because he can not explain away america's past. worse, he doesn't want to change it.

but he's only a politician, you know. an american idol, with this year's song. the wars go on, the support of dictatorships goes on (not least egypt's mubarak - a man on america's payroll for many years ), and this very bright lawyer puts a lovely spin on the crimes of america. changes nothing, though: americans are already noticing that under the words is a reality quite like the that of bush/cheney.

the cycle of suspicion will end when some american president explains that murdering prime ministers, bombing civilians, and rewarding torturers is ended, and punishes those who did these things. until this happens, suspicion of american motives and morality is solidly founded.

the isrealis want the war to stop, because they have what they want, and suspect further conflict may begin to turn the tide. so too with obama: he wants to stop conflict here because the future looks less rosy. but the current losers are not done, they too see hope that the tide is turning.

obama is talking to america, more than to the middle east. fools are impressed, the ignorant admire, and he is the 'great peace-maker', by visible intent at least. but there is no content, nor can be. reality must be addressed first, and if he knows it, he dare not say it. so america's policies will sail on, ever less effective as the economic support for militarism fails.

lightly disguised by fast food and ipods.

because the poor can't pay taxes, and the rich won't.

democracy might help, but a nation whose lawmakers are in thrall to the rich will never be a democracy.

see 'slumdog millionaire' several times - that's where american society is heading.

america is not a democracy.

it never was. it was never meant to be. people who talk about democracy in america are ignorant fools, sometimes. more often they are media tradesmen, touching the national myths as a way to earn another wage. most often, they are cynical hypocrites re-enforcing those myths to curry favor with the elite.

not only is the constitution that of an elective monarchy, but growing up in the society with continual imprinting of the national myth creates a people who are serfs, and content to be serfs. the farthest reach of their hope is not to be equal members of a democratic society, it is to be looked after by a kind master. they are continually disappointed, but never draw the conclusion that looking for a kind master is foolish. they dare not, for action would be necessary then.

and they are afraid to act- they never have, don't know how, and have been told all there lives that they aren't smart enough to participate in politics.

it's true. sirota, greenwald, conason - all have plenty of complaints to offer, but none know what to do. perhaps they are content to complain, and earn a living.

it sets a bad example for the children.

the american cattle are impotent and many, most of republican voters, are just as crooked.

a franchise of railing against american injustice is therefore extremely secure in one way: inexhaustible material. but there is the problem that if you actually succeed in making the ubermensch angry, they will demonstrate just how depraved they are.

that these men are no threat to america. well, they weren't when they came to gitmo. i'd be kinda pissed-off by now.

germany is probably the best place for them, but germany is now re-aligning it's suck-up orifice from the old thug to the new, and is rightly hesitant to upset their new masters.

palau would be a disaster, culturally, but if their subsidy is large enough, no doubt welcome to palau. and the men would presumably prefer a pacific island culture to life in a box policed by thugs.

but why, oh why, does america not wake up to what it is? is there no level of injustice, no brutality, that will cause most americans to see what a monster they have become?

so it's depressing when a relatively democratic state gets into such a mess. it's clear you do need citizen quality people, for democracy to work.

perhaps a state appointed study group should compare switzerland and california, to develop an effective constitution, because this one doesn't work.

what is clear, is that the people of california have enough money to maintain a progressive society, but are simply not extracting it from the transactions of the state. new laws are needed, starting with the constitution.

democracy is the only hope, for california got to be the power house of the american economy with democracy, however defective. giving up democracy to the rich will not improve matters, the resulting oligarchy is what is blighting america right now.

everyone would understand the need for a stable environment and limited population. and we do live in a spaceship.

but the spaceship is big, so many people think it's inexhaustible. worse, many more just want to get rich and be damned to social controls.

pollution is killing the spaceship, and will kill every living thing if humanity doesn't get much smarter, very quickly. that isn't going to happen. launch lifeboats into space...

the empire wallows on, incapable of significant policy changes because special interest groups rule america.

that is the power of democracy: that it allows the majority to have it's way about national policy. a nation without citizen initiative is frozen in the war of the american roses, with the people helpless to defend themselves from the rich, the generals, the politicians, the corporations.

president mccain? no big difference, just speeds up the rush to oblivion.

americans don't know about it.

socialism is a good thing too- and they know less about that.

but go on talking about the emperor's new clothes, idle gossip is so much easier than actual thinking.