Posted 7:15 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

Life can sometimes become a blur
Over the past 15 years, I've made a lot of choices designed to give me control over my time. One would think that, if I were successful at doing that, that my life would be relaxed and pleasant. Not! Along the way, I decided to do what I could to advance the cause of libertarianism, which I viewed, and still do, as the only ideology that produces productive and peaceful coexistance between humans. At my age of 64, political changes are not likely to make a great difference in the remainder of my life, but I am very concerned about the world and the nation that we are leaving to future generations, which include my own daughters, and grandsons. That "cause" has become the raison d'être in my life, and there is the source of the blur.

The task of promoting libertarianism is a never-ending and frustrating one... one that has burnt out many others. We live in a nation where mammoth government has become the norm. It doesn't come close to working well, but it does create a maelstrom of problems to deal with, and causes all of us great confusion. We quite literally have become slaves of the state... pawns being manipulated by government. Even worse, government is itself manipulated by thousands of groups organized to press for their own agendas. The result is a bloody mess... so many laws that each of us is certainly eligible for prosecution and prison at any time, if anyone cares to concentrate on us for a few minutes. You or I would be an insignificant addition to the over 2 million Americans already in prison.

My problem is not in finding ways to promote libertarianism, but in decided which ways can be most productive. Currently, I do volunteer work for a number of organizations, adding my skills and effort in an attempt to increase the success of each organization. Over the past few days, I've added three major possibilities that could each be more worthwhile than what I'm currently doing. I've never sought publicity, preferring to work behind the scenes, or with a few people at a time, but I'm beginning to believe that I can be more effective "out front". Thus... the blur.

Stay tuned. As any of these possibilities become more real, I'll describe them here

Posted 6:16 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

Tuesday
Updated the Alexa ratings page, and the casualty numbers/cemetary. Although the Alexa rating for my own site suffered a bit, if you will study the ratings page, you'll see that libertarian sites continue to rise. I find that encouraging. Many of those sites are outspoken critics of the War in Iraq.

Posted 7:44 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

Just what have our "leaders' done?
You may recall that, prior to entering Bagdhad, the war was not going well, and that after looking at photos of the city of Bagdhad, I supposed that the fighting there could go on for a very long time, and be bloody. We were told that the Republican Guard had been pulling back into Bagdhad for an intense protection of the capital city... the center of Irai infrastructure, government, palaces, and cultural locations. It's also a huge city, with a vast array of narrow streets, tightly lined with buildings... perfect for urban defensive warfare. It had been likened to fighting the Viet Cong in the jungles.

Then, suddenly, the coalition forces were victorious. The Republican Guard seemed to vanish... resistance was almost non-existant. What happened? Did the U.S. boogie-man scare everyone away? Was it the threat of facing our monster military just too much for the best of the Iraqi military? Despite having fought furiously throughout the country, did the Iraqis just decide to lay down and surrender their capital city?

If you were like me, you were just glad the fighting was over, so that the world could return to business that has some purpose. Nobody was eager to "look a gift horse in the mouth", so we accepted a quick, easy coalition victory with little questioning. Who wouldn't?

The Iraqis wouldn't... that's who. It has made no sense to them. They watched with horror as looting and burning occured, destroying museums, cultural sites, government buildings (except for the Ministry of Oil)... while the coalition forces deliberately did nothing to prevent that destruction.

Here's the story developing on the ground in Iraq... the probable answers to the mysteries of our "coalition victory".

Posted 7:12 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

An indictment of the American people
As the "Iraqi war" fades from mainstream American consciousness... as the excitement of military conflict fades into the ugly confusion of "post-war", I can only wish (not expect) that we will all be able to take a look back with realism, and see what has really happened to US... to America.

We have been led into a pre-emptive war against an "enemy" who was no threat to our nation... led by means of lies and trickery to take a murderous agression that disgraces the principles this nation was founded on. It has been, and continues to be, a U.S. action that should heap SHAME on each American who, in ANY way, supported it. Americans have demonstrated their ignorance and gullibility to an EXTREME level, by falling for what may have been the most blatantly wasteful and unneccessary military action in history.

I understand that ignorance and gullibility, but I cannot excuse it. It was simply too damned obvious to anyone paying attention... at least to anyone who doesn't delight in battering others about just because we can. Those who cheered while thousands died deserve nothing less than utter contempt.

All Americans, including the millions who properly opposed this war, will suffer the consequences. We have allowed an insane group of neo-conservatives to wage what was very similar to the spectacle of the ancient Roman games pitting the Christians versus the lions, and, like the Romans, we cheered the blood-bath as sport. Our major media glorified the "lions", mushing over their courage, covering their few casualties... and the "Christians" just conveniently and nameslessly disappeared. We encouraged all this, with our polls, our "Support our troops" signs, and our flag-waving.

Despite plenty of easy evidence to the contrary... despite knowing that most of the rest of the world disagrees, many Americans still believe the U.S. action was glorious and justified. Our image, as a people, is now crap to the rest of the world. As a people, we not only allowed it, we supported it. We are precisely, and to no lesser degree, as guilty as the German people were for allowing Hitler to wreak destruction on Europe.

Blind trust in government? Blind trust in our elected leaders? Hopefully, many Americans will have learned what disastrous results can come from such beliefs. It will be too late for thousands of Iraqis... and too late to save our global reputation as warmongers, but it is NOT too late to learn the lesson... that each American has a responsibility to MIStrust what those in power say... to each seek the truth and not just jump on the "patriotic" bandwagon.

Government programs, no matter whether they are military, social, foreign or domestic, NEVER, EVER succeed like we're led to believe they will, and they ALWAYS have disastrous unintended consequences.
When are we all going to learn that lesson?

Posted 11:15 PM by Robert Ronald Smith

M A S S A C R E
It has been, and continues to be, simply a shameless massacre. A pathetic, shameful, oppessive war, waged by the most massive, well-equipped forces on earth against a tiny, disorganized army with old weapons and no air force, defending it's homeland. Even worse than the military conflict is the devastating cost to Iraqi civilians. There is no way to know how many Iraqi soldiers were killed, but at least 1,858 Iraqi civilians are dead, and the number will continue to rise as the injured in inadequate hospitals continue to die, and as children continue to find American cluster bomblets.

What will be the effect of this lopsided war on American military personnel? There have already been indications that many are ashamed of being part of such an overpowering attack. This has not been war... it has been wanton destruction. Any American who can take any pride in it is either extremely ignorant of the facts or is completely immoral.

Posted 9:17 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

What is the REAL U.S. plan for Iraq?
Americans have been told that we invaded Iraq to (1) eliminate weapons of mass destruction, and (2) overthrow the Saddam Hussein regime. We would invade as liberators, freeing the oppressed Iraqi people, establish a democratic government, and cause as little damage as possible in the process. We were definitely NOT there for the oil. Despite ridiculously overwhelming military superiority and a population that supposedly would welcome us as liberators, what has actually happened?

a. The "coalition" forces DO, naturally, have military control of Iraq.

b. At least 1600 Iraqi civilians have been killed, and many of them because of inexperienced, scared American military personnel firing haphazardly or even deliberately at civilians.

c. ALL of Saddam's cabinet is missing, and we don't know about Saddam himself. It seems that coalition forces are protecting, from looters and arsonists, ONLY the Ministry of Oil... not museums, galleries, other cultural sites, and not government departments needed to regain order.

d. Tens of thousands of angry Iraqi citizens are protesting against U.S. forces and plans to impose leadership on them.

e. Electricity has been out in Bagdhad since aerial attacks 2 weeks ago. That also means extreme fuel shortages, lack of equipment for hospitals, and much more.

f. Medical treatment for thousands of Iraqis is becoming almost non-existent, for many reasons, and the U.S. military seems to be doing little to help.

Is the U.S. military completely inept at controlling the nation after military domination, or are they simply under different orders?
Is it possible that the U.S. administration really wants Iraq virtually destroyed? Is this destruction and neglect to serve as an example... a threat, for other Gulf nations? It is certainly beginning to look that way.

Posted 9:29 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

Catching Up
Whew! Back from a tiring train journey. All went well, considering that our party of 5 had an age range of almost 87 years, and that a long train journey is indeed wearing.

I've heard very little war news over the past week, but I did hear that the world's mightiest military force did manage to overcome the puny, underarmed Iraqi forces, keeping the "collateral damage" down to only about 1500 Iraqi civilians, who've been liberated from life itself. I'm sure they're grateful as hell.

Also became aware that, of the 14,000 sites searched for the infamous WMD, several nicotine-emitting cigarettes have been found. So much for that overriding need for invasion.

The question for the near future will be - What new and better dictator can we help to gain control of Iraq? (Saddam just didn't work out well after we put him in power and armed him). Darn... if we could have found Osama bin Laden, maybe he would consider trading in Al Qaeda for the Iraqi leadership post? (Darn again... I forgot... we put him in power too, and he didn't mind us) Oh well... surely there are lots more good choices available.

Posted 2:34 PM by Robert Ronald Smith

Smith is on vacation
Tonight, I'll be leaving for a visit to Seattle, to visit my younger daughter, along with my older daughter and her two sons, and my mother. That will make us a 4-generation traveling party. We'll be going via Amtrak, so the journey itself will be significant... 2 nights and a day in each direction. I'll return on everyone's favorite day, April 15th.

As I leave, the Iraqi civilian body count stands at a minimum of 996. I would like to think it will be no higher when I return.

Posted 10:24 PM by Robert Ronald Smith

Is the Pentagon murdering foreign journalists?
Today, there were three separate incidents of U.S. attacks on buildings widely known to be housing foreign journalists. Three journalists were killed and others wounded in those attacks. One attack was by missile, one with two bombs, and one a shell fired by a tank. All three attacks were during daylight hours, and other journalists are charging that the attacks were completely unprovoked and deliberate. Here are reports from Al Jazeera, which lost a TV reporter, and from Reuters, which lost a cameraman. A Spanish TV station also lost a cameraman.

Posted 7:43 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

Ah... the war news
Wouldn't it be nice to be talking about something besides the war? There certainly are other things happening... little things like the whole U.S. in serious financial trouble. The Bush administration, with additions by Congress, is spending on non-war items as if we were flush with peacetime prosperity rather than deep in deficits.

Bush asked Congress for money to spend on our insane war (no, not the Drug War, not the War on Poverty, or the War on Terrorism...the other one) and Congress jumped in with an EXTRA $20 billion tacked on, for non-war items. Seems that every "spending" bill just invites new and imaginative spending... slid in behind the scenes. A simple-minded citizen taxpayer might wonder how $69 million for something called the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust becomes part of the War Omnibus Spending Bill. Check out Ron Paul's article War Profiteers about the bill.

In case you haven't heard by now, the chemical/biological weapons discovered yesterday by coalition troops turned out to be no more than pesticides. Anybody can make a mistake, of course, but it's interesting that after I had read several accounts (from SCOTLAND?) about the identification of the chemicals as pesticides, I checked the CNN website and the Fox News website and found NO follow-up on yesterday's supposed smoking gun.

Where does that leave the knowledge of all those Americans who get only TV news of the war? It probably will leave yesterday's memory in place... that Bush was right... that we DID find chemical weapons in Iraq... that we found the "smoking gun". Still untrue, but who knows?

I repeat my previous warning to Americans: If you're getting war news from only American news sources, you're getting biased, sanitized information that doesn't accurately reflect reality... you're getting propaganda. Some British news sources have been excellent... at times even criticizing their own part in the war more than the American role.

Posted 8:56 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

Bits and bites from the light side and the dark side
Let's start with a little light... some now-too-infrequent humor... John Cleese, writing on the international reaction to Bush's Axis of Evil.

On the darker side, the U.S. now has over 2 million of it's citizens in prison or jail. From Oregon, a sad indication of just how closed-minded some war hawks can be... willing to jail protesters as TERRORISTS!

Posted 7:56 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

The "Routine" of war continues quietly
There is certainly still news of war, but aren't we already beginning to take most of it for granted? Isn't it becoming "routine"? Once again, an American plane has mistakenly bombed ... this time on a convoy of Kurds and American Special Forces, who called for the air strike, but on an Iraqi tank nearby rather than on themselves. At least 10 friendlies were killed by the single bomb. Watch the report from BBC reporter John Simpson, who was part of the convoy. Notice how "routine" it sounds to be injured, or to watch several other people burning to death.

I was told by a storekeeper friend that yesterday (Saturday) was a good retail day... another indication that we're now able to start ignoring the war.

Part of the problem, no doubt, is that many Americans have gotten excited about some war news, only to find out soon after that the story has been changed. That tends to make people ignore the reports until the dust settles and the story become "finalized". The problem with doing that is that the story will often just vanish from the media, unless you're watching carefully.

Posted 10:45 PM by Robert Ronald Smith

The Grind
The war in Iraq is now settling down (at least in my mind) into a "grind", as all wars surely must. I've been looking at aerial views of Baghdad to get an idea of what U.S. and British ground forces are facing. It's an immense task; Baghdad is a very large, modern city. Once again, U.S. forces are fighting on their opponent's home turf... worst case in any war. History is filled with tragic examples of invading forces being devastated because they were fighting forces defending their homeland. That's a lesson the U.S. should have learned well in Vietnam. It's a lesson Hitler learned when he invaded the Soviet Union. Even though the Russians were, like the Iraqis, dominated by a cruel dictator they probably hated, they simply would not surrender their homeland to invaders. Iraqis are likely to fight with the same zeal to prevent their nation from being taken over.

Urban warfare in Baghdad is likely to take a very long time, and result in large numbers of casualties. How will that will affect U.S. military forces who anticipated a short war with Iraqi civilians welcoming them and Iraqi military surrenders? How will our troops react to the ugly grind of building-to-building fighting, snipers, and not being able to tell enemy soldiers from angry civilians?

This is already not the "clean", precise war we were led to expect. Like the continuing battle in Afghanistan, don't be surprised that this one turns out far worse than promised.

Posted 6:43 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

Good News ( finally, for real this time )
U.S. special forces have rescued Jessica Lynch, a pretty, young (19), blonde American POW, from an Iraqi hospital. Also... 2 New York journalists and a freelance American photographer have turned up safe in Jordan after having been released by Iraqi authorities.
There is, of course, plenty of bad war news as well... the Iraqi civilian death toll continues to rise... Egyptian President Mubarik predicts that many new "Osamas" will result from this war. Huge anti-war demonstrations in all Muslim nations, as hatred toward America grows worldwide.

Our government's immoral, stupid, cruel, arrogant actions are going to cost us dearly for decades, and it's up to US to try to stop them. Remember... we are supposed to be in control of our government. Help yourself by helping to stop this war... protest, write letters, or contribute to anti-war groups. If we can't stop them, we cannot justifiably argue that we civilians don't deserve the retaliation for their actions.

Posted 8:46 AM by Robert Ronald Smith

GOOD NEWS! ( I wish, but it is April Fools day )
Despite threats from the U.S., Syria is now backing Iraq.
Colin Powell will trip to Ankara to deliver Bush's stern warning to Turkey.
The British military is, in effect, calling American troops cowardly.
Our own State department and Pentagon are battling about who should get to deliver humanitarian food to the Iraqis. Since U.S. troops in Iraq are running quite short on food themselves, the implication is that perhaps not all the food would get to the Iraqi civilians.

But... from Harry Browne, a sort of "you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet:
Rule-the-World Productions Proudly Presents . . .