Repub Racism Log: Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld, whose role in the Iraq debacle has been documented elsewhere, said that a "trained ape" could a better job than President Obama. He was talking about the lack of a status of forces agreement between the US and Afghanistan. The curious thing is that Rumsfeld had to choose that kind of language. Keeping track of racist comments made by Repubs could become a full time occupation. But not a very pleasant one.

Naming the Problem

There's a saying that seeing the problem is half the solution. Another aspect might be naming or describing the problem. One reason why people have trouble accepting the reality of climate change is that it is commonly called "global warming." It's true that average global temperatures have risen and continue to rise, but to people suffering through this year's brutal winter might well think "This is global warming?" People find it difficult to perceive phenomena on the global level. This can lead to "Frog in the Boiling Water;" phenomenon. If a change takes place gradually people might not notice a change that is taking place until the catastrophic changes have taken place. Perhaps it would be better to emphasize the reality of global climate change, and point out the clear evidence that is taking place.

War Heads Blundering Forth

The House of Representatives has just approved a 1 billion dollar aid bill to Ukraine. Except that the Ukrainians want 15 billion. This is from the same Congress that has cut the guts out of Education and Science research, and that won't even fund the construction of roads and bridges. The same conservative blowhards who yell "American Supremacy," are making this country backward and retrograde. Do they think that the greatness of America lies in their big mouths?

Once again we are being duped by people we know nothing about. The Ukrainian nationalists who supposedly hate everything about the Soviet Union, yet insist on maintaining a border that was drawn up by the Soviets. It's time we developed some street smarts about dealing with other countries.

The Crimea Is None of Our Business

The recent "revolution" in Ukraine and the possibility of a war in Crimea calls for some historical perspective. Remember how back in 2004 the "Orange Revolution" was supposedly going to turn the Ukraine into a shining beacon of democracy? In reality, the Orange Revolution turned into political infighting and corruption and the Ukraine has become a political and economic basket case. Now conservative politicians in Europe and the US are trying to start a new cold war with Russia. War mongering is the only position those people can adopt. After two expensive and failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan how could anyone consider a war over the Ukraine unless they're insane, which many conservatives probably are.

There are also talks about the US "bailing out" the Ukraine to the tune of several billion dollars. This is after deep cuts to food aid programs. People will starve here in America while billions are being squandered to prop up a corrupt regime in the Ukraine. Isn't that appalling?