Will the national media please explain to America what war with Iran would actually mean?

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Thursday August 06, 2015 · 8:53 AM PDT

2015/08/06 · 08:53

We have 17 people clamoring to be the next war president. Every single one of them supports policy positions that would make military conflict with Iran unavoidable, and all-out war and occupation nearly certain.

Iran is geographically 50% larger than Iraq and Afghanistan combined. The population of Iran is 25% larger than Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Iran has 700,000 trained, ready to fight military personnel, of which 1/2 are reservists. And don't think that the other 77 million civilians are going to just sit on their hands and leave all the fighting to the professionals once their country is invaded.

If we are successful overthrowing the Iranian government, a large, permanent occupying force would be required, because that would be the only way to prevent Islamic extremists from regaining control of the country. (See also: Iraq war, Afghanistan war.)

A war and occupation of this scale would likely require reinstatement of the draft, and, long term, tens of trillions of dollars in war, occupation, and veterans legacy costs, on top of the unending legacy costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And let's not forget that hundreds of thousands of human beings will die, including many thousands of Americans, probably a million more maimed, plus many millions displaced.

People need to know what's at stake. Why doesn't the national media inform? Are they really going to just sit back and let some of the very same ass-hats lie us into another "easy" war?

They're determined to lie us into another war

Sarge in Seattle

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Monday July 27, 2015 · 4:04 AM PDT

2015/07/27 · 04:04

Not being stupid, Governor Walker surely lied when he said this:

“I will terminate that deal. I will put in place crippling economic sanctions on Iran, and I will convince our allies to do the same.”

There isn't any chance that Walker doesn't know that the current sanctions only existed for the possibility of that deal, and have no chance of holding if it is "terminated". He also knows that it isn't possible for the United States on its own to impose "crippling economic sanctions". That would require a broad coalition.

If a Republican president kills that deal, war with Iran is inevitable. The only remaining option will be military action, and bombing Iran's nuclear facilities will be considered an act of war and they will retaliate, most likely against Israel, and it will escalate from there. The U.S. will not remain on the sidelines if Israel goes to war with Iran.

Prime Minister Netanyahu lied when he said this:

"The alternative to this deal is a better deal".

There was never the slightest chance of a deal that would satisfy Bibi, and he isn't the faintest bit interested in a deal of any kind that keeps the Iranian government intact. Bibi's strategy is to cajole and manipulate the United States into a situation where war with Iran becomes unavoidable, so that we, not Israel, will make a regime change then occupy the country forever, because permanent occupation by the U.S. is the only possible way to prevent the country from falling into the hands of Islamic extremists if the government falls.

Every Republican candidate for president is staking out a position that would ultimately lead to war with Iran. Maybe all of them don't believe they are trying to take the United States into another war, but that is in fact what they are doing, even the ones that are too dumb to realize it, and all of them will lie their asses off to defend their position.

This is what is at stake in 2016. It's great fun to mock the clown car, but this is no joke. They are all clamoring to be the next war president, and you can't trust a word that comes out of their mouths.

Why Jeb Bush & Kevin Drum are full of it re: "People need to work longer hours" out of context claim

Sarge in Seattle

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Sunday July 12, 2015 · 10:09 AM PDT

2015/07/12 · 10:09

It must be the weekend of false equivalencies. First, over at The Daily Beast, Ana Marie Cox equated Bernie Sanders with Donald Trump. Now at Mother Jones, Kevin Drum equates Jeb Bush's "people need to work longer hours" statement with Barack Obama's out of context "you didn't build that".

"Maybe I'm just being naive here, but I wonder if liberals could give it a rest mocking Jeb Bush for saying "people need to work longer hours"? Yeah, he really did say it, but then again, Obama really did say "You didn't build that." Little snippets taken out of context can make anyone sound dumb."

"Naïve", Mr. Drum, is the most charitable explanation for your post. President Obama's statement was contained within a painstaking dissertation on how individual initiative, although required, does not exclusively produce success without assistance from government and society.

"The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together."

Clearly the point Obama was trying to make was that you did build that, but not entirely on your own.

Here is the entire context of Governor Bush's statement:

“My aspiration for the country, and I believe we can achieve it, is 4 percent growth as far as the eye can see. Which means we have to be a lot more productive, workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows. It means that people need to work longer hours, and, through their productivity, gain more income for their families. That’s the only way we’re going to get out of this rut that we’re in.”

And then this from Kevin Drum, in defense of Bush's claim he was referring to the underemployed.

"It probably really was what he meant, and it just didn't come out quite right. That's common in a live setting."

I don't think Mr. Drum knows what "out of context" means. Assuming that someone meant what they said isn't the same thing as quoting out of context. Out of context means that the entire statement, taken as a whole, contradicts the cherry picked snippet that implies something unintended by the speaker.

Please, Mr. Drum, show me the context in Jeb Bush's speech wherein he asked anything at all of employers? He's a Republican. He never has, and never will ask more of employers. The entire context of his comments about worker productivity was about what workers needed to do differently, not employers. The statement and the context were clear: After thirty years of phenomenal increases in worker productivity without significant real wage increases for workers, the only way workers deserve more money is if they work harder and become more productive. No onus at all on employers. Furthermore, the statement assumes that employers will all the sudden magically start rewarding employees with increased pay for higher productivity, out of altruism, I suppose.

On what basis does Mr. Bush presume future productivity gains will go to employees rather than employers? Or is that even what he meant? He seems to conflate productivity with quantity of hours worked. He may very well have meant the only way workers deserve more money is if they work longer hours, regardless of productivity. Either way, there is no context that suggests Jeb Bush thinks workers deserve anything more from employers unless they, the workers, deliver more.

Nor is there any past statement by Governor Bush that would contradict his assertion that "people need to work longer." We know he does not support an increase in the minimum wage, or any minimum wage at all for that matter. So how else does a minimum wage worker earn more other than working more hours? Not only was "people need to work longer" in context with the rest of his comment, it is in context with everything he has ever had to say on the matter.

Product recall alert: Rachel Ray catfood chef fail.

Sarge in Seattle

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Monday June 08, 2015 · 9:06 PM PDT

2015/06/08 · 21:06

This sort of hit my funny bone today. At Fred Meyer, the cashier alerted me about an important recall notice, details of which were printed on my receipt. To wit:

Valued customer: You may have purchased the product listed below which has now been recalled. You may return the product for a full refund. If you have any questions, please contact Ainsworth Pet Nutrition: 1-877-650-3486
Rachel Ray Nutrish Tuna Purrfection Cat Food 2 .8 oz UPC 71190-00706 best by dates December 1, 2016 and before

The cat food may contain elevated levels of Vitamin D and if consumed, could result in severe illness in pets.

Seriously, Rachel? You are a cat food chef now? I'm of the opinion that it is no great accomplishment to prepare food that is liked by pets. Every pet I have ever had loved my cooking. My chow chow especially loved my scrambled eggs, and my chickens go crazy for my kale, blueberry & quinoa salad (hold the dressing).

Here's the thing. If you are a celebrity chef and you put your name on a can of cat food, it better not kill the cat.

Just sayin'.

American writer hacked to death by Islamist extremists in Bangladesh. Does anyone care?

Sarge in Seattle

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Friday February 27, 2015 · 4:48 PM PST

2015/02/27 · 16:48

Late last night I learned that in Bangladesh, American writer Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonna had been brutally attacked with machetes, almost certainly by Islamist extremists in retaliation for their published work, leaving Mr. Roy dead, and his wife and blogger Rafida nearly dead. Today I turned on MSNBC to learn more and I encountered #TheDress (with an in-studio expert), "lamas on the loose", Senator Inhofe's snowball, a debate about whether Madonna's fall was a publicity stunt, and the "big week for marijuana"'. To their credit, at least Leonard Nimoy's death was "coming up". So I switched to Fox News. Surely they would draw a straight line from this horrific attack on an American citizen to Obama's feckless foreign policy and be all over it. Nope. They were discussing the WHO dietary recommendations. Nothing about Avijit Roy's murder even on the ticker. CPAC coverage was coming up, so I had to turn off the TV to prevent nausea.

About a week ago, I saw a Facebook post with a link to an article titled "Islamists are burning Bangladesh, but does anyone care?". I read the article and sarcastically commented

There is no oil and no white people in Bangladesh. So, unfortunately, the answer to the question is "no".

I'm afraid I might have been right. The webpage for that particular article is not available for some reason, but here is a link to the website that posted it.

People, an American author faced death threats for things he wrote that offended some Muslim extremists. He was just brutally and publicly hacked to death on the steps of a library in Dhaka where he attended an event that featured some of his work. His wife is in critical condition. Why is this not a story?

ISIS is winning the hearts & minds of Americans

Sarge in Seattle

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Wednesday February 11, 2015 · 4:37 PM PST

2015/02/11 · 16:37

My high school band director was fond of saying "if you are going to make mistakes, it is more to your credit to make a different one every time".

Osama bin Laden goaded America into getting bogged down in an unending, unwinnable war in Afghanistan for the purpose of draining our resources and enhancing the status of al Qaeda and the recruitment of jihadists. The US exceeded his wildest expectations by also invading and occupying Iraq.

ISIS is doing the exact same thing as al Qaeda. They want us to invade and occupy Syria and re-occupy Iraq. They don't care if they are pushed out of there. They know that once the US has invaded, we can never leave, ever, because of the void that will be created and the unavoidable fucking mess that will ensue. As soon as we get bogged down in Iraq & Syria, if not before, they will pop up in places like Yemen, Oman, Afghanistan, Egypt, Uzbekibekistanstanstan, and God knows where else, luring us into an ever larger and ever more costly conflict.

Lately, I've been seeing stuff like this from my liberal friends:

"Sometimes brute force is the only answer. ISIS has reached that point. I'm all for destroying them."

That is exactly the response that ISIS is angling for. We are playing into their hands. They are counting on the innate inability of the worlds greatest military power to exercise military restraint. History is repeating itself, and it isn't going to work out any better for us this time around.

I bet $100 this perp is a white guy. Any takers?

Sarge in Seattle

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Tuesday September 16, 2014 · 11:57 AM PDT

2014/09/16 · 11:57

Top story on KOMO news this morning was "Officer Shot". Molly Chen reported:

A local police officer is out of the hospital this morning after being shot and still chasing down the gunman. The suspected shooter led the police on a wild, high speed chase from Duvall down to Fall City overnight, firing at officers along the way.

The officer responded to a report of a person shooting paintballs. The officer responding confronted a 47 year old man who pulled out a real gun and shot the officer in the leg. The officer fired back but missed, then jumped into his SUV and gave chase. Other officers responded, with at least one deputy getting his window shot out during the 15 mile chase at high speeds. The suspect's car crashed after hitting a spike strip, then, surrounded by cops, the suspect got out of his car, gun in hand, fired it, and was shot, with a bean bag, dropped his gun, fled without being shot at, and was arrested unharmed, hours later.

Officers say he got out with a gun and fired again into the ground. With incredible restraint, officers fired a non-lethal bullet like a bean bag, and knocked the gun away. The suspect ran into the woods, the neighbors were kept inside, until the man surrendered several hours later.

I'm not complaining, mind you. Great job all around by the police. But seriously, anyone think the suspect was black? I don't know, they didn't say, and I probably shouldn't speculate. But I just can't believe a black person in this country, even in King County, Washington, would have been shot with a bean bag under these circumstances.

Wherein I dare to quibble with Rachel Maddow's historical report on al Qaeda & ISIS in Iraq

Sarge in Seattle

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Wednesday September 03, 2014 · 12:36 AM PDT

2014/09/03 · 00:36

On Tuesday's show, Rachel Maddow stated that

There was no al Qaeda presence in Iraq when we invaded in 2003. But in 2004, "al Qaeda in Iraq" was formed by Jordanian Militant Abu Musad al Zarqawi

The claim of "no al Qaeda presence in Iraq when we invaded" isn't exactly true. Zarqawi operated in Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion, and was considered at the time an al Qaeda affiliate. This is a very important distinction because ignoring that fact obscures one of the most reprehensible and yet largely unknown policy decisions of the Bush administration--the decision to make sure Zarqawi was operating an al Qaeda linked terrorist cell in Iraq at the time of the invasion, purely for its propaganda value--a decision which directly led to the beheading of Nick Berg, the deaths of many hundreds of innocent civilians, and very nearly a terrorist attack in Great Britain, all at the hands of the Zarqawi-led operation that likely would not have existed if the National Security Council hadn't repeatedly vetoed Pentagon plans to cleanly eliminate it prior to the war. Read More

FYI: Elections have consequences. Gov. Inslee nixes death penalty.

Sarge in Seattle

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Tuesday February 11, 2014 · 2:09 PM PST

2014/02/11 · 14:09

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has suspended the death penalty and vowed that there will be no executions in Washington State while he is in office.

Inlsee cited flaws and inequity in the criminal justice system.

This isn't the end of capital punishment in Washington State, just the end of it so long as Jay Inslee is governor or until the Legislature hands him a bill to end it.

Thank you, Governor.

Socialist Candidate Sawant wins Seattle City Council Seat

Sarge in Seattle

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Thursday November 14, 2013 · 7:55 PM PST

2013/11/14 · 19:55

In a stunning turnaround, Socialist alternative candidate Kshama Sawant, who conceded on election night, now has an insurmountable 1148 vote lead in the ostensibly non-partisan Seattle City Council race that is getting national attention (yes, we are still counting votes nine days after the election).

Born in India, Sawant has a Computer Science degree from the University of Mumbai, and a PhD in Economics from North Carolina State University.

Sawant is a software engineer and teaches economics part time at Seattle Central Community College. She was a leader in the Seattle branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Her platform includes a $15 minimum wage, a millionaire's tax, ending corporate welfare, unionizing service workers, stopping the coal trains, GMO labeling, and rent control.

Nevertheless, Sawant's opponent, 16 year incumbent Richard Conlin, received the endorsement of the King County Democrats and the Democrats in all seven of the Seattle Legislative Districts.

Chris Matthews: "Only a fool would cheer what happened today"

Sarge in Seattle

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Wednesday October 16, 2013 · 4:52 PM PDT

2013/10/16 · 16:52

Chris Matthews:

"They will harangue us from now until December 13th over the budget talks, denying the need for revenues to balance out their push for budget cuts. They will threaten us until January 15th, Martin Luther King day, with the same torrent of demands that shut our government down until now. They will pound us again, with the specter of default come February 7th. Only a fool would cheer what happened today, relax as how this ended.

My earlier diary "Uh, wait a minute", received few recs. Turns out, Chris Matthews and others appear to agree with me.

Howard Feinman:

"I agree with you that we are going to face perhaps similar scenarios in January and February".

David Axelrod:

"This is no time to spike the ball in the end zone."

This is a three month deal. Tea partiers are not going to slink off with tails between their legs. The specter of government shutdown and default still loom large above the negotiations.

The ransom demands have been deferred, not rejected. There will be concessions by the Democrats. What are Republicans willing to concede?

The primary objections to my earlier post was my argument that the three month deal was for the purpose of perpetuating the extortion. Comments pointed out that it was to deal with sequester mandated military cuts, which the Democrats don't like. Seriously? We are going to have another budget showdown because Democrats hate cuts in military spending? Why in the fuck would we hate such a thing? The argument makes no sense, nor does the celebration over the deal that was just hammered out. A win would have been a long term Continuing Resolution and long term increase in the debt limit.

Make no mistake about it. We are still in full blackmail mode.

Uh, hold on a minute...

Sarge in Seattle

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Wednesday October 16, 2013 · 11:33 AM PDT

2013/10/16 · 11:33

I don't see a short term deal as a big win by Democrats or devastating loss to Republicans. They still get their negotiations under the threat of default and government shutdown. The ransom is merely re-branded as a negotiation and delayed.

Under continued acts of economic terrorism, Republicans will get concessions unavailable to them through the normal legislative process. That is the purpose of the 3-4 month deal. Make no mistake, we are still in full blackmail mode, only this time, everything is on the table. A negotiated ransom is still a ransom, and, in my not-so-humble opinion, still unacceptable.

Yeah, I'm a cynic, and hopefully I'm wrong on this, but I don't think we'll be dancing in the streets after the "negotiations" are complete.

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