I think, therefore, I am.
~ René Descartes, Mathematician, Physicist, Philosopher
We are told that we need to give Obama more time. After all, he inherited a mess. He can't do everything at once. He is playing a game of multi-dimensional chess. We are not intelligent enough to understand his brilliant moves. Progressives and tea baggers both criticize Obama, and, therefore, they are the same. Progressive critics need to shut up.
Je pense, donc je suis.
They say (project) that liberals are not "reality based," but they talk about a mythical game of chess, instead of what is happening right now.
We need real change, and we can't wait any longer.
They want to change the subject from real torture, real war, real health care reform, real war crimes, real corruption, real human rights abuses, real Wall Street regulation, ....
We need to think past the name calling and the Tiger Woods/Britney Spears diversions. We need to think about ethics and people dying and suffering based on lies.
We need real change that we can believe in, not myths, not stalling tactics, not intimidation, not diversions.
Myth: The public option isn't all that important.
Reality: The public option offers Americans an alternative to corporate health insurance, which, because it has no competition, is woefully inadequate.
Change we can beleive in: the public option.
Status quo: HCR without a strong public option.
Myth: The Afghanistan surge will work.
Reality: USSR was brought to its knees, thinking the same thing.
Change we can believe in: Ending the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and bringing our soldiers home.
Status quo: Invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Myth: We are fighting in Afghanistan for women's rights.
Reality: Women and men are being raped over there, but they are not being allowed to bring their cases to court.
Change we can believe in: Aiding Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), who oppose our occupation of their country.
Status quo: Invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.
Myth: We are fighting for freedom in Afghanistan.
Reality: We are propping up the Karzai government, which is corrupt and involved in heroin.
Change we can believe in: Building schools and hospitals in Afghanistan.
Status quo: Bombing Afghan wedding parties.
Myth: We are fighting for justice.
Reality: We continue to torture, and we continue to cover up evidence of torture, dismiss legitimate cases of torture from our courts, and make the unlawful distortion of our legal system that allowed torture to become retroactively legal.
Change we can believe in: Investigating and prosecuting war crimes, illegal rendition, and waging an illegal war
Status quo: Covering up torture.
Myth: We are fighting for our democracy.
Reality: We are not being allowed access to public information by proclaiming documents secret, which undermines our democracy, by keeping the electorate in the dark.
Change we can believe in: Supporting the U.S. Constitution that ensures we have an open and free democracy and abiding by freedom of information act requests.
Status quo: Stamping documents top secret to hide incriminating information, which allows undue power to unelected, entrenched officials and special interests, who essentially control our government under the radar, thoroughly undermining our democracy.
Myth: We must move forward and not investigate war crimes.
Reality: It's incumbent upon us to uphold the law, no ifs, ands, or buts.
Change we can believe in: Investigating and prosecuting crimes against humanity and our U.S. Constitution.
Status quo: Moving on.
Myth: Obama is playing a complicated game of chess against the Republicans, so we need to be quiet, so he can concentrate.
Reality: Obama is playing a friendly game of golf with the Republicans and the special interests.
Change we can believe in: Not allowing these golf courses to pollute our water with fertilizers and pesticides, which cause cancer and damage the environment.
Status quo:
Myth: The bailout was a success.
Reality: The bailout was a massive transfer of wealth from the American people to the very people who pulled off a gigantic Ponzi scheme by deregulating Wall Street, which makes what Madoff made off with look like chump change.
Change we can believe in: Listening to Brooksley Born, Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Krugman, et al., who were right about transparency and regulation, by regulating Wall Street and investigating and prosecuting fraud, and firing those whose deregulation caused this economic meltdown, namely, Geithner and Summers.
Status quo: Listening to Tim Geithner and Larry Summers, and allowing them and their friends to profit through lucrative speaking engagements with the corporations that they aided and abetted, stock options that have soared through the stratosphere as a result of these wonky bailouts, and obscene bonuses that they do not deserve.
Myth: We must compromise with the corporations and special interests in order to be effective.
Reality: The corporations and special interests write our laws and own most of our law makers, which is why the gap between rich and poor is widening and the top 10% earns more than the bottom 50%, which is record breaking.
Change we can believe in: Passing strong conflict of interest laws and campaign finance reform so that our elected representatives in Washington represent We the People, not the special interests.
Status quo: Allow Congressmen and Senators to profit financially by serving needs of the lobbyists, not their constituents.
Myth: We have won the change we can believe in.
Reality: The policies of George W. Bush are being carried out by Barack H. Obama, and the crimes of the Bush administration are being swept under the rug by the Obama administration.
Change we can believe in: Rolling up our sleeves and voting the shills and the spineless out of office.
Status quo: Shrugging our shoulders and letting the lobbyists for the special interests usurp our democracy and our wealth without a fight.