who played a vital role in us winning the war stay afterward and model our government after their own? No! I believe I mentioned it before so I’ll say it again for symmetry: Hypocrisy!

George W. III

A look at the death toll for coalition soldiers today on Sunday March 11, 2007 is at least 134 British soldiers, 33-Italy, 18-Ukraine, 19-Poland, 13-Bulgaria, 11-Spain, 6-Denmark, 5-El Salvador, 4-Slovakia, 3-Latvia, 2-Estonia, 2-Netherlands, 2-Thailand,1-Australia, 1-Hungary, 1-Kazakhstan, 1-Romania, 3,190-United States, over 35,000 Iraqi civilians—and counting.
Now, I am trying to keep this journal more or less focused on the war in Iraq and I know that I could go on forever on how Bush has ruined this country and worsened the condition of international relationships everywhere…but I will try not to. I do, however, feel it necessary to include here a small blurb of information I read in today’s paper on the issue because after all you can’t talk about this war without at least mentioning President George W. Bush. The article was a survey of 1,001 adults on what people look for in a presidential candidate. It was left open-ended to prevent any misguided answers. The results were that 55% “consider honesty, integrity and other values of character the most important qualities…One-third look first to candidates’ stances on issues…” So far I agree with this. Stances on issues can change but character needs to be the rock of a president. But how did our beloved President Bush get elected? Ah, here we go: “…fewer focus foremost on leadership traits, experience or intelligence.” I suppose those latter qualities were overlooked in the past two elections.
Either way, more people died yesterday as a result of another suicide car bomber killing twenty people, six of which were soldiers. Meanwhile, as the ashes of Donald Rumsfeld’s early retirement begin to cool down, “Scooter” Libby was found guilty on four out of five of the charges in the case against him for leaking the identity of a CIA operative who just so happened to be the wife of a former U.S. ambassador who spoke ill of the Bush Administration. Plus, in the latest of the administration’s scandals, the Department of Justice found that the FBI was illegally using the Patriot Act to spy on American citizens! Oh, my God! Who saw that coming? I am surprised that that anyone is surprised. Even further, I am astonished that anyone thinks that the Patriot Act isn’t illegal in the eyes of the Constitution to begin with. But hey, what do I know—right? I’m just part of the know-nothing do-nothing generation. Yeah, and we’re supposed to be bad for the American image. Nothing like holding up a mirror to yourself, eh?
A recent quote from the president making the rounds on TV is, “This war started on my watch, but it’s going to end on your watch.” If that isn’t the biggest load of crap being dumped on a generation, then I don’t know what is. Bush intentionally lied to the American people and began his democratic crusade before I could even drive a car by myself let alone vote. And now, we’re responsible for cleaning up his mess? But then again, every generation suffers as well as benefits from the previous generation. I still think, though, we got the short end of the stick.
One other gripe: I have a problem with Bush traveling around the world as an ambassador of the American people when the majority of Americans find him to be a man with poor leadership traits, no experience managing a successful oil company let alone a country and…well, the intelligence thing goes without saying. But hey, who’s looking at these qualities when voting for a president anyway?
This should hopefully be the last bitching I do in this journal about Bush and I hope to focus again on the war in Iraq. Perhaps in the next entry I will have something good to say. But I doubt it. “Patriotism comes not without a sense of pessimism.”
—me

Spinning Wheels

I read today on msn.com’s news page an article about how the democrats are planning to pass legislation on ending the war in Iraq. Now, for someone like me this would normally sound great…except I read on. Apparently, our elected politicians aren’t exactly doing what we elected them to do and once again I find myself screwed over by those bureaucratic pigs in Washington. The democrats, who won the House majority this past election based on promises to end an overwhelmingly unpopular war, have begun to spin their political wheels—going nowhere. Though the democrats hold 233 seats to the republicans’ 201 seats with one vacancy, there are only fifteen defections allowed. In other words, if sixteen democrats vote against the plan proposed by House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, then the legislation will not pass. Her plan is to allow funding for the war continue but have all troops pulled out by March 2008. Some democrats feel that this is not enough and some feel that it is even too much saying that March 2008 should be a goal, not a deadline.
This entire fucking war has been a series of failed deadlines! Deadlines are just what they sound like—lines that seem to be going somewhere, then die along the way before they reach their goal. This is just another political scheme so that the pigs in Washington feel like they’re really doing something when in fact, they’re all useless. Between all of the moderate republicans, far-right republicans, moderate democrats and far-left democrats it is nearly impossible for anything to get accomplished. And even if by some miracle, the legislation is passed, the White House has already said that it will veto it. The White House, ha—the dirtiest pig pen in Washington! It would take a two-thirds majority to override the veto and that ain’t happening. Until we can get someone into the White House who gives a damn about ending this war, legislation will be as valuable (with the same uses, too) as toilet paper.
But of course, people have to wake up and see that their politicians are helpless and stand by them. This is a democracy after all. We need to rally together and make a stand that this is what the American people want and we need to remind the President that even he is subject to the will of the people. There is no reason why we should represent democracy in such a poor way. Why would other countries want to consider democracy when they see that American politicians at the highest level ignore the people and do as they wish? I don’t know what is worse; that our President has gone rogue and is acting in his party’s own interests or that we the people have failed to put an end to it as stated in our rights? We have the power—but only if we use it. If we don’t use it—it will be taken away from us. And then America will no longer be a democracy. How can we fight for democracy overseas and misuse it so effortlessly here within our own country? We, as Americans, have fallen into a pit of hypocrisy and as a result of our laziness within our very own political system we have become an international joke. The sad clown comes to mind.

March On!

This morning on the television I realized what this protest was truly all about and I have to say, I am a bit saddened. On MTV News, as I was flipping through some music to dress to, I saw an interview with anti-war protesters in Washington D.C. and one of them was asked that despite the similar disapproval ratings of the war why haven’t more people protested like during the Vietnam War? The man simply shrugged his shoulders and said in an “as a matter of fact” attitude, “There is no draft.”
I would hate to think that the only reason we wanted to end the war was to end the killing of Americans but I had to accept the possibility that even war protesters can have selfish agendas. It dawned on me at this morning we were protesting the war ONLY to bring our troops home. That was a noble cause, of course. But what about the dozens of people being killed everyday? I read in the newspaper yesterday that suicide bombes throughout Iraq had killed over 130 people and that children were using long-handled squeegees to clear the roads of pools of blood. If that isn’t what we are fighting to stop, then what does it matter? The ideals remain and soon enough it will be another place, another time with the same bullshit. I thought (naively) that we were protesting the end of the war as a means of ending the suffering of ALL the people in Iraq. Let’s face it—no people are going to allow a foreign force come into their country, oust their government and replace it overnight; we wouldn’t. This mess is going to take a lot of time to fix and unfortunately a lot of lives. But I suppose there is no reason to throw American lives in the inevitable crossfire. We need to understand that only Iraqis can ultimately fix their problem and we—like the punished bullies that we are—will have to sit in the corner and watch whether we like it or not. What kind of fucked up philosophy has the Bush Administration developed that says it is good to use the same actions and beliefs to start a war to end a war? We need to shift our thinking—now!
It makes me sick to see the effects this war is having on people physically and psychologically. The violence and complete lack of competency has thrown me into a spin. I won’t sit here and preach that I have a plan for ending the war and the hate. No one does. I have a good idea on what it would take but the probability that anyone would choose total peace over self-interest is too much to ask. I suppose the first step is justice and from there we work out the rest of the problems. But I’m not talking about America’s version of justice—hell no! I mean true, unbiased, incorruptible (this is beginning to seem unrealistic already) justice! I remember only one question on the Meyers-Briggs Test I took earlier this year and it was, “Would you rather be unjust or merciless?” My reply was, “merciless.” Because at least then, I was being just. That is the attitude that needs to be reversed in today’s world. No more suicide bombs and cowardice inhumane slaughter from either side—we need justice. In a world where all it takes is one person to screw up a good thing, we can’t hope for total peace—it just isn’t realistic given human nature. But justice is tangible!
And it you need a little motivation, listen to this quote taken from MSN News and Reuters Limited on March 8, 2007. It is a girl reflecting on what used to be one of her favorite TV cartoons, “I see kids playing in beautiful gardens and parks and I wish I could play and have fun like them, but I know I can’t because we have bombs and bad guys hurt children,”
I am still going to protest and do it with the same message I had in mind. Pro-war is not pro-freedom. If we want to spread democracy, freedom and peace then we need to solve our international issues democratically, show the world what freedom can accomplish and wage peace. If we can’t get out of our sectarian mindset and begin thinking globally, then there will always be war. I read in, I think it was Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, that stopping war was like stopping a glacier. Everything—EVERYTHING—ultimately deduces to how we think! As long as boarders exist and people of one country see themselves as different from people of another country, we will never escape that sectarian view and always value some lives over others. So I say to you, patriots of partisanship—throw down your flags and pick up your long-handled squeegees! Patriots of peace—march on!

St. Patrick's Day Decision

Before I tell you what I finally chose to say on my poster for the protest coming up, let me clarify something. I emailed the person “in charge” of the rally and found out that the flyer I had picked up at school was a year old. This rally was going to take place on St. Patrick’s Day—Guinness…protest, Guinness…protest…hmm. Anyway, I am going to write on the sign, “Is Pro-War Pro-Freedom?” Perhaps you are having the same reaction to this as my mother did but let me explain why I don’t care. She told me that it was too “deep” and “confusing” and people would not take the time to think about what it meant and consequently, my point would be lost. Well I guess it’s time to start thinking, America. I am not really worried about getting into trouble over this because let’s face it; if deep thinking is the problem, I am not concerned that anyone from the Bush Administration is going to be upset. And as for the rest of the commuters on the road reading it as they pass; wake up! Why the hell should I make it easy on them when the real problem behind this war is that nobody thought to begin with? I understand that our education system is sub-par but that’s no excuse for a short attention span. People are being killed right now overseas because we did not think deeply so would it kill anyone now if they started? I want people to think about the issue and if they don’t, then nothing would have been accomplished anyways.

Thinking Outside The Blog

I want to make an impromptu update to my sporadic journal, here. I’ve been busy writing in my opinion to the local newspaper recently. I had written an article for their editorial page once before but I don’t really remember what it was about and truthfully I don’t care. But I did have one published on Sunday February 25, 2007 that I particularly enjoyed. I even received a call from a woman congratulating me on the article. The article was as follows but the italicized part was edited out of the publication:
“Sometimes in war, we can be as guilty through our inaction as those who act too rashly. On a daily basis the newspapers report on car bombings, suicide bombings and gunfights killing people in Iraq, yet what impact do they have anymore on the early morning commuters on their way to work? The story remains nearly the same but the death toll changes. Human lives have become mere numbers in a war becoming increasingly violent and unpopular. In the beginning of the war, these numbers shocked us as we read intently but now we graze to more fertile articles with more “relevance” such as Brittany Spears shaving her head. This war has grown mainly in part to our reluctancy to open our eyes to the horrors it produces. There’s something wrong when these stories of suffering have become so common that they get buried on page 4 dwarfed by the 4-legged duckling article. If we saw what was happening with open minds, I could only hope that the war and its victims would become more than segues between who won the Daytona 500 and the weather. If you really want to help our troops, bring them home where they belong.”
Now, to clarify a few things: 1) Brittany Spears—ex-pop star—did shave her head in a mental breakdown and it was plastered all over the news for weeks (who cares?). 2) The Daytona 500—a car race in which a few dozen engines on steroids are driven around in an oval for hours and hours—was the cover of the front page (you can tell by now that I am losing my patience). 3) And yes—there was an article about a four-legged duckling that was of equal size and adjacent to the article on a bombing in Iraq that ruined the lives of innocent people forever (perhaps I am sounding a little cynical…but what the F@#K?!).
Also, I wrote another editorial to the same newspaper on another issue I feel is important but as of yet has not been published and may never be so here it is:
“This nation was founded on principles commonly taken for granted by today’s generations. If you are reading this article then you are already stepping in the right direction. Our founding fathers forged ideals from challenging the state of politics and standing up for radical views of democracy that were widely unpopular around the world for that time. Today, we rarely question why our standing of superiority in the global spotlight is dimming from international favor and we accept our political faults without realizing that they could have only occurred because we let them. In a democracy, we have the power—the power to think for ourselves, question our leaders’ judgment and involve ourselves in the political process. It is a heavy responsibility placed on the people of a democracy but I feel that we as Americans are up to the challenge. It takes more than a vote on a slip of paper to change the world. We have to educate ourselves and stand up for our rights or they will be taken away from us. And only when things reach a dire and despondent state will we realize that our voices have been silenced.”
In case you haven’t noticed, all editorials must be no more than two-hundred words which is difficult to do considering I could write a novel from all of my political beliefs and satire—which is what I am trying to do. Keep in mind that I am only twenty years old and I am sure I will regret most of what I say now because as my parents tell me, “I will get wiser as I get older.” So, in case I do join the hive in my later years, this is a chronicle of my opinions when I was still sane.

Welcome...Beware of Opinion

This is the journal of Pasquino Rockefeller. It is a critical look at the war in Iraq with a dash of satire. None of the entries will be formally dated because...well...who cares? The first entry is basically going to introduce you to me and the reason I am writing this. Everything else will be a therapeutic release of satirical pessimism that will hopefully entertain as well as inform. And if you don't like what I have to say then it's probably because you're part of the problem--not trying to be rude but hey, it is what it is. In addition, I would like to make this an open forum where anyone can post a response or question to any of my entries. I will, however, insist that the comments be on-topic and be held to a high standard of maturity. I will try to respond to as many comments as possible. Feel free to speak your minds. After all, this is a democracy and before you can stand up for a belief you have to have one. Enjoy.

February 13, 2007—the day before Valentine’s Day—I discovered a flyer at my college describing a protest against the war in Iraq that will be taking place in a month. I have to say this is my first protest and I am quite excited about it. And it is this sudden surge of patriotism that has inspired me to create this journal reflecting my feelings on this war. I realize it has been going on for a few years even without my support so this journal is more or less a therapeutic way of getting my frustrations out. Anyway, to better explain my enthusiasm I would have to delve into my own beliefs about the war in Iraq. Now I understand that everyone has their own opinion and so I will keep this short and to the point. I never supported the invasion of Iraq. Though its President, Saddam Hussein, was no doubt out of his mind, I strongly felt that the lack of evidence supporting the gut feeling of George W. Bush that Iraq was supporting Al-Qaeda was insufficient for going to war. There were probably many hidden agendas within the Bush Administration we may never know about but it was clear that the pretences for war on the belief that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction were false. It was a combination of the reason for war along with Bush’s continuous lack of interest in solving problems intelligently that ended up pushing me to the far left.
Now returning back to the actual anti-war rally, I am convinced that it is time for me to put words into action and take a stand for what I believed in. It is time to bring our troops home and end the chaos we are in the middle of in a country that doesn’t want us there anymore. Unfortunately, we have abused our privilege of being one of the most powerful nations in the world and are now occupying a country that wishes to be left to sort out its own issues. After all, we gave them freedom and now it’s time to let them use it. Immediately after reading about the protest I began formulating possible picket sign mottoes in between note taking during the lesson. None of the ideas that came to mind were any good, I’ll admit.
Later, I thought of the Vietnam War and the social impact it had on the America. It was a time when the people really cared and became so passionately unified in a single cause that it ended an entire war. And today we’re fighting a war so that a nation previously held under an iron fist could cast free elections and in our own country we can barely get people to vote. I hope that one day soon we could once again stand together for a common goal but it seems like 1970 is so far away and people are more interested in their ipods than war. The war has truly begun to taste foul on my lips and so the time has come for action and I choose to protest.
I had been told that the FBI would probably be taking photos and making up files on me. I am well aware of the Bush Administration’s “1984” totalitarianism ideals and the Patriot Act. Surveillance is no longer a word used lightly. I’m sure if I checked out Mien Kampf, the FBI would have my favorite food recorded by the time my library card was swiped. But none of that bothers me. I am not prepared to do anything illegal so I am content with the FBI showing a little attention my way. Hey, you haven’t really lived until your on the FBI’s watch list…remember that.