Generals Order Their Soldiers to Kill

And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten.

This week the George W. Bush Presidential Library opened in honor of his 2 terms as President.  While I never disliked him personally, his decision to enter into a war with Iraq was one of the worst mistakes ever made by a President and will have disastrous consequences for years to come.  It was nice to see all the living Presidents together and the bipartisanship was welcome in this world of disharmony.

In the days after 9/11/01 the decision was made to invade Iraq as part of the Bush Doctrine on the war on terror.  The Administration said that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.  The intelligence they used was "cooked up" and faulty from some unreliable sources.  They used this to sell the war to the American public (who was scared after 9/11).  It is now known all of this wasn't true, no WMD's.  How disgusting, thousands of Americans and Iraqi's died because of lies.  There is no question that Saddam was a bad man but after the first Gulf War he was contained by the no fly zone and barely in control of his country.
It was also said Saddam had ties to Al-Qaida and so therefore was indirectly involved with 9/11.  Another falsehood foisted upon the American public.  Saddam was intensely hated by Bin Laden because his was a secular ruler and did not run a theist state based on Islam.  Bin Laden had plans to actually try to overthrow Saddam.  We were also supposedly going to be seen as liberators and would be welcomed with flowers.  Once again lies and and a major miscalculation.  Iraq is a country made up of Sunni, Shia and Kurds.  Saddam was a Sunni so was his Basque party that  ruled the country.  The Sunni are the minority in the country and there has always been serious tension between the sects.  So once we invaded and deposed Saddam the tensions exploded and there was a serious insurgency that the administration never expected.  How stupid were these people in the administration.  Even a dope like me knew that major problems would erupt because of the religious divisions of Iraq.

So this is the Legacy of President Bush.  A decision to invade a country who had No WMD's, no connection to 9/11, no threat to the USA and because of it, thousands of American soldiers lost their lives and many thousands of innocent Iraq'is died for no reason.  How could a person live with that on their conscience?  While I agree the President needs to keep our country safe from the many threats in today's world.  The Iraq war was a horrid example of an Administration out of control, selling the public on lies and half truths to do something that was unnecessary.  The consequences of this disastrous decision will continue for many years.  The money that was spent there could have been used to help the American people with infrastructure improvement, healthcare etc.  The deficits run up from this war are massive and continue as a burden on our economy.
In the future we need to be vigilant in our fight against terrorism but never again should we be so vulnerable that we allow our government to run rampant into something similar to Iraq.  Many thousands have paid the ultimate price and we must never let it happen again.

The Things That Dreams Are Made Of

I normally wake up in the morning in a grumpy mood due to the fact I hate getting up early and having to go to work.  This morning was different.  I actually woke up with a smile on my face and in a good mood.  Here is the reason.  It was a dream I had just before I woke up.

I would say 99.9% of my dreams are bad dreams or nightmares.  (Sometimes I wonder if my life isn't a bad dream but that's another story).  I can't remember the last time I had a pleasant dream.  So this was definitely quite a surprise I tell you.

My dream started on the first day of school in a High School.  I was sitting in a class.  I have no idea what subject of the class was.  The teacher was a lady and sitting at her desk.  The students were all seated at their desks and waiting for the class to begin.  I looked around and didn't see a familiar face in the room.  All of the sudden I got up and went to the front of the room and asked the teacher if I could sing a song.  Now this has to be a dream because in real life I can't sing and I am the ultimate Wallflower so I would never ever do this.  The teacher said it was ok that I sing a song.  So I turned to the class and said "Before class begins I'm going to sing a song for you guys".  No one said anything but I was given some strange looks from the kids in the class.  I heard one kid say "I heard he was weird".  So I confronted him and asked how he knew that since he didn't know me.  He apologized and said that he was sorry.  After that a discussion began about several different topics including sexuality, bullying and the problems between the different groups in a High School.
When the discussion concluded it was time for me to sing.  I sang the song "You Have Killed Me"  by Morrissey and I belted it out of the park.  The class responded with a standing ovation...........Then BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.......my alarm was going off and it was back to reality.  Instead of being in a bad mood waking up, I was smiling because of the dream I just had.

I have no idea what that dream meant or how to analyze it.  I know I have been listening to "You Have Killed Me" a lot recently.  It has become one of my favorite Morrissey songs.  It was nice to wake up happy instead of miserable for a change.  I sure hope I have a few more of these kind of dreams in the future.  It sure would make getting up more bearable in the morning.

Boston

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims, families and those affected by the horrid bombings at the Boston Marathon.  To those deceased, may they rest in peace and to their families may they have comfort and love.  To those injured, may they heal and become whole
once again.   To all affected by this tragedy, don't give in to the terrorists and stay strong, don't let the terrorists win.

I Feel Summer Creeping in

Finally some warm weather has arrived.  It felt like the cold was going to continue forever.  Hopefully the warmth will decide to stay awhile.  I was able to go run 5 miles today.  It was just an all around great day to go running.  I am so looking forward to  5 or 6 months of some nice weather to enjoy.  I was able to roll down the windows, open the sun roof and turn up the car stereo on my way back and forth from the track.
Here is my play list (No one cares but I thought I would list it so I could look back and remember this wonderful day):
"I'm Afraid of Americans"    David Bowie
"Perfect Skin"   Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
"Irish Blood, English Heart"   Morrissey
"First of the Gang to Die"    Morrissey
"What Difference Does it Make"   The Smiths
"How Soon is Now"   The Smiths
"Bigmouth Strikes Again"   The Smiths
"Glamorous Glue"    Morrissey

I'll Get Down on My Knees and Pray

We Don't Get Fooled Again

So today is April Fools day.  I was just sitting here thinking about religion, The Catholic Church etc.

Does that make me a fool for thinking of such things or am I just a fool in general.  Regardless, with yesterday being Easter and today April Fools, I thought that was an interesting coincidence in timing.

If Jesus came back today, what would he think of the Catholic Church?  So many beautiful ornate buildings, a  Pope, Cardinals and Bishops who live luxurious lives.  Scholars at the Vatican who argue how many Angels can fit on the head of a pin.  Is this what the church should be about?  I thought the mission of the church is to feed the poor, heal the sick, shelter for the homeless, assistance for the elderly and help for those in need.

I just don't see it happening.  There is a major disconnect.  The Catholic Church seems to be more about prestige and power and wealth rather than a mission of helping those in need.

There has been a new Pope installed.  He seems to be a very humble man, possibly more dedicated to a church that will rededicate itself to a mission of helping people.  Only time will tell.  The Church is still living in the 1500's instead of the 2000's and they wonder why with a better educated populace, people drift away.  People can't use condoms while having sex?  That's ridiculous and anyone with a tad of intelligence knows it.  Priests can't marry?  Almost every other religion allows it, plus it gives more eligible candidates.  What the hell does a Priest know about marriage to advise a married couple, wouldn't better advice come from someone who is married and lived it?  Why can't a woman be a priest?  Woman are just as Holy or Holier than men.  There is no reason a woman cannot tend to a flock.  Many other religions allow women as Ministers and they do a fine job.  What about confession?  Why do I have to confess my sins to a Priest?  If I have committed a sin and truly sorry, I can confess to God directly.  God knows if you feel sorry and are truly repentant.  Do you think mindlessly repeating some Our Father's, Hail Mary's and Glory Be's will absolve you?  And these buildings, these palaces of worship, are they really necessary?   Instead of building these palatial cathedrals, wouldn't it be better to spend money on helping those in need?   What about people who mindlessly go to Mass, who screw people over all week in their lives?  Do they believe because they go to Mass its ok.  It thoroughly disgusts me.  What about the Church's position on Gay people?  How vile that they think Gay people are damned to hell.  I thought God created Mankind in his image.  I thought we were put on this earth as brothers and sisters and to love everyone.  I guess that only applies to the certain chosen.  How ridiculous.

As I sit here on April Fools day, maybe I'm just thinking foolish thoughts.  Will the Catholic Church ever change.  I think its highly doubtful.  Organizations such as this are caught up in their bureaucracy and move like snails.  Those at the top don't like change.  The hierarchy live a life of privilege and wealth and has no idea what is going in the lives of common folks.  How sad that the Church of St Peter is bastion of wealth and power instead of an institution dedicated to service to those in need.