Death of a terrorist leader - a patriotic boost?

Worshippers of bin Laden

Disclaimer: I am not opposed to the killing of bin Laden. I am, however, cautious of using it as a cause for celebration. Remember, the USA is not the only target in the world for terrorists.

Osama bin Laden is dead. He was shot Sunday night in the head by US special forces and buried at sea to adhere with Muslim traditions. Americans were out cheering and chanting in the streets. Obama said in his speech that justice had been served. Tweets, comments and the general feeling among Americans are those of joy, success and a feeling of being surpreme. "We won! We won!" could be heared across the nation. With all due respect to those who lost their loved ones on 9/11, I can understand that the death of the mastermind behind the attacks give some kind of closure. But as Gary Younge so brilliantly put it ,"A desire for vengeance is a legitimate emotional response. But it is not a foreign policy."

It's important to remember that this is not America versus the terrorists. The whole world is involved. For example, many Norwegian soldiers have fought and died in the war in Afghanistan for the last decade. Do Americans think about them? When the pastor in Florida burned the Quran, the outrage that followed killed the first female aviator in the Norwegian forces, Siri Skare. The Quran burning caused an intense debate in American media, but mostly it was an argument about free speech and the right to show dismay with fundamental Islam. Fair enough, but America's first amendment should not be a cause to act like there is no other country in the entire world. Whenever the mighty America desides to poke her powerful finger and stir around on other continets, there are severe effects. It's wise to think back and try to get the picture of what led to the al-Qaeda hatred towards the West. Yes, they are crazy and radical. But their anger didn't grow out of nowhere.

The notion of American exceptionalism with all its hypocricies provokes me. Case in point - the US keeps a huge stockpile of nuclear weapons while urging other nations not to get them. Having lived in the US myself I have come across many proud Americans that know their constitution by heart, but have little to no now knowledge of the outside world or the complexities of foreign politics. "Support out troops" is a common expression. Whenever I engage in discussions about invading foreign countries, I am almost always told that the troops support their freedoms. Whose freedoms? If Americans want their freedom, they need to start with the problems in their own country. It seems like it doesn't matter how many civilians die abroad as long as the soldiers protect America's freedom. And I am sure some of you reading this now will see me as "Anti-American". I assure you am I not. But I am saddened that a country that is so powerful and so little hesitant to interfere with international politics has a population of which so many are oblivious to what is actually happening out in the rest of the world!

Cheering Americans

President Obama's speech on bin Laden was cleverly written with lots of poweful linguistic effects.

It was nearly ten years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory. Hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky....

Notice the careful use of contrasting adjectives and the reference to the collective national self - the American people.

By now I probably sound like an America-hating, bitter, pro-Osama. I assure you that I am NOT! To be clear.... of course the world is a better place without bin Laden. Of course it was a well-done operation to get rid of that man. And of course it is appropriate to seek closure after losing a loved one.

Is the life of an American more valuable than civilians in other countries? How many thousands have died by shots of US soldiers?

Remeber, an eye for an eye only makes the world go blind.

Dead Norwegian Soldiers

Leave it to your imagination

There's a website that I have to check out on a regular basis. Not because I am fond of the content, rather it's because I am appalled with it. Conservative Truth is a right-wing organization that labels itself as 'the antidote to the liberal newsmedia.' I'd rather call it a hatefilled misogynist racist homophobic witch-hunt project that hides behind the American flag. They cater to the high school dropouts, religious fanatics, white supremacists and folks who are in desperate need of a higher power to guide them onto the right way. The newsletters reek of jingoism - and aims at glorifying America as God's chosen land and people. Oh, except for women, blacks and gays. The pursuit of liberty doesn't apply to those.

One of the recent posts by Humphrey Stevenson, a chemist no less, expresses a naive longing for the good old days. In his article 'Longing for Leave it to Beaver', Stevenson believes that the traditional marriage between a man and a woman is one of the most essential building bricks to the American society.

He writes:

"In the mid-twentieth century, the progressives set about to create dependency on the government by destroying the American society. Therefore, they attacked the cornerstone of the society; the family. They did so by driving the man out of his role as principle provider and protector."

Furthermore,

"There have been a couple of radio ads airing for an organization called BoostUp.org. This organization’s stated purpose is to encourage students to finish high school.

The first ad features a teacher asking a mathematics “word-problem” question of a student named Jacob who is also working part-time after school. The question boils down to how can he drive his mother to her dialysis treatments every day, work his part-time job and still find time to finish his science project this week. The intention of the ad is to elicit sympathy for Jacob and other students like him that must shoulder a heavier load for the family.
However, the ad elicits another question; “Why can’t the father of Jacob drive the mother to her daily dialysis treatments?” The ad fails to address this question."

Umm... let's see... Maybe Jacob's dad is dead? Perhaps he is an alcoholic unable to provide for his family? Maybe he was an abusive jerk or a pedophile? There is a big gray area here, and no need to jump to conclusions.

Why should society rely solely on men to be the providers? Why can't women?

It's sickening to me how Stevenson believes that a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is without fault. It takes two to tango. Sometimes people get married because they have to. Other times, people grow apart. It's better to be single than in a bad relationship. And what if the husband turns out to be a serial killer in disguise, abuses the kids, beats his wife, has an affair? The possibilities are endless. Do you, Mr. Stevenson, honestly think that a woman should stick to her man no matter what?

Prime time = mocking time

Come on, guys. If we can't laugh at ourselves, we take ourselves too seriously. That's why we need comedians, pundits, bloggers and talk-shows... to put things into perspective. How can we move forward if we can't look at things from a below-the-belt perspective?

Sarah Palin has openly slammed Fox's Family Guy for allegedly mocking her son Trig's Down Syndrome. This after the show aired an episode featureing a character, Ellen, who had Down Syndrome. Palin took personal offense of the skit, and said, "The world is full of cruel, cold-hearted people." Well, indeed.

The world IS full of cruel and cold-hearted people. But what I find more hurtful, is the fact that Palin uses her son as a political prop. She carries him around, and uses him to promote her religious views to fuel her political propaganda. And what baffles me, is why she took offense of this? The show is making fun of everyone, blacks, gays, religious people, conservatives, liberals, students, immigrants... you name it. Doesn't Palin realise that her party is behind mocking gays? To take away their freedom? The conservatives are all about "Legalizing freedom", but they're also denying fundamental rights for those who are not straight, white and Republican. How about taking offense on their behalf, Palin?

I am in no way saying it's OK to mock developmentally challenged people. I'm fortunate to know several people who have DS, and they can be functioning, smart and achieve great things. What ticks me off in this context, is Palin's choice to point them out as fragile and as people who need to be shielded from jokes. What I also don't get, is why when her buddy Rush Limbaugh used the word "retard", she tried to cover his sorry ass.

Andrea Fay Friedman, the actress who voiced Ellen, actually HAS DS.
She wrote Palin this response in an e-mail:

My name is Andrea Fay Friedman. I was born with Down syndrome. I played the role of Ellen on the "Extra Large Medium" episode of Family Guy that was broadcast on Valentine's day. Although they gave me red hair on the show, I am really a blonde. I also wore a red wig for my role in "Smudge" but I was a blonde in "Life Goes On". I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line "I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska" was very funny. I think the word is "sarcasm".







What do you think?

Freedom?

Disclaimer: I am NOT anti-American. I am anti-ignorance. There are so many things that I like about the US. But ignorance is not on the list.

Since I work in news, I get bombarded with e-mails, newsletters, wire stories and phone calls from both Democrats and Republicans. And to nobody's surprise, the big story right now is the health care reform.

You can read the bill in its entirety here.

Some ultra-right winged conservatives are crying out about euthanasia of the elderly, abortions funded by taxpayers and the end of Medicare as we know it. They use their pentecostal preachings to persuade weak and ignorant minds. They call pro-choice "pro-death" because it allegedly kills babies. I call it a woman's right to choose. No white, middle-aged Republican MAN is ever going to tell me what I can or cannot do with my own body. But going overseas to kill innocent civilians, that's just the price to pay for freedom. What's the difference? Why is killing children in Iraq not frowned upon? I haven't seen one outcry from conservatives on that issue. Doesn't God tell you not to kill? That you should love thy neighbor as yourself? Or have I completely misunderstood? So what's evil about socialized health care? That you have to contribute a little more of your money to ensure the welfare of fellow citizens? Isn't that what love is? Isn't that what Christianity is about? To care for each other?

What baffles my mind is all the God-fearing, Bible-swinging conservatives who keep whining they want their freedom. But they will not allow gay marriages, women's rights to choose, health care for all. So what's this freedom? To live in fear? That's not freedom to me. Some believe that closing the borders and stop all immigration will stop illegal aliens from taking jobs from legal citizens. Well, you know.. as long as there are crooks out there willing to hire underpaid and desperate workers, it will never stop. Maybe you should take a look at yourselves? If nobody would hire them, they wouldn't come here. Also, as long as the US keeps poking their finger into foreign affairs, terror will always be a threat. And keep in mind that the US is not the only target in the world. And what about domestic terrorism? KKK? Workplace shootings? Murder-suicides? Anti-abortion violence?

I want to quote Tom Barret, one of the most insanely ignorant right-wings that keep sending us newsletters from a website called Conservative Truth. In one of his blog posts, he rants that Memorial Day should be about "honoring the men and women who gave their blood so that we could be free". Who's "we"? The Americans? As a European, I am thankful that the US is our ally, and that they helped combat the Nazis during WWII. But I think it's a common misconception that US soldiers need to fight for the Americans to be free. After all, the wars haven't been fought on American soil. And don't forget, that just less than 50 years ago, racial segregation was still legal in the US. As a result, there is still racial bias in many parts of the country. Is this freedom? Is this what God would have wanted?

What I don't understand is the opposition to universal health care. Why this fear? This anger? Nobody is crying out about the need for drivers to have valid automobile insurance, right? Does that limit your coveted "freedom"? I would feel more "free" if I knew I could afford to go to the doctor if I got sick. I've been unemployed before, and not being able to go to the doctor because you simply cannot afford it, is the most restricted feeling I've ever felt! And yes, this is coming from someone who grew up in a country WITH socialized health care. I can tell you this... I can go to whatever doctor or clinic I want. Medications are low cost. If you go to the hospital, you don't have to pay. That's right. We don't need fundraisers in order to get a heart transplant, or a new kidney. Childbirths are free. And we don't get bankrupt if we are unemployed and are unfortunate enough to get cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.

But I do agree in that democratic party leaders should open health care negotiations to C-SPAN cameras, to ensure greater transparency.

Greater knowledge and open discussions would help erase those gray areas that are so often the breeding ground for confusion and misunderstandings.

In the end, only the truth will set you free.

Drop out of school and be a bum!

Yes, you read it right. Who cares about something as trivial as education? Fire up that bong instead, and take it easy. Life is hard enough.

Or... you COULD work hard in school, and do something with your life. There's still no guarantee that you won't be a bum, though.

But here's the thing... President Obama is set to speak to children in America's schools tomorrow, and some thinks... that's BAAAAAAAAAAD! I mean, how dare he? How could a leader of a nation do something so incredibly foolish as to encourage kids to read and learn? Yeah, that's really bad political propaganda, and just another sign that end times are near... We're one step away from a socialist-communist famished nation with a president-turned-dictator at the steering wheel.



Republicans are encouraging everyone to celebrate "National Keep Your Child At Home Day" . So what message does that give? Mom and dad don't agree with the President because they're scared he might turn us into little left-wing liberals? Or, mom and dad are trying to push their political agenda on the kids?


Come on! What happened to common sense? Are we so caught up in this republican vs. democrate war that we can't see straight? As an independent, and a non-citizen of this country, I say: Let the kids go to school, and let the kids hear the President. There are far worse things in this country to worry about. Far worse.

President Obama to demystify health care reform

CNN is reporting that Obama is looking for ways to simplify his health care plan and to make it clearer and more concise. About time! Maybe now we won't have Palin shouting out about "death panels"? It's obvious that his health care proposal needs a serious round of editing. Not necessarliy in the means of content, but in order for the reform to pass... he needs support that can only come from UNDERSTANDING! Nobody wants to vote for something that's not 100% clear to them, right?

It's also time to calm the fears of so many American citizens who believe that a universal health care system is just another way for the government to violate one's personal freedom. Come on! Think about the millions who are unemployed right now... or the millions with part-time jobs that DON'T offer health insurance! God forbid you getting cancer AND losing your job....