What a GAME!!!!!
I know that most of my readers don't live in Los Angeles or in the Los Angeles area, but I do live here, so please tolerate these first couple of sentences I'm writing.
During the many years I did television sports here on Channels 9 and 4, I had the pleasure of covering the Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers Owner Jerry Buss's rookie season was 1980, Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson's rookie season was 1980 and my rookie season covering the Lakers was 1980.
So yeah, I care about the Lakers. Tonight they beat the Boston Celtics in the 7th and deciding game of this year's NBA Championship series in a nail biting thriller and even though I was sitting on my couch, I am exhausted. I can't imagine how the Lakers are feeling. Or the Celtics.
WHEW!!!!!
Okay...Now we begin with the kind of stuff I usually write about here.
SHOULD GEORGE W. BUSH BE PUT ON TRIAL FOR MURDER?!?
And how's that for a segue? From a thrilling basketball item to a very serious QUESTION!
The war in Iraq.
The reasons we were told that our troops were being sent there were all lies. The end result of those lies have been the deaths of thousands of American citizens and life altering injuries suffered by other thousands of American citizens.
What were the lies?
That Iraq was involved with 9/11. Bullshit.
That Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that would be used against us. More bullshit.
That Iraq was filled with terrorists that would do harm to us. More bullshit until after we got there. After we got there, the terrorists showed up. Before we got there, they didn't exist.
The Bush administration also saw to it that Iraq's Head of State ended up being hanged. Yes, an Iraqi trial was held (after our troops captured him), but an argument could be made that the Bush administration was involved in something illegal that resulted in Iraq's Head of State being given the death penalty.
I know. When it finally became SO apparent that we went to Iraq based on lies, we were told that we had been given faulty "intelligence information". Bullshit. Even the dumbest of people now realize that "the books were cooked". And what I mean by that is, what was printed for people to see was an example of, "Garbage in, garbage out".
WHY?!?
I don't know the answer to that question. Many have speculated that the real reason the Bush administration went there was to take control of Iraq's oil. I don't subscribe to that theory, but for the life of me I don't know why the Bush administration felt it was necessary to send our troops in there based on lies. Or for any other reason! And when I say the Bush administration, we all know that what I'm referring to is a small group of people.
Somebody thought it was damned important for us to send our troops there. And to get the Halliburton crowd involved, etc., etc.
Again...WHY?!?
But here's something we know! The deaths and life altering injuries suffered by thousands of American citizens because of these lies.
There is no question about the fact that our troops were sent in harm's way based on lies. Lies told by the Bush administration.
So after very serious thought, I ask this question;
Should George W. Bush (and perhaps others as well) be put on trial for murder of American citizens and other crimes associated with what has happened in and to Iraq?
I welcome any thoughts and or comments you have on this subject. Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net
AND THERE'S ALSO AFGHANISTAN TO CONSIDER...
I didn't have a problem with what the Afghanistan through Pakistan mission was supposed to be. Do you remember the reason we were given that we were sending troops there? To find Osama bin Laden.
How's that working out?
President Obama sent more troops there because the mission (whatever it is) seems to have changed and General Petraeus said he needed more troops. President Obama said "okay", but he also said that if things haven't improved, he will begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July of next year. When General Petraeus was asked about that by a U.S. Senator while appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee a couple of days ago, he was not only evasive, but after saying, "We have to be very careful about timelines.", he fainted. And I'm not making that up.
General Petraeus is now okay and his subordinates said he fainted because he was jet-lagged and not because of the questions he was being asked.
Well, that's reassuring, but here's what isn't reassuring. The fact that we still have our troops there and in Iraq. Two places where the people don't like us and in many, if not most cases, hate us! And these stupid wars, in addition to the thousands of American deaths and terrible injuries are costing us hundreds of billions (maybe trillions) of American taxpayer dollars while our country, is in danger of going broke.
And now we find out that vast mineral deposits have been discovered in Afghanistan by American troops and we say, "Hmmmm!?!" Is this why we're there? And are we ever going to leave?
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S OIL SPILL SPEECH!
Did you watch it?
I did.
Were you impressed?
I wasn't.
But here's something he said that got my attention; "For decades, we've talked and talked about the need to end America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels. And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight."
In other words, President Obama wants us to agree to suffer some financial pain in order to eliminate our addiction to oil. Pain that would eventually go away and pain that would be worthwhile because it would prevent our children and grandchildren from having to be stuck with these growing "deficits" that keep growing and at a dangerously accelerated rate.
Okay...Let's talk about the concern we have for our children and grandchildren regarding "The Humongous Deficit".
We've all heard what people say about this and some of us have said the same things ourselves.
"If we don't stop spending and continue to drive up the deficit, our poor children and grandchildren will be stuck paying for this for, like, forever!"
Or something like that.
President Obama would be addressing that issue with his oil addiction idea.
A noble idea, but an idea I don't think will be supported.
And here's why.
We might not admit it and maybe deep down we don't even know we're thinking it, but when push comes to shove, worrying about the effect the deficit will have on our children and grandchildren is/are to me, simply words that sound good and the right things to say.
It's true that all good parents and grandparents are people who hope their children and grandchildren are able to live prosperous lives.
But we aren't willing to vote for or approve what is necessary to help make that happen as far as "deficit reduction" goes. And the reason is, while we wish the best for our children, etc., we don't want to have to live lesser lives to make that happen. In other words, "Kids, I want you to have YOURS, but I'm not going to give anything up because I want to KEEP MINE!"
Think about what I'm telling you and if you have any thoughts and or comments, please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net
THE LATEST ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION...
In a very recent interview she had with an illegal immigrants supporter, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said the Justice Department, under President Obama's direction, will be bringing a lawsuit against Arizona over their new immigration law because this is an area that President Obama feels should be handled by the federal government.
Hmmmm....Arizona has a law that calls for the enforcement of the law against illegal immigrants. And the federal government should be handling this?
Hmmmm....Wellll, they have been "handling this" and isn't that why Arizona felt the need to pass this new law, which is in fact, (basically) the same law that the federal government should be enforcing???
READING TIP:
The new June 21 issue of Newsweek has a multi-page story titled, "Saint Sarah" and yes, it's about Sarah Palin. In this story, among other things, Sarah Palin is described as the new leader of the Christian Right, a position previously held by the late Jerry Falwell. Check it out. It's an interesting read.
DUMB GUY OF THE WEEK:
Texas Congressman, Joe Barton. After publicly apologizing to British Petroleum's CEO, Tony Hayward about the way he was verbally treated in congressional hearings and for the way he was pressured by President Oboma, the political roof fell on Joe Barton's head.
In addition to the stories that immediately came out about Barton being the recipient of more campaign money from oil companies than any other congressman, Republican leaders, fearful of voter backlash, made Barton apologize for the "apology" and when the Republican leaders didn't like Barton's apology, they wrote an apology for Barton and threatened to seriously punish him regarding chairmanship opportunities, etc.
Short Commentary: Yo, Joe! No one but you and Rand Paul are saying nice things about anyone associated with that BP oil mess in the Gulf. But because you give new definition to the term "dumb guy", you're our dumb guy of the week.
ENTERTAINMENT STUFF...
I haven't seen anything new lately. There are some new television shows I'm looking forward to seeing this weekend and there's a film I'm looking forward to seeing as soon as it comes out. Have you seen those television commercials about the new Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz film, "Knight and Day"? I don't know about you, but those fun scenes they've been showing makes me think "Knight and Day" is a film that will MAKE my day!
THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS?
Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you immediately. Don't write to the blog because if you do, there's no way for me to know your email address so I won't be able to respond to you. Again... scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond immediately. All anonymous emails are ignored.
THE NEXT BLOG?
Barring unforseen circumstances, late Wednesday night, June 23rd.
AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BACK TO BACK NBA CHAMPION LOS ANGELES LAKERS!!!
During the many years I did television sports here on Channels 9 and 4, I had the pleasure of covering the Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers Owner Jerry Buss's rookie season was 1980, Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson's rookie season was 1980 and my rookie season covering the Lakers was 1980.
So yeah, I care about the Lakers. Tonight they beat the Boston Celtics in the 7th and deciding game of this year's NBA Championship series in a nail biting thriller and even though I was sitting on my couch, I am exhausted. I can't imagine how the Lakers are feeling. Or the Celtics.
WHEW!!!!!
Okay...Now we begin with the kind of stuff I usually write about here.
SHOULD GEORGE W. BUSH BE PUT ON TRIAL FOR MURDER?!?
And how's that for a segue? From a thrilling basketball item to a very serious QUESTION!
The war in Iraq.
The reasons we were told that our troops were being sent there were all lies. The end result of those lies have been the deaths of thousands of American citizens and life altering injuries suffered by other thousands of American citizens.
What were the lies?
That Iraq was involved with 9/11. Bullshit.
That Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that would be used against us. More bullshit.
That Iraq was filled with terrorists that would do harm to us. More bullshit until after we got there. After we got there, the terrorists showed up. Before we got there, they didn't exist.
The Bush administration also saw to it that Iraq's Head of State ended up being hanged. Yes, an Iraqi trial was held (after our troops captured him), but an argument could be made that the Bush administration was involved in something illegal that resulted in Iraq's Head of State being given the death penalty.
I know. When it finally became SO apparent that we went to Iraq based on lies, we were told that we had been given faulty "intelligence information". Bullshit. Even the dumbest of people now realize that "the books were cooked". And what I mean by that is, what was printed for people to see was an example of, "Garbage in, garbage out".
WHY?!?
I don't know the answer to that question. Many have speculated that the real reason the Bush administration went there was to take control of Iraq's oil. I don't subscribe to that theory, but for the life of me I don't know why the Bush administration felt it was necessary to send our troops in there based on lies. Or for any other reason! And when I say the Bush administration, we all know that what I'm referring to is a small group of people.
Somebody thought it was damned important for us to send our troops there. And to get the Halliburton crowd involved, etc., etc.
Again...WHY?!?
But here's something we know! The deaths and life altering injuries suffered by thousands of American citizens because of these lies.
There is no question about the fact that our troops were sent in harm's way based on lies. Lies told by the Bush administration.
So after very serious thought, I ask this question;
Should George W. Bush (and perhaps others as well) be put on trial for murder of American citizens and other crimes associated with what has happened in and to Iraq?
I welcome any thoughts and or comments you have on this subject. Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net
AND THERE'S ALSO AFGHANISTAN TO CONSIDER...
I didn't have a problem with what the Afghanistan through Pakistan mission was supposed to be. Do you remember the reason we were given that we were sending troops there? To find Osama bin Laden.
How's that working out?
President Obama sent more troops there because the mission (whatever it is) seems to have changed and General Petraeus said he needed more troops. President Obama said "okay", but he also said that if things haven't improved, he will begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July of next year. When General Petraeus was asked about that by a U.S. Senator while appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee a couple of days ago, he was not only evasive, but after saying, "We have to be very careful about timelines.", he fainted. And I'm not making that up.
General Petraeus is now okay and his subordinates said he fainted because he was jet-lagged and not because of the questions he was being asked.
Well, that's reassuring, but here's what isn't reassuring. The fact that we still have our troops there and in Iraq. Two places where the people don't like us and in many, if not most cases, hate us! And these stupid wars, in addition to the thousands of American deaths and terrible injuries are costing us hundreds of billions (maybe trillions) of American taxpayer dollars while our country, is in danger of going broke.
And now we find out that vast mineral deposits have been discovered in Afghanistan by American troops and we say, "Hmmmm!?!" Is this why we're there? And are we ever going to leave?
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S OIL SPILL SPEECH!
Did you watch it?
I did.
Were you impressed?
I wasn't.
But here's something he said that got my attention; "For decades, we've talked and talked about the need to end America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels. And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight."
In other words, President Obama wants us to agree to suffer some financial pain in order to eliminate our addiction to oil. Pain that would eventually go away and pain that would be worthwhile because it would prevent our children and grandchildren from having to be stuck with these growing "deficits" that keep growing and at a dangerously accelerated rate.
Okay...Let's talk about the concern we have for our children and grandchildren regarding "The Humongous Deficit".
We've all heard what people say about this and some of us have said the same things ourselves.
"If we don't stop spending and continue to drive up the deficit, our poor children and grandchildren will be stuck paying for this for, like, forever!"
Or something like that.
President Obama would be addressing that issue with his oil addiction idea.
A noble idea, but an idea I don't think will be supported.
And here's why.
We might not admit it and maybe deep down we don't even know we're thinking it, but when push comes to shove, worrying about the effect the deficit will have on our children and grandchildren is/are to me, simply words that sound good and the right things to say.
It's true that all good parents and grandparents are people who hope their children and grandchildren are able to live prosperous lives.
But we aren't willing to vote for or approve what is necessary to help make that happen as far as "deficit reduction" goes. And the reason is, while we wish the best for our children, etc., we don't want to have to live lesser lives to make that happen. In other words, "Kids, I want you to have YOURS, but I'm not going to give anything up because I want to KEEP MINE!"
Think about what I'm telling you and if you have any thoughts and or comments, please write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net
THE LATEST ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION...
In a very recent interview she had with an illegal immigrants supporter, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said the Justice Department, under President Obama's direction, will be bringing a lawsuit against Arizona over their new immigration law because this is an area that President Obama feels should be handled by the federal government.
Hmmmm....Arizona has a law that calls for the enforcement of the law against illegal immigrants. And the federal government should be handling this?
Hmmmm....Wellll, they have been "handling this" and isn't that why Arizona felt the need to pass this new law, which is in fact, (basically) the same law that the federal government should be enforcing???
READING TIP:
The new June 21 issue of Newsweek has a multi-page story titled, "Saint Sarah" and yes, it's about Sarah Palin. In this story, among other things, Sarah Palin is described as the new leader of the Christian Right, a position previously held by the late Jerry Falwell. Check it out. It's an interesting read.
DUMB GUY OF THE WEEK:
Texas Congressman, Joe Barton. After publicly apologizing to British Petroleum's CEO, Tony Hayward about the way he was verbally treated in congressional hearings and for the way he was pressured by President Oboma, the political roof fell on Joe Barton's head.
In addition to the stories that immediately came out about Barton being the recipient of more campaign money from oil companies than any other congressman, Republican leaders, fearful of voter backlash, made Barton apologize for the "apology" and when the Republican leaders didn't like Barton's apology, they wrote an apology for Barton and threatened to seriously punish him regarding chairmanship opportunities, etc.
Short Commentary: Yo, Joe! No one but you and Rand Paul are saying nice things about anyone associated with that BP oil mess in the Gulf. But because you give new definition to the term "dumb guy", you're our dumb guy of the week.
ENTERTAINMENT STUFF...
I haven't seen anything new lately. There are some new television shows I'm looking forward to seeing this weekend and there's a film I'm looking forward to seeing as soon as it comes out. Have you seen those television commercials about the new Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz film, "Knight and Day"? I don't know about you, but those fun scenes they've been showing makes me think "Knight and Day" is a film that will MAKE my day!
THOUGHTS AND OR COMMENTS?
Write to me at scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond to you immediately. Don't write to the blog because if you do, there's no way for me to know your email address so I won't be able to respond to you. Again... scottstjames@sbcglobal.net and I will respond immediately. All anonymous emails are ignored.
THE NEXT BLOG?
Barring unforseen circumstances, late Wednesday night, June 23rd.
AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BACK TO BACK NBA CHAMPION LOS ANGELES LAKERS!!!
posted by Scott St. James at 10:31 PM
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