Declaring War on the "War on ______": The Government's Never-ending, Multi-front Wars ( Part 2 of 2)

The War on Global Warming:

Humanity has proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that, overall, we are cock-a-roaches; scurrying, omnivorous, rampant breeders who shit where we lie.

There, I said it.

There are many who may be angry over this assertion, yet I stand firm; ladies and gentlemen, sometimes the truth hurts. Human beings have evolved into the worst plague Terra has ever known, and the Good Mother would be much healthier without us. Come what may, this wondrous biosphere will be here much, much longer than we will. Our time on earth has been a fleck of fly dirt in the fluid and churning sands of time.

Like the essence of life itself, the Earth is hard-wired for self-preservation. When the time comes that the sum of our existence has affected the earth’s homeostatic functions to the point that her compensatory measures are no longer effective, she will no doubt wipe the slate clean, erasing the stain of humanity.

With that said, we should do what we can; individually, realistically, and scientifically, as opposed to politically. The government’s declaration of “war” on mankind’s poisoning of the environment, is as ridiculous a concept as the population control protocol in Logan’s Run. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t surprise me either. We are both too smart and too dumb for our own good.

The fact of the matter is, our numbers are simply too great, and there is a finite amount of resources.

Largely because of organized religion, the original purveyors of fear-based mind-fuckery - entities that consistently laugh in the face of science and lackadaisically cast reason to the wind, we have lapsed into a dangerously unhealthy denial of our animal beginnings. This denial, a refusal to understand and acknowledge our animalistic traits and instincts is among the worst things we can do.

As Americans, we’ve had the very temporary luxury of being high-minded on the subject, as we have been the “land of plenty.” As a species, we have done great things; we have tamed our surroundings to our own ends and we continue to soar ever higher, but Daedalus was right. If you fly too high Icarus, too close to the sun, you’re bound to get burned and fall back to earth.

The government’s “Declaration of War” on global warming is an insult; to both Mother Earth and to us. Only common sense can save us, but it is a resource humans possess an ever diminishing supply of. By shying away from instinctual behavior, we have turned our backs on the very essence of common sense.

The War in Iraq:

It began with one of the most painful and sad days in American history; September 11, 2001. 19 mostly Saudi hijackers/terrorists planned for years to fly 4 different planes, loaded with fuel and passengers, into 4 different important American buildings. 3 out of the 4 were successful. Only one mission was unsuccessful, as a direct result of the bravery of the passengers on United Airlines flight 93.

From here on out is when it gets more than a little sketchy. Personally, I don’t believe that it was an inside job, but the media and general public are quick to dismiss 9/11 conspiracy theorists as complete whack-jobs. However, they do make one valuable point: This “war” is not, nor has it ever been about the eradication of terrorism. It is about 3 things; oil, oil, and oil. Furthermore, it is an obvious conflict of interest for the Executive branch to invade two different sovereign nations and threaten a third, especially since the White House is currently occupied by two “oil men.”

While this war is about oil, there are other entities with their hands deep in our collective cookie jar that stand to profit immensely from never-ending conflict; namely the Federal Reserve and the Military Industrial Complex. War is the very best thing that can possibly happen for either of these businesses.

In times of war, the Federal Reserve prints ungodly amounts of money to finance the endeavor. Every dollar, since the Federal Reserve Bank's inception in 1913, has been printed by them, and then loaned back to us at interest. The more dollars the Federal Reserve prints, the more money they make. It’s painfully obvious why the Military Industrial Complex benefits from perpetual conflict.

To tie it all together, there are two “oil men” in the White House. Then, the biggest act of terrorism ever to occur on these shores is perpetrated by 19 men from an area of the world that possesses the largest known reserves of oil remaining on the planet. As oil men, they desperately need whatever oil they can get their hands on because in-ground oil reserves are diminishing worldwide.

So, they get together with their corporate allies that would also greatly benefit from an extended conflict, and begin planning their attack. For the American people’s digestion, they cook up a scheme with both real and bogus “intelligence” from the CIA and other secret government agencies that says that there are numerous Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, and that Saddam Hussein has “Weapons of Mass-Destruction” in Iraq . It’s mostly cock and bull story from day one, and they know it. The fact is, is that they don’t much care for the Taliban, Saddam Hussein tried to have George Bush Sr. whacked during the first Gulf War, and Afghanistan and Iraq lie directly on the eastern and western borders of Iran respectively. Coincidence? I think not. Should they later decide to invade Iran, they could do so from two separate adjoining nations. They are also acutely aware that if they invade and control these three nations, they would control the entire Persian Gulf along with their allies the Saudis, as well as control a huge percentage of the known oil left in the world.

Is there any lower act of complete and utter selfishness than for the President of the United States to use one of the nation’s biggest tragedies for the benefit of himself and his friends?

Maybe there is one:

Our President, his V.P., and Congress have used one of our nation’s biggest tragedies to continue on their path towards complete tyranny; they take, and take, and take some more from their citizens, while giving back little to nothing in return. They have amplified and exploited our fears and they have used them against us. They have taken our rights away. They have ruined our economy. They have increased surveillance on their citizens in every imaginable way. They have turned on immigrants who were once welcomed in. They have incarcerated millions upon millions of people.

These “wars” are ideally indicative of the steep decline in freedom and liberty occurring within the United States, and the irony of creating a Cabinet-level “czar” to lead these new departments isn’t lost on me either. The word czar is derived from Caesar, or Emperor. Czars, Caesars, and Emperors were autocratic, sovereign rulers. Our system of government, a republic, is the opposite of that. It is a government without a monarch, and in which the people have a voice. The word republic originates from the Latin term Res publica, which means “public thing”, or “public matter.”

We must declare war on “The War on _______”, because they are wars that have been declared on us.

Declaring War on "The War on_______": The Government's Never-ending, Multi-front Wars (Part 1 of 2)

The War on Drugs, The War on Terror, The War on Illegal Immigration, The War on Global Warming, The War on Iraq, The War on Iran, The War on Science, The War on the Middle Class, and the list goes on.

It makes me sick to my stomach to think about putting my thoughts on this issue down on paper. Writing about any topic requires a deep delving into, and critical thinking about, the chosen subject. Merely pondering this topic has caused me to lapse into hyperventilating, fist pounding convulsions. Luckily, no one was hurt. A perfect example; after I sat down and wrote the title to this piece, I had to walk away from it for a couple of days.

Oscar Wilde said, “I have said to you to speak the truth is a painful thing. To be forced to tell lies is much worse.”


The War on Drugs:

In the history of our great nation, no other government movement has led to the erosion of our basic civil rights more than the War on Drugs has.

• As of 2006, there are 299,398,484 people living in the United States. In that year, there were 1,889,810 drug arrests, with 829,627 of them being for marijuana.

• In 1990, there were 248,709,873 people living in the United States, and there were 580,900 drug arrests with 401,982 of them being for marijuana.

In 16 years time, there has been a 320% increase in the amount of arrests with a 16% increase in the population.

Think of it in these terms: In 2006, 1 out of every 150 people in the entire United States was arrested for drugs, and the number of arrests continues to grow each and every year. Nearly a million people were arrested for marijuana alone. All this adds up to 830,000 people per year, most of whom are hard-working Americans, who face going to prison, losing their jobs, losing their homes, etc., over what many believe to be an issue of personal choice.

Mind you, these are totals for one calendar year. Each and every year, another 830,000 suffer the same fate (again, that number rises each year), and that’s not mentioning the one million-plus arrests for other drugs. (Cited: Drug War Facts and the US Census Bureau)

Between the years of 1995 and 2006, 19,522,546 people were arrested on drug charges.

Nineteen and a half MILLION people were arrested for drugs in an 11 year period, and the majority of those arrests were for simple possession.

To achieve that end, Police and Federal Agents plan and enact military-style raids on their fellow Americans every single day. They use all the latest technology; assault rifles, infrared and night vision, flash bombs, body armor, etc. And, as they’ve proven time and time again, these trigger-happy stormtroopers will use each and every one of those technologies to their fullest capabilities, up to and including taking your life.

After all, it’s a lot of work arresting an average of 5177.5 people every single day, so you’ve got to let off steam somehow. It really is a war out there, and the government will be the first one to tell you. It’s wasn’t the media, or people of the United States who coined the term “War on Drugs”, it was the government itself.

09/18/2008 Update:

FBI records on drug arrests for the year 2007 were released on 09/15, and the data shows that a record 872,000 people were arrested for marijuana, with 90%, or 775,000, being for simple possession. It also showed that 75% of those arrested were under the age of 30. Appearing on the Dr. Drew radio program on 09/16, Paul Armentano, Senior policy analyst for NORML stated:

"We now have an entire generation that's becoming disenfranchised, that's believing that its civic leaders and police are not their protectors and are actually their oppressors, and if you look at the data, they are."


The War on Terror:

Department of Homeland Security
245 Murray Lane, SW
Washington, DC 20528

Secretary Chertoff,

My name is Jet Lacey, and I am an American citizen.

It’s said the treatment for some ailments is far worse than the disease itself. This analogy entirely sums up my feelings about the Department of Homeland Security, and the “War on Terror.” I am infinitely more afraid of you, agents of my own government, than I am, or have ever been of Al-Qaeda. You have done more damage to this country, and to the individual rights of its citizens than Al-Qaeda ever could.

You have taken the Constitution; a document expressly written to prevent the type of oppression being propagated by your department, and you have used it as your doormat. Former Supreme Court justice William Douglas says it best:

“The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of people.”

Through the PATRIOT Act, you have removed or suspended many “inalienable rights” that are the life's blood of any honest-to-goodness free society.

• You’ve created “gag orders”, effectively negating the 1st Amendment’s guarantee of free speech.

• You conduct innumerable acts of warrantless surveillance on American citizens, in direct violation of the 4th Amendment.
  

• You have suspended constitutionally guaranteed Writs of Habeas Corpus on multitudes of “enemy combatants”, and tortured them in direct violation of numerous compacts and treaties, although no “war” has ever been declared by Congress. This is a direct violation of Article One, Section 9 of the Constitution.

• You secretly search the homes and businesses of American citizens without ever notifying the owner or occupant. Again, it is a direct violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution.

• You have expanded the definition of terrorism to include various domestic issues in order to increase your power.

They say sex sells, but nothing sells better than fear. Why do you think religion is so popular? The Department of Homeland Security, and the PATRIOT Act are examples of what the Founding Fathers believed to be absolutely intolerable acts of a government against its people, and thus they risked everything and rose up against such tyranny.

It has been well and often quoted, but there are ideas that are stated so plainly and truthfully that paraphrasing would only serve to cheapen them.

“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” - Benjamin Franklin, (Historical Review of Pennsylvania 1759).

It is among my firmest beliefs that this is what has befallen America and her people. We have allowed hand-wringing, sneering, drunk-with-power 'leaders' like you, to sell us your tale of fear, and 'We the People' have bought it hook, line, and sinker.

By drafting and enacting the PATRIOT Act, what you have done to the United States and her people is tantamount to High treason. If the world was a fair place, you Mr. Chertoff, Tom Ridge, all Congressmen who voted for passage of the Act, its revisions, and its extension (including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain), and the current President and Vice President of the United States would be incarcerated without bail, charged, fairly and publicly tried in a Federal Court of Law, and if convicted be imprisoned or put to death in accordance with Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States of America. Contrary to what you obviously believe, there is no higher law in the land.

Mr. Chertoff, I am a peace-loving man devoted to the return of individual liberties in this country. Sir, I’d like to say it would give me the greatest of pleasures to see the day come to pass where you paid for the crimes you’ve committed against America. I’d like be able to say that I’d revel as you were strapped down and had your life taken away from you with the push of a syringe, or that I'd giggle with delight if your head began smoking like Ethel Rosenberg’s as you 'Ride the Lightning' for the harm you've done to this country.........but I’m not like you.

With Utmost Sincerity,

Jet Lacey


The War on Illegal Immigration:

While some of the other “wars on____” currently being waged by our government may be of higher importance to our ability to continue as a free nation, the War on Illegal Immigration is the topic that is most dear to my heart. All of the other wars are portrayed as serving a higher cause or purpose; freedom of course, but that’s an uncomfortable laugh we’ll share on another day. However, the War on Illegal Immigration is a war that directly singles out one group of people, namely Mexicans.

Yes, I know that technically, illegal aliens are here, well, illegally. I get it. What I don’t get is, after they’ve been welcomed in with open arms for so long, why are they considered, all of the sudden, to be this big societal pestilence. The act of being here illegally isn’t even a crime; it’s a civil infraction. For many, many years, illegal immigrants have been allowed to open bank accounts and have driving privileges, and they’ve been allowed to purchase homes and cars on credit, just like “regular” Americans. They’ve even, until recently, been eligible for welfare and food stamps. What they weren’t able to do is what the government would prefer none of us be able to do; vote, or reap any Social Security benefits we’ve sown throughout our working years.

I’ll tell you why they’ve been welcomed with open arms; for their cheap, voiceless labor. Mexicans, both citizens and ‘illegals’, are no small part of the very backbone of this nation. They get a lot of bad press because of the drug trade (see above), but overall, Mexicans are some of the finest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. They have a rich culture, steeped in tradition, and they are a religious and family-oriented people. The most important word in the Spanish language is trabajo, which simply means work. I’ve also found that whatever respect you give most Mexicans, you get back double in return. What bothers me most is that many people who are dead-set against illegal immigrants don’t even have regular contact with Mexican people.

My life-long love affair with the Mexican people started in 1977, when at the wide-eyed and wondrous age of 8, my Mom, sisters, and I moved to Phoenix, AZ. When school began that August at Orangewood Elementary I was in the 3rd grade, and it was then that I took Spanish for the 1st time. Though I’ve nary a swarthy drop of blood coursing through my veins, I often joke that I’m 100% Irish, and 50% Mexican.

I digress. The ultimate issue for me here is compromise. The US government seems to have lost this ability in our recent history. I’m more than ok with taking whatever measures are deemed necessary to discourage illegal immigration into this country. I’d rather they didn’t build a wall along the Mexican border, not because of illegal immigration, but because I’d like for my own way out the door to be kept open, should things get worse. The most realistic and humanistic way to handle this issue would be to first secure the border, and give those who are already here a fast-track to become an American citizen. Also, the fees and costs associated with U.S. citizenship are extremely prohibitive for many, and I believe they should be decreased.

Earning citizenship isn’t about what you can pay; it’s about a pledge of loyalty and a promise to be a positive member of the society. However, with rights comes responsibility, and proving that the immigrant has learned basic conversational English should be a firm requirement before citizenship is granted.

Mexicans are a diligent and adaptable people; I think they’re up for the challenge.

High Times at the GOP Convention

Yawn! Oh, hi there. I guess I kinda just dozed off there for a minute. Whew....The last thing I remember, I was watching one dusty old bullshit artist after another flap their gums at the GOP Convention, live from St. Paul, Minnesota.

The air inside is electric, but not in a good way. I can only describe it as a "turn the other way and run" kind of way. Short hairs stand on napes of necks, and there seems to be a faint, hot mist emanating from the convention floor. The overall scene is of a Dali-esque mirage. To ease the tension, large Ziploc bags of freshly picked Psilocybin and Mason jars of 180-proof corn liquor, both from Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson's personal stash, were hurriedly flown in and distributed to the restless mob by Republican party officials.

Smart move; it's been proven that a fairly large percentage of people experience a long-lasting increase in emotional well-being after taking mushrooms. On a more serious note, the white lightning was Manna from Heaven to the 40 or so delegates who had been seen lying in the aisles, curled up in the fetal position. They appeared to be in the bone-aching throes of opiate withdrawal, or in fulminant alcoholic DT's. Rush Limbaugh, you know what I’m talking about.

Others are seen scratching at themselves or blindly clawing at the air, as though they are fending off some manner of invisible, winged beast. Hundreds have been afflicted with Bell's palsy, and many more have open, weeping sores dotting their torsos. Calamine lotion is selling outside the convention for 350 dollars a bottle, and millions of flies have abandoned area landfills and have descended upon the XCel Energy Center in search of an easy meal.

The flies sense it and so do I; these are physical manifestations of abject horror. The Republicans know they've done fucked things up with the American people. At this point, they’re also acutely aware they had a pretty good thing going too.

Throughout this process, I've noticed quite a few things about Presidential conventions and those who serve as delegates. Those who believe in Satan as a living entity, as opposed to a metaphoric allusion to our darkest instincts, refer to the devil as "The King of Liars." After a few nights of watching our divided masses worship these golden calves, I'm not convinced that Satan could hold a candle to these pros.

I can't say who flat-out, bald-faced lied the most, but it chaps my ass just thinking about it. It's obvious these conventions are a farcical parade of lies, and a lesson in the piquant nuances of political ass-kissery. After listening to members of both parties for numerous nights in a row, I now know what it feels like to be a smoking-hot girl sitting alone in a busy nightclub. Everybody knows that fellas gonna step to her and say and do anything it takes to get her in the sack. Why? So they can fuck her. The only difference between the parties is the line of “game” they roll up with.

The delegates themselves are the side-show to their candidate's "Three-Ring Circus." On the convention floor, thanks to the unflinching eye of C-Span, I witnessed numerous acts of prostitution, two possible homicides, and open IV drug use.

A major problem occurred at the convention when it was realized that there weren’t nearly enough delegates in attendance. Party organizers were in a ‘head-in-hands’ panic after roughly half of the seated delegates up and left the convention, never to return. They went across the river to Minneapolis in search of real reform, to Rep. Ron Paul's opposing convention, the "Rally for the Republic."

Organizers had to think of something, tuit suite. It is rumored that John McCain called in some favors and had every homeless Veteran they could find, from parks and bus stops across the Midwest, bussed in to sit for the convention. They also sent out volunteers to scour local asylums, halfway houses, and inpatient psychiatric units for suitable female "constituents.”

Homeless Vets are a sad lot; they are the shells of former people who quit trying after being used up and spit out. They are the human waste of our disposable society. To politicians, with the possible exception of McCain himself, they are what they have always been; expendable, be they light infantry or convention seat fillers. They are our country’s ‘Untouchables”; paid in pimento loaf and cheap booze, and merely tolerated until their services are no longer needed. After the convention, they will be immediately and summarily returned to their former glory behind the nearest dumpster, without so much as a "Thanks, now go fuck yourself."

Above it all, presiding front and center is the unholy Puta Madre, Cindy McCain. I have lived in Phoenix, AZ for a long time, and I have seen Mrs. McCain in public on a few occasions. For me, anything closer than TV is too close for my comfort.

I don't care what anyone says, I am pretty sure she's not human.

Normally, the sparsely thin strands of her ancient, flaxen hair are secured in the severe pony tail of richey-rich bitches everywhere. It carries the pungent odor of moist loam or old books, and sours the very air around her. Flying insects that venture too close to Mrs. McCain instantly cease metabolic activity and freefall to earth.

Tortuous, cord-like veins rhythmically pulse as they traverse the width and breadth of her considerable ovoid melon, which reflects light in the same spectrum as Gold Medal flour. Her eyelashes are said to be coated in neurotoxic venom, and can be accurately fired a distance of 5 or 6 feet. Mrs. McCain’s thin-lipped smile conceals hypodermic canines that can tear through any flesh, including the densest bone. Her soulless eyes are the color of an azure sea set aflame.

Cindy McCain is in her glory, for this is her time. She has been lying patiently in wait since 1136 B.C. for this day to arrive. The Prophecies have spoken.

I can see why people sell their souls; mine's a fucking burden to be sure. It must be great to feel no sense of care or concern for your fellow man and only worry about yourself. It must be powerfully liberating to be able to go after what you really want without giving a second thought to how you got there, what villages you've plundered, or how many lives you've destroyed along the way. Imagine, just for a second, being able to lie, cheat, and steal without the slightest pang of guilt or remorse. I know, I know, it sounds great; but I can't seem to rid myself of it, not even for a fleeting moment.

In summation, there are dark forces that mean us harm that surround us from all directions. The best advice is to lay low and keep your head down until you find some manner of cover. And then, at the opportune time, jump up and come out swinging. That time is coming, sooner than you might think.

Don't worry, I'll let you know.