Bush & Co Don’t Get It

A recent disclosure of a National Intelligence Estimate concludes that “the war has helped create a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the September 11 attacks.” This is an official account of our own governmental agency. And yet, they still don’t get it.
This blog, in August 06, reflected some of the recently published estimates by the NIE (See “Pandora’s Box” ). And more recently on September 11 there is more about “Bush’s Spin”
And to think the government could have had the same estimates coming from someone on a retiree’s income as opposed to the thousands or perhaps millions spent to arrive to the same conclusion!
When the vast majority of people in the U.S. (and most others around the World) are convinced that whatever is going on in Iraq is not working, this administration stubbornly maintains the position of having reduced the menace of terrorism by occupying that country and patting themselves in the back for their “victories“.
According to Bush and Co Iraq is better now because they have an elected government but fail to admit that the country is really being run by threats, fear and intimidation fueled by the different factions engaged in a sort of civil war and the elected government has very little influence over the population.
Another fallacy from Bush is that we have severely damaged the capabilities of terrorists having them on the run in Iraq. In the meantime, the supposedly scared thugs are infiltrating every faction in this internal strife and taking advantage of the situation, by fueling more hate and anti-American propaganda. Not to mention that copycat cells are sprouting in many other places around the globe.
Now, don’t be misled into thinking that Bush and Co doesn’t know what’s going on. They are fans of their own creed but they are not totally stupid. That’s why they are steering this mess in the direction of Iran and Venezuela.
Iran being the greatest concern, according to them and Venezuela’s Chavez being called a buffoon (his unfortunate remarks about the President helped on this) and criticizing him for his help in keeping the poor warm this winter with low cost fuel.
Probably the administration thinking was: How this “buffoon” dares to help the people of the most powerful nation on earth? These guys should leave us alone in this matter and let us solve this problem, like we did with the Katrina victims! Well, sort of.
Come November, let’s hope the elections will finally reflect the sentiment of the people with positive changes in both Houses. I guess for political reasons and to save face in front of the whole World we are stuck with Bush, but at least we can do something to counter-balance this heavy-handed administration.

A Call To Good Muslims

Some Pope’s quotation on a recent speech from a 14th-century Byzantine emperor as saying, “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” unleashed a fury of protests against the maximum figure in the Catholic world on Friday. While the Pope, according to his spoke-person after the demonstrations, was only trying to demonstrate the fallacy of imposing on others religion by force, the Muslim community took it as an attack on their religious beliefs.

I can understand those sentiments somehow, given the fact that most Muslims are peaceful people and not aligned with terrorists, thugs and suicide bombers. In fact, many Muslims are themselves the victims of the attacks. At the same time, I truly believe the Pope’s intention was not that of accusing Muslims wholesale of those despicable acts, since the religion he represents has been in the distant past doing exactly the same. The Inquisition and the Crusaders were not the best guys around.

I wonder however: Where is the Muslim community today, with all their massive number of good people, when some criminals elements from within are wreaking havoc all over the World? Why are not they doing more to combat their own evil? Why do they have to allow others the task of getting rid their own bad apples?

In any society, it’s a natural reaction to protest when outsiders critize our own people, the same as when anyone may offend a member of our family, but, at the same time, we all have a moral obligation to correct the mistakes and bad behavior of those who are our brothers. In a micromode level, if one of our kids misbehave in public, should we get outraged if strangers get upset, claiming that the rest of our family is not causing any trouble? Shouldn’t we try to prevent and correct the bad actions of the culprit instead of just being passive witnesses of his or her actions?

I think the good Muslims ought to take a more active role in this situation. So, Muslims go out and protest, the news people will be there to show your outrage, but after that please go home and discuss what actions are needed to avoid being shown in a negative light and don’t just ignore those bomb makers and suicide-prone fanatics in your midst.

We all have to take action to stop this madness. I often critized the policies of the Bush administration for unleashing the war in Iraq and increasing the anger of those who view the West as a threat to their way of life. On the other hand, you, Muslims, the good ones, also have a responsibility, and that is to demonstrate your willingness in stopping the carnage. Terrorists, bomb-makers, suicide bombers and other assorted whackos, no matter what religion they belong to, don’t live in a vacuum. The TV crew is gone, now go home and do something positive. The World would appreciate it.

Bush's Spin on 9/11

SPIN

DISTORT

LIES

I am really incensed by the continuing presidential rhetoric and I though I had to blog it and share it with everyone. The following are excerpts from the speech Bush gave on the 5th anniversary of 9/11 and my comments. I’m sure those who are on the far right will not agree, and frankly, I don‘t care! They are the ones who, by supporting this administration, have helped in creating the mess we are in.

Bush said “Going on offense against enemies before they could harm Americans meant removing the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, pursuing members of al Qaeda and seeking regime change in Iraq.”
- Yes to the first two, but seeking regime change in Iraq.Why?

Oh.oh.!! "I am often asked why we are in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks," Bush said. "The answer is that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a clear threat.”
- Finally! After three years of deploring the loss of our soldiers, Bush admits that Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11. On the other hand, where does it come from to declare that Iraq was threat? Iraq was NOT a threat! Stop repeating the same lie!

"America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. So do I," Bush said. "But the war is not over, and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious."
-Which war are you talking about? The one YOU decided to start in Iraq? Or the so-called war on terror? There is a difference George! In fact, calling the fight against extremists in the World a war is elevating their status and they are starting to believe it! These people are just thugs and fanatics, nothing else and nothing more than common criminals.

The president quoted bin Laden as saying the battle in Iraq is the "Third World War" that could bring America's "defeat and disgrace forever."
-Since when, we, the United States, have to accept qualifiers by terrorists, taking at face value the words of people like bin Laden? If he decides to call this “The Holly War”, “The War of All Wars” or the “War of the Galaxies”, who cares? Bin Laden will use any descriptive words he can come up with to propagandize the actions of his fanatic followers, but accepting his description is stupid and dangerous because it gives statue to their criminal actions.

If we yield Iraq to men like bin Laden," Bush said, "our enemies will be emboldened, they will gain a new safe haven, and they will use Iraq's resources to fuel their extremist movement. We will not allow this to happen."
-Well George, the FACTS are that there is and internal strife in Iraq, Clearly the factions that Saddam had under control with an iron fist, have been unleashed, and feel free now to attack each other and test their tribal strengths. Nothing to do with bin Laden. While the Taliban may be interfering and trying to take advantage of the situation, as extremists usually do everywhere, the real problem is that centuries of rivalries have resurfaced in Iraq, thanks to you George!

"No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice," Bush said.
-OK, how many more years? One, ten, fifty? Come on George! Even if one day all the newscasts announce that Bin Laden has been captured or killed, do you believe for a minute that the problem will be solved? Bin Laden is just one of probably many loose cannons in the region, each one most likely anxiously waiting for their 15 minutes of fame.

Thanks for spoiling for all of us what should have been a sober moment of remembrance and making a political mockery of 9/11! As usual, you’ve shined doing what you do best, exploiting everything at hand to justify your bad moves.

Ridiculous Prices Clash With Reality

The Las Vegas overpriced market is showing heavy signs of stagnation and if you want to sell, really sell, better forget the sometimes rosy tales of brokers and agents.
It doesn’t matter what they say, the fact is that there is a glut of houses and condos after a few months of sales frenzy. Single family homes sales are at an all time low where only 38% of those listed in 2006 were sold and condos didn’t fare any better, just 40% sold of those listed. In the meantime, prices are down.
In January, the average price for a single family home was $382,518 while in September is $369,607.Condos fared a little bit better, since many would be buyers, who can’t simply afford the inflated prices of single homes, had to settle for condos, and prices accordingly went up from a January average of $220,205 to a September price of $ 251,904.
How much more can everyone afford to sustain this unrealistic market? So, if you are selling, get a comfortable chair and be prepared to wait a long time, unless you revise your expectations. On the other hand, if you are planning to buy, just sit and wait, things will get better, if builders and sellers are serious about doing business.
The stats mentioned are not my doing, they come from the very people who, by nature, are always optimistic, the Greater Las Vegas Assoc of Realtor. The link to that is: LasVegasRealtorCom
Also, if want to know how I managed to squeeze out of this mess on my own, check the link on the side bar.
Good luck.