I have a running dialogue going with a couple of my friends who would be squarely in the midst of the “Christian Right” as I’m trying to convince them that “Christians” (for that matter, any “religion”) being the “base” of a political party is unhealthy – for that party AND for that “religion.”  Honestly, nothing gives me more pause than religious zealots gaining political power.  We see the results all the time in places like Afghanistan (Taliban), Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, etc. etc.  Presently the group calling itself “ISIS” is attempting to gain control in Iraq and Syria (ironically, with weapons, as I understand it, that were supplied by America – in our great wisdom as we try to unseat the “tyrant” in Syria so that a group we now consider “terrorists” could take over.  I’m still not sure if our leaders (I believe it’s possible that President Obama Okay-ed military supplies for this group and I’ve seen pictures on the Web of John McCain in a “photo op” with some of their members – is that what we call bipartisan?) expected ISIS to be pushing “democracy” should they succeed.  What it appears to me is more American “meddling” in places where we have NO IDEA what we’re doing.  Members of ISIS are reportedly lopping off the heads of those who oppose them (especially Christians).  And, back to my main thought, ISIS is ANOTHER example of religious zealots gaining political power (or, attempting to gain power).

Ultimately, what my thinking is tonight relates to my wish to “vent” my own frustrations with President Obama and how one of his decisions has contributed to the “mess” he’s got to deal with.  I always hesitate doing this because I have no intentions of furthering the “wish” of republicans that our president would FAIL.  That seems to cause me to keep much of my frustration internal.  I keep thinking that it is perfectly fine with me for republicans to want our president’s initiatives to fail due to a disagreement with philosophy.  However, attempting to facilitate that failure is what troubles me.  I believe the divisiveness caused by the CONSTANT obstructionist politics of the republican party and their benefactors is giving a message to those around the world who would benefit from a lack of unity in America to be emboldened.  It should be painfully obvious to anyone observing what’s happening inside America’s boundaries and around the world that America is losing steam in her role as “leader of the free world.”  And, for those who would put this on Obama, I would just remind you that virtually ALL the problems STARTED with the inept administration of GW Bush and Dick Cheney.

I STARTED THIS POST AROUND 3 WEEKS AGO – IT WAS INTERRUPTED BY A DIFFICULT SURGERY – I’M GOING TO ATTEMPT TO FINISH THE THOUGHT.

Prior to going in for surgery (I really am getting old and worn out) the issue with ISIS (or ISIL – I’m not sure which is correct) was just accelerating and, naturally – as with EVERY issue that seems to be going in the wrong direction – republicans immediately began lambasting President Obama for his “failed foreign policy.” (we’ve all seen that they do this no matter what policy is in question – failing or not)  This was coming from the likes of Dick Cheney (and, I’m really SERIOUS here – how does this man warrant ONE SECOND of air time on any media channel? – well, we all know the answer is Fox “news”), John McCain (who, as mentioned above, is seen in photo ops with the ISIS leadership whom he allegedly helped gain funding through Saudi sources), and virtually every other republican mouthpiece.  This is a significant issue and, despite what I’ve always felt was an “unwritten rule” in American politics that the divisiveness ended at the border, it seems too much to hope that there will be unity as our president attempts to find a way to deal with this group that I believe can only be described as murdering thugs.  The atmosphere represented by this political reality is one of the issues I wish to discuss in my attempt to question my president (who I TOTALLY hope succeeds!)

Before I elaborate on that thought, while I was recuperating ( the first 10 days were “tough” as the doctor warned me) I watched a lot of television and the “news” was dominated by reporting from Missouri,  where a young Black man was murdered by a White police officer.  The boy’s name was Michael Brown and his murder seemed to be a “trigger” for the backlash from the Black community which I’ve been forewarning people – in my blog and in my conversation – for quite some time now.  I mean, how long does the White “establishment” believe they can ignore the realities faced by those “stuck” in environments that provide limited opportunity and excessive profiling and brutality by members of the police force.  The issue of race is MAJOR in America and, while I thought the election of Barack Obama was a great step forward, it seems as if it has unleashed a White backlash that I certainly didn’t anticipate.

For example, I just received a publication from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that is working to expose White supremacists and hate groups, which says the number of anti-government “militias” have increased almost ten fold since Obama’s election in the United States.  And, recent “happenings” such as the “standoff” between the Bureau of Land Management and Cliven Bundy over Bundy’s refusal to pay his federal grazing fees (for something like 20+ years) – an amount exceeding $1 MILLION – has emboldened these groups to feel as if they can ignore America’s laws.  None of this is good!

Which brings me back to my point – where I want to question President Obama – who I have to EMPHASIZE again, I want him to SUCCEED!  (I wanted GW Bush to succeed, I want all presidents to succeed)  I’ve written about this many times prior on this site – it was “red flag” number one for me when Obama took office.  It led me to predict that in 2010 “progressives” would be so turned off that it would allow republicans (unfortunately, as it turned out, in the form of the “Tea Party”) to upend the democratic control of congress.  As I had predicted back then, President Obama’s decision to “look forward and not back” would turn out to be one of the worst presidential decisions of my lifetime.  If you’re not familiar with the context of that statement, essentially President Obama blocked ALL investigations into the illegal activities of the Bush/Cheney administration.

Both George W Bush and Dick Cheney (seemingly with pride) admitted in interviews on NATIONAL TV that they had authorized WATERBOARDING (both saying they would do it again) which is a WAR CRIME by our national legal standards, our military standards, and by international standards.  Clearly, the level of “enhanced interrogation” went far beyond waterboarding and, it seems apparent to me, has created FAR more “terrorists” since 9/11 than the United States has captured or killed.  One only has to think of the images publicized from Abu Ghraib to get an idea of what was not only tolerated, but encouraged during the Bush/Cheney regime.  The authorization came right from the top – with MANY in the chain of command VULNERABLE to any responsible, unbiased investigation.  Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and many others were vulnerable to charges of war crimes.  I believe President Obama was elected because he led (at least me) many Americans to believe “The Change we could believe in” would include accountability to those who had stepped WAY OVER any acceptable line in America’s sense of justice.

It’s true President Obama attempted to close Guantanamo – the center of America’s unbelievable abuse of human rights – but was blocked by Congress (or, at least, that’s how it was portrayed to me) and we’re still seeing TV “shots” of the “enemy combatants” who inhabit the place in their bright orange jump suits.  Concerning the most egregious example of why Guantanamo is a “black mark” on America I have never seen a believable report about the three “detainees” who “committed suicide” by – get this – hanging themselves after jamming rags so far down their own throats they couldn’t be pulled out after they were found, tying their own hands behind their backs, binding their own feet together, then climbing onto a sink, putting a noose around their neck, and then hanging themselves – all three of them (one who was due to be released!).  Additionally, there’s been no explanation as to how they could have “hanged” for two hours without being noticed when each cell was to be inspected every 10 minutes.  This, of course, happened under the “watch” of Bush/Cheney – but, do those at the top of our government really believe that no one notices this stuff?  Of course, in America, our “liberal media” has no problem sweeping stuff like this “under the rug,” but I can tell you – the rest of the world NOTICED!  There was NO investigation (at least made public – that was credible)

So, why does this still “bug” me so much?  Well, I watched President Obama in a press conference, reacting to the beheading of an American journalist by ISIS with a sense of anger that was palpable – and, I have to add, a sense shared by me.  However, when it was reported the journalist, James Foley, had been waterboarded and the pictures of him showed him in a orange jumpsuit – I had to wonder how many people were able to “connect the dots?”  In my mind, the orange jumpsuits are symbolic of the outrage around the world at the US treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo and other “black sites” where “enemy combatants were sent and tortured.  And, how can we respond to the charges that the hostages in Syria – held by ISIS – are being waterboarded?  President Obama had the chance to make a CLEAR statement to the world that America was better than that upon his inauguration.  By “looking forward instead of back” he exonerated Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld and all the others responsible for America’s “enhanced interrogation” policies – which, along with the ILLEGAL invasion of Iraq in 2003 has destabilized the Middle East (more than it was) and made America (and Americans) less safe!

Additionally, for President Obama, this decision emboldened what has become an unbelievable policy of obstruction by the party (republican) which created the “mess” that Obama’s been dealing with for almost 6 years now.  It also sent a message to many on the “right” that President Obama is “weak.”  This, in my view, has led to instances such as the Bundy fiasco, which has escaped the view of our “liberal media” – so these “militia” type radicals, I’m sure, feel as if they can operate free of worry from federal law enforcement – because they’ll just pull out their weapons (and they are well armed) and shoot it out if necessary.  Combining all this – the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld et al lawbreaking, with the Bundy lawbreaking, and add in the Wall Street bailouts with NO accountability for all the damage inflicted on “Main Street” – and it’s pretty easy to see why so many Americans now believe that our laws are intended for those of us on “Main Street” with no accountability for those at the “top” or, in Bundy’s case, those who’ve brazenly armed themselves and are willing to shoot any law enforcer who attempts to hold them responsible for violating laws they don’t recognize.  This then leads me to what happened in Ferguson Missouri.

There seems to be no lack of willingness for law enforcement to kill members of the African American communities around the country.  From George Zimmerman, acting as a neighborhood “watcher,” killing Trayvon Martin in Florida to the murder of Michael Brown in Missouri, there’s one instance after another of young Black men being gunned down, unarmed, by police (or, in Zimmerman’s case, pseudo police) all across our nation.  Apparently, when a young Black person is killed, the person who does the killing (usually shooting) simply has to claim that they were acting in self defense and all will be well.  Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Zimmerman was exonerated in the death of Martin – and, many, including myself, are anticipating that the police officer (I believe his name is Darren Wilson) will escape justice in the Brown murder.  The evidence that he essentially executed Michael Brown is overwhelming, but when you look closely at how the authorities are “aligned” and how the Police department and the DA have responded to the murder, it doesn’t give much hope that Wilson will be held accountable.  At the very minimum, he should stand trial for the shooting, but I’ll be surprised if that happens.

This incident really, to me, exposes the biases that are real in America today.  As I look at the evidence that’s become public, it seems obvious that Brown, no matter what he had done prior to receiving the fatal shot, should still be alive today.  The FACT that Brown’s body was allowed to lay on the street (apparently not even covered up) for over 4 hours is unbelievable to me – yet it is a FACT.  And the FACT that the fatal shot hit him on the top of his head – while the police officer was reportedly 25 feet or so away is very disturbing.  But, when I look at all of this – in my opinion – it goes back to our government (Sorry President Obama, but you screwed up) allowing the impression that those at the “top” are “above the law.”  I believe what’s going on in many police departments around the nation support this contention – and, unfortunately, many Americans seem to agree.  For example, while I think it would have been – over time – less of a distraction to investigate ( and prosecute if warranted) the Bush/Cheney regime – it would have caused a ruckus with many republicans (we know now that anything Obama does will cause that).  However, confirming that we are “a nation of laws and not men” was the right thing to do.  And, this holds true all the way down to our local police departments.

Darren Wilson has received nearly (by my last count) a half a million dollars in support after the killing of Michael Brown through anonymous internet donations.  This despite the FACT he still hasn’t been charged with any crime!  (I guess people are anticipating he will be charged)  I’m really not sure how to interpret that – other than to say that it reinforces my view that, in America, we’ve got BIG problems – and, there’s a clear divide that implies to me these problems won’t be solved any time soon.  There’s a saying that totally resonates with me that “Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.”  We’ve seen this over and over during the 21st century.  The best example for me was the invasion of Iraq – it brought back the nightmares of Viet Nam to me.  Bush/Cheney being let “off the hook” reminded me of Richard Nixon saying, “If the president does it, it must be legal” – and, all the energy it took to prove him wrong.  In one felled swoop, President Obama – when he chose to “look forward” – undermined all that work and energy.  And, the Ferguson situation reminds me of the 1960’s when those in our inner cities – receiving similar (probably worse) treatment as today, finally “exploded.”  (in fact, I’ve got respect for the people of Ferguson who’ve shown more restraint than the police in the ensuing protests after Brown’s murder)

Leaders MUST lead by example, and the example coming from America in the past 14 years has totally sabotaged her standing as the “leader of the free world.”  We were supposedly the leaders in the fight for “human rights” around the world.  We’ve not only allowed ourselves to violate our own principals in the “war on terror,” but our shortcomings within our own society and our inability to understand the needs of our citizens who are “the least of these” (in the words of Jesus Christ) has exposed the hypocrisy in our government as it tries to bring order outside our borders.  The fate of James Foley (and, today I read that another hostage was killed) brings the sad reality of what was done during Bush/Cheney home “to roost.”  And, by essentially exonerating their actions, President Obama missed an opportunity to prove to the rest of the world (and America’s citizens) that we REALLY don’t TORTURE and we do believe in human rights.  The evidence, at home and abroad, leaves one to wonder what REALLY is America’s stance on all this!

I’ll end this by referring to my initial thoughts.  The solution, whatever it might be, to the issues fulminating in the Middle East as I’m writing this will not be those of the religious zealots.  I saw one person, on one of my attempts to check out what’s being said on Fox “news,” claim the solution is “convert them or kill them,” referring to ISIS.  President Obama gets criticized (by “both sides of the isle”) for being deliberate.  Personally, I encourage him to continue doing so.  Don’t compound the mistakes of the past.  I’m not sure what the best course of action is, but I’m pretty sure “convert them or kill them” is a bad idea.  The usual “knee jerk” reaction that appears to be America’s “way” of late is a recipe for disaster.  This problem requires, I believe, a unified solution among all the stake holders in bringing these murderous thugs (ISIS) to justice.