with international agreement that a referendum would offer svn the chance to join the north peacefully.

when it became clear that the communists would win a vote, america welched on the agreement. the war was an active choice of the american government, probably because they feared having to listen to republicans say they 'lost' vietnam, just as they 'lost' china.

so the vn war was a crime from inception. the way it was prosecuted was even worse. lbj and nixon would have hung, if law was backed by power, for they did things that got germans hung at nurnberg.

mcnamara was the point man of 'capitalism' for want of a better label. the head of the department of defense is the director of military affairs, and he should have hung, beside lbj and nixon.

kennedy, like obama, was a white knight to the electorate publicly. like obama, the reality was quite different. but the quaint electoral customs of america ended his reign before he could do much damage, so i give him a 'pass'.

the importance of vietnam today is the perspective it should put on american military history, and current operations in the middle east. america is and long has been, an aggressive imperial power, not restrained by any law, custom or simple human decency when the wishes of the elite command action

that intelligent commentary on american politics can only be found in a cartoon. but when reality is warped past any humor, further twisting is the only path to sane discussion.

this decision was made by people who lust for money. lust clouded some minds, those that were clear were merely unconcerned at any outcome beyond improving personal wealth. it's a hell of a way to run a nation, but the usa is mired in tradition: a tradition of treating financial piracy as a sacred rite.

talk about creepy, what combination of bombs, fire and shelling will get american attention?

nothing less than the world trade tower makes the 6 o'clock news. that means there will be big surprises coming along soon.

you can borrow one from australia, or britain, or canada, or just about anywhere, and improve american life.

the hard part is that the people who run america aren't the people. the corporations do, and they are there for the money. nothing to be done about it, a large part of the electorate are house-trained, or house slaves, as so many founding fathers were in a position to say.

you get the government you deserve, and political cattle must take what they are given. it won't be much.

when the man who was reputed to have written 'all men are created equal' was in fact a slave holder, you can make an educated guess at how deep his conviction was, and even surmise he was lying for personal advantage.

when the framers of the constitution, in their private correspondence, relate the measures they are taking to keep 'the mob' from power in the new nation, you can reasonably guess at their opinion of democracy, which they openly denigrate as likely to discommode the wealthy.

the whole history of the usa since replacing spain as hegemon of america has been naked imperialism in reality, very thinly clothed in charming phrases. the truth is there, not deeply hidden. but americans don't look, for the history they are taught has an underlying purpose of curing them of curiousity. for them, this is the best of all possible worlds. best of all, it needs no effort on their part- their humble servants are assiduous in doing all for them.

reality will intrude, with ever larger intrusions, as the wealth of america is bled off by the elite, and with it the industrial and military power that has insulated the local version of the emperor's clothes.

and it might be a better world.

unfortunately, the driving force of history is not philosophy but lust, arrogance and vanity. all products of testosterone.

in short, the thugs will continue to make the decisions.

opportunities abound. or temptations.

i think king obama will get the most trouble from his daughters, who are probably much less tolerant than madame.

you listen to the democrat party, or you listen to the republican party, or you forget about politics.

in a democracy, the people can offer an alternative to the cosey back scratching of the politicians. but america isn't one. maybe you are beginning to see that's a mistake?

probably not. when politics is a profession for a few instead of a civic duty of all, media pilot fish don't disturb the sharks they suck on.

that congress 'must take.'

if they don't, you will throw yourself to the ground, kick your heels and hold your breath?

it's not your country, it's theirs.

they will do what's best for their careers, as ever. this includes covering up crimes committed by previous administrations, as most were complicit, and all are harmed if the cattle are alarmed.

the governing guild is corrupt past reclamation, the media trained past any public usefulness, and the band plays on. 'the american empire, the middle years' is on the stage and the commoners can do nothing to prevent the decline and fall. it wouldn't matter, except that one consequence of this particular imperial saga is degradation of the environment throughout the world. this makes hope for a new age rather tenuous.

you get the rule of men.

if you want the rule of law, you must vote for laws, through referenda.

it's called democracy.

been conspiring against the common man. it's what elites do.