it's this: he is king for 4 years, probably 8. mr kamiya is not.

in what area is mr kamiya's opinion of consequence, and why?

as a citizen? if mr kamiya were a citizen, he could initiate a referendum ending the 'war'. but he does not. so he's not a citizen, merely a civilian.

as a paid advisor to the king? nooo, surely he would say if king obama thought his opinion was worth anything.

does he advocate physical protest against the 'war'? nope, or least he hasn't chained himself to the white house gate as yet.

perhaps he's just a wordmonger, making a living by simulating citizen discourse.

in any event, the war on terror won't be turned off so easily. it's been going on since '47 at least, and for a long time was merely america's clandestine terrorizing of various middle eastern peoples and nations. there's an awful lot of stored up hatred, which won't be quickly forgotten. the events of 9/11 didn't come close to evening the score.

if obama ends the war on terror, will the other side just say, "well, that's all right, then." or will they be inclined to remember the dead, the ruined lives, the destroyed homes, and say "you can stop fighting, but things are turning our way and we'll continue."

so true. if the parasites in the beltway were worth a paycheck, they would figure out a way to run the nation that didn't involve continual financial crises.

they could start by winding back military expenditures. if they spent 10% of the current figure on weapons and wages, america would still have the strongest army in the world, and might have the best schools, hospitals and highways too.

why he wants to be president? especially after the first little stone popped out of the financial dam. just likes the challenge, i guess.

it's not enough to be smart. even a smart man can't lead a stupid nation to permanent salvation, because the next stupid, or crooked, or crazy president can undo the smart guy's work.

obama can give the nation a few years of competence. perhaps he will. take a deep breath, crack open a bottle, enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

but don't expect any substantive and lasting change, there will be another dubya along soon to screw things up. real change will come from outside the system, perhaps when china buys up gm, india takes ford, and poor old japan has to make do with chrysler. american capitalism thought they needed 'globalism' to expand, but looks like the expansion is going in the other direction.

perhaps obama will be the last american emperor.

it's amazing more young women aren't 'working' their way through college. shows you how powerful social taboos can be.

prostitution should be legal. it's going to happen, so bring the workers into the protection of the law, and put the pimps and crooked cops out of business.

and the corruption doesn't stop outside the 'nice' suburbs, either. people like spitzer are liable to extortion because they are breaking the law. in extreme cases, some one charged with implementing the law dare not act due to his personal life. rich men are the users of women like ashley, and they can harm society more than any street corner pimp.

they are doing what they are paid to do. it works. americans are told from birth that 'representative democracy' works. it does, for the rich. americans are told from birth that socialism doesn't work. it doesn't work, for the rich.

so what works for the rich is what works for america. 'engine' charley wilson used to say that about general motors, too. wonder what he would think about those degenerate beggars who flew in on their private jets to pick up a fast 25 billion.

there is an american culture. it is characterized by aversion to socialism, aversion to democracy, aversion to foreigners, worship of wealth, celebrity, power. this culture is given direction by american media, the new conduit of 'received wisdom' from the wealthy, who own it.

ordinary americans are aware that things aren't going well for them or the nation. the american culture has limited their hope for better times to installing another person in the oval office. "good king barack" will save them.

but he won't, he can't. he's part of the system that put bad king dubya in power, and many others. when king barack goes, another king will come, and another, and each bad king will make things worse.

it's the system, stupid! if you want better results, stop doing the same things, over and over.

what a thrill. the share market is a lottery, the lottery is often crooked, and capitalism is the hope of humanity.

is there any combination of events that will convince people they have been worshiping false gods?

if gm goes into chapter eleven, will that do it? if ford and chrysler are bought by venezuela, will that do it?

'boom and bust' are presented as natural phenomena, like the weather, and inescapable. "it ain't necessarily so", in my view, because all those who say so are making a good thing out of fleecing the sheep.

when those three ceos flew in on private jets, and said their companies were really well managed, except they needed 25 billion fast, i wondered, is there any picture that will convince the cattle to get up on their hind hooves?

too late, is when.

the need for democracy is obvious. but the cattle are mute, unless they are mooing for another master.

like a dung beetle, he needs dung. so he never says "the cure for oppression is democracy", or anything else. he's part of the problem, as much as the politicians.