The Age of Incompetence

I suspect that people all over the world must thinking, how is it that the US, which rebuilt Western Europe and Japan after WWII, did such a lousy job in Afghanistan and Iraq? That's a very interesting question. It's not enough to say "We're not as good as our ancestors." Funny how conservatives who fill their mouths talking about "traditional values" largely ignore the lose of one very important tradition; the American work ethic. Over the past three decades we have become a culture where work is no longer rewarded or even recognized. The rise of the speculator economy, the destruction of organized labor, and the overbearing rise of corporate interests have made it impossible for working people to actually get ahead. We may deplore that young people want to be professional athletes and fashion models, but the fact is that in today's world "honest work" gets you nowhere. This is clear at all levels. Finding someone to fix your air conditioner can turn into an ordeal. But even worse, in America nothing works right anymore.

Here Comes Emperor Netanyahu

The GOP controlled congress, in order to embarrass the Obama administration, has invited Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to address the US Congress. The objective is to stir up a war between the US and Iran. No other leader from any other country in the world would be allowed to interfere in American politics in this way. Not to mention that a war like that would be a disaster not only for the US and Iran, but for the entire world. The same mob of chickenhawk warmongers and professional Islamophobes are exploiting the recent terrorist in France to push their twisted agendas. This is reminiscent of the thinking of the Bush II administration. The warmongers used the attacks of 9/11/2001 to urge the invasion of Iraq, even though Iraq had nothing to do with those attacks. The odd thing about the warmongers is that they never learn anything, but keep pushing this country into wars without thinking of the consequences.

As for Netanyahu, the administration should tell him that given security concerns, it would be best for him not to visit the US at this time. That would be a "diplomatic" solution to the problem.